After a couple of quiet weeks, we have some interesting high-profile releases in theaters. The first is the Sony-Marvel animated film
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", which is an extremely imaginative entry in the Spider-man franchise that has already picked up an extremely enthusiastic response from both critics (98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and moviegoers (94% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes). Even though it has
"Ralph Breaks the Internet" and
"The Grinch" to contend with, pundits are predicting a debut between $40-50 million.
Another major release is the post-apocalyptic adventure film
"Mortal Engines" based on the
novel of the same name by
Philip Reeve. The film is produced by
Peter Jackson and boasts a pretty huge reported budget between $100-150 million. Reviews for the film have been terrible, so far, and moviegoers seem to agree. Predictions for the film indicate a modest $11 million debut from 3,103 theaters, which would set it back quite a bit.
The last of the new wide releases is the drug trafficking drama
"The Mule" directed by and starring
Clint Eastwood. The film is based on the New York Times article "The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule" by
Sam Dolnick. The critical reception has been lukewarm, but it's got a 100% Audience Reception score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is expected to open with around $17 million from 2,588 theaters.
In limited release, we have
Barry Jenkins' romantic drama
"If Beale Street Could Talk" based on
James Baldwin's
novel of the same name, and
"Once Upon a Deadpool", the PG-13 theatrical reissue of
"Deadpool 2", which is also billed as a charity event of sorts as Fox is donating $1 of every ticket sale to the F--- Cancer organization. How generous of Fox to double-dip while also trying appear magnanimous.
