September is a terrible month for movie fans and non-movie fans alike. People just don't see that many movies in September, so the movie studios more often then not use the month as a testing ground (read: dumping ground) for movies that they aren't very confident about. These movies often stink, or are so bland that they might as well have stunk.
This September was no different. It says something about a cinematic month when a movie that came out the month before (namely Guardians of the Galaxy) is one of the top five most watched movies of the four-week period. While there weren't any epic movie bombs this month, there wasn't anything that really captured the imagine much either, at least not in main-stream cinemas.
To make it all worse, this past September was not only a low grossing month for movies, as is expected, It was the worst month at the box office we've seen in over half a decade (the last month to gross this low was also a September by the way, another testament to how awful September is.)
Yet in almost every month there are a few winners (financially,) and while they aren't much to look at, this months winners have racked up some decent numbers. Two of them are even getting sequels, so it's about time we shot ourselves up with some movie knowledge and checked out what movies didn't do too terrible at the domestic box office in September of 2014 (ranking by highest weekend opening, because these movies are still fairly early in their theatrical runs.)
#3. No Good Deed
What is It?
A horror / thriller home invasion flick directed by Sam Miller and starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Wilson.
How Much $$$ Has It Made?
The film opened to about 24 million, which may not seem huge. But No Good Deed was a September release with no huge star (Idris Elba well liked, but he's not a big name star,) an unown director and a modest 13 million dollar budget. It got double it's money back in only three days, and it has gotten four times back in the mean time. If that isn't a success, I don't know what is.
But is it Any Good?
I, unfortunately, have yet to check No Good Deed out; but the reviews are not positive. The film has a current Rotten Tomato rating of 11% and a 5.9 rating on IMDB. Critics have called it "Violent, Crass and Insulting," (Joe Neumaier) "a gruelingly unpleasant slog" (Drew Taylor,) and apparently they think it "has been done a thousand times better in scores of Lifetime productions" (Josh Kupecki.) So ya. . . I think it might be a good choice to avoid this one.
#2. The Maze Runner
What is it?
A YA (young adult) novel adaptation about a group of boys who wake up inside a mysterious maze and without any reccolection of how thy got into it. The film was directed by Wes Ball and stars Dylan O'Brien and that dumb kid from "We Are the Millers."
How Much $$$ Has it Made?
YA book adaptations seem to go either mega cash cow (like Twilight or Divergent) or megabomb (like The Host or Vampire Academy,) but The Maze Runner is kind of in the middle. It made 30 million on it's opening weekend, so it covered it's production costs, and it's also made an additional 30 million domestic in the mean time, so definitely not a failure here.
And if that's not enough, The Maze Runner has made over one-hundred million dollars in foreign markets. I'm not sure why people over seas want to see an adaptation of an American book for school children, but for whatever reason the film is blowing up in Asia. 20th Century Fox already has a sequel in the works as a result; The film has succeeded financially on multiple levels.
But is it Any Good?
It was "meh." I didn't like it that much, but other critics liked it, so I guess it varies. The film has a moderate 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and a strong 7.5 on IMDB. Critics have called it "OK," (Bill Goodykoontz) "Insulting," (Roger Moore) and "Compelling" (Bill Zwecker.) So I guess that you should watch the trailer and decide for yourself if it's worth seeing.
#1. The Equalizer
What is it?
A television adaptation of a television show that you're probably too young to know about. But it doesn't matter because it stars Denzel Washington shooting people and is directed by that guy who directed "Training Day." Also I think Hit-Girl from "Kick-Ass" is a prostitute or something.
How much $$$ Has it Made?
It opened to 45 million on it's first weekend (less than a week ago,) and has made it's production budget of 55 million back in the mean time. A movie like this isn't going to make it's production budget back in the first weekend, but will it do a couple of times in the coming weeks? Probably, and even if it doesn't, 45 million is a huge figure for a pre-thanksgiving release; enough so that Columbia is already throwing a sequel together.
But is it Any Good?
This is another one I haven't gotten a chance to see yet. And the reviews are mixed. Rotten tomatoes has it firmly at 60% and IMDB has it at 7.6. Some Critics really like it, and others think it's "Stone Dumb" (Joshua Rothkopf.) I'd check it out if the trailer looks good to you (it looks awesome to me,) but I wouldn't go in expecting a masterpiece.
Thanks for reading! If you're one of the few that actually care about September box office grosses then you should follow me on social media or email me at atchleyosaurus@gmail.com. It's been a pleasure writing for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment