The Bottom Line: Mar. 11, 2016: Can Zootopia Repeat as Box Office Champ?

Victor Stiff March 11, 2016Last Updated: January 1, 2020

After a strong weekend debut, Zootopia stormed to the top of the box office, bringing in $75,063,401. London Has Fallen finished in a distant second, earning $21,635,601. After three weeks in first place, Deadpool fell to third with $16,725,929 (down 46.2% from the previous week). Whiskey Tango Foxtrot had a blasé weekend run, earning $7,443,007, good enough for fourth place. Last and definitely least is Gods of Egypt, which brought in a pitiful $5,198,091 (down 63.2% from last weekend) during its second weekend of release — the film’s budget is over $140 million (somebody’s ass is getting fired over at Lionsgate).

Here is a look at a few films that open on March 11th.

The Brothers Grimsby (R) 83 mins. — The Brothers Grimsby’s trailer does an excellent job of letting its audience know what type of film they’re in for. If you’re not sold on the odd couple/buddy cop movie shenanigans in the trailer, you better pass this one up, cause that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So far critics have been fairly divided over whether moviegoers should give The Brothers Grimsby a shot.

What critics do agree on is that this film’s 83-minute runtime is jam packed with enough Sacha Baron Cohen hijinks to appease his die-hard fans. If you’ve enjoyed most of Cohen’s filmography, then definitely check this one out. If you happened to turn your nose up at the foolery on display in The Brothers Grimsby’s trailer, then the film’s brief 83-minute runtime will feel more like sitting through Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus.

The Perfect Match (R) 96 mins. — The Perfect Match is a romantic dramedy from director Billie Woodruff. Woodruff is an exceptional visual storyteller; he’s spent over two decades perfecting his craft as one of the top music video directors in the industry. The Perfect Match’s trailer does a wonderful job flaunting Woodruff’s impeccable visual style. From the rays of sunlight breaking over a beautiful woman’s face to the film’s lead sharing a romantic moment in an infinity pool, the trailer captures a slice of the champagne lifestyle that most of us pine for.

While no one can argue with The Perfect Match’s fetching display of lifestyle-porn, there is one question we need to ask: is this film just eye-candy? Terrence Jenkins headlines a cast of thirty-somethings that are as talented as they are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Paula Patton, Donald Faison, Brandy Norwood, and Kali Hawk round out a cast of dramedy veterans that should make The Perfect Match stand out in a genre overrun with schlocky releases.

10 Cloverfield Lane (PG-13) 103 mins. — In today’s instant news/tweeting/blogging/snapchatting culture, it’s rare for a film release to take movie-nerds by surprise. 10 Cloverfield Lane is the exception to the rule. Two months ago, few outside of 10 Cloverfield Lanes’s production company knew the movie was in development, so the film’s announcement and March 11 release date came as a double shock.

I’m looking forward to going into this movie blind, so I’m doing as little research on it as possible. What I can tell you is that this film is a low-budget ($5 million) sci-fi/drama that may have some loose affiliation to the 2008 monster movie, Cloverfield. When I say loose affiliation I mean that the film may take place in the same world as the one laid waste to by the Cloverfield monster, or the film may just be a spiritual successor in an anthology series, sharing only a name and a horror/sci-fi aesthetic. Either way, I’ve enjoyed enough Bad Robot productions over the years to give the company’s mystery release the benefit of the doubt.

The Bottom Line

We can expect underwhelming box office performances over the March 11^th weekend. There is a strong chance that Zootopia will hold its position as the highest grossing film, with this weekend’s new releases battling London Has Fallen and Deadpool for spots four through five. We also shouldn’t count out a top five position for the other picture receiving a wide release this weekend, Focus Features’, The Young Messiah. Arriving hot on the heels of Risen (another biblical story), The Young Messiah debuts in theaters just in time to capitalize on Easter.