By Chris Kavan - 11/12/15 at 07:46 AM CT
A week after James Bond struck serious gold with Spectre and family audiences where enchanted by The Peanuts Movie, we have three new entries trying to muscle their way into the top spots. Something tells me they are going to have a rather hard time as both films were more than well-received by audiences. The films coming out include a true-story drama, a Christmas-themed comedy and a an inspirational tale. While all three have their strengths, I just don't think any are going to have wide enough appeal to unseat the current champions at the box office.
THE 33 In 2010, a mining collapse in Chili trapped 33 miners underground. For the next 69 days the world came together and watched as the rescue effort went into full swing. The 33 is based on this story and though I'm sure liberties will be taken (such as combining several stories together to make a more compelling character), the story is interesting and still within recent memory. The cast looks good - Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jacob Vargas and Oscar Nuñez are just a few names lending their talent to this production. Now, I will say this looks by and far the best movie of the weekend, but I have a feeling it's just not going to be enough to top either Bond or The Peanuts gang. It should do solid business (top five probable) but isn't going to hit huge numbers.
LOVE THE COOPERS The first of two female-driven films this weekend is Love the Coopers, a comedy centered around four-generation of the Cooper clan who come together for one hectic holiday. If anything, the cast is large and diverse: Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, John Goodman, Marisa Tomei, Alex Borstein and Timothée Chalamet are all on board this crazy train. It's an ensemble comedy at its finest, but I have feeling it may be just a bit too early for a Christmas-themed film. Even with the pretty impressive cast, I don't think it will be able to bring in a huge audience. It's a bit too formulaic - and though it targets women, I don't know if that is going to be enough to drive this into the top five.
MY ALL AMERICAN Finally that brings us to the inspirational film, My All American. The underdog tale concerns Freddie Steinmark (Finn Wittrock - recently of American Horror Story fame), a smaller-than-average football player who, through his perseverance and unwavering determination, gets him noticed by Texas Longhorns coach Darrell Royal (Aaron Eckhart). He join the team along with a few friends (played by Rett Terrell and Juston Street) with his girlfriend (Sarah Bolger) behind him all the way. But just when things are looking up, he receives an injury that leads to a devastating diagnosis - one that will lead to his most challenging battle yet. It's hard to judge just how My All American will play - the message might draw a Christian audience - but it's an audience that either shows up en masse - or doesn't show up at all. It could wind up in the top five or it could fall outside the top 10 entirely. This type of film is just too saccharine for my taste - we'll see if it can find a kinder audience to drive it.
I have a feeling the box office is going to look a lot like it did last weekend. The new films all have something good to offer, but I don't think it's going to be enough to cause much of a shakeup overall. I'll be back on Sunday with the final results.
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