April 30, 2019

SXSW Alumni Film Releases – May 2019

Discover some of the SXSW Film Festival alumni films and shows on release this month such as Long Shot, Good Omens, and Running With Beto. Check out the complete list below!

Booksmart   

World Premiere, Narrative Feature, 2019

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is a smart, savvy, and irresistible ode to female friendship, starring Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein.

In theaters May 24

Good Omens   

Special Event, Episodic, 2019

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s cult vision is finally realized onscreen with a killer cast including David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

Available May 31

Knock Down the House   

Documentary Feature, 2019

Four insurgent women candidates, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, anchor this glimpse behind the labyrinthine mechanisms of US politics.

Available on May 1

Long Shot   

World Premiere, Narrative Feature, 2019

SXSW repeat offenders Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen star in this hilarious, subversive romcom.

In theaters on May 3

The River and the Wall   

World Premiere, Documentary Feature, 2019

A stunning portrait of life on the US/Mexico border, visually masterful and rich with detail.

Available on May 3

Running With Beto   

World Premiere, Documentary Feature, 2019

Political upstart and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke features in this nuanced documentary revealing the human side of the political process.

Available on May 28

Dive into SXSW 2019 Photo Galleries from March 8-17 including sessions, screenings, showcases, and more. And as always, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and SXSW News to stay current with all things SXSW.

The post SXSW Alumni Film Releases – May 2019 appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

April 28, 2019

‘Avengers: Endgame’: Hollywood Should Be Scared of Disney’s Box Office Dominance

One April weekend in 1964, the Beatles achieved the impossible when they notched the top five spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. That achievement — never accomplished before or since — erased any remaining doubts about their dominance. Marvel’s three-hour “Avengers: Endgame” (Disney) was expected to set a record as the biggest domestic opener ever. But Disney accomplished more than one record-breaking film this week. The now mammoth studio made film business history.

Since Thursday night, “Endgame” has notched an estimated $350 million domestic gross. Worldwide it has already reached $1.2 billion (Russia is the sole major market not included; it opens Monday). Those numbers alone are a big story. Here are some significant box office achievements included in this massive result.

Disney

Records broken

All-time opening records are no rarity: this is the third time in under 3.5 years after “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” What is staggering is that new records usually are set by marginal amount.  $350 million is a whopping 36% better than either of the two previous top performers.

My guess is that Disney has low-balled their numbers including the percentage drop from Saturday to Sunday. With its A+ Cinemascore (“Infinity War” was A), repeat viewings, and the scramble to find available seats, don’t be surprised if the final gross goes up.

The movie is in profit

Normally, a film that cost a reported $350-400 million, then added another $300 million in marketing and advertising costs, could open huge and still not immediately get into profit. A $1.2 billion global gross will return substantially more than 55 percent to the studio, so the movie is already in profit. In this case, the only surprise is that it isn’t a surprise.

“Endgame” and its roughly 30 million domestic attendees (that’s 13 million more than initially watched the recent season premiere of “Game of Thrones” at home) made up 89% of the tickets sold this weekend. Previously most dominant? “Avengers: Infinity War” at 82%, “Star Wars: Force Awakens” at 79%. Again, not only a record, but a massive increase.

Talk about dominance!

Out of $392 million total gross this weekend, “Endgame” ate up all but $43 million. That’s 11 percent as much as “Endgame” did alone. That single weekend number is greater than the last six Oscar Best Picture winners’ total grosses combined. Sometime during the afternoon on Friday, “Endgame” outpaced the biggest Oscar winner since “Argo”: “Green Book.”

©Marvel Studios

If there was any wealth to be spread this weekend, it went to other Disney films. Five Disney films in the Top Ten mark a record for a single distributor. (That includes Fox title “Breakthrough.”) The five Disney films’ total gross is $368 million. That’s just under 94% of tickets sold.

You would think that “Endgame” would hurt Marvel entry “Captain Marvel” in its eighth weekend. But no. “Captain Marvel” took the second spot, jumping from #4 last week, and only dropped 11%.

The third of the weekend’s top four films went to Fox title “Breakthrough” at #4, which opened over Easter weekend. Unprecedented? Almost certainly. Stunning? Yes, and perhaps an early sign of how strong the merged entity will be.

“Dumbo” placed #7, and “Penguins,” which didn’t even open in the Top Ten last week, placed #10. The weekend drops of the four Disney titles averaged 40 percent.

The rest of Top Ten fell by an average 70 percent.

The four best-holding films were all Disney-overseen titles. Despite “Endgame” opening and demanding a massive number of screens, somehow the company was able to lose fewer dates than the other films, even ones that grossed more last week. (Disney commanded about 14,000 theaters; that’s not screens. That number is not published, but assume that “Endgame” alone commanded three or more at many locations). If you want to see the future, their ability to not sacrifice other titles while “Endgame” was the prime entry indicates how no other studio comes close to their power.

Fox 2000

Holdovers

“Breakthrough” had a boost from the holiday weekend (and a Wednesday opening to boost word of mouth). It fell 44% off for a second weekend, the second-best hold in the Top Ten. Next week will determine how long it will run.

“The Curse of La Llorona” (Sony), last weekend’s #1, dropped 71%, even high for a horror film.

Until now, “Shazam” (Warner Bros.) had been a successful comic book movie in its own right, but this weekend it faltered 66%. Take that D.C. Comics!

“Little” (Universal) was the best of the non-Disney holds, but this potential sleeper still dropped 58% on weekend three.

“Pet Semetary” (Paramount) and “Us” (Universal) both fell 74%, drops increased by massive theater loss.

Year-to-date

The bigger-than-expected “Endgame” opening put a nice dent into the year-to-date lag. What was $585 million on Thursday by Monday will be about $500 million. That will lead to a 12-13% drop, a nice improvement over the 16% going into the weekend.

Two major questions remain. Short term, will this film continue strong enough over the next few weeks to catch up to “Star Wars: Force Awakens”? And more important, does the summer portend more blockbuster performers, or will “Endgame,” like “Infinity War” last year, mark the high point of the year? Last summer did not rise to the level expected after the huge “Infinity War.” Will “Endgame” raise all boats–or just Disney’s boats?

The Top Ten

1. Avengers: Endgame (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: A+; Metacritic: 77; Est. budget: $375 million

$350,000,000 in 4,662 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $75,075; Cumulative: $350,000,000

2. Captain Marvel (Disney) Week 8; Last weekend #4

$8,051,000 (-12%) in 2,435 theaters (-218); PTA: $3,306; Cumulative: $413,580,000

3. The Curse of la Llorona (Sony) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$75,500,000 (-71%) in 3,372 theaters (no change); PTA: $2,224; Cumulative: $41,284,000

4. Breakthrough (20th Century Fox) Week 2; Last weekend #3

$6,304,000 (-44%) in 2,913 theaters (+89); PTA: $2,164; Cumulative: $26,114,000

5. Shazam! (Warner Bros.) Week 4; Last weekend #2

$5,520,000 (-66%) in 3,631 theaters (-552); PTA: $1,520; Cumulative: $131,150,000

6. Little (Universal) Week 3; Last weekend #5

$3,438,000 (-59%) in 2,119 theaters (-548); PTA: $1,622; Cumulative: $35,846,000

7. Dumbo (Disney) Week 5; Last weekend #6

$3,239,000 (-51%) in 2,380 theaters (-845); PTA: $1,361; Cumulative: $107,006,000

8. Pet Sematary (Paramount) Week 4; Last weekend #7

$1,290,000 (-73%) in 1,655 theaters (-1,491); PTA: $779; Cumulative: $52,612,000

9. Us (Universal) Week 6; Last weekend #8

$1,141,000 (-73%) in 1,255 theaters (-1,099); PTA: $909; Cumulative: $172,845,000

10. Penguins (Disney) Week 2; Last weekend #12

$1,051,000 (-54%) in 1,815 theaters (no change); PTA: $579; Cumulative: $5,721,000

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Source: IndieWire film

April 28, 2019

Charlize Theron’s Career in Posters, From ‘Monster’ to ‘Tully’

Few actresses of her generation have appeared in as wide a range of projects.

Source: IndieWire film

April 28, 2019

‘Good Posture’ Review: Dolly Wells’ Charming Directorial Debut — Tribeca

A sketchy comedic drama about two very different (yet oddly similar) women who harness the mystical powers of passive-aggressiveness in order to straighten each other out, Dolly Wells’ “Good Posture” struggles to find a central focus even as lived-in characters and an excellent cast help this debut capture life’s transitional phases with the kind of toothpaste-on-the-bathroom-mirror messiness they sometimes demand.

It helps that Wells is as humane behind the camera as she tends to be in front of it. A warm and casually brilliant actress whose performance in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is starting to merit her the attention she’s long deserved, the London native has always had a way of mining empathy from exasperation, and — even though she never appears onscreen — that’s still perhaps the greatest strength of her otherwise patchy first effort. Sure, the screenplay hinges on an entitled brat who constantly dares the audience to turn its back on her, but Wells sees real heart under all that sulking and keeps things fun until the rest of us see it too.

Lilian is not, by most accounts, a “likable” character. Played to mewling perfection by “Tramps” and “The Meyerowitz Stories” breakout Grace Van Patten (a major talent who’s one high-profile gig away from mega-stardom), the recent film-school grad may lack the attention span required to actually sit through an entire movie, but she’s smart enough to recognize that she isn’t the kind of person who typically makes for a good protagonist. For one thing, she has no idea what she wants and doesn’t seem all that interested in figuring it out. For another, even the idea of wanting things seems like it’s foreign to Lilian.

The beauty she’s inherited from her dead mother has made her lazy, and the money she’s gotten from her father (Norbert Leo Butz) has made her spoiled. The kindness of men — her dad included — has been enough to get her this far, but now that she’s left the nest of academia for the first time in her adult life and forced to fly on her own, Lilian is beginning to realize that “this far” isn’t close to far enough. When her boyfriend loses patience with her helpless pout and hermetic lifestyle, there’s nothing she can do but pack up her shit and move into a brownstone down the street.

A reclusive, famous writer named Julia Price (Wells’ longtime friend and “Doll & Em” co-star Emily Mortimer) has a spare room in her towering Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment, and Lilian’s well-connected dad is close enough with the author to call in a favor. Lilian, who arrives just in time to see Julia’s musician husband (Ebon Moss-Bacharach) storm out of the house, doesn’t get off on the right foot with her new host, as Julia is even more of a shut-in than she is. But as the two women start leaving hostile messages for each other in the pages of Lilian’s notebook, the cocoons they’ve built for themselves both start to chip open in almost imperceptible ways. Don’t hold your breath for any major transformations or dramatic come-to-Jesus moments; this (mercifully) isn’t “Finding Forrester,” it’s the kind of low-budget, outer-borough indie that ends with someone cracking a tiny smile as a pop melody bubbles up around them.

It takes a while for “Good Posture” to earn that upbeat energy. At first, the fun and percussive score feels like it belongs to a different film, as it clashes with the sullen vibe of the opening scenes. But as Lilian shuffles from one half-hearted scene to the next, befriending the dog walker who lives in the basement (Timm Sharp) and deciding to make a documentary about Julia’s life without asking for the author’s permission, Van Patten starts to make something of her character’s listless entitlement. For Lilian — who’s described as feral, but seems more like a domesticated zoo animal trying to survive her first nights in the wild — her greatest defense mechanism is that she doesn’t judge other people. At least, not permanently. She’s down to discover who they really are, even if they can’t even see it clearly. This may be a shaggy little maquette about someone growing sick of themselves, but Lilian’s open-hearted altruism complicates things in such an arresting way that the movie soon feels much bigger than all that.

With Julia reduced to a disembodied voice for much of the story, Wells finds a number of amusingly unexpected ways to fill out the cast. Chief among them: the hilarious John Early, who plays the ill-equipped cameraman Lilian hires to shoot her documentary. The role is very much a John Early type — cartoonish, self-involved, and silly enough to disguise some genius-level comic wit — but nobody does it better. Sharp is strong as an ultra-neurotic foil for Lilian’s consequence-free lifestyle, and Mortimer shines when called upon.

But the biggest and most surprising assists come from the trio of authors who Wells enlists as talking head interviews in Lilian’s film-within-a-film. Martin Amis just sort of grumbles for a bit towards the end, but Zadie Smith and Jonathan Ames give genuine performances here, the former displaying a gift for deadpan (and wonderful chemistry with Early — please someone cast them in a buddy comedy) and the latter being his exuberant self. These video testimonials are interspersed throughout the film, and almost turn “Good Posture” into a Christopher Guest comedy whenever they pop up. Wells’ debut can be shaky on the dramatic side of things, but she has the kind of comedic instincts you can’t teach, and knows exactly how to play a scene to a performer’s strengths. She makes her actors look good, even in a glum movie that relies on the drab and depressive aesthetic of a gray Sunday afternoon.

More of a snack than a fulfilling meal, “Good Posture” is too scattershot to make good on the full potential of its protagonist — a movie so keyed in to how people can help one another can’t afford to underserve its central relationship this severely — but there’s also a nice literary messiness to Lilian’s growth, and a shrewd attention to the kind of support that women can only provide each other. While not designed to be an earth-shaking debut, “Good Posture” is more than enjoyable enough to suggest that Wells is no slouch.

Grade: B-

“Good Posture” premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

Source: IndieWire film

April 28, 2019

Indies vs. ‘Avengers’: Who Survived the Box Office ‘Endgame’?

The “Avengers: Endgame” tidal wave pushed away all boats this weekend. Most specialty companies waived the counterprogramming option, even though specialized audiences make a point of finding alternatives. Most distributors decided not to take that risk.

Sony Pictures Classics bravely opened “The White Crow,” a biopic about young Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, with a decent initial result in New York and Los Angeles. Also showing some interest was the New York exclusive date for music documentary “Carmine Street Guitars” (Abramorama).

Landing and keeping dates in crossover theaters this weekend, with every available screen going to Marvel and Disney, was a challenge. But still building buzz is Aretha Franklin concert film “Amazing Grace” (Neon), which doubled the gross of any wider released specialized title this week.

Opening

The White Crow (Sony Pictures Classics) – Metacritic: 61; Festivals include: Telluride 2018

$80,675 in 5 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $16,175

Ralph Fiennes directed the true story of a young Rudolf Nureyev plotting to flee his native country early in his astounding ballet career. The biopic opened in five prime New York and Los Angeles theaters to mildly favorable reviews and some definite interest. Though not massive, these are the best opening weekend results for any SPC film since “The Wife” last November.

What comes next: Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington open next, with an ongoing expansion throughout May.

Carmine Street Guitars (Abramorama) – Metacritic: 84; Festivals include: Venice, Toronto, New York 2018

$7,081 in 1 theater; PTA (per theater average): $7,081; Cumulative: $10,216

This documentary about the sole remaining downtown New York guitar store (in an area once crammed with them) opened at the lower Manhattan’s Film Forum on Wednesday. Its over $10,000 gross for its initial five days reflects local interest, the best reviews of any new release this week, and effective grassroots marketing.

What comes next: Los Angeles opens on May 10, with a slow rollout to appropriate theaters scheduled over upcoming months.

Hesburg (O’Malley Creadon) – Festivals include: AFI Docs 2018

$18,150 in 2 theaters; PTA: $9,075

Father Theodore Hesburg led Notre Dame during a turbulent period, and became a national figure for his support of social justice beyond Catholic academia. This documentary opened at a South Bend AMC multiplex and the Music Box in Chicago. That makes this initial result more notable ahead of its national release.

What comes next: This shows grassroots appeal, which its 30-plus city expansion this Friday (including New York and Los Angeles) will test.

If the Dancer Dances (Monument) – Metacritic: 65; Festivals include: Dances on Camera 2018

$5,000 in 1 theater; PTA (per theater average): $5,000

A company of top New York dancers attempts to revive one of the most challenging works of choreographer Merce Cunningham in this documentary. It opened in a single New York theater, finding some initial interest.

What comes next: Los Angeles begins the national expansion this Friday.

IFC Films

Week Two

Red Joan (IFC)

$165,204 in 45 theaters (+41); PTA: $3,671; Cumulative: $222,257

Judi Dench has seemed omnipresent in films in recent years as her late career popularity as soared. Surprisingly, this is only her third starring role in over nine years in a limited release, following “Philomena” and “Victoria and Abdul.”

Hail, Satan? (Magnolia)

$(est.) 40,000 in 18 theaters (+15); PTA: $(est.) 2,222; Cumulative: $(est.) 76,000

The most offbeat religious documentary of the year widened to top cities nationally. With continued glowing reviews, it is gaining enough traction to suggest it should be able to reach a wider audience ahead.

Under the Silver Lake (A24); also on Video on Demand

$(est.) 10,000 in 3 theaters (+1); PTA: $(est.) 3,333; Cumulative: $(est.) 56,000

David Robert Mitchell’s Los Angeles thriller noir transitioned to home viewing during the week, with little further theatrical play. That looks to be a logical strategy for this high-profile but unconventional Andrew Garfield vehicle.

Little Woods (Neon)

$34,310 in 29 theaters (-4); PTA: $1,183; Cumulative: $116,476

This North Dakota crime thriller story about two sisters going outside the law to ensure health care for deprived women continues to draw modest interest.

Family (The Film Arcade)

$102,720 in 107 theaters (+104); PTA: $960; Cumulative: $126,522

Kate McKinnon as an unlikely babysitter for her teenage niece managed to find over 100 theaters in a week with only one new film. The comedy got minor results in its national expansion.

Fast Color (Lionsgate)

$(est.) 3,000 in 6 theaters (-19); PTA: $(est.) 500; Cumulative: $(est.) 49,000

Despite a push from Film Twitter, without marketing support and in fewer theaters, this well-reviewed SXSW pickup from Codeblack, released as their ties with Lionsgate are ending, did not draw more than token interest at its remaining theaters.

Neon

Ongoing/expanding (grosses over $50,000)

Amazing Grace (Neon) Week 6

$539,900 in 243 theaters (+53); Cumulative: $2,166,000

This documentary of a 1972 Aretha Franklin church gospel recording session expands further. It maintains its position as the top specialized title at the moment, with signs that it should continue to play for some time ahead.

Mustang (Focus) Week 7

$292,000 in 277 theaters (-210); Cumulative: $4,543,000

Prisoners in the Nevada desert taming wild horses might not be standard specialized fare. But this French-produced drama has found a steady, older and wider audience than most recent releases.

Hotel Mumbai (Bleecker Street) Week 6

$164,351 in 170 theaters (-144); Cumulative: $9,286,412

This has become Bleecker Street’s fourth-biggest grosser, and its highest without reaching 1,000 theaters. It also has hit the highest total of any initially platformed film released so far this year.

High Life (A24) Week 4

$147,000 in 146 theaters (no change); Cumulative: $947,032

Claire Denis’ science-fiction tale starring Robert Pattinson will gross far over most of her French-language films. As it has expanded, though, it hasn’t replicated its stronger initial response.

Wild Nights With Emily (Greenwich) Week 3

$95,461 in 65 theaters (+32); Cumulative: $230,926

Emily Dickinson’s private life unconventionally presented with comic elements doubled its national break. The numbers suggest a steady niche audience for the film.

The Chaperone (PBS) Week 5

$73,850 in 50 theaters (-5); Cumulative: $335,294

This story of Louise Brooks’ companion (from the “Downton Abbey” creators) continues with modest results from older fans of period biopics.

Also noted:

Woman at War (Magnolia) – $(est.) 45,000 in 35 theaters; Cumulative: $(est.) 714,000

Apollo 11 (Neon) – $41,960 in 62 theaters; Cumulative: $8,561,000

Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Kino Lorber) – $35,814 in 12 theaters; Cumulative: $194,194

Her Smell (Gunpowder & Sky) – $34,385 in 40 theaters; Cumulative: $171,725

Gloria Bell (A24) – $33,000 in 39 theaters; Cumulative: $5,542,000

Diane (IFC) – $30,067 in 33 theaters; Cumulative: $312,285; also on Video on Demand

Mine 9 (Levey) – $23,000 in 22 theaters; Cumulative: $174,506

Transit (Music Box) – $20,952 in 27 theaters; Cumulative: $763,829

Never Look Away (Sony Pictures Classics) – $17,744 in 6 theaters; Cumulative: $1,257,736

Aftermath (Fox Searchlight) – $17,000 in 53 theaters; Cumulative: $1,606,000

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Source: IndieWire film