Box Office: ‘Scary Movie 6’ Eyes Franchise-Record $60M Opening After $7.7M Thursday; ‘Obsession’ Holds Strong ($4.7M) as ‘Masters of the Universe’ Stumbles ($4M)

Seems “Scary Movie 6” will be exceeding expectations this weekend as it tallied $7.7M in Thursday previews, and a $60M opening is now a real possibility. The film only cost $30M.

That $60M weekend tally would be a franchise record, besting the previous high set by 2003’s “Scary Movie 3” ($48M). These are impressive numbers for the Wayans brothers and Paramount, and “Scary Movie 6” will quite easily become the most successful comedy release in over 15 years and the second-biggest opening for the genre ever, behind only “The Hangover Part II,” which opened to $85M in 2011.

Last week’s champ, A24’s “Backrooms,” hit $5.1M on Thursday and is looking at a $35M second frame, which would represent a 57% drop from its $81M opening weekend.

Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios’ $200M “Masters of the Universe” earned around $4M on Thursday, including the $1.2M it had already made from early shows. So that’s really only $2.8M from Thursday proper for the Travis Knight-directed take on the 1980s toy line and cartoon series. A $25M–$30M weekend is expected. Not great, though audience response has been positive.

“Obsession” ended its third week with a $4.7M Thursday, a mere 1% week-over-week decline. The film actually added 100 screens this weekend, so a third consecutive increase isn’t out of the realm of possibility. For now, it’s looking at a $23M–$24M weekend, which would be a slight decrease. With so much competition in the marketplace this weekend, this is still a very impressive hold.

Finally, “The Amazing Digital Circus,” based on the hit indie animated web series created by Gooseworx and produced by Glitch Productions, grossed $7.8M in its first full day at the box office. However, the film will be highly front-loaded and is looking at a $20M weekend.

This is shaping up to be a very interesting weekend for box-office watchers. Can “Scary Movie 6” hit $60M? Will “Obsession” increase again? How steep will the drop be for “Backrooms”? Is “Masters of the Universe” going to underperform? We’ll have a better idea by Saturday.

Matt Damon Spotted in Colorful Superhero Costume on Set of The Daniels’ Mysterious ‘Thasnagar’

So this next film by The Daniels, Scheinert and Kwan, of “EEAAO” fame, is looking exactly like we expected it to be.

Paul Thomas Anderson Has Already Chosen His Next Film, Jonny Greenwood Says

“Paul is getting close to pressing the button on the next film, I believe, and I’m already trying to learn a new instrument that would be central to it,” Greenwood tells Screen Daily.

Inde Navarrette Books Another Major Role With Apple’s ‘The Waffle House Index’

The film involves much more than just a hurricane. The script includes a gunman, major flooding, killer crocodiles, a nuclear explosion, aliens, and a secret magical bunker under the Waffle House.

‘The Odyssey’ ($1.8M) Is Back at No. 1 at the Box Office, Dethroning ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ ($1.7M)

Watch out for “The Odyssey,” which, after a $1.8M Wednesday, is back at #1 at the domestic box office, dethroning “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which grossed $1.7M.

‘Bucking Fastard’ is Bucking Bad [Review]

There are a few laughs, mostly at the start, and occasional visual treats, including a jaw-dropping cave setting in the final stretch, but the movie increasingly feels like an experiment in narrative improvisation.

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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