It’s not an easy time for Paramount Pictures.
This weekend, “The Rhythm Section,” a thriller starring Blake Lively and Jude Law, is DOA at the box office. Without keeping any beat, it made just $1.1 million last night. That’s a $3 million weekend if they’re lucky.
“The Rhythm Section” is Paramount’s second bomb this year. The other is “Like a Boss,” which has dropped like a rock. The latter film has made just $21 million. It was supposed to hit like “Girls Trip,” with Tiffany Haddish whooping it up again. This didn’t work. (And I don’t understand why Salma Hayek isn’t trying to do serious movies like “Frida.”)
Paramount was the only major studio to lack a $100 million movie last year. They came achingly close with “Rocketman” at $96 million. But otherwise, it was a bleak showing.
Now they wait. First comes “A Quiet Place, Part 2,” the sequel to John Krasinski’s surprise hit horror film from a couple of years ago. Will lightning strike twice? Hard to say, particularly because Krasinski– who wrote and directed– isn’t in this one unless he’s a ghost. His wife, the wonderful Emily Blunt, takes over, along with Cillian Murphy. That one’s not coming until March 20th.
But Paramount really waits and waits for Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible,” but that’s not until summer 2021. Until then, fingers are crossed for Cruise in “Top Gun: Maverick,” coming June 26th. They will pull out all the stops for this one, a sequel more than 30 years in the making. Val Kilmer also returns from the original film, even though he has vocal problems. (We’ll see how they deal with that.) Plus the film is stacked with young talent like Miles Teller and Glen Powell. They’ve even thrown in an Oscar winner– Jennifer Connelly– and Ed Harris and Jon Hamm. How can it lose?
The clock is ticking, though. The only sure thing is Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America 2.” Another long awaited sequel, but the wait is even longer– Christmas.
