Thanksgiving week has always been a big hit in theaters. Whether it is the holiday spirit or just a lack of other activities to do, many individuals and families choose to hit the box office as their preferred choice of leisure.
I find this year’s catalog a little underwhelming. Cinemagoer numbers have consistently dropped in the last few years, particularly due to the rise of streaming services becoming the most popular format of entertainment in American homes.
Regardless, I would still like to propose some of my predictions for a few of the more interesting releases next week.
What Happens Later is a seasonal romcom starring Meg Ryan and David Duchovny revolves around two exes snowed in at an airport. Neither of these stars has much big-screen presence these days, so I am doubtful as to whether or not this film will rake in anything memorable. So far, the audience seems to be heavily critical of this film. I will call it a flop.
The Marsh King’s Daughter is based on the 2010 novel of the same name, this film follows a previously kidnapped woman and her quest for vengeance. A female protagonist in a rural setting on a dangerous action-filled quest, which seems very reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing. That film raked in around 90 million dollars, so a promising outlook is a very real potential for this movie.
Wish is most likely the biggest hit on this list, Disney continues the tradition of releasing an original animated film during the Thanksgiving holiday. Trying to follow in the footsteps of their previous year’s films, such as Frozen and Moana, Disney once again hopes to capitalize on their young audience’s attention. However, numbers for their movies have been consistently dropping, so it is anyone’s guess as to what is to come.
The Marvels is bad. I mean, it is really bad. The Marvels takes all the superhero tropes and cliches of the last fifteen years and shoves them into a CGI-laden mess of a cop-out movie. If not noticeable, I am not a fan of this movie, or Marvel’s latest productions, at all. I think the audience feels similarly, however, and The Marvels is looking out to be a general flop. The superhero genre has become completely oversaturated and unless something changes up the genre, I think moviegoers are learning to simply not spend their cash on what is essentially the slop of the cinema world. It is Marvel, though, so I could be completely wrong.
Napoleon seems to be a stand-out on this year’s roster. A period piece on the historical figure of the same name, Napoleon will probably hit hard with a niche audience, one that makes up a good portion of the general audience. I will go ahead and wager that Napoleon makes close to its production budget and possibly shoots past that.
That is about it for this season’s list—only time will tell what sticks and what does not.