Last week, I had the distinct pleasure to chat over Zoom with Charles. We had a terrific conversation about AI, and the charms of Chris Pratt. As well as some of his past successes. It was such genuinely enjoyable chat. And if you haven’t seen Mercy as of yet, it is currently in theatres.

Charles Roven: Hey, Jimmy, how are you? Nice to meet you over Zoom.

Nice to meet you over Zoom as well. I’ve got to say, man, obviously you’ve been a part of some very, very impressive films and ones that have obviously been a huge part of JoBlo. What is it about this story, Mercy, and working with Timur, and finding this kind of examination of this world of AI?

Charles Roven: I mean, there are a number of things, but first and foremost, I think that it is something that we’re probably, I think we’ll look back on and say, wow, this was prescient, or sadly it was prescient. I’m not sure.

We don’t know yet.

Charles Roven: We don’t know yet. Exactly. And that’s kind of what I love about what we’re able to accomplish in the screenplay and ultimately in what the movie is. You’ve obviously seen the whole movie now, right?

Yeah, last night.

Charles Roven: So it leaves you in a place where I think you are satisfied, but also it’s something you can talk about.

For sure. For sure. You have this world, and it’s very prevalent. It feels like it’s fitting in today’s society.

Charles Roven: Exactly.

So I assume that was part of your interest in exploring what’s going on.

Charles Roven: I’ll tell you what was really so interesting: when we started to develop this, it was just like, oh yeah, AI, it’s going to happen at some point. And then all of a sudden, when we had the screenplay finished, and Timor was part of the package, and Chris and Rebecca were part of the package, and we were going out in the marketplace, the whole thing just exploded.

I assume also that that must be kind of a good feeling too, to be creating original material.

Charles Roven: It is, and I’ve been a fan of Timur’s work for a long time, and in particular, I’ve really admired what he calls his screen life movies that he’s both directed and produced. Right. I’m sure you’ve seen those. And so when we started talking about the project, and it was really Majd Nassif, who is a producer on the movie, but was working with Timor’s company and Rob, who is a creative executive, well, he’s actually executive vice president of Atlas Entertainment. When those two guys got together and brought the project to Timor, it was like, Hmm, this is really interesting, and it gets to use this invention of teamwork and really actually expand on it in a really great way. So I was excited about that too. You don’t see too many movies that are fashioned this way

For sure. That’s absolutely true. I want to talk about Chris. Was involved from the beginning? Why do you think it is about him that just represents the everyday man?

Charles Roven: Well, that is it, isn’t it?

Yeah, I guess.

Charles Roven: So. The everyday man, but he’s still even within representing the everyday man, he’s still funny, smart, compassionate, and badass.

It’s a good combination.

Charles Roven: And he’s not without his flaws as a human, and he can play really great leading guys that have some flaws. We all do. You know what I’m saying? So he is every man.

Yeah, that’s true. Now, one of the things I feel like this builds, you could easily have a sequel to this. You could easily have a franchise of this. Is that in the talks, or is this just, let’s just do this flick, see how it goes?

Charles Roven: I think right now we are. Hey, we think we’ve got something that’s very special. We hope people agree with us when they see it. And I’m a producer who likes to have the demand of, Hey, can we get more? And if that happens, I would be happy to move forward on it, but I don’t want to be presumptuous.

Well, I mean, you have been a part of some pretty impressive projects like The Dark Knight.

Charles Rover: And I’m amazingly happy to be part of it, but it did take Batman Begins to bring about The Dark Knight.

It did. It did. Very much so. I mean, it would be curious because there does seem to be room to continue.

Charles Roven: Yeah. I mean, that was the other thing we had to come to a conclusion on: I don’t want to speak about the ending.

Yeah, no, don’t give anything away. Don’t give anything away. Timur has such an, you mentioned you’re a fan of his. He is such a visionary, such an interesting filmmaker. What is it to you that you really enjoy working with and finding that connection?

Charles Roven: It is that interesting thing. He never stops thinking about what he’s doing, never stops thinking about possibilities of how he can make it better. And so that’s both fantastic and enjoyable to talk about, but it’s also challenging. Is this particular idea that’s an invention of yours, a really good idea, or is it something that we should be careful about? And so as a producer, I’ve got to make sure that in working with a director like that, I’m giving him all the space that he can handle. Right. But at a certain point, I’ve got to say, we’ve got to finish the movie now.

Sure. Well, it was an absolute pleasure talking, sir. Congratulations on the film.

Charles Roven: Thanks so much. Really nice talking to you too.

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Amazon/MGM’s Mercy, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, managed to overcome poor reviews (including a brutal one from our own Tyler Nichols) to open with $11.2 million. That’s not a particularly strong debut for a movie led by Chris Pratt, and it’s right in line with Mel Gibson’s Flight Risk, which opened slightly higher with $11.5 million almost exactly a year ago.

While Mercy did come in a bit higher than we predicted earlier this week, it almost certainly opened well below Amazon/MGM’s expectations. The film is the first in a slate of ambitious, mostly original releases the studio has planned for the year, including Crime 101 and Masters of the Universe.

Of course, bad reviews weren’t the only factor hurting Mercy’s box office performance—though a B-minus CinemaScore certainly didn’t help. Severe winter storms crippled major population hubs from Texas to New England, forcing many theaters to close and limiting attendance nationwide.

So how did Avatar: Fire and Ash fare? In its sixth weekend, James Cameron’s sequel slipped to second place with $7 million, bringing its domestic total to $378 million. The film should get a boost in a few weeks thanks to Valentine’s Day, which is traditionally strong at the box office, but it now seems likely to finish its domestic run in the $420 million range.

While Cameron has acknowledged that the film needs to make a massive amount of money to justify Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, it’s difficult to imagine Disney not giving him the greenlight. In a relatively quiet theatrical marketplace, these films clearly continue to resonate with audiences.

Zootopia 2 held onto third place with $5.7 million, passing the $400 million mark domestically. Worldwide, the animated sequel has now earned over $1.7 billion. Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s sleeper hit The Housemaid added another $4.2 million, pushing its domestic total to an impressive $115 million. Overseas, it has cleared $250 million, making it Lionsgate’s biggest hit in quite some time—no wonder a sequel is already in development.

Unfortunately, Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple completely collapsed in its second weekend, suffering a disastrous 71% drop and earning just $3.6 million. Its domestic total now stands at only $20.7 million, a deeply disappointing result. Unless the film rallies overseas, the long-anticipated third installment doesn’t appear likely to happen—at least not theatrically.

A24’s Marty Supreme, buoyed by its Oscar nominations, expanded into IMAX this weekend (along with several 70mm locations) and earned another $3.5 million, dropping just 36%. That brings its domestic total to $86 million. It narrowly edged out Cineverse’s Return to Silent Hill, which stumbled badly with a $2.6 million opening from 2,000 theaters, translating to a weak $1.6K per-screen average. Yikes.

Oscar nominations also boosted Hamnet, which saw its box office jump 48% from last weekend, earning $2 million for a $17 million domestic total. Fathom Events’ re-release of The Fellowship of the Ring added another $2 million this weekend, bringing its re-release total to $6.3 million and its lifetime domestic gross to $325 million. Rounding out the top ten was Primate, which earned $1.6 million for a $23 million total.

Next weekend brings the release of Sam Raimi’s Send Help. Will it be able to claim the top spot? Let us know in the comments!

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A Rough Start for the 2026 Box Office

It can’t be denied that 2026 is off to a rough start at the box office, with none of January’s new releases managing to dethrone James Cameron’s resilient Avatar: Fire and Ash from the top of the heap. While no one really thought Paramount’s Primate had a shot, the failure of last week’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, despite excellent reviews, cast a bit of a chill over the industry. While no one expected it to make anywhere near the $30 million 28 Years Lateropened with, the $13.5 million debut was brutal.

Can Mercy Break the January Slump?

Amazon/MGM, which has a robust slate of original, non-franchise films opening this year (I’m looking forward to their Crime 101), is taking a stab at launching its sci-fi thriller Mercy, which benefits from IMAX 3D screens. While the notion of a sci-fi action movie starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson seems like a surefire hit, Mercy is actually another of director Timur Bekmambetov’s “screenlife” films, where the majority of the action takes place on computer screens.

The premise is cool, in that it stars Pratt as a cop accused of murder who must prove his innocence in ninety minutes to an AI program (Ferguson) using a supercomputer. However, it remains to be seen if that concept can actually put butts in seats in movie theaters. Indeed, it sounds very much like a streaming movie, and while Pratt will bring in some people, there’s no way this one makes over $10 million.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Holds the Top Spot

As such, expect Avatar: Fire and Ash to once again take the top spot, with about $13 million as it closes in on the $400 million mark domestically. My guess is it will finally be unseated next week by Sam Raimi’s Send Help, which should appeal to genre fans and anyone looking for a creepy date-night movie.

Can The Bone Temple Rally?

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple actually has a shot at rallying a bit this weekend, so we’ll see if the A-minus CinemaScore (excellent for a horror movie) does the trick. At best, I see it making about $7 million.

The Race for Fourth Place

Fourth place should be a toss-up between Zootopia 2 and The Housemaid, which are both on track to make about $6 million apiece. I’ll give The Housemaid the edge this time, as the holiday weekend allowed Zootopia 2 to overtake it last week.

Here are our predictions:

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash: $13 million
2. Mercy: $10 million
3. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple: $7 million
4. The Housemaid: $6 million
5. Zootopia 2: $5.5 million

What are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the comments!

The post Box Office Predictions: Will Chris Pratt’s Mercy manage to overtake Avatar 3 or will it fall flat? appeared first on JoBlo.

CinemaCon keeps rolling, folks! Other big-ticket items on display at Amazon‘s CinemaCon panel include Michael B. Jordan’s Thomas Crown Affair. Jordan directs, produces, and stars in the latest version of the story. The project is shooting in London with Bradford Young on the camera. Thomas Crown Affair comes out in 2026.

Meanwhile, Verity is Michael Showalter’s project, starring Anne Hathaway, Josh Hartnett, and Dakota Johnson. Verity is based on It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover’s novel, published in 2018. The CinemaCon crowd saw a trailer with Hathaway playing a famous author and Hartnett as her husband. She’s now paralyzed, and Dakota Johnson is a writer doing her biography. Johnson becomes infatuated with Hartnett, but Hathaway’s Verity might not be paralyzed and might be hiding a dark secret! Dun dun dunnnn!

In Timur Bekmambetov’s Mercy, Chris Pratt is accused of murdering his wife. An AI program called Mercy (Rebecca Ferguson) arrests him, and he has 90 minutes to prove his innocence using camera footage from the city. Chris says Mercy looks like a super high-tech version of Timur’s screen life movies. This aspect of the film could turn people off, but others may love it. It looks unusual. It could be cool. It could be terrible. The jury remains out.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and scripted by Marco Van Belle (Arthur & Merlin), Mercy tells a story “set in the near future when capital crime has increased” and follows “a detective who is accused of a violent crime and forced to prove his innocence.” Chris Pratt (The Electric State) stars alongside Rebecca Ferguson (Dune), Annabelle Wallis (Malignant), and Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country). The film is set to be released on January 23, 2026.

Amazon’s presentation includes Hugh Jackman’s new joint, Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie. What? Let me explain. In the movie, Jackman is a sheep farmer unraveling a murder mystery. Say no more. I’m in! Oh. Do you want more? Okay. The project co-stars Emma Thompson. The film appears family-oriented. To be clear, it’s not animated. It’s giving The Full Monty vibes. There are lots of cute sheep, but they’re CGI and could be voiced by movie stars. Amazon did not reveal this, but the project has a star-studded cast, with Bryan Cranston and Brett Goldstein starring.

Prepare for an education because Amazon is ready to teach you about Crime 101. The latest film from Bart Layton is giving Heat vibes. Chris Hemsworth is a robber like De Niro’s Heat character. He’s pursued by a dogged detective played by Mark Ruffalo. Meanwhile, Barry Keoghan is a psychopathic, stuck-up man. Halle Berry plays an insurance agent. Again, it is very reminiscent of Heat, right down to the LA locale. Crime 101 looks very slick. However, it also seems derivative as it’s done so clearly in the Michael Mann style. Hemsworth, Keoghan, and Berry look great. The jury is out, but it is SO reminiscent of Heat.

Based on the novella by Don Winslow, Crime 101 follows “a series of high level jewelry thefts up and down the Pacific Coast Highway that have gone unsolved for years, mostly because the perpetrator has lived by a strict code he calls ‘Crime 101.’ Police attribute the thefts to the Colombian cartels, but Detective Lou Lubesnick’s gut says it’s the work of just one man. Now the lone-wolf jewel thief is looking for that fabled final last score and Lou breaks all the rules of Crime 101.” The film stars Chris Hemsworth (Avengers: Doomsday), Mark Ruffalo (Mickey 17), Barry Keoghan (The Batman), Halle Berry (Never Let Go), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Corey Hawkins (The Color Purple), and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Poolman).

Our editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, is in the CinemaCon crowd and says After the Hunt looks provocative, with Andrew Garfield playing a very anti-woke role. In the preview, Garfield’s character gets into an argument with Ayo Edebiri, who accuses him of rape, and Julia Roberts doesn’t know who to believe.  Both have compelling stories, with Garfield saying she’s destroying his career while Edebiri seems to be playing a lot of cards. But Roberts has a lot of darkness in her past, too. Chris says that After the Hunt feels heavy on its critique of cultural wars.

Luca Guadagnino directs After the Hunt, an intense dramatic thriller written by Nora Garrett. Julia Roberts (Leave the World Behind) stars as a college professor who finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil levels an accusation against one of her colleagues and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light. Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Andrew Garfield (We Live in Time), Michael Stuhlbarg (Bones and All), and Chloë Sevigny (Russian Doll) also star in the film, which is slated to hit limited theaters on October 10th before opening wide on October 17th.

Keep it here for more form CinemaCon 2025!

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