By Chris Kavan - 06/05/14 at 06:45 AM CT
I have a feeling we're looking at another one and done week for the top movie. Maleficent may have given Angelina Jolie the biggest opening of her career, but considering the upcoming competition, the new angel on Sleeping Beauty is definitely going to lose the top spot. But I have a feeling the film it's going to lose to is not going to be a big-budget sci-fi epic, but rather a teen-centric romance with a heart-wrenching storyline. The proof will be in the returns.
EDGE OF TOMORROW Normally I would say a film with Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton - featuring a sci-fi, action twist that combines Groundhog Day with The Source Code - would be recipe for success. Yet the buzz on Edge of Tomorrow has been decidedly muted, if not a bit on the lower end of expectations. Based on the Japenese Manga "All You Need is Kill" (also the original title of the film, before they decided "Kill" was a bit too strong of a word for a movie title) the film follows an ordinary man-turned-solider who wakes up on the battlefield against an overwhelming alien force only to die... and come back again... and repeat. He finds another solider - a hero to the army known as Rita - who has experienced the same thing. She begins training him to be a war machine - even as they both die day after day - with the ultimate goal of changing the outcome to save humanity. I still think the film looks pretty interesting - the effects look great, the story has me interested and if they can pull it off, I think it could be a nice, little gem. But Cruise is the X-factor here - I look at Oblivion - also full of potential - that was ultimately a mediocre disappointment - and I have to wonder if this is going to turn out the same way. I am going to give it a chance. It may not live up to its full potential, but I also don't think it deserves all the negative attention it has had to deal with either.
Based on yet another incredibly popular YA novel - The Fault in Our Stars, according to Fandango, has now set the all-time record for pre-order ticket sales of any romantic drama. It has topped the likes of The Vow, Safe Haven and Dear John - and is eyes a $30 million plus opening - and it will be interesting to see if Edge of Tomorrow can match that kind of buzz. Red-hot actress Shailene Woodley, along with Ansel Elgort, play the two young lovers who meet at a cancer support group, who share the same outlook on life. The supporting case also looks very strong with Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe, Sam Trammell and Nat Wolff leading the way. This is the type of film I tend to avoid - tear-jerkers are not my thing - but at least with Woodley on board, I think it's on the right track. I would certainly watch this before you dragged me to see something based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.
It should be interesting to see if The Fault in Our Stars can top Edge of Tomorrow and how Maleficent stands up to these two newcomers. I'll have the full report on Sunday.
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