With Memorial Day weekend officially wrapped up and the Ames campus settling into its quiet summer rhythm, the summer movie season is now in full force. While many students were out grilling or enjoying the long weekend, theaters saw a massive influx of franchise fans and indie thriller enthusiasts alike.
Across the Atlantic, the 79th Cannes Film Festival has finally wrapped, answering the industry’s most burning questions. Let’s dive into this week’s box office breakdown, the big winners from the biggest film festival in the world and what you should be watching this coming weekend.
Box Office Momentum
“The Mandalorian and Grogu”
Taking the top spot for the holiday weekend, Jon Favreau’s TV movie pulled in an estimated $81.9 million over the three-day frame, expanding to roughly $102 million for the four-day Memorial Day weekend. While it easily secured first place, it fell short of the opening numbers for 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” making it the worst-performing “Star Wars” movie of all time. Critical reception is mixed, with some claiming franchise fatigue and lifeless visuals, but it remains a massive crowd-pleaser for families and dedicated fans.
“Obsession”
The underdog story of the year is Curry Barker’s indie darling. Instead of dropping in its second week, the YouTuber-turned-director’s psychological thriller actually increased by 30%, taking second place with a massive $22.4 million ($28.2M over the four-day). On a budget of $750,000, “Obsession” is one of this year’s most successful films.
“Michael”
Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic continues to show incredible stamina in its fifth week, pulling in another $20 million. Even against heavy Memorial Day competition, its multi-generational appeal has kept people coming back for more.
“Passenger”
André Øvredal’s supernatural road-trip feature debuted in sixth place with $8.7 million. While it couldn’t quite compete with the massive IP at the top of the charts, the claustrophobic tension and practical effects are hitting the right notes for dedicated horror fans.
Cannes Wrap-Up: NEON Does It Again
The French Riviera has packed up its red carpets, and jury president Park Chan-wook has handed down the festival’s highest honor. Cristian Mungiu’s emotionally devastating drama “Fjord” has won the Palme d’Or. Starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, the film follows a family entangled in a bureaucratic nightmare with the Norwegian child welfare system. It is a massive victory for Mungiu (his second Palme d’Or). Still, it marks a staggering industry milestone: “Fjord” is the seventh consecutive Palme d’Or winner to be distributed in the United States by production company NEON.
Elsewhere in the competition, Andrey Zvyagintsev won the Grand Prix for “Minotaur.” At the same time, best director honors were split between Paweł Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”) and the directing duo of Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (“The Black Ball”). As expected, the 79th Cannes Film Festival delivered an incredibly cutthroat and diverse slate of cinema that will dominate the awards conversation this fall.
This Week
“Backrooms”
The YouTube-to-feature-film pipeline continues to prove its dominance. Following up on last week’s news about Markiplier’s “Iron Lung,” the box office success of “Obsession” and the acclaim of “Talk To Me,” this weekend sees the theatrical release of “Backrooms.” Based on the viral found-footage web series by Kane Parsons (who created the original shorts as a teenager), this A24-backed feature expands on the internet’s favorite urban legend about liminal space. If you want dread-inducing, fluorescent-lit horror, this is your ticket. Keep an eye out for our review coming next week.
“Pressure”
For those looking for a different kind of intensity, this gripping new drama also hits screens on Friday. It serves as excellent counter-programming for audiences who might be feeling a little fatigued by heavy CGI and franchise lore, offering a grounded, suspenseful narrative. Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser star as allies who have 72 hours to make an impossible choice: launch the D-Day invasion or risk losing World War 2.
“The Breadwinner”
Adding some variety to the weekend, this family-friendly feature also opens Friday. If you need a break from the R-rated horror and intense thrillers dominating the indie scene, this is a solid, accessible option.
Whether you are heading to the Ames Cinemark to see a beloved franchise with “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” or braving the liminal terror of “Backrooms,” or watching “Michael” for the fifth time, the transition into June is offering an incredibly diverse theatrical landscape.
