October has come to an end, and has set some box-office records to make up for the abysmal September that came before it. Even most of the weaker movies this month did decently financially, so in celebration of October 2014's success (and to help start off the beginning of the holiday movie season,) her are "The 3 Biggest Hit Films of October 2014."
Remember, just like before, I selected these three films based on their opening weekends only. That's the only way to be fair since many movies make big chunks of their "winnings" during months other than the ones they premiered during. That way, if "The Best of Me" ends up grossing more than "Gone Girl" in the long term (unlikely) then this list will not be made defunct.
Now let's get started. . .
#3. Fury
What is It?
Fury is a World War 2 action-drama directed by David Ayer, the mind behind the wonderful End of Watch and the horrible Sabotage. The film stars Brad Pitt as "War Daddy," a belligerent, violent and angry father figure as well as Percy Jackson; AKA: Logan Lerman.
How Much $$$ Has It Made?
The movie cost a pretty penny (about 68 mil,) so it's hard to call it an absolute success yet with only 60 million in domestic grosses. More then half of it's current domestic take was snagged on it's 38 million dollar opening weekend, so it doesn't look like the movie is going to keep bringing in the big bucks as other, more impressive, award season hopefuls come along.
Of course Foreign take makes up for a lot, so while Fury isn't knocking it out of the park financially or anything, It definitely making a solid profit.
But is it Any Good?
World War 2 movies are kind of a dollar a dozen, but Fury does enough to be original to make it stand out a bit from the rest. All of the actors put in decent performances, and Brad Pitt is sufficiently Brad-Pitt-y. The critics themselves enjoyed it for the most part, giving it a 79% on rotten Tomatoes. It's a good watch for fans of Ayer, World War 2 or violence. But for the young or squeamish it might be a bit problematic.
#2. Annabelle
What is it?
Annabelle is the prequel/spin-off to last years The Conjuring, one of the best received horror films in recent memory. It stars a bunch of actors that you probably don't character and is directed by some director who is defiantly not he same guy who was directed The Conjuring.
It's story features an evil doll possessed by a satanic spirit. The doll was a brief plot point in the horror movie that this is a spin-off of, and now we get to find out the back story behind it.
How Much $$$ Has it Made?
Even the least marketable wide-release horror movies make their money back. Why? They're incredibly cheap to produce, and always at least somewhat popular among young-adult and college movie goers. Annabelle cot a little over 6 million dollars to make, which is practically nothing in movie money.
What also helped Annabelle was that it tied in to one of the best received, not to mention highest grossing, horror flicks to come out in a long time. The Conjuring 2 isn't coming around until next year, so horror fans flocked to Anabelle in droves. The movie made 37 Million in it's first domestic weekend alone, and will probably make it to 90 million before November is up. Add in the fact that the film has "Conjured" up 140 million in overseas market, and it becomes clear that the studio basically got 250 million dollars out of Annabelle for nothing. The movie is a huge box-office success. No holds barred.
But is it Any Good?
No, it doesn't appear to be any good. I haven't gotten to see this one yet (honestly I usually avoid horror flicks unless they look like something special,) but the critics, as well as people I've talked to, don't seem to like it. It's got a stinky 30% review rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Wesley Morris called it "a new low for fright." So unless your a hardcore horror fanatic it's probably worth skipping.
#1. Gone Girl
What is it?
Gone Girl is an adaptation of a mystery novel, and is directed by acclaimed film maker David Fincher. As I've already said in my review of the film, it's plot is too labyrinthine and entertaining to talk to much about. Basically it's about the mystery behind a woman's disappearance and the resulting police investigation, but that description only scratches the surface. The movie is truly mind bending.
How much $$$ Has it Made?
Gone Girl opened just a bit bigger than Annabelle with (37 Million) and on the same weekend as well. To further the gap, the movie kept raking in the money weekend after weekend while Annabelle faded away. It's domestic take and foreign take add up to around 275 million dollars which is insane, especially for a movie that only cost 60 million to make.
The strong holds, and decent opening are all thanks to fantastic marketing and even better word of mouth. It's clear that when people left their local cinema, they told their friends about this movie. People transformed this into a miniature event film among the October Oscar wanna-bee's and the crummy studio dumps. The result? Gone Girl was the dominant force in theaters this October, and may continue being a factor as we enter November.
But is it Any Good?
Did you read the other answers? It's totally worth seeing!
This may not appear to be David Fincher's most commercially viable film, but numbers don't lie. People love the heck out of this movie, and I'm right there with them. Critics and audiences alike are talking about it; granting it an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.5 on IMDB respectively. I seriously doubt you'll regret buying a ticket to this one.
Thanks for reading! If you're one of the few that actually care about October 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!
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