“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.
