Monday Mixer: Huge 'Star Wars' trailer news
Posted Monday, November 24, 2014 at 4:17 PM Central
Last updated Monday, November 24, 2014 at 4:18 PM Central
by John Couture
This week brings us Thanksgiving.
Let that sink in for a bit.
Where has this year gone? Maybe it's just me, but I feel like 2014 was simply a blip on the radar on the way to 2015. That's not to belittle 2014, but with 2015 looming over us like a giant dinosaur or a star destroyer, it's hard not to look ahead to next year.
It's funny though, usually when we are desperately waiting for something, time slows down, but in this case it seems the opposite is true. I've seen some great films this year that I know will stand the test of time, but will they all be overshadowed by next year's offerings?
I suppose this week more than any other is a good time to take a few moments and be thankful for the industry that continues to surprise and entertain us.
I'm thankful for Michael Bay. Without him, I wouldn't have any clue how to blow shit up.
I'm thankful for Kevin Smith. He continually makes me laugh and inspires me to one day give it go with my dreams of writing films.
I'm thankful for Steven Spielberg. He's not my father, but he gave me the best childhood that any kid could ever ask for.
I'm thankful for Jennifer Lawrence. She has given my daughter a positive role model that wasn't brainwashed by Disney.
I'm thankful that we still have movies to watch every week. Good or bad, they give us something to talk about each week and for that, I'm most thankful of all.
Box Office 411
I'm sure that I've said this before, but it's a JLaw world and we just live in it. This time, the film is the latest in the Hunger Games franchise and it opened huge naturally. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 opened large with $123 million, easily the top opening of the year, but it was also the worst opening for a Hunger Games film yet.
The first two films in the franchise each debuted with just over $150 million, so this was a pretty big drop, but why? Are people finally getting tired of the practice of splitting the final book in a series into two films? I do think that plays into it a little bit, but even more direct, I just think that people are less excited about paying for the first half of what many consider to be the weakest book in the series.
If this indeed the case, then I really bad for those behind the Divergent series, because splitting that last book is completely uncalled for. But, I digress.
Are we just splitting hairs here? I mean it's not like $123 million is chump change and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 will make a ton of money both domestically and worldwide. I think somewhere in the neighborhood of $325 million is distinctly possible. Of course, both of the first films in the franchise broke the elusive $400 million mark, so there's that.
The bottom line, I think Guardians of the Galaxy is safe to end the year at the top of the box office. Who would have guessed that? We sure didn't.
If you want a text-book case of front-loaded box office, look no further than Dumb and Dumber To. It opened in first place last weekend with $38.1 million and it plummeted to fourth place this weekend with only $13.8 million. It has grossed only $57 million to date and if the slide continues, then it will struggle to get up to even $80 million which looked like a lock last weekend.
Big Hero 6 continued its run to $200 million with another strong hold. If it doesn't get completely harpooned by Penguins of Madagascar this weekend, then it should still hit that lofty goal.
Quick Hitters
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You might start to see a pattern in this week's quick hitters. The biggest news this weekend had to do with the whispers of a teaser trailer arriving soon for The Force Awakens. Well, today, those whispers became a full-throttled scream.
So, that's 88 seconds of new Star Wars goodness this Friday. And where exactly will you be able to see this trailer? I'm so glad you asked, the theater list is here.
- Speaking of Star Wars, if you've got a few hours to burn and want to read a verbose theory that gives George Lucas more credit than he probably deserve, then Star Wars Ring Theory is for you.
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It's not all Star Wars news today, but another huge film from 2015 is also debuting its debut trailer on Thanksgiving. Of course, why wait three days when you can get 20 seconds from Jurassic World today.
Seriously Universal, just take all of my money. The funny thing is that I wasn't really high on this film before now. So, don't let them tell you that 20 seconds doesn't make a difference.
Well, that's about all I have time for today. Have a great Thanksgiving and remember to Mix Well!