The Weekend Forecast: Minions Will Usurp Jurassic World's Box Office Title

In which I predict that big winners (and losers) at the box office this weekend.

With last weekend's box office let-down, it'll be nice to see full theaters once again.  And although we might see Terminator Genisys' and Magic Mike XXL's numbers actually go up from last week as belated movie-goers finally get around to seeing them, it's sure to be this weekend's new releases that take people are going to swarm towards.

Minions - the long anticipated spin-off / prequel to 2010's Despicable Me - is sure to draw in the family crowd this weekend, syphoning from Inside Out's considerable following.  Having already seen the movie, I can safely say that it's the most fun of the entire franchise, thanks largely to its incessantly amusing protagonists.

Some older viewers (parents, grandparents and the like) will doubtless find the Minions' physical antics tiresome after a while, but the movie hardly outstays its welcome with its scant 91 minute run-time.  Be sure to get your tickets in advance (and arrive early) in order to ensure a good seat.

The Gallows is Blumhouse's most recent disappointment to hit theaters this year, and it's really a shame too.  Between Blumhouse's one-time pristine reputation and a surprisingly excellent premise, it should have been a surefire success.  But a seemingly rushed production, input from additional production companies and BH's over-stuffed 2015 release schedule kept it from being any more than a found footage distraction that can safely be set aside for something better this weekend (even Minions, of all things).

You can expect my full review of this movie on Monday, and probably an editorial trying to parse out Blumhouse's recent troubles.  Between this and The Lazarus Effect, they've solidly transformed into the Pixar of horror movies: exceptional, but far from flawless.

We're living in a golden age of science fiction right now.  It seems that hardly a month goes by without some forward-thinking, innovative and supremely intelligent take on mankind's tech-based future coming out.  This year's already seen the flawed Chappie and the sublime Ex Machina, and Self/Less seems just as good as either.

To be fair, it may fizzle out like 2011's In Time: an excellent premise wasted on a sub-par story.  Even if that's all it is, though, it's creative talent is enough to draw me in to see it.  Between actors Ben Kingsley and Ryan Reynolds, visionary director Tarsem Singh and Los Ultimos Dias scribes Alex and David Pastor, it's shaping up to be one impressive movie already.

So which new movie will you be seeing this weekend?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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