The Perfect Storms

And so, while Florida continues bracing itself from the lashings of Hurricane Irma and possibly others, Warner Bros. in association with Bob Shaye... I mean, New Line Cinema... once again proves that it's the most ass-kicking movie studio of all time.  I mean, 117 million domestic for Stephen King's It?  Of course, it cost about that much to promote the movie on the IMDb and all, but it's still nothing to sneeze at.  Why, it's already made more in one day than that Dark Tower movie made in three weeks!  Ouch.  I guess that was the problem right there.  They didn't listen to the focus groups.  But the focus groups told them over and over: where's the kids?  It's just these two grown-ups shooting at each other in the big city, maybe on 5th Avenue.  Where's the group of kids that gets picked on?  That's why The Dark Tower didn't do so well.
Now, according to the IMDb Plot Summary page for It, the movie takes place in 1989.  Don't know if that's when the actual book takes place, but it does fit in with that old rule of movie nostalgia (of mine): your average period piece should take place about thirty years ago.  It worked with The Sting and Summer of '42.  Also, kudos to the casting, as they seem to have found the reincarnation of Dainel Radcliffe.  And to a greater or lesser extent, the reincarnation of Steve Buscemi!  I guess casting agents and casting directors are the most nostalgic of all.  They miss the old studio days as well... of course, they forget that they wouldn't have a job back then!  Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg did all the casting back then.
Meanwhile, in second place... meh.  Only two debuts this week.  Once again, the one greedy movie soaks up all the cash, and second place can't even make it to ten million dollars.  But once again Reese Witherspoon takes to the airwaves to appeal directly to moviegoers.  Ah, Oscar(TM)(R) winners.  Now, is it just me, or does the poster for Reese's latest, Home Again, look a little bit like the poster for There's Something About Mary?  Of course, the real story of the film involves the film's writer and director, the daughter of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer.  This is her big chance to do the family proud... well, Nancy anyway.  We haven't heard from Charles in years.  Anyway, if this chance doesn't work out, she's got at least two or three more chances to do the family proud.  I just wish she'd quit feuding with Rebecca Miller already.  I mean, Death of a Salesman was just one play!  Look at how many jewels the team of Meyers and Shyer have given us!  There's no comparison!