Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Box Office: Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston “The Upside” Surprises Everyone with Number 1 Finish, Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” Hits $90Mil

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The box office this weekend brought a lot of surprises.

Neil Burger’s “The Upside” finished at number 1, a whisper under $20 million. Kevin Hart, embroiled in the Oscar hosting scandal, stars with Bryan Cranston, who is currently also on track for a Tony Award on Broadway in the sold out “Network.”

Nicole Kidman co-stars in “The Upside,” and she’s also in the number 2 movie, “Aquaman.” And she’s on target for an Oscar nod in her indie film, “Destroyer,” which Annapurna Pictures has put zero effort into. But that’s another story.

“The Upside” is the American remake of the great French film, “The Intouchables,” which was a hit for The Weinstein Company several years ago. Harvey Weinstein– I know, you can’t say his name– had the idea to remake it in English, bought the rights, and guided the project. Everyone hates Harvey now, but his filmmaking radar was exceptional. He wanted Hart and Cranston, Kidman was a Miramax/Weinstein regular. It all fell into place.

Weinstein premiered “The Upside” at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival, where it played like gangbusters in Roy Thomson Hall. The plan was for a late December qualifying run and then a January launch much like the one the movie got this week. But two weeks later the stories broke about Weinstein’s sexual misconduct, and you know the rest.

“The Upside” is not “The Intouchables,” but it’s highly entertaining, and the performances are excellent. I’m not surprised it’s a hit. Word of mouth should give it “legs” like crazy.

Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” heads to $100 million. Today it crossed the $90 million mark. It’s like printing money. If it gets no Oscar nominations– and it should– “The Mule” will be yet another big hit not represented on the Academy Awards telecast, a movie most people will have seen. Crazy.

 

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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