Fantasy Movie League: Zombieland Returns


Last week Joker continued to hold the top spot at the Box Office, but I suspected The Addams Family might be the better option at anchor. That proved true. But where I was off was on what lower-end films would return value. 

I went for Hustlers, liking its chances. And it was the fourth best performer. But the Best Performer was The Lion King, and so the Perfect Cineplex loaded up on The Addams Family and The Lion King, making headway with the younger crowd. Again, I had solid instincts but didn’t quite maximize my value. But it’s a long season, and I still have time to get there.

This week a pair of new wide releases will be vying for audiences, with Angelina Jolie’s ruthless queen likely to get the top spot. But will Maleficent be the Best Value? Let’s weigh the evidence. As always, if you think you’re better at the game than me, I encourage you to join me in a Fantasy Life App Blog league! You can join the league here. On to this week’s competition.

New at the Box Office:

The biggest new release is Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, a sequel to the 2014 film. Five years later it’s still likely to draw a crowd, and is mostly projected atop the Box Office. It didn’t do as well with critics, currently snagging a 46 percent. But that might not be a big impact to the target audience. The film is the most expensive at $559 FML Bucks. But Fantasy Movie League sees it in second place with $32.3 million. They are by far the lowest. Box Office Pro goes with $40 million and Box Office Report goes with $42 million. That means Maleficent could be a good anchor option, and a potential value option.
The other new wide release is Zombieland Double Tap, a sequel to the 2009 horror comedy. It’s been a decade, but for die-hard fans this sequel has been hotly anticipated, and returns all four leads from the original. It’s also ideally timed just before Halloween. And it has done fairly well with critics, coming in at 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes so far. It’s priced at $377 FML Bucks, and projected at $23.7 million in third place. Box Office Pro sees something similar at $25.5 million while Box Office Report sees $23 million. Hard to see the value here.
The only other new entry to the game is the limited release foreign film Parasite. It’s priced at just $16 FML Bucks and projected at $1.2 million. It is simply low-end filler.

The Search for the Best Value:

Last week The Addams Family was the biggest new release, and provided the best anchor value (coming in second in cost per Box Office dollars). This week it’s the fourth most expensive option at $251 FML Bucks and Fantasy Movie League sees $19.5 million. But they’re the most optimistic, with Box Office Pro seeing $17.9 million and Box Office Report seeing $17 million. That makes me believe it’s a poor bet for value this week. Looking at projections, nothing stands out as potential value, so it’s about maximizing your choices.

This Week’s Lineup:

I’m looking to try to maximize my Box Office bucks and riding a couple steady performers.

Joker x2
Judy x5
Pain and Gain

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