Let’s just look at the hard numbers: Quentin Tarantino‘s new movie will need to earn $375 million worldwide to break even. Basically, it will have to be one of the biggest movies of his career (“Django Unchained” earned $425 million worldwide) so it’s arriving during the industry’s busiest window.
Sony has slated Tarantino’s still untitled new movie for August 9, 2019. The only other movies scheduled at that time are Universal’s Untitled Event Movie (any guess?) and Disney‘s “Artemis Fowl.” We’ll see if they blink, because the director’s movie is already sizing up Margot Robbie in the lead role as Sharon Tate, with Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio all rumored as potential stars.
The movie is set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969, and centers on a male TV actor who’s had one hit series and is looking for a way to get into the film business. His sidekick—who’s also his stunt double—is looking for the same thing. Meanwhile, the horrific murder of Sharon Tate and four of her friends by Charles Manson’s cult of followers shadows the main narrative. In fact, don’t even expect Manson to show up in prominent role; he will likely be on the edges of the story.
The ninth film from Tarantino is said to be in the vein of “Pulp Fiction” and it reportedly “has heart and a strong commercial appeal.” The latter point is the key, if this movie aims to make huge splash. The date puts the film in roughly the same frame as “Inglourious Basterds,” which tallied $321 million worldwide. So the foundation for success is there, but it all comes down to how the movie turns out. [THR]
