The King of Pop is the King of movies!
The biopic about the King of Pop, Michael (also known as Michael Jackson), surpassed $700 million worldwide and claimed another week of #1 at the U.S. box office with $26.1 million collected in its fourth weekend. It turns out there are still some people willing to pay to see a Michael Jackson movie in week four.
Michael regained its position by knocking off The Devil Wears Prada 2 from the throne: the latter dropped to second place with a box office of $18 million. It managed to collect over $540 million worldwide on its relatively low budget of $100 million. I am sure Miranda Priestly would have been pleased.
As for the rest of the news, this weekend was all about Obsession, a supernatural thriller directed by newcomer Curry Barker, which scored $16.1 million in its first weekend, surpassing industry expectations. Last year, Focus Features picked up the film for around $14-$15 million at the Toronto International Film Festival; however, the film earned its distributor the sum before most people had finished their popcorn.
Obsession seems to be a story straight from the feverish mind of a drug addict. Bear, the lonely cashier, finds a “One Wish Willow” doll and fulfills his wish to get his co-worker, Nikki. As we can imagine, when it comes to winning the heart of your sweetheart, using a magical wish is not always wise. Reviews suggest that the movie is both frightening and hilarious.
CinemaScore gave the movie an A-, while Rotten Tomatoes’ score is 94%. Critics praise the lead actress, Inde Navarrette, calling her “unhinged” and “magnetic”.
Word-of-mouth marketing turned out to be stronger than anything else in the case of Obsession. If the cursed doll’s performance does not kill this movie’s success, nothing will.
At least for this week, Michael Jackson still owns the movie kingdom.
