Mid-April is usually the last big hurrah for major movies before Hollywood begins to go into a short-lived slumber before the arrival of summer movie season. Of course, back when summer movies rarely started rolling out before Memorial Day, the pause started a bit later than it does these days.
One Year Ago--April 10, 2020:
#1 Movie/New Theatrical Releases:
Trolls World Tour--NA/NA/71%/51--One of the only new major studio releases to get a theatrical release during the first few months of the pandemic, this sequel to the successful 2016 animated film saw the now Queen Poppy (Anna Kendrick) learn there are multiple troll tribes, each obsessed with a different genre of music, and the queen of the hard rock tribe (Rachel Bloom) intends on forcing all trolls under her leadership and her preferred genre. Justin Timberlake, who knows a bit about pop music, returned as Kendrick's pessimistic boyfriend, James Corden voiced another sidekick, Ron Funches played a pop troll who discovers he's actually a hip hop troll, and numerous musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne, Anderson .Paak, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, and Kelly Clarkson playing various trolls, and other actors, including Karan Soni, Sam Rockwell, Kunal Nayyar, Jamie Dornan, Anthony Ramos, and Charlyne Yi playing various other trolls. Critics were surprisingly kind to the film. While Universal chose not to report the film's grosses, it is estimated that, by early June, it had grossed $3.6 million from the handful of theaters that were open. The film also became the first major studio film to be released for at-home streaming at the same time it opened in theaters, and is estimated to have grossed around $150 million from PPV sales.
Director: Walt Dohrn and David P. Smith
Five Years Ago--April 8, 2016:
New Wide Releases:
The Boss--1/$23.6 million/$63.3 million/50/21%/40--After getting arrested for insider trading and losing everything, a formerly successful--and notoriously nasty--businesswoman (Melissa McCarthy) is forced to move in with her former personal assistant (Kristen Bell), where she begins to try to rebuild her empire by using the not-Girl Scout troop of Bell's daughter (Ella Anderson). Peter Dinklage played a business rival of McCarthy's, Annie Mumolo played a Scout mother, Kristen Schaal played the head of the troop, Cecily Strong played Bell's new boss, Margo Martindale played a nun, T-Pain made a cameo appearance as himself, and Kathy Bates played McCarthy's former mentor. McCarthy teamed with her husband Ben Falcone (who also played her lawyer) for the second time after 2014's flop Tammy (also co-starring Bates), only to see this one do worse, both critically and commercially. Apparently deciding love is more important than good reviews, McCarthy has gone on to star in three other poorly received films directed by Falcone.
Director: Ben Falcone
Hardcore Henry--5/$5.1 million/$9.3 million/139/52%/51--This gimmicky action movie was shot entirely from the prospective of the title character, an amnesiac cyborg fighting his way across Moscow to rescue his wife (Haley Bennett) from an evil mercenary (Danila Kozlovsky). Sharlto Copley played a scientist and his various clones, and Tim Roth appeared in flashback scenes. The film received mixed reviews, but was ignored by audiences, as it opened poorly and disappeared out of theaters almost immediately.
Director: Ilya Naishuller
New Limited Releases:
Demolition--$2 million/206/53%/49--After his wife (Heather Lind) is killed in a car accident, a man (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins behaving erratically, becoming obsessed with taking things apart and connecting with a customer service representative (Naomi Watts). Chris Cooper and Polly Draper played his in-laws, and Debra Monk played his mother. Critics weren't much impressed, and the film failed to make an impact outside of art houses.
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Ten Years Ago--April 15, 2011:
New Wide Releases:
Rio--$39.2 million/$143.6 million/18/72%/63--In this successful animated action comedy, a blue macaw raised in captivity in Minnesota (Jesse Eisenberg) and his owner (Leslie Mann) travel to Rio de Janeiro to mate him with a female macaw (Anne Hathaway) to help preserve the species, only for them to be pursued by bird smugglers led by a jealous cockatoo (Jemaine Clement). Like many animated movies of the era, this one has an all-star cast, including Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, Jake T. Austin, Jane Lynch, and Wanda Sykes. Critics liked it, and it was the highest-grossing animated non-sequel/spinoff of 2011, easily outgrossing fellow spring animated releases Rango and Hop. The Original Song "Real in Rio" would be Oscar nominated. A sequel would follow in 2014.
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Scream 4--$18.7 million/$38.2 million/78/60%/52--The first of two 2011 attempts by The Weinstein Company to revive late 90s/early aught trilogies with a belated fourth entry (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World would follow in August, and gross almost exactly the same amount), this has Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox returning to investigate a new series of murders of horror movie-savvy high school students in Campbell's hometown by yet another killer wearing the iconic Ghostface costume. Among the potential victims/killers were Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Rory Culkin, Mary McDonnell, and Alison Brie, with cameos by Anna Paquin and Kristin Bell. This was better-received than Scream 3 had been 11 years earlier, but the franchise's audience had clearly moved on. Nevertheless, it would be followed by a TV series, and another much-belated sequel, once again with Cox, Arquette, and Campbell, along with a cast of current 20-somethings playing high schoolers, will come out next year.
Director: Wes Craven
New Limited Releases:
The Conspirator--$11.5 million/135/56%/55--In this handsomely mounted but dull period courtroom drama, a Northern veteran (James McAvoy) is ordered to defend the one woman (Robin Wright) charged as part of John Wilkes Booth's conspiracy to kill Abraham Lincoln and other prominent government officials on the night of April 14, 1965 (only Lincoln's assassination went as planned). As McAvoy comes to believe her innocence, he is shunned and condemned by his former friends and colleagues. Director Robert Redford recruited an all-star cast, including Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Danny Huston, Stephen Root, Jonathan Groff, Justin Long, Norman Reedus, John Cullum, Colm Meaney, and James Badge Dale, but reviews weren't better than respectable, and audiences stayed away.
Director: Robert Redford
Atlas Shrugged: Part I--$4.6 million/157/12%/28--This adaption of the first third of Ayn Rand's ode to selfishness starred a pre-Orange is the New Black Taylor Schilling as a railroad baroness who teams with metal tycoon Grant Bowler to replace aging railroad tracks with Bowler's revolutionary metal, only to have to overcome a government determined to destroy rich and creative people at all costs. A few familiar character actors, including Jon Polito, Michael Lerner, Christina Pickles, Joel McKinnon Miller, Michael O'Keefe, and June Squibb pop up in small roles. Even though the film was a financial and critical disaster, the producers decided to ignore what the free market was screaming at them, and would produce two further sequels, each with a completely different cast, and each of which also bombed.
Director: Paul Johansson
Fifteen Years Ago--April 14, 2006:
New Wide Releases:
Scary Movie 4--1/$40.2 million/$90.7 million/20/35%/40--The fourth entry of the inexplicitly popular spoof series took on Saw, The Grudge, The Village, and War of the Worlds. Anna Faris and Regina Hall, the two mainstays of the franchise, return for the final time, joined by a much-better-than-necessary cast, including Craig Bierko, Bill Pullman, Molly Shannon, Michael Madsen, Cloris Leachman, Shaquille O'Neal, Dr. Phil, and James Earl Jones, along with franchise vets Leslie Nielsen, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Hart, Chris Elliott, Carmen Electra, Simon Rex, and Charlie Sheen. Reviews were pretty typical of the series, which had never gotten any critical respect, and after a big opening, grosses dropped off quickly. Scary Movie V would arrive in 2013.
Director: David Zucker
The Wild--4/$9.7 million/$37.4 million/84/19%/47--Eleven months after Madagascar, Disney released this independently produced animated comedy with largely the same plot. A young lion cub (Greg Cipes) in a New York zoo accidently gets sent to Africa, with his father (Kiefer Sutherland) and other zoo animals voiced by Jim Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, and Richard Kind in pursuit. The group runs afoul of a herd of wilderbeasts led by William Shatner and hijinks ensue. Reviews were very unfavorable compared to the DreamWorks movie from the year before, and the film did marginal business.
Director: Steve 'Spaz' Williams
New Limited Releases:
La Mujer de Mi Hermano--$2.8 million/198/20%/41--Peruvian melodrama about a woman (Bárbara Mori), bored with her marriage and her husband (Christian Meier), starts an affair with his much more exciting brother (Manolo Cardona), only to eventually learn that both brothers have secrets. This did well at theaters catering to Spanish speakers, though it made little impact in more mainstream theaters.
Director: Ricardo de Montreuil
Kinky Boots--$1.8 million/216/57%/57--The owner of a failing British shoe factory (Joel Edgerton) decides the way to save his business is to specialize in a niche market--specifically women's shoes designed to be worn by drag queens. Assisting him is drag queen Chiwetel Ejiofor, who inspired Edgerton to serve that market in the first place. Nick Frost played a factory worker not on board with the company's new direction. This comedy didn't do that well in theaters, but later became a cult hit, and would be adapted into a long-running Broadway musical.
Director: Julian Jarrold
Twenty Years Ago--April 13, 2001:
#1 Movie:
Spy Kids--$12.5 million
New Wide Releases:
Bridget Jones's Diary--3/$10.7 million/$71.5 million/31/80%/66--This adaption of the hugely popular novel, a modern-day riff on Pride & Prejudice, starred Renee Zellweger as Bridget, a single London woman who finds herself in a relationship with her boss (Hugh Grant), despite his reputation as a womanizer, while also finding herself with complicated feelings toward an old childhood friend-now-lawyer (Colin Firth) who knows and has a very negative opinion of Grant. Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones played Zellweger's parents, and Embeth Davidtz played Firth's colleague. The comedy got strong reviews and became a solid hit, and Zellweger was nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars. It would be followed by two sequels.
Director: Sharon Maguire
Joe Dirt--4/$8 million/$27.1 million/85/10%/20--David Spade's second attempt at a solo starring vehicle was this comedy about a janitor whose tragic life story makes him a national hero. Dennis Miller played the DJ who Spade ended up telling his life story to, Brittney Daniel played the girl who befriended him, Kid Rock played her antagonistic boyfriend, Adam Beach played a friend of Spade's, Roseanna Arquette played another friend, Joe Don Baker played Daniel's father, Caroline Aaron and Fred Ward played Spade's parents, Chris Farley's brothers Kevin and John had cameos, and Christopher Walkin played another friend of Spade's. The film was executive produced by Adam Sandler, and critics treated it like most Sandler productions. It didn't do particularly well in theaters, but became a cult hit. A straight-to-streaming sequel would follow in 2015.
Director: Dennie Gordon
Kingdom Come--6/$7.6 million/$23.3 million/96/28%/48--After the patriarch of a large African-American family dies suddenly, the various family members gather for his funeral, even though no-one liked him much, in this comedy. Whoopi Goldberg played the wife of the deceased, with LL Cool J and Anthony Anderson as her sons, Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett Smith as their respective wives, Loretta Divine as an aunt, musician Toni Braxton in a rare acting role as a cousin, and Cedric the Entertainer as the local preacher. The film was received poorly, and despite a solid cast, failed to make much of an impact.
Director: Doug McHenry
Josie and the Pussycats--7/$4.6 million/$14.3 million/116/53%/47--This adaption of the comic book and cartoon series was considerably harder-edged than previous Archie Comics shows had been, though it was still a long way from where Riverdale would go two decades later. The titular band (Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, and Tara Reid) gets signed from obscurity by a promoter (Alan Cumming), only to eventually learn that he and the record company president (Parker Posey) are planting subliminal messages in pop music to control teenagers. Gabriel Mann played Cook's love interest, Paulo Costanzo the band's manager, Missi Pyle his sister, Donald Faison, Seth Green, and Breckin Meyer as members of a popular boy band, Eugene Levy as himself, and then TRL host Carson Daly also as himself. Reviews were mixed and the film flopped, but it has gained a reputation in subsequent years as a subversive cult classic.
Director: Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan
Twenty-Five Years Ago--April 12, 1996:
#1 Movie:
Primal Fear--$8.1 million
New Wide Releases:
James and the Giant Peach--2/$7.5 million/$29 million/54/91%/78--Director Henry Selick's follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas was this (mostly) stop-motion adaption of Roald Dahl's novel about the titular James (10-year-old Paul Terry, in his only movie), who escapes from his cruel aunts (Joanna Lumley and Miriam Margolyes) through the titular peach, along with a group of giant, friendly, talking bugs (voiced by Margolyes, Simon Callow, Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Leeves, David Thewlis and Susan Sarandon), only to encounter new adventures as they cross the Atlantic in the peach toward New York. Mike Starr appeared in the live-action part as a cop, and Pete Postlethwaite played a mysterious old man whose gift to Terry sets the plot in motion. Critics widely praised the film, but it proved to be somewhat of an underperformer at the box office. Its Musical/Comedy Score would be nominated for an Oscar.
Director: Henry Selick
Fear--4/$6.3 million/$20.8 million/80/46%/51--Not to be confused with Primal Fear, this thriller starred Mark Wahlberg, in his first leading role, as the new boyfriend of straight-laced teenager Reece Witherspoon. Her dad William Peterson doesn't trust him, and with good reason, given that Wahlberg turns out to be a possessive psycho. Amy Brenneman played Peterson's wife and Witherspoon's stepmother, and Alyssa Milano played Witherspoon's best friend. This got mixed-to-negative reviews and failed to make much of an impact.
Director: James Foley
New Limited Releases:
Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud--$1 million/206/96%/NA--In this French drama, Emmanuelle Béart, who has just lost her job and is behind in her rent, befriends wealthy, much older businessman Michel Serrault, and the two start a relationship that's more than friendship but still platonic. The film was well-received by critics and did OK on the art house circuit.
Director: Claude Sautet
Thirty Years Ago--April 12, 1991:
New Wide Releases:
Out for Justice--1/$10.5 million/$39.7 million/32/23%/38--Steven Seagal's fourth straight three-word-title action flick has him playing a cop trying to bring down a murderous, psychotic drug kingpin and mob associate (William Forsythe). Jerry Orbach played his captain, Gina Gershon played Forsythe's sister, Dominic Chianese played Forsythe's father, and there were early career appearances from Julianna Margulies (her first IMDB credit, in fact), and John Leguizamo. Critics were about as impressed with this one as with Seagal's previous efforts--i.e. not at all--while pretty much everyone who had come out the previous fall to see Marked for Death turned up for this one.
Director: John Flynn
New Limited Releases:
Impromptu--$4.1 million/131/76%/NA--This biopic as romcom starred Judy Davis as (female) 19th century French writer George Sand, who falls for composer Frédéric Chopin (Hugh Grant, in one of his first leading roles), despite obstacles thrown up by Mandy Patinkin, as a former lover of Davis, and Bernadette Peters, who has her own designs on Grant. Also appearing are Julian Sands as Franz Liszt, Georges Corraface, and Emma Thompson. This well-regarded film did decent business on the art-house circuit. James Lapine, who wrote the book and directed the original Broadway production of Sunday in the Park With George, which starred Patinkin and Peters, made his film directorial debut.
Director: James Lapine
Thirty-Five Years Ago--April 11, 1986:
#1 Movie:
The Money Pit--$3.7 million
New Wide Releases:
Band of the Hand--3/$2.2 million/$4.9 million/108/11%/34--Five juvenile delinquents (including John Cameron Mitchell, in his film debut, and Leon Robinson) are brought together by Stephen Lang to become the titular vigilante group, which succeeds in cleaning up their Miami neighborhood until they run afoul of a drug kingpin (Laurence Fishburne, still being billed as Larry). Lauren Holly, also early in her career, played a friend of the group, and James Remar played another drug dealer. This one is mostly notable for being produced by Michael Mann (who hoped to turn it into a TV show) and having a title tune sung by Bob Dylan, with backup by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty.
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Off Beat--5/$2 million/$4.8 million/110/NA/NA--After widely seen supporting turns in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Gremlins, and Beverly Hills Cop, Judge Reinhold made his second attempt to become a leading man. Like his first attempt, the already forgotten January comedy Head Office, it didn't go well. He played a mild-mannered librarian who, for convoluted reasons, is mistaken for a cop, and decides to go along with it, to impress a policewoman (Meg Tilly). This had a strong supporting cast, including Cleavant Derricks, Joe Mantegna (also in The Money Pit), John Turturro, James Tolkan, Fred Gwynne, Harvey Keitel, Austin Pendleton, Penn Jillette, Mike Starr, Fyvush Finkel, and Chris Noth. This got some good notices, but slipped through the box office cracks.
Director: Michael Dinner
Critters--6/$1.6 million/$13.2 million/64/50%/52--One of the more successful Gremlins rip-offs (with surprisingly sturdy legs), this horror-comedy is about a farm family (Dee Wallace, Billy Green Bush, Nadine Van der Velde, Scott Grimes) who have to defend themselves against the titular aliens when they arrive on Earth. Terrance Mann played a galactic bounty hunter, M. Emmet Walsh played the local sheriff, Billy Zane played Van der Velde's boyfriend, and Lin Shaye played a townsperson. The film was popular enough to spawn three sequels (the second one of which starred a young Leonardo DiCaprio) and a years-later TV series. The directorial debut of journeyman director Stephen Herek.
Director: Stepehn Herek
New Limited Releases:
Violets are Blue...--$4.7 million/112/57%/NA--This romantic drama starred Sissy Spacek as a photojournalist who, 15 years after leaving town, returns and meets her old high school boyfriend (Kevin Kline), who is now married to Bonnie Bedelia and has a kid (Jim Standiford). Of course, they end up picking up where they left off. Mike Starr, also in Off Beat, has a supporting role. This didn't get the reviews that a film like this needed to become a breakout hit. The director, Jack Fisk, is Spacek's husband.
Director: Jack Fisk
On Valentine's Day--NA/NA/NA/NA--Horton Foote adapted his own play in this story of a several members of a small Texas town in 1917, including a pair of newlyweds (William Converse-Roberts and Hallie Foote, Horton Foote's daughter), her ne'er-do-well brother (Matthew Broderick), Steven Hill as the town's most respected citizen, Horton Foote, Jr. as his son, and other roles for Irma P. Hall and Richard Jenkins. The drama was well-received, but was criticized as being rather slow. The film is a prequel to the previous year's 1918, largely with the same cast, and would be followed a year later by Courtship, also with the same cast (and also a prequel).
Director: Ken Harrison
Forty Years Ago--April 10, 1981:
New Wide Releases:
Excalibur--$35 million/18/80%/56--Every decade has at least one big-budgeted reimagining of the Arthur legend. This was the 1980s version, with Nigel Terry as Arthur, Nicol Williamson as Merlin, and Helen Mirren as Arthur's resentful half-sister Morgana. Then little-known actors in more minor roles included Patrick Stewart, Gabriel Byrne, Ciarán Hinds, and Liam Neeson. Director John Boorman's son Charley, who four years later would star in his father's The Emerald Forest, had a small role as Arthur's son Mordred as a child. Critics were, for the most part, kind to the film,. and it proved to be a solid box office success. The Cinematography would be Oscar-nominated.
Director: John Boorman
Going Ape!--$5.5 million/78/NA/NA--Paving the way for bad moviemaking decisions by future sitcom stars Jason Alexander and Matt LeBlanc in 15 years, this comedy starred Taxi co-stars Tony Danza and Danny DeVito, with the former playing a slacker who will inherit a fortune from his late father--if he can successfully take care of Dad's three orangutans. DeVito played the monkeys' trainer, and Jessica Walter played the disapproving mother of Danza's girlfriend (Stacey Nelkin). Working with a monkey may have worked for Clint Eastwood, but then again, he's Clint Eastwood. While DeVito would go on to a respectable movie career, Danza would mostly stay on TV until She's Out of Control in 1989.
Director: Jeremy Joe Kronsberg
The Howling--$18 million/41/71%/68--1981 was a good year for werewolf movies, with this being the first of two iconic ones released that year. After surviving an encounter with a serial killer (Robert Picardo), a TV reporter (Dee Wallace) is sent to a remote resort to recuperate by her doctor (Patrick Macnee), only to realize that it is overrun with werewolves. Wallace's real-life husband Christopher Stone played her on-screen husband, and future Adam Sandler whisperer Dennis Dugan played Wallace's friend. Director Joe Dante hired a whos-who of older sci-fi and horror vets to appear in supporting and cameo roles, including Noble Willingham, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Dick Miller, and Slim Pickens, as well as cameos from Roger Corman and screenwriter John Sayles. The success of this led to Dante getting hired to direct Gremlins.
Director: Joe Dante
Nighthawks--$14.9 million/50/70%/56--Sylvester Stallone starred in this action movie about a NYPD detective who, along with his partner (Billy Dee Williams) join an anti-terrorist unit to stop international terrorist Rutger Hauer (in his first American movie), who has arrived in New York. Nigel Hawthorne played a British terrorist expert, and Lindsey Wagner played Stallone's wife. The film got decent reviews, but even with Stallone and Williams (coming off The Empire Strikes Back), audiences were only moderately interested.
Director: Bruce Malmuth (also Gary Nelson)
Star Wars--NA/NA/92%/90--This re-release of the 1977 sci-fi classic is largely notable for one reason--it was the first times the words "Episode IV: A New Hope" were added to the opening crawl, helping to alleviate the confusion from 11 months earlier, when The Empire Strikes Back opened with "Episode V", and moviegoers tried to figure out how they had somehow missed three episodes. Moviegoers had to hurry--the film was back for only two weeks this time around. But it would be back in theaters again in August 1982.
Director: George Lucas
New Limited Releases:
Alice in Wonderland--NA/NA/81%/68--One of Disney's more surreal animated outings (appropriate, given the source material), this had been poorly received, both critically and commercially, when it originally opened in 1951, but by the 70s had been largely re-evaluated in a more positive light. Still, it appears that, like One Hundred and One Dalmatians the previous summer, the primary reason this was getting a re-release was to serve as the main attraction in a double feature with a new live-action movie that the studio didn't have much faith in.
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske (uncredited: Jack Kinney)
Amy--NA/NA/NA/NA--And this was the movie. Jenny Agutter played the title character, a woman who leaves her cruel husband (Chris Robinson) to become a teacher at a school for the blind and deaf in the Appalachians. Barry Newman, Margaret O'Brien, and Nannette Fabray co-starred. Apparently intended as a TV-movie, it was for some reason sent to theaters instead, where Disney immediately lost faith in it and...well, see above. From the very limited amount of reviews available on-line, they had reason to be nervous.
Director: Vincent McEveety
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