Monday, November 4, 2024

Box Office: “The Martian” Opens to An Out of this World $55 Million Weekend

Share

“The Martian” made $55 million this weekend, making it the biggest hit in a long time for director Ridley Scott and star Matt Damon. I’d say they are each on the way, along with the movie, to Oscar nominations and a big final box office two months from now. It’s much deserved, too. I would guess there will be repeat visits, too, as “The Martian” is highly entertaining. 20th Century Fox has its long overdue smash.

Sony Pictures is pushing hard with Robert Zemeckis’s “The Walk,” which should be their Oscar entry. It’s still in limited release, but when it breaks out “The Walk” should be a “Martian” sized hit. “The Martian” and “The Walk” could be the big studio counterpunches to indie Oscar certainties like “Carol,” “Room,” “Spotlight,” and the not really indie but studio hit “Steve Jobs,” which is not an action movie but a real talkie.

“Mission Impossible Rogue Nation” is at $194 million, they make not make $200 million unless they stay in theaters three more months and do three-for-1 sales.

In other news, Universal can’t make people see “Everest.” They’re trying, but the story is obviously leaving ticket buyers cold. This reminds me of Universal’s Ron Howard movie “Rush.” A great movie, but Universal couldn’t force people to see it. They tried. Luckily, it doesn’t matter for the studio since they’ve broken records this year.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

Read more

In Other News