PREMIERE MAGAZINE #357

 

The Roundup with Jeff Stockton (Season 36 Round 7)

 

We're 21 films into Season 36 now following a seventh round where not every ambitious swing connected, and a couple of performances left me scratching my head. Here's The Roundup....

SOUNDTRACKS

Remember when I was wondering whether Season 36 was ever going to have any memorable soundtracks? Yeah... I can officially retire that concern. With Voice becoming the seventh soundtrack-heavy release of the season, the Golden Reel race for Best Soundtrack has quietly become one of the most competitive categories on the board. Will Voice actually make the final nominee list? I'm honestly not sure. But that's almost beside the point.

The important thing is that we've reached the stage where there are legitimate contenders fighting for spots rather than simply filling out a ballot. 1995 still feels like the benchmark for me, but several films have now entered the conversation, and that's exactly what you want from an awards category. Healthy competition makes for better awards seasons.

THE SONG OF ROLAND

This is exactly what I want from a historical epic. Big scope. Strong writing. Excellent craftsmanship. An ensemble cast that actually feels worthy of the material.

No, I don't think The Song of Roland reaches the lofty heights of John Malone and Chad Taylor's Caesar Trilogy. Those films remain the gold standard for large-scale historical storytelling within LRF. But Brady Corbet directs with real confidence, Jimmy Ellis delivers another sturdy screenplay, and the production never loses sight of the emotional tragedy underneath all the spectacle.

THE HULK 3

Now this feels like the Hulk franchise again. One of the smartest decisions this production made was bringing Mark Newton back after he sat out The Hulk 2. That second film had moments, but HG Hansen's screenplay always felt overstuffed and oddly unfocused. It was a movie constantly fighting itself. The Hulk 3 feels far more confident.

Newton clearly understands Bruce Banner as both a character and a franchise. The emotional conflict lands better, the pacing is tighter, and the movie finally recaptures the balance between monster movie, superhero spectacle, and psychological drama that made the first film so effective. Instead of feeling like another sequel, this feels like the series getting back on track. That's exactly what a third installment should accomplish.

VOICE

I spent most of this movie asking myself one question. "What exactly is this trying to be?" A musical? A cyberpunk noir? A futuristic thriller? The answer seemed to be... yes.

Unfortunately, that combination never quite came together for me. Johnny Mercer has already demonstrated enough talent that I'm convinced he's a writer worth following. But this felt like the kind of project where an emerging writer reached for four different genres simultaneously before fully mastering one. Every individual ingredient had potential. Together, they constantly competed for attention instead of complementing one another. There's a good movie hiding inside Voice. This version just couldn't find it.

JONATHAN BAILEY

Let me be clear. Jonathan Bailey gives a perfectly respectable performance. This isn't about bad acting. This is about presence. When you're playing Roland — the legendary knight whose name is literally in the title — I need to believe people would follow you into certain death. I need that larger-than-life screen presence that historical epics demand. I just... didn't feel it.

Bailey is undeniably talented, but I continue to struggle seeing him as a traditional movie star leading man. There's a difference between carrying scenes and commanding them. He handled the material competently, but he never quite passed what I call the "eye test." Every time another major actor shared the screen with him, my attention drifted toward the supporting cast. Sometimes charisma can't really be taught.

RACHEL ZEGLER

This is going to sound harsh, but it's something I've been thinking for a while. Rachel Zegler can absolutely sing. Nobody should question that. What I continue to question is whether audiences actually enjoy spending two hours with her as a leading lady.

For me, there's an undeniable smugness to her on-screen persona that keeps creating distance between the character and the audience. Maybe that's unfair. Maybe it's simply the kinds of roles she's been playing. But movie stardom isn't just about talent—it's about making people want to root for you. I never quite get that feeling with Zegler. She's unquestionably gifted. I just don't find her especially likable as a screen presence, and for someone being positioned as a major leading actress, that's a difficult hurdle to overcome.

ON LOCATION (SEASON 36 ROUND 7)

 

Voice

- Johannesburg, South Africa

The Hulk 3

- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

- Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

The Song of Roland

- Loarre, Spain

Box Office Breakdown (Season 36 Round 7)

 

VOICE

Budget: $34,000,000

Total Box Office: $23,437,788

Total Profit: -$30,010,007

One of the season's more unconventional releases struggled to find a theatrical audience, as its blend of thriller, science fiction, and musical elements proved to be a difficult sell. Despite the disappointing financial result, the film represents only the second outing for a promising young LRF writer.

BOX OFFICE FACT

Voice is just the second screenplay from Johnny Mercer. After beginning his LRF career with the profitable Zorro last season, Mercer experiences his first box office disappointment.

GENRE RANKINGS

Thriller: #136

Sci-Fi: #153

Musical: #26

THE HULK 3

Budget: $190,000,000

Total Box Office: $641,110,407

Total Profit: $188,390,403

Bruce Banner continued to be one of LRF's most dependable franchise stars as The Hulk 3 narrowly missed Blockbuster status while becoming one of the season's defining theatrical successes. The film further solidifies the Hulk trilogy as one of the studio's strongest long-running superhero properties.

BOX OFFICE FACT

With the release of The Hulk 3, the franchise has now generated more than $1.84 billion worldwide across its three LRF films.

GENRE RANKINGS

Action: #70

Sci-Fi: #29

Superhero: #47

THE SONG OF ROLAND

Budget: $84,000,000

Total Box Office: $263,839,608

Total Profit: $71,103,394

Historical epics continue to be a reliable investment for LRF (when they work), with The Song of Roland delivering another healthy theatrical return. Strong audience interest and disciplined spending helped the film become one of the season's most profitable non-franchise releases.

BOX OFFICE FACT

The Song of Roland marks Jonathan Bailey's sixth LRF film and his fourth profitable release, with this becoming the highest-grossing film of his LRF career.

GENRE RANKINGS

Historical: #12

Epic: #6

Season 36 Round 6 Total Box Office:

$928,387,803

Season 36 Round 6 Total Profit:

$229,483,790

Round 7 became one of Season 36's strongest financial outings, powered by the one-two punch of The Hulk 3 and The Song of Roland. Those two films more than compensated for the disappointment of Voice, producing the season's second-highest profit total.

Season 36 Total Box Office:

$4,296,970,299

Season 36 Total Profit:

$867,649,340

With three rounds remaining, Season 36 sits within striking distance of the $1 billion profit milestone, but the road ahead remains important. While the season has produced an impressive collection of commercial hits — including Boba Fett, Donkey Kong Country, The Hulk 3, Lobo, and Assassin's Creed: Eternal — a series of notable bombs has kept the overall financial picture from becoming one of LRF's truly elite campaigns.

SEASON 36 BOX OFFICE STANDINGS

1. Boba Fett — $763,673,771 👑

2. Donkey Kong Country — $720,434,668 👑

3. The Hulk 3 — $641,110,407 👑

4. Lobo — $480,893,956 🔥

5. Assassin's Creed: Eternal — $421,105,411 🔥

6. The Song of Roland — $263,839,608 💰

7. Luke Cage: The Purple Man — $249,978,106 💰

8. Stretch Armstrong — $144,189,611 ☠️

9. Fletch — $123,159,160 💰

10. Echoes of Red — $82,814,137 💰

11. Double Date — $80,369,160 💰

12. Gray — $62,441,218 💣

13. Darkness — $43,316,174 💰

14. 1995 — $40,003,252 💰

15. Pirouette — $39,100,555 📉

16. Three Rounds — $34,386,590 💣

17. The Quiet Between Us — $26,319,562 📉

18. Heartbeat — $25,404,407 💣

19. Voice — $23,437,788 💣

20. Diary of a Wimpy Kid — $18,000,669 💣

21. 1016 West Monroe — $12,992,089 💣

LRF TRIVIA TIDBITS (SEASON 36 ROUND 7)

 

Round 7 of Season 36 is all about careers in perspective. One newcomer arrives with something to prove, another filmmaker continues an exclusive relationship with a single franchise, and a rising auteur comes full circle after first appearing in LRF on the other side of the camera.

VOICE

Voice marks Rachel Zegler's long-awaited LRF debut, but unfortunately continues a difficult commercial stretch for the young actress. The film follows a pair of recent box office disappointments outside the studio — Snow White and Y2K — making Voice another challenging chapter in an otherwise promising early career.

THE HULK 3

Leigh Whannell has become synonymous with LRF’s Hulk franchise. All three Hulk films released by the studio have been directed by Whannell, and the trilogy currently makes up his entire LRF filmography, giving him one of the most franchise-specific directing résumés in the studio's history.

THE SONG OF ROLAND

Long before earning acclaim behind the camera, Brady Corbet first appeared in LRF as an actor. He held supporting roles in Flicker, a Season 2 Best Picture nominee, and The Informers in Season 3. Since then, Corbet has successfully transitioned into directing, first earning Golden Reel recognition for Splendour (earning a Best Director nomination in addition to the film winning Best Picture in Season 33) and now following it up with The Song of Roland.

Release: The Song of Roland

 

The Song of Roland 

Genre: Historical / Epic

Director: Brady Corbet

Writer: Jimmy Ellis

Based on the 11th century poem

Cast: Jonathan Bailey, Russell Crowe, Jonny Lee Miller, Javier Bardem, Callum Turner, Ali Suliman, James McArdle, David Wilmot, Indira Varma

Budget: $84,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $100,078,303

Foreign Box Office: $163,761,305

Total Profit: $71,103,394

Reaction: Big budget historical films can be dicey at the box office, so we're happy this one made such a sizable profit. The star-studded cast and critical darling directer certainly didn't hurt this one.

"Brady Corbet’s The Song of Roland plays like a cinematic lament, embracing ritual and repetition to elevate its tragedy into myth. Jonathan Bailey is just okay as the film's anchor, but it’s Russell Crowe’s weary, haunted Charlemagne that gives the story its emotional gravity, while Javier Bardem brings a layered desperation to Marsilla, avoiding simple villainy. The film’s austere style won’t be for everyone, but its commitment to tone and theme makes it a striking, immersive experience." - Brenton Smalls, Playboy

"The Song of Roland is a stark, operatic epic that leans into myth over realism, embracing the grandeur and fatalism of its source material. Brady Corbet directs with a cold, almost hypnotic restraint, letting the inevitability of Roland’s downfall build with quiet dread. Jonathan Bailey is solid, balancing heroism with arrogance, while the battle at Roncesvalles unfolds with brutal clarity. It’s a somber, meditative take on legend that lingers." - Chris Price, Boston Herald

"While visually striking and ambitious, The Song of Roland struggles to translate its poetic source into compelling cinema. The film’s rigid tone keeps characters at a distance, and its repetition dulls the emotional impact. Strong performances can’t fully overcome a pacing issue that makes the story feel more academic than engaging." - Mark Plainsview, ReelViews

Rated R for strong battle violence and some disturbing images.

Top 10 Russell Crowe Films 2.0

 

Sherman J. Pearson here for another Top 10. Nearly even years ago, I first took a look at Russell Crowe's filmography for a Top 10 list. Seems like it's time for another gander since a lot has changed since then.

Top 10 Russell Crowe Films 2.0

10. Golden Girl

9. What I Need to Do Is Survive

8. The Lone Ranger

7. Green River

6. Blind Faith

5. Scion

4. Blood Meridian

3. Kite

2. Caesar

1. Caesar Part II