SCARY BOX OFFICE
B
etween Hurricane Harvey and the Mayweather-McGregor bout the summer movie season went out with a whimper instead of a bang. Pamela McClintock of The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that August was a dismal month with box-office revenue” down nearly 50 percent from the same frame last year.” We had some hits( Wonder Woman, Dunkirk, Spider Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel) but even they couldn’ t overcome the losses. According to Anthony D’ Alessandro at Deadline. com, to make matters worse, both major studios and specialty distributors won’ t be releasing any new titles into wide release( 1000 plus theaters) for Labor Day weekend for the first time in 25 years. The last time this
By Lori Vernon
happened was in 1992.“ How ironic for the majors to cap off the lowest summer in 25 years in regards to admissions without any new titles,” said D’ Alessandro.
Last month we mentioned Stephen King’ s The Dark Tower, which turned out to be one of those underperformers that killed August. This month we have King’ s It remake, which is getting a great buzz and is poised to break some box-office records. Here are a few other films to check out this September.
It
Director: Andy Muschietti September 8 • Rated R
Based on Stephen King’ s 1986 novel, It tells the story of a group of outcast kids( ala
It
Stranger Things) called the " Losers Club " who encounter a diabolical creature called It, who for centuries has preyed upon the children of Derry, Maine, in the form of a sadistic clown called Pennywise. When the creature reappears years later and more children disappear, the Losers Club, now adults, are called upon to square off against Pennywise, even though they have no memory of their first battle. The original 1990 made-for-TV miniseries featured Tim Curry as Pennywise and gave me nightmares for years. This one, with Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise, looks even scarier! Also starring Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs and Jack Dylan Grazer.
Mother!
Director: Darren Aronofsky September 8 • Rated N / A
Mother! revolves around a couple( Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem), whose relationship is tested when disruptive, uninvited guests arrive at their remote country home, shattering their tranquil existence. Terror ensues in this thriller-psychological horror film that also explores love, devotion, and sacrifice. All I’ ve seen is the trailer and frankly, it looks like a cross between Rosemary’ s Baby and Burnt Offerings. Premieres September 5th at the 74th Venice International Film Festival. The cast includes Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domnhall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson and Kristen Wiig.
American Assassin
Director: Michael Cuesta ' September 15 • Rated R
Based on a book in the series by Vince Flynn, Mitch Rapp( Dylan O’ Brien), an orphaned Arab linguistics student is recruited by CIA black ops after his fiancé is killed in a terror attack. His reluctant mentor, Cold War vet Stan Hurley( Michael Keaton) takes Rapp under his wing and they are enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy( Sanaa Lathan) to investigate a wave of random attacks on both military and civilian targets. After the three discover a pattern of violence, Hurley and Rapp join forces with a lethal Turkish agent( Shiva Negar) to stop a mysterious operative named Ghost( Taylor Kitsch) from starting a global war.
Battle of The Sexes
Director: Darren Aronofsky September 22 • Rated PG-13
The 1973 tennis match between the world’ s # 1 women’ s player, Billie Jean King( Emma Stone) and ex-men’ s champ and hustler Bobby Riggs( Steve Carell) was billed as the“ Battle of the Sexes” and became the most watched televised sports event of all time. But the match actually sparked a global conversation on gender equality, spurring on the feminist movement. King and Riggs were on opposites sides of the equal right movement in the media, but off-court each was also fighting more personal and complex battles. With a supportive husband urging her to fight the Establishment for equal pay, the fiercely private King was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputation in a bid to relive the glories of his past. Together they served up a cultural spectacle that resonated far beyond the tennis court and spurred the discussions between men and women around the world. The film also stars Austin Stowell, Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Silverman, Eric Christian Olsen and Jessica McNamee.
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14 illinoisentertainer. com september 2017