The Preview Reel: Thor and the Bad Moms
Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Last weekend saw Jigsaw open on top of a slow movie-going weekend. But things will change this weekend as Marvel unveils its third movie of the year in the form of Thor: Ragnarok and one of last year’s surprise comedy hits gets a Christmas sequel in the form of A Bad Moms Christmas. Let’s see how big of a bang the fall movie season might start with.
Thor: Ragnarok
What we are excited about: You’ve probably seen a trailer or two for this movie, what’s not to be excited about? The first trailer broke the record for most views in twenty-four hours, and for good reason. This movie looks crazy beautiful and vastly different from previous Marvel entries, but more importantly, it feels different. The film’s director, Taika Waititi, has a very quirky and off-kilter sense of humor, as seen in his last two movies, What We Do in the Shadows (2014) and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)—both are fantastic, check them out. Hopefully he brings that wacky sense of humor to the Thor franchise, which desperately needs it.
What we are worried about: The two Thor movies, Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013), are among the weaker entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). No filmmaker has been able to find a good balance between the cosmic elements and bringing it down to Earth. It looks like Thor: Ragnarok is leaning heavily on the Asgard part of the story, so maybe that’s the solution. Adding the Hulk might help as well.
The Buzz: There has been strong buzz for this movie since its first trailer, and it has picked up momentum in the past couple of weeks. Critics saw this movie about a month ago and it’s one of the best reviewed MCU movies to date. It sits at 96% on RottenTomatoes and 74 on MetaCritic, with many critics praising its look and humor. Look for a gigantic opening around $110 million.
Final Thoughts: Maybe the third time can be the charm for the Thor franchise with the help of director Taika Waititi.
A Bad Moms Christmas
What we are excited about: Last year’s Bad Moms was actually a pretty fun R-rated comedy. It featured a funny cast in entertaining situations which resulted in an enjoyable comedy. It was a word-of-mouth sensation and gave people something different other than the typical summer blockbuster. Most of the cast is returning and the writers/directors are as well, so maybe this can be the R-rated holiday romp we need right now.
What we are worried about: This movie feels incredibly fast tracked. Bad Moms came out less than sixteen months ago, so a sequel this fast should raise a few eyebrows. It has the feel of a cash grab, then again, the cast is talented enough to possibly elevate the quickly written script. On a side note, it feels like this movie is coming out way before Christmas. Maybe this movie would have benefitted from a late November/early December release? Perhaps they are going for the word-of-mouth success again, but a Christmas movie debuting on November 1st feels too early.
The Buzz: This movie is going to have to do what the first one did: have strong legs. This movie doesn’t have much buzz and there aren’t any reviews yet, but if the film is funny and people have fun with it, it could stay in theaters for a while. It’s opening on a Wednesday to get a jump on Thor: Ragnarok, so look for a five-day opening around $25 million.
Final Thoughts: This could be the counter-programming some are looking for against the big Marvel release; but no reviews, yet, concerns us.
Scott Davis
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