Tom and Jerry and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin

By Chris Kavan - 10/21/20 at 11:51 AM CT

October has been bleak on the box office front and Liam Neeson's Honest Thief wasn't enough of a draw to revive things. With just $3.7 million, it may have topped the box office, but came in well below a typical Neeson film, which usually opens in the $11-$15 million range. The War with Grandpa (which opened to $3.7 million last week) fell to second with $2.5 million (a 31% drop) while Tenet managed to cross the $50 million mark with $1.5 million in third and a $50.6 million total. It looks to be able to just top Christopher Nolan's Prestige ($53 million) before closing things out. It is still doing much better on the international front with nearly $334 million over the weekend. China is a big help where its $66.3 will likely pass the $68 million Inception earned back in 2010. In limited release while Love and Monsters may have only landed in 9th place with $255,000 - it has been burning up the streaming charts where it landed on top of both Amazon and FandangoNow. Those looking for good news for once have some silver lining this week as New York has decided to reopen theaters (outside of New York City) provided they meet the guidelines set. California is also slowly expanding opening meaning, should all go well, perhaps in November both major markets will be back open.

Onto out regularly scheduled MPAA Ratings Bulletin which, despite an impressive list, features a single wide-release, the live action/animated hybrid Tom and Jerry offering, which is currently scheduled for a March 2021 release. You also have the staid lesbian drama Ammonite starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan - the biggest of the limited offerings.

MPAA Official Logo

There is nothing wrong with mixing live action and animation - from Mary Poppins to The LEGO Movie - it has worked out for several IPs. But will children today have as much respect for Tom and Jerry? Director Tim Story seems like strange fit - the man behind Ride Along, Barbershop, Shaft and Think Like a Man (and, uh, The Fantastic Four - but I'm not going to think about that one) - exploring the origins of the cat and mouse rivalry. But this does have a story - Jerry is content mouse who has developed a fine relationship in his New England country home with the elderly couple who live there. But after their death, a young couple move in and Jerry feels threatened and does everything he can to get them to leave. The couple, meanwhile, take in a stray cat, Tom, to combat the disruptive mouse and an epic battle begins. But when an outsider threatens all of them, the duo realize they will have to work together to save them all. On the live-action front, Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost and Ken Jeong lead the way. Story, of course, is good with comedy - so it has that going for it. But the big question is whether Tom and Jerry can resonate with modern audiences. But, hey, if Trolls can succeed, anything is possible. Rated PG for cartoon violence, rude humor and brief language.

Romance, period drama, award-winning leads - it would seem Ammonite has all the ingredients needed for some awards season love. But despite Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan doing their best to forge an intense bond - critics have been decidedly unimpressed, calling the film slow, dull and boring. There is not enough heat for this fire, it seems, with many saying the 2019 offering Portrait of a Lady on Fire does the same story much, much better. Still, even if things move a bit slow, one cannot deny that Ronan and Winslet are both powerhouse actresses. I'm not sure that Francis Lee's period drama will land as an award's season favorite, but with things the way they are the limited release could still sneak in. Hopefully you're a fan of finding fossils and giving in to simmering passion. Rated R for graphic sexuality, some graphic nudity and brief language.

Those are the best offerings this week but you can check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:

AMMONITE

Rated R for graphic sexuality, some graphic nudity and brief language.


BOBBLEHEADS: THE MOVIE

Rated PG for rude material, language and brief violence.


THE DISSIDENT

Rated PG-13 for disturbing/violent material.


DUAL MANIA

Rated R for disturbing violence, sexual content, nudity and language.


EARWIG AND THE WITCH

Rated PG for some scary images and rude material.


FRENCH EXIT

Rated R for language and sexual references.


NIGHT WALK

Rated R for language throughout including derogatory slurs, violence and sexual references.


RIFKIN'S FESTIVAL

Rated PG-13 for suggestive/sexual material and some drug use, language and thematic elements.


STEPHEN KING'S CHILDREN OF THE CORN

Rated R for violence and bloody images.


TOM AND JERRY

Rated PG for cartoon violence, rude humor and brief language.


VAL

Rated R for some language.


THE WATER MAN

Rated PG for thematic content, scary images, peril and some language.


WILD MOUNTAIN THYME

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and suggestive comments.

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