The biggest headline running throughout the season has been the relatively low domestic box office. The studio has had just one movie cross the $100million mark in America, The Punisher: Purgatory. While films like ThunderCats and Zorro have held international appeal, neither has the profit margins of a runaway blockbuster. Rumor has it that Phil Dolan has been working vigorously with the studio’s research & development team to find scripts that will bring people back to the theaters.
When looking at films that made a splash in the first half of the season, I wanted to circle the Dust Saint. While the film’s isolating style was not everyone’s cup of tea, directors and actors alike have taken notice of writer Holden Abbott’s hot start at the studio. After earning Brad Pitt a Best Actor nomination for Exodus last season, Abbott has positioned Paul Dano in a prime spot to show up in that category this season. The one question that remains is how well Abbott’s style can extend beyond the religious subtext present in the first two films, leading to excitement to see what comes next.
In general, it appears religious-themed thrillers is a big trend at the studio currently as Man of God is another film that made a critical impact this season. Even Discovery, Damien Chazelle’s sci-fi drama about a mind-reading device, deals with the push-and-pull between science and faith. Given the ensemble nature of that film and the way it spreads out its performances, I will be intrigued to see who is put forward on the FYC ballot for that one as the film appears to be an early GRA contender at this point.
The talk of the town is currently the return of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, due for their first LRF collaboration since Sinatra. Everyone pays attention any time the two link up and Rubicon Lies sounds like a thrilling subject matter. The octogenarian director’s last film for the studio was Season 24’s Monaco, which earned him the Best Director award at the GRAs. And of course we all know Leo’s history at the studio: 9 performances, 5 Best Actor wins (and a sixth nomination to boot).
Of course, returning to the box office point, the studio knows that Batman is waiting in the wings and that will almost assuredly do major business as that character always has. But the hope would be that some new franchise, whether new or original, will help carry on the studio for another 35 seasons and beyond. The Friend Zone sounds like it could a big swing towards that, though Michel Gondry’s direction likely makes it a bit offbeat than typical mainstream fare. Returning to the Tom Clancy playbook could be a smart call given the immense popularity of Splinter Cell in the opening seasons, though Jon Hamm is certainly no Tom Cruise. Speaking of Cruise and those R&D meetings from earlier, there have been murmurs among the lot about when the mega-star will next return in a non-Green Lantern role.
As always, I look forward to see how the rest of the season turns out and checking back in with you all before the GRAs!
