CinemaNerdz

The Preview Reel: Angry Birds, Nice Guys, and Neighbors 2

Scott Davis
The Angry Birds Movie

Welcome to the third week of CinemaNerdz’s “Preview Reel” where we look at the week’s upcoming wide release movies. The first two weeks gave us Captain America: Civil War and Money Monster, but this week features one of the more intriguing weekends of the summer as there are three wide releases slated for Friday. We have the animated The Angry Birds Movie, Shane Black’s The Nice Guys, and the latest Seth Rogen comedy, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. All three movies seem to feature different genres of comedy, so let’s break them down to see if any of them are worth your time and money this weekend.

 

The Angry Birds Movie

What we are excited about:
Hopefully this movie can channel the same magic 2014’s The Lego Movie was able to capture. Many people wrote that movie off as a commercial to advertise LEGOs, but everything about that movie was awesome. The same seems to be happening with this movie, as most people see this as an advertisement for the popular app game (even though its popularity has waned in the last couple of years). If it is able to provide laughs, a decent story, and a good message for kids, we would consider this a win.

What we are worried about:
Story? The game the movie is based on does not have one as you just launch birds at pigs, so what is the movie going to be about? The trailers show some funny moments, but the lack of story is a little concerning. Hopefully they are just hiding it because they want it to be a surprise and not because there is not really one.

Critical reception (if any):
The film has been receiving mostly positive reviews as it sits at 60% on RottenTomatoes and 45 on MetaCritic. Most critics are saying that it is a simple, goofy animated piece of entertainment that should be fine for kids, but not really for parents.

Box office expectations:
This is a very busy weekend as there are not only three wide releases, but Captain America: Civil War should still do very good business for at least one more week. That being said, families haven’t had a movie aimed squarely at them since last month’s The Jungle Book so The Angry Birds Movie should be able to take advantage of that. Look for it to compete with the top spot against Civil War in the high $30 million range.

Final thoughts:
The Angry Birds Movie should be fun for kids, even if it doesn’t reach the heights of The LEGO Movie. After a month of almost no family entertainment, it should perform pretty well at the box office as well.

The Nice Guys

What we are excited about:
This seems like it could be one of the coolest films of the summer as Shane Black has proven he can direct dark comedy crime thrillers with 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Pairing Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling seems to have been a great idea as their comedic chemistry is on full display in the trailers and the 1970s vibe totally works.

What we are worried about:
This could be a case of the trailers being really funny and then the movie just being average. Comedies always run the risk of showing the best jokes in the trailers, so hopefully that is not the case here. Also, we hope the crime story is not overshadowed by the comedy. Story still matters.

Critical reception (if any):
The film has gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews as it sits at 95% on RottenTomatoes and 73 on MetaCritic. Critics are saying it’s funny, violent, and a decent crime thriller as well.

Box office expectations:
Out of the three wide releases this weekend, this seems to be the one least likely to breakout. It does not have the recognizable brand the other two have and Neighbors 2 might steal many comedy seeking moviegoers. Look for it to finish with around $15 million this weekend.

Final thoughts:
The Nice Guys looks like a great crime thriller comedy that will probably be more of a cult hit than a commercial one.

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

What we are excited about:
Personally, I loved Neighbors. I thought it was one of the best comedies of 2014 and continued Seth Rogen’s comedy-hit winning streak. The film was raunchy, fast-paced, well-written, and actually had a little heart underneath all of the hijinks. The trailers for this installment seem to be hitting those same notes and return most of the talent that made the first movie great. Add in a sorority and it looks like comedic gold could strike twice.

What we are worried about:
That being said, comedy sequels are rarely any good. Most of the time they either try to simply replicate what worked so well in the first installment, they just feel like remakes. Or in The Hangover Part III’s case, they try to differentiate themselves so much that they end up feeling like completely different movies. Neighbors 2 seems to feature almost the same exact plot as the first, which could work, but could also feel like a lazy remake. Hopefully they go the 22 Jump Street way of making it feel fresh despite hitting most of the same notes.

Critical reception (if any):
Reviews have been slightly less positive than the first movie, as it sits at 66% on RottenTomatoes and 50 on MetaCritic. Critics say that it is very fast paced and funny, but never proves why it needed to be made.

Box office expectations:
Neighbors was a huge hit in 2014 as it opened to $49 million and went on to gross $150 million at the domestic box office. Comedy sequels are little harder to predict as they usually open lower than the first installment (like Ted 2 did last year), but there are cases where they over-perform (like Pitch Perfect 2 and the aforementioned 22 Jump Street). Facing much tougher competition this time around, it should open lower than the first but still compete for the top spot against Civil War and The Angry Birds Movie. Look for a mid-$30 million opening weekend.

Final thoughts:
Hopefully Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising hits most of the same notes the first movie did, but not so much that it feels like a rehash. The trailers have been mostly funny and should do solid business at the box office.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.
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