It’s usually good to be the king. And so it is for Kingsman: Golden Circle, which relegated IT to second place at the box office over the weekend. This Bond-esque, R-rated sequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service outpaced the original in its debut, taking in an estimated $39 million en route to its No. […]
After a second-straight week at the top of the box office, one thing should be abundantly clear: IT ain’t clowning around. The high-grossing (and kind of gross) horror flick scared the willickers out of its competition and officially became the largest September release ever. IT dragged an estimated $60 million into the sewers. That pushes […]
Pennywise is dollar rich. IT pulled a truly staggering estimated $123.1 million into its dark sewers and, ironically, breathed a little life into a moribund the box office. The R-rated horror flick (based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King) also notched a few records on its bloody board: It (IT?) scared up the highest […]
It’s a bit fitting that the weekend’s only major “new” release was the 40-year-old Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Given the woefully slim box-office receipts, this was a distinctly retro weekend. The top 12 movies collectively cashed a paltry $51.5 million, making it the worst extended Labor Day weekend in 17 years. That’s right: […]
In 2015, Alabama Bibb County and Brookwood high schools decided to treat their fans to arguably the most boring basketball game of the 21st century. The final score was 2-0. Seven shots were taken during the whole match. One team held the ball for the entire first quarter, taking one unsuccessful shot at the buzzer. Who […]
Forget the typical gold medal for a first-place finish. This week, the prize was full of lead. The Hitman’s Bodyguard, the Ryan Reynolds/Samuel L. Jackson frienemy flick, went to No. 1 with a bullet, banking an estimated $21.6 million—or about 50 cents for every profanity used. Does that make Hitman a hit? Well, a win’s […]
In Annabelle: Creation, the titular doll’s first owner loved to play hide and seek: “Find Me,” she’d write on a note for her father. Eventually, the doll seemed to pick up the game, as well … much to the chagrin of its parade of owners. But you don’t have to look too hard to find […]
After more than a decade of development, Stephen King’s fantastical world of The Dark Tower hit theaters this weekend. But while the film features a Man in Black (courtesy Matthew McConaughey), it will be a while before the film gets into the black. The Dark Tower movie—an amalgamation/sequel of sorts to King’s massive series—did debut […]
A miracle for Dunkirk? Well, probably not. But Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic still pulled out another win—fending off a platoon of smiley faces, a plutonium platinum-haired hero and the year’s most successful raunchfest. We can almost hear the subsequent speech at Warner Bros. headquarters: “We’ll fight them at the multiplex. We’ll fight them […]
The British didn’t win the battle of Dunkirk in 1940. But thanks in part to the ingenuity of some regular-but-heroic folks determined to help rescue Allied soldiers trapped on that French beach, most of them survived. Dunkirk, the movie, meanwhile needed no rescuing whatsoever. The latest effort from acclaimed British director Christopher Nolan—perhaps best known […]
You could say that Caesar made some salad. War for the Planet of the Apes, featuring the super-smart alpha chimp Caesar, scrambled up the box office skyscraper, pulled down your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and thumped its metaphorical chest in triumph this weekend. The latest Planet of the Apes flick cleared an estimated $56.5 million to […]
Yeah, sure. Spider-Man can’t fly or turn green or bash bad guys back to the Bronze age with his gigantic hammer. But when it comes to his work at the multiplex, Spidey’s as big and bad as they come. Spider-Man: Homecoming shot some webbing at the tippy-tip-top of the box office and swung to No. […]
Everything old is Gru again. Despicable Me 3, the latest story about reformed supervillain Gru and his wacky family, coasted to No. 1 at the box office, and the outcome was never in doubt. If DM3 was a wide receiver running for a touchdown, it could’ve started its celebratory dance 15 yards out. It earned […]
Yes, it’s true that Transformers: The Last Knight was the weekend’s top movie, outdistancing Cars 3, Wonder Woman and every other competitor by a country mile. Still, there are signs that Optimus Prime may be past his. Transformers: The Last Knight snarled to about a $45.3 million take over the traditional three-day weekend. Add the […]
There’s no question that Wonder Woman is a pretty tough lady. Until now, she withstood all challenges to her reign as the box office’s very own Amazonian princess. But this weekend, the fabled warrior met her match: a band of Pixar automobiles. Cars 3 let the good times roll. The estimated $53.5 million it earned […]
Good media discernment is about guarding our eyes and hearts before we watch or listen. And it's also about grappling with the entertainment we do see or hear. That's why the Plugged In Blog is devoted to guarding, discussing and grappling.