Here we look at the upcoming month’s offerings.

August 3, 2018

Christopher Robin

Premise: From IMDb: “A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.”
Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Expectations: Good. Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is a beloved figure and them turning A.A. Milne’s story into something deeper and richer may appeal to fans young and old.
Oscar Prospects: Uncertain. The film has all the earmarks of a potential Disney Oscar nominee; however, it also reminds heavily of Saving Mr. Banks, which isn’t a great comparison.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Darkest Minds

Premise: From IMDb: “Imprisoned by an adult world that now fears everyone under 18, a group of teens form a resistance group to fight back and reclaim control of their future.”
Box Office Prospects: $85 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This non-Marvel, non-DC teen superpower movie looks like it could be a huge success, but the marketplace tends to shun that which does not have a firm backing. It’s hopeful the film’s a success, but there is no guarantee.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Searching

Premise: From IMDb: “After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Weak. The film wants to feel like it’s a part of the zeitgeist and it’s employing an interesting storytelling gimmick, but the trailers haven’t promised much of a good film so far.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Premise: From IMDb: “Audrey (Kunis) and Morgan (McKinnon) are best friends who unwittingly become entangled in an international conspiracy when one of the women discovers the boyfriend who dumped her was actually a spy.”
Box Office Prospects: $110 M
Expectations: Good. Kate McKinnon has a lot of fans and this film pulls those in alongside those who appreciate movies like Spy and Bad Moms, which could also pull inMila Kunis’ fans and fans of the spy genre. If everything hits the mark, this could be the sleeper hit of the summer.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 10, 2018

Dog Days

Premise: From IMDb: “Dog Days follows a group of interconnected people in Los Angeles who are brought together by their lovable canine counterparts.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Its canine foundation looks like the kind of gooey sentimentality that has parlayed cheaper concepts into huge successes, but the advertising has been a bit minimal, which calls into question its actual potential.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Meg

Premise: From IMDb: “After escaping an attack by what he claims was by a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.”
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: Uncertain. This pseudo-Jaws knock-off wants to trade off on recent fascination with shark attacks, but doesn’t look very convincing or exciting.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

BlacKkKlansman (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer from Colorado, successfully managed to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan and became the head of the local chapter.”
Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Expectations: Uncertain. While there’s a certain appeal to this film, it’s also not the kind of movie that becomes a rousing box office success. That said, it could also prove stronger than expected, especially if Oscar takes notice.
Oscar Prospects: Good. This is already one of the big Oscar contenders this year. Spike Lee’s film has earned early praise and it will hit at something of a zeitgeist moment.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 17, 2018

Alpha

Premise: From IMDb: “A story of survival set 20,000 years ago during the last Ice Age.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: Uncertain. There are no big names. There is no major source material. This is a film created out of wholecloth, which means it will struggle for an audience.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Crazy Rich Asians

Premise: From IMDb: “Three wealthy Chinese families prepare for the wedding of the year.”
Box Office Prospects: $90 M
Expectations: Good. It feels very much like a My Big Fat Greek Wedding-size hit in the making. It still has a number of hindrances, but its chances are bolstered by its incredibly popular source material.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Mile 22

Premise: From IMDb: “An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country.”
Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Marky Mark Wahlberg is not a box office draw, though producers seem intent on making him one. His few box office successes have been a direct result of someone else’s involvement, either a director or a franchise. This will prove if he can carry a movie the way that Matt Damon can or not.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Wife (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A wife questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm with her husband, where he is slated to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.”
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: Weak. The only thing the film has going for it is the presence of Glenn Close. Other than that, there’s not much to intrigue the specialty box office crowd.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. Although Glenn Close was an early candidate for frontrunner at the Oscars, thanks to her long career and lack of accolades, the film doesn’t look like it’s a showcase for her best work. Whils eh might get some smattering of support from critics, it will likely be insufficient.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 24, 2018

A-X-L

Premise: From IMDb: “The life of a teenage boy is forever altered by a chance encounter with cutting edge military technology.”
Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Expectations: Poor. Like Monster Truck, this film has a no-name in the lead and a premise that feels cheesy and unappealing. Those two factors may mean this film fails miserably.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

The Happytime Murders

Premise: From IMDb: “When the puppet cast of an ’80s children’s TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.”
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Uncertain. Melissa McCarthy has had a few hits, but she’s also had some duds. What makes me think this will fall on the upper end of her filmography is the Muppet angle. Although the Muppets everyone is familiar with aren’t involved, the puppet-based comedy is sure to find a lot of interest within the demograhic blocks that made McCarthy’s other films hits.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Slender Man

Premise: From IMDb: “Slender Man tells the story of a tall, thin horrifying figure with unnaturally long arms and a featureless face, who is reputed to be responsible for the haunting and disappearance of countless children and teens.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: Uncertain. The urban legend of the Slenderman have been making the rounds of grade schools for a number of years. The figure’s popularity was apparently enough to greenlight a movie about him; however, that age group tends to swap interests quickly and Slenderman has faded almost as quickly as he rose. It could still be popular, but I doubt it and I may actually have overvalued the film’s potential performance.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

Papillon (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A prisoner detained on a remote island plots his escape. A remake of the 1973 film ‘Papillon’.”
Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Expectations: Weak. The film has a predecessor’s reputation it has to live up to. That won’t necessarily block specialty theatregoers from the theater, but the film just doesn’t feel like a surprise hit in the making.
Oscar Prospects: Weak. Although the first film got a smattering of nominations, the sequel will feel like a bad rip-off, even if it’s good, which means Oscar will not likely take a look at it.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.

August 31, 2018

Kin

Premise: From IMDb: “Chased by a vengeful criminal, the feds and a gang of otherworldly soldiers, a recently released ex-con and his adopted teenage brother are forced to go on the run with a weapon of mysterious origin as their only protection.”
Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Expectations: Unceratin. Like Darkest Minds, there’s a demographic that could be compelled to give this film a chance, but there’s an equally larger group that won’t care enough to see it at the cineplex.
Oscar Prospects: None.
Cinema Sight Preview: See my preview of this title here.