It was another great weekend for American Sniper. In an era where movies drop 50-per-cent or more on their second weekend, it dropped just 28-per-cent, earning another $64 million for a total of over $200 million. If it stays on the same track, it has a chance of beating The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 as the top movie of 2014.
And although it is not grossing nearly as much, Paddington dropped only 35-per-cent on its second weekend with great word-of-mouth, meaning that it will have a longer than normal life in theatres and do very well when it comes home.
Awards season continued last Sunday with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, which is usually a good indicator of what might happen at the Academy Awards.
At this point, it looks like the following are locks at the Oscars: J.K. Simmons, Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash; Patricia Arquette, Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood and Julianne Moore for Still Alice.
Even though Eddie Redmayne was the surprise winner for Best Actor at the SAG awards, the favourite still seems to be Michael Keaton for Birdman. However, Birdman did win Best Ensemble at the SAGs (which may be an indicator for Best Picture at the Oscars), so it may take some attention away from Boyhood, which won Best Drama at the Golden Globes.
If you missed Birdman the first time it came to Kelowna, you have another chance starting this weekend at Landmark Cinemas Grand 10.
Of the new movies opening this weekend, none are likely to take the top spot away from American Sniper. In Project Almanac, a group of friends discover plans to build a time machine and then build one themselves. They use the time machine initially to undo past mistakes, and eventually their goals turn towards their own gain and pleasure but soon realize that changing the past has dire consequences in the future.
The topic of time travel has already been seen in a lot of sci-fi but producer Michael Bay and the young cast might attract a young audience.
Kevin Costner serves as both producer and star of Black or White, as a grandfather suddenly left to care for his beloved granddaughter. When her paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer, The Help) seeks custody the little girl is torn between two families who love her deeply. With the best intentions at heart, both families fight for what they feel is right and are soon forced to confront their true feelings about race, forgiveness and understanding.
