Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Box Office: Lady Gaga “Gucci” Makes 3 Times Ridley Scott’s “Last Duel” in 2 Weeks, “Ghostbusters” Crosses the Line

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Ridley Scott has a good news, bad news fall. The esteemed director has had a big hit and a big flop simultaneously. You see, even at 83 there’s still room for things that haven’t happened before!

Scott’s “House of Gucci” — even with mixed reviews — has taken off at the box office. In two weeks, “Gucci,” starring Lady Gaga, has made $33.6 million. At MGM, they must be opening Champagne after so many flops. But Gaga won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Actress on Friday which spurred audiences into theaters. An NBC special on the history of the Gucci murder didn’t hurt. So “Gucci” is a hit. Now all they need is the Gucci family filing a lawsuit, and the PR will go through the roof. (Not like the MGM PR department has done a thing. But they can reap the benefits.)

The bad news: “House of Gucci” has made more than 3 times the money Scott’s “The Last Duel” has taken in domestically– and in just two weeks. It’s actually made made more than “The Last Duel” earned worldwide ($29 mil). How crazy is that? “The Last Duel” was a 20th Century Fox holdover release for Disney, which did nothing for it. And they don’t care. They have big hits in “Encanto” and “Eternals.” Since “The Last Duel” does not start with an E or end with a dollar sign, what’s the difference?

Meanwhile, Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” has crossed the $100 million mark after middling reviews threatened to tank it when it opened. But the early reviews were positive and the audiences flocked to it. Congrats to Jason Reitman, who obviously will make a couple more with this cast. A franchise has been rebooted!

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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