Saturday, November 9, 2024

Box Office: “Aladdin” Magic Carpet to $105 Mil, “Booksmart” Goes Unread with $6.5 Mil Weekend, Frank Sinatra-Ava Gardner Movie Makes $17K Since December

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“Aladdin” was number 1 at the box office this weekend with over $105 million. It was the default movie on a slow weekend. The three day total was $86 mil. Not bad considering the reviews were tepid.

Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart,” very well reviewed, suffered from no PR or marketing. It died with $6.5 million. One solution might be to relaunch it in the fall with some awards buzz. But then again, it just might be over.

Keanu Reeves’s “John Wick 3” hit $100 million in its 2nd weekend. “John Wick 4” and more are being prepared now. Does Keanu still live at the Chateau Marmont? Did he ever buy a house?

Stranger still, there seems to be a movie called “Frank and Ava” about Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, in release since December from something called Hannover House (misspelled intentionally) based in Arkansas. It’s now made around $17,000. The writer and producer, Rico Simonini, who is a cardiologist at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles (real name Dr. Americo Simonini), also plays Sinatra. Whatever this vanity endeavor cost, it’s money down the drain.

PS There’s no singing in the trailer, so I think probably no singing in the movie. Or music associated with Sinatra. And Dr. Simonini doesn’t look anything like Sinatra. This may be why cardiology issues should be dealt with UCLA Medical Center.

Frank & Ava movie trailer from Rico Simonini on Vimeo.

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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