The Bottom Line: March 14, 2020: I STILL BELIEVE Finally Hits Screens But Will Pandemic Derail Box Office Success?

The Bottom Line: March 14, 2020

So last issue, the coronavirus was just starting to affect the box office. This weekend, it stands that the industry’s bottom line will probably take a massive hit as government officials call for social distancing and places like New York City are urging people to just stay home. This won’t bode well for this weekend’s new releases.

Box Office Top Five

The good news? Pixar’s Onward hit their target box office for their first week ($47,885,841). The bad news? They really expected to make that in their opening weekend, not in seven days. The story about the elf brothers and the father they are trying to bring back for one day did stay at the top of the charts the entire week and the rest of the top five didn’t really waver. Rounding out the list were The Invisible Man ($57,368,450), The Way Back ($10,560,732), Sonic the Hedgehog ($142,710,404) and The Call of the Wild ($59,369,572).

A Closer Look at Some of This Week’s Films

I Still Believe (PG) 115 minutes: So if you are in a position to get to the theaters this weekend, what can you expect to see? Let’s start with the opening of I Still Believe, and I know it’s opening only because it’s been promoted for what seems like the last eight months on the Regal app and in theaters. The movie is based on the true story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp (played by Riverdale’s KJ Apa) and his first wife, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp (Britt Robertson). Melissa was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly before they married and this movie chronicles their journey through their love and loss. The movie also stars Gary Sinise and Shania Twain as Jeremy’s father and mother. I Still Believe will still fare well considering the circumstances under which it’s opening, but I don’t see it toppling Onward and who knows how it could have done otherwise.

The Hunt (R) 90 minutes: Imagine waking up in a clearing, not knowing how you got there and finding out  that you’re being hunted. No, it’s not the latest sequel to The Hangover. This is a movie that’s directed by Craig Zobel and is loosely based on the 1924 short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. It stars Betty Gilpin, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank and Justin Hartley. Gilpin plays one of those being hunted until she realizes what’s happening and starts killing the hunters. If you’re looking for an even bigger adrenaline rush than today’s real life events are probably giving you, this movie will definitely give you one.

Bloodshot (PG-13) 109 minutes: It seemed like the only movies that Vin Diesel has made over the last decade are Fast & Furious and Xander Cage movies. Now he’s finally stepping out of the car and stepping into a superhero role with Bloodshot, a Valiant Comics character (no, not Marvel or DC)  a marine killed in action but brought back to life with superpowers. It’s David S. F. Wilson directorial feature and also stars Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, and Guy Pearce. This looks so interesting, but whether or not Valiant is good enough to play against the big boys at the box office is yet to be seen. Having Vin Diesel and his cult following is a definite plus, and I expect this movie to pop into the Top Five, but this weekend — and for a few more weekends — anything is possible.

The Bottom Line

The uncertainty in the world right now means that anything can happen and, even though I said it last week, it will be interesting to see what the final numbers are after this weekend, which might also give us a clue for how bad this might get. Coming next weekend is A Quiet Place Part II (March 20), which was filmed right in my hometown in the Hudson Valley, New York area.

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