A lot has happened since our last text update. Honestly, the best way to catch-up on things would be to listen to the podcast. However, if you just want a quick-and-dirty overview of what’s been going on in the Fantasy Film League, read on (organized in order of release):
Keanu (4/29)
Scott was on a bit of a roll with two consecutive movies posting Rotten Tomatoes scores in the 90s. That took a hit with the comedy Keanu – though it did still post a respectable 76%. It fared decent in the Box Office, garnering $20.4 million in its first month and a half. At the time of this post, it had a positive Profit Margin (which is more than Everybody Wants Some!! could say). In all, it was a good haul, especially given how the guys reviewed it on the podcast.
Green Room (limited on 4/29)
Jordan’s limited release, on paper, doesn’t look like much of a winner. It does have an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes (and a 7.3 IMDb User Score) which would indicate it should do well. However, with a limited release (and not much expansion), the movie has failed to make-up the $5 million budget. The guys liked it, but it’s still a tough pill to swallow for Jordan, given the financial numbers to date. Jordan’s best hope would be a run in the box office given positive word-of-mouth; however, that window may have already closed.
Captain America: Civil War (5/6)
The crown of this “draft class” has definitely been Scott’s first pick – Captain America: Civil War. 90% on Rotten Tomatoes puts it at 3rd overall this year, but the $400+ million it has raised in just over a month is going to be hard for Jordan to overcome. Along with the biggest Box Office (for now), Cap also pulled in a very impressive 8.5 IMDb User Score. There’s no doubt Civil War was worthy of the #1 overall pick.
X-Men: Apocalypse (5/27)
Part of Jordan’s strategy to overcome Civil War had to be drafting the next X-Men installment, X-Men: Apocalypse. With an impressive track record and superb cast, the movie was supposed to be a counter-attack to Civil War. However, with just a 48% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 7.5 IMDb User Score, it certainly underwhelmed. Luckily for Jordan, it pulled it nearly $125 million the first weekend (and $146 million to date) and will easily make it into the positive Profit Margin.
Warcraft (6/10)
Though things weren’t going well for Jordan pretty much since Batman v. Superman released, he finally got the break he needed. Scott’s gamble-pick, Warcraft, ended up only posting a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes (making it the lowest release since last year’s Regular Season). Money-wise, the film has done decent enough, making $38 million to date. It still has a long ways to go to make-up the $160 million (and it’s unlikely it’ll get there). Overseas, the film has done well, but that doesn’t factor into the FFL.
Finding Dory (6/17)
Warcraft did take the crown for largest video game release (despite pour reviews), but a week later, Finding Dory took the record for largest animated opening. Not only did it pull it $135 million (almost making up for its estimated $200 million budget already), but it posted an impressive 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and the highest IMDb User Score for Jordan.
What looked like a runaway win by Scott has turned into a much closer race. Check out the entire scoreboard here and check out the latest podcast where the guys will discuss Warcraft, Finding Dory, and Midnight Special (among others)!
Radical Notion(s) 