Two of this year’s Oscar winning films were sequels. And only two Oscar-nominated films are officially slated for sequels. But only one film fits both of these truths. The Bourne Ultimatum, which was a bit of an upset in its winning of three Academy Awards, including the shocker of Best Editing (which Christopher Rouse certainly deserved), will definitely be getting a follow-up, if this Variety article from Friday is correct (via Cinematical and Empire). The possibility of a fourth Bourne installment has been floating around for awhile now, despite the fact that Ultimatum so nicely tied up the series’ storyline and despite implications from Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass that continuing the franchise is unnecessary. But considering Ultimatum was a box office hit, and a critical favorite (it was one of the best mainstream films of the year) and has now won three Oscars, it seems like a no-brainer that Universal should want to keep Jason Bourne running.
The same can’t be said for that other Oscar-winning sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Although director Shekhar Kapur has said he wants Elizabeth to be a trilogy, it’s unlikely that the third film will be greenlit anytime soon. Of course, the plan is to revisit the story after another decade and things could well be different in ten years. Even if it weren’t likely to be a box office or critical success, it could be worth making just for the Oscar glory. I know that Alexandra Byrne wasn’t the first costume designer to receive Oscar nominations for work on two different films in the same series (Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor were both nominated for two LOTR films), but if she suited Cate up again for a third film, she might be the first to have that honor of making it three. Meanwhile, Cate could also be the first actor or actress to be nominated three times for playing the same character.
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Here at SpoutBlog, we’re pretending like The Golden Compass doesn’t exist (and, if Nikki Finke is to be believed, come Monday morning New Line will be scrambling to spin the fact that we’re not the only ones). But here’s a look at three films that are newly out this weekend that we *have* covered, and can, to one extent or another recommend.
- Atonement: “Big, classy, Oscar-bait World War II dramas don’t really get much better,” I wrote from Toronto. And in the three months since, I haven’t come across anyone who has anything seriously negative to say about this film…beyond the fact that the so-literal ending is like something out of Scooby Doo. I say, pull a Selma and leave the theater the second Vanessa Redgrave pops on screen, thereby claiming willful ignorance to the last-minute bubble bursting.
- Juno: It’s better than Little Miss Sunshine, but I maintain that Fox is doing its reputation a huge disservice by marketing it like that piece of shiteating Oscar bait, instead of admitting that it’s a shameless teen sex com. If the very thought of that stripey stomach doesn’t send you cowering under your desk, check out my review from Telluride, and endless coverage at our Juno tag page.
- Billy the Kid: Kevin and Paul have been all up on Billy’s jock since Day One. See their SXSW coverage here, read my review from earlier this week here, and listen to this week’s podcast for a new interview with Jennifer Venditti here.
The Golden Compass made $26.1 million over the weekend, just over half the $50 million it would have needed to clear in its first three days to justify its $180 million budget. That makes it the fourth consecutive box office disappointment in a row for New Line; it’s also Nicole Kidman’s third flop in the last six months. Meanwhile, teen sex com in indie clothes Juno made $60k a screen on seven screens, for a $531, 399 five day weekend–more than double the per screen average of presumptive Oscar front runner Atonement, which was already doing well with $817,000 on 32 screens.
