‘Bugonia’ Eyes $4M Weekend

Not many big new movies this weekend. There’s the re-release of “KPop Demon Hunters,” the reissue of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” Babak Anvari’s overcooked “Hallow Road,” and most interestingly, Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia.”

We’ll be keeping a close eye on “Bugonia,” which carries a $55M budget, it’s expanding to 1800+ screens this weekend. Lanthimos’ film had a mediocre Thursday — coming in way under $1M. It’s projected for a $4M weekend.

If the numbers hold then this will be yet another adult-oriented film failing at the box office this fall. Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro wrote about it in his thoughtful analysis, “What’s Up With The Fallout For Adult Upscale Movies At The Fall Box Office?” Some of the films listed as examples: “The Smashing Machine,” “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” “Anemone,” and “Kiss of the Spider-Woman.”

What I can say about “Bugonia” is that it’s a good film, but nowhere near as impactful as Lanthimos’ best efforts. It’s a chamber piece, tightly woven, well-acted, that hits its peak in the last 20 or so minutes. Jesse Plemons is great. Emma Stone is here usual stellar self. The film is beautifully shot by Robbie Ryan.

In my Venice dispatch, I called “Bugonia” a “grotesque carnival of idiocy.” It’s a remake of Jang Joon Hwan’s wild 2003 cult film “Save the Green Planet!” — though anyone who’s seen that one will already be way ahead of the twist. The plot is simple enough: two bumbling conspiracy theorists kidnap a high-powered CEO, convinced she’s an alien bent on destroying the Earth. From there, Lanthimos spins his signature absurdism, pairing off-kilter tension with grotesque humor

The film is, in many ways, a bloody, ultra-violent burst in human idiocy. Emma Stone is magnetic as the slick CEO, while Jesse Plemons commits fully to the delusions of his character. Aidan Delbus, as Plemons’ sidekick, is more one-note, his moronic loyalty occasionally flattening the comic tension.

There is an abundance of themes bubbling loudly beneath the surface—corporate greed, societal chaos, alienation—but if you’ve seen the Korean original, nothing here is particularly surprising. Those who haven’t might be more surprised by the twists and turns.

That said, Lanthimos’ style remains undeniably entertaining. At times, it’s irresistible; at times, perhaps too slick. Stone and Plemons are totally game — she’s a slick corporate, radiating menace, but the whole thing has the air of a director passing time, dabbling between bigger ambitions.

The highlight comes in the final stretch, when the kidnapping plot accelerates, and the film’s brand of silly violence hits its stride. Lanthimos and co-writer Will Tracy continue to explore society’s breakdown, though the message is heavy-handed: we live in a world in chaos, and perhaps we deserve it.

Lanthimos once shocked us with the bracing weirdness of “Dogtooth” and the perversity of “The Favourite.” Here, he seems content to give us something “quirky” and “edgy” in quotes. “Bugonia” is less about surprise than spectacle, less about narrative invention than performance and tonal daring. Stone and Plemons anchor the madness, making the film a curious exercise in madness, sometimes exhausting—a typical Lanthimos concoction, for better or worse.