Between “Bullet Train” in August and “Wakanda Forever” in November, the theaters had a blockbuster drought. The studios scheduled no blockbuster movies for the last three months due to COVID-19. The new movies that did come out didn’t break $100 million US on opening weekend. The theaters showed old blockbusters and new non-blockbusters to fill out the schedule.
Here are the nine movies that I saw during the blockbuster drought.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” came out 1982. I didn’t see “E.T.” for the first time until it came out in IMAX theaters for the 40th anniversary this year. I figured out why I didn’t see this movie as a 12-year-old boy.
“E.T.” was boring.
Godzilla vs Kong
“Godzilla Vs. Kong” was a special engagement for AMC investors.
AMC had an unusual two-for-one stock split that divided shares between AMC and APE. AMC is the common stock. APE is the new trading unit that may someday convert into common stock.
On that note, I’m obligated to make this disclaimer. I own shares of AMC and APE stock, and I’m a member of the AMC Investor Connect program. I pay $25 US per month for the AMC Stubs A-List program that allows me to see up to three movies per week for free. AMC offered no compensation or editorial guidance.
I saw “Godzilla Vs. Kong” twice last year and didn’t like some parts of the movie. The father-daughter plot line from “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” felt like it was shoehorn into the sequel. When I saw the movie for a third time a year later, I enjoyed the entire movie.
The next MonsterVerse movie will be a bromance called “Godzilla and Kong”.
Jaws
Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” came out in 1975. I’ve seen “Jaws” many times on the small screen but this was my first time watching on the big screen in an IMAX theater. “Jaws” still remains as one of my favorite action-adventure movies of all time. Out of these two Steven Spielberg movies, “Jaws” was a better movie than “E.T.” in IMAX.
The Woman King
Based on the trailer for “The Woman King,” boycotters claimed that the movie glorified slavery. It didn’t.
The trailer represented the beginning and the end of the movie. But not the middle where slavery lurks in the background. The movie has a touching mother-and-daughter story in a society of women warriors.
Some boycotters claimed that the movie flopped with a $19 million opening weekend. During the blockbuster drought, a $19 million opening was pretty damn good. The movie cost $50 million US to make and made $65 million US so far.
Avatar 3D
“Avatar 3D” came out in 2009. I can’t remember the last 3D movie I saw before 3D faded out in the theaters and stopped being a feature on HDTVs. “Avatar 3D” was back on the IMAX screen because “Avatar: The Way of The Water” is coming out in December.
The re-release of a movie before a sequel comes out is usually done several weeks earlier. “Avatar 3D” came out three months early to fill out the schedule and avoid a busy December with new blockbusters. Disney Plus pulled “Avatar” from its streaming service to get people into the theaters.
“Avatar 3D” held up quite well with both the story and the 3D special effects.
The Good House
“The Good House” was Sigourney Weaver’s starring role in a movie in a long time. She plays a alcoholic pretending not to be an alcoholic. An unreliable narrator who lies to herself, her family, and the audience. Everything crashes when she has a major blackout, her car has a new dent, and a little boy goes missing.
“The Good House” flew under the radar, made $2 million US for its opening weekend, and left the theaters a week later.
Halloween Ends
I wasn’t planning on seeing “Halloween Ends” since I didn’t see the two earlier movies in the H40 trilogy. I saw the movie because Stephen King tweeted that it wasn’t a rehash and character driven. “Halloween Ends” was a very different “Halloween” movie that left some fans hating it. I enjoyed the different take on this classic slasher horror movie.
Black Adam
Dwyane Johnson’s “Black Adam” is a new DC character that most moviegoers may not be familiar with. The movie blended the father and son origin stories together. When Black Adam says he’s not a hero when everyone expects him to be a hero, he’s not kidding. “Black Adam” one of the better DC movies in a while.
Ticket to Paradise
Lily, played by Kaitlyn Dever, and her roommate, Wren, played by Billie Lourd, go to Bali as a graduation trip. She falls in love with a local boy and invites her divorced parents to attend the wedding. David, played by George Clooney, and Georgia, played by Julia Roberts, tried to prevent the wedding. The movie was a lot of fun despite having a predictable rom-com plot.
If Billie Lourd looks familiar, she’s Carrie Fisher’s daughter.