Russell Crowe's The Weight drops from 1,500 North American theaters to 21
The Weight, a Western thriller with Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke, opened in more than 1,500 North American theaters on September 18. By last weekend it was playing in 21. It has earned strong reviews and weak box office.
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The story, neutrally told
Centre · 2The Weight, a Western thriller starring Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke, opened in more than 1,500 North American theaters on September 18. As of last weekend it was playing in only 21 theaters nationwide. ColliderN “The movie debuted in more than 1,500 theaters domestically on September 18, but as of this past weekend, it is playing in only 21 theaters nationwide.” Read at Collider ↗ Screen RantN “Debuting in more than 1,500 theaters nationwide last month, the Vertical film is now down to just 21 as of this past weekend.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 2Padraic McKinley directed the film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Screen Rant describes it as a neo-Western about a veteran hired to smuggle gold across a wild landscape during the Great Depression. Screen RantN “Directed by Padraic McKinley, the neo-Western film stars Russell Crowe and Ethan Hawke and tells the story of a veteran who is hired to smuggle gold across a wild landscape during the Great Depression.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ ColliderN “A Western drama that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year” Read at Collider ↗ Centre · 2Box office has been weak. Collider reports about $3.5 million domestically, which it says puts the film in the bottom tier of Crowe's releases. Screen Rant reports about $3.7 million worldwide, of which $3.59 million came from North America. ColliderN “the movie grossed around $3.5 million in its domestic run.” Read at Collider ↗ Screen RantN “To date, The Weight has grossed only about $3.7 million worldwide, with $3.59 million of that coming from North America.” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Centre · 2Reviews are strong. The film holds a "Certified Fresh" 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Screen Rant reports an 84% Popcornmeter audience score. Collider calls it Crowe's best-reviewed film since The Insider (96%), while Screen Rant's own reviewer gave it 7 out of 10. ColliderN “The Weight holds a "Certified Fresh" 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes” Read at Collider ↗ Screen RantN “the movie holds an impressive critics' score of 94%, with the Popcornmeter coming in a bit lower at 84%.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 1Screen Rant says the box office may have contributed to the loss of screens. It adds that it is not unusual for a film to play on far fewer screens a month after release, that the budget is unclear, and that the film will almost certainly not break even in theaters. Screen RantN “The poor box office performance may have played a role in the film losing theaters, but it's also not unusual for a movie to be playing on far fewer screens a month after its release.”“It's not entirely clear what the film's budget is, but it will almost certainly not break even during its theatrical run.” Read at Screen Rant ↗ Centre · 2The film arrives on digital on October 20. Both outlets expect it to find an audience over time, Collider citing the strong reviews and McKinley's recent announcement as director of Sicario 3, and Screen Rant citing VOD and streaming. Screen RantN “The Weight is set to release on digital on October 20” Read at Screen Rant ↗ ColliderN “The film is likely to find an audience as time passes, especially with McKinley having recently been announced as the director of the upcoming Sicario 3.” Read at Collider ↗
Centre · 2The release came days before Unabomber, a Netflix film in which Crowe plays Ted Kaczynski's Harvard professor. Collider says Unabomber has more than 50 million views and a 25% Rotten Tomatoes score, so the worse-reviewed film has been the bigger hit. ColliderN “The psychological drama holds a poor 25% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.” Read at Collider ↗ Screen RantN “The Weight also arrived only days before the release of Unabomber on Netflix” Read at Screen Rant ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets lead with the contrast between The Weight's strong reviews and its collapse from about 1,500 theaters to 21. Both then point to a second life on home video or streaming.
- Emphasis
- Collider stresses Crowe's best reviews in 27 years and compares the film with his Netflix release Unabomber. Screen Rant stresses box office figures, the plot, its critic's review and the digital release date.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither gives the budget. Collider gives no worldwide gross. Screen Rant leaves out the Unabomber viewing figures.
- Charged language
- “Officially Removed”“theatrical underperformer”“has just taken a theatrical hit”
- For example
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“Russell Crowe's Best-Reviewed Movie in 27 Years Officially Removed From 1,500 Theaters” — Collider
“The Weight has just taken a theatrical hit.” — Screen Rant
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The Weight opened in more than 1,500 North American theaters on September 18 and was down to 21 as of last weekend.
- The film holds a 94% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Its box office has been weak, at roughly $3.5-3.6 million in North America.
- It is expected to do better on home video and streaming.
Where accounts differ
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How to read the loss of theaters
- Centre
- Collider presents the drop as a sign of an underperforming film, ironic given its reviews. Screen Rant says poor box office may have played a role but that a steep drop a month after release is not unusual.
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre2 articles
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Russell Crowe’s Best-Reviewed Movie in 27 Years Officially Removed From 1,500 Theaters
Mixed Sets Crowe's best-reviewed film in decades against its tiny box office and the bigger success of his poorly reviewed Netflix film, and predicts it will find an audience later.
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Russell Crowe's Neo-Western With Ethan Hawke Officially Removed From 1,500 Theaters
Mixed Reports the screen drop as a theatrical setback, relays Collider's figures, and calls the film a success in other ways because of its reviews and its upcoming digital release.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 15 Oct 10:30 First ColliderN Russell Crowe’s Best-Reviewed Movie in 27 Years Officially Removed From 1,500 Theaters
- 15 Oct 16:38 +6h 8m Screen RantN Russell Crowe's Neo-Western With Ethan Hawke Officially Removed From 1,500 Theaters
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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