Maybe things are looking up at the box office.
On Friday, a lot was happening.
Marvel’s “Eternals,” which I like to call “The Eternals” like “The Bronx,” came within a nose of $100 million. The big crossing will happen tonight. Even with mixed reviews, “The Eternals,” like the Bronx, has its charms and attracted big crowds.
Tomorrow will be its ninth day of release. Meanwhile, “Dune” goes into its 23rd day still not at $90 million. In a way, Denis Villeneuve’s epic gets more Oscar cred for not breaking records. It’s an art film, not a blockbuster, which should help “Dune” on the awards circuit.
Elsewhere, “Clifford the Big Red Dog” is barking up the right tree for Paramount. Clifford has made $9.8 million since its opening on Wednesday and should finish tomorrow with $20 million — while also being available on streaming. Remember, “Clifford” was supposed to play the Toronto Film Festival and open in September. Then Paramount pulled it from the schedule. An executive regime change followed, Brian Robbins took Jim Gianopolous’s job, and “Clifford” was back with a new date.
More importantly, “Belfast” opened on Friday in 580 theaters and took in $680,000. That’s an excellent start for a non Marvel movie headed to many awards and accolades. Word of mouth should be great, and when awards nominations start coming in two weeks, “Belfast” will pop.
And what about “Tick Tick Boom”? Netflix has it in a couple of theaters including the Paris in New York but not much else. This is a mistake. “Tick Tick Boom” needs a depth charge. It’s a beautiful film and Andrew Garfield’s totally winning performance must be seen. He and Will Smith are now in a competition for Best Actor, along with Benedict Cumberbatch.
