The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.With the exception of "Split," 2017 has been bereft of hits thus far. That will all change this weekend as a trio of big movies with legitimate blockbuster aspirations hit theaters. But should you let your FML Bux ride with Christian Grey, Batman or John Wick? We'll start with the caped crusader. "The LEGO Batman Movie" is a spinoff of 2014's highly successful "The LEGO Movie" ($69.1m opening, $257.8m domestic total), where the Batman character (voiced by Will Arnett) stole every scene he was in which made a spinoff a no brainer. "LEGO Batman" is clearly going to be the big winner this weekend, but with a sky-high price tag of FB$795 it's a question of just how big it will be. Between the goodwill from the first LEGO movie, great early reviews (currently at a 97% on rotten tomatoes), 4,000+ screens and lack of other family friendly films in the marketplace now that "Sing" is winding down its run; I think "LEGO Batman" will open up higher than its predecessor (an opening in the high $70s seems likely).
Whether or not you should use it as an anchor in your FML lineup will depend on how you feel about our next two films. Two years ago this weekend the adaptation of publishing sensation "Fifty Shades of Grey" opened up to a ridiculous $85.2m on its way to a domestic gross of $166.2m. This weekend the sequel "Fifty Shades Darker" will attempt to repeat this box office feat, but I think it's going to fall well short of this goal. For starters sequels have been having a brutal time at the box office lately. Of the top 120 grossing films of 2016 I counted 28 sequels/prequels. A whopping 89% of these films made less money than the previous installment. There was both a novelty and a curiosity factor surrounding "Fifty Shades of Grey" in 2015 that is nowhere to be found for the sequel. And those who saw the original film weren't exactly thrilled with the results (4.1 user rating on IMDb, 41% user rating on rotten tomatoes). The only people who seem to be excited about "Fifty Shades Darker" are diehard fans of the novel and people who actually enjoyed the first film (there is a LOT of overlap between these two groups).
My other reason for not trusting "Fifty Shades Darker": my gut. I watched the first film with a fairly open mind. Although the film didn't appeal to me at face value, as a pop culture lover I like to be in the loop on things. Especially when something becomes a cultural phenomenon like the "Fifty Shades" books. And I can honestly say the film was truly awful. Granted I'm not the intended demographic, but I watched the film with my girlfriend (who read all the books beforehand) and she was rather unimpressed (but didn't hate the film as much as I did). My gut tells me that crossover audiences aren't going to turn out en masse for "Fifty Shades Darker" and it's going be a disappointment compared to the original. I believe it's going to have difficulty clearing $40m and I think the floor is too low to trust it at FB$389. Fortunately for movie fans with zero interest in "Fifty Shades Darker" there is a man by the name of John Wick who will provide you with some nice counter programming this weekend.
"John Wick: Chapter 2" is a follow-up to the modestly successful 2014 film "John Wick." I say "modest" because a $14.4m opening and a $43m domestic total aren't exactly blockbuster numbers. While these numbers alone weren't enough to justify a sequel the film did very well on VOD and cable (where it always seems to be airing) and managed to build up somewhat of a cult following. Whereas my gut is leading me away from "Fifty Shades Darker" it's actually leading me towards "John Wick: Chapter 2." I think this is going to be the rare sequel that actually out performs its predecessor. Based on the films marketing it appears to know exactly what it is. Monosyllabic Keanu Reeves kicking ass in creative ways? Well-dressed henchmen dropping like flies? Sleek & stylish feel? Minimal amount of dialogue? Slew of respected actors in supporting roles (Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, etc.)? Ruby Rose in her third new action film in the last three weeks? The filmmakers aren't reinventing the wheel with this one and appear to giving action fans exactly what they want.
While it should finish a distant third to "LEGO Batman" and "Fifty Shades" the competitive pricing (FB$201) makes "John Wick" a viable anchor since you can screen it four times. If "John Wick" can exceed it's early projections (low $20s seems to be the range) then "LEGO" would have to get to a pretty insane number to justify screening it. I'll be watching Thursday numbers closely but as of right now I like four screens of "John Wick," two screens of "Split" (which has been holding up very well) and two screens of low-end filler. My picks for this weekend's top 5 in total box office (this week's cost in FML Bux in parentheses): 1. The LEGO Batman Movie (FB$795) 2. Fifty Shades Darker (FB$389) 3. John Wick: Chapter 2 (FB$201) 4. Bonus Pick of the Week: "John Wick: Chapter Two" I wouldn't be stunned if "Hidden Figures" (FB$60) took the bonus for a second week in a row. But last week it was coming off a big SAG award win and the start of Black History Month so I expect it to cool down a bit.
That leaves me with "John Wick" which has an intriguing ceiling in relation to its price (FB$201). With just three weeks left in awards season now is not the time to hedge so I'm going to ride with Mr. Wick. Next weekend we have Ice Cube and Charlie Day in "Three O'Clock High" for grownups ("Fist Fight"), a trip to the worst day spa imaginable ("A Cure For Wellness") and Matt Damon in what is sure to be our new president's favorite movie of the year ("The Great Wall").'LEGO' Gives Its Valentine's Day Rivals the Kiss-OffYes, the LEGO company produces minifigures of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Also a Valentine Letter Set with bricks that spell "Love You." But it wasn't cross-marketing that made The LEGO Movie the No. 1 film of the long holiday weekend that began with Valentine's Day on Friday and concludes with Presidents' Day today. It was America's ardor for a smart, lovable animated feature that has made it the year's first runaway hit.On a four-day frame that saw the debuts of three remakes of movies from the 1980s — About Last Night, RoboCop and Endless Love — plus the soppy romance Winter's Tale, no film could earn even half the money The LEGO Movie will amass by the end of business tonight.
Based on the characters and architecture of the Danish toy company, the 3-D cartoon earned $50 million from Friday to Sunday in North American theaters, and is expected to take in another $13.5 million today, for an 11-day domestic total of $143.8 million — an outstanding total for a movie that cost only $60 million to produce, and with even rosier grosses in store.(READ: Corliss's review of The LEGO Movie)Of the rom-coms and rom-drams that opened on Valentine's Day, About Last Night took Cupid's arrow to the heart of the bull's eye. A loose remake of the 1986 Rob Lowe-Demi Moore comedy based on David Mamet's play Sexual Perversity in Chicago, the new version features an African-American cast headed by star-of-the-moment Kevin Hart, whose action comedy Ride Along is the year's second highest-grossing movie, at $117.4 million.(SEE: Kevin Hart share a Lyft car with Ice Cube and Conan O'Brien) RelatedThe Girl on the TrainThe Birth of a NationThe Girl on the TrainThe Birth of a NationAbout Last Night actually outgrossed The LEGO Movie on Friday, $12.86 million to $12.84 million.
But the Last Night fever quickly subsided: the film earned less on Saturday and Sunday combined ($12.83 million) than on the year's favorite movie date night. It received a generous A-minus rating in the CinemaScore poll of early attendees, who skewed heavily female (63%) and older (58% were 30 or above). Last Night will end the long weekend with $28.5 million.For now, Hart is giving the best value for money of any Hollywood star; Ride Along cost a thrifty $25 million, About Last Night about half that. That will change as his asking price escalates. Don't be surprised if his salary for a romcom next Valentine's Day is as high as Last Night's $13-million production budget. In 2015, moguls may look back wistfully to Hart's bargain rates, and think "About Last Year..."(READ: Corliss on Kevin Hart in Ride Along)Endless Love, which updated the 1981 arson romance remembered, if at all, for the theme-song duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, earned $13.2 million in its first three days and $15.1 for the full four — a decent return on a $20-million budget.
The pairing of perpetual star-of-the-future Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four, Magic Mike) and blond hottie Gabriella Wilde, from Carrie, appealed to a younger demographic: a whopping 80% female and 76% under the age of 25. Translation: teen girls without dates. They awarded the movie an A-minus CinemaScore.(SEE: Alex Pettyfer sing the "Endless Love" duet with Jimmy Kimmel)Two movies with much higher price tags had to be considered flops. RoboCop, a remake of director Paul Verhoeven's 1987 sci-fi hit, cost about $100 million to produce but will earn just $30.3 million for the six days of release since its Wednesday premiere. Joel Kinnaman replaced Paul Weller as the bionic cop, but bland PG-13-rated action couldn't match the original film's R-rated violence and cynicism. The audience — 62% male, 64% over 25 — gave it a B-plus CinemaScore.(READ: Eliana Dockterman's review of the new RoboCop)Winter's Tale, a reincarnation love story based on Mark Helprin's 1983 novel — the whole weekend was mired in that fun period we might call the Wheeee!
Decade — stumbled to an $8.1-million four-day take and looks unlikely to recoup its $46-million production cost. Its leading man, Colin Farrell, also headlined the underperforming remake of Verhoeven's Total Recall a couple of summers ago, as well as the low-earning Seven Psychopaths and Dead Man Down. Once pegged as top star material, the brooding Irishman can adorn successful films in supporting roles (e.g., Horrible Bosses and Saving Mr. Banks) but doesn't have the marquee allure to sell a movie to the masses.(READ: When Colin Farrell was going to be the next big thing — 14 years ago)Among holdovers, Frozen remained super-cool with another $8.1 million. Released in late November, Disney's double-princess animated feature has earned $115 million of its $378.1 million domestic take in this calendar year, and bids fair to pass Iron Man Three ($409 million) as the second highest grosser released in 2013 (behind the $423.1 million for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). Now at $958 million worldwide, Frozen still has not opened in certain markets, including Japan.
It could easily become the 18th movie ever to cross the $1 billion threshold in global gross.(READ: Lily Rothman on Frozen's Hot Following)Can The LEGO Movie reach that rarified atmosphere? So far it has earned $51.2 million abroad, but hasn't yet premiered in many Western European countries where LEGO is the most popular toy brand. Given its sustained success in North America and its considerable potential abroad, the movie could built itself one big brick hit house.Here are the Monday estimates of the Valentine’s-Presidents’ weekend’s top-grossing pictures in North American theaters, with totals for Friday-to-Sunday (three days) and Friday-to-Monday (four days), as reported by Box Office Mojo:1. The LEGO Movie, $50 million, three days; $63.5 million, four days; $143.8 million, second week2. About Last Night, $25.7 million, three days; $28.5 million, four days3. RoboCop, $21.7 million, three days; $25.6 million, four days; $30.3 million, six days (opened Wednesday)4. The Monuments Men, $15.5 million, three days;