Tag Archives: game night

Black Panther Wins The Weekend Again and Crosses $1 Billion

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Black Panther was won the weekend for the fourth straight weekend a first for a movie part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film earned an estimated $41.1 million domestically and it now has earned $562 million domestically.

The film also debuted in China, its final major market. There it opened with an estimated $66.5 million. Internationally the film earned an estimated $100 to bring its foreign earnings to $516.6 million.

The film has earned $1.079 billion. It’s the second highest domestic total ever for a comic adaptation, behind Marvel’s The Avengers. It’s ranked #7 overall not adjusted for inflation. When it comes to worldwide total, the film is just $6 million behind The Dark Knight Rises and is currently #21 for all films released also not adjusted for inflation. There it’s #6 for comic adaptations.

In second place was A Wrinkle in Time which debuted with an estimated $33.3 million. The studio expectation was $35 million and it’s believed that Black Panther’s dominance hurt this film. It also earned $6.3 million at the foreign box office where it opened up in about 14% of markets with many more to come.

In third place was another film, Strangers: Prey at Night which earned an estimated $10.5 million.

Red Sparrow was in fourth place with an estimated $8.15 million which brought its domestic total to $31.1 million after ten days. Worldwide the film has earned $82.9 million.

Finishing off the top five was Game Night which earned an estimated $7.9 million over three days. Domestically the film has earned $45 million after three weeks and globally it has earned about $70 million.

The Death of Stalin debuted in four theaters earning $181,308. The film has a comic adaptation tied with it which was released before the film debuted.

Thor: Ragnarok continued to bring in money earning $41,000 to bring its domestic total to $315 million and $853.9 million worldwide.

We’ll be back in an hour for a deeper dive into comic adaptations at the movies.

Black Panther Repeats, Crosses $500 Million Domestically, and Nears $900 Million Worldwide

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Black Panther pulled off the three-peat continuing to dominate the movie market worldwide. The film earned an estimated $65.7 million over the weekend pushing the film over the $500 million mark domestically. It has earned $501.1 million in 17 days, the third fastest a film has crossed the $500 million mark. That tied Jurassic World and one day behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The film is also the tenth highest grossing domestic release of all time and third highest comic adaptation domestically.

The film also added $56.2 million internationally. Overseas it has earned $396.6 million and now is at $897.7 million worldwide. The film opened in Japan with $4.2 million including previews. The film opens in China this coming weekend.

We’ll have more on where the film stands in an hour.

Two new films took second and third…

Red Sparrow came in second with an estimated $17 million which is about estimations. The film also earned $26.5 million internationally. The film received a “B” CinemaScore. The film had a reported budget of $69 million.

In third place was Death Wish, the remake of the Charles Bronson classic. The film earned an estimated $13 million and received a “B+” CinemaScore. The film had a reported budget of $30 million.

In fourth place was Game Night which dropped from last weekend’s second. The film earned an estimated $10.7 million to bring its total to $33.5 million domestically and $49.5 million worldwide.

Rounding out the top five was Peter Rabbit and earned an estimated $10 million. The film stands at $84 million domestically and $101.9 million worldwide.

In other comic film earnings….

Thor: Ragnarok earned an estimated $124,000 to bring its domestic total to $315 million. Worldwide the film has earned $853.8 million.

This coming weekend sees the release of A Wrinkle in Time which should give Black Panther a run for the top of the box office.

Black Panther Dominates the Weekend and Crosses $700 Million Worldwide

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In what shouldn’t be a surprise, Marvel‘s Black Panther won the weekend becoming the fourth film ever to earn over $100 million in its second weekend and the second fastest film to top $400 million domestically.

The film earned an estimated $108 million. The film has now earned a little over $400 million domestically. Internationally it earned an estimated $83.8 million from 55 markets bringing that number to $304 million. That’s $704 million worldwide in two weeks. It has yet to open in Japan, that’s next weekend and it debuts in China March 9.

In second place was Game Night which earned an estimated $16.6 million. Audiences gave the film a “B+” CinemaScore. Its audiences was 56% female and 80% over the age of 25. It debuted in 22 markets earning around $5.2 million.

Peter Rabbit was in third bringing in $12.5 million to bring its domestic total to $71.3 million.

In fourth place was another debut, Annihilation which eanred an estimated $11 million. That’s not disasterous with a $40 million budget but the “C” CinemaScore won’t help the film. The film has a deal to stream internationally on Netflix 17 days after its domestic release.

Rounding out the top five was Fifty Shades Freed with $6.9 million and $22.3 million internationally. The film has earned $320.4 million worldwide.

In other comic movie news…

Thor: Ragnarok is continuing to bring in money adding $141,000 to its domestic total bringint that to $314.8 million.

We’ll be back in an hour with a deeper dive into the numbers for 2017 and 2018’s releases.

Movie Review: Game Night

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game-might-movie-2018-posterIt’s Horrible Bosses meets David Fincher’s The Game.

Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) are a mostly happy married couple living in the suburbs whose highlight of their week is a game night with their friends. But when Max’s much more successful and wealthy brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to visit, awakening Max’s sibling rivalry and competitive streak to the next level, Brooks decides to take over their game night by replacing it with a kidnapping / murder mystery. The twist? Brooks is actually kidnapped, and our group thinks it’s just a game. And. . . hijinks ensue.

What could’ve been another mundane comedy actually has some good laughs, including when it’s using its R-rating to the fullest extent it can. But more than that, it relies on building its characters and a great supporting cast to keep it interesting. Normally this premise might have worn itself thin, but there are a couple of twists and turns that keep it enjoyable. However, it’s never too much and the script never takes itself too seriously or thinks it’s smarter than it is. Overall, it’s what we expect from the people who made Horrible Bosses. 

The real gem of the movie, though, is Jesse Plemons, who plays a creepy cop neighbor who really wants to get invited back to their game night. Plemons is one of the best actors working today, and he is perfect, even if a little over the top at times.

But his performance, like so many elements, actually make sense as things wrap up and you see the entire film for its totality. For instance? There are all these shots of various neighborhoods from above that somehow look like tiny scale models rather than real life. . . is it all part of a (gasp!) game? Make sure you stay through the first part of the credits for some specific payoff.

The other enjoyable part of this film is just how well it’s put together. An earlier comparison to Fincher is not just hyperbole– there is some artistry in the cinematography and directing here. For instance, a scene three-fourths of the way through the film during which a Fabrege egg (really it’s just a mcguffin– go with it) is used in a game of keep away in a gorgeous mansion as baddies chase our protagonists around– up and down staircases, in and out of rooms, swooping up and down giant open rooms with balconies above — all done to look like a single take.

It’s almost as much fun to watch as Plemons enjoy the heck out his character.

The biggest weakness of this film is it happens to be released amongst other films that will overshadow it at the box office. Can I recommend Game Night? Yes. Can I recommend you go see it instead of Black Panther or Annihilation? Well. . .

But if you are like our protagonists and are seeking some fun time with adult friends — and especially if you can go to a theater that will sell you adult beverages to go with it — and you just want to laugh and have a good time without thinking too much? This will scratch that particular itch. Otherwise, this is a definite recommend for watching at home with friends, with adult beverages, and perhaps with board games, especially if the game includes betrayal and murder. I highly recommend pairing this with a good game of Betrayal at House on the Hill or Werewolf.

(Rolls a d6 to determine overall score)
(Adds +2 Jesse Plemons)

3 out of 5 stars