LONDON — Upscale awards season hopefuls strut their stuff at U.K. theaters this weekend hoping to cash in on excellent reviews and the BAFTA awards buzz.
Elsewhere in Europe, big-budgeted Gallic pic “Asterix at the Olympic Games” tests its mettle in Italy, where it will face fierce competish from local Nanni Moretti starrer “Quiet Chaos.”
In the U.K., prominent awards season contenders arrive at theaters on BAFTA weekend, adding class to an already upbeat marketplace.
Disney saddles up Daniel Day-Lewis starrer “There Will Be Blood,” Pathe offers up Julian Schnabel’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and Fox sends out U.S. indie B.O. hit “Juno.” And all are entering the marketplace backed by truly superb reviews.
Jason Reitman’s teen pregnancy pic “Juno” gets a saturation release on 364 locations via a bullish Fox. It gets a major boost from the Brit crix who have given it mostly glowing reviews. “If you are looking for a feelgood movie, you are not going to find many better that ‘Juno’ this year,” said the Sun tabloid.
Bookers are relatively confident “Juno” will attract auds and point to last weekend’s strong preview showing (about $800,000). An opening frame of between $2 million and $3 million is projected.
“There Will Be Blood” goes out amid simply ecstatic reviews. “An unhinged modern masterpiece,” said the Daily Telegraph. “Paul Thomas Anderson’s strange and potent epic about oil and greed pushes the boundaries of cinema,” wrote Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian. “Citizen Kane surpassed,” was the head-turning headline verdict from the Daily Mail.
Disney platforms “Blood” at 24 West End sites this week with a wide release plotted for Feb. 15. Release strategy is devised to maximize the publicity generated by this weekend’s anticipated BAFTA triumphs. Pic boasts nine BAFTA noms, the joint-second most (alongside “No Country For Old Men”) behind “Atonement” (14 noms).
One exhib predicted a “spectacular screen average” for “Blood,” and others agree, but note the length of the pic limits the number of screenings possible.
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” also takes off in Blighty boosted by very positive reviews: “Humane, intelligent, visually resourceful and well-performed,” was the verdict from the Financial Times’ Nigel Andrews.
Pathe releases on an initial 29 sites, looking to expand next weekend.
The biggest release in the U.K. is Disney’s Nic Cage starrer “National Treasure: Books of Secrets,” which debuts on 636 prints at 479 sites. Exhibs predict an opening North of $5 million.
Universal gives Adam Brooks’ “Definitely, Maybe” a saturation release. “After the recent success of ‘P.S. I Love You’ and ‘Over My Dead Body,’ you can’t underestimate the box office potential of female-skewed romantic comedies,” suggested a London-based booker. On the downside, topliner Ryan Reynolds is not well known in Blighty.
In Italy “Asterix at the Olympic Games” is the biggest opener in a crowded frame that sees the Gallic comicbook adaptation go head-to-head with Nanni Moretti starrer “Quiet Chaos,” which launches at home ahead of its Berlin fest preem.
Warner Bros. is rolling out the latest “Asterix” instalment on 430 in Italy amid doubts it will score a big payday. The Gallic franchise hasn’t historically clicked hugely with Italo auds, the exception being “Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar” in 1999, which starred Italo faves Roberto Benigni and Monica Bellucci.
“The fact that it’s the most expensive French film ever made is by no means a guarantee of quality,” sneered La Repubblica, which gave this "Asterix" the thumbs down, saying it “mostly misses the mark.”
“Quiet Chaos,” which sees Moretti doing thesping-only duties as a TV exec who takes to a park bench after his wife dies, is going out on 390 via 01 Distribuzione.
“Chaos,” helmed by Antonello Grimaldi, is boosted by a big marketing push and rivers of raves. Hot pic, which unspools in Berlin Feb. 13, also features a Roman Polanski cameo.
Meanwhile, Universal is outing “Charlie Wilson’s War” on 250 with solid prospects for the star-studded Mike Nichols dramedy, praised by Il Sole 24 Ore, especially for Tom Hanks’ ironic turn.
Medusa is counterprogramming with Josh Hartnett horror pic “30 Days of Night,” out on 205 boosted by a big promotional push that exhibbers think will scare up biz with the younger male demographic.
In the arthouse arena, Mikado is outing Gallic auteur Claude Chabrol’s “La fille coupee en deux” (The Girl Cut in Two) on 39 amid mixed reviews for the black comedy, which world-preemed in Venice.
As usual, the school holidays have coincided with some boffo bows in Gaul. “Asterix at the Olympic Games” has enjoyed the sixth best opening week in French history, topping the three million admissions mark on 1,078 and making Pathe $26 million the richer.
“Cloverfield” opened potently for Paramount on day one, taking $667,000 on 430. Reviews have been strong, on the whole. “It reinvigorates the old, tired genres of both monster and catastrophe films,” said Les Inrockuptibles.
At $490,685 on 453, Metropolitan is also happy with first-day returns for locally-titled “John Rambo.” Scribes had mixed feelings about the latest instalment of Sylvester Stallone’s capers. “Never ridiculous, despite a certain lack of finesse,” felt L’Ecran Fantastique. “Basic plot, crude cinematography, characters so caricatured as to be beyond belief,” snubbed L’Humanite.
Studio Canal’s “Rivals” (“Les Liens du sang”) reunites thesps Francois Cluzet and Guillaume Canet for the first time since the 2006 international hit “Tell No One.” Helmer Jacques Maillot’s crime thriller — yet another take on brothers who choose different sides of the law — bowed at $266,215 on 290. Most crix found it praiseworthy: “Fluid direction and closely-woven dialogue,” thought Le Journal du Dimanche.
“Juno” also opened pretty well in a very tough market, bowing at $187,775 on 149 for Fox.
In Germany, horror franchise “Saw IV” arrives to give holdover “National Treasure” a scare at the top of the charts. Weak reviews for Kinowelt’s gory new release are not expected to dent B.O. much.
The rest of the top five, “Asterix,” “P.S. I Love You,” “The Bucket Club” and long-legged local date movie “Keinohrhasen,” are set to remain strong.
Date-nighters looking for the next big thing are expected to make a beeline for “The Jane Austin Club” from Sony Pictures, which looks good for a strong intro.
Trade mag Treffpunkt Kino called it “smart and warm hearted,” Suddeutsche Zeitung wrote, “Women should love it, Jane Austin fans or no,” while Abendzeitung said its “clever and biting dialogue should make it appeal to the men as well.”
Universal’s “Charlie Wilson’s War” also comes heavily armed with good press, as Filmstart calls it “a witty and astute grown-up entertainment.” Frankfurter Rundschau lauded it as “a clever farce with a Capra-esque fairytale quality,” while Suddeutsche Zeitung praises the cast, singling out star Hanks as “brilliant.”
Other entrances to watch are nature doc, “Planet Earth” from Universum, Italian domestic cash machine, “Una Moglie Bellissima” (A Very Beautiful Wife), the well reviewed kid flick, “The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep” from Sony, as well as domestic dark horse, “Marzmelodie,” an oddball musical comedy from X Verleih (Warner).
Additional reporting by Andrew Horn (Germany), Nick Vivarelli (Italy) and David Hayhurst (France).
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