Thursday, March 28, 2024

Box Office: Gary Hart Still Not Getting Vote, “Fantastic Beasts 2” Not so Fantastic, Mark Wahlberg Heads to Low Opening

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Friday box office:

It’s back to Hogwarts, on discount. “Fantastic Beasts 2,” not warmly reviewed, is well off the pace of the original. The new film is set to make $61-64 million, compared to the original’s $75 million. This will be the first stumble in the “Harry Potter” saga after nine films. It’s about time. Worldwide, though, “Grindewald” should do fine, especially in places where the usual elements don’t need to make sense.

Gary Hart is still not winning any races. The former Colorado senator, played by Hugh Jackman in “The Front Runner,” is out of steam already. Jason Reitman’s film is very good, but this is one that might have had a better life on HBO or Netflix. There’s not enough sizzle to push people into theaters. I think Sony knew this a couple of months ago so they haven’t put a lot into it.

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne got some nice notices for “Instant Family,” a modern take on “With Six You Get Eggroll” or “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies.” Blended family stories, adoption stories, and so on have always been time tested moderate hits. And that’s what this will be– $13 million for the weekend counting on matinees today and tomorrow. Then a nice life on DVD, streaming, cable, airplanes. It’s a weekend low for Wahlberg, maybe lower than his recent “Mile 22.” It’s time for “Ted 3,” if there wasn’t one already.

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.
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