Hay Day
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA
Metroid Prime
- Johannesburg, South Africa
Below the Surface
- Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Friday, October 9, 2026
BOX OFFICE BREAKDOWN (SEASON 37 ROUND 2)
METROID PRIME
Budget: $170,000,000
Total Box Office: $338,796,929
Total Profit: $66,229,489
The second Metroid film remained a solid commercial performer, even if it failed to match the box office of its predecessor. With a $66 million profit, the sequel still delivered a healthy return on a sizable production budget and kept the young franchise firmly in profitable territory.
BOX OFFICE FACT
Metroid Prime grossed about $12 million less than its predecessor, but the first two films in the series have still combined for nearly $690 million at the worldwide box office.
GENRE RANKINGS
Action: #153
Sci-Fi: #64
BELOW THE SURFACE
Budget: $15,000,000
Total Box Office: $18,126,005
Total Profit: -$14,000,062
The modestly budgeted drama failed to connect with a theatrical audience, finishing with a worldwide gross only slightly above its production budget and ultimately losing $14 million. While the relatively small budget limited the damage, the result still places the film among the weaker performers of Sammy-Jo Ellis’ LRF career.
BOX OFFICE FACT
Below the Surface narrowly avoids becoming the lowest-grossing film of writer Sammy-Jo Ellis’ LRF career. That dubious distinction still belongs to Season 27’s Flick.
GENRE RANKINGS
Drama: #385
HAY DAY
Budget: $50,000,000
Total Box Office: $59,532,823
Total Profit: -$30,445,900
The unusual adaptation of the mobile farming game struggled to justify its $50 million budget, ultimately finishing more than $30 million in the red. The result becomes another setback for Mel Gibson behind the camera at LRF, where his directing record has been considerably weaker than his work as an actor.
BOX OFFICE FACT
Mel Gibson has enjoyed a much stronger LRF track record as an actor than as a director. His two directorial efforts — Hay Day and Season 20’s The Emperor of Latium — have now combined to lose approximately $73 million for the studio.
GENRE RANKINGS
Drama: #206
Thriller: #111
Season 37 Round 2 Total Box Office:
$416,455,757
Season 37 Round 2 Total Profit:
$21,783,527
Round 2 finished in the black entirely on the strength of Metroid Prime. Its $66.2 million profit was forced to absorb more than $44 million in combined losses from Below the Surface and Hay Day, leaving the round with only a modest overall gain.
Season 37 Total Box Office:
$1,353,027,560
Season 37 Total Profit:
$350,840,873
Two rounds into Season 37, the studio has already generated more than $1.35 billion worldwide and $350.8 million in profit, but the season remains heavily dependent on its enormous opening-round performance from Pokémon. Round 2 added relatively little to the bottom line, making it too early to tell whether Season 37 will develop the depth needed to turn its strong start into an exceptional full-season result.
SEASON 37 BOX OFFICE STANDINGS
1. Pokémon — $776,788,299 👑
2. Metroid Prime — $338,796,929 💰
3. Deadline — $112,721,449 ⚖️
4. Hay Day — $59,532,823 💣
5. The Passageway — $47,062,055 💣
6. Below the Surface — $18,126,005 💣
LRF TRIVIA TIDBITS (SEASON 37 ROUND 2)
Round 2 of Season 37 offers three very different glimpses behind the curtain: an ambitious sequel discovering that even LRF can’t land every star it wants, a longtime supporting player finally getting another chance to lead, and a surprisingly late first for the studio’s ever-growing library of video game adaptations.
METROID PRIME
Building out the ensemble around Jennifer Lawrence’s Samus Aran proved trickier than expected, particularly after the filmmakers aimed high with several supporting roles. Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and John Boyega were all approached but ultimately declined, with their respective roles eventually going to Jamie Foxx, Anthony Ramos, and Stephan James.
BELOW THE SURFACE
Below the Surface gives Jon Bernthal a rare opportunity to take center stage in his 10th LRF appearance. Remarkably, it is only his second starring or top-billed role for the studio, following the George Miller thriller flop B.R.I.G.A.N.D.S. all the way back in Season 11.
HAY DAY
Despite LRF’s long history of adapting video games across multiple genres and generations, Hay Day represents a genuine studio first. More than 36 seasons into LRF history, it becomes the first film based on a video game originally created exclusively for mobile phones and devices.
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Release: Hay Day
Hay Day
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Mel Gibson
Writer: Alex Conn
Based on the mobile game
Cast: Mel Gibson, Laura Dern, Kiernan Shipka, Kieran Culkin, JK Simmons
Budget: $50,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $40,100,333
Foreign Box Office: $19,432,490
Total Profit: -$30,445,900
Reaction: These are definitely not the numbers we were hoping for during Mel Gibson's resurgence for us at LRF. Clearly foreign audiences had little interest in an American farm drama-thriller.
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Rated R for violence and language
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Top 10 Mel Gibson Films
Sherman J. Pearson here for another Top 10. Hay Day, in theaters now, is Mel Gibson's 10th film for LRF, so it only seems fitting to rank them all here today.
Top 10 Mel Gibson Films
10. Carbon
9. Hay Day
8. How to Survive in Hell
7. The Emperor of Latium
6. Sins of the Father
5. The Killings
4. The Punisher: Purgatory
3. The Squared Circle
2. The Punisher: Last Exit
1. The Punisher
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Now Showing: Hay Day
Hay Day
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Mel Gibson
Writer: Alex Conn
Based on the mobile game
Cast: Mel Gibson, Laura Dern, Kiernan Shipka, Kieran Culkin, JK Simmons
Plot: The film opens with wide, muted shots of farmland in Middle America, cast in shades of gray and brown. Machinery hums in the distance, a storm brews on the horizon, and faint voices echo across the fields. This is the Branson family farm, where Jack Branson (Mel Gibson), his wife Clara (Laura Dern), and their teenage daughter Ellie (Kiernan Shipka) toil under the open sky. Jack’s hands are rough, his face sun-worn—a man molded by hard work and bound to his land by tradition and love.
A truck approaches down the dusty path. Out steps Alex Kane (Kieran Culkin), a CEO with bleached hair and a designer hoodie, his polished look clashing with the rural setting. But today, he’s not alone. He’s joined by Peter Kane (JK Simmons), his father, a weathered, imposing man with steel-gray hair and an unflinching gaze. Peter built FarmCo from the ground up and now oversees its rapid expansion, although he’s largely handed the reins to Alex.
“Jack Branson,” Peter greets, his voice low and commanding. “Beautiful place you’ve got here.”
Jack’s jaw clenches, recognizing the Kanes and knowing their reputation. Peter has driven FarmCo’s rapid rise through relentless acquisitions of family farms, replacing old methods with mechanized farming to increase profits. But Jack stands firm, aware of the challenges the Kanes will bring.
In the days that follow, FarmCo representatives descend on the Branson farm, presenting contracts promising profit if Jack sells out. But Jack refuses, aware that selling to FarmCo would mean the end of his family’s legacy.
As FarmCo’s influence begins to infiltrate the region, the dynamic between Alex and Peter becomes apparent. Alex, while confident and eager to impress his father, lacks Peter’s grit and business intuition. Peter quietly directs operations, ensuring FarmCo dominates local suppliers and distributors, subtly strangling Jack’s ability to sustain his farm.
As other farmers begin to sell, FarmCo takes control over suppliers, driving up costs for independent farmers like Jack. Jack’s frustration grows as he watches his community’s heritage fade, taken over by mechanized fields and corporate interests. In scenes where Jack broods over mounting bills and the strain on his family, he’s haunted by a creeping fear that he might lose everything.
The tension between Alex and Peter escalates, revealing their diverging values. Alex sees FarmCo as an efficient, progressive machine, a symbol of modern success. Peter, however, respects the “old way,” despite his ruthless tactics, and views Jack as a relic from a time he once respected. “Jack’s not just a farmer,” Peter tells Alex in a private conversation, “he’s a man tied to the land. You’re not fighting dirt—you’re fighting his bloodline.”
Alex, however, sees Jack as an obstacle, one that threatens his vision and his father’s legacy. Driven to prove himself, Alex ramps up FarmCo’s intimidation tactics. He begins personally taunting Jack, often accompanied by Peter, who observes with a stoic, watchful gaze.
FarmCo’s presence grows sinister as heavy machinery and chemical fertilizers leach into neighboring farms, contaminating water sources. Jack’s cattle are found dead, poisoned by runoff from FarmCo’s fields. When Jack confronts Alex, Peter intervenes, quietly warning his son that he may be going too far, though his concern is masked by a pragmatic exterior. “Respect the land,” he tells Alex, a rare moment of vulnerability. “It’s taken men stronger than us before.”
With Jack’s refusal to yield, Peter advises Alex to take a final, drastic step. Hired goons vandalize the Branson property, smashing windows and scattering dead chickens across the farm. Jack, Clara, and Ellie are pushed to the brink, yet Jack remains resolved. “This is our home,” he tells Clara, voice heavy with defiance. “They’re not taking it.”
That night, as the family gathers for dinner, headlights flash outside. A convoy of cars pulls up, and out steps Alex, flanked by armed men and his father, Peter, who stands silently, watching. “Last chance, Jack,” Alex calls out, taunting. “Sign it, and you can walk away.”
Jack responds with a single shot into the air, a warning that marks the beginning of a violent standoff. Gunfire erupts, casting the serene farmland into chaos. Jack fights desperately, using his knowledge of the land to evade Alex’s men, but he’s outnumbered, outgunned, and the brutal reality of facing a corporate machine sinks in.
Peter, standing back from the chaos, looks on with a conflicted expression. He respects Jack’s grit and loyalty to the land, qualities he once shared but sacrificed in pursuit of power. When Jack confronts Alex in a final showdown, bloodied and defiant, he growls, “This land was my father’s, and his father’s before him. You can take the land, but you’ll never take that.”
Peter watches as Alex pulls the trigger, ending Jack’s life. He feels a pang of something deeper—a sense of loss for what he once was. The final shot lingers on Jack’s body, lifeless in the dirt, his blood mixing with the soil he fought so hard to protect.
FarmCo takes over the Branson farm, erasing any traces of Jack’s legacy. The land is stripped, remade with uniform rows of genetically modified crops. The farm becomes just another cog in FarmCo’s machine, its history erased.
Ellie returns to her childhood home, finding remnants of her father’s struggle: his worn hat on a fence post, the soil marked by tire tracks and bloodstains. She looks over the ravaged land, her expression mirroring Jack’s resolute gaze, a sign that the Branson legacy may not be gone entirely.
In the final scenes, we see Peter Kane alone, sitting in his luxurious office, surrounded by the silent glow of screens and corporate awards. He’s lauded as a visionary, yet the expression on his face is distant. The emptiness in his eyes reveals a quiet unease, a realization of what he has sacrificed in his relentless pursuit of dominance. As he stares out the window over his empire, he’s haunted by the image of Jack, a reminder of the man he once was and the connection to the land he’s lost.
“Hay Day” ends with a shot of the Branson land, barren under a darkening sky. Only a single, forgotten stalk of corn sways in the wind.
Director's Cut: The Fountainhead
The Fountainhead - Director's Cut
Genre: Drama
Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on the novel by Ayn Rand
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Brie Larson, Zachary Quinto, Mark Strong, Michael Stuhlbarg
Plot: Howard Roark (Ryan Gosling) is fired from a prestigious architecture firm after refusing to revise a series of radical designs considered too expensive, impractical, and hostile to public taste. His employers praise his talent even as they show him the door. Roark has already become notorious in architectural and high-society circles, where his uncompromising buildings are treated as equal parts curiosity and joke. Ellsworth Toohey (Michael Stuhlbarg), the influential architecture critic for The Banner, recognizes an easy target. His columns ridicule Roark’s work as arrogant and antisocial while praising architects who borrow safely from the past. Gail Wynand (Mark Strong), the newspaper’s wealthy and ruthless publisher, barely notices the campaign beyond the fact that Toohey’s columns sell papers.
Dominique Francon (Brie Larson), a sharp-tongued columnist for The Banner, sees through Toohey immediately. At parties she listens as wealthy patrons laugh over reproductions of Roark’s designs before turning around to praise the conventional work of her fiancé, Peter Keating (Zachary Quinto). Keating knows how to flatter clients, recycle fashionable styles, and tell every room exactly what it wants to hear. Dominique says little, but later uses her column to praise the very qualities in Roark that everyone else finds offensive. She becomes fascinated by an architect she has never met and increasingly disgusted by a world in which Keating prospers while Roark cannot find work.
Roark moves from firm to firm and rejection to rejection. Clients admire his drawings until they ask him to add columns, ornamental facades, or historical details that serve no structural purpose. Each time, Roark simply rolls up his plans and leaves. Eventually he runs out of money and takes work at a stone quarry owned by Dominique’s father. Stripped of drafting tables and drawing rooms, he spends his days drilling into rock beneath the summer sun. While staying at her family estate, Dominique rides past the quarry and notices him below. Roark stops working long enough to meet her stare. Neither looks away.
Dominique arranges to have Roark sent to her bedroom to repair a damaged white marble fireplace. Roark quickly realizes there is nothing wrong with it that requires him personally and mocks the elaborate excuse. When another laborer arrives the following day to finish the work, Dominique rides furiously back to the quarry. She finds Roark walking alone and lashes him across the face with her riding crop. Roark catches her wrist before she can strike again. That night he appears at her open bedroom window. Their attraction finally erupts in a fierce encounter born as much from anger and competition as desire, leaving neither willing to admit what has passed between them.
The following morning, Roark receives a letter offering him an architectural commission and leaves the quarry immediately. Dominique returns several days later and finds his place empty. When offered the chance to learn where he went, she refuses. She keeps the broken piece of marble he left behind without knowing that the quarry worker she cannot forget is Howard Roark, the architect whose work she has been defending in print.
Months later, the Enright House rises above the city, a severe modern structure of steel, stone, and glass surrounded by buildings covered in decorative excess. Toohey attacks it relentlessly, turning its opening into a fashionable spectacle for people eager to mock it. Dominique arrives and sees Roark across the room. Recognition stops her cold. Later, she goes to his apartment and asks him to abandon architecture before the world destroys him. She offers herself and a life together in exchange. Roark refuses. If she wants him, she must want the man who builds exactly what he believes should exist. Dominique leaves knowing she loves him and equally convinced that she will eventually watch society ruin him.
Gail Wynand becomes fascinated with Dominique after recognizing that her contempt for the circles she inhabits nearly equals his own. He proposes marriage even after she tells him she does not love him. Dominique accepts, choosing the most powerful man in the world she despises as another way of surrendering to it. Wynand later commissions Roark to design an isolated country home for them. During months of work, the two men form an unexpected friendship. Wynand, who has spent his life buying influence and controlling other people, becomes fascinated by someone who seems entirely beyond purchase. Dominique watches Roark and her husband grow closer and finds herself unable to decide which man she fears losing more.
Peter Keating’s celebrated career eventually outruns his talent when he is awarded a massive public housing development. Alone with the plans, he realizes he cannot design it. He goes secretly to Roark and begs for help. Roark agrees to create the entire project without credit on one condition: nothing he designs can be changed. Keating eagerly accepts. Roark produces a stark, economical complex built around light, space, and function. Once construction begins, however, committees demand balconies, ornamentation, additional wings, and decorative features. Toohey quietly encourages every revision while Keating repeatedly assures himself that each compromise is minor.
Roark visits the construction site and sees his design buried beneath alterations. He walks through the unfinished complex without speaking, studying walls moved from their original positions and meaningless decoration bolted onto structural concrete. That night Dominique arrives at the deserted site and finds Roark preparing explosives. She understands immediately. Rather than stopping him, she helps clear the area and ensures no one will be inside. From a distant ridge she watches the charges erupt in sequence, the corrupted buildings collapsing beneath columns of fire and concrete dust. Roark remains at the site and makes no attempt to flee when the authorities arrive.
Toohey sees the arrest as his chance to destroy Roark permanently. He corners Keating and forces him to admit that Roark secretly designed the project, leaving Keating exposed as a fraud while providing the evidence needed for prosecution. Newspapers across the city portray Roark as a madman who destroyed homes intended for the poor. Wynand initially allows The Banner to join them, until his friendship with Roark finally forces him to confront what his newspaper has become. He abruptly orders the paper to defend Roark.
Toohey responds by turning Wynand’s own empire against him. Writers resign. Printers refuse to work. Advertisers disappear. Newsstands return unsold copies of The Banner while crowds gather outside its offices. Wynand walks through a nearly deserted newsroom surrounded by silent presses and finally discovers the limits of the power he thought he owned. Facing the destruction of everything he spent his life building, he capitulates. Toohey’s faction returns, and the next edition of The Banner condemns Howard Roark.
At trial, Roark calls no witnesses. Photographs of the original housing design and the altered project stand side by side before the jury. Roark speaks about the men who created buildings, machines, art, and ideas before anyone else knew they were possible, arguing that creation begins with an individual mind and cannot survive when that mind is forced to surrender ownership of its work. He does not ask for sympathy and does not apologize for the demolition. When the verdict comes back not guilty, Roark simply gathers his papers and walks out through the stunned courtroom.
Wynand summons Roark to the empty offices of The Banner. He offers him one final commission: the Wynand Building, the tallest and greatest structure the publisher has ever attempted. There will be no committee, no revisions, and no restrictions. Roark may build whatever he wants. He accepts. The two men shake hands without discussing what happened between them. After Roark leaves, Wynand walks through the abandoned newsroom, switches off the lights one row at a time, returns to his office, and kills himself.
Months later, the Wynand Building rises above the city. Dominique arrives at the construction site and gives her name as Mrs. Roark. She steps into an exposed construction elevator and begins the long ascent through the steel skeleton of the skyscraper. The streets shrink beneath her while wind tears through the unfinished structure. Looking upward, she finally sees Roark standing alone at the highest completed level, silhouetted against an enormous white sky. The elevator continues climbing until the city disappears beneath him and nothing remains in Dominique’s view but Roark, steel, and the building he created.
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