It’s almost a struggle to find new things to say about a franchise as reliably consistent and consistently massive as Illumination’s Despicable Me/Minions brand, but we did our best. Was Despicable Me 3’s domestic downturn a fluke or did the extended wait and pre-COVID nostalgia for the brand prevent a continual box office downward trajectory for the top-grossing animated franchise around? More pressingly, just how bad is a $3 million Fri-Sun/$6 million Thurs-Sun debut for The Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, which was supposed to be Angel Studios’ big summer season event? And while Kill was never going to break out, were we wrong to expect more from A24’s MaXXXine? All that and more, in episode 23 of The Outside Scoop: The Box Office Podcast.
In terms of the written word…
Lisa noted a few examples of infamous horror movie bombs, including gems like Splice and Event Horizon and less inspired flicks like Supernova and Renfeld. This implicitly reminds us that the notion of high(er)-profile scare flicks tanking is not remotely a 2024 development.
Ryan offered his quick “cautious optimism” take on the apparent merger of Skydance and Paramount, arguing that… and I agree… it was probably the best bad result amid all bad results.
Finally, Jeremy examined in depth how IATSE members continue to push for less draconian and safer working conditions (and fewer 12-15 hour days as a matter of industry expectation).
As always, if you like what you’re hearing, like, share, comment, and smash (using a cartoon mallet) that subscribe button with every justified ounce of strength and passion.
Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap
Lisa Laman - Looper, Cultress and Autostraddle
Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria
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