By Chris Kavan - 10/05/17 at 07:40 AM CT
After a record-breaking September, October looks to continue the winning streak but it is taking a different approach - apparently going for quantity in hopes that something will stick. In fact, the next several weeks are going to be packed with four or more films each weekend. That doesn't leave a lot of room for success in my eyes, but obviously there are going to be a few standouts. I don't think we're going to find anything like It (probably not until the next Thor drops in November) but October should at least have a few films worth watching, including the headliner coming in to this weekend, the next Blade Runner.
BLADE RUNNER 2049 This could very easily be the biggest film of the entire month. Having been teased for a long time, the buildup for this film has reached peak critical mass. Denis Villeneuve, who is more known for crime/drama films (Prisoners, Incendies, Sicario) has some big shoes to fill as Ridley Scott's original is considered to be on of the most important sci-fi films of our time. But judging by the trailers (which, I know, isn't always the best call) Blade Runner 2049 looks like it will be a worthy follow-up to that classic. This time we follow a new blade runner 'K' (Ryan Gosling) who uncovers a long-buried secret that threatens to plunge what remains of society in to chaos. His best hope at stopping it lies in a blade runner who has been missing for 30 years, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Jared Leto is on boards as an eccentric and probably dangerous Replicant manufacturer Niander Wallace. K's companion is dual role played by Ana de Armas and Mackenzie Davis while Robin Wright plays K's superior, Lieutenant Joshi. The rest of the cast includes the likes of Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Barkhad Abdi, Edward James Olmos, Sylvia Hoeks and Carla Juri. At over 2 1/2 hours, this isn't a trip to be taken lightly, but I have a feeling the running time isn't going to deter too many people. I also have a good feeling that come the end of October, this film is going to stand above them all.
Aside from the sci-fi blockbuster, the best chance at reaching decent numbers is going to be the Idris Elba, Kate Winslet survival drama The Mountain Between Us. The two play strangers, passengers on the same plane, which of course goes down in a remote snow-covered mountain. But surviving is the easy part - once they assess the situation they realize if they want to live, not just survive, they are going to have to trek on a perilous journey to get back to humanity. Both leads are excellent and I'm sure this is going to be harrowing but I just don't see it being able to pack enough of a punch to wind up as little more than middling on the box office charts. This is a solid streaming title for me, but nothing more. It will probably wind up in the top five, but I don't see it sticking around for more than a few weeks, probably through October, nothing more.
VICTORIA AND ABDUL Let's hope that this week's limited to wide release winds up doing a bit better than last week's Battle of the Sexes. It's hard to say but Judi Dench is a phenomenal actress and she headlines this story following aging Queen Victoria and her friendship with a young Indian clerk, Abdul Karim (played by Ali Fazal). Much like The King's Speech, this kind of historical drama is beloved by critics, but not often embraced as much by general audiences. If it can capture at least a halfway decent audience, it might be up for some awards later on. The supporting cast here includes Eddie Izzard, Olivia Williams, Michael Gambon, Paul Higgins and Tim Pigott-Smith. Battle of the Sexes ended up in 6th place, we'll see if Victoria and Abdul can top it over the weekend.
MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE Despite having an equally rabid following between young girls and middle-aged men, I admit I haven't really heard a peep about the new My Little Pony movie. Marketing had been pretty much MIA. I'm not a brony, so I don't really follow the series, but I do know that all the main cast (Ashleigh Ball, Tara Strong, Andrea Libman, Tabitha St. Germain, Michelle Creber, Nicole Oliver and Cathy Weseluck) are on hand to voice their most well-known characters: Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Apple Bloom, Princess Celestia and Spike. They are joined by a bevy of big names including Uzo Aduba, Emily Blunt, Kristin Chenoweth, Taye Diggs, Michael Peña, Zoe Saldana, Liev Schreiber and Sia. The plot is pretty standard - some dark force is threatening Ponyville and our heroes must journey beyond Equestria, meet some new friends and use that power of friendship to save the day. It sounds like sugar overload to me, but I'm sure fans young and old will be happy with the results but I don't know if fandom will make this a hit or not.
Sorry I couldn't fit this in the title, but I don't think you'll be too upset. Much like last weekend's A Question of Faith, The Stray is another faith-based offering that is going to open in just enough theaters to be considered a wide release. And also like A Question of Faith, it will probably also fall well outside the top 10. The film follows a family that is going through a rough time, but seems things start changing for the better with the arrival of a stray dog that acts more like a guardian angel as broken hearts and family ties are mended. It all sounds like a bunch of saccharine pablum to me, and it involves animal and children - nothing like pouring it on strong, right? This will be a one and done film and I don't see it having any kind of impact at the box office.
It's going to be rather busy at the box office this entire month, but we'll see if Blade Runner 2049 can weather the onslaught and remain the champ. I'll be back on Sunday with the rundown.
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