By Chris Kavan - 11/11/20 at 04:55 PM CT
As has become customary, the biggest news for the box office wasn't what was playing in theaters, but what has been pushed out. Both Free Guy and Death on the Nile have been pushed out of 2020 for as a yet unreleased date in 2021. And following the ouster of Johnny Depp from the Fantastic Beasts franchise (though not his fat paycheck, which he still collected) the third film in the underwhelming Harry Potter spinoff has been pushed to 2022. In actual box office news, Focus - the smaller indie-led Universal studio - is still reaping the benefits of having no other major releases in theaters as it claimed the top movie at the box office: Let Him Go ($4.1 million) and the second-place film the horror Come Play ($1.7 million, down 45% over its opening weekend). The War with Grandpa enjoyed a modest 19% bump, taking in $1.5 million in its fifth weekend for a surprisingly robust Covid-era total of $13.4 million (and $20.4 million worldwide). Liam Neeson's Honest Thief continues to limp along with $1.1 million for a new $11.2 million total and $21 million worldwide. Rounding out the top five, Tenet continues to hang in there with $905,000 (another slight 2.3% increase over last weekend) for a $55.1 million domestic total and just crossed $350 million worldwide. Sounds like Tenet is heading to VOD finally, so its theatrical days are probably numbered. Once again, as things stand News of the World and Wonder Woman 1984 are really the only major films remaining - and both will have to wait until December - if they don't get pushed back like so many others.
In the world of ratings, though, we have yet again a single new wide release, but it's a big one - F9, which promises to be the fastest and most furious of the Fast and Furious franchise... even if we have to wait until May of 2021 (if we should be so lucky).
As the Fast and Furious franchise has gone on, things just keep getting more and more incredulous and the action more insane. Still, for all its faults, it also remains one of the more entertaining franchises around. Justin Lin has provided the most fun in the franchise and he's the man who is going to usher the franchise out (spinoffs notwithstanding). While F9 is not going to be the final film, it's going to be the beginning of the end. And it wouldn't be a Fast and Furious film without family and, in this case, Dominic Toretto's (Vin Diesel) younger brother pops up - and he's working for the wrong team. That's right, Cipher (Charlize Theron) has co-opted the younger Jakob Toretto (played by John Cena) into working against his brother. And his whole team - because F9 features all your favorites: Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang and even Lucas Black. Also returning is Helen Mirren as Deckard Shaw's mum (though Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson are conspicuously missing - probably due to the events of their spinoff series) and Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, introduced in the last Fast film. A few new faces also pop up: Michael Rooker, Finn Cole and freakin' Cardi B are all along for the ride. If the last few films are any indication there will be unbelievable stunts (no, literally, some of the stuff they've pulled off defies all logic and physics), some kind of twist and probably the villain becoming, if not a hero, at least an integral part of the "family" - that, or they'll just die, introducing an even bigger villain to contend with for the next (and final) two films. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language.
There's your one big film for the week, but there is plenty more to check out in the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
AMERICAN SKIN
Rated R for language throughout and some violence.
BLOODY HELL
Rated R for bloody violence, gore, and language throughout.
F9
Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language.
THE LITTLE PENGUIN PORORO'S TREASURE ISLAND ADVENTURE
Rated G
MINAMATA
Rated R for language throughout.
THE RIGHT ONE
Rated R for language and sexual references.
VENUS AS A BOY
Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and drug use.
