It’s been a rough week and the matter of how you cut it does not change the fact that things seem…different. In times like this, I’ve always fled immediately to the movie theater, to see anything at all. I remember, incredibly clearly, finding a theater that still hadThe Incrediblesplaying in 2004 when President George W. Bush won his second term. And so, this week, I returned toDoctor Strange,Scott Derrickson’s exquisite and pleasingly trippy yet limited Marvel film. And it doesn’t look like I was alone yesterday when I bought my second ticket to Derrickson’s phantasmagorical journey.
Indeed,Varietyreports thatDoctor Strangecame in with $14.9 million on Friday, which puts it in very strong likelihood of taking the led in the box office for the entire weekend. This is not even remotely surprising.Doctor Strangehad some of the very best reviews that Marvel’s cinematic universe has ever seen, and as a piece of filmmaking, it’s easily the most visually audacious and inventive work that MCU has put out. Honestly,Ant-Manis it’s only strong competition in this realm of popular storytelling.
Trolls, DreamWorks Animation’s latest trifle, also looks to be returning for a healthy portion of the box office, grabbing $12.2 million on Friday and looking at $34 million for the entire weekend. Beyond that, however, are the new entries, leading withDenis Villeneuve’s overvalued yet nevertheless stunningArrival, which did fantastic numbers, totally with $9.3 million yesterday, which far outweighs what people expected it to bring in for Paramount. Similarly,Almost Christmasis beating expectations with a strong $5.9 million, looking to place the family-centric holiday comedy in the fourth spot.
The fifth spot is unknown at this point but my belief would be that eitherAng Lee’s undervaluedBilly Lynn’s Long Halftime WalkorMel Gibson’s brutal, compromisedHacksaw Ridgewill arrive in that spot. Both movies deal specifically with veterans, though in very different ways, which could give them a kick for Veteran’s Day weekend. We’ll have to wait for tomorrow to see exactly what the full haul is for either, though my gut instinct is the more classical of the two,Hacksaw Ridge, will take home the spot ifNaomi Watts-led supernatural thrillerShut Incan be held off. That being said, as this week has taught us, some predictions are simply that: predictions.
