By Chris Kavan - 05/12/21 at 12:32 PM CT
A big ratings update and some mild action at the box office lead the way this week. With Black Widow having vacated May for a later summer date, that left the tag-team of director Guy Ritchie and action veteran Jason Statham to lead the charge with Wrath of Man.
While it wasn't anywhere near the best showing for Statham, the $8.3 million was enough to top the box office. Statham's last leading role in The Meg opened to $45.4 million back before the pandemic messed everything up. While critics may have been mixed on the vigilante-turned cash truck guard, audiences seemed far more forgiving, awarding the film a decent "A-" Cinemascore. It also managed a $17.6 million overseas total, for a combined $26.6 million worldwide total. That's not too bad given the current state of things - though hopefully we're close to returning to normality as vaccinations rise.
In second place, anime hit Demon Slayer took a 52% hit, but still managed a nice $3 million total for the weekend, raising its total to just over $37 million. It is still sitting in third place among domestic anime films, but that $43.7 million second-place showing for Pokémon the Movie 2000 now seems well within its reach.
In third place, Mortal Kombat dipped over 61% in its third week, bringing in $2.4 million and giving it a new $37.8 million total. I have a feeling that eventually Demon Slayer will actually top this video game adaptation, which is kind of amazing and a bit disheartening for the franchise. Still, it probably has given HBO Max plenty to smile about so I wouldn't count out another film in the future. It has made $73 million worldwide.
In fourth place, Godzilla vs Kong dipped just under 30%, bringing in nearly $2 million and raising its total to just over $93 million domestic. It is still chugging along, looking to become the first film to cross $100 million since the pandemic hit. With over $422 million worldwide, however, it is certainly a bright spot for this year.
Rounding out the top five, and actually jumping 39% (probably getting a boost since schools are beginning to let out), Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon nearly topped Godzilla vs. Kong, coming in just behind with $1.92 million and a new $43.8 million total. The film is now less than $1 million from topping Tom and Jerry for the year and I think it will lap it either this week or next at the latest, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of the year, although it will be interesting to see if this or Demon Slayer ultimately winds up with that crown.
The only other film of note to open was the Billy Crystal/Tiffany Haddish comedy Here Today, which had a muted $1.04 million opening in 7th place. Critics were mostly sour (48% on Rotten Tomatoes) and I don't see this having much of a future impact.
Things are going to be a bit quiet at the box office - that is until the end of the month as May 28th brings us the one-two punch of A Quiet Place II and Cruella, hopefully bringing a true start to the summer movie season.
As for the MPAA Ratings Bulletin - it's a good one with a couple of family streaming options, a horror sequel and a rebooted super-villain teamup that looks like it's going to be a wild ride.
The DCEU has always been in the shadow of their more successful Marvel counterparts, and that led to trying some different style projects. I have to think that David Ayer's 2016 Suicide Squad was an attempt to match the madcap adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy (it even tried to use a soundtrack in much the same way) but despite some solid casting choices (Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn was key, as was Viola Davis) the film stumbled with a meandering plot and weak villain. But hey, if you can't match Guardians of the Galaxy the first time around, why not bring in the guy who directed Guardians and try again? That's right, James Gunn is switching superhero franchises and giving us an all-new version of The Suicide Squad and it looks fantastically insane. Given the massive cast update - many are speculating that, like Deadpool 2, we're going to have a lot of people die right away. So don't be surprised if the likes of Michael Rooker (as Savant), Pete Davidson (as Blackguard), Sean Gunn (as Weasel - a CGI character not unlike Rocket Raccoon), Jai Courtney (returning as Boomerang) and even Joel Kinnaman (as every-man soldier Rick Flag) are unceremoniously killed off early. In any case, the film seems to have settled on Idris Elba (Bloodsport), John Cena (as Peacemaker) and, of course, Margot Robbie (returning as Harley Quinn) as probably the most-featured characters, with David Dastmalchian (Polka Dot Man), Sylvester Stallone (voicing King Shark) and Peter Capaldi (as Thinker) providing support. The film seems to involve an island full of goons, a rescue mission for Miss Quinn and a giant monster (or Kaiju if you will) - a great soundtrack, lots of violence and plenty of humor. This is Gunn through and through and, hey, we're getting an R rating for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity - so he's not holding anything back and I'm all in.
Switching gears, we're moving on to two streaming titles (that were originally in theaters, but, you know - these times). Up first, Luca, the story of some sea monsters who find themselves fast friends on the Italian Riviera, not knowing each holds their own secret. Pixar's latest joins Soul going exclusively to Disney+, leaving some animators a bit disappointed but Disney seems to know what they're doing. I will say this - Luca looks amazing, the setting is vibrant, the characters look compelling and I think it will be a hit with families. The cast is also spot on - Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Maya Rudolph, Jim Gaffigan, Emma Berman, Giacomo Gianniotti and Marco Barricelli lend their talents to the film. Rated for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence.
Also moving to streaming is the updated version of Cinderella starring the likes of Camila Cabello as our heroine, Billy Porter as the Fairy Godmother and Idina Menzel as the wicked step-mother. This is both a musical and a modern retelling, and it is now coming to you straight from Amazon Prime (sometime this year - no release update quite yet). I think this is geared more toward the female set but I also think Amazon, like Disney, knows what they are doing and seems like a solid addition to their lineup. Rated PG for suggestive material and language.
And to round out the major films of the week is a horror sequel, I know, I know - your anticipation knows no bounds! I honestly never thought we'd get an Escape Room 2, but the original film made over $150 million on a mere $9 million budget, so a sequel was a no-brainer. I admit, I have yet to see the first film, even though it does seem like a film I would like. In any case, there is no official synopsis yet on this sequel, but I'm guessing it's still along the lines of random people find themselves trapped and must solve a series of intricate puzzles or, you know, die horribly. And, hey, Isabelle Fuhrman, Logan Miller and Taylor Russell are here for our amusement, so I'm down with that. Rated PG-13 for violence, terror/peril and strong language.
Those are the big films for this week, but you can check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
AXIS SALLY
Rated R for sexual assault.
BIRDS OF PARADISE
Rated R for drug use, sexual content, language and brief nudity.
CINDERELLA
Rated PG for suggestive material and language.
ESCAPE ROOM 2
Rated PG-13 for violence, terror/peril and strong language.
THE FALLOUT
Rated R for language throughout, and teen drug and alcohol use.
FINCH
Rated PG-13 for brief violent images.
LUCA
Rated PG for rude humor, language, some thematic elements and brief violence.
MIDNIGHT IN THE SWITCHGRASS
Rated R for violence, and language throughout.
OCCUPATION: RAINFALL
Rated R for language.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD
Rated R for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity.
SWEET GIRL
Rated R for some strong violence and language.
