Films
Star Wars: The Last Jedi rakes in a whopping $450m in its opening weekend
These guys have made a mint this past weekend (Picture: LucasFilm/Disney)
If you were one of those f..
If you were one of those fans keen to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi on its opening weekend, then you won’t be surprised to know that it has taken in a staggering $450m, (£337m) in global sales so far, firmly cementing its status as a box office smash.
The film opened in over 700 sites across the UK on Thursday, 14 December in the widest cinema release of all time. The first four-day takings have made it the biggest opening of the year and the third biggest opening weekend of all time.
In the US alone, the film made $220m (£165m) on its opening weekend, making it the second largest opening weekend ever.
And what’s the only film that could best a Star Wars film? Another Star Wars film, of course! Yes, JJ Abram’s The Force Awakens pulled in slightly more during its US opening weekend at $238M (£178m) in 2015.
Saturday’s intake alone in the UK box office saw The Last Jedi take a massive £7.6m, which means Disney is smashing it with the top three all-time Saturday box office figures, alongside The Force Awakens and this year’s Beauty and the Beast.
It seems the world is obsessed with The Last Jedi right now, after it was released to rave reviews, is jam-packed with celeb cameos (including Ellie Goulding, Edgar Wright, and Princes Harry and William) and is loved by Star Wars creator George Lucas.
Even rappers Giggs and Example got dressed up to go see the movie – not to mention actual Last Jedi star Kellie Marie Tran dressing up like a Porg.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in cinemas worldwide now.
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Films
‘Antebellum’ has a ‘Get Out’ vibe, but doesn’t live up to its twist
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definite..
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definitely shouldn’t be spoiled even a little. Once that revelation is absorbed, however, the movie becomes less distinctive and inspired, reflecting an attempt to tap into the zeitgeist that made “Get Out” a breakthrough, without the same ability to pay off the premise.
Originally destined for a theatrical run, the movie hits digital platforms trumpeting a “Get Out” pedigree in its marketing campaign, since there’s an overlap among the producing teams.
More directly, the film marks the directing debut of Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz, who have championed social-justice issues through their advertising work. The opening script features a quote from author William Faulkner, whose intent will eventually become clearer: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
If that sounds like a timely means of drawing a line from the horrors of slavery to the racism of today, you’ve come to the right place.
The story begins on a plantation, where the brutal overseers carry out grisly punishments against those tilling the fields. A few have just tried to escape, led by Veronica (Janelle Monae), and they pay a heavy price for their resistance, which does nothing to curb her defiance.
Also written by Bush + Renz, the script take too long before revealing what makes “Antebellum” different, but the middle portion — a “The Twilight Zone”-like phase when it’s hard to be sure exactly what’s going on — is actually the film’s strongest. (Even the trailer arguably gives away too much, so the less one knows, the better.)
The final stretch, by contrast, veers into more familiar thriller territory, and feels especially rushed toward the end, leaving behind a host of nagging, unanswered questions. That provides food for thought, but it’s also what separates the movie from something like “Get Out,” which deftly fleshed out its horror underpinnings.
Although the filmmakers (in a taped message) expressed disappointment that the movie wasn’t making its debut in theaters, in a strange way, the on-demand format somewhat works in its favor. In the press notes, Bush says the goal was “to force the audience to look at the real-life horror of racism through the lens of film horror. We’re landing in the middle of the very conversations that we hoped ‘Antebellum’ would spur.”
“Antebellum” should add to that discussion, so mission accomplished on that level. Monae is also quite good in her first leading film role (she did previously star in the series “Homecoming’s” second season), but otherwise, most of the characters remain underdeveloped.
