Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: BirdsOfPreyMovie.net
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Release Date: February 7th, 2020
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material.
Source: Based on Comic/Graphic Novel
Genre: Action
Keywords: 3-D, IMAX: DMR, F-Rated, Relationships Gone Wrong, Enemies Forced to Work Together, Ensemble, LGBT
Directed By: Cathy Yan
Written By: Christina Hodson
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor
Production Budget: Reported at $75 million
Box Office Potential: $175 million

Suicide Squad was a mess. It had a rushed pre-production, the initial cut of the movie was several hours long, and the editing was clearly done for time and not to enhance the viewing experience. One of the only things to work in the movie was Margot Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn, so I’m not surprised she’s getting a spin-off. I’m a little surprised the buzz isn’t stronger. A lot of people are assuming it will have the worst box office performance in the DCEU. Granted, it does have the lowest production budget and the release date isn’t a prime release date, but I can’t see it getting beat by Shazam. This film has a more established character and it is aimed at a wider audience. Additionally, the film has no competition opening weekend and the Valentine’s Day / Presidents Day long weekend is the next week, so it should have a good hold. Granted, I’m more bullish than most people, but I think this film could become the biggest hit of the year so far and easily make enough to justify a sequel or two.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: SearchlightPictures.com/Downhill/
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: February 14th, 2020
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual material.
Source: Remake
Genre: Drama
Keywords: Sundance Film Festival 2020, Comedy Drama, Disaster, Dysfunctional Family, Foreign-Language Remake, Relationships Gone Wrong
Directed By: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Written By: Jesse Armstrong, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, Ruben Ostlund
Starring: Will Ferrell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Production Budget: Unknown - Estimated at $20 million
Box Office Potential: $35 million

An English-language remake of Force Majeure. Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus star as a husband and wife whose marriage is suffering. They take their kids on a ski vacation, but when a minor avalanche hits, Will Ferrell panics, runs away rescuing his phone, not his family. This turns a troubled marriage into something worse.

This is the first film released under the new Searchlight Pictures label. Because of that, I think Disney cares more about this movie than it would other films made by Fox. There are some positive signs, as the writer / director team of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash have success both at the box office and with critics. Unfortunately, the buzz here is quieter than I would like and its early reviews are mixed. Furthermore, neither Will Ferrell or Julia Louis-Dreyfus are massive box office draws at the moment. Finally, this is arguably the smallest of the four films opening this weekend and I fear it will slip between the cracks.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: FantasyIsland.movie
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Release Date: February 14th, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, terror, drug content, suggestive material and brief strong language.
Source: Based on TV
Genre: Horror
Keywords: Modern Adaptation, Supernatural, Wish Granters, Revenge, Tortured as Punishment, Bullies, Remake with a Different Genre
Directed By: Jeff Wadlow
Written By: Jeff Wadlow, Christopher Roach, Jillian Jacobs, Gene Levitt
Starring: Michael Peña, Lucy Hale
Production Budget: $7 million
Box Office Potential: $45 million

This is a film that confuses and intrigues me. It is a remake of the TV show of the same name, a show that certainly had peril in a lot of the fantasies, but were not true horror films in any real stretch of the imagination. This film is a straight up horror movie. I’m not sure fans of the original show are interested in horror movies, while I’m not sure fans of horror movies even remember what Fantasy Island was. The show is almost as old as I am. On the other hand, the film was made by Blumhouse and their track record with low-budget horror movies is impressive, so I think this film will be profitable, even if it not the biggest release of the week.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: ThePhotographMovie.com
Distributor: Universal
Release Date: February 14th, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexuality and brief strong language.
Source: Original Screenplay
Genre: Drama
Keywords: Romance, Dysfunctional Family, Non-Chronological, Photography, F-Rated, Adult Child Dealing with the Death of a Parent
Directed By: Stella Meghie
Written By: Stella Meghie
Starring: Issa Rae, Lakeith Lee Stanfield, Chante Adams, Y'Lan Noel
Production Budget: Unknown - Estimates at $10 million
Box Office Potential: $35 million

When a famous photographer dies, her estranged daughter has to deal with the ramifications. Part of this is dealing with the reporter assigned to cover her mother’s death, Lakeith Lee Stanfield and the two begin to fall in love. This is a romantic drama opening on Valentine’s Day and that’s got to count for something. On the other hand, the buzz is really quiet and I fear that despite the release date, it will struggle to find an audience.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: SonicTheHedgehogMovie.com
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: February 14th, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG for action, some violence, rude humor and brief mild language.
Source: Based on Game
Genre: Adventure
Keywords: Motion Capture Performance
Directed By: Jeff Fowler
Written By: Patrick Casey, Josh Miller, Oren Uziel, Evan Susser, Van Robichaux
Starring: Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey
Production Budget: Reported at $90 million
Box Office Potential: $105 million

Paramount Pictures really needs a hit, as they went all of 2019 without a single $100 million hit. When the promotional material for Sonic The Hedgehog first came out, the response was so negative that it was almost guaranteed that this film would bomb. However, the reception for the new design for the title character has been a lot more positive. I still don’t think it will be a monster hit, but getting to the century mark is now more likely than not. It’s a family film opening during a long weekend and the only direct competition will be well out of the top five by then. This is assuming the reviews are not a total disaster. If its Tomatometer Score is 40% positive or better, then it should crack $100 million domestically.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: STCFilms.com/TheBoy2/
Distributor: STX Entertainment
Release Date: February 21st, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for terror, violence, disturbing images and thematic elements.
Source: Original Screenplay
Genre: Horror
Keywords: Isolation Horror, Sequels Without Their Original Stars, United Kingdom, Living Toys, Country Mouse, City Mouse
Directed By: William Brent Bell
Written By: Stacey Menear
Starring: Katie Holmes, Christopher Convery, Ralph Ineson, Owain Yeoman
Production Budget: Unknown - Estimated at $10 million
Box Office Potential: $25 million

A family move from the big city to an isolated country estate to help their son, who has exhibited some disturbing behavior. Unfortunately, they move to the Heelshires’ former home, where the events of The Boy took place. How do you make a sequel to a horror film that was based on a surprise twist? It seems like a huge risk. Furthermore, there has been too much direct competition to come out this year and I think we’ve past market saturation for low-budget horror movies. That said, it likely didn’t cost more than the first film to make, so as long as it doesn’t collapse at the box office, it will make a profit, eventually.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: Family.FoxMovies.com/Movies/Call-Of-The-Wild
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Release Date: February 21st, 2020
MPAA Rating: PG for some violence, peril, thematic elements and mild language.
Source: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre: Adventure
Keywords: Canada, Yukon, Gold Rush, Animal Lead, Autumn Years, Arctic Circle, 1890s
Directed By: Chris Sanders
Written By: Michael Green, Jack London
Starring: Harrison Ford
Production Budget: Reported at $125 million
Box Office Potential: $55 million

A live action family film with an okay box office potential, but a higher than acceptable production budget. We’ve already seen one of those come out this year and it wasn’t pretty. Furthermore, this film seems a lot more old-fashioned and I don’t think that will help it at the box office. On the positive side, I think this film’s budget, while high for this type of film, isn’t as extreme, while its reviews will likely be a lot better, so that should help its chances to break even. Back to the negative side, this film has a far worse release date and more or less direct competition opening just a week before. I don’t think it will exactly bomb in theaters and perhaps it will be a hit on Disney+, but that’s as enthusiastic as I can get.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: FocusFeatures.com/Emma
Distributor: Focus Features
Release Date: February 28th, 2020 (Expands Wide)
MPAA Rating: PG for brief partial nudity.
Source: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre: Drama
Keywords: Romance, Relationship Advice, Costume Drama, England
Directed By: Autumn de Wilde
Written By: Eleanor Catton, Jane Austen
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy
Production Budget: Unknown - Estimated at between $10 million and $20 million
Box Office Potential: $35 million

The latest adaptation of the Jane Austen novel of the same name, this time starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the titular role. This novel has been adapted into countless TV and theatrical releases, including Clueless. It’s at the sweet spot when it comes to adaptations, as there have been enough that most people are familiar with the story and therefore more interested in seeing it. However, there hasn’t been a definitive adaptation, one that this one will pale in comparison too. On the downside, the release date isn’t ideal and Anya Taylor-Joy is too new in the business to really have box office drawing power. She has received a lot of critical praise for her performances so far, there just haven’t been enough of them to show she can consistently sell tickets. Finally, I’m not 100% sure the film is opening truly wide. If it does open truly wide, then I could see it getting to $50 million. If it only opens in a few hundred theaters, then I could see it opening poorly and failing to expand beyond that.

Trailer: Click to Play
Official Site: TheInvisibleManMovie.com
Distributor: Universal
Release Date: February 28th, 2020
MPAA Rating: R for some strong bloody violence, and language.
Source: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre: Horror
Keywords: Psychological Horror, Development Hell, Suicide, Faked Suicide, Relationships Gone Wrong, Domestic Abuse, Inheritance, Stalker
Directed By: Leigh Whannell
Written By: Leigh Whannell, H.G. Wells
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Production Budget: Unknown - Reported at $10 million or less
Box Office Potential: $35 million

This film has had a very troubled development. How bad was it? This film was originally going to be part of the Dark Universe. It was supposed to be a big budget action film set in the same universe as The Mummy, but that film bombed and the Universal Monsters franchise collapsed. Because Universal pulled the plug on that plan, this film was reworked into a low budget offering. Sadly, there have been too many recent low-budget horror movies to come out and Universal alone has released two such films in the previous two months, Black Christmas and The Turning, both of which bombed. I think this film will perform better, but I don’t think it will be a major hit, or even a midlevel hit. I think it will merely do well compared to its costs.