Your time is valuable and at the end of a long week, the discretionary time must be spent to maximum value. In order to help narrow choices down on the film and television front, every Friday we’ll give you the rundown of your options and an educated guess as to which ones make the most sense. There is a very complex formula involved. Usually that formula includes us watching the things and then telling you if they’re good. OK, we admit it’s not exactly the recipe for Coke, but we’re trying to help.
I predicted the box office returns for these films last Sunday, but I must admit that my track record hasn’t been too accurate thus far.
On the Screen
Gods of Egypt
Director: Alex Proyas
Stars: Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Bryan Brown, Brendan Thwaites
Current RT Meter: 10% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $12,000,000
The good news for Gods of Egypt is that it’s killing in Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The bad news for Gods of Egypt is that the rest of the world is about to react to it. The film did about $800,000 in its first previews on Thursday so it looks like my guess won’t be too far off. The film cost over $150,000,000 to make, though Lionsgate is making a point to mention they’re only on the hook for a fifteenth of that. They were trying to launch a new franchise with this but the chances for that happening now are somewhere between zero and hell no.
The Verdict: It’s a bit of an atrocity and the box office will reflect that.
Triple 9
Director: John Hillcoat
Stars: Casey Affleck, Chiweter Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Anthony Mackie
Current RT Meter: 56% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $10,000,000
A thriller about corruption, loyalty, and the price of sin arrives in the quiet time of the year but with an all-star cast and crew. It’s a weird thing, the release slate. Triple 9 has the making for a solid Fall release but it’s a Winter release and it seems a bit in need of a little extra help. As it stands it’s not a great film but a solid one and discerning audiences who like rough edges in their film diet could do a lot worse.
The Verdict: It’s not an expensive film and the expectations are low, but it’d be nice to see this do enough business to remind folks how important these kind of movies are to the cinematic diet. As it stands, it’ll finish in the top five but not much else.
Eddie the Eagle
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Stars: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Jim Broadbent, Christopher Walken
Current RT Meter: 71% Fresh
My box office prediction last Sunday: $8,000,000
This looks like a nice bit of uplifting entertainment good for the whole family. Fresh off a breakthrough performance in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Taron Egerton goes in the other direction in playing a light and ultra-energized young man striving for a chance at Olympic gold. Hugh Jackman reprises his Real Steal vibe as his mentor and coach. It’s definitely a step over your normal family fare.
The Verdict: It did paltry numbers in Thursday night screenings so it doesn’t look good.
On the Tube
Fuller House
Stars: Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Bob Saget, John Stamos
It’s been almost 20 years since the beloved ’80s sitcom left the air. Surprisingly, Netflix has revived the show and it arrived this week in one big lump of episodes. The word of mouth has been extremely negative, but who really knows the true face of Full House fandom?
The Verdict: Nostalgia sometimes is better left in the imagination.
The 88th Academy Awards
Stars: Chris Rock, Hollywood’s Finest
Every year we all tune in to watch Hollywood pat itself on the back. This year boasts an interesting array of nominations, but time will tell if there are any timeless winners. We’ve spent the week talking about the Oscars and we aren’t done yet. In the meantime, let’s pencil Sunday night together.
The Verdict: We’ll be covering it live Sunday night, so join us!
Happy hunting! We’ll catch up with you on the other side and see how it went.
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