What's all the Buzz About?

Keep an Eye on the Underdogs

Weekend of: Dec. 6-Dec. 8

Following last week’s trend, “Frozen II,” “Knives Out” and “Ford v. Ferrari” placed first, second and third in the box office. 

“Frozen II” is currently the seventh highest grossing movie of 2019– and that is just within its third week in theaters. It has received a seventy-seven percent from Rotten Tomatoes and a 67 from Metascore. 

“Dark Water” was the only filmed released in the past week to score within the top ten of the boxoffice reports. Starring Anne Hathaway and Mark Ruufolo, this film follows as a “corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution” (IMdB). Overall, the film has been met with solid praise for its stylistic methods in telling relatively true story.  

This Friday, Dec. 13, “Jumanji: The Next Level,” “Black Christmas” and “Richard Jdewell” will be released to theatres. The action, comedy, “Jumanji: The Next Level” looks promising from reviews, as it has received a 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. “Black Christmas” follows a group of sorority pledges as they are stalked during their winter break. Out of 90 reviews from IMdB the film has scored an average of 3.9/10.  “Richard Jdewell” follows the story of an“American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist” (IMdB).

(Rotten Tomatoes) / (New York Times: Dark Waters) / (IMdB: Dark Waters) / (Box Office Mojo) / (Vanity Fair) / (Fandango) / (Richard Jdewell)

Oscar Competition Heats Up with the Release of Several Films This Week

Weekend of: Nov. 29-Dec. 1st

This weekend the highly anticipated Frozen II grossed the highest in the box offices at roughly $86 million. In second place for highest gross earnings was over the weekend was Knives Out, making about earning about $27 million in its weekend premier, then followed by Ford v. Ferrari making about $13 million in its third weekend in theaters.

Despite Frozen II finding great success in the box office and amongst its young intended audience, critics believe this sequel fails to live up to the hype of the first Frozen. Critics praise the movies music, but emphasize a lack of original plot. 

Knives Out was met with great praise, scoring a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Notably, A Good Day in the Neighborhood and “The Irishman” (available on Netflix) both received 96 percents on Rotten Tomatoes and low 8’s on IMBd.  

Box Office Mojo / Rotten Tomatoes: Frozen II / Entertainment Weekly: Frozen II / IMDb: Knives Out / IMDb: The Irishman / Entertainment Weekly: Movie Reviews / Rotten Tomatoes: Movie Reviews / Collider

The Magic of Disney Continues with the Release of “Frozen II”

Weekend of: Nov. 22-Nov. 25

“Frozen II” topped the box office in its opening weekend, grossing a total of $127 million. Following are “Ford v. Ferrari” with $15.7 million grossed and “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” with $13.3 million grossed. 

Disney tactically released “Frozen II” the weekend before Thanksgiving in order to draw in their younger demographic that would most likely be on school vacation for the holiday. This animated, light-hearted film “helped thaw a frigid November box office [as] the last three weeks have seen a string of films rooted in decades-old intellectual property fizzle” (NBC). 

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” follows the true story based on the friendship of Fred Roger, a kind-hearted older gentleman, and journalist Tom Junod. The film received an 80 from Metascore, as well as 95 percent from Rotten Tomatoes. 

Additionally in its first week in theaters, “21 Bridges” scored fourth for gross this weekend at roughly $9 million. The film follows an NYPD detective on his such for a pair of cop killers. However, it has received mediocre scores from critics. It scored a 50 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 51 from Metascore. 

(Rotten Tomatoes) / (NBC) / (New York Times) / (IMdB: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) / (IMdB: 21 Bridges)

Fast Cars for the Win: Ford v. Ferrari dominates in the box office.

Weekend of: Nov. 15-Nov. 17

Ford v. Ferrari dominated the charts the weekend of Nov.15 through Nov. 17, making $31 million in revenue. Critics are raving about this possible Oscar contender, with Cinemascore giving the film an A+ and Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 92 percent. 

Close in box office charts, but trailing far behind in earnings, is Midway in second place. Earning about $8.8 million in its second weekend in theaters, Midway has received relatively positive reviews. 

Closely following in third place is Charlie’s Angels making $8.6 million in its opening weekend. Reviews are generally good, but ultimately the film fails in comparison to its original series debut. 

In the next week Oscar contenders, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and “Dark Waters,” will be released on Nov. 22. Following this release date other serious contenders will be released in late Nov. and throughout Dec., such as “1917” and “The Irishman.” 

(Hollywood Reporter / New York Times / Cinemascore / Rotten Tomatoes / Gold Derby / Entertainment Weekly)