For the fifth consecutive weekend, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, took the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office over what could only be described as a “sleepy weekend,” selling just $13.3 million.
Between football season being back on and the weather being extremely pleasant, maybe people just aren’t thinking about movies right now.
Still, how about this Shang-Chi phenomenon? It’s wonderful. Don’t be surprised if this one gets some Oscar nods to boot.
The theater-to-screen adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen didn’t go quite as well as the industry thought it would. The film opened at the No. 2 spot, selling just $7.5 million over its first three days of release.
Even adjusted for Covid times, that’s considered a bomb. I watched the trailer and, well, this just looks not good to me.
Free Guy continued to sell tickets, taking the No. 3 spot at the box office over its seventh weekend of release. I had a feeling this one would do well, but wow. Seven weeks in the Top 5. $203 million in sales in the U.S. $317 million in sales worldwide.
As far as Covid-era sales numbers go, this one is a massive, massive hit. And it very much feels like a movie that will kill on streaming services, too. I’ve heard mixed things about the film itself, but hey, people like it. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one has several sequels, spin-offs, and other annoying things.
The Candyman reboot/sequel took the No. 4 spot at the box with a whopping $2.5 million in sales, bringing the flick’s five-week worldwide sales total to just under $72 million. A minor hit, I guess.
Finally, at the sad No. 5 spot, we have Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho, which made just $2.1 million over its second weekend of release. So far the film has only made $8 million in its first 10 days. Reviews and word of mouth are pretty bad, too. That being said, I hear it’s perfectly enjoyable and well made in a classicist sort of way.
Paul Schrader’s highly anticipated The Card Counter continued to flop gloriously. So far, the flick has brought in only $2.3 million over its first 17 days of release.
This one hurts.
Three films are set to open wide this weekend. In my opinion, they’re all probably worth checking out.
First up is one of the flicks I’ve been anticipating most this year, the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark. Whoa, does this look good.
Of course, it’s a massive bummer that James Gandolfini has passed away, butq I just want to spend a little more time in David Chase’s world of Newark bad boys.
Reviews and word-of-mouth are strong for this one. In a recent interview Chase said that he just wanted to make an amazing gangster film. Can’t wait.
Also out everywhere is animated flick Addams Family 2, which I don’t think needs any sort of explanation. The Addams family is always fun in my book, and these new animated flicks are good stuff with incredible cast of voice talent and gorgeous animation.
Lastly, we have the major release of the week, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, starring British tough guy mumbler Tom Hardy. Supporting Hardy’s Venom are ScreenTime favorites Woody Harrelson and Michelle Williams. The trailer for this one looks completely insane and, more than likely, very fun.
As any regular Screentime reader already knows, I don’t like this whole superhero era. But the Venom flicks are fun and, in a way, beautifully crafted pieces of insane pop art.