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Fall’s blockbusters: ‘Jack Reacher 2,’ ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween’

Halloween usually comes with great movies. There’s the Jack Reacher sequel, which took $1.3 million, Boo! A Madea Halloween gathering $855,000 on its opening night, and Ouija: Origin of Evil scoring $722,000.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is the sequel to the first film launched in 2012, serving as an adaptation of Lee Child’s book series. The first film opened with $15 million on its premiere weekend and so far, it has earned over $200 million globally. Boo! A Madea Halloween” is a film by Tyler Perry, inspired by Madea, a movie and character featured in the lore of Top Five, a film featuring Chris Rock.

“Boo! A Madea Halloween” collected $855,000 on its opening night. Image credit: Tyler Perry Studios.

On the other hand, “Ouija: Origin of Evil,” directed and written by Mike Flanagan, was produced with only $9 million. The supernatural horror film is intended as a prequel to the Ouija series and it received many positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes credited the picture with an 81 percent freshness, which is unusual for low-budget horror films.

What to watch this weekend

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” almost did not happen, as its predecessor had a lackluster performance in North American theaters. But the film earned a cult following and a sequel was announced in 2013. Casting began on 2015, while it was already confirmed that Tom Cruise will give life to Jack Reacher. The film has not enjoyed a decent reception with critics, it originated mixed reviews and some say that the movie title may be a hint for what should be done with this series.

“Boo! A Madea Halloween” has Perry as a protagonist fighting the forces of evil while having to take care of a group of mischievous kids. The film shows moderate horror but always managing to keep the jokes in place, but some reviewers say that the film did not successfully pull off any of its objectives, other than cashing in some profits at the box office due to the audience’s love of Madea as a character.

Franchise fans are sure to love the film, joking about breasts, ghouls, and medical marijuana. The film features several prominent YouTubers, all through a sitcom perspective that puts Tyler Perry’s movie directing skills at a doubt. Nonetheless, “Boo! A Madea Halloween” is sure to be a nice flick to watch if horror movies are not of one’s liking. Although the film is expected to gross over $15 million in its opening weekend, it has received mostly poor reviews.

There’s no arguing with the massive success he’s had in film, television, and theater, and he’s clearly giving the people what they want. But the puerile humor that he continues to peddle makes awfully depressing viewing for those who don’t find the concept of a large, middle-aged man in drag inherently funny,” wrote Frank Scheck for Hollywood Reporter.

For this month’s horror blockbuster there’s, “Ouija: Origin of Evil” which tells the story of Alice Zander, a fortune teller that incorporates an Ouija board in her readings, which leads into a series of horrendous supernatural events. The film was produced by Michael Bay and is expected to gross at least $16 million in over 3,000 theaters.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Categories: Entertainment
Daniel Francis: Guitarist, destroyer of worlds. Columnist at Ultimate-Guitar.com
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