The Box Office Podcast

Scott Mendelson

A weekly conversation about the weekend box office between myself (Scott Mendelson) and a few younger (Jeremy Fuster), hipper (Ryan Scott) and cooler (Lisa Laman) entertainment journalists. Spoiler: I am what they grow beyond. scottmendelson.substack.com

  1. HACE 1 H

    'Obsession' Compulsion and 'Shrek'-cavation

    Rendy Jones returns to discuss what went right with Focus Features’ Obsession (which actually opened with a $17 million opening weekend, with a very promising 2.46x multiplier) and what went wrong for Is God Is. - Rendy notes how Alisha Harris’ terrific crime melodrama caught between Michael (now at $705 million worldwide) last weekend and presumably Boots Riley’s more explicitely “light” I Love Boosters this coming Memorial Day weekend. - Lisa Laman sings the praises of Orion president Alana Mayo for greenlighting the likes of Till, Women Talking, Hedda, Bottoms, Nickel Boys and American Fiction. - Everyone agrees that Obsession is A) the kind of movie Blumhouse should be distributing and B) another strong example of a well-liked high-concept chiller aimed at present-tense moviegoers, hitting a commercial bullseye. - Everyone also agrees that Mortal Kombat II is proving to be a for-fans-only sequel, while Scott Mendelson wonders if the target demos just spent the weekend catching up on Karl Urban’s The Boys before the (pretty good) series finale. - There is some slight disagreement over whether The Sheep Detectives’s softer overseas grossers will somewhat mitigate its solid domestic earnings. Jeremy Fuster is more pessimistic and, thus, probably correct. - There are a few minutes spent offering salutes to Michael, Devil Wears Prada 2, Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and point-and-laugh scorn for In the Grey. - The opening third of this episode’s discourse features quite a bit of Shrek talk, since the first film returned to theaters last weekend for its 25th anniversary. You’ll never believe this, but the general consensus is that Shrek 2 > Shrek the Third! - And yes, there’s another Financial Flashback game, this time based around the highs, lows and “huh?” of 2001. Recommended Reading (or Listening)… * Scott Mendelson discusses why the best box office comp for The Mandalorian and Grogu is not a Star Wars movie but rather Batman Begins. * Jeremy Fuster interviews Drop Out CEO Sam Reich on Game Changer and more. * Lisa Laman argues that 2009 was an all-time great year for theatrical animation and that corporate consolidation means we won’t get another like it. * Ryan Scott champions the notion that The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is exactly the kind of modern-classic Stephen King book that should be prioritized for feature film adaptation. Here’s hoping Lionsgate optioning the rights (and hiring Strange Darling’s JT Molner to write and direct) bears fruit. * Max Deering pours one out for the 2006 Silent Hill movie. * Rendy Jones champions twenty movies, not just Netflix titles, that damn well deserve physical media releases. If you like what you hear... Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Rendy Jones - Rendy’s Reviews Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 30 min

  2. 12 MAY

    'Devil' Slays 'Kombat'

    Andy Gorham, self-titled gentle giant and vanilla gorilla of “Action Twitter,” joins to discuss, obviously, Mortal Kombat II. What went right (an actual Mortal Kombat tournament), what went wrong (the return of Kano meant Cage was redundant), and whether a solid ($38.5 million, and now with $41 million in four days) domestic opening is enough to compensate for a mediocre ($21.5 million) overseas debut? Did the caveats and complications around Project Popcorn and COVID mask that this was another “nobody cares outside of North America and a handful of overseas markets” franchise/IP? Could MK ever be more than a niche property? And why the hell didn’t we get at least one “Babality”? The big curtain raiser question concerns our favorite Hugh Jackman performances, during which Lisa Laman makes me regret having co-hosts by naming my personal pick first and beating me to the “He won’t phone it in even for nonsense like Pan” compliment, thus forcing me to pick (among many worthy contenders) on the fly. She makes up for it by offering a hellish, darkest-timeline Greatest Showman casting choice, complete with another terrifyingly good impression. By the way, not unlike Anne Hathaway, Jackman has been at this for so long and with such a varied filmography that he’s got a slew of turns that for others might be all-timers, but for him is “Tuesday.” Meanwhile, alongside why I do think Todd Garner’s pre-release online broadside against critics (for a film that came out of the gate with superlative reviews) did a hell of a lot more harm than good, we discuss sky-high grosses for The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Michael, alongside increasing optimism over The Mandalorian and Grogu (and further down the line) Street Fighter. We make time to discuss why Billie Ellish: Hit Me Hard and Soft was such a delight and the tragic end to James Cameron’s 32-year “every film earns at least $1.45 billion worldwide” streak. Speaking of optimism, Jeremy offers his tentative thoughts on a tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP, and everyone celebrates a better-than-hoped-for opening for the better-than-expected The Sheep Detectives. Recommended Reading (or Listening)… * Scott Mendelson argued that the success of The Devil Wears Prada 2 shows why, if it must dumpster-dive for nostalgia-targeted IP revivals, Hollywood should stick to the films that were actually popular in their day. * Jeremy Fuster dug into the details of a tentative deal/potential four-year contract between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP. * Lisa Laman offers her picks for the five summer blockbusters that had the most macro-sized impact on the seasonal Hollywood landscape. * Ryan Scott discusses how a theoretical Mortal Kombat 3 will have to deal with a surplus of heroes and villains all demanding their moment in the sun. * Max Deering couldn’t make this week’s episode, but he did go long on Mortal Kombat II on Action For Everyone. * Andrew Gorham’s latest Star Wars-centric podcast offers a recap of The Mandalorian’s first two seasons in advance of The Mandalorian and Grogu. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Andrew Gorham - Imperial Scum Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 40 min

  3. 7 MAY

    Lotta Prada or Narnia and Chill

    Somehow, Chrissi Michael returned. She and Aaron Neuwirth stepping in for last week’s Michael episode was more of a concurrent personal favor and/or a last-minute request. Still, she had always intended to reprise for this week’s Devil Wears Prada 2-centric episode. At the risk of stating the obvious, the crux of the conversation is, well, the movie that opened to around $235 million worldwide last weekend, albeit probably more of a review (preceded by a “Why Anne Hathaway is awesome, actually” discourse) than a box-office deep-dive. Nonetheless, we cover the nitty-gritty about why it was such a commercial banger, why it might leg out over the next month and how Michael concurrently held ridiculously well. Speaking of Michael, the music melodrama now looks all but certain to top $300 million in North America and at least $700 million worldwide (and potentially much more than Korea, Russia and especially Japan still on deck). Meanwhile, Project Hail Mary is holding firm. And yes, at least some airtime is allotted to discussing Hokum, Animal Farm and Deep Water. The latter third of the conversation mostly focuses on Netflix’s announcement that it will A) delay Greta Gerwig’s The Magician’s Nephew to February of 2027 and B) give it something approximating a wide-release 45-day pre-streaming theatrical engagement beginning Super Bowl weekend. Whether a change in strategy, false hope or something in between, everyone has thoughts about Netflix finally, at least on an irregular basis, joining the 20th century. Advertising before, after and during your TV shows?! Pre-streaming theatrical releases for your movies?! Such innovators! Such disruptors! Recommended Reading… * Scott Mendelson discussed how The Devil Wears Prada 2 showed that if Hollywood must revive past-tense glories, it’s better off sticking to follow-ups to films that audiences actually liked the first time around. * Jeremy Fuster discussed why AMC is expressing optimism despite posting a quarterly loss for the first 25% of 2026. * Lisa Laman offered up, well, “An Ode to Anne Hathaway’s Oddball Indie Movie Era”. This one’s headline sums it up, and… yeah, she’s right. * Ryan Scott dug into the blink-and-you-miss-it commercial failure of Saudi Arabia’s Anthony Mackie-starring actioner Desert Warrior. * Max Deering tips his hat to Jordan Downey’s The Head Hunter, a very low-budget (around $30,000) hybrid that fuses fantasy with horror while giving each genre comparatively equal footing. Uh… I’m sold. * Chrissi Michael chimed in on the fifth anniversary of one of the very best “Covid casualty” movies of the early 2020s, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Chrissi Michael - c(ine)m(a) studies Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 31 min

  4. 4 MAY

    An Hour With... Barco Cinema’s EVP Gerwin Damberg

    If you followed any of the online discourse related to The Devil Wears Prada 2 in the run-up to its release, you’ll recall much back-and-forth over the new film seeming to be, in terms of its pre-release trailers and TV spots, not as bright, colorful or otherwise “cinematic” as its 2006 predecessor. The question of why some films look and feel smaller and visually drabber than those before the 2010s (and beyond) has become almost mainstream discourse. I won’t pretend to have an expert opinion, and the explanations range from creative to financial, from an industry-wide switch from film to digital to an early-2010s change in real-world lightbulbs from sodium-based to LED that affected how the world looked to our cinematic eyes. Anyway, having missed the All Media screening before release, I caught up with 20th Century Studios’ comic follow-up this past Thursday at Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria. Or more specifically, I saw the film in one of roughly 50 locations currently offering “HDR by Barco.” Having recently interviewed the Executive Vice President of Barco Cinema (an industry leader in laser projection, among other bullet points) for the conversation that this post is setting up, I wanted to wait until I had sampled Barco’s “High Dynamic Range” format before publishing. I can attest that the film looked and sounded spectacular. Yes, it was a massive screen inside a giant auditorium, one big enough that walking up the stairs from the first row to the last qualifies as exercise. Without comparing this new(er) format with the likes of Imax and Dolby, The Devil Wears Prada 2 in “High Dynamic Range” looked every bit as richly colorful and eye-poppingly bright as the washed-out trailers did not. It wouldn’t be the first time a film I thought looked “at least as shiny as expected” in theaters looked duller and more washed-out when viewed at home on a VOD or SVOD platform, and that didn’t used to be much of a surprise. And I do wonder to what extent this discourse is, in part, about folks who mostly consume their filmed entertainment in non-theatrical environments being the ones who tend to send the “trending on X” narratives. Anyway, the goal isn’t just for this $100 million comedy to look superb on a currently exclusive and more-expensive “premium” large format but for it to look as good as hoped at every theater near you. Fortunately, Mr. Gerwin Damberg agrees with me on that front. Amid roll-out of laser projection as par for the course to plans to make Barco HDR both more widely available and potentially less of a premium offering, at least some of the conversation concerns the challenges, pitfalls, perils and promises of a future where every random matinee of any random movie at any random multiplex will be expected to look, sound and play at least “this” good. I am heartened by theater companies investing $2-3 billion in upkeep and improvements, while concerned about the increasing emphasis (at least in media and industry discourse) on “premium large formats” as the do-or-die variable for a successful theatrical release. There’s a fair share of science, tech and commerce in this 38-minute conversation, even as Mr. Damberg stressed that (my words, paraphrasing, etc.) he hopes the visual upgrade will be less quantifiable and more just subtly impressive to most general moviegoers. Frankly, this is one where I didn’t have to chime in all that much. Oh, and because this was recorded just before CinemaCon, I didn’t get a chance to ask him about his thoughts concerning Disney’s InfinityVision, but maybe that can be the hook for a sequel. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    39 min

  5. 28 ABR

    Moonwalk Hard

    With Jeremy Fuster unable to make it this week, two of our more frequent guests, Chrissi Michaels and Aaron Neuwirth, stopped by to discuss all things Michael. By the way, the Michael Jackson biopic earned $7.65 million on Monday (-70% from its $25.4 million Sunday gross), bringing its domestic four-day total to $104.9 million. The subjects of discourse include, of course, what was in the movie, what wasn’t, and how legal complications forced the filmmakers to craft a more commercially viable King of Pop biography. However, all parties agree that there could have been a happy medium between the “Passion of the Michael” melodrama that the filmmakers (and those supervising the late singer’s estate) wanted to produce and the almost comically “just play the hits” jukebox final cut. The participants (including Max Deering, Lisa Laman and Scott Mendelson) each declare their favorite music biopic, while discussing the still semi-regular habit of pundits underestimating the breakout appeal of “not a white guy” crowdpleasers, the complicated circumstances that cloud this otherwise aspirational success story and the challenging (but not impossible) hurdles posed by a potential sequel. Recommended Reading… * Scott Mendelson’s studio-by-studio CinemaCon dissections, Angel Studios, Studiocanal and Sony Pictures Classics, Sony, NEON and KGids, Warner Bros., Universal, (Amazon MGM Studios, Paramount, Disney/20th Century Studios * Jeremy Fuster couldn’t make it this week, but if he had, he likely would have put some of his written Michael weekend box office analysis into spoken words. * Lisa Laman reported on “Sapphic Open Mic Night,” a semi-regular event in Dallas highlighting the art created by an oft-silenced community. * Ryan Scott offered up his morning-after analysis on Michael’s blow-out box office debut. * Max Deering tipped his hat to Jordan Downey’s The Head Hunter, a very low-budget (around $30,000) hybrid that fuses fantasy with horror while giving each genre comparatively equal footing. Uh… I’m sold. * Chrissi Michaels chimed in on the fifth anniversary of one of the very best “Covid casualty” movies of the early 2020s, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. * Aaron Neuwirth discussed, back when the music video was attached to opening weekend IMAX prints of The House with a Clock in Its Walls, why Michael Jackson’s Thriller was one of the very best horror movies ever made. If you like what you hear...Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Chrissi Michael - c(ine)m(a) studies * Aaron Neuwirth - The Code is Zeek and We Live Entertainment Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 25 min

  6. 22 ABR

    Mummy Money, Cinema Cons and Summer Previews

    Shawn Robbins, currently at Fandango and owner/operator/etc. of The Box Office Theory, stops by for a slightly extended episode, since it’s a triple feature. First, we talk about the weekend box office, namely Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and Normal alongside a promising platform launch for Mother Mary amid solid holds for Super Mario Galaxy, Project Hail Mary and The Drama. We also, closer to the end, offer up our crystal ball predictions for how Michael might gross in its domestic opening weekend. None of us thinks it will do Bad(ly), but some guestimates might be more Off the Wall than others. Second, we go long(er) discussing what was seen (Dune Part Three looks spectacular), said (longer windows) and promised (more movies) at last week’s CinemaCon presentations. We share what we liked and didn’t like about each studio’s presentation (including why Scott Mendelson is now comparatively down on Digger) and how it felt like the first “normal” CinemaCon any of us have witnessed in nearly a decade. Third, with Michael opening this weekend, we took a beat or three to discuss what might break out or break down amid the upcoming summer movie season. Pretty much everyone agrees that Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Toy Story 5 are the preemptive frontrunners and that The Odyssey is among the few that might reach, as Jeremy likes to say, “escape velocity.” But the overall sense of the season is that there are actually enough movies to allow for solid overall grosses even if each would-be tentpole doesn’t secure best-case scenario box office. Recommended Reading… * Scott Mendelson is slowly working his way through the CinemaCon punditry. * Jeremy Fuster (and Casey Loving) go long on something we’ve all discussed since nearly the very first episode, that Jack Black is a butts-in-seats movie star. * Lisa Laman has finally found an AMC multiplex that she doesn’t despise. * Ryan Scott notes the one key plot thread amid the second season of Apple’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters that’s essentially cribbed from the 1998 reboot. * Max Deering tips his hat to Jordan Downey’s The Head Hunter, a very low-budget (around $30,000) hybrid that fuses fantasy with horror while giving each genre comparatively equal footing. Uh… I’m sold. * Shawn Robbins breaks down the factors that could shape what’s looking like a roughly $70 million Fri-Sun weekend launch for The Mandalorian and Grogu. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Shawn Robbins - Box Office Theory Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 52 min

  7. 16 ABR

    You, Me and Nintendo's Power

    Pardon the delay on both the podcast and the CinemaCon coverage. Honestly, there has not been a ton of outright news offered up amid the panels, so I’m hoping those who are interested can wait for a deep-dive analysis of what was said and shown until I have time to actually spellcheck the damn thing(s). Anyway, Michelle Kisner stopped by for this week’s (recorded on Sunday) Box Office Podcast. I invited her on because of her high-brow scholarship of low-brow cinema (yes, that’s a compliment). However, we honestly spent so much time discussing The Drama’s excellent legs and the always-frustrating zero-sum game and selective amnesia concerning films for and by “not a white guy” audiences, that we ended up saving Faces of Death (which, to be fair, inspired far more media coverage than ticket sales) for the very end. Alas, I’m again running late, so no “recommended reading’ for today. However, per usual, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria * Michelle Kisner - TheMovieSlueth Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 24 min

  8. 9 ABR

    So the (Super Mario) Drama!

    Kenny Miles, film critic and CinemaScore poller, returns for his (I think?) third go-around on The Box Office Podcast as we discuss, well, it’s pretty obvious. Jeremy Fuster couldn’t make it because of… journalism. Still, he gives A24 its flowers and offers a pithy, not-incorrect summation of The Super Mario Galaxy’s $400 million-plus Wed-Mon global debut. Meanwhile, Lisa Laman, Scott Mendelson and Kenny Miles discuss the various facets of last weekend’s blockbuster video game movie debut and what went relatively right for The Drama. Lisa explains why the video game movie has become a big-deal franchise sandbox without the movies getting much better. Kenny digs into the (whether genuine or astroturfed) online debate concerning critical judgment versus moviegoer attitudes. Scott argues that movies like The Super Mario Galaxy were never supposed to be the sort over which pundits and critics fawn. Everyone agrees that... The “Leo points and reacts” meme is not the best template for crafting IP-driven franchises. Zendaya seems to be a butt-in-seats movie star. A24 has become very good at using humor to sell less-than-conventional star vehicles. A24 is now a branded home not just for “elevated horror” but quirkier, edgier, of-the-moment and YA-skewing romantic dramas, comedies and melodramas. As long as A24 doesn’t try to remake Bloodsport or reboot Texas Chainsaw Massacre, all should be well in its respective mushroom kingdom. Recommended Reading… - Scott Mendelson breaks down why the dueling trailers for Supergirl and Masters of the Universe highlight a key reason why Marvel/DC superhero movies so lorded over the franchise tentpole pop culture mountain amid the late 2010s. - Jeremy Fuster digs into yet another round of Hollywood being skittish about comparatively inclusive movies, even while such movies are no less commercially perilous than your stereotypical “about a white guy” vehicles. - Lisa Laman warns about Skydance’s purchase of Warner Bros. (which has already bought Paramount) by discussing the damage done to New Line Cinema after its merger with WB in 2008. - Ryan Scott notes the bemusing coincidence of Paramount’s Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie and Warner Bros.’ The End of Oak Street on the same day (August 14, 2026). So, uh #SawPatrol 2.0? If both films succeed, it’ll boost David Ellison’s promise that, if the Skydance merger occurs, the promise of 15 films per year from Warner Bros. and Paramount isn’t just happy talk. - Kenny Miles reviewed Sylvain Chomet’s A Magnificent Life. - Luke Thompson (last week’s guest, since I didn’t have time for a “recommended reading section) offered up a deep-dive for Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. And in closing... If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap * Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse * Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone * Kenny Miles - We Live Entertainment * Luke Y. Thompson - Mortal Cinema, TV Line and SlashFilm Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

    1 h 23 min
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A weekly conversation about the weekend box office between myself (Scott Mendelson) and a few younger (Jeremy Fuster), hipper (Ryan Scott) and cooler (Lisa Laman) entertainment journalists. Spoiler: I am what they grow beyond. scottmendelson.substack.com

Información

  • Creador
    Scott Mendelson
  • Años de actividad
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodios
    129
  • Clasificación
    Explícito
  • Copyright
    © Scott Mendelson
  • Mostrar sitio web
    The Box Office Podcast

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