The really weird part of reporting the box office is the whole Thursday preview thing.
Hollywood pretends Thursday previews are just part of Friday openings, boosting the eventual opening day number with two nights of receipts.
So if you agree to these shenanigans then horror film “Abigail” was number 1 “last night,” and beat “Civil War,” on the box office list.
In reality, “Abigail” came in 2nd last night with $3 million as opposed to “Civil War” at $3.25 million.
The box office schedule is fairly sad, otherwise. Next week brings tennis and sex in “Challengers.” Then comes “The Fall Guy.” We are in a fallow period caused by last year’s strikes and the studios cutting back in revenge against the unions. Everyone loses!
But the box office gurus are saying “Abigail” made $4 million when if fact it took in $1 million on Thursday and $3 million last night.
That’s entertainment!
What is true is that “Civil War” is a dud, dropping 70% last night from last Friday. Alex Garland’s muddled movie makes no sense, is hard to follow, and of no importance. It’s a failed attempt to scare the audience, and Garland isn’t sure how he’s scaring us or what it’s about.
A better take on real dangers of a civil war come in a documentary by Charlie Sadoff and co-produced by Sebastian Junger called “Against All Enemies.” It’s streaming on amazon prime and other platforms. Sadoff interviews people who would hope to instigate a real civil war, like the heads of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. They actually want to overthrow our government. Frightening stuff that makes Garland’s movie look like a video game.
