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Monday Mixer: New York Comic Con delivers the goods

Posted Monday, October 10, 2016 at 3:01 PM Central

by John Couture

Just when you thought this was going to be a boring weekend, you were reminded that the New York Comic Con was ongoing. While New York's Con will never rival that of its originator on the other coast, it is starting to get some real traction with studios in terms of being a great place to promote films and TV shows.

Give its early October date, the New York Comic Con is perfectly positioned for studios to promote new Fall TV shows and bigger genre pictures that are starting to creep far away from their traditional Summer stomping grounds. While the Fall/Winter months have traditionally showcased family films and awards contenders, the trend in recent years is that studios aren't afraid to open big blockbusters in December or even January.

That theory will certainly be tested next year with non-traditional Winter fare such as Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, xXx: Return of Xander Cage and Underworld: Blood Wars all set to debut in January. Attendees at the New York Comic Con were given extended and/or first looks at many of these films.

As for us, we were able to track them down online shortly thereafter and don't worry, we have them all for you below. But first, let's check out this weekend's box office performance.

Box Office 411

This weekend's biggest new release The Girl on the Train did indeed snag the top spot at the box office, but its number isn't all that much to cheer about. The adaptation of the best-selling book earned about $25 million in its opening weekend, but the reviews haven't been all too kind.

Many people have compared it to similar subject matter best-seller-turned-film Gone Girl, but it's clear that Girl on the Train will fall far short of its predecessor's $167 million box office run. I have not seen The Girl on the Train, but I read the book and was eagerly anticipating this adaptation. A few friends whose opinion I hold in high regard did see it this weekend and they were all in agreement that it was a letdown from the stellar book.

Elsewhere in the top five, the four holdovers put up decent numbers to help keep the total weekend competitive with last year's numbers. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children earned $15 million to bring its total up $51 million. It's still on a slow trajectory to $100, but I do feel that it will get there.

In sixth and seventh place, the two other newcomers are duking it out. According to estimates, The Birth of a Nation squeaked by Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life with $7.1 to $6.9 million. There's a good chance that these films will flip flop each other when the final numbers are released.

Either way, both films are on pace to end up with about $20 million at the box office.

Quick Hitters

  • We expected to have a few cool new trailers to share with you today give this weekend's New York Comic Con, but we were truly impressed with the sheer number of high-profile looks we eventually got. First up is a film that I'm really looking forward to, and that says a lot about a Keanu Reeves film, but here we are. John Wick: Chapter Two looks to continue Keanu's retribution path to perfection. I can't believe I just typed that.

  • This film still has us scratching our heads, despite Matt Damon's involvement, but there's no denying that The Great Wall looks quite impressive. Will it resonate with audiences? Well, the audience is still out as they say.

  • They claim that the Resident Evil film series is coming to an end with next year's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, but I'll believe it when I see it. This new trailer seems like it will be a bloody good time if it is indeed the last one.

  • Underworld: Blood Wars is a film that is going a bit under the radar, if that's even possible for the next film in the leather-clad Kate Beckinsale series. This time, Theo James steps in to the presumed love interest role fresh off a similar role in the Divergent films.

  • Finally today, the first look at the upcoming Power Rangers film has been unleashed onto the world and to be frank, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, it's no dark masterpiece that was last year's Power/Rangers short film, but it's a big step in the right direction.

    Of course, it might just be my age showing, but I'm getting a real Breakfast Club vibe from the opening. Like Power Rangers is the long-lost sequel to the seminal John Hughes film where they all go out hiking on Sunday and get magical powers.