LAS VEGAS – Simply put, STX isn’t interested in your tentpole blockbusters. That’s the message the mini-major has been sending to theater owners since it first pitched its wares at CinemaCon three years ago. As chairman Adam Fogelson reiterated today, they’d certainly be happy with those box office returns, but their goal is to take their chances with the midrange pictures the big studios rarely make anymore. Word of mouth films that stay in theaters for weeks such as holiday release “Second Act,” which took in $71 million domestic, and “The Upside,” a distribution agreement for Lantern Entertainment that has grossed $107 million in the U.S. alone. The company has had other successes stories such as the “Bad Moms” franchise, the horror movie “The Boy,” “Den of Thieves” and “I Feel Pretty,” but a look at their upcoming slate at this year’s annual convention of theater owners indicated they might have truly turned the corner.
READ MORE: Theater owners are clearly shook by streaming services [CinemaCon]
With a brand new title, “The Gentlemen,” Guy Ritchie’s post-“Aladdin” thriller is a throwback to his “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrel” days without the overly frenetic turn of the century camerawork (think 2008’s “RocknRolla” or his “Sherlock Holmes” flicks). The storyline was somewhat confusing from the preview shown, but, perhaps more importantly, the cast looked like they were having the time of their lives. American drug smuggler Matthew McConaughey is teamed up with a sexy Michelle Dockery (light years from “Downton Abbey”) and tries to make a large deal with a UK crime boss played by Henry Golding. Charlie Hunnam and Colin Farrell’s characters seem to be caught in the crossfire as veteran Hugh Grant’s Fletcher smokes on a cigar with beguiled amusement.
Hunnam and Golding were on hand and revealed that Ritchie would often let the cast improvise or, as a group, they would rewrite scenes. He said it brought a unique “energy” to the production. The “Sons of Anarchy” star also said he couldn’t believe his fortune to start his morning working with legends such as McCaughney, Grant and Farrell all in one day. STX did not announce a release date for the film (in theory it’s still set for 2020), but considering its late fall shoot it seems very close to completion. Perhaps a summer or late fall surprise release is in order?
Another action pick that could be a unique breakout for STX appears to be “21 Bridges” starring Chadwick Boseman. Directed by TV veteran Brian Kirk, the studio made sure that all the title cards hyped up The Russo Brothers who are on board as producers. Boseman, who is also a producer, stopped by and seemed to relish the responsibility of the additional credit. The “Black Panther” star plays an NYPD detective who is at the center of an investigation into the murder of eight New York City cops. The title comes from his character’s order to close down all 21 bridges, cut off all three rivers and all the tunnels into the city to track down the killer. Much of the action in the preview focuses on a chase between Boseman and Stephen James (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) in a subway station and train. Fogelson admitted that Boseman’s insistence in James for the part was the right choice and that he’d recognized his potential star power. “21 Bridges” looks slick and big (it could easily have been a Denzel Washington thriller 15 to 20 years ago), but we’re still obsessed with Sienna Miller‘s, um, distinct New York accent.
Dave Bautista and youngster Chole Coleman (“Big Little Lies”) also made their way to the stage for “My Spy.” This kid-friendly comedy finds Bautista as a spy who is blackmailed by a 9-year-old girl to not reveal he’s been assigned (along with Kristen Schaal, no less) to spy on her family. Fogelson, who is seemingly obsessed with Bautista’s star prospects, made a point to make sure the audience knew the movie tested incredibly well and, for the most part, the preview played to the often jaded industry crowd. We’re not convinced Bautista can really carry a film like this on his own like former WWE colleagues Dwayne Johnson and John Cena have, but Coleman’s on-screen charisma may save the day.
Diane Keaton graced the dais to promote her older audience play “Poms” (Jacki Weaver appears to be the scene stealer) and Katie Holmes spoke excitedly about her leading role in “Brahms: The Boy 2” which looks like it will scare anyone who was scared by the first “The Boy” or somehow afraid of large dolls. STX also revealed Jennifer Lopez’s “Hustlers” with Cardi B, Lili Reinhart and KeKe Palmer was in production, Alicia Keys dance movie “Work It” was still, um, in the works and, surprise, “Bad Mom’s Moms” with Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski and Cheryl Hines is still on the way. The picture that may truly demonstrate how high STX’s fortunes can rise, however, is the animated “UglyDolls” which hits theaters in almost a month.
Based on David Horvath’s popular toys, this is STX’s first venture into animated films and to stress the importance, the movie closed the presentation with appearances by voice stars Kelly Clarkson and Pitbull. The preview of the animated music included three new tracks, “Couldn’t Be Better,” sung by Clarkson, “The Ugly Truth,” sung by Nick Jonas, and the fantastic “Unbreakable,” sung by Janelle Monae and Clarkson. The latter ended the show by singing the movie’s first single, “Broken & Beautiful,” to the audience.
Kelly Clarkson killed it closing out STX at #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/tkBLIFpIWA
— Gregory Ellwood – VOTE – The Playlist 🎬 (@TheGregoryE) April 2, 2019
“Uglydolls” is going to have stiff competition from the second weekend of “Avengers: End Game” and the well-received comedy “The Long Shot” (also sneaking at CinemaCon), but the songs are great and that may just be enough to help it pop.
Look for more coverage from CinemaCon all this week on The Playlist.
