The February Box Office Preview – Forbes

With January ending with a whimper (alas, Blake Livelys The Rhythm Section earned just $235,000 in Thursday previews), its time to look toward the future... one day in the future! Yes, tomorrow is the first day of February, which means we can take a look at the few big movies opening in the second weekend of the month. Without further ado, in order of release date...

Margot Robbie in DC Films' 'Birds Of Prey'

Birds of Prey (February 7/Warner Bros.)

Opening next Thursday evening, director Cathy Yan and screenwriter Christina Hodsons Birds of Prey (and theFantabulousEmancipation of OneHarley Quinn) is generating some very positive buzz following its global premiere and a few sneak peaks over the last few days. Im under print embargo until Wednesday morning, but... you can buy tickets here and here. Pre-sales have performed well thus far, with Atom reporting DC Films third-best pre-sale opening day behind Aquaman and Joker. The Margot Robbie-as-Harley Quinn Suicide Squad spin-off cost around $95 million and carries an R rating, so (Joker notwithstanding) were probably not talking Aquaman ($335 million domestic/$1.148 billion worldwide) or Wonder Woman ($412 million/$821 million) business. Grosses comparable to Shazam! ($140 million/$363 million) would be just fine, especially in terms of (allegedly) offering yet more evidence that a DC Films release is now more likely to be good than not good.

Jim Carrey and James Marsden in 'Sonic the Hedgehog'

Sonic the Hedgehog (February 14/Paramount)

Opening on Valentines Day over the Presidents Day weekend, this much-discussed video game adaptation was delayed from last November due to online disapproval of Sonics character designs. The version that opens in two weeks looks a lot closer to source material, and well see if spending that extra $5 million and moving the release date was worth the hassle for the (now) $95 million PG-rated fantasy. The last four video game movies (Tomb Raider, Rampage, Detective Pikachu and Angry Birds Movie 2) have been surprisingly good as opposed to expectedly not good, so the Ben Schwartz/Jim Carrey/James Mardsen earthbound fantasy has my benefit of the doubt. Ironically, that date change may have worked out, since itll be the first major kid-targeted release (RIP, Dolittle) after weeks of R-rated movies and/or horror flicks. And if audiences young and/or old want to see a Sonic flick, then even theoretically poor reviews wont matter.

Michael Pena, Lucy Hale, and Austin Stowell in 'Fantasy Island'

Blumhouses Fantasy Island (February 14/Sony)

A rare Blumhouse theatrical release for a studio that isnt Universal, this PG-13 offering is something Id like to see more of, namely taking an established IP and tossing it into a different genre. Granted, perhaps Blumhouses Fantasy Island lends itself better to being a horror movie than, for example, Hungry Hungry Hippo, Yogi Bear or Clifford the Big Red Dog, but youd pay to see any of those in theaters if they went full-tilt horror. Anyway, Jeff Wadlow also directed Blumhouses Truth or Dare two years ago, and this one again stars Lucy Hale as one of a handful of folks who travel to the title island. No big surprise, but the wonderland of fantasies and wish fulfillment promised by Michael Penas sinister host turns out to have some critical catches. This one could go either way, but its a light month, so here you go.

Harrison Ford and Buck in 'Call of the Wild'

The Call of the Wild (February 21/20th Century)

Directed by Chris Sanders, co-director of Lilo & Stich and the first How to Train Your Dragon, this formally Fox release is a loose adaptation of the classic (and oft-read in school) Jack London novel. At a glance, this seems like the kind of dog-centric adventure story that would otherwise premiere as a Disney+ original, but presumably the allegedly decent-sized budget and the presence of Harrison Ford and Karen Gillan made it a theatrical-worthy release. Adapted by Michael Green, the film made the unusual decision to have its featured dog, Buck, be an entirely CGI/motion-capture creation, presumably erasing any chance of turning into a Milo and Otis-type nightmare. Considering how much hassle Universals A Dogs Purpose dealt with over a doctored (and intentionally misleading) on-set video showing a dog being pushed into a pool, perhaps using fake animals is the way to go if you can afford it.

Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, and Storm Reid in Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man'

The Invisible Man (February 28/Universal)

Sold and crafted as an antithesis to The Mummy from three years ago, this Leigh Whannell-directed (and written) flick is an over/under $10 million horror movie, R-rated no less, featuring its title monster not as an anti-hero but as the straight-up villain. Elizabeth Moss is the star, as a young woman being terrorized by her presumed-dead abusive ex in an attempt to drive her insane. Not only does this look quite good, with a trailer that plays well in theaters, itll be the first R-rated horror movie after weeks of PG-13 fare like Black Christmas, The Turning, Gretel and Hansel, Fantasy Island and Brahms: The Boy II. As long as it is better than the (gore-filled) revamp of The Grudge from a month ago, this one should be just what horror junkies and genre fans will be looking for just before Disney strikes with Onward and Mulan in March.

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The February Box Office Preview - Forbes