August 2023 box office preview: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ kicks off last month of summer
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August is often referred to as the “Dog Days of Summer,” and it’s not just because of the intense heat that is permeating the country, but also because at a certain point, the box office just dies, as people go on vacation and others prepare to return to school in September.
This is a particularly onerous August, not just due to the ongoing strikes that will guarantee no late night talk show appearances … or shows, for that matter. But also, since July got super-primed by the whole “Barbenheimer” craziness, as well as how well “Sound of Freedom” has done (after barely getting a mention in my July preview), the pressure is on more than ever.
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Still, the best bets for the month will be the franchise films, with a number of comic book movies and a sequel to a surprise hit. Read on for Gold Derby’s August 2023 box office preview.
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“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount – Aug. 2)
The popular Turtles, who have managed to thrill kids going all the way back to the 1990 movie that kicked off the whole franchise, return, this time in animated form in a movie produced and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and directed by Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”). With a group of teen actors voicing the Turtles, the movie is very much relying on the popularity of the characters – or “the IP” as Paramount prez Brian Robbins might put it – among kids of all ages. It also has a voice cast that includes Ice Cube, Jackie Chan, John Cena, Ayo Edebiri (who is everywhere this month), Paul Rudd, Maya Rudolph and more, all voicing well-known characters from the Turtles mythos. I’ll have more to say about this in Wednesday’s weekend preview, noting that the movie opens Tuesday night.
“Blue Beetle” (Warner Bros. – Aug. 18)
A lesser-known DC character whose movie was once going to stream directly to HBO Max (now just “Max”) is actually getting a theatrical release in what might normally be a rough part of the month. Xolo Maridueña plays young Jaime Reyes, who acquires the mystical space scarab that turns him into the superhero Blue Beetle in this movie directed by Angel Manuel Soto, co-starring Susan Sarandon. It might seem odd to introduce a DC character in their first feature this way, but DC and Warners must realize there is an absolutely ginormous LatinX community that regularly goes to movies, who will be thrilled to have their own superhero. Being released later in August may actually be a boon, allowing it to get away from the “Turtles” and possibly open with somewhere between $25 and 30 million.
“Meg 2: The Trench” (Warner Bros. – Aug. 4)
Jason Statham returns, and so does the giant prehistoric shark he faced in 2018’s “The Meg,” this time with British indie genre filmmaker, Ben Wheatley, behind the camera. As with that first movie, which grossed $145 million domestically after a $45 million opening, this one is very much relying on the bankability of Statham and the popularity of giant monster movies, as well as sharks, in this case being more than one. It’s opening earlier in the month – shortly after “Shark Week” on Discovery, which one should remember is merged with Warner Bros now. Early August can still produce a number of hits, but this sequel is opening against “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which will have more of a built-in audience. Check back in the weekend preview on Wednesday to learn more about how this might do.
“Gran Turismo” (Sony – Aug. 25)
Loosely based on the Playstation racing game and directed by Neil Blomkamp (“District 9”), this is a very different take on a video game movie, based on the real-life story of GT Academy 2011 graduate Jann Mardenborough, who went from gamer to real-life race car driver. Mardenborough is played by newcomer Archie Madekwe, with the cast also including David Harbour from “Stranger Things,” Orlando Bloom and Djimon Hounsou. This probably won’t have too much trouble against “Last Voyage of the Demeter” (below), because it does have the namebrand from the video game and looks to have some decent action directed by Blomkamp. At the last minute, this was delayed two weeks, into a terrible weekend towards the end of the month, and honestly, it might have trouble getting to the $20 million mark now.
“Strays” (Universal – Aug. 18)
A movie delayed from its original June release is this R-rated comedy involving the likes of Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Randall Park and Isla Fisher voicing lovable mutts trying to find their way to homes, with Ferrell voicing a dog looking for revenge after being abandoned by his owner (played by Will Forte). A rare adult-targeted hybrid of live action and animation, “Strays” is directed by Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”), and it should benefit from a number of very well-received trailers, which could make this a surprise summer comedy hit ala Seth MacFarlane’s “Ted” (2012) or (ironically) Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s “Sausage Factory” from 2016. Expect this one to open with $20 million or more if early reactions give it a boost against “Blue Beetle.”
“The Last Voyage of the Demeter” (Universal – Aug. 11)
Universal already tried to capitalize on its Dracula IP earlier this year with “Renfield,” starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula, but this is more of a straight horror film directed by respected horror filmmaker André Øvredal (“Trollhunter,” “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”). The cast includes Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton”), Aisling Franciosi and Liam Cunningham (“Game of Thrones”), David Dasmalchian (“Oppenheimer”), Woody Norman (“C’Mon C’Mon”) and creature performer Javier Botet (“The Conjuring 2”) as Dracula/Nosferatu. It’s definitely the type of movie that Dracula enthusiasts should appreciate, but remembering how badly the horror-comedy “Renfield” bombed, making just $17.1 million domestically, gives me pause. Still, being the summer, this could end up with an opening in the teens or maybe slightly better, and “Gran Turismo” being delayed two weeks will help.
“Retribution” (Roadside Attractions – Aug. 25)
Liam Neeson plays a banker whose life is thrown askew when he finds a bomb in his car holding his two kids in this new revenge thriller from director Nimrod Antal (“Predators”), remaking the Spanish film “El Desconocido.” Neeson’s latest revenge thriller is one of a number of films essentially being dumped into the not-so-ideal weekend before Labor Day, where movies go to die. It’s odd that it’s going up against a new film from Open Road, Neeson’s nascent home for the past few years; neither movie will be helped by that fact.
“The Hill” (Open Road – Aug. 25)
Dennis Quaid stars in this sports drama about the real-life Rickey Hill, as played by Colin Ford, who overcame his physical disability to play professional baseball. Jeff Celentano directs with Joelle Carter and Scott Glenn co-starring, and this is the type of inspirational film that could find an audience after the success of Sound of Freedom. Still, Open Road is on its last legs, and this is being dumped in a bad time of the summer.
“Dreamin’ Wild” (Roadside Attractions – Aug. 4)
Director Bill Pohlad (“Love and Mercy”) helms this musical biopic about ‘70s duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, as played by Casey Affleck and Walton Goggins, whose family raised the funds to produce their record by leveraging their farm. The movie also stars Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina, Beau Bridges and Noah Jupe (“A Quiet Place’) and Jack Dylan-Grazer (“Shazam!”) as younger versions of Donnie and Joe. Just because I haven’t heard of the Emersons, doesn’t mean they don’t have fans, but will they even know this movie exists?
“Shortcomings” (Sony Pictures Classics – Aug. 4)
Randall Park (who appears in “Strays”) also makes his directorial debut with this adaptation of Adrian Tomine’s serialized comic story from “Optic Nerve,” starring Justin H. Min (“Beef”) as a indie filmmaker in the Bay Area whose girlfriend (Ally Maki) and best friend (Sherry Cola from the recent “Joy Ride”) move to New York City, leaving him trying to find himself. This premiered at Sundance but got lost in the shuffle. Although I enjoyed it, I’m not sure it’s wise to give it a wide release.
“Golda” (Bleecker Street – Aug. 25)
Also getting a wide or moderate release is this biopic about Israel Prime Minister Golda Meir, as played by the one and only Oscar-winning Dame Helen Mirren. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv (“Skin”), this would normally be in the Oscar race in any other year. Instead, it’s being dumped into late August with a trailer just released. I smell a bomb.
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Time to get into some limited releases …
“Passages” (Mubi – Aug. 4)
The latest indie drama from Ira Sachs (“Love is Strange”) stars Franz Rogowski and Ben Whishaw as a gay couple whose marriage is threatened when one gets into an affair with Adèle Exarchopoulos. Mubi has decided to release this unrated after the MPA gave it an NC-17 rating after being well-received at Sundance.
“Jules” (Bleecker Street – Aug. 11)
Sir Ben Kingsley teams with “Puzzle” director Marc Turtletaub in this comedy in which he plays Milton Robinson, a man living in a small western Pennsylvania town, whose life changes when a UFO and its alien passenger land in his backyard.
“Between Two Worlds” (Cohen Media Group – Aug. 11)
Juliet Binoche stars in this film directed by Emmanuel Carrère based on French journalist Florence Aubenas’ nonfiction-bestseller about her own experiences exploring the state of uncertainty in French society.
“Birth/Rebirth” (Shudder – Aug. 18)
Another popular horror film from this year’s Sundance is Laura Moss’ twist on Frankenstein with the underrated Marin Ireland playing a morgue technician trying to reanimate her little girl using materials from a pregnant woman (Judy Reyes).
“The Adults” (Variance – Aug. 18)
Michael Cera, Sophia Lillis (“Stranger Things,” “Enola Holmes”) and Hannah Gross star in the latest indie dramedy from Dustin Guy Defa (“Person to Person”), playing siblings dealing with the death of their mother. It premiered at Berlin earlier this year, then played Tribeca Festival.
“Bottoms” (United Artists – Aug. 25)
At one point, this new R-rated comedy from Eliza Hittman (“Shiva Baby”), starring Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) and Rachel Sennott, was supposed to get a wide release, having played well at its SXSW premiere, but now it’s relegated to select cities. Edebiri and Sennott play queer high school chums who start a fight club in hopes of having sex before they graduate.
“The Inventor” (Blue Fox Entertainment – Aug. 25)
This stop-motion animated film written and directed by Jim Capobianco follows the life of Leonardo da Vinci with a voice cast that includes Marion Cotillard, Daisy Ridley, Stephen Fry and Matt Berry. (This is also getting a moderate release in a very busy late August weekend.)
“Scrapper” (Kino Lorber – Aug. 25)
Harris Dickinson (“Triangle of Sadness”) plays the absent father of a child (Lola Campbell) who decides to live on her own after her mother dies in this feature directorial debut from Charlotte Regan.
That’s it for this month. September will be all about the festivals and the official start of Oscar season as the box office tends to slow down even more.
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