It’s been a very good weekend for STX and a decidedly mixed one for Warner Bros, as the two studios released their premiere films from the Toronto film festival: “Hustlers” and “The Goldfinch”
For STX, this weekend was a watershed one, as “Hustlers” became their best opening weekend ever with $34 million from 3,250 screens, easily breaking the previous record of $23 million set by 2016’s “Bad Moms.” The Lorene Scafaria crime film is also the best live-action opening for its star Jennifer Lopez, beating the $23 million opening of the 2005 film “Monster-in-Law” even after inflation adjustment.
Also Read: Why STX Entertainment Needs a Score With ‘Hustlers’
“Hustlers” got to this point thanks to a mix of strong reviews from its Toronto premiere — it has an 87% Rotten Tomatoes score — and social media marketing by the film’s stars, including Cardi B and Lizzo, who have minor roles. While audience reception wasn’t quite as strong with a B- on CinemaScore and a 3.5/5 on Postrak, “Hustlers” still has an opportunity to leg out into October as a unique offering at the cinema, while the macho “Rambo: Last Blood” and the vicious “Joker” headline the upcoming release slate.
And if “Hustlers” can earn a domestic run of over $100 million, STX will have two $100 million-plus grossers in a calendar year for the first time ever, having reached that mark at the start of the year with the Bryan Cranston/Kevin Hart film “The Upside,” which earned $108.2 million.
As for Warner Bros., there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that New Line’s “It: Chapter Two” is still No. 1 this weekend with a solid $40.7 million second weekend. While the horror sequel is 30% behind the pace of the first “It,” neither WB nor box office analysts were expecting this film to match the success of that record-breaking film. “Chapter Two” has a 10-day total of $153 million and a worldwide tally of $323.3 million. A domestic run of over $200 million and a global run of over $500 million against a $70 million budget would be a big success for the studio.
Also Read: ‘Hustlers’ Film Review: Jennifer Lopez Steals the Show in True Tale of Scamming Strippers
On the other hand, WB’s awards hopeful “The Goldfinch” has collapsed at the box office after receiving poor reviews in Toronto. Expectations were already low for this $45 million film with a 26% Rotten Tomatoes score. Analysts had projected a $8-11 million opening this weekend. Instead, it will make just $2.6 million from 2,542 screens.
The financial hit on WB will be lessened, however, because of its co-financing deal with Amazon Studios, who holds global streaming rights on “The Goldfinch.” But it’s still another tough loss for WB in a third quarter that already saw “The Kitchen” and “Blinded by the Light” tank at the box office. Interestingly, WB is leaning back on intense, violent R-rated fare on its 2019 slate. Along with “It: Chapter Two,” the studio found success with “Annabelle Comes Home,” and next month will see the release of “Joker,” a film that could not only set a new October opening record but also become the awards contender that WB had hoped “The Goldfinch” would be.
Also Read: ‘The Goldfinch’ Film Review: Movie Adaptation Grapples With Big Book, Comes Up Short
What makes the bombing of “The Goldfinch” even worse is that it failed to land in the Top 5 of this weekend’s charts, even though no other film aside from “It: Chapter Two” and “Hustlers” grossed more than $5 million this weekend. Taking the No. 3 spot instead of “Goldfinch” is Lionsgate/Millennium’s “Angel Has Fallen” with $4.2 million in its fourth weekend for a total of $60 million. Universal’s “Good Boys” is just behind it with $4.2 million and a $73 million total after five weekends, and “The Lion King” completes the Top 5 with $3.6 million and a $534 million domestic total after 10 weekends.
Next weekend should clear the lingering summer holdovers from the Top 5, as a trio of wide releases hit the big screen. Along with Sylvester Stallone’s swan song action film “Rambo: Last Blood,” fans of “Downton Abbey” will flock to theaters for the film adaptation of the hit British TV series, while Disney will release the delayed Fox sci-fi film “Ad Astra” after it received good reviews in Toronto.
5 Best Picture Oscar Winners That Launched at the Toronto Film Festival (Photos)
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While Cannes, Berlin, and Venice are all more exotic and glamorous film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival has become the kingmaker when it comes to the Academy Awards. Since 2008, all but one of the films that have won the festival’s People’s Choice Award have gone on to become nominated for Best Picture, and multiple films that premiered there have gone on to win the biggest Oscar prize. Here are five of those films from the past decade.
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“Slumdog Millionaire” (2008) — While the Toronto-to-Oscar pipeline dates back to 1999 with “American Beauty,” it reached another level with Danny Boyle’s crowd-pleaser about a young Indian man whose childhood helps him conquer “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.” While “Slumdog” premiered at Telluride, it was at Toronto where the buzz hit full swing, winning the People’s Choice Award before grossing $377 million worldwide and taking home eight Oscars.
Fox Searchlight
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“The King’s Speech” (2010) — Toronto is a major reason why the biopic that has become Tom Hooper’s signature role to date beat out more critically acclaimed and popular films like “Inception,” “Toy Story 3,” and “The Social Network.” Hitting every point in the proverbial “Oscar Bait” checklist, “The King’s Speech” delighted the industry-heavy crowd in Toronto, creating a buzz among Hollywood’s Academy voting bloc so strong that TheWrap’s Steve Pond called it as a lock to win Best Picture six months out.
TWC/Lantern Capital
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“12 Years A Slave” (2013) — While a Toronto film can gain buzz for delighting a certain audience’s sensibilities, it can do the same by leaving them downright speechless. The careers of Lupita Nyong’o and Chiwetel Ejiofor can be divided into before and after TIFF 2013, as their powerful performances drove home Steve McQueen’s message about just how brutal American slavery truly was. Hollywood deemed “12 Years” an important film that must be seen, ensuring its Oscar victory.
Fox Searchlight
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“Spotlight” (2015) — Going into TIFF 2015, the big talk was about seeing newly minted Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne play a trans woman in “The Danish Girl” or Charlie Kaufman going stop-motion with “Anomalisa.” But out of nowhere came a quiet but riveting retelling of the Boston Globe’s 2002 Catholic Church sexual abuse investigation that won over the festivalgoers. “Spotlight” proved to be bigger than the sum of its parts, becoming the first Best Picture winner in over 60 years to only win one other Oscar (Best Adapted Screenplay).
Global Road
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“Green Book” (2018) — And then there’s this year’s Best Picture winner, which like “The King’s Speech” saw its momentum start with winning the TIFF People’s Choice Award. The victory of “Green Book” has been called by some critics the worst Best Picture winner since “Crash,” but the Toronto buzz was so strong that nothing could stop it, whether it be other contenders like “Roma” or an interview with the family of Dr. Don Shirley who called the film a “symphony of lies.”
Universal
Toronto has become the kingmaker festival for future Best Picture contenders and winners
While Cannes, Berlin, and Venice are all more exotic and glamorous film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival has become the kingmaker when it comes to the Academy Awards. Since 2008, all but one of the films that have won the festival’s People’s Choice Award have gone on to become nominated for Best Picture, and multiple films that premiered there have gone on to win the biggest Oscar prize. Here are five of those films from the past decade.
