Clint Eastwood has had a lot of hits in his 60 years in Hollywood–whether acting, directing or both.

But this weekend, at age 86, he’s had had his biggest opening ever directing Tom Hanks in “Sully.” The powerful Warners feature made $35.5 million in its first three days, exceeding everyone’s expectations.

The reviews and box office for “Sully” absolutely put the film into the Best Picture race, with Hanks and Eastwood securing their positions as well.

Eastwood’s second biggest film, “American Sniper,” had a limited opening in 4 theatres. When it expanded very wide it made $89 million on its second weekend. “Sniper” finished at $350 million, which would be a wild goal for “Sully.” But you never know. “Sully” should have a long life in theatres.

I like what happened tonight in Toronto at the Princess of Wales Theatre: all bets are off now for the Oscars as there is a surprise entry. Garth Davis’s magnificent “Lion” roared to life at its first screening anywhere and absolutely killed it. Applause began the minute the movie ended, there was cheering, and a real standing ovation.

This last out of left field upheaval came courtesy of Harvey Weinstein, who has been in a slump since “The Imitation Game.” He has needed a hit for some time, and tonight he brought it. “Lion” has a good pedigree– it comes from the producers of “The King’s Speech.” They know what they’re doing. So does Davis, an Aussie, who worked for some time with Nicole Kidman to get this right. And she is so good that I predict an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and maybe a win.

The star of the movie, set in India, is Dev Patel, also the star of “Slumdog Millionaire.” As Saroo Brierly, a real life Indian man who disappeared in 1986 from his home at age 5, was moved to an adoptive family in Australia, and wasn’t reunited with his mother for 25 years, Patel is stunning. This actor is  a man now. Gone is the chattering boy from “Best Exotic Hotel” and HBO’s “The Newsroom” with a lot of endearing tics. Patel is the real thing now.

Saroo is played by a real five year old, however, for the amazing first third of the film. Sunny Pawar is the child star of the year, the Jacob Tremblay of 2016. Because he is so charming and honest, Davis is able to shape a foundation for “Lion” that resonates right through to the end. When Patel is introduced as adult Saroo, and Rooney Mara is added as his girlfriend, the story goes from fanciful and bleak to real. Saroo, raised by adoptive parents played by Kidman and David Wenham, realizes he must find his birth home if he’s going to be not “lost” anymore.

Yes, “Lion” is what they call a three hankie operation. You may actually need a box of tissues. No one in the audience gets out alive. You will hear sobbing in your theater. In many ways, the story of Saroo parallels the one from “The Color Purple.” Saroo’s one objective is to be reunited with his mother and brother. His journey is memorable.

Kidman is just sensational as his adoptive mother. And I’m telling you now, she has a speech toward the end that will make Oscar voters turn cartwheels it’s so good. Kidman draws on what we know of her real life and it’s wrenching. She also looks the best she has in any film in years.

So open the cage. “Lion” jumps into the fray that already includes Birth of a Nation, La La land, Snowden, Nocturnal Animals, Fences and many many more. Oscar season has now begun!

Lady Gaga released her new single “Perfect Illusion” yesterday and it was a perfect launch. She’s already scored 5.6 million views on YouTube, and the single is number 1 on iTunes. The song is a blatant rebuke to her ex fiancee, TV actor Taylor Kinney. “It was a perfect illusion,” Gaga sings, rocking out, and notes “it wasn’t love.”

Sad. But you know, break up songs are all the rage in this generation. And they’re never subtle, like Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” or humorous, like Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.”

“Perfect Illusion” is fun and has a great chorus! It’s also just a taste of what’s to come in Lady Gaga’s new album. Don’t sweat it with a lot of navel gazing. Just dance.

Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” opened last night with two screenings at the Toronto Film Festival. It’s a powerful, unforgettable film that can’t be ignored box office wise or for awards attention. It’s all the more interesting because this is Parker’s first film as a director, and he’s pulled it off skillfully.

Regardless of the controversy surrounding it, “Birth” is a huge accomplishment. Parker gives a mesmerizing performance, but there’s also exceptional work from Armie Hammer, Penelope Ann Miller, Aja Naomi King, Colman Domingo, Gabrielle Union, et al. So yeah, in any other situation, “Birth of a Nation” would be a slam dunk.

But then what to do? As with Mel Gibson (who is bizarrely included on a list of thank yous in the end credits), how do we separate the art from the artist? Everyone knows by now the tragic situation: Parker was acquitted in 20o1 of a vicious campus rape at Penn State.

To make matters worse, the accuser killed herself in 2012. Parker’s “Birth” co-screenwriter Jean Celestin, also participated in the college attack. He was convicted, but that was overturned on appeal. And no one, not even Fox Searchlight– which paid a record $17 million at Sundance to release the film, knew all this until it came spilling out a couple of weeks ago.

This is all a huge headache for the studio, and for everyone. It’s very hard not to think about Parker’s saga (and the details are much worse if you search them out) while “Birth” unspools. That’s because rape is a central theme in the movie, and the story overall is obviously very violent. Racism is bad enough, but the American history of slavery is the worst blot on our 240 year history. Parker is unsparing in depicting it all, too. We’ve seen it before in “Roots” or “12 Years a Slave,” but this is yet another chapter. Slavery was the American Holocaust, and it overshadows all the heroism and patriotic flag waving we so embrace. How in the world could this have existed?

This pivotal moment in American history shouldn’t have been ignored for so long. It was really only in the culture because of William Styron’s novel, “The Confessions of Nat Turner,” written by a white Southerner. The novel has become the target of critics since its publication. So now we have a young black man telling the story of another young black man– how could this film not resonate far and wide in 2016?

Last night at the Q&A following the second screening, there was no mention of Parker’s history. The audience was way too polite and tired to raise a ruckus. There was a standing ovation, but it was restrained. The real test will come tomorrow– Sunday — morning at the press conference. That will be the first indication of what Parker and Fox Searchlight face as they try to bring this important film to audiences.

The word from L.A. is that there two more people in “The House” with Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.

I’m told that re-shoots in the last couple of weeks were extensive. And brought in for comic relief: Mariah Carey and Jeremy Renner.

Isn’t that odd?

Word from the set was that “Mariah was a nightmare.” Well, of course she was. But Mariah’s a good actress, as we’ve seen in “Precious.”

Renner as comic relief? Well, Will Ferrell and producer Adam McKay know how to make a funny movie. “The House” is directed by Andrew J. Cohen, the young writer of “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” and “Neighbors.”