By Chris Kavan - 05/31/18 at 07:46 AM CT
With Solo being a no-go for Disney, it remains to be seen if it can recover a bit in its second weekend out. Meanwhile. Infinity War is racing towards a major milestone while Deadpool 2 hopes to reverse its downward spiral. The three new films coming out don't seem to offer much of a challenge. The one most likely to make an impression is Johnny Knoxville's return to Jackass territory with Action Point. Otherwise we have yet another young adult romantic drama - involving survival on the high seas and a techno-thriller that once again posits the dangers of the future - but maybe in a fun way this time. All told, Solo should still come out on top - but we'll see if it's an improvement over its disappointing opening.
ACTION POINT There hasn't been a true Jackass-type movie since Bad Grandpa back in 2013. Now, to be fair, Action Point only has Johnny Knoxville and Chris Pontius from the OG cast but this is truly a Jackass worthy tribute. Action Point is partly based on the real amusement park (and supposedly rite of passage) Action Park in New Jersey - often regarded as the most dangerous theme park that existed due to the rather lax safety of its rides and lax training of its mostly younger staff. Action Point is going to take things to the extreme, obviously, but it sure does looks like a lot of fun. Knoxville put his body on the line, still doing most of the stunts himself, and with the hospital bills to prove it. I think he must have made a bet with Jackie Chan back in the day to see who could beat themselves up the most on their respective films. While Action Points isn't going to show up on the awards circuit, it will appeal to the young, the male and the stoned alike. It should have a decent enough showing and break into the top five at least.
It seems Shailene Woodley is the go-to actress for modern-age, young adult romance having gotten very real in The Spectacular Now and honing those skills in the well-received The Fault in Our Stars. She may have gotten into the YA action game with the Divergent series, but she's going back into her wheelhouse here. Woodley is paired with the affable Sam Claflin (no stranger to romance himself with the likes of Me Before You and the period piece My Cousin Rachel). Both play free-spirited individuals who bond and find love thanks in part to their shared love of the sea. Deciding to take a voyage together, they sail right into the heart of one of the worst hurricanes this generation. Their ship is destroyed, battling major injuries, and, oh yeah, lost in the middle of the ocean - but, have no fear, love (and some major skills) are going to help them through. This is definitely going after the female/couples audience. Because of that narrow audience, it's probably not going to do outstanding, but I'm sure it will perform well in terms of its budget.
Billed as as action - horror - comedy (and sci-fi should be), Upgrade follows Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), a techno-phobe living in the near future who is party to a tragic event and, in order to secure his revenge, is fitted with a cutting-edge implant called STEM. I have no idea what to expect - cyber-enhanced mayhem? AI companion action? It's opening on far fewer screens then the other two films in any case and I doubt it will have too much of an impact over the weekend. This screams "Stream Me!" rather than being a theatrical draw. If it can breach the top 10, I would call that a win for the film.
Those are the big three for the weekend. No holiday this time, but I think the majority of kiddos are out of school so we'll see if it makes a difference. I'll be back on Sunday with the full rundown.
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