On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, I’m joined by Playlist Managing Editor Charles Barfield to sift through the rubble of the 2018 Winter Box Office, specifically the day that will live in B.O. infamy: December 21, 2018, a day that will likely be seen as a box office cautionary tale for years to come (well, if studios learn their lesson, anyhow).
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The day that four major studios and a mini-major (STX, who released “Second Act” with Jennifer Lopez) decided to release their films in hopes of holiday glory nearly all of themselves cannibalizing their successes in some way. Some are still out there fighting the good fight (“Aquaman“), some were injured. but are making a steady recovery (“Bumblebee,” “Mary Poppins Returns“), and some died immediately on the front lines (“Welcome to Marwen“). That is nothing to say of another blockbuster that was competing for eyeballs and taking you away from the theaters at home (Netflix‘s “Bird Box“).
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However, it isn’t just Box Office D-Day that we talk about. We also get into the weeds about the alarming, ever-shrinking performance of the “adult drama,” speculate whether the strong showings for “Aquaman” and “Venom” will yield more terrible comic book films, and continually belabor the point that (courtesy of a new phrase that Charles should coin) it’s hard out there on these box office streets. Even to the point where the seemingly-invincible Disney isn’t completely bulletproof (no one has really been discussing it, but there’s no way they are happy about the performance of “Ralph Breaks the Internet“). Lots to unpack in this episode, and admittedly mostly insider baseball, but if you love numbers, statistics, and speculation, this episode is for you.
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