Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

December 3, 2021

Wolf

Premise: From IMDb: “A high-concept arthouse drama about a boy who believes he is a wolf.”
Box Office Prospects: $1.5 M
Expectations: Poor. If this is truly releasing wide, it has little hope of doing well as the concept is far too strange to be a hit.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Nightmare Alley (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “An ambitious carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Guillermo del Toro has made a lot of money at the box office, but his smaller efforts, with big names, tend to also do decently at the box office. How that works out during the pandemic remains to be seen.
Oscar Prospects: Good. Del Toro has also been a surprisingly consistent Oscar player with The Shape of Water doing far better with Oscar voters than initially expected. With this being a remaking of a film noir, it could also do well.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

December 10, 2021

West Side Story

Premise: From IMDb: “An adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.”
Box Office Prospects: $130 M
Expectations: Uncertain. With his first new film in three years, this could be the event of the Christmas season. That said, Spielberg’s recent history has been hit-or-miss and remaking a beloved cinema musical might not sit well with some. Still, it seems like a safe bet to be yet another $100-plus finisher. How far above remains to be seen.
Oscar Prospects: Good. Depending on how the film turns out, and no one has really seen it yet, it could be a huge Oscar player as many of Spielberg’s past films have been. How well it does depends on the box office factor as well as the critics factor. Regarldess, it will probably still do well with both.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Don’t Look Up (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “The story of two low-level astronomers, who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet earth.”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Adam McKay’s straight comedies did really well, but his political films have done modest business. While this isn’t exactly a return to the Anchorman aesthetic, it could be close to The Big Short style.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. What McKay has lost in terms of box office revenue, he’s made up for in terms of Oscar attention. Just like this film seems like it might be a slide up in terms of box office, it also seems like it might end up a slide down in terms of Oscar consideration.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Being the Ricardos

Premise: From IMDb: “Follows Lucy and Desi as they face a crisis that could end their careers and another that could end their marriage.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: Uncertain. It’s been 30 years since Aaron Sorkin has been involved in a $100-million plus movie. It was also his big screen screenwriting debut. This will be his second directorial effort, but his first was released digitally and never had a box office impact, so who really knows for sure. Based solely on the subject matter, it could be a surprise hit, but it could as easily be a mediocre one.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The early reviews have been confusing, but this doesn’t look to be a major Oscar player, but if the rest of the critics come down on the heavily positive side, it could have Oscar intentions.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

December 17, 2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Premise: From IMDb: “For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.”
Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Expectations: Good. The third film in the Tom Holland-as-Spider-Man trilogy will be a test for how well Sony can do without a major name from the Disney MCU to support it. I suspect it will under perform.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. This franchise hasn’t had much Oscar success in quite some time, so I don’t expect much this time around either.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Tender Bar (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A boy growing up on Long Island seeks out father figures among the patrons at his uncle’s bar.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Poor. The best George Clooney, as a director, can claim for a box office result is the $22 million he pulled out of The Monuments Men back in 2014 and that was almost double his next best effort. Don’t expect a lot of box office prospects for this one.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. Although early word has been positive, it’s been 16 years since Clooney had a film that was important enough to score lots of Oscar nominations. Could this follow Good Night, and Good Luck. and The Ides of March to an Oscar nomination or a few? We’ll see, but it will need to be incredibly well received by critics.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

December 24, 2021

The King’s Man (12/22)

Premise: From IMDb: “In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.”
Box Office Prospects: $85 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The first two films both scored over $100 million box office revenue, but the pandemic has changed the calculus and caused this film to push to this year, 4 years after the last entry, which can hurt a film’s box office prospects quite a lot.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Matrix Resurrections (12/22)

Premise: From IMDb: “The plot is currently unknown.”
Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The first film was a box office hit, the second was a smash hit, but the third film, after the disappointment of the second, was a box office underperformer. How will this first new chapter in 18 years do? Who really knows. Maybe people have forgotten how bad the second and third films were. We shall see.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The first film was nominated for and won four Oscars. One of those four categories is now gone. The second and third films were completely ignored because it was more of the same. A lot rides on how well this one does with critics and audiences. If it’s a disappointment, don’t expect Oscar to pay attention, but if it’s a success. It could score a Visual Effects nomination and maybe an off-chance at Sound. Beyond that, the film is unlikely to score.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Sing 2 (12/22)

Premise: From IMDb: “Buster Moon and his friends must persuade reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the opening of a new show.”
Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Expectations: Good. The first film was an absolute smash hit at the box office. This sequel comes 5 years later, which might impact its chances. So, too, could the box office, which has been hampering most family-oriented films of late.
Oscar Prospects: Unlikely. If the first film couldn’t score an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, the sequel-averse Academy is unlikely to give the follow-up a shot either.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

American Underdog

Premise: From IMDb: “The story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback, Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming an American Football star.”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Are there really that many Kurt Warner fans out there who would drop money on a biopic about the man’s rise to NFL history? There are a few who might, but I don’t expect it to be a huge hit.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

A Journal for Jordan (12/25)

Premise: From IMDb: “1st Sgt. Charles Monroe King, before he is killed in action in Baghdad, authors a journal for his son intended to tell him how to live a decent life despite growing up without a father.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The film’s premise is overly familiar, but it’s not a film that often features Black actors, which could be a draw. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to overcome a pandemic box office weakness to make much in the way of money. What could bolster its chances is the Denzel Washington name. He’s not in it, but he’s directing and that might be just enough to give it a boost.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The film has to be a huge hit with critics and the only one I can really see earning a nomination is Michael B. Jordan and although Denzel Washington has been praised as a director, he’s not had much success squeezing nominations out of his films.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (12/25) (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The biggest questino is whether star Denzel Washington can overcome prejudice against black-and-white films and Shakespearean adaptations to make this one a major hit. It’s possible, but I’m not going to count those chickens in advance.
Oscar Prospects: Good. It’s not the Coen Brothers, it’s just Joel. That might not mean much to the outside world, but it’s going to be modestly concerning for the Academy. Still, they love their risky black-and-white features with prominent actors and directors, so it’s still likely to be a major player this year.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Parallel Mothers

Premise: From IMDb: “The story of two mothers who give birth the same day.”
Box Office Prospects: $0.25 M
Expectations: Weak. There is no time in the past where director Pedro Almodovar has made a box office smash. The best performance for one of his films was in 2011 for his risky The Skin I Live In. But even that was less than $230,000 in box office receipts. I don’t expect this to perform much better except for being adjusted for inflation.
Oscar Prospects: Good. Although the film isn’t going to do much at the box office, Almodovar is earning some of his best notices in some time. A nomination for Penelope Cruz in Best Actress is a possibility, but more likely, he’ll only get a nod in Best Original Screenplay.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.