Each week Jacob recaps the weekend box office and the winners and losers in the Midnight Warrior Fantasy Movie League.
WEEK 04 BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN
While most of us thought we’d be saying “Go go Power Rangers!” come Monday, instead we found ourselves barely speaking to people around us in the style of this week’s BP bonus winner Logan. It’s looking like this A+ super-anti-hero flick has long adamantium legs. Bringing in $109.9K/bux, the man with the sideburns finished just a slice above Power Rangers and Kong: Skull Island in a heated BP race.
When one picture runs away with the $2 million bonus unexpectedly, you end up with a 6x stack like you see here. Add in that high-value Power Rangers anchor up top plus one screen of the surprisingly long-lived The Shack and you’ve got yourself one of the 39 Perfect Cineplexes awarded this week.
On the other hand, if you played Wilson, you probably didn’t do as well. When a movie costing only 75% of your film’s cost beats you outright, you know you’re having a bad week. But maybe that fits the character. Did ANYBODY actually see this one? Please comment and tell me about it, because I’m genuinely interested.
As for the War Starts at Midnight league, we came up with a 14 person consensus that 2x Power Rangers / 2x Logan / 2x Belko / Wilson / John Wick 2 was the golden ticket. We were all wrong, but that did leave a 14-way tie for first place. I won’t list all the cineplexes to get this honor, but I will name-check our season leader: Miyagi-Do Theaters.
This season is getting more and more competitive, as our leader only has about a $1 million dollar head start on the 8-way tie for second place. Season 1 champion Определенно не русский Синеплекс hanging out very close behind for 9th. To give some perspective, Miyagi-Do is number 20th overall in FML, so these threats about upping our game were not unfounded.
WEEK 05 PREDICTIONS
Since I’ll be spending my week traveling to the other LA (as we in Louisiana call Los Angeles), I need to do my recap and all early this week. All predictions come with a Kong-sized grain of salt because without theater counts some of these choices are really hard. Let’s start out with a breakdown of all the new releases
- T2 Trainspotting ($18) – This sequel to the Danny Boyle classic makes it’s way to FML. Even if I’m not a fan of sequels, this one has me intrigued, even if it is mostly because of my love for the original. I’m going to stay away this week, but may find time to rewatch the original this week. Avoid.
- The Boss Baby ($374) – I almost wanted to recommend using this 2x as an anchor just so I could use Beck Bennet GIFs, and possibly Glen Davis gifs. I’m not on board with this one, but I usually miss on kid’s movies, so play with caution. In return for my lack of insight, do enjoy:
- Ghost in the Shell ($334) – This is my anchor this week. With the positive buzz the film has been getting, mixed with the 67% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, I think for $334 we’re looking at this week’s best picture. If you pair it with 5x Get Out, you’re getting a good hedge on my other BP prediction. We’ll see when theater counts are announced, and then we’ll REALLY see on Friday morning right before lock.
- The Zookeeper’s Wife ($21) – As much as this movie looks decent, it doesn’t look like it’s going to pull in a herd of moviegoers. I don’t like to second-guess other people’s art (ha), but I’m going to say if this starred Matt Damon and was We Bought A Zookeeper’s Wife, I’d be in at 8x.
So where are we? I think I spoiled my pick in that list this time, but in case you missed it, see the picture below. All predictions are always subject to change without notice, but especially so this week. In the meantime, I’ll see what’s up in Hollywood and try to sneak my way into some early screening of some upcoming BP winners for FML research. Smurfs: The Lost Village, here I come!
If you have a hot take on this week’s perfect cineplex or a perfect hot dog shop in LA, tell me all about it on Twitter @jakerg23.