The second half of September will be a slow period for the box office, as studios are expecting that “Venom” and “A Star Is Born” will take up most of the audience interest when they arrive in October. That said, Universal and Amblin are sending in an interesting contender in the form of “The House With a Clock in its Walls,” the first PG-rated film from gory horror director Eli Roth.
Based on John Bellairs 1973 YA novel of the same name, “Clock” is a film that takes several pages from the classic Amblin dark fantasy films of the 1980s, like “Gremlins” and “The Goonies,” designed to give kids a good scare. Compared to the other Halloween titles that will be on offer next month, the film’s fright factor sits somewhere between the sillier “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” and the very much not-for-kids “Halloween” sequel.
Universal is hoping that younger kids will be drawn in by the somewhat more intense scares and the rich fantasy imagery, projecting an opening in the mid-teens from 3,500 screens and a budget reported to be roughly $40 million.
Independent trackers see the film’s opening weekend slightly higher at $20 million. Regardless, the best-case scenario for this film is that the kids who show up on opening weekend create a strong word-of-mouth that makes the film the go-to destination for family scares through the Halloween season, helping the film leg out. Early critical reviews have been mostly positive, giving the film 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The House With a Clock in Its Walls” stars Jack Black as Jonathan Barnavelt, the owner of the titular house filled with monsters and a clock trying to pull the Earth towards oblivion. When his nephew Lewis (Owen Vacarro) moves in, the discovery of magic makes adjusting to life in a new town even weirder. And when Lewis accidentally resurrects the evil warlock who built the house, it’s up to the two, along with their powerful neighbor Florence (Cate Blanchett) to set things right.
Also releasing this weekend are three other films all expected to open to under $10 million. Foremost among them is Michael Moore’s polemical documentary against Donald Trump, “Fahrenheit 11/9,” which will be released by Briarcliff Entertainment and is projected for a $5-8 million start. The doc has an 89 percent RT score.
Dan Fogelman will follow up his TV success with “This Is Us” with the feature film “Life Itself,” a drama starring Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, and Mandy Patinkin. However, the film is being panned by critics, holding only a 13 percent RT score. It is projected for a $4-6 million opening.
Finally, NEON will release the satirical teen thriller “Assassination Nation,” which stars Odessa Young as a high school senior who must band together with her friends to survive after a data hack reveals all the secrets in her small town and sends everyone on a deadly search for the culprit. Written and directed by Sam Levinson, the film is projected for a $4 million opening.
'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
MGM/Disney/Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox
Oct. 5: "A Star Is Born" vs. "Venom"
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga facing off against a superhero entry is going to be an interesting battle -- while the former is an indie with A-list stars atop the bill, the latter is a highly-anticipated comic book character debut from a major studio.
MGM/Sony
Oct. 12: "First Man" vs. "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween"
Everyone is anticipating Damien Chazelle’s followup to “La La Land,” especially now that film that puts Ryan Gosling in space is generating early buzz. “Goosebumps,” of course, is already an established franchise based on the children’s book series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The first film, which was released in 2015, had a $23 million opening.
DreamWorks/Columbia Pictures Corporation
Nov. 2: "Bohemian Rhapsody" vs. "Nobody’s Fool" vs. "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is quickly shaping up to be many people’s most anticipated fall movie, as it chronicles the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek). The film hit some road bumps when Sacha Baron Cohen, originally cast as Mercury, exited the project. Director Joss Whedon also departed the rocker biopic. Now, it's set to face off against Disney’s big-budget film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” along with Tyler Perry’s “Nobody’s Fool.”
New Regency/Paramount Players/Disney
Nov. 9: "Overlord" vs. "The Girl in the Spider’s Web" vs. "The Grinch"
“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a long-awaited sequel to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” which starred Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. That one grossed $232 million at the global box office. Claire Foy is taking over seven years later. But fans love their “Grinch” (2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" earned $345.1 million worldwide) and J.J. Abrams has established a “Cloverfield” fandom as well (although he has said “Overlord” is not part of the “Cloverfield” franchise). "Cloverfield" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" earned $170.8 million and $110.2 million worldwide, respectively.
Paramount/Universal/MGM
Nov. 22: "Creed II" vs. "Ralph Breaks the Internet"
"Creed" came out punching at the box office in 2015, earning $173 million worldwide. So, naturally, the sequel could prove a worthy adversary for "Ralph Breaks the Internet." Its predecessor, "Wreck-It Ralph" grossed $471 million globally, and was nominated for an Oscar.
MGM/Disney
Dec. 21: "Aquaman" vs. "Bumblebee" vs. "Alita: Battle Angel"
“Aquaman” has the backing of extremely devout DC fans, but “Bumblebee” will attract “Transformers” fans, who have brought the whole franchise up to $1.4 billion domestically. Both films are set to make some serious cash. “Alita: Battle Angel” is based on Yukito’s Kishiro’s manga “Battle Angel Alita,” is produced by James Cameron, and has a stellar cast.
Warner Bros./Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox
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Fall Movie Preview 2018: These 15 films have a tough battle to box office glory
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.