LAS VEGAS – The last six months were massive at the box office for Focus Features. “Nosferatu” earned $180 million at the global box office and “Conclave” took $32 million in the U.S. (Focus’ only big market). The critically acclaimed drama also landed eight Oscar nominations, winning Best Adapted Screenplay. The Universal division also made a tasty profit off international rights for “Anora” and “The Brutalist,” but the last thing Peter Kujawski, the Chairperson of Focus Features, wanted to do at CinemaCon was gloat. His job was to sell theater owners on an upcoming slate they hope will be just as big, and, luckily, he has a new movie with Emma Stone to assist in those efforts.
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Kujawski did not announce any release dates or show any footage from Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Ethan Coen’s “Honey Don’t!” or Ronan Day-Lewis’ “Anemone,” but the fact he name-checked them means 2025 releases are at least…possible. The biggest hit on Focus slate is likely “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” which arrives in theaters on Sept. 12. The teaser for the Simon Curtis directed drama didn’t show much except a title card that said “it’s time to say goodbye,” a montage of some familiar faces at the races, and Maggie Smith’s beloved Dowager Countess in portrait.
Much more intriguing were the first previews of Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia.”
There is something about the aesthetic of “The Phoenician Scheme” that makes us think it’s the third in a thematic trilogy to “The French Dispatch” and “Asteroid City.” Or maybe this is just where Anderson has evolved since “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Whatever the case, this picture begins with Zsa-zsa Korda (Benecio Del Toro) falling out of an airplane and surviving for what we’re told is the sixth time. The narrator informs us Korda is one of the richest men in the world (timely) with a large family, including one rebellious daughter who is a nun and wants nothing to do with the family business (Mia Threapleton from Netflix’s “Scoop”). Korda has a plan to expand his empire. What that entails wasn’t quite clear. Michael Cera plays a bumbling love interest for Threapleton, Mathieu Amalric is a club owner, Benedict Cumberbatch has a hilarious beard, Richard Ayoade has a substantial, although unclear role, while Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, and Scarlett Johansson all popped up to wink at the camera. It has that trademark, unforgettable Anderson aesthetic with “Phoenician’s” color palette certainly darker than the American desert set “Asteroid City.”
“Phoenician” premiering at Cannes, is probably the most unkept “secret” in town, which would line up with its May 30th limited release.
Another Cannes favorite is Lanthimos, but no one is expecting “Bugonia” there, considering its not hitting theaters until Nov. 7 (although anything is possible). The contemporary thriller is a loose adaptation of Jang Joon-hwan’s “Save The Green Planet!” and feels aesthetically like a sister to Lanthimos’ last film, “Kinds of Kindness.” The short preview didn’t set up much except that Emma Stone portrays a powerful CEO who is kidnapped by Jesse Plemons‘ character. Stone shaved her head for the role, which is portrayed on screen after she’s been taken hostage. For a teaser, that’s pretty intriguing and certainly had us wanting to see more.
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