You know as well as I do that The Batman took the No. 1 spot at the U.S. box office over the weekend.
The film sold another $36.8 million, bringing the its worldwide sales total to just under $600 million. This one will almost certainly end up being a billion-dollar film with a long life on streaming.
And yeah, for sure, there will be more Pattinson Bat. I’d guess two more. The Robert Pattinson-Matt Reeves combo seems to be working out better than I could have expected.
Scroll through the IMDb page for this flick. One of the best casts I’ve ever seen, shot by the next great cinematographer Greig Fraser, and production design by the brilliant James Chinlund. The legacy of the Bat.
Pattinson has been working with all the great directors, and has really come into his own. Reeves was the piece of the puzzle I was the most nervous about, but he’s done his best work yet here, and is going to have to bring some Dark Knight-level ambition to his next Batman film. Can’t wait.
A growing worldwide hit, Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie took the No. 2 spot at the U.S. box over its first weekend of release, selling a solid $14.8 million. So far, this one has brought in $130 million worldwide. Whoa.
This is a little corner of the film world I am not familiar with. Someone write me at gregwlocke@gmail.com and tell me about this one.
In its fifth weekend of release, surprise mega-hit Uncharted took the No. 3 spot at the box, selling another $8 million, upping its domestic sales total to just under $126 million. So far, Uncharted has sold $337 million worldwide. During a pandemic. Incredible.
A24’s latest release, X, settled into the No. 4 spot, selling $4.4 million over the its first three days of release. While it’s always nice to see an A24 title in the top five, this one was actually supposed to perform much better than $4.4 million. Bummer.
I think releasing an artsy slasher film from a visionary/weirdo like Ti West while there’s a big Batman film out is pretty silly strategy. This one would have done really well were it released in October. Regardless, if you’re not familiar with Ti West, I’d recommend watching The House of the Devil and The Innkeepers ASAP. Incredible flicks. Here’s hoping West’s X can get some word-of-mouth and stick around on the big screen for a bit.
Rounding out the top five was Channing Tatum’s action-comedy Dog, which sold just over $4 million, upping its 31-day worldwide sales total to $62 million.
Are the movies back? I wouldn’t say that. But as I look at the release schedule for the next few months, I get the feeling that people are going to start going to the movies again. Fingers are crossed.
The big one this weekend will most likely be the Nee Brothers’ The Lost City, starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and Brad Pitt. Looks like some stupid, easy fun. A lil’ rom-com adventure, kinda like they used to make in the ’80s. I’m in.
The Lost City is projected to bring in $20 million-$30 million over its first weekend of release. I think the Bat is going to be hitting too hard for The Lost City to perform that well.
Also out everywhere will be a Duplass-produced rom-com 7 Days. If, like me, you love witty talkies, this one looks promising. Female lead Geraldine Viswanathan is getting a lot of buzz. But, once again, most people will probably be going to the theater to see The Batman this weekend.
Here’s a quick look at some of the more interesting films we have to look forward to in the coming weeks: Morbius (April 1), Everything Everywhere All at Once (April 8), Michael Bay and Jake Gyllenhaal’s very promising Ambulance (April 8), Father Stu (April 15), Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (April 15), the super buzzy and promising new Nic Cage action-comedy, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself (April 22), and, finally, one of the most anticipated films of recent years, Robert Eggers’ The Northman, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe on April 22. Wow.
If you’ve seen Eggers’ other two features, The Witch and The Lighthouse, you understand why so many people are excited about this one. To me, Eggers’ first two films feel like minor works compared to what we’re about to get. Not unlike when Jim Jarmusch made the leap from Permanent Vacation and Stranger Than Paradise to Down by Law.
Also slated for release are Alex Garland’s long anticipated Men (May 20), starring the great Jessie Buckley, Downton Abbey: A New Era (May 20), Top Gun: Maverick (May 27), and The Bob’s Burgers Movie (May 27).
That takes us through spring. So many flicks to look forward to!
