Yes, it’s a little odd to spend the majority of our conversation discussing a movie that barely topped $2 million over the Fri-Mon Labor Day box office, but them’s the breaks. After all, when Hollywood’s biggest new release is a 50-year anniversary reissue of Jaws, well… we can only salute Weapons so many times.
Anyway, Luke Y. Thompson and Michelle Kisner, both affirmed B-movie experts, offer their thoughts on the extent to which this specific (comparatively kinder and/or gentler) Toxie makes sense in terms of the property and what’s popular in 2025.
Yes, there is some chatter about the shark movie — and how a handful of very successful rereleases tie into a desire for tangible experiences and the kids’ genuine interest in movie theaters *because* it gets them off of their smart phones for 2-3 hours.
We briefly wonder out loud whether Austin Butler is slowly building his brand as an old-school (smaller budgets, fewer expectations, etc.) butts-in-seats leading man, and lightly debate whether The Roses is “thing good” (a remake that isn’t selling itself as a remake) or “thing bad” (still a remake that went out as a Searchlight flick instead of as a 20th Century Studios release).
And, yes, we again note the “Occam’s Razor” notion of the box office being below even last summer (especially for in-season newbies) because there aren’t enough movies and too many of those films are IP-for-IP’s sake revamps aimed at folks my age. When Netflix is getting KPop Demon Hunters and movie theaters are getting This is Spinal Tap II, well, that’s your problem right there.
In terms of the written word…
Scott Mendelson noted the five-year anniversary of when Tenet tried and (in the short-term) failed to restart the COVID-era theatrical ecosystem.
Jeremy Fuster explained why the Cinerama Dome has yet to reopen over five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lisa Laman noted nearly a dozen major differences between the original Shrek books and the blockbuster DreamWorks animated franchise they spawned.
Ryan Scott’s latest “Tales from the Box Office” notes the *other* infamous would-be biggie that debuted in the summer of 2020, The New Mutants.
Michelle Kisner reviewed Arrow Video’s domestic Blu-ray release of Proof of the Man, which in 1977 became the second-biggest-grossing movie ever from Japan.
Luke Y. Thompson broke down the unsurprising cultural unity between the MAGA political movement and the so-called “Christian Right.”
If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch).
Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News
Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap
Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle
Luke Y. Thompson - Mortal Cinema and /Film.
Michelle Kisner - TheMovieSlueth
