The Catch-Up
Let’s catch up. What’s been going on?
Spiderman is slinging to victory at the box office
No spoilers, don’t worry! Our favorite spandexed superhero Peter Parker, a.k.a Spiderman, a.k.a Hollywood’s most recent heartthrob Tom Holland has taken Spiderman: No Way Home right to the top, as expected. During its opening weekend, the film raked in a whopping $253 million- more than any other film had made in the entirety of 2021 and the third-best opening weekend ever. The film is predicted to hit the billion-dollar mark, as the only thing that would slow its insane momentum now is another lockdown, which definitely could happen.
There are other big dogs at the movies, too…
Including the big red one, Clifford, which currently sits at number nine with about $48 million in its sixth week. More notably, there’s Disney’s Encanto, Steven Speilberg’s highly-anticipated West Side Story, and Lady Gaga’s return to acting with House of Gucci.
Another Disney classic
The lively and feel-good family-film Encanto held the top spot for three weeks before the spider menace, Spiderman, came along (hats off to you if you get the reference.) To date, Encanto has grossed a solid $81,544,607 in its fourth week. With songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a heartfelt story, it’s sure to continue to be enjoyed when it is released on Disney+ in the coming weeks.
Bad numbers for a cult classic
West Side Story comes in at number three at the box office, but with just $17,982,021 in its second week. Highly disappointing for a film with a $100 million budget, a big-time director and alleged Oscar buzz. Musicals have been particularly struggling at the theatres since COVID, and this film confirms it. Additionally, a key demographic, senior citizens, have not fully returned to the theatres due to the pandemic- and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. However, there is still hope for West Side Story. Critics have raved about it, and other moviegoers agree. Therefore, it could potentially win some awards at the Oscars next year, which would help to redeem it.
House of Gaga
Finally, House of Gucci, which sits at number six at the box office with just over $44 million. Gaga has drawn in some rave reviews for her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani, but the movie itself has drawn mixed reviews, with a 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. The main criticisms of the film are how long it is (2.5 hours!), the subpar acting performance from Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci and a murky plotline. With other heavy hitters coming to the box office soon, it has a good chance to fall out of the top ten.
Thanks for catching up with what’s going on at the box office!