The Box Office Podcast

Ep. 95 - Everyone Sees The Wicked

Before we see to what extent Zootopia 2 ($39 million on Wednesday and $81 million worldwide thus far, or $100 million if you’re counting its $34 million Wednesday and $20 million Thursday in China) reaches the Thanksgiving weekend heights of Moana 2, listen to this extensive, comprehensive and almost intentionally random dissection of Wicked For Good’s $147 million domeatic and $223 million worldwide debut. Chrissi Michael, content strategist by day and box office nerd by night [https://cmstudiescinema.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search], stops by in this 90-minute chat that features #importantjournalisms related to Muppet Clue, Repo: The Genetic Opera and, spoilers, whether “it’s” made of… corn. Fear not, there is also more… mature discourse about breakout sequels, what Broadway favorites should or should not get the big-budget movie treatment and the importance of adaptations that grow an existing fanbase. Also on tap were thoughts on what studios might be thinking when they split a long book or play into two movies, the logic of making films for/from/about women, and whether Zooptia 2 will give Wicked more of a hassle than Moana 2 did. Most importantly, discover what exactly Lisa was talking about when she declared, “For the first time in my life, I feel… Phantom of the Opera 2007 revival!” Apologies, but I’m running behind, so no “recommended reading” for this week. That said, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Chrissi Michael - c(ine)m(a) studies [https://cmstudiescinema.substack.com/] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep. 94 -- Now You See 'NYSM3,' Now You Don't See 'Running Man'

The original permanent fourth chair returns, as Ryan Scott stops by for the first time since early August. Actually, since Jeremy Fuster couldn’t make this week’s show, it’s still a party of trio instead of a quartet. We, of course, discuss the ins and outs of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (which should be just over/under $100 million worldwide by the time you read this) and The Running Man (which should be at around $35 million globally by tonight). And for those who have argued that I’m too… ruthless of an editor (I don’t entirely disagee), I did let this one hang out a little bit, including more false starts than Point Break or Return of the King has false endings, so those who just want the meat can skip to 14:50 for the top ten rundown and then 26:50 for the actual discourse. Among the tangents, we discuss Aaron Eckhart’s 2020s run as a direct-to-consumer action star, why Ryan is still angry about Godzilla: King of the Monsters, why Lisa thinks that the history-reshaping racism of Birth of a Nation might only be the second-worst thing about it (that’s my joke, but think the oft-shared/memed “I draw the line at animal cruelty” Community scene) and why you might want to drop $50 on Sisu: Road to Revenge (which, by the way, is pretty dang great) topping the domestic box office this weekend. Among the more pertinent topics are the complicated questions related to Glen Powell’s alleged movie stardom, and — in slightly related terms — Chris Evans’ post-MCU filmography, how The Running Man continues a Hollywood trend of reviving franchises or brands that audiences more or less previously rejected (both the 1987 Running Man movie and the early-2010s slew of failed remakes like Fright Night, Total Recall and RoboCop), and to what extent we should readjust the commercial bar for success amid the new PVOD and streaming-supplemented status quo. Apologies, but I’m running behind, so no “recommended reading” for this week. That said, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com. * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

An Hour With... Screen Engine CEO Kevin Goetz

Welcome to another irregular spin-off episode of The Box Office Podcast, during which I (Scott Mendelson) sit down with Kevin Goetz [https://kevingoetz360.com/]. Mr. Goetz is the founder and current CEO of Screen Engine/ASI [https://www.screenengineasi.com/#], among the leading companies involved in (among other things) pre-release test screening and pre-release tracking analysis. He also hosts a weekly podcast of his own, “Don’t Kill the Messenger [https://dontkillthemessenger.kevingoetz360.com/],” which features inside baseball conversations with industry leaders and influential artists. But the reason for the season is his second book, How to Score in Hollywood [https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/How-to-Score-in-Hollywood/Kevin-Goetz/9781982189860], which dropped on November 11 courtesy of Simon & Schuster. Among the insights are the difference between having that big idea and developing it to a commercially successful endpoint, crafting films with specific audiences via commercially viable budgets and marketing spends, and the changing definitions of what audiences consider “theater worthy” and using the test screening process as a positive tool rather than a (my words) “commerce > art” cudgel. In the 50-minute conversation, as always edited for time and clarity, we discuss the common Hollywood mistakes (mistaking a singular hit for an easily replicable pattern, the difference between revisiting and rehashing, etc.), the shows that convinced him that television had caught up to movies in terms of production value and comparative impact and why the modern theatrical ecosystem has to cope with the three “Cs” — Cost, Convenience and Choice. And with that… I hope you enjoy the most recent episode of The Box Office Podcast, which features the return of Ryan Scott, and will drop later this week. Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep. 93 - Predator 9, People 0

Max Deering, of Fangoria and the Action For Everyone podcast, returns to discuss the rousing reception (artistically and commercially) for Dan Trachtenberg and Patrick Aison’s Predator: Badlands. But that’s not all, as the longtime Predator fan is here to spread the gospel about the, uh… *darkest* chapter of the Predator universe, namely AvP: Requiem. Is it an unsung (or at least undervalued) “trasherpiece”? Is Trachtenberg a secret “AvP: Requiem Truther”? Will we ever see a version of the 2007 monster mash-up sequel that we can, I dunno, actually *see*? Meanwhile, we discuss whether Badlands can serve as a gateway for younger audiences who are not otherwise interested in prior Predator installments, as Jeremy Fuster reminds us of the complicated reasons why Prey went straight to Hulu. Later, flags are half-mast for Die My Love and Christy and glasses are raised for Bugonia and Regretting You. We discuss why Mubi shelled out big bucks for an almost comically uncommercial flick and whether the boxing flick bombed due to or despite Sydney Sweeney’s SEO-gold online-famous fame. All of that and more, including Scott Mendelson’s simple (and predictable?) reason for selecting Prey as his “favorite” Predator passion play. Recommended reading… * Scott Mendelson noted how the success of Predator: Badlands is a reminder [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/box-office-why-predator-badlands-is-most-important-success-for-disney-in-2025] that Disney ruled the 2010s because its 2010s movies were (relatively) good. * Jeremy Fuster discussed how anime saved the domestic box office [https://www.thewrap.com/anime-box-office-success-explained-chainsaw-man-demon-slayer/] amid what otherwise would have been a brutal “Weapons to Wicked” slump. * Lisa Laman discusses Disney’s mediocre-at-best 2025 box office run [https://www.looper.com/2003375/disney-bad-2025-box-office-explained/], just before Predator: Badlands, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash arrive to right the ship. * Ryan Scott’s latest “Tales from the Box Office [https://www.slashfilm.com/2022823/mars-responsible-box-office-bombs-red-planet-mission-to-mars/]” discusses the grim commercial fates, 25 years ago, of both Mission to Mars and Red Planet. * Max Deering discusses the popular Alan Wake video game series and how it deals with hyperstition [https://www.fangoria.com/alan-wake-2-blends-hyperstition-and-horror/], which, in the game, comes about (simplification alert) in a manner similar to John Carpenter’s In the Mouth of Madness. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] * Max Deering - Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/maxwell_deering/] and Action For Everyone [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OWjC2VooChhsCT8UCzDlL] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Ep. 92 - The Lame Halloween

Forgive the lack of a “the top ten movies are” portion; I was on a time crunch and wanted to make sure we had time for “discourse.” It’s just the three of us, as Scott Mendelson, Lisa Laman and Jeremy Fuster talk shop about what really was a weak weekend. * Regretting You’s second-weekend hold is terrific, no matter its rank. * The Black Phone 2 was, by default, the hero Hollywood needed on Halloween. * Bugonia’s *relatively* strong expansion counts as a relative win. * Can even a best-case scenario reception for Predator: Badlands convince the disinterested to show up for “just a Predator flick?” * The three of us pick our most anticipated movies for the remainder of the year. * Oh, and in a skewed change of pace, Scott (not Lisa) pitches this episode’s franchise extension/revival from hell. Also, Scott’s fool-proof plan to discover whether or not Mason Thames is actually an emerging movie star. Yes, even coming in just under an hour, this is a more… casual chit-chatty episode than usual. Not a bad thing, and honestly, it’s probably a good thing, but there you go either way. Recommended Reading - Scott Mendelson discusses [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/frankenstein-netflix-oscar-advantage]Frankenstein [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/frankenstein-netflix-oscar-advantage]’s key advantage in the 2025/2025 Oscar race [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/p/frankenstein-netflix-oscar-advantage]: it isn’t held to the same commercial standards as conventional theatrical titles like Smashing Machine or Deliver Us From Nowhere. Jeremy Fuster talks with theater executives [https://www.thewrap.com/warner-bros-sale-theaters-reaction-legal-block-merger/] who are exactly as thrilled by the idea of Warner Bros. being swallowed up by another conglomerate as you’d expect. Oh, and he also digs deep into the “Antitrust” conversation. Lisa Laman details the top-earning musician-specific biopics [https://www.looper.com/2005755/highest-grossing-musician-biopics-box-office/], and I’ll again note (in terms of predictions for Michael) that there is a vast gulf between the #2 and #1 grossers in this sub-genre. Ryan Scott’s latest “Tales from the Box Office [https://www.slashfilm.com/2013475/saw-3d-most-hated-movie-franchise-box-office/]” notes the 15th anniversary of Saw: The Final Chapter, which still did relatively well despite being among the worst Saw flicks. If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com (which I finally fixed so that it’ll forward to my personal business email, natch). * Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/] and Puck News [https://puck.news/author/scott-mendelson/] * Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap [https://www.thewrap.com/author/jeremy-fuster/] * Lisa Laman [https://lisalaman.wixstudio.com/lisaportfolio] - Dallas Observer [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/dallas-forths-best-trans-inclusive-bars-and-businesses-21590543], Pajiba [https://www.pajiba.com/staff/lisa-laman.php], Looper [https://www.looper.com/author/lisalaman/], Comic Book [https://comicbook.com/author/lisa-laman/] and Autostraddle [https://www.autostraddle.com/author/lisalaman/] * Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm [https://www.slashfilm.com/author/ryanscott/] and Fangoria [https://www.fangoria.com/authors/ryan-scott/] Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe [https://scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]