Sully Is Still #1 at Box Office

For the weekend of September 16-18, 2016, Sully hung on strong and laid waste to all newcomers. A mere 37% drop is impressive, and it looks like this one will be one with long legs, even if The Magnificent Seven bumps it from the top spot next week.

Blair Witch had been tracking in the high teens last week but a slew of negative reviews may have killed its momentum. it only had a $5 million production budget, so it's still profitable. Hopes to relaunch the franchise might be dashed.

Bridget Jones's Baby opened just under what Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason opened to in 2004, so one wonders why this was greenlit in the first place.

Oliver Stone's Snowden was delayed multiple times and never gained the buzz it would need.

Opens September 23
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN with Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.
STORKS with the voices of Andy Samberg, Kelsey Grammer and Keegan-Michael Key.

Sully - Movie Review

Starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Mike O'Malley, Anna Gunn, Jamey Sheridan, Holt McCallany, Chris Bauer, Ann Cusack, Molly Hagan and Jerry Ferrara.
Written by Todd Komarnicki.
Directed by Clint Eastwood.

★★★½

The genius of this movie about an event where everyone survived is how it captures the emotions of the people involved who did not know everyone survives. Never in history has a passenger plane landed in a body of water and had no casualties. And so we can feel the heightened emotions of those involved.

Tom Hanks plays Capt. Sullenberger, and I'd never wondered if he'd had PTSD after the Miracle on the Hudson. The movie goes back and forth between that day but also the investigation afterwards, where Sully was actually criticized for not turning back and landing at La Guardia.

It's actually a perfect New York movie to put out over the 9/11 weekend. It's a story about how New York's finest all came together and had a happy ending on a story involving a plane. We feel the anxiety and fear of the passengers, and therefore feel their gratitude at the miracle of surviving.

Clint Eastwood had stumbles as a director recently but after American Sniper and now this, he's back at the top of his game.

Sully is #1 at box office

For the weekend of September 9-11, 2016, Sully outperformed its tracking numbers and marks a return to success for Tom Hanks, his best opening ever outside the Toy Story and Da Vinci Code franchises. It's also the best opening ever for director Clint Eastwood (American Sniper opened in limited release before it expanded).

When the Bough Breaks was a decent opening for a movie with 0% RottenTomatoes ranking. The Wild Life had the worst animated trailer since Underdogs, and so it opened low. The Disappointments Room also had 0% RottenTomatoes score, and between it and Morgan bombing, I think horror fans are catching up on Don't Breathe and then waiting for Blair Witch next week.

Suicide Squad has made over $300 million domestic now. Pete's Dragon hit $70 million.

Opens September 16
BLAIR WITCH with Callie Hernandez, James Allen McCune and Corbin Reid.
BRIDGET JONES'S BABY with Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey.
SNOWDEN with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Zachary Quinto.