Of this week’s theatrical releases, the one most capturing the attention of World of Reel readers has got to be Ari Aster’s “Eddington.”
The film, which is playing on 2,100+ screens, earned a “C+” CinemaScore — par for the course when it comes to Aster’s track record; for comparison, “Hereditary,” still his best film, received a “D+,” “Midsommar” earned a “C+,” and “Beau Is Afraid” wasn’t released widely enough to qualify for a score.
Box office-wise, the film is underperforming. It’s on track for a $4.5M weekend against an undisclosed budget that’s rumored to be anywhere between $25M and $30M. Could this mark the end of A24 backing Aster’s passion projects? “Beau Is Afraid” reportedly lost the studio $35 million back in spring 2023.
That said, after a sluggish first half—complete with half-baked pandemic jokes—I thought “Eddington” eventually morphed into a tense, slow-burn thriller in its final hour. There are definite shades of “No Country for Old Men,” though it only wishes it were half as good as that Coen brothers masterpiece. What did you think? Sound off in the comments below.