Sometimes the box office will surprise you.
“Star Trek Beyond” did $59.6 million for the weekend, and you can round it up to $60 mil. That’s a huge success for a concept that’s been around since 1967. It’s also a nice tribute to the memory of Anton Yelchin. It’s also not far off the $70 million that “Star Trek into Darkness” did in 2013. The franchise lives.
Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society” is a hit for Amazon releasing through Lions Gate. Woody has just crossed the $1 million mark ($1.3 mil) in 50 locations. Amazon’s Bob Berney did it the right way. Put some thought and muscle into Woody and get a hit.
It didn’t hurt to have appealing young stars like Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg. But remember– they’ve co-starred in bad movies, too. “Cafe Society” is the best new dramedy of 2016, the best written by far, and beautifully directed by the master himself.
Alas, not so good for the latest installment of “The Ice Age.” With terrible reviews, the animated feature didn’t attract many kids. Of course, “Secret Life of Pets” and “Finding Dory” are wiping it out. A $21 million opening is half of what the previous chapters did.
