Mid-March movies tend to be a mixture of would-be blockbusters, would-be prestige projects, and stuff that studios need off their shelves. It also turns out to be a great time to release potential cross-over hits to art houses.
One Year Ago--March 13, 2020:
#1 Movie:
Onward--$10.6 million
New Wide Releases:
Bloodshot--2/$9.2 million/$12.6 million/28/30%/44--Vin Diesel, who hasn't really had a successful non-Fast & Furious or MCU movie since The Pacifier in 2005, tried for yet another franchise starter with this comic adaption about a solider (Diesel) who is revived from the dead by a scientist (Guy Pierce) via nanobots, and then goes after the mercenary (Toby Kebbell) responsible for his death. But of course, things aren't as they seem. Despite the pandemic setting in just as this opened, it had a decent weekend, which seems to be enough in this era to get a sequel greenlit.
Director: David S.F. Wilson
I Still Believe--3/$9.1 million/$9.9 million/32/52%/41--Two years after I Can Only Imagine transcended the Christian market to become a mainstream hit, directors Andrew and Jon Erwin delivered a near carbon copy, another true story about the tragic-but-inspirational life of a Christian musician, named after said musician's song whose title starts with "I". K.J. Apa played singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp, whose wife (Britt Robertson) is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Gary Sinise and Shania Twain played Apa's parents. Lightning was probably not fated to strike twice, even without the abrupt end of its theatrical release, but it will likely have a long life being shown at church retreats and lockins.
Director: The Erwin Brothers
The Hunt--5/$5.3 million/$5.8 million/39/57%/50--After conservative outrage at its plotline led Universal to pull this latest redo of The Most Dangerous Game from its original release date back in September 2019, it got rescheduled for the first weekend of the pandemic. Oops. An army vet (Betty Gilpin) finds herself being hunted in a game organized by liberal Hilary Swank, to take out outspoken conservatives. Among the other villains and/or victims are Ike Barinholtz, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Sturgill Simpson, Amy Madigan, and Glenn Howerton. With the mixed reviews, this was unlikely to be a hit, even if it wasn't the most snakebit movie of the last couple of years.
Director: Craig Zobel
New Limited Releases:
Never Rarely Sometimes Always--$0.02 million/255/99%/91--Two teenage girls (Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder) travel from Pennsylvania to New York City in order for one of them to obtain an abortion, in this highly acclaimed drama. The controversial subject matter would likely have kept this from becoming anything more than an art-house hit, though it was well-remembered by critics at the end of the year.
Director: Eliza Hittman
Five Years Ago--March 11, 2016:
#1 Movie:
Zootopia--$51.3 million
New Wide Releases:
10 Cloverfield Lane--2/$24.7 million/$72.1 million/44/90%/76--After a car accident, a woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finds herself trapped in an underground bunker with two men (John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.), who tell her that there's been some sort of invasion and that they're trapped there. She discovers evidence that both suggests that they're right, and that they are holding her prisoner. This thriller, a spiritual successor to 2008's Cloverfield, received near-unanimous raves and did solid business. Another spiritual successor, 2018's The Cloverfield Paradox, would go straight to Netflix.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
The Perfect Match--6/$4.3 million/$9.7 million/137/22%/41--In this romcom aimed squarely at the African-American market, a playboy (Terrence Jenkins) agrees to a bet where he'd date one woman (Cassie Ventura) for a month and see if he falls for her. This one has a surprisingly stacked supporting cast, including Donald Faison, Paula Patton, Joe Pantoliano, Brandy Norwood, Kali Hawk, and Robin Givens. It didn't make much money, but it was also cheap to produce.
Director: Bille Woodruff
The Young Messiah--7/$3.3 million/$6.5 million/149/49%/33--Christian audiences who turned out in February to make Risen a minor hit did not return to the multiplex a month later for this portrait of the Jesus (Adam Greaves-Neal) as a young boy, as his family heads back to Nazareth from their exile in Egypt. Sean Bean was by far the biggest name in the cast, playing a centurion charged with tracking Him down. This was not based on the Bible (which tells almost nothing about His childhood), but on a novel by Anne Rice--yes, that Anne Rice.
Director: Cyrus Nowrasteh
The Brothers Grimsby--8/$3.8 million/$6.9 million/148/37%/44--Sacha Baron Cohen's first two vehicles after Borat, Bruno and The Dictator, weren't exactly hits, but they did decent business. The same couldn't be said about this gross-out spy spoof, in which Cohen played a ne'er-do-well who reunites with his long-lost brother (Mark Strong), an MI6 agent, just in time for both to have to go on the run after coming under suspicion of being terrorists. Cohen was able to recruit a good cast, including his wife Isla Fisher as Strong's MI6 handler, Rebel Wilson as Cohen's longtime girlfriend, Gabourey Sidibe as a house cleaner, Barkhad Abdi as a drug dealer, an uncredited Ian McShane, and Penélope Cruz (who, between this and Zoolander 2, was not having a good spring) as a philanthropist who was the target of assassination, but it was all for naught, as it didn't even do well in the U.K.
Director: Louis Leterrier
New Limited Releases:
Eye in the Sky--$18.7 million/112/94%/73--This timely drama starred Helen Mirren as a British army colonel in charge of a potential drone strike against a house in Kenya suspected of containing terrorists. Plans are complicated by the arrival of a young girl (Aisha Takow) who sets up a stand to sell homemade bread directly in front of the house. Alan Rickman (in his final live action role) played a British general, Jeremy Northam played a British cabinet official, Aaron Paul played the American drone pilot, Michael O'Keefe the American Secretary of State, Barkhad Abdi (in his second movie of the weekend) as an undercover British agent in Kenya, and director Gavin Hood as another American military official. This got excellent reviews and did decent business in North America.
Director: Gavin Hood.
Hello, My Name is Doris--$14.4 million/122/85%/63--Sally Field, who had largely moved to TV and supporting parts, had only her second leading role in twenty years in this dramady, played the titular Doris, a woman in her sixties who becomes infatuated with the much younger new guy in her office (Max Greenfield). Tyne Daily played her best friend, Stephen Root her brother, Wendi McLendon-Covey his wife, Peter Gallagher as a self-help guru, Natasha Lyonne and Kumail Nanjiani as co-workers, Kyle Mooney as a band member, and Beth Behrs as Greenfield's girlfriend. The film got great reviews and was a big hit at art houses, even breaking out a bit into multiplexes.
Director: Michael Showalter
Ten Years Ago--March 18, 2011:
New Wide Releases:
Limitless--1/$18.9 million/$79.3 million/42/69%/59--Aimless Bradley Cooper gets a sample of a new drug from ex-brother-in-law Johnny Whitworth, which allows him to access 100% of his brain power. With his newfound intelligence, his life becomes a success, but there are others who want the drug, and he quickly realizes that there are very few people he can trust. Abbie Cornish played his on-again, off-again girlfriend, and Robert De Niro played a business executive who seeks Cooper's help. Critics were relatively kind to this sci-fi thriller, which exceeded expectations at the box office. A one-season TV series would follow in 2015.
Director: Neil Burger
The Lincoln Lawyer--4/$13.2 million/$58 million/58/83%/63--Matthew McConaughey starred in this legal thriller, playing a criminal defense lawyer whose office is the back of his chauffeured Lincoln. He begins to realize that his newest client, rich playboy Ryan Phillippe, might not only be guilty of the crime he's accused of, but might even have killed someone a prior client (Michael Peña) is in prison for. The stacked cast for this one featured Josh Lucas as the opposing DA, John Leguizamo as a bail bondsman, Bob Gunton as Phillippe's family attorney, Francis Fisher as Phillippe's mother, Bryan Cranston as a cop, Trace Adkins as the leader of a motorcycle gang, and Marissa Tomei as McConaughey's ex-wife. Despite good reviews and decent box office, a sequel never materialized, though McConaughey would land a lucrative endorsement deal from Lincoln a few years after this came out.
Director: Brad Furman
Paul--5/$13 million/$37.4 million/82/70%/57--Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who had previously teamed up in Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, worked together for the first time under another director, Greg Mottola, in this sci-fi comedy. The duo played sci-fi fans who befriend an actual alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) on the run from the government. Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, and Joe Lo Truglio played government agents, Sigourney Weaver played their superior, Kristen Wiig played a Christian fundamentalist who ends up going on the run with the group, John Carroll Lynch her dad, Jane Lynch a waitress, David Koechner and Jesse Plemons rednecks, Jeffrey Tambor a sci-fi writer, Blythe Danner an older woman who had befriended the alien years earlier and Steven Spielberg (who would cast Pegg and Frost in his motion-capture animated The Adventures of Tintin, which opened at Christmas) in a vocal cameo as himself. Despite good reviews, the audience didn't turn out, and even though this seemed ready-made to be a cult hit, it's largely been forgotten.
Director: Greg Mottola
New Limited Releases:
Win Win--$10.2 million/139/94%/75--Finically struggling attorney Paul Giamatti plan to take advantage of an elderly client (Burt Young) and his monthly stipend gets thrown for a loop when Young's teenage grandson (Alex Shaffer) unexpectedly shows up, looking to move in with him. Instead, Giamatti and his wife (Amy Ryan) take him in themselves, where they discover he is a wrestling prodigy. Bobby Cannavale played Giamatti's best friend, Jeffrey Tambour played his neighbor, Melanie Lynskey played Shaffer's mother, with supporting roles for Nina Arianda and Margo Martindale. This was director Tom McCarthy's third critical hit in a row, and was his highest-grossing film at the time.
Director: Tom McCarthy
Bill Cunningham New York--$1.5 million/193/99%/76--This highly acclaimed documentary chronicled the life of the New York Times fashion photographer. Among the famous people interviewed were Vogue editor Anna Wintour, author Tom Wolfe, journalist Mike Wallace, fashion designer Michael Kors, actress Catherine Deneuve, and then-New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Director: Richard Press
Fifteen Years Ago--March 17, 2006:
New Wide Releases:
V for Vendetta--1/$25.6 million/$70.5 million/36/73%/62--In a Fascist future England, a government employee (Natalie Portman) is rescued by, and eventually joins the cause of V (Hugo Weaving, who never removes his character's Guy Fawkes mask) who plots to bring down the government. Stephen Rea played a Scotland Yard inspector charged with finding V, Stephen Fry played a talk show host, and John Hurt played the British dictator. With its devastating virus and racist, fascist, authoritarian regimes, this Joel Silver and Wachowski-produced adaption of Alan Moore's comic series is perhaps more timely today than it was when it was released.
Director: James McTeigue
She's the Man--4/$10.7 million/$33.7 million/94/44%/45--When her twin brother (James Kirk) runs off to Europe rather than enroll in boarding school, Amanda Bynes enrolls in his place, pretending to be him so she can play soccer. Complications arise when she falls for her teammate and roommate (Channing Tatum, in his first lead role), who also falls for her (as her) but is unaware that his roommate is actually his new love. Meanwhile, Laura Ramsey also falls for Bynes, thinking she's a he. This modern day, high school set adaption of Twelfth Night also starred Vinnie Jones as the coach, Julie Hagerty as Bynes's mother, and David Cross as the principal. Reviews weren't good, but the film did OK on a low budget.
Director: Andy Fickman
New Limited Releases:
Thank You For Smoking--$24.8 million/103/86%/71--Son of a famous director Jason Reitman made his feature film directorial debut with this satiric black comedy, based on a novel by son of a famous writer Christopher Buckley, about a talented tobacco lobbyist (Aaron Eckhart) who knows how to win nearly every argument. Reitman attracted a strong cast for the film, including Robert Duvall and J.K. Simmons as his bosses, Cameron Bright (in his third film of the spring) as his son, Maria Bello and David Koechner as fellow lobbyists, Rob Lowe as a Hollywood agent, Adam Brody as his assistant, Sam Elliott as a former tobacco pitchman, Katie Holmes as a reporter, and William H. Macy as an antagonistic senator. The film attracted strong reviews and did very well on the art-house circuit, crossing over to mainstream theaters.
Director: Jason Reitman
Don't Tell--$0.03 million/460/29%/52--An Italian actress (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) begins to have recurring nightmares that lead her to realize that she has suppressed most memories of her childhood, so she visits her brother (Luigi Lo Cascio) who works in the U.S. in order to figure out just what she's repressing. This drama was an Oscar nominee for Foreign Language Film two weeks before its American release, but even so, it got mostly negative reviews and failed to make an impact at the U.S. box office.
Director: Cristina Comencini
Twenty Years Ago--March 16, 2001:
New Wide Releases:
Exit Wounds--1/$18.5 million/$51.8 million/49/33%/39--Steven Seagal has his first leading role in a theatrical release since 1997's Fire Down Below with this corrupt cop thriller that has Seagal discovering that a local drug dealer (DMX) actually isn't, and that there are precious few cops in his precinct that he can trust. Isaiah Washington played his partner, Jill Hennessy his new captain, Bruce McGill his old one, Anthony Anderson and Eva Mendes as DMX's partners, Tom Arnold as a talk show host and Bill Duke as the police chief. The film got mostly pans, but became a moderate hit, Seagal's last in a leading role to date. Washington, DMX, and Anderson had worked on director Andrzej Bartkowiak's previous film Romeo Must Die, and DMX and Anderson would work on his next film, 2003's Cradle 2 the Grave.
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Enemy at the Gates--2/$13.8 million/$51.4 million/50/53%/53--This World War II drama looks at the war from a rare perspective in American movies--the Russian side. Jude Law starred as a Russian sniper during the Battle of Stalingrad who becomes a propaganda symbol for the Soviet Union. This causes the Nazis to bring in their own expert sniper Ed Harris to take him out. Joseph Fiennes played Law's commanding officer, Rachel Weisz played a Russian intelligence agent that both Law and Fiennes were interested in, Ron Perlman played another sniper, and Bob Hoskins played Nikita Khrushchev. Reviews were mixed, but the film did decent business.
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
New Limited Releases:
Memento--$25.5 million/88/93%/80--The movie that put director Christopher Nolan on the map, this thriller starred Guy Pearce as a former insurance investigator who is trying to solve his wife's murder, despite the fact that a blow to the head has left him with the inability to form short-term memories. Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano (who had co-starred in 1999's The Matrix) play two people who may or may not be helping Pearce. Stephen Tobolowsky played a prior victim of this type of amnesia, Harriet Sansom Harris played his wife, and Thomas Lennon played a doctor. The film was mostly told backwards, with each scene taking place before the prior scene (these were intercut with bits from a phone conversation that was being told in chronological order). The film was a major critical success, and it was a huge art-house hit, spilling over into mainstream success. It would be Oscar nominated for Original Screenplay and Editing.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Twenty-Five Years Ago--March 15, 1996:
#1 Movie:
The Birdcage--$16 million
New Wide Releases:
Executive Decision--2/$12.1 million/$56.6 million/26/65%/62--A terrorist (David Suchet) has seized control of a U.S.-bound airliner, and a military intelligence officer (Kurt Russell) suspects that his demands are just a cover for his plans to detonate the plane in mid-air, releasing a airborne toxin over the country. Successfully getting aboard the plane in mid-flight, Russell and the rest of the Army special forces team (John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Joe Morton, B.D. Wong) have to figure out where the bomb is hidden and how to disarm it before it is too late. Halle Berry played a flight attendant who ends up helping the team, J.T. Walsh played a U.S. Senator on board the flight, Len Cariou played the Secretary of Defense, then-Mrs. Donald Trump Marla Maples played another flight attendant, and Steven Seagal played the leader of the special forces team. The thriller did solid business and got decent reviews.
Director: Stuart Baird
Ed--8/$1.9 million/$4.4 million/156/0%/25--The cast of Friends, then in its second season, clearly wanted to become movie stars in the worst way, and in Matt LeBlanc's case, he decided to take that literally, inexplicitly signing on to this baseball comedy where he would play second banana to a monkey (didn't the episodes involving Ross's pet capuchin teach him anything?). He played a minor leaguer who, for some reason, is put in charge of the team's chimp mascot (in reality, a guy in a suit). Hijinks ensure. For some reason, veteran actors Jack Warden and Bill Cobbs, both of whom hopefully got nice paychecks, play coaches on the team, and Jim Caviezel played one of LeBlanc's teammates. Critics were unanimous in their derision, and the box office grosses proved that the millions who tuned in on Thursday nights wouldn't necessarily pay to see members of the sextet on the big screen. This is not to be confused with Eddie, another sports comedy that would open in May, or Dunston Checks In, another movie about a monkey starring a NBC Thursday night star, which had come and gone in January.
Director: Bill Couturié
New Limited Releases:
The Celluloid Closet--$1.4 million/190/97%/NA--This acclaimed documentary charted the portrayal of gay and lesbians on the big screen from the beginning of cinema to the then-modern day. Of course, through most of film history, depicting actual gay characters was highly taboo, so such characters would be "coded", with only a select few audience members knowing the truth. Lily Tomlin narrated the film, with interviews with such notable names as Tony Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, Harvey Fierstein, Farley Granger, Shirley MacLaine, Tom Hanks, Harry Hamlin, Susan Sarandon, director John Schlesinger, and writers Quentin Crisp, Armistead Maupin, Gore Vidal, and Paul Rudnick.
Director: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Thirty Years Ago--March 15, 1991:
#1 Movie:
The Silence of the Lambs--$7.7 million
New Wide Releases:
Class Action--4/$4.2 million/$24.3 million/54/76%/58--This legal drama starred Gene Hackman as an attorney suing a car company over a design flaw that led to exploding automobiles, only to discover that the manufacturer's attorney is his estranged daughter (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Supporting players included Larry Fishburne, Colin Friels, Donald Moffat, Fred Thompson, and Jonathan Silverman. Reviews were solid, but the film attracted only moderate business.
Director: Michael Apted
The Perfect Weapon--6/$3.9 million/$14.1 million/86/42%/35--In the one and only widely released vehicle for martial artist Jeff Speakman, he plays a construction worker and karate expert who vows revenge against the mobster (James Hong) who murdered his mentor (Mako). Mariska Hargitay played an old friend of Speakman's, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa played a thug. The film didn't do that badly, but for whatever reason, Speakmen didn't get another chance, and soon was regulated to straight-to-video fare.
Director: Mark DiSalle
Guilty By Suspicion--10/$2.3 million/$9.5 million/98/65%/64--Longtime producer Irwin Winkler made his directorial debut with this drama about the Hollywood blacklist, starring Robert De Niro as a director who is given a stark choice--testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and name names, or have his job opportunities dry up. Winkler's clout helped him round up an impressive cast, with Annette Bening played De Niro's ex-wife, George Wendt as a blacklisted screenwriter, Chris Cooper as another screenwriter, small roles for Tom Sizemore, Illeana Douglas, and Stephen Root, and Martin Scorsese as a director who decides to flee the country (Winkler produced, among other films, Raging Bull and Goodfellas). Despite strong reviews, audience response was tepid.
Director: Irwin Winkler
New Limited Releases:
If Looks Could Kill--$7.8 million/107/29%/NA--Jeff Speakman wasn't the only actor getting his one and only shot at movie stardom this weekend. Richard Grieco, who had briefly become a television star on 21 Jump Street, before getting his own series with Booker (which had already been cancelled by the time this opened), starred in this spy spoof in which he played an American teenager who, on a school trip to France, gets mistaken for a secret agent and finds himself having to battle a wannabe Goldfinger (Roger Rees). Linda Hunt played an assassin, Roger Daltrey played an actual agent, and Gabrielle Anwar played another teenager who had her own reasons for wanting to bring Rees down. Greico got one other chance with a supporting role in the summer action movie Mobsters, but when that flopped, it was back to TV and straight-to-video for him.
Director: William Dear
Thirty-Five Years Ago--March 14, 1986:
New Wide Releases:
Gung Ho--1/$7.2 million/$36.6 million/29/33%/48--In this rather innocuous culture clash comedy (which would definitely have a different title today), Michael Keaton (making his second of three movies with director Ron Howard) played the foreman of an American car manufacturing plant that gets taken over by a Japanese company. Gedde Watanabe played the strict new manager of the plant, George Wendt and John Turturro played American workers, Mimi Rogers played Keaton's girlfriend, and Howard's brother Clint and father Rance had small roles. Even though reviews weren't good, the film did well at the box office. A short-lived sitcom adaption, with Wananabe reprising his role and Scott Bakula taking over for Keaton, would premiere late in the year.
Director: Ron Howard
Crossroads--7/$2.1 million/$5.8 million/101/75%/55--Ralph Macchio's first--and it turned out, last--non-Karate Kid vehicle was this little-seen drama in which he played a Julliard student who ends up breaking an old blues musician (Joe Seneca, who was a real-life musician before becoming an actor) out of a prison hospital and taking him to Mississippi in pursuit of the legacy of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil. Jami Gertz played a young woman the duo meet on their journey, Harry Carey Jr. played a bartender, and Joe Morton played a supporting role. Even though critics liked it, it flopped badly. This was the second consecutive atypical film for action director Walter Hill (after the previous year's Brewster's Millions). After this, he went back to doing action.
Director: Walter Hill
New Limited Releases:
Angry Harvest--NA/NA/NA/NA--Polish director Agnieszka Holland had her first international success with this German-produced drama taking place in Nazi-occupied Poland. A lonely farmer (Armin Mueller-Stahl) discovers a Jewish woman (Elisabeth Trissenaar) who has escaped from a train, and agrees to hide her. Things become more complicated when Mueller-Stahl begins to fall for her, feelings she may or may not reciprocate. The film was West Germany's nominee for Foreign Language Film at the Oscars held 10 days after its American opening.
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Forty Years Ago--March 13, 1981:
New Wide Releases:
Back Roads--$11.8 million/61/40%/48--Sally Field reunites with her Norma Rae (and future Murphy's Romance) director Martin Ritt in this romcom about a hooker in Alabama who decides to head to California, accompanied by a washed-up boxer (Tommy Lee Jones) who owes her money. The two bicker all the way until they realize they're in love. The combo of Field and Ritt attracted a decent supporting cast, including David Keith, Michael V. Gazzo, Barbara Babcock, M. Emmet Walsh, and Nell Carter, but critics found the whole thing cliched, and it ended up making only about half of what Norma Rae made. Field and Jones did not get along at all while making the film, though they reconciled well before co-starring in Lincoln in 2012.
Director: Martin Ritt
The Funhouse--$7.9 million/71/67%/56--Four stupid teenagers (Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Largo Woodruff, and Miles Chapin) decide to spend the night in a traveling carnival's fun house, only to witness a murder. When escape proves impossible, they have to try to survive against the carnival's murderous barker (Kevin Conway) and his deformed son (Wayne Doba). Sylvia Miles played the fair's fortune teller. This received much better reviews than most of the other slasher films that were proliferating around this time, with much of the praise going to director Tobe Hooper. The film's box office was marginal, though, as the slasher craze was beginning to run its course.
Director: Tobe Hooper
New Limited Releases:
Earthbound--NA/NA/NA/NA--A friendly family of aliens (Christopher Connelly, Meredith MacRae) who conveniently look like humans, crash land in the Midwest, where a kindly innkeeper (Burl Ives) agrees to hide them while they repair their ship, but a government agent (Joseph Campanella) is snooping around, determined to capture the visitors. This was filmed to be a TV pilot, but when no network was interested, the producers recouped their losses by giving it a theatrical release (and didn't change the ending, which meant the aliens were stuck on Earth, for weekly wacky adventures that would never come). This quickly vanished after its brief run and apparently never even got a video release (though it is available in full on YouTube).
Director: James L. Conway
Expanding:
Eyewitness
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