Each Thursday we look at what is going to be coming out in theaters this weekend, show you the trailers for the big releases, predict the box office winner and just generally give you enough of a carrot to pull you through the rest of the work week. October 21st has four new releases, but continuing the disappointing vein of this month only one has positive reviews. I swear this will get better in November.
You have a wide selection of badly reviewed films, and then if you like horror, one well-reviewed one in Ouija. I don’t know why people thought a sequel to Jack Reacher was necessary. It’s not bad, but it’s not really good, and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back seems appropriately titled as the film is at 33% at Rotten Tomatoes at time of writing. Tyler Perry’s 743rd Madea film (this one’s about Halloween!) has not been screened for critics, but that won’t stop it from making enough money to have him sassily cross-dressing again. Keeping up with the Joneses has a good cast with Zach Galiafanakis, Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot, but wastes a good premise as it’s at 17% on RT. Binge watch some TV this weekend would be my recommendation.
Boo! A Medea Halloween (Tyler Perry, PG-13, 1hr 43min)
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Tom Cruise, PG-13, 1hr 58min)
Keeping Up with the Joneses (Jon Hamm, PG-13, 1hr 41min)
Ouija: Origin of Evil (Annalise Basso, PG-13, 1hr 39min)
HOW DID WE DO LAST WEEK?
KT picked The Accountant to win a weak weekend and the streak rolls along. The Accountant opened with a modest $24.1 million ahead of second place finisher, last week’s #1, The Girl on a Train which dropped to $12.3 million. (Lifetime prediction record 30-3).
WHO WILL WIN THE WEEKEND?
Tough one this weekend. No one is excited about Jack Reacher 2, but it will get the action crowd. African-Americans will watch anything Tyler Perry does no matter how critically reviled it is (yes, that’s a generalization, but it’s 100% the target audience). Horror fans might turn out for the only critically-acclaimed movie in Ouija. In an even lower box office than last week, I’m going with the biggest star in Tom Cruise, but I won’t be shocked if Jack Reacher ends my winning streak (and then I will have to despise Tom Cruise more, which is SUCH a chore).
I am baffled that the sequel to a critically panned horror movie based on a board game is being lauded by the critics. Granted, if you’re bent on making a movie out of a board game, Ouija is the one to zero in on.
I never realized Madea was supposed to be an actual woman. I thought that within the Madea universe, she was a man in drag. You learn something new every day. Also, I want to boink Tyler Perry in the eyes after watching that trailer.
Tom Cruise is one of the most charismatic movie stars in the history of film and I love him. Does he really need a paycheck desperately enough to be in something this formulaic and cliched?
Ah, well. The good Doctor is coming, and the early reactions are promising. I think a lot of people are going to be intrigued by how cool it looks, and it will serve as a gateway into the MCU.
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