‘Backrooms’-Mania Hits Theaters, $10.4M Thursday Fuels $90M+ Weekend Projection — Mixed Audience Scores

That’s $10.4M in Thursday previews for Kane Parsons’ “Backrooms.” On top of that, Friday pre-sales are already at $15M+, which is on par with some of the biggest openings of the year so far. We’re expecting a $28M Friday, resulting in a $90M weekend. Simply incredible.

I would, however, keep an eye on those audience scores, which aren’t great — B- CinemaScore, 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 52% definite recommendation, with a 67% positive on PostTrak. Word of mouth could prove to be a burden, and translate into a big dip in its second weekend.

Regardless, the film has already made all of its money back, as the budget for “Backrooms” was only $10M. This is going to destroy A24’s previous opening record — “Civil War,” which had a $25M weekend.

What’s wild is that tracking has been horrendous on this film — almost nobody saw it coming, except a very few. On May 8, “Backrooms” was tracking at a $20M weekend, and on May 20 it went up to $35–40M. So, in essence, it’s more than doubled expectations. What’s more, it goes to show just how out of touch the industry is when it comes to how popular YouTube content creators are — they can now deliver blockbuster hits.

Netflix Says David Fincher Is Why ‘Mindhunter’ Never Got Season 3, Contradicting the Director’s Account

There have even been fan petitions circulating to convince Netflix to bring it back. Maybe those fan petitions should have been directed at Fincher instead.

Mike Leigh Says ‘Tender Loving Care’ Is “Almost Certainly” His Final Film: “I’m Now Somewhat Handicapped”

He explains that even if another film were approved, “it wouldn’t get made for two years,” leaving him uncertain about “what state I’ll be in at 85, if I’m still here.”

Inde Navarrette Auditioned for ‘Heat 2,’ But Sources Say She Was Never Offered the Role

A person with knowledge of the situation suspects Navarrette’s reps may have helped leak the “Heat 2” narrative to Page Six: she was never offered the role in the first place.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G’ Faces “Racist” Backlash as UK Cinema Chain Has “No Plans” to Screen Film

Picturehouse Cinemas, a UK cinema chain, have confirmed they will not screen “Ali G: Who Iz I?” In October — a decision that comes amid a campaign accusing the character of racist stereotypes.

Todd Field-Written ‘The Girls’ Sets Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic to Direct, November Shoot

Cinephiles another Todd Field movie, and although we might have to wait for his next directorial effort, “The Girls” will have to suffice for now.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

Good/Great Movies That Don't Deserve Their “Rotten" Scores

These 31 titles clearly have their share of detractors — that’s why they’re “rotten” — and I expect some people to question a few of these picks. That’s fine. However, I believe most are strong films, worth reevaluating.

‘Dune: Part Three’ Reportedly “Blew Away" Warner Bros. With Rough 3-Hour Cut as New Teaser Stuns

Today, “Dune: Part Three” tickets went on sale, this time non-premium formats were made available, and it was all accompanied by a brand-new teaser—and the footage is stunning.

What is David Fincher’s Best Film? 100+ Critics Say, No Contest, It’s ‘Zodiac’

We managed to gather 118 ballots from critics, programmers, filmmakers, and scholars. Each was asked to submit a single title, the one they believe to be the best of Fincher’s filmography.

Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Glimpses of the Moon’ (Apparently) Starts Production This Month in Italy

Coppola has described “Glimpses” as a “strange 30s-style musical.” No cast has been announced. The film is a loose adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, “inspired” by Leo McCarey’s “The Awful Truth.”

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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