All the talk of movie stars not selling movies was reversed on Thanksgiving Day.
Three well reviewed films with movie stars leading their casts did very well at the box office and point to a great box office weekend. And two of the tree could definitely wind up in the Oscar race. Daniel Craig, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Tom Hanks– all their movies are top notch and bringing audiences into theaters.
Daniel Craig, aka James Bond, has a hit with Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out.” Craig leads an all star cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon, and Don Johnson in an Agatha Christie like murder mystery that is also very funny. So far, “Knives Out” has $14 million in the bank after two full days and previews.
Tom Hanks as Mister Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” — as I wrote a couple of days ago– has “legs.” This means it’s holding up. “Beautiful Day” has made $22 million in seven days. The film is holding steady every day and should only increase over the weekend. Hanks will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and the screenplay should get awards, too. This could be a Best Picture nominee.
The really great news is that “Ford v Ferrari” is already at $67 million after two weeks. Matt Damon and Christian Bale lead this cast, which also includes Tracey Letts, Jon Bernthal, and Josh Lucas. Damon is great but he has the tough role of being a sort of straight man to Bale’s colorful race car driver Kenny Miles. James Mangold’s direction is superb. The character scenes are fun, and the racing is heart pounding. This could also be a Best Picture nominee.
