By Chris Kavan - 01/13/21 at 11:20 AM CT
The new year isn't exactly starting off with a bang for theaters. While Wonder Woman 1984 may have premiered with huge numbers, it continues to bleed off massively week-to-week and only made $3 million in its third weekend (down another 45.5%). That was also enough for the top spot, but its $32.6 million domestic total - and $132.1 million worldwide - is now handily trailing Tenet,, which already had $36.1 million domestic and $203 million worldwide through the same time frame. And while HBO Max has said to deliver record veiwership on the platform - with no solid reporting on subscriptions or engagements, it's hard to say if it has earned money yet. That being said, a sequel has already been green-lit, so it has at least done well enough in the eyes of Warner Bros.
Outside of Wonder Woman 1984, things also looked much the same - The Croods: A New Age earned $1.8 million in second place (down 18/8%) even as it remains available now for PVOD. It has made $36.9 million domestic and $91 million overseas for a global total of $127.8 million. In third place Tom Hanks News of the World took in $1.2 million for a domestic total of $7.1 million (no international release yet). And in fourth, Monster Hunter continued to limp along with $1.1 million and a mere $13.6 million worldwide. Also of note is Disney's Soul - which went straight to streaming on Disney+ here, but has made $47.3 million overseas thus far (with $25.8 million coming from China).
We're getting one of the rare new wide releases this week in Liam Neeson's The Marksman but with hardly any marketing to speak of, I don't see it making much of an impact in the still Covid-wary era.
We do have MPAA Ratings to talk about - with a Boss Baby sequel on the way as well as a trip to Vista Del Mar with a pair of friends who soon find themselves in over their heads.
As a full-grown adult with no wife or children, I can still say with utter confidence that I'm not ashamed of enjoyed an animated movie every now and then. And not just Disney/Pixar's sold-wrenching journeys, but even the more kid-friendly offerings. Thus was the case with the original film The Boss Baby, which was a lot of fun despite being aimed squarely at the younger crowd. So it comes as little surprise we're getting another round with The Boss Baby: Family Affaird. Taking place well into the future, a now adult Theodore Templeton (Alec Baldwin) and Tim Templeton (James Marsden) have found themselves drifting away from each other. While Theodore is a powerful hedge-fund manager, Tim is a family man with a wonderful wife, Carol (Eva Longoria) and whipsmart daughter, Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt) who attends the prestigeous Acorn Center for Advanced Childhood and idolizes her uncle. As Tim worries his daughter is missing out on her childhood, they welcome a new baby, Tina (Amy Sedaris) who just so happens to be an undercover agent for Babycorp, investigating the Acorn Center and its mysterious founder, Dr. Erwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum). Tina will have to bring the two brothers together for a new family business if she hopes to get to the bottom of things. The film was pushed back from March to September 2021 due to the ongoing nature of the pandemic, but we'll see if things get back to normal by then. If this is just as entertaining as the original, I'm sure it will appeal to families and make plenty of bank. Rated PG for rude humor, mild language and some action.
While not family business, having a life-long friend is also a good thing, and it might be what saves Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo play the pair of small-town friends, who leave the Midwest behind in order to go on a long-awaited vacation to Vista del Mar... only to become entangled in adventure, romance and a plot to take out the entire town. You know, typical vacation stuff. No doubt the success or failure of the film is going to fall on how good Wiig and Mumolo play off each other, but I have to think given the level of comedic talent involved, everything should work out well. The film also stars Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr., Michael Hitchcock, Kwame Patterson and Wendi McLendon-Covey among others. This one is coming out relatively soon - February (if things don't get pushed back again) so we'll see if can attract its target audience and survive. Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, drug use and some strong language.
Those are the two big films, but there are plenty of other films in the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR
Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, drug use and some strong language.
BODY BROKERS
Rated R for strong drug content, pervasive language and some sexual content.
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS
Rated PG for rude humor, mild language and some action.
COURAGEOUS LEGACY
Rated PG-13 for some violence and drug material.
EDDIE
Rated PG for thematic material and some language.
MY ZOE
Rated R for brief language/sexual reference.
OPERATION VARSITY BLUES
Rated R for some language.
SAVING SLOANE
Rated PG for thematic elements.
THE TREE
Rated PG for thematic elements.
