The Box Office Podcast

After appearing on all 46 of the first episodes of The Box Office Podcast (even the late June episode where it was just her and Ryan holding down the fort), Lisa Laman had to sit this one out. She’ll be back for episode 48, so you can listen to me roll my eyes at all the Nosferatu nonsense *and* shudder at the hardcore deep-dive Sonic the Hedgehog nerdery in one single episode. This time, however, we’ve got a special guest star… (copies and pastes the whole thing cause I’m a lazy b*****d), Comscore Sr. Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian!!!Anyway, it’s mostly chatter about how well Sonic the Hedgehog 3 performed over its initial domestic debut and to what extent Mufasa: The Lion King has a shot in hell at recovering thanks to that magic “Christmas-to-New Year’s” period after a comparatively terrible opening weekend. We then all discuss the extent to which the overall marketplace has been firing on all cylinders since Bad Boys for Life and Inside Out 2 in early June. Oh, and listen to Jeremy and Paul gush over the Superman trailer.Spoiler: You will believe a nearly Medicare-eligible man can cry while watching the first trailer for the third Superman reboot in 19 years. Paul had to dash at the end of “act two,” and the final portion is just Jeremy and Scott discussing the ebb and flow of the 2025 calendar. Oh, and for whatever reason, we had some tech issues in that portion, so Jeremy’s audio is a little “fish underwater.” Beyond that, it’s a fun, ping-pong-ish conversation in a shorter-than-usual episode Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

The picture, for reasons that are 99% related to the theatrical marketplace, came and went in theaters last month. But the early days of August brought not one but two excellent original thrillers that play like newfangled horror fantasies filtered through the world as it is today. WB helped turn Weapons into a sleeper smash hit, which should, by the time you read this, zoom past the unadjusted $137.4 million domestic total of The Conjuring. Meanwhile, strong buzz and good reviews notwithstanding, Sketch (review) was notable primarily for being Angel Studios’ first festival acquisition and, relatively speaking, their first theatrical flick not explicitly predicated on Christian dogma.The good news is that, with the latter available to rent or buy digitally (and/or watch for free if you’re an Angel Guild member), you can catch up with the film just as you did with many (if not most) of your childhood favorites, namely at home. And while the terrific picture was no box office smash ($8 million, low even by Angel Studios standards), it’s also cheap enough perhaps to become an old-school post-theatrical favorite akin to Labrynth, The Monster Squad and (budget notwithstanding) The Iron Giant. That’s just one issue I discussed with writer/director Seth Worley in this (edited for time and clarity) 45-minute conversation.The other topics include the real-world influences, the origins of the film’s high concept (a young girl whose macabre drawings come to life and wreak kaiju-style chaos amid her small town), the challenges of crafting an Amblin-worthy all-quadrant horror fantasy on a comparatively low budget, the obsticles in getting the money folks to roll the dice on an unapologetically emotional non-IP fantasy film, and Sketch’s surprising fate as a secular crowdpleaser from a (primarily) religious distributor. There’s more of course, but the crux is that I dug the hell out of Sketch, and I wanted to talk to the guy who made it.In a world where movies like Bumblebee earn kudos and huzzahs for approximating the very kind of “kid and their magic pet” fantasies that the Transformers movies put out of business, Sketch never had a shot in heck at Free Willy or even Earth to Echo-level box office. However, the film got made, it was a nationwide theatrical release, and I hope that it becomes a genuine post-theatrical cult favorite. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. If anyone in Hollywood is listening to this, if you want me to potentially pretend to give a damn about Gremlins 3, Goonies 2, Second-to-Last-Starfighter, or what-have-you… Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Max Deering, of Fangoria and the Action For Everyone podcast, returns to discuss the rousing reception (artistically and commercially) for Dan Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison’s Predator: Badlands. But that’s not all, as the longtime Predator fan is here to spread the gospel about the, uh… *darkest* chapter of the Predator universe, namely AvP: Requiem. Is it an unsung (or at least undervalued) “trasherpiece”? Is Trachtenberg a secret “AvP: Requiem Truther”? Will we ever see a version of the 2007 monster mash-up sequel that we can, I dunno, actually *see*? Meanwhile, we discuss whether Badlands can serve as a gateway for younger audiences who are not otherwise interested in prior Predator installments, as Jeremy Fuster reminds us of the complicated reasons why Prey went straight to Hulu. Later, flags are half-mast for Die My Love and Christy and glasses are raised for Bugonia and Regretting You. We discuss why Mubi shelled out big bucks for an almost comically uncommercial flick and whether the boxing flick bombed due to or despite Sydney Sweeney’s SEO-gold online-famous fame. All of that and more, including Scott Mendelson’s simple (and predictable?) reason for selecting Prey as his “favorite” Predator passion play.Recommended reading…* Scott Mendelson noted how the success of Predator: Badlands is a reminder that Disney ruled the 2010s because its 2010s movies were (relatively) good.* Jeremy Fuster discussed how anime saved the domestic box office amid what otherwise would have been a brutal “Weapons to Wicked” slump.* Lisa Laman discusses Disney’s mediocre-at-best 2025 box office run, just before Predator: Badlands, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash arrive to right the ship.* Ryan Scott’s latest “Tales from the Box Office” discusses the grim commercial fates, 25 years ago, of both Mission to Mars and Red Planet.* Max Deering discusses the popular Alan Wake video game series and how it deals with hyperstition, which, in the game, comes about (simplification alert) in a manner similar to John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch).* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Forgive the lack of a “the top ten movies are” portion; I was on a time crunch and wanted to make sure we had time for “discourse.” It’s just the three of us, as Scott Mendelson, Lisa Laman and Jeremy Fuster talk shop about what really was a weak weekend. * Regretting You’s second-weekend hold is terrific, no matter its rank.* The Black Phone 2 was, by default, the hero Hollywood needed on Halloween. * Bugonia’s *relatively* strong expansion counts as a relative win.* Can even a best-case scenario reception for Predator: Badlands convince the disinterested to show up for “just a Predator flick?” * The three of us pick our most anticipated movies for the remainder of the year. * Oh, and in a skewed change of pace, Scott (not Lisa) pitches this episode’s franchise extension/revival from hell. Also, Scott’s fool-proof plan to discover whether or not Mason Thames is actually an emerging movie star.Yes, even coming in just under an hour, this is a more… casual chit-chatty episode than usual. Not a bad thing, and honestly, it’s probably a good thing, but there you go either way.Recommended Reading - Scott Mendelson discusses Frankenstein’s key advantage in the 2025/2025 Oscar race: it isn’t held to the same commercial standards as conventional theatrical titles like Smashing Machine or Deliver Us From Nowhere.Jeremy Fuster talks with theater executives who are exactly as thrilled by the idea of Warner Bros. being swallowed up by another conglomerate as you’d expect. Oh, and he also digs deep into the “Antitrust” conversation. Lisa Laman details the top-earning musician-specific biopics, and I’ll again note (in terms of predictions for Michael) that there is a vast gulf between the #2 and #1 grossers in this sub-genre.Ryan Scott’s latest “Tales from the Box Office” notes the 15th anniversary of Saw: The Final Chapter, which still did relatively well despite being among the worst Saw flicks.If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch).* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Chainsaw Man: The Movie proved that anime is no longer necessarily specialized theatrical programming. Meanwhile, Deliver Me from Nowhere failed to become the next A Complete Unknown and Regretting You did not remotely become the next It Ends with Us. Travis Hopson, of Punch Drunk Critics (and elsewhere) joins as we discuss what went wrong for The Boss and why the latest Colleen Hoover adaptation didn’t even manage a “from The Firm to The Pelican Brief” decline. More discourse is had concerning Bugonia’s platform debut amid a season of indifferently received award-season contenders, long-term expectations for anime as a Sony-distributed animated sub-genre, and the extent to which the issues plaguing Hollywood go back at least as far as the post-Star Wars/Jaws pursuit of previously aspirational box office results.By the way, a paid subscriber chat is set for today at 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST. I’ll send out the official email shortly, but be aware.Recommended Reading…Scott Mendelson notes the ironic coincidence that November’s first would-be biggies are both examples of “Hollywood treats a singular Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi actioner as a replicable franchise.” Jeremy Fuster digs deep into how Hollywood’s labor organizations are reacting to what could be an industry-imploding Warner Bros sale.Lisa Laman notes the tenth anniversary of Sony’s Goosebumps, which kicked off the current trend of “Jack Black - Butts in Seats Movie Star for Kids.” Ryan Scott’s latest “Tales from the Box Office” discusses the 25th anniversary of everyone’s favorite Blair Witch flick, Joe Berlinger’s Book of Shadows. I’ll note that the pre-release punditry expecting the film to open on par with The Blair Witch Project (despite the lightning-in-a-bottle nature of that not-exactly-universally-adored predecessor) was one of my “origin stories” in terms of being an overly cautious box office “predictor.” Also, 25 years later, it’s almost aspirational for a horror film to get a whopping $15 million budget…Travis Hopson reviews Found Footage: The Making of the Patterson Project, which is a mockumentary on the making of a Blair Witch-style chiller in the vein of Christopher Guest’s cult favorites.If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch).* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria* Travis Hopson - Punch Drunk Critics, Roger Ebert, JoBlo, ABC 7 News Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

The Black Phone 2 was the hit Blumhouse needed, but the brand still has work to do to get folks excited about its not-sequel, non-IP horror offerings. Good Fortune was another miss for live-action theatrical comedies. While Lionsgate made a few marketing mistakes, it shouldn’t require 100% perfection to garner a halfway decent opening for a star-packed, well-reviewed and present-tense topical high-concept comedy. Meanwhile, After the Hunt, Truth & Treason and Petsa on a Train barely made a ripple amid another unpleasantly small weekend box office cume, with Amazon MGM Studios’ (poorly-reviewed) #MeToo drama inspiring PTSD a decade after Secret in Her Eyes flamed out for STX Entertainment. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Was the failure of Tron: Ares inevitable by virtue of Tron never being an A-level franchise? Or is the box office decimation of Disney’s $180 million threequel a matter of the specific choices made for what became this past weekend’s little-loved and little-seen would-be tentpole? Maybe Disney should have said “No” to Jared Leto’s self-aggrandizing pitch and cast a younger or at least more popular older actor to anchor a big-deal franchise entry. No matter, there’s plenty of Tron discourse as Kirsten Acuna (the coolest entertainment staff editor at People Magazine) and Aaron Neuwirth (the second-coolest host of 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla) pull another two-for-one guest hosting shift. It’s another Power Rangers-worthy (two minorities, two women and one generic white guy arbitrarily in charge) line-up, which I suppose makes sense since it seemingly took Tron 3 a thousand years to become “free” even if it absolutely failed to conquer Earth. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

It’s just the terrific trio this time around, as Scott, Lisa and Jeremy dig into what went (mostly) right with Taylor Swift’s second glorified feature-length theatrical commercial and what went so very wrong with A24 and Dwayne Johnson’s The Smashing Machine. Meanwhile, after a shockingly good overseas hold, behold some cautiously optimistic long-term “projections” for One Battle After Another, as well as a frank explanation of A) why Release Party of a Showgirl opened with barely 1/3 of what The Eras Tour debuted with in October 2023 and B) why Avatar: The Way of Water’s theatrical reissue opened to less than 1/3 of what Avatar grossed in its September 2022 reissue. Oh, and Lisa — who has seen almost no pre-Casino Royale 007 films — watched GoldenEye for the first time. In terms of the written word…Scott Mendelson anchored day 51 of Ted Hope’s #FilmStack Inspiration Challenge.Jeremy Fuster dissected the glory that is Art the Clown’s Terrifier-themed maze (and his impromptu appearances where you might least expect him) at this year’s Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights events.Lisa Laman explained why Emily Blunt wasn’t remotely a good fit for her supporting turn in The Smashing Machine. Ryan Scott’s “Tales from the Box Office” highlighted what proved to be a somewhat defining (even if its lessons have now become comparatively forgotten) October 2000 box office showdown during which the new and youth-skewing (Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro’s Meet the Parents) pancaked the old and nostalgia-skewing (Sylvester Stallone’s Get Carter remake).If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). Oh… and the paid subscriber chat for October 9 is set for today at 11:00 a.m. PST.* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap* Lisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

The host of The Brandon Peters Show (the only pod with a less creative title than “The Box Office Podcast”) returns to discuss One Battle After Another, which pulled a giant *shrug* of a $22 million domestic debut. Did the reviews, buzz and Oscar attention fail to move the needle, or did all the positive variables merely prevent an even lower opening? And with two in a row, is Leonardo DiCaprio now a mere $20 million-plus opener compared to the $30-$40 million highs seen in the 2010s? Sure, WB can afford to let this one underwhelm in relation to its budget and perhaps aspirational hopes, but theaters sure would have preferred another Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood or even The Departed.Meanwhile, because the real news of the weekend was the perfectly-fine $13.7 million debut for Universal and DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, longtime “kids entertainment in the streaming era” expert and pundit Emily Horgan stopped by all the way from Ireland to discuss the reemerging trend of kids toons and related youth-skewing shows getting the “Now it’s a movie, dammit!” treatment. While Brandon makes a convincing case for why Gabby should have perished in her feature film debut, all agree that the current upswing in such youth-skewing releases is a net-positive in terms of cultivating the next generation of regular (or even semi-regular) theatrical moviegoers. Oh, and Emily also agrees that Paw Patrol 3 should have been a Dark Knight remake, dammit. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Terence Johnson, he of 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla and Le Noir Auteur, joins to chime in on Justin Trippin’s Him, including how director Justin Trippin’s theatrical cut differs from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie’s original Black List-ed screenplay, as well as what didn’t appeal to a self-professed movie romance fan about A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Those two, obviously, dominate the discussion. Among other topics, there’s a minor “debate” concerning whether anyone should have really felt duped walking into Him expecting a film *directed* by Jordan Peele. And all parties agree that Sony’s marketing for the Margot Robbie/Colin Farrell melodrama didn’t offer much beyond abstract romantic drama. The episode concludes with several minutes of One Battle After Another box office preview-specific chatter, so it’s a mostly business-as-usual 80-minute chit-chat. Oh, and there are spoilers concerning the original screenplay for Him as well as (somewhat generic, I would argue) spoilers for the finished picture. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Lisa Laman was busy participating in a conference in Atlanta, so Jeremy Fuster and Scott Mendelson welcome back Kenny Miles to this week’s episode to discuss the blow-out opening weekend for WB and New Line’s The Conjuring: Last Rites. Miles, per usual, discusses his experiences and opinions related to his work as a CinemaScore pollster, while also bringing some insight into the films’ ongoing appeal to the more spiritually inclined.Meanwhile, all parties agree that the biggest movie stars of The Conjuring Universe were not Annabelle and The Nun, but rather Ed and Lorraine Warren, as played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Vermiga. And everyone has an opinion as to how the franchise might continue (regardless of whether it should) sans the marquee actors and, give or take his future participation, James Wan as assurances that whatever comes next won’t succumb to “IP for IP’s sake” mistakes. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Yes, it’s a little odd to spend the majority of our conversation discussing a movie that barely topped $2 million over the Fri-Mon Labor Day box office, but them’s the breaks. After all, when Hollywood’s biggest new release is a 50th anniversary reissue of Jaws, well… we can only salute Weapons so many times.Anyway, Luke Y. Thompson and Michelle Kisner, both affirmed B-movie experts, offer their thoughts on the extent to which this specific (comparatively kinder and/or gentler) Toxie makes sense in terms of the property and what’s popular in 2025.Yes, there is some chatter about the shark movie — and how a handful of very successful rereleases tie into a desire for tangible experiences and the kids’ genuine interest in movie theaters *because* it gets them off of their smart phones for 2-3 hours.We briefly wonder out loud whether Austin Butler is slowly building his brand as an old-school (smaller budgets, fewer expectations, etc.) butts-in-seats leading man, and lightly debate whether The Roses is “thing good” (a remake that isn’t selling itself as a remake) or “thing bad” (still a remake that went out as a Searchlight flick instead of as a 20th Century Studios release).And, yes, we again note the “Occam’s Razor” notion of the box office being below even last summer (especially for in-season newbies) because there aren’t enough movies and too many of those films are IP-for-IP’s sake revamps aimed at folks my age. When Netflix is getting KPop Demon Hunters and movie theaters are getting This is Spinal Tap II, well, that’s your problem right there. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Action For Everyone podcast host Mike Scott returns to A) plug this weekend’s Big Bad Film Fest and B) discuss Timo Tjahjanto’s first foray into Hollywood action filmmaking. He’s joined by Max Deering, also from Action For Everyone, as well as Fangoria. Is Nobody 2 a breakout sequel, or just a “spend more but make less” follow-up?* Is it Tjahjanto’s Hard Target or merely his Maximum Risk?* Who pops in unannounced to discuss last weekend’s big theatrical release?* Is KPop Demon Hunters a rare film that became a pop cultural sensation at least partially because it skipped theaters and went straight to Netflix?* What movie does Lisa Laman describe as “a Disney Channel movie shot in hell”? Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

In this distinctly old-school episode of The Box Office Podcast, former co-host turned semi-regular special guest Ryan Scott returned to discuss the blow-out success of Zach Cregger’s Weapons. Scott Mendelson noted that it’s another example of WB’s marketing might in terms of turning less-conventional programmers into genuine smash hits. At the same time, Lisa Laman stressed that it’s another key example of why it’s still worth it for Hollywood to roll the dice on original or less pre-sold theatrical films. Meanwhile, Jeremy Fuster noted the skillful marketing campaign that, unlike the overly cryptic promotion for BoulderLight’s earlier (and also quite good) Companion, used the film’s compelling high concept hook to hide most of the surprises without leaving audiences totally in the dark. Ryan Scott discussed the unique circumstances concerning how and when Cregger’s Barbarians debuted theatrically, and why it turned what could have been a barely remembered cult horror gem into a mainstream calling card. Miracle of miracles, all of us had positive things to say about Disney, noting yet another “initially Disney+ movie-turned-theatrical-success.” Yes, Freakier Friday was a bit frontloaded. Yes, it’s another example of “kids’ films aimed at nostalgic adults.” However, it scored the biggest opening for “just a comedy” since Girls Trip in 2017, as Disney A) leads the industry in terms of long theatrical exclusivity windows and B) consistently trades intangible streaming buzz for cash-in-hand revenue. Granted, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still in deep s**t, as Ryan expressed shock at the swift decline of the pretty good Fantastic Four reboot. But if Disney can get back to making money on “just a movie” programmers, then the ebbs and flows of the MCU will be of less zero-sum consequence. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

A longer and more digression-packed episode than usual, because now semi-regular special guest Aaron Neuwirth kept talking and talking and talking. Sadly, he has been banned from The Box Office Podcast until no earlier than September 21. Although if there’s a movie (re)opening on the weekend of August 15 that justifies a cameo…The core discussion is, obviously, what a massive dip for Fantastic Four says about the chickens coming home to roost in the MCU. We also find ample time to discuss The Bad Guys 2’s perfectly okay opening, mixed signals for The Naked Gun’s attempts to “save” the comedy movie (volume = victory) and a surprisingly rock-solid debut for Neon’s Together. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

As of this writing, Fantastic Four: First Steps has earned $142.25 million after five days in North American theaters, jumping an “impressive as Superman” 36% from its $10.4 million Monday for a $14.2 million Tuesday. Concerns about a shockingly frontloaded weekend (barely double its $57 million Friday and 21% of its $117.64 million weekend stemming from Thursday previews) notwithstanding, it’s not like the film is collapsing into oblivion now that the hardcore MCU fans have checked it off their proverbial lists.That was the general impression offered up in this latest episode of The Box Office Podcast, namely that Marvel’s latest was a step in the right direction (after the also pretty good Thunderbolts*) in terms of consistent quality and (in terms of Marvel rebooting a previously adapted property) “better-than-before” spectacle and melodrama. Beyond that…Lisa Laman questions whether Shalla-Bal replaced Norrin Radd to allow Johnny Storm to “safely” find himself #HotForTheSurfer (relatable...).Scott Mendelson wonders if the decision to set the standalone film in a fantastical version of 1960s America was an attempt to avoid dealing with real-world topicality.Jeremy Fuster offers pretty plausible explanations for both (subjectively valid) choices. However, he agrees with the group that any goodwill earned from the Fantastic Four will do little to move the needle in terms of Avengers: Doomsday feeling (at this juncture) like anything other than a past-tense nostalgia cash-in.However, as befitting his status as the host of the show, Scott Mendelson (when he’s not making fun of crying children) asks the most critical question: how the hell can an interdimensional being who is barely as tall as Godzilla eat an entire planet? Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

James Gunn’s acclaimed and buzzy Superman opened in North America with $125 million toward a $95 million overseas launch. The domestic grosses are good enough, especially with thus-far strong weekday earnings ($12.9 million on Monday, $17 million on Tuesday and $11.8 million on Wednesday) to compensate for thus-far lousy international grosses.And the buzz is closer to Batman Begins than Superman Returns, so we invited TheWrap’s resident scooper and geek-specific (but not IP-exclusive) film journalist, Umberto Gonzalez, to answer “Why is this IP franchise reboot different from all other IP franchise reboots?”Jeremy Fuster discusses how this furthers the notion of Warner Bros. Discovery’s attempts at theatrical consistency. Lisa Laman laments the lack of anything resembling counterprogramming similar to My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Devil Wears Prada, or This Is the End that once greeted other Batman and/or Superman movies. Scott Mendelson somewhat plays the “bad cop,” partially due to the lack of competition and the presumption of a crushing-all-comers strength, amid otherwise cautious optimism, and approval of the film’s politics. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s topic, obviously, is what happened to Elio, whether Pixar is finished as a butts-in-seats brand for original animated films, and (without blaming any single factor as a zero-sum explanation) who and what is responsible.Special guest Josh Spiegel, who wrote the book(s) on Pixar, blames Bob Chapek for sending three key original Pixar films to Disney+ during the early days of the streaming war.Lisa Laman notes that Pixar hasn’t been a “the name is enough” brand since the mid-2010s.Jeremy Fuster attributes the decline to audiences voting for more of what they already know while noting that Disney is at least trying to put out big-deal original toons in a brutal marketplace.Scott Mendelson, while agreeing with all of that, highlights the tragedy of what should have been a decade—both for Pixar and Walt Disney Animation—focused on buzzy originals, instead becoming centered on rehashing the most significant commercial successes of the previous decade.Oh, and 28 Years Later opened pretty damn well for an R-rated grimdark zombie flick, and concerns about possible frontloading mainly relate to the two sequels presumably on the way. And, huzzah, Sinners has passed the global total of The Nun to take its place as uh, the jazziest chapter of the Conjuring Universe?In terms of the written word…Scott Mendelson discusses whether the success of How to Train Your Dragon will or should kick-start a wave of DreamWorks live-action remakes.Lisa Laman does the lord’s work in demanding that James Gunn do what is needed and give us the Detective Chimp movie we need and deserve. In more, less #importantjournalisms, she also notes that the romantic comedy need not continually having prove itself at the box office (which frankly has become a circumstance for almost any genre save for horror and, bemusingly, DC/Marvel flicks) and details why she believes Pixar lost its pop culture juice (quality of films like Turning Red and Soul notwithstanding) a decade ago.Jeremy Fuster notes how the industry-wide employment crisis has now migrated to post-production. Spoiler - Things are still terrible, actually.Ryan C. Scott (who, unless life gets in the way, should be returning as a guest to discuss his and Ethan Mendelson’s favorite franchise) offers a “Tales from the Box Office” noting the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Spoiler, it was kind of a big deal.Josh Spiegel has a new podcast, Mousterpiece Melodies (a sequel to Mousterpiece Cinema), which analyzes the musical numbers from each Disney film. I’d suggest having Allison Mendelson as a guest on the eventual Frozen II episode, but (a film she despises with the fiery passion of a devoted Zack Snyder fan discussing the theatrical cut of Justice League) it’d risk becoming an unbroken three-hour monologue. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com.Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck NewsJeremy Fuster - TheWrapLisa Laman - Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Cultress, Comic Book and AutostraddleRyan C. Scott - SlashFilm and FangoriaJosh C. Spiegel - SlashFilm, PrimeTimer, Crooked Marquee and LateNighter Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Due to a false alarm about potentially malfunctioning Wi-Fi, we ended up with two special guests for the price of one. Kirsten Acuna, having recently begun a new gig as a staff editor at People Magazine, dropped by to discuss the second of three high-profile live-action remakes for 2025. And since we weren’t sure if Jeremy Fuster would be able to make it, Aaron Neuwirth made his third appearance since early March, seemingly trying to stake his claim as the Steve Martin of The Box Office Podcast. The topics for this episode aren’t exactly surprising. However, we discussed why How to Train Your Dragon performed so well, particularly considering the actual box office results of the 2010-2019 animated trilogy, and whether other DreamWorks titles can justify such a “real-world” makeover. We noted the relatively strong domestic debut for A24’s Materialists, while Jeremy’s passionate displeasure with the misleading marketing, as reflected in the comparatively mixed audience scores, sparked a back-and-forth over the values and vices of selling a less mainstream genre flick as a comparative crowdpleaser.  Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe

Sony’s Karate Kid: Legends continues to make Jumanji the exception to the rule. At the same time, Bring Her Back shows that, in ways mostly positive but slightly negative, moviegoers might be clued in to A24’s fright flight shenanigans. Could the Karate Kid flick have performed better if it were more closely tied to Cobra Kai? Might Bring Her Back’s inexplicably positive viewer scores result in Philippous being forced by A24 to make an even darker, grimmer, and more relentlessly unfun horror film next time out? Can Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning reach Dead Reckoning’s $575 million global cume? All of these questions and more are… well, not answered but certainly discussed! Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe