The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 27 Round 9)

 

  

Just three films to go in Season 27. Here's The Roundup....

3. Box Office

Camping and Flick didn't really help out, but Namor the Sub-Mariner: Imperius Rex was a big enough hit to keep it from hurting the studio's bottom line too much. 

2. Flick

Flick felt a bit too slight at times. The characters and the romance at the center were too stereotypical of indie young romance stories as well. That said, the casting was strong and the characters were well-drawn. Taylor Russell was solid in the leading role, with Madelyn Cline coming across as very charming in her role.

1. Namor the Sub-Mariner 2

Namor the Sub-Mariner, as a character and superhero brand, doesn't quite have the same name and brand recognition as someone like Superman, but you wouldn't be able to tell by how John Malone writes the character. While the first Namor is probably the superior overall film, this sequel handles the character more confidently and isn't afraid to feel like a comic book at times.

3. Original Films

The more original films the merrier, but they have struggled at the box office this season. Of the 12 non-adaptations released so far this season, seven have lost money at the box office. This is not encouraging for those looking to write original work, so hopefully that number will improve next season. It's certainly better than last season where 11 original films lost money, but I would still like to see original films perform better. Hopefully next season fares a little better (or at least not any worse).

2. Box Office

Nine rounds into the season now and over 1/3 of the film slate have lost money at the box office. That's not a great ratio. Based on the three films set to round out Season 27, I'd bet money that one or even two more films will fail to turn a profit.

1. Camping

Not only was the film a huge box office flop - it's rare that a horror movie loses so much money - but also just wasn't that entertaining of a film to me. I couldn't tell the characters apart very well as they weren't very well developed or unique from each other, and none of the scares really felt new or fresh. Everyone involved in this one has done better work in the past.