This weekend takes us one step closer to the birthday of many people’s lord and savior, Jesus Christ. No doubt the box office could use little saving too, as Hollywood’s holiday season has witnessed spending decrease severely versus last year.
It’s in the hands of God, now. Sort of. Faith-based films have breathed new life into box office all year in 2014, with “God’s Not Dead” ($60M), “Heaven is for Real” ($91M), “Son of God” ($59M) and “Noah” ($362M worldwide) all performing well beyond expectations.
After a two week lull that saw “Mockingjay Pt. 1” make a mockery of multiplexes, Fox’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” arrives with the pomp and circumstance (and budget: $135M) of a genuine blockbuster. Except for one thing: it doesn’t have the buzz.
There is no question director Ridley Scott (“Gladiator,” “Prometheus”) knows how to whip up big-time flicks, however this one might just feel a little too close to Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah” to audiences–hard to miss that big wave that is front and center in the trailer and posters.
That film debuted with $41M earlier this year, but with “ho-hum” word -of-mouth, barely surfaced with over $100M domestic. “Exodus” may get by with extended playability through the holiday season, but it certainly won’t come from critics as they have been pummeling the film–currently just 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
That means it’s up to church groups and the heartland to push “Exodus” past what is expected to be a $30M opening. Will definitely be enough for #1, but honestly needs substantially more than that to justify its massive budget.
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EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS
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On the flip side of that is Chris Rock’s latest joint, “Top Five.” They say write what you know…and that’s exactly what the former SNLer does here as he plays a comedian who is trying to make it as a serious actor.
Paramount is dropping “Top Five” in under 1,000 theaters, but it should play strong to its core. It’s also 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and looks like his funniest and most “real” film since “CB4.” Nice to have Rock doing films like this instead of just getting a paycheck for “Grown Ups 3.”
Should see some decent coin…upwards of $10M.
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TOP FIVE
CB4: “Straight Outta Locash”(For Mature Audiences Only)
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WEEKEND ESTIMATES
1. Exodus – $28M
2. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 1 – $11M
3. Top Five – $10M
4. Penguins of Madagascar – $7M
5. Big Hero 6 – $5.5M
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SONY’S LAST STAND: A BREAK IN & BREAKDOWN OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
Look, all press is good press…except when emails are leaked that make your company look like a bunch of insensitive idiots. Hey, we all know Hollywood is loaded with lunatics and louts, but actually having evidence that painfully illustrates just how crass some individuals can be is pretty conclusive. Might be a swell time to clean house, because I’m not really sure how even the best PR agency could spin this amount of dirt–no way they’re going to bury all this glaring evidence.
Forget the fact that no one knows what group is actually responsible for Sony’s massive digital leak, which includes many of their upcoming films, but it’s not like their slate of films was that spectacular anyways.
Listen, “Annie” and “The Interview” are still going to make their money and it’s highly doubtful there will be any “pirate” effect on these films, considering “Annie” is a family film (which always play well around the holiday season) and “The Interview” really does need all the press it can get.
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72ND ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS
The Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will air on NBC on Jan. 11.
Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Birdman
Into the Woods
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Pride
St. Vincent
Best Motion Picture, Drama
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Best Director
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor, Drama
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Actress, Drama
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Best Animated Motion Picture
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Bill Murray, St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore, Maps to the Stars
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Foreign Language Film
Force Majeure
Gett
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines Mandarinid
Best Screenplay
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Best Song
“Big Eyes,” by Lana Del Ray—Big Eyes
“Glory,” by John Legend & Common—Selma
“Mercy Is,” by Patti Smith & Lenny Kaye—Noah
“Opportunity,” by Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck—Annie
“Yellow Flicker Beat,” by Lorde—Mockingjay
Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Best TV Drama
The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Best Actress, TV Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Best Actor, TV Drama
Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair
Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Louis C.K., Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Ricky Gervais, Derek
William H. Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Allison Janney, Mom
Michelle Monaghan, True Detective
Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Girls (HBO)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Transparent (Amazon)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Jane the Virgin (CW)
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan
Best Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-series
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O’Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo
Best Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-series
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Best TV Movie or Mini-series
The Normal Heart (HBO)
True Detective (HBO)
Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Fargo (FX)
The Missing (Starz)
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Jeff Bock, NewsWhistle’s movie editor, is the senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations in Los Angeles, California. He can be reached at Jeff@NewsWhistle.com.
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Image Courtesy of Fox; Poster Design by Art Machine
