Predicting the Movie Hits and Bombs of 2014

But... they're saying it's not exactly gonna be the new Hunger Games:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/divergent-is-a-hit-but-its-no-hunger-games

 

I don't think anyone expected it to be. I'm sure it will do well enough to justify the already green-lit sequel.

 

Yeah, I think Hunger Games numbers was a best case scenario for them. But considering the movie only cost a reported $80 mil, I think it should do well enough for a sequel and a modest profit.

 

Divergent has already made more money than Beautiful Creatures (2013), The Host (2013) and Vampire Academy (2014) combined, that alone has the studio breathing a sigh of relief.

 

"Being the new 'Hunger Games'" is an awfully high bar. I don't think "Divergent" needed to be THAT successful to be considered a hit.

I thought it'd bomb, and I was wrong - whatever "Divergent" does from here, it's already done way better than I expected...

 

The trailers looked pretty good to me, and I actually hoped it would not bomb.

 

I actually don't think I ever saw a true trailer for "Divergent" - I think I only saw the "exclusive" preview made for Regal theaters. It made the movie look like a cross between "Hunger Games" and "Harry Potter" - it didn't look appealing to me at all, and it just kinda reminded me of the other "me too" movies aimed at the teen girl crowd.

I've not read reviews, so I don't know if it's any good. I'll probably see it eventually, but I'm still not especially eager...

 

They're not so good. The gist of them being that Woodley is fine, the movie around her not so much.

 

It appears that foreign box office is at least partially bailing out Need For Speed, good thing too because it's a flop domestically.

Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: $31,235,650 24.5%
+ Foreign: $96,100,000 75.5%
= Worldwide: $127,335,650

Same basic story with the Robocop reboot, lackluster US box office, saved by healthy overseas business.

Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: $57,107,906 23.9%
+ Foreign: $182,100,000 76.1%
= Worldwide: $239,207,906

 

Wow, I had no idea Robocop was doing decent business overseas.

 

I'm glad it's doing well overseas as I liked it. And I was glad to have Michael Keaton back on the big screen!

 

Saw it this afternoon. Fun movie and worth our money. It may run a tad too long but you find yourself pulling for the heroes. Very good "low-key" acting by all involved IMO.

 

Reportedly, "Need for speed" is a hit at my local multi.
To be named like one of the most beloved videogames franchises surely helps. Robocop didn't make it past the first week.

 

"Ahnold" is suffering another Geri-Action bomb at the box office (his third in a row) with Sabotage. They are predicting it may not even clear $6 million over the weekend. Reviews have been particularly harsh, it is currently sitting with a 37/100 Metacritic score.

Arnold, maybe it's time to retire...and please take Stallone with you.

 

After skimming over this thread it confirms why I enjoy non american films more than the drek written about here. Sounds like an abundant amount of crap the first few months of 2014.

Then again I thought the Hunger Games was a kids movie (which I guess it is) and Gravity was meh.

 

Ah, thank you Matt for restoring the thread.

Tomorrow "Captain America" is out in the US too. I think it's definitely going to do better than Thor: The Dark World (so far, the Thor movies are the weakest link in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). Saw it last week, an interesting thriller/spy film disguised as a superhero movie. Should be able to make it to the $700M mark.

 

I'm looking forward to Captain America.

As much as I like Thor, I think the movies spend way too much time focusing on the pseudo-Norse mythology. Thor (to me) works better as a fish-out-of-water hero in the regular world. I wish they'd exile him from Asgard and stay on Earth for an entire movie.... and please, enough Loki. Let's get a different villain next time.

 

I agree with all your points. When the films are on Asgard I just tune out.

 

Actually, I don't mind the screen time that Asgard gets on the Thor films but sure it would be nice for the 3rd one to take place on the Earth for the whole movie.
IIRC, both Hemsworth and Hiddleston are contracted for 3 Thor movies, so probably we'll see Loki again in the "Dark World" sequel. Hopefully, next time they'll show us more (of) Kat Dennings

 

They struck gold with both Hemsworth and Hiddleston, so I can understand why they'd want them to stay in the franchise. I would hope that in the next film they make Loki the puppet master behind a major villain on Earth. Unfortunately, the Thor comics were pretty bad until Walt Simonson took them over in the early 1980's, and much of his success was due to better integrating the Norse material and eliminating much of the Earth stuff.

I hope to find time this weekend to see Captain America. I skipped the first one in the theater and was pleasantly surprised when I saw it at home. Conversely, I saw the first Thor in the theater and was perfectly happy to watch the second one at home.

 

They are predicting an opening in the range of $85 million to $95 million for Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

On the indie front Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel expands again this weekend to over 1250 locations, the widest release for one of his films (not counting The Fantastic Mr. Fox). GBH has made $73 million worldwide so far, his highest grossing film to date.

 

Any thoughts on "Grand Budapest Hotel"?

Saw preview on TV tonight. Reminds me of a cross between "Pulp Fiction" and "The Royal Tenenbaums", though I have no idea of the plot. Big name cast though. Might be interesting.

 

It's great. Being discussed here -> http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/wes-andersons-the-grand-budapest-hotel.333692/

 

Thanks, Matt! I see your point: the only discussion about Noah should be about the film. And I think audiences are responding to it and it's doing OK.