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Monday Mixer: First look at Ghostbusters sequel

Posted Monday, July 6, 2015 at 4:14 PM Central
Last updated Monday, July 6, 2015 at 4:14 PM Central

by John Couture

It seems that in recent weeks this column has become my one-man soapbox against my enemies, both real and imagined, but this week is different. I don't have a single story of corporate greed or vengeful lightning to fill you with rage and just retribution. No, this week, everything is zen in my world.

Well, that's not true. I found out this weekend that my 2008 MacBook Pro is what the Apple store calls "vintage" and that after many attempts to extend its life, it was finally time to literally and figuratively pull the plug. When it rains, it pours.

Speaking of rain, if you lived in the South, the Fourth holiday was a wet one, but it didn't stop us from getting out in between rain drops to have a memorable time. Kids are amazing and really put things in perspective. While plan A through E got drenched, they were as happy as could be to "settle" for soggy fireworks and garage time.

There's probably a lesson in there somewhere.

The wife and I also got a chance to take advantage of the long weekend and check out the superb Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. I'll probably write something up on it later, but suffice to say, it's my favorite film of 2015 and dare I say quickly climbing my all-time charts.

It's funny how powerful a good film can be. Whether it's a comedy, drama or action film, a good movie will always make things right in the world. That my friends is the true power of cinema and why we should always embrace creativity and uniqueness at the box office. Crap, I'm standing on my soapbox again, aren't I?

Well, I better get off before I really let loose. Settle back and enjoy a patriotic Mixer this morning/afternoon.

Box Office 411

Leading into the weekend, the big question was which of the new films was going to win out and dethrone Jurassic World. The answer, it turns out, is that neither Terminator: Genisys nor Magic Mike XXL were up to the task. According to weekend estimates, the race for the top spot is too close to call, but the films in contention are Jurassic World and Inside Out.

Both films earned $30 million this weekend, with Jurassic World holding a slight edge in the estimates with $30.9 versus $30.1 for Inside Out. The photo finish won't be decided until today's actual numbers are released later, but if the results hold then Inside Out will be the new champion of this list of highest grossing films never to hit #1 at the box office.

With Minions set to debut on Friday, this would reasonably be Inside Out's last chance to secure the top spot at the box office. I'm sure Nia Vardalos of the recently dethroned My Big Fat Greek Wedding is busy buying as many tickets for Inside Out as she can in her time machine to push it to the top spot and allow My Big Fat Greek Wedding to regain its crown.

Overall, the Fourth box office was down, which tends to happen when the holiday falls on a Saturday. The unfortunate timing did a number on newcomers Terminator: Genisys and Magic Mike XXL. Both films were expected to have opening weekend approaching $50 million, but they fell quite short.

Terminator: Genisys actually made less money than Terminator Salvation which is really hard to believe. Terminator: Genisys hobbled to $28 million on the weekend and $44 million since its midweek bow. I think it's fair to say that franchise star Arnold Schwarzenegger has lost whatever box office cachet he still had after his political aspirations dried up.

As for Magic Mike XXL, the only think extra large for the film was the title and the percentage of ladies in the audience. According to CinemaScore, who does research on such things, Magic Mike XXL set a record with 96% of its audience being female on opening day. Unfortunately, not enough women came out to support their half-dressed hunks as Magic Mike XXL opened in fourth place with $11 million during the weekend and $26 million since its opening.

There is a ray of sunshine for both underperforming films though. The foreign box office for Terminator: Genisys was impressive and should help buoy the film to a nice profit for Paramount. The budget for Magic Mike XXL was a minuscule $14 million or so which means that profits are there should they decide to dip back in for another helping of Channing Tatum beefcake.

Quick Hitters

  • Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are getting a divorce. This is truly sad because it seemed on the outside looking in that they were one of the most grounded couples in Hollywood. The pair met on the set of Daredevil and have three children together.

  • Director Paul Feig is one of those filmmakers who is very active in social media. Apparently, the high profile and stakes of the upcoming Ghostbusters film hasn't curtailed his interaction with fans. The director has posted shots of the new proton packs and uniforms of the upcoming Ghostbusters.

  • Have you ever wondered what an R rated Harry Potter would look like? No, not that type of R rated film, but one with more violence and foul language? Then, check this out.

  • Wet Hot American Summer is one of my favorite cult classic gems of the 2000s and somehow despite the film coming out in 2001, Netflix is making a prequel TV series with all of the original cast reprising their roles and an all-star cast of newcomers joining them. The first full trailer for the series dropped last week and it's as awesome as you would expect.

  • I still miss Chris Farley and his great style of physical comedy. If you're a fan as well, then you'll want to check out this trailer for the upcoming film I am Chris Farley. It will make you laugh and probably shed a tear.

  • Finally today, it's pretty apparent that Stephen Colbert has been going a bit stir crazy while he awaits his upcoming turn as host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. But I didn't realize just how bad it had gotten. Case in point, he hosted a cable-access show called "Only in Monroe" and even interviewed Eminem.

37? In a Mixer?