PREMIERE MAGAZINE #348

 

The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 35 Round 8)

 

 

I don't want to jinx anything, so here's The Roundup.... 

3. Wrong Turn

Better than the Paramount+ reboot, but not as good as the original (which wasn't really that great to begin with). The setting made for some easy scares, and the young cast was game - especially rising Scream Queen Sophie Thatcher.

2. The Case of Molander

I was not familiar with the background of this story very much, and based on the brief logline was expecting yet another film in the longline of mediocre WWII films. Instead, I found myself quite engrossed by the story. 

1. The House of Black

While I did find the film a bit slow at times - and a clueless Muggle like myself could have used a bit more context/explanation of the world of the film - overall The House of Black was a decent start to what is hopefully a fruitful new franchise for the studio.

3. The House of Black

I liked the film, but I have to give it mention down here in the bottom 3 at least briefly. Like I said before, I'm not very familiar with the Harry Potter mythos, so I found myself wondering why certain characters/moments/plot points were important at times.

2. Wrong Turn

Like I said before, this one did not reach the heights of even the first Wrong Turn film. I didn't find this one particularly clever with its kills and felt it didn't utilize the unique element of the Wrong Turn franchise nearly enough (that being (inbred, mutant cannibals in the woods).

1. Box Office

The House of Black did pretty well at the box office, but I can't help but think the studio was hoping for more (I agree that having the Drama genre probably killed a chunk of potential box office). 

On Location (Season 35 Round 8)

 

The Molander Case

- Munich, Germany

The House of Black

- Oxfordshire, England, UK

Wrong Turn

- Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Box Office Breakdown (Season 35 Round 8)

 

The Molander Case

Budget: $28,000,000

Total Box Office: $40,645,353

Total Profit: -$11,003,130

Wrong Turn

Budget: $20,000,000

Total Box Office: $54,581,190

Total Profit: $20,998,900

The House of Black

Budget: $100,000,000

Total Box Office: $341,463,995

Total Profit: $101,904,777

Box Office Facts

The Molander Case

Heading into the release of The Molander Case, writer Wyatt Allen was 50/50 at the box office. That is no longer the case as Allen now has released 15 films, with seven of them managing to earn profits.

Wrong Turn

Wrong Turn is a welcome return to the Horror genre for writer Ben Collins, becoming his 17th film in the genre. Collins has always had a pretty good track record in the genre, with Wrong Turn becoming his 14th profitable horror entry.

The House of Black

Through 11 films, writer Sammy-Jo Ellis now has the highest grossing and most profitable film in her filmography with the first film in a proposed cinematic universe set in JK Rowling's Wizarding World - The House of Black.

Genre Rankings

The Molander Case

Drama: #268

War: #26

Wrong Turn

Horror: #100

The House of Black

Fantasy: #43

Action: #145

Drama: #6

Season 35 Round 8

Total Box Office: $436,690,538

Total Profit: $111,900,547

Season 35 Totals

Total Box Office: $3,141,183,960

Total Profit: $229,132,425

Season 35 Summary

1. ThunderCats : $372,054,861

2. The House of Black : $341,463,995

3. Rubicon Lies : $260,355,992

4. Man-Thing : $233,236,537

5. The Punisher: Purgatory : $231,004,586

6. Ghost Recon : $218,792,715

7. Zorro : $215,997,717

8. Blood and Glory : $196,666,547

9. Discovery : $167,267,665

10. The Tick : $166,896,092

11. Spelljammer : $158,394,702

12. The Friend Zone : $94,345,981

13. Unreasonable Doubt : $73,817,196

14. Tara's Wrath : $73,090,751

15. Man of God : $63,494,668

16. Wrong Turn : $54,581,190

17. The Molander Case : $40,645,353

18. The Writer and the Film Star : $39,529,721

19. Thus Dreamed Zarathustra : $34,589,058

20. Vultures : $29,509,391

21. The Letter Never Sent : $29,417,143

22. Dust Saint : $26,796,972

23. Behind Closed Doors : $11,549,978

24. Running from the Spotlight : $7,685,149

LRF TRIVIA TIDBITS (Season 35 Round 8)

 

Welcome back for more LRF Trivia Tidbits! Round 8 of Season 35 underscores how off-screen logistics and long-term strategy can be just as influential as creative vision—whether it’s a project struggling to lock in a director, a franchise reboot governed by strict world-building rules, or a studio continuing to double down on a proven genre lane.

The Molander Case

This German-set adaptation endured a notoriously difficult path to the director’s chair, with both Edward Berger and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck forced to pass due to scheduling conflicts before Christian Petzold ultimately stepped in. Christoph Waltz also kept his involvement deliberately limited, agreeing to a small supporting role largely because of his personal friendship with author Daniel Kehlmann—who wrote the source novel Lichtspiel—as well as his own producer credit on the film.

Wrong Turn

Wrong Turn continues LRF’s ever-expanding slate of horror franchise reboots, joining revitalized properties like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Resident Evil, Friday the 13th, Freddy Krueger, Amityville, and Phantasm. The film reinforces the studio’s reputation for aggressively reimagining genre staples for modern audiences rather than letting legacy horror brands lie dormant.

The House of Black

As the first entry in LRF’s planned Wizarding World film series, The House of Black launched under a firm studio mandate: no cast or crew previously associated with Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter or Wizarding World projects were allowed to participate. The rule was designed to clearly separate LRF’s take on the universe from prior incarnations while allowing the new creative team to establish its own identity from the ground up.

Release: The House of Black

 

The House of Black 

Genre: Fantasy/Action/Drama

Director: Chan-wook Park

Writer: Sammy-Jo Ellis

Based on the characters in the Wizarding World created by JK Rowling

Cast: Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Louis Partridge, Emma Mackey, Nell Hudson, Olivia Williams, Emma Appleton, Paul Kaye, Charles Dance, Cal MacAninch, Laurie Davidson, Kit Connor, Emily Carey, Niamh Cusack, Alun Armstrong

Budget: $100,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $114,124,595

Foreign Box Office: $227,339,400

Total Profit: $101,904,777

Reaction: The Drama genre probably negatively affected the box ceiling of this one, but it's still a super successful film - and the most profitable film in Season 35 so far.

"The House of Black plays less like franchise filmmaking and more like a sealed-room tragedy, with Chan-wook Park reshaping familiar mythology into something stark, intimate, and quietly devastating. The film thrives on tension rather than spectacle, with Louis Partridge and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth giving strong lead performances. I could have used a bit more action, but it's a well-told story that ushers in a new era of HP." - Martin Quell, North Bridge Review

"There’s no denying the craft on display in The House of Black, but its heavy, deliberate tone can feel at odds with the expectations of its source material - basically the filmmakers aren't exactly giving the fans what they have come to expect. Still, for those willing to meet it on its own terms, there’s a thoughtful, melancholic story beneath the weight of its ambition." - Alison Greer, The Sunday Picture Journal

"I must first credit the guts of one Sammy Jo-Ellis for going forward with an JK Rowling adaption given how she's tattered her reputation over the years, though in this political climate I imagine this will be debated for many years to come, it helps that the film itself captures the spirit and feel of the controversial author's work and expands it to make it its own. Maybe that's the whole point of this film, maybe it's not. One thing's for sure, it's nice to see Chan-Wook Park finally sink his teeth into something worthwhile with more than enough action and tension to leave hardcore fans satisfied and newcomers curious for more." - Mitchell Parker, New York Times 

Rated PG-13 for sequences of fantasy violence, thematic material, and some frightening images.

Interview: Sammy-Jo Ellis

 

Welcome back for another edition of Interview! In this segment, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down with writer Sammy-Jo Ellis (All the Fives, Wonder Bean) to discuss spearheading the new Wizarding World films the studio hopes will be its next great franchise....

PD: I'll start with the question that is probably on everyone's mind: what inspired the initiative to bring the Wizarding World to Last Resort Films?

SJE:  I’ve always loved the Wizarding World. Jimmy and I grew up on the Harry Potter books and films, and all three of us kids would read the books together, it was kind of a shared language for us growing up. As I got older, what stuck with me wasn’t just the main story, but how much more there felt like there was beneath the surface. It’s a world with so much potential, so many stories that haven’t been told yet. Bringing it to Last Resort Films felt like an opportunity to explore those corners properly, and hopefully do some of those stories justice.

PD: While you're not the only writer tackling the Wizarding World, most of the films planned hale from you. Can you give fans a little tease of what they can hopefully expect to see in the future if all goes according to plan?

SJE: Very true, I am not the only writer, with, Dawson Edwards and Diane Esposito also writing films. I will only tease what I have planned and i'm very excited to do so. I originally envisioned The House of Black as a trilogy on its own, but I readjusted. Coming next from myself (not next in the wizarding world) is a Mad-Eye Moody film. We have a big name attached and I am excited for everyone to get a glimpse at the Wizarding World from a different angle. Another film coming will be The Marauders - it may not be what is expected from a Marauders film but I hope everyone loves it. The one that I am maybe most excited for stems from home (Australia). I have written a film, with plans to expand into its own series based on the Aboriginal culture in Australia. The final Wizarding World film I have written will actually take us into the future, The Fall of Azkaban, it will follow Teddy Lupin.

PD: In terms of budget, the only film on your resume in the mega-budget category like The House of Black is Troll Mountain. That film did not manage to earn a profit for the studio, but did you gleam any lessons on blockbuster filmmaking from it?

SJE: Absolutely - probably more from that experience than I would have from a clean success. Troll Mountain taught me that scale without perspective is just noise. You can build something massive, but if the audience doesn’t feel anchored to the characters, it drifts. With something like The House of Black, the approach is inverted: start small, start intimate, and let the scale emerge from the stakes rather than the other way around. It also reinforced how important discipline is - every dollar on screen has to serve story, not just spectacle. That’s something I’ve carried into every decision since.

PD: What's next for you?

SJE: My other films really couldn’t be further removed from the Wizarding World if they tried, and that contrast is intentional. The next slate leans heavily into smaller, more intimate storytelling - Heartbeat leads the way, a medical and courtroom drama that’s very grounded and character-driven. After that comes Below the Surface, which is probably the most personal piece I’ve worked on, since Tumor, a quiet exploration of loss. Then there’s Barque in the Harbor, a very small, almost fragile romance.

Looking a bit further ahead, Ghost Frame and The French Play arrive in Season 39, followed by Silent Strokes and Glass Eater in Season 40. With the exception of Ghost Frame, which takes some tonal inspiration from The Catcher in the Rye, everything in that run sits firmly in the drama space. They’re all deliberately scaled down, focused more on people than spectacle, which has been an important balance for me alongside the larger Wizarding World projects.