Four new wide releases have been released in theaters this Mother's Day weekend. By far the most popular is "Detective Pikachu", the first live-action film in the Pokemon franchise. It received unexpectedly better reviews than I personally expected, and it's considered the best-reviewed live-action film adaptation of a video game. Its box-office prospects are gold. "Detective Pikachu" delivered $5.7 million from Thursday night previews and pundits expect it to finish its opening weekend with around $60 million from 4,202 theaters.
Also out now in theaters is the comedy "The Hustle" starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, a remake of the 1988 film "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", which in turn was based on the 1964 film "Bedtime Story". The 2019 remake was universally panned by critics, and moviegoers aren't loving it, either. "The Hustle" brought in $774,000 from previews and will probably end up with around $12 million from 3,007 theaters over the weekend.
The comedy "Poms" opened in 2,750 theaters and is expected to gross $8.5 million in its opening weekend. Starring Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier and Celia Weston, the film received a cold reception from critics and audiences alike, and judging from the $225,000 from Thursday night previews, attendance will be slow.
The last new (semi-)wide release is the biopic "Tolkien", which chronicles the early life of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" author J.R.R. Tolkien. The film stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, and it's the first Fox Searchlight film released by Disney after the acquisition of Fox. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but a warmer reception from audiences. Predictions for the film speak of a $6 million debut from 1,495 theaters.
Synopses, details, critical/audience reception, trailers, and more after the jump.
