As 2018 comes to an end, it’s time to look back on the movie year that was and crack open my Hollywood grade book in order to hand out Studio Report Cards. In a sense that makes me Santa Claus, making a list of which studios have been naughty and which have been nice, at least in terms of box office. Which studio executives will have a bonus waiting for them under the Christmas tree, and who will find a lump of coal waiting in their stocking? Let’s find out!
But first, some things to keep in mind. For starters, distribution terms vary among studios (Disney drives a hard bargain with theater owners), but the general rule when it comes to box office is, divide the worldwide gross in half, because you’re splitting revenues with theater owners, and keep in mind that all of the budgetary figures below are based on reported production budgets, so not only could they be inflated or under-reported, but they do not factor in major costs like marketing. Also, some films aren’t released overseas, and even if they are, international grosses can be hard to come by for films that aren’t released by major studios, which is the case with certain titles listed below.
Grades were given out largely based on box office, but there were other factors to consider, such as the variety and ambition behind a studio’s slate, and how films were received by both critics, audiences, and awards voters, though it’s still a tad early on that last front. With Netflix, we had to grade on a scale, as the company doesn’t typically release films in theaters, and even when it does, it doesn’t report grosses.
I’m sure there were some major distributors we missed this year, so my sincere apologies to those companies, but we don’t have time to cover everything and everyone. Without further ado, let’s dive in and examine the year that was…
Walt Disney Pictures
Shot Callers:Alan Horn; Kevin Feige (Marvel); Kathleen Kennedy (Lucasfilm); Ed Catmull (Pixar/Disney Animation)
Highlights:Black Panther;Avengers: Infinity War;Incredibles 2
Lowlights:A Wrinkle in Time;The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Takeaways:It’s hard to give Disney anything besides an A-grade when the studio took in more than $7 billion in global box office (including nearly $3 billion stateside) for just the second time ever and delivered the three highest-grossing domestic films of the year – one of which became a bona fide cultural phenomenon. Of course, that would beBlack Panther, this year’s domestic box office champion that is also primed to become the first comic book movie to be nominated for Best Picture, and frankly, it stands a decent chance to win. The studio is all but assured of two nominations for Best Animated Feature betweenIncredibles 2andRalph Breaks the Internet, though they’ll face stiff competition this year fromSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. TheIncrediblessequel was well worth the wait, as it had the biggest domestic opening for an animated movie ever, and it stands as the highest-grossing animated film of all time stateside. Marvel’sAvengers: Infinity Warstands as the #4 film of all time, both domestically and globally, and its $257.7 domestic debut was the best in box office history.
On the flip side of that coin, with nearly $400 million worldwide, Lucasfilm’sSolo: A Star Wars Storyfailed to gross even half of whatRogue Onemade, though it still finished the year in the top-10 at the domestic box office, one spot below Marvel’sAnt-Man and the Wasp, which more than doubledSolo’s domestic gross. Wall Street analysts have suggested thatSolocould lose between $50 million and $80 million for Disney, but hey, the studio can certainly withstand the write-down this year. Another film that seems to be under-performing isRalph Breaks the Internet, though to be fair, it’s still in release. That said, its global haul stands at $259 million worldwide, whereas the first film made $471 million and also cost less than the sequel’s reported budget of $175 million.Disney’s Christopher Robinput up a respectable $197 million worldwide, butNutcracker and the Four Realmswill end up being a major money loser for the studio, which prides itself on taking big swings, knowing full well that every now and then, they’re going to miss. Speaking of which,Ava DuVernay’sA Wrinkle in Timewas another misfire, but it was still an important film for Disney to make, as DuVernay became the first African-American woman to direct a $100 million movie. This year also saw Disney take in more than $500 million in global grosses from its late-2017 releasesCocoandStar Wars: The Last Jedi, as well as prepare the launch of Disney+, giving the studio a streaming pipeline for films that don’t quite fit its theatrical model.
Future Outlook:Amazing. Disney has a stacked 2019 slate includingStar Wars: Episode IX,Frozen 2,Toy Story 4,The Lion Kingand a little movie calledAvengers: Endgame. They’re going to be just fine.
Universal Pictures
Shot Callers:Jeff Shell; Donna Langley
Highlights:Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,Dr. Seuss' The Grinch,Halloween,Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,Fifty Shades Freed
Lowlights:Mortal Engines;Welcome to Marwen
Takeaways:Universal had a pretty solid year that offered something for everybody, but there’s still room for improvement. The studio had a monster hit withJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which took in more than $1.3 billion worldwide and was one of only four billion-dollar grossing films this year, not to mention the only non-Disney title. And yet it still grossed $300 million less than its predecessor. The same goes for two more moderately-priced sequels,Mamma Mia! Here We GoAgainandFifty Shades Freed,Both films fared well with audiences, with each whipping up nearly $400 million worldwide, but they still came up $200 million short of the first film in those franchises. Audiences warmed to Illumination’s animated revamp ofThe Grinch, which is expected to cross the $400 million mark worldwide this weekend.The Grinchopened a week afterHalloweenbut it’s still going strong, posting solid holds and outpacingRalph Breaks the Internetby $100 million.
On the flip side of the ledger isMortal Engines, which will probably end up as the biggest money loser of the year, though Universal’s exposure is helped by the fact that it has financial partners (hello, MRC!) on that film that should help shoulder the load. In terms of awards, Universal’s once-primary Oscar pony,First Man, under-performed at the box office and hasn’t fared well with awards voters or critics groups. you may chalk some of that up to a stupid controversy over the American flag, but really, I just think audiences were expecting a different kind of film. Meanwhile,Green Bookstarted out slow but it has been gaining momentum and holding well in expansion, possibly due to strong word of mouth. After all, the film earned an A+ Cinemascore. I fully understand thatGreen Bookpresents a bit of a marketing challenge, but when you’ve got the goods, you have to do a better job of selling it. People who see the movie love it, but you have to get them into the theater first. Hopefully, next month’s Oscar nominations will help Universal figure out a way to do that.
Future Outlook:Universal may not be blessed like Disney, but its 2019 slate is looking strong thanks toJordan Peele’sUs,M. Night Shyamalan’sGlass, theFast & Furiousspinoffstarring Dwayne Johnson andJason Statham, a sequel toThe Secret Life of Pets, next year’s hot musicalCatsandSam Mendes' WWI drama1917, which arrives on Christmas Day.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Shot Callers:Kevin Tsujihara; Toby Emmerich; Richard Brener & Carolyn Blackwood (New Line); Walter Hamada (DC Films)
Highlights:A Star Is Born;Crazy Rich Asians;The Nun;The Meg;Rampage
Lowlights:12 Strong; Paddington 2
Takeaways:Warner Bros. posted one of its most profitable years ever thanks to a diverse slate led byA Star Is Born, which is expected to cross the $200 million mark at the domestic box office this weekend.Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut has proven to be a cultural sensation thanks to the music ofLady Gaga, and the film is positioned as a Best Picture frontrunner heading into next month’s Oscar nominations.Crazy Rich Asiansis another potential awards contender that cost around $35 million and has grossed $237 million worldwide. The film boasted an all-Asian cast that helped make it feel like a can’t-miss cultural event, and I know it meant a lot to many of my Asian-American friends who had yearned for more representation on the big screen. WB’s highest-grossing global release wasFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, though it still came up $200 million short of the first film, which isn’t an encouraging sign for theHarry Potter-adjacent franchise. Films likeReady Player One,The MegandRampageweren’t exactly inexpensive, but they all justified their budgets, taking in $582 million, $527 million and $426 million, respectively.Rampagewas the lowest domestic grosser of that bunch, but as we saw withSkyscraper, Dwayne Johnson’s movies play well overseas. The same could be said forTomb Raiderthis year, with the remake grossing $273 million worldwide despite a domestic haul of just $57 million. New Line’sThe Nunscared up $365 million on a budget of just $22 million to become the highest-grossing film inThe Conjuringfranchise so that’s a major feather in its habit, further proving thatJames Wan’s horror universe remains a major profit center for Warners. Elsewhere,Teen Titans Go! to the Moviestook in $51 million worldwide and cost just $10 million. It was the only wide-release film that failed to crack the $30 million mark, but it served as a smart exercise in corporate synergy, as WB execs believed the property could work on the big screen so long as it was made and marketed on the cheap. At the end of the day, it should turn a modest profit. WB’s other animated film,Smallfoot, fared quite a bit better with its big-name cast includingChanning Tatum,Gina RodriguezandLeBron James, as it picked up $213 million worldwide. New Line’s comedies performed in line with expectations, asTagandLife of the Partywere modest performers that earned grossed $54 million and $52 million, respectively, though neither was able to matchGame Night, which rolled $117 million worldwide. WB also found success with the female heist movieOcean’s 8, which capitalized on the moment and added nearly $300 million to WB’s coffers.
So, what didn’t work? Well, theChris Hemsworthwar drama12 Strong, for starters, and the less said aboutClint Eastwood’s15:17 to Paristhe better, though the film ultimately broke even at the box office, and Eastwood’s The Mule opened strong to $17.5 million. Which brings us toPaddington 2. WB acquired the film, which stands as the best-reviewed movie of all time, so you’d think its box office receipts would back that up, but the sequel stalled out at $40 million stateside ($36 million less than the first film), and while it did boffo biz overseas, the studio didn’t actually have international on the picture. Thankfully that’s not the case onAquaman, which opens stateside this weekend, but is already off to a hot start overseas, where it has taken in over $315 million thus far. In summation, WB didn’t suffer any heavy losses this year, but it didn’t have anything close to a billion-dollar grosser andFantastic Beastslooks like it may be running out of steam.
Future Outlook:Warner Bros. is well-positioned heading into 2019 and should get off to a hot start thanks toThe LEGO Movie 2andShazam!,Godzilla: King of the Monstersstomps into theaters next summer along withDetective Pikachuand a thirdAnnabellefilm, while the fall bringsIT Chapter 2(a sequel to the highest-grossing horror movie of all time) as well as a highly-anticipatedJokermoviestarringJoaquin Phoenix.
Sony Pictures
Shot Caller:Tom Rothman
Highlights:Venom,Hotel Transylvania 3,Peter Rabbit
Lowlights:The Girl In the Spider’s Web,The Front Runner
Takeaways:Sony actually had a decent year, especially sinceJumanji: Welcome to the Junglewas a Christmas Day release last year but made the bulk of its enormous gross in 2018, taking in an additional $235 million at the domestic box office. You have to give Sony credit for successfully expanding the Spider-Man universe withVenom, which many industry observers had expected to fail, only to watch it post the all-time best worldwide October debut and outgrossWonder Womanon its way to a global haul of $852 million.Tom Rothmanhad a lot riding onVenombut he got the last laugh, and now Sony is pressing ahead with movies based on Morbius the Living Vampire, Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Gwen. The latter film will be animated, just likeSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which posted the biggest opening weekend for an animated movie opening in December, and appears to be the frontrunner for an animation Oscar this February. Looking at the bigger picture, Sony’s slate brought in $3.6 billion worldwide, with domestic box office up 20 percent over last year, and international box office up 17 percent.Jumanjiwas actually Sony’s highest domestic grosser, not just this year, but of all time, and it also ranks as the studio’s second-highest grossing movie worldwide, behind onlySkyfall. Elsewhere, Sony found success with animated films such asPeter Rabbit, which grossed $351 million worldwide and became Sony’s highest-grossing film ever in the UK.Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacationdid even better, grossing $527 million worldwide, sending the franchise past the $1 billion mark worldwide en route to becoming Sony’s biggest animated film of all time. Meanwhile,Denzel Washingtoncan rest easy knowing that his first sequel,The Equalizer 2, crossed the $100 million mark stateside and topped the opening of the first film. The low-budget acquisitionSearchingwas a solid performer, earning $73 million worldwide on a budget that simplyhadto have been under $5 million.
Sony’s biggest misfire of the year appears to beThe Girl In the Spider’s Web, which cost $43 million and has grossed only $34 million worldwide. Let’s hope the studio puts the Lisbeth Salander franchise on ice for a while. Sony’s attempt to court black audiences didn’t really work, as bothProud MaryandSuperflyeach grossed $20 million stateside, which wasn’t enough to cover their budgets when you take theater splits and marketing costs into account.White Boy Rickalso missed the target in that regard despite an energetic trailer, and Studio 8 didn’t fare much better withAlpha. Sony probably came close to breaking even on itsGoosebumpsandSicariosequels (the latter an acquisition from Liongate), though the studio saw better returns with its low-budget Screen Gems titles likeSlender ManandThe Possession of Hannah Grace, which each cost around $10 million and managed to gross $50 million and $30 million, respectively, despite receiving little marketing attention. Those are two decent singles for a studio that needs to just get on base as often as possible. And finally,Jason Reitman’s criminally ignoredThe Front Runnerwas DOA, taking in just $2 million at the domestic box office, making it a double shame, since to add insult to injury, awards pundits have largely dismissed its Oscar chances. The studio finished fourth in market share, though it had the second-highest number of releases.
Future Outlook:All things considered, pretty decent, given all the sequels and reboots. That list includesSpider-Man: Far From Home,Men in Black International,Charlie’s Angels,Angry Birds 2and the untitledJumanji sequel, plus originals likeQuentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, the horror movieBrightburnfrom producerJames Gunn, and an untitledMister Rogersmovie starringTom Hanks.
20th Century Fox
Shot Caller:Stacey Snider
Highlights:Deadpool 2;Bohemian Rhapsody;Maze Runner: The Death Cure;Love, Simon
Lowlights:The Predator;Widows,The Darkest Minds; Bad Times at the El Royale
Takeaways:Make no mistake,Deadpool 2was a monster hit for Fox with a global haul of $740 million, but that’s still $40 million less than the first film made. To be fair, Fox’s tentpole cost about half of what most Marvel movies cost, making the profit margin that much sweeter for the studio.Bohemian Rhapsodywas a high note for Fox, opening to more than $50 million at the domestic box office en route to grossing nearly $650 million worldwide. The crowdpleaser is still a dark horse contender for a Best Picture nomination this year, even with theBryan Singercontroversy and poor reviews hanging over its head. Fox also had a pair of YA hits this year betweenMaze Runner: The Death Cure($288 million worldwide) andLove, Simon, which grossed $66 million globally on a budget of just $17 million. That was an important film for gay youth, just asThe Hate U Givealso brought important social issues to the forefront, though it didn’t perform quite as well asSimon. But hey, on the bright side, it performed more than twice as well asThe Darkest Mindsdid stateside.
On the flip side of the coin, $160 and $151 million should be solid grosses forThePredatorandRed Sparrow, but both of those films cost too much, and as such, they’ll be modest money losers for the studio. The same goes forBad Times at the El Royale, which failed to find an audience both here and overseas. And finally, Fox struggled to wring the most out ofWidows, which has stalled out around $41 million at the domestic box office and failed to make an impact on awards voters and critics groups.
Future Outlook:Technically non-existent since Disney bought Fox, which is bringing at least two ofJames Cameron’sAvatarsequels to the table. But the studio keeps bumpingAlita: Battle Angeland the X-Men moviesDark PhoenixandNew Mutants, making fanboys nervous. The studio does have some intriguing adult fare, such asBrad Pitt’s space movieAd Astra,Joe Wright’sThe Woman In the WindowstarringAmy Adams, and aChristian Bale-Matt Damonracing movie fromLogandirector James Mangold. We’ll also getaKingsmanprequelfromMatthew Vaughn,The Kid Who Would Be KingfromJoe Cornish, and the animated movieSpies in Disguise, featuring the voices ofWill SmithandTom Holland.
Paramount Pictures
Shot Caller:Jim Gianopulos
Highlights:Mission: Impossible - Fallout;A Quiet Place;Book Club
Lowlights:Overlord;Action Point
Takeaways:Paramount only released nine films this year, which is why its market share was less than a quarter of the size of Disney’s, but the studio made its big swings count.Mission: Impossible - Falloutwas the highest-grossing film in the franchise and delivered action thrills on a level rarely seen these days. Sources tell me Paramount’s marketing team was worried aboutA Quiet Placeuntil it played through the roof at SXSW. Then the department got behind the film in a big way, guiding it to a worldwide gross of $340 million worldwide – not bad for a dialogue-light movie that only cost $17 million.A Quiet Placeis also on the fringes of the awards conversation, which represents an added bonus. Paramount’s acquisitions team also deserves props for picking upBook Club, which tickled older audiences to the tune of $68 million at the domestic box office. Paramount’s holiday comedyInstant Familygrossed a respectable $61 million stateside. The only problem is that it cost nearly $50 million. That’s simply too expensive, and I suspect thatMark Wahlberg’s hefty star salary played a significant part in the cost. It’s not the kind of project that he should’ve lowered his quote for, necessarily, but the studio has to figure out how to make that movie for $30 million or less.
Paramount also left money on the table withNobody’s Fool, which took in $31 million domestically, though it might’ve done better if the studio had usedTyler Perry’s name more in the marketing. Looking at the poster, you’d never guess that Perry directed thatTiffany Haddishcomedy. Paramount’s lone animated movie,Sherlock Gnomes, performed half as well as its 2011 predecessorGnomeo and Juliet, so that was a modest money loser, and the same can be said forJohnny Knoxville’s woeful “comedy"Action Point, which limped its way to a $5 million in theaters. The film didn’t cost that much, but it’s still a red flag on Paramount’s 2018 resume. Which brings us to… Netflix, of all places. Paramount likely dodged a box office bullet by sellingThe Cloverfield Paradoxto the streaming service, which also handled international distribution onAnnihilation. Paramount was probably smart to sell off those rights, asAnnihilationtopped out at $32 million stateside, dividing critics and confounding audiences.
Future Outlook:Much better than before. Gianopulos has stabilized the studio, which has the well-reviewedTransformersspinoffBumblebeeflying into theaters this weekend. Next year bringsa newTerminatormoviefrom the director ofDeadpool;Ang Lee’s ambitious tentpoleGemini Manstarring Will Smith; live-action movies based onDora the ExplorerandSonic the Hedgehog; a remake ofStephen King’sPet Sematary; and theElton JohnbiopicRocketman, which Paramount hopes will become next year’sBohemian Rhapsody.
Shot Caller:Jon Feltheimer
Highlights:A Simple Favor; Overboard; The Commuter
Lowlights:Robin Hood;Hunter Killer
Takeaways:It was a pretty mediocre year for Lionsgate coming on the heels of its 2017 campaign, which saw the release of hits likeWonder,John Wick: Chapter 2, andThe Hitman’s Bodyguard, not to mentionPower RangersandThe Shack. None of this year’s films remotely approached those, though the scrappyLiam NeesonmovieThe Commuterscored $119 million worldwide on the strength of its international box office. But besides that, the best Lionsgate could do was a remake ofOverboardstarringAnna FarisandEugenio Derbez, and thePaul FeigmysteryA Simple FavorstarringAnna KendrickandBlake Lively. Both of those films cracked the $90 million mark worldwide, whileTyler Perry’s AcrimonyandUncle Drewcould only manage half that number.The Spy Who Dumped Mewas a modest performer, taking in $75 million worldwide, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the huge loss onRobin Hood, which grossed the same amount but at $100 million, cost more than twice as much. Lionsgate also released CBS Films' genre effortsWinchesterandHellfest, neither of which really resonated with audiences, whileHunter Killersank like a stone, grossing just $15 million stateside. Lionsgate gambled on some smaller indie movies as well, likeKinandBlindspotting, though neither one were able to breakout as hoped.
Future Outlook:Lionsgate is poised to rebound in a major way next year, as 2019 bringsJohn Wick: Chapter 3;anewHellboymoviestarringDavid HarbourfromStranger Things; the big-budget tentpoleChaos WalkingstarringTom HollandandDaisy Ridley; the Liam Neeson action movieCold Pursuit; theSeth RogencomedyFlarsky; theOlympus Has FallensequelAngel Has Fallen; aGuillermo del Toro-produced adaptation ofScary Stories to Tell in the Dark; a newMadeamovie from Tyler Perry;Roland Emmerich’s war movieMidway; andRian Johnson’s star-studded murder mysteryKnives Out. Yeah, next year is going to be much more prosperous for Lionsgate, so just be patient. Not every year can be boffo at the box office.
Shot Caller:Scott Stuber
Highlights:Roma; Set It Up; The Kissing Booth; To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Lowlights:The Cloverfield Paradox, Ibiza
Takeaways:Netflix movies, for the most part, aren’t released in theaters, so this grade is based on buzz rather than box office. While Netflix takes more swings than any other studio given its deep pockets, you still have to give the streaming service credit, as this was the year it took a major leap forward.Alfonso Cuarón’sRomais in the awards race and more importantly, it’s also in theaters, as Netflix finally gave in to pressure from filmmakers and demand from audiences and decided to release select titles before they’re available on the service. Besides Cuarón, Netflix found itself in business withPaul Greengrass, Tamara Jenkins, Nicole Holofcener, Gareth Evans, Duncan Jones, Jeremy Saulnier, David Mackenzie, Andy SerkisandJ.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, not to mention theCoen Brothers, whose anthology filmThe Ballad of Buster Scruggsappeared on AFI’s top-10 list. Netflix scored three major surprise hits withSet It Up,The Kissing BoothandTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which spawned an upcoming sequel. The streamer also unleashed solid genre movies likeThe RitualandCalibre, struck a deal with Paramount for international rights toAnnihilation, and droppedThe Christmas Chroniclesduring the holidays, which reportedly drew 20 million viewers in its first week of release. And have I mentioned thatThe Packagewas one of the funniest films I saw all year? Netflix still didn’t release a movie that could, conceivably, gross $100 million in a theater, and theyneedsomething like that. Something big likeBright, but good likeRoma. I’d also like to see Netflix make a play for more documentaries, as this year’s top docs belong to Focus, Neon, NatGeo and Hulu.
Future Outlook:2018 was a big year for Netflix,the year the industry started taking them seriously, but the streamer is poised to leap to the next level in 2019.Martin Scorsesewill finally turn in his long-gestating hitman opusThe Irishman, while Netflix will release its most expensive film ever,Michael Bay’sSix UndergroundstarringRyan Reynolds.Dee Reeswill deliverThe Last Thing He Wanted, her follow-up toMudboundthat starsBen AffleckandAnne Hathaway. Netflix will also release theAdam Sandler-Jennifer AnistoncomedyMurder Mystery,Steven Soderbergh’s Panama Papers dramaThe LaundromatstarringMeryl Streepand the horror movieEli, which the streaming servicerecently acquiredfrom Paramount. Elsewhere, the streamer is planning a theatrical release for theBen Affleck-Oscar IsaacthrillerTriple Frontier, and the company is developing anewNarniamovie, a newPinocchio, and aCarmen Sandiegomovie. Those are in addition to nifty genre titles likeThe Perfection,Fracture,Lost Girls,In the Shadow of the Moon,Point Blank,WonderlandandRebecca.
Amazon Studios
Shot Callers:Jennifer Salke; Ted Hope; Matt Newman
Highlights:Beautiful Boy;Cold War;You Were Never Really Here
Lowlights:Gringo;Life Itself;Suspiria
Takeaways:Listen, I lovedBeautiful Boy. It’s my second-favorite movie of the year. But it was also Amazon’s top grosser at a measly $7 million. It just wasn’t a good year for the studio despite working withGus Van Sant,Luca Guadagnino,Lynne RamseyandDan Fogelman, whoseLife Itselfwas considered a true embarrassment by many critics, though oddly enough, not myself. I just didn’t care for the first act. Either way, Amazon bought it for $10 million and it didn’t even gross half of that. Neither of the studio’sJoaquin Phoenixfilms performed, andSuspiria, for all the excitement surrounding its release, was a major flop and extremely divisive.Jennifer Salkerecently came aboard to steer the ship, and frankly, this ship needs steering. I still believe in the work that Amazon does, and I like that they’re working with world-class filmmakers on cool indie projects, but they need to think a bit more commercial-minded if they’re going to survive in this harsh Hollywood landscape.
Future Outlook:Honestly, it’s not great. Amazon’s big awards hope next year will beThe AeronautsstarringEddie Redmayne,Felicity Jonesand a hot air balloon. The studio co-produced theAnsel Elgort-Nicole KidmanmovieThe Goldfinch, but Warner Bros. will release that film in theaters. Amazon hasMike Leigh’sPeterloo,Marjane Satrapi’sRadioactivestarringRosamund Pikeas Marie Curie, and the dramedyTroop Zero, which stars recent Oscar winnersViola DavisandAllison Janney, and hails fromBeasts of the Southern Wildco-writerLucy Alibar. The studio still has no idea what to do withWoody Allen’s star-studdedA Rainy Day in New York, which hangs like an albatross around its neck. Amazon will have to find more commercial projects if it wants to compete with Netflix and the major studios, because the risky indie approach just isn’t working for them.
Shot Caller:Robert Simonds
Highlights:I Feel Pretty
Lowlights:Mile 22;Adrift; The Happytime Murders; Gringo
Takeaways:STX has been busy churning out generic programmers and those films performed right in line with expectations. I mean, you get what you pay for, which is whyDen of Thieves,Mile 22andPeppermintall grossed between $35 million and $45 million. STX may see that as their sweet spot, but I think they’d like to see those grosses in the $55 million to $75 million range. The studio’s biggest hit, believe it or not, didn’t rely on any gunshots of explosions. It was theAmy SchumercomedyI Feel Pretty, which took in $48 million and was actually pretty good. Elsewhere,Shailene Woodley’s survival dramaAdriftwas left stranded by audiences, taking in $31 million, andThe Happytime Murderslaughed its way to $20 million — and some of the worst reviews of the year, though those snooty critics certainly don’t represent my opinion of the film. Having said that, STX also releasedGringo, which was so silly, and appropriately ignored by audiences to the tune of less than $5 million despite its big-name cast.
Future Outlook:STX has theJennifer LopezcomedySecond Actopening this weekend and next year brings theBryan Cranston-Kevin Hart dramedyThe Upsideas well as theTaraji P. Henson-Sam RockwelldramaThe Best of Enemies. It’ll be interesting to see if Hart’s recent Oscar host controversy will have any affect onThe Upside. It would be a shame, as Hart is said to be quite good in the film, and STX can’t afford a flop, even if that film was rescued from the whole Weinstein Company scandal. STX also has theChadwick Bosemanthriller17 Bridges, which could be a very smart play for them given the success ofBlack Panther, and the company will also release anUglyDollsmovie next May.
