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The Preview Reel: Is A Wrinkle in Time Your Best Bet?

Scott Davis
The Preview Reel

Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Black Panther continued its box-office dominance as it passed the $500 million mark domestically this past weekend. This week, Disney looks to keep up its winning ways with not only Black Panther, but with A Wrinkle in Time as well. The Mouse House will have a lot of competition as three other wide releases also open in the form of The Hurricane Heist, The Strangers: Prey at Night, and Gringo. There are a lot of options, but which are worth a trip to the cineplex?

 

A Wrinkle in Time

What we are excited about: Ava DuVernay is one of the more intriguing directors working right now with her last two movies, Selma (2014) and 13th (2016), receiving a lot of awards attention. She always brings a strong style and unique flair to each of her projects, so working on a big-budget Disney film should be an interesting partnership. DuVernay has also assembled a strong cast with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, and Oprah Winfrey. A proven director and a strong cast usually adds up to a good flick.

What we are worried about: The source material has been called un-filmable, and the trailers seem to highlight why. The trailers so far have been light on story and heavy on the visuals, which we hope isn’t the case with the movie itself. We are confident it won’t be as bad as the recent “Alice in Wonderland” (Alice in Wonderland [2010] and Alice Through the Looking Glass [2016]) films, but the over-saturation of CGI is giving us that vibe. We have confidence in DuVernay and hope she puts emphasis on the story she wants to tell.

The Buzz: The major hook for this movie is that this is the largest budgeted film ever to be helmed by an African American woman ($103 million). A lot of people are excited about that, but Disney underestimated how big Black Panther was going to be and this could affect A Wrinkle in Time. With no reviews as of this writing, we’re not sure how critical reception will affect the box office, but look for a solid opening around $40 million.

Final Thoughts: If you have any interest in this movie, it seems like it should probably be experienced on the big screen.

 

The Hurricane Heist

What we are excited about: The thing we’ll get most excited about with regards to this movie is that it could make for a fine Friday night rental a couple of months from now. Although it boasts a watchable cast, that includes Toby Kebbell and Maggie Grace, and a plot that seems so ridiculous it could actually be entertaining, we’d still rather spend our money on a rental than an actual ticket.

What we are worried about: The biggest concern here has to be director Rob Cohen. The man has turned in some sub-par action flicks over the years. Sure, he directed The Fast and the Furious (2001) and Dragonheart (1996), but he has some true stinkers on his resume such as The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), Stealth (2005), Alex Cross (2012), and The Boy Next Door (2015). He seems to make low-budgeted genre flicks that the studios hope become sleeper hits, but we don’t see that happening with The Hurricane Heist. The plot looks ridiculous and the action seems overly CGI, which is never a good combo.

The Buzz: There is almost no buzz with regards to this movie as there are a lot of adult action films out there right now. Between Red Sparrow, Death Wish, and Black Panther, we think that The Hurricane Heist will get lost in the, ahem, storm. Look for an opening around $5 million.

Final Thoughts: Save your money and rent it in a couple months—if you’re still interested.

 

The Strangers: Prey at Night

What we are excited about: The first Strangers movie was pretty scary, when it came out ten years ago. It was a very quiet horror movie that seemed to be cut from a different cloth than most horror flicks coming out at the time. It was a moderate success and we’ve been looking forward to a sequel for a while, and now we have one. From the director of the fun thriller 47 Meters Down (2017), we hope that Johannes Roberts can duplicate what was so effective a decade ago.

What we are worried about: Do we really need a sequel this late? The Strangers didn’t have the staying power of horror flicks like Saw (2004) or Insidious (2010), so why do we need a sequel ten years later? It seems like this movie is at least eight years too late and the buzz from the first movie has long since died out.

The Buzz: If a Strangers sequel came out in 2010, it would probably have been a big hit, but since it is coming out in 2018, we don’t have high hopes. No one is really talking about it and it will probably open low around $7 million.

Final Thoughts: We’re excited for another Strangers movie, but it feels like it’s just too late.

 

Gringo

What we are excited about: The cast is the only reason to be even remotely excited about this movie. David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, and Thandie Newton together in one movie should be worth the price of admission alone, but we have numerous concerns.

What we are worried about: This movie looks downright terrible. There is no other way to say it, and with a first-time director in Nash Edgerton (Joel’s brother) at the helm, there isn’t a strong chance this could be a surprise hit. Just watch the trailers and you’ll see what we mean.

The Buzz: Much like the other releases, apart from A Wrinkle in Time, no one is really talking about this movie. With the strong competition it’s up against, we’ll predict that this movie will be forgotten soon. Look for an opening around $3 million.

Final Thoughts: Watch these great actors in any of their other movies.

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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