By Chris Kavan - 08/18/21 at 08:57 PM CT
The ratings bulletin is a bit lackluster, but once again we have some fireworks at the box office as Ryan Reynolds Free Guy came in well over expectations and Don't Breathe 2 also posted some good numbers. But it wasn't all good news as The Suicide Squad fell a precipitous 71.5% in its seconds weekend - a fate shared by many a big-name film and one that Free Guy hopes to avoid.
Originality isn't dead after all! Free Guy, about a lowly video game NPC bank teller (Ryan Reynolds) who finds himself gaining sentience after coming across the girl of his dreams (
Jodie Comer) topped the $15-$19 million expectations and opened to a much more eye-popping $28.3 million. That's a solid start for the $100 million picture - and the fact it is playing exclusively in theaters probably helped it at least a little. While video game films are nothing new - this one isn't based on an existing game (though the world it takes place in seems equal parts GTA V violence and Fortnite emote absurdity) and, as a fan of video games myself, I found it pretty damn impressive and a lot of fun. Plus, the have gathered a stellar cast with Comer playing the dual role of badass in-game warrior and a more down-to-earth game designer in the real world. Lil Rel Howery plays Guy's best-friend bank guard, Joe Keery is the progreammer Keys with Utkarsh Ambudkar as his more ambitious co-worker and Taika Waititi steals every scene he's in as a character I can only describe as douche-bro boss. The film also has some amazing cameos - some more sneaky than others, with Channing Tatum taking the cake as the in-game alter ego of Revenjamin Buttons - played in real life by the perfectly-cast
Matty Cardarople. Plenty of real-life figures also show up including the last film role of the late Alex Trebek along with some of the higher-profile streamers like Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, Imane 'Pokimane' Anys, Seán McLoughlin aka Jacksepticeye among others. Both audiences and critics were impressed, giving it an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score and a solid "A" Cinemascore. With another $22.5 million overseas, it has already topped $57 million worldwide and looks to already be eyeing a sequel. It has an exclusive 45-day theatrical window - we'll see if that works in its favor.
Second place belonged to another new film, the horror sequel Don't Breathe 2. This stealth sequel was filmed in pretty good secrecy during the pandemic and flew under the radar for the most part. That being said, I thought the original was one of the better horror films when it came out and it looks like the sequel is shaping up to be a solid follow-up. While its $10.6 million opening is below the original film's $26.4 million, as a horror sequel during a resurgent pandemic - it still looks damn good. Plus, it has a comparatively light $15 million budget so it should have no problem getting into the black. It earned an additional $3.4 million overseas, so it is well on its way.
Coming in at third place was Disney's Jungle Cruise, dropping one spot and holding relatively strong with a 42.3% drop. The $9.12 million it took in was enough to raise its total to $82.2 million and with another $72.2 million overseas, its worldwide total cracked $150 million with a $157.7 million total. Still no word on how strong its Disney+ premium access is holding up so it's tough to say whether this one will break even in the end or not.
In fourth place, the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect starring Jennifer Hudson wound up with a $8.8 million weekend. It may be a little on the light side considering its $55 million budget but with an "A" Cinemascore from audiences, perhaps it will have legs enough to make a bit more down the road.
Rounding out the top five, The Suicide Squade, despite making both audiences and critics happy, still took a big nosedive of 71.5%, adding a mere $7.4 million to its total, which now stands at $42.6 million. It has earned $118.1 million worldwide, but it has a long way to got before even making back its $185 million budget, let alone covering marketing and the like. One can only surmise its availability on HBO Max had to have some impact on those numbers.
Next week brings us The Protégé, Reminiscence, The Night House and Paw Patrol: The Movie. But the lingering question continues to be if the Delta Variant is going to wreck havoc on the fall movie schedule. We've already seen some movies shuffling, including the Venom sequel and Clifford the Big Red Dog and the latest news is that Hotel Transylvania 4 is going straight to streaming via Amazon. While the ripples are small, they are beginning to fan out - we'll see what the next month brings and whether more movies get pushed back as we approach the fall/winter window.
Another light updated from the MPAA Ratings Board this week with a single new entry in Copshop, which has Gerard Butler facing off against Frank Grillo.
If you're in the mood from some classic action, Copshop looks to have you covered. The film follows a con artist, Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) who has pulled on over on the wrong people, earning him the honor of being targeted by a lethal assassin, Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler). In order to escape his fate, he purposely gets himself arrested by a small-town rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder). But his plan isn't as good as he thinks as Viddick gets locked up in the same prison and looks for the time to strike - even as even worse people start to close in on their location. But officer Young proves herself a worthy opponent in her own right as the trio face off in an intense showdown. While Copshop certainly looks to have all the elements of a decent action film, this is clearly on the streaming path for me - not even John Wick can get me into a theater and this doesn't seem to rise to that level. Rated R for strong/bloody violence, and pervasive language.
That's the main movie for this week, but you can check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below for the rest of the offerings:
AMERICAN NIGHT
Rated R for violence, sexual content, nudity and language throughout.
BACK TO THE OUTBACK
Rated PG for rude/suggestive material and action.
BECOMING COUSTEAU
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some disturbing images and smoking.
BERGMAN ISLAND
Rated R for some sexual content, nudity and language.
COPSHOP
Rated R for strong/bloody violence, and pervasive language.
THE HAND OF GOD
Rated R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use.
HUNTING BIGFOOT
Rated R for some language and brief full nudity.
IF I CAN'T HAVE LOVE, I WANT POWER
Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexual content, violence and language.
JUSTIN BIEBER: OUR WORLD
Rated PG for some language.
A PIECE OF CAKE
Rated PG for mild action and rude material.
PLAYING THE CREASE
Rated PG-13 for some language and brief violence.
UN RESCATE DE HUEVITOS
Rated PG for rude material and action.
