Friday night box office:
Today, right now as you read this, “Avatar 2” is crossing the $400 million line domestically. In other day it will overtake “Black Panther 2” as it steams ahead on its blue path. These are not Best Picture movies, they are landmarks. They’re spectacles, and their outsized earnings are the reward. They will each get craft nominations galore, which they richly deserve.
Another very entertaining film is also bringing in audiences: “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” The take after 8 days is just over $12 million. There seems to be a steadily building business here. The upbeat take on Whitney Houston’s life still has an incredibly strong 92 on Rotten Tomatoes audience meter. The fans love it!
In the mix: the very overhyped “The Whale” starring Brendan Fraser heading to $5 million today after 22 days in release. This is not a New Year’s Eve movie, it’s a big downer, so WARNING. Wait til tomorrow. You won’t want to have dinner after you’ve seen it.
“A Man Called Otto” starring Tom Hanks opened last night to $23,000 in four theaters. Also not a New Year’s Eve movie as Otto spends two hours trying to kill himself. Hanks is always spot on, but this isn’t a way to celebrate the changing of the calendar. Again, wait til tomorrow. Try “The Fabelmans,” “Banshees,” or “The Menu.”
And if you’ve got three hours, “Babylon” is still babbling on, but it won’t be for much longer. The gorgeous mess of a movie will see theater numbers cut on Thursday most certainly. So this is a good time to see it on the big screen.
