By Chris Kavan - 08/30/18 at 07:59 AM CT
It's the last day of summer - well, not literally, but the end of August is upon us and with it Labor Day Weekend. This weekend sees the expansion of one film that did gang-busters in limited release, along with an action-packed sci-fi film. Neither are likely to have a huge impact on the box office, as I see the hold-overs doing the biggest business, but we'll see if that's enough to make this an above-average holiday weekend.
SEARCHING John Cho stars as a father desperately looking for information on his missing daughter after 37 hours have passed with little information for authorities to follow. When he opens his daughter's laptop, it leads to the new world of secrets: social media, technology and the modern-day pitfalls that both bring about. Searching is unique in that the entire films takes place in front of various screens - that is we, the audience, are on the inside looking out while the mystery unfolds. While some films have used technology in this way, Searching is a much more dramatic story - even if more recent trailers have tried to paint it as a thriller. It is an interesting concept, to be sure, and it has paid off - at least among smaller audiences, as it had a monster limited-release opening last weekend. We'll see if that translates to as much popularity among general audiences but at least as a story, it seems highly relevant to our modern age and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
Operation Finale is one of those based-on-a-true-story films that, while liberties will certainly be taken, looks to captivate audiences none-the-less. The story follows a highly secretive group of operatives who, 15 years after the end of WWII, look to capture one of the most elusive and high-ranking Nazis, Adolph Eichmann, also known as the mastermind behind the Holocaust. Ben Kingsley plays the Nazi in hiding while the film has plenty of other big names including Oscar Isaac, Mélanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, Lior Raz, Greg Hill, Haley Lu Richardson, Peter Strauss, Greta Scacchi and Joe Alwyn among others. Like a lot of historical dramas, just because you know the outcome, doesn't mean it won't be a thrilling experience. There is a lot of talent on display here and while it doesn't share the rah-rah patriotism of American Sniper, hopefully it will attract a big enough audience to make a decent showing at the box office.
KIN I have a feeling Kin is going to play out a lot like Alpha two weeks ago and A.X.L. from last weekend. It's a sneakingly-similar film that follows a young man in an extraordinary situation. Alpha was about a boy and his dog in the Ice Age era, A.X.L. was about a boy and his advanced cybernetic dog on the run and Kin is about a boy and his brother on the run with an advanced weapon of unknown origin. Kin is probably going to turn out a lot like those previous films at the box office as well - not having much of an impact. The film does have some familiar faces: Dennis Quaid, Zoë Kravitz, James Franco, Jack Reynor, Carrie Coon, Michael B. Jordan and relative newcomer Myles Truitt - but none that have massive star power (though together, it doesn't look too bad). Still, even if the brothers Baker (Jonathan and Josh) have crafted a deeper, more emotional tale, I don't think it's going to be the type of film that will make a huge box office splash.
Those are the big three coming out over the extended Labor Day Weekned. Because of that extra day, I'll be back on Monday with the results.
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