Yesterday, Jessica Chastain got a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Miss Sloane. Some believe that there is an outside chance that Chastain could run an ultimately effective Oscar campaign and end up with a Best Actress Oscar nomination, although this year the Best Actress is pretty strong, and I tend to think that as far as “deserving redheads” go, Amy Adams is the one to watch for in Arrival or Nocturnal Animals. Still, the Globe nomination was a nice way to honor Chastain’s consistently good and interesting work.
The film follows Chastain as Miss Sloane, a special-interest lobbyist who takes on a pro-gun-control client (the Brady Campaign) and proceeds to make the gun lobby look really bad in Washington. I would understand if people don’t really know that the film is about guns and gun control, because the TV ads mostly gloss over that fact. While I admire the fact that the film talks about gun control, the film is pretty heavily fictionalized, and they’re obviously trying to make Washington lobbyists look glossy, sexy and dangerous (real Washington lobbyists are none of those things, except maybe dangerous, but in a completely different and unsexy way).
Well, long story short, Miss Sloane opened over the weekend in 1,648 theaters. And it was one of the worst wide openings ever. It opened with about $1.9 million, coming in at #11 for the weekend. It opened worse than Gigli. It opened worse than Price and Prejudice and Zombies. Considering the film was made for $13 million, and considering the film may get a bounce with the Golden Globe nomination for Chastain, maybe it won’t be seen as “bombing” too badly. Still, the conservative, pro-gun media is throwing a party about this – the poor box office showing is being used by conservative media to say that “liberal Hollywood wants to take away your guns in a fictional film, but haha no one wanted to see the movie because MURICA!”
So, basically, if you have the time, go see Miss Sloane. Why not? I had the chance to see it this weekend but I chose to see Loving instead (#noregrets). I wouldn’t mind seeing Miss Sloane though, but there are just so many good films out right now.
Photos courtesy of IMDB.
This is the first I am even hearing about the movie…..
Me too. I would guess that is why it is bombing. No support behind it.
+2
+3
This article is literally the first time I’ve seen or heard of the movie.
+++ I’ve actually tried to see this movie, but the theater distribution in my city has been less than ideal. It needed more support, promotion, and distribution IMHO.
Never heard of it or saw any promotions/ads. Odd.
I just came to write this. I saw no commercials for this. Did she even do the talk show rounds? It seems more like bad/ no promo is the real cause for this bombing.
I saw tons of trailers on tv, but still had no idea what the movie was about until I read this. So I’d say the problem is advertising, and as Kaiser pointed out, there are just too many really good movies that come out during the holiday season, and only so much time to see them.
Many excellent films performed badly at the box office because (most) people rather watch superheroes or space war trek galaxy stuff. It’s all about escapism. Sometimes you got a great sci-fi movie like Arrival and people don’t get it because *spoilers* where are the guns????? I will totally watch Miss Sloane once it hits Argentinean cinemas.
Arrival is actually doing great at the box office and many other smaller films did as well like Mancester by the Sea and La La Land which are in limited release right now. So they did not do a ton but Miss Sloane was only one doing poorly; everything else met expectations or surpassed them.
I’m going to see it tomorrow.
Sounds interesting . If I had to choose between Loving or Sloan it would be Loving. Sloan looks like a rental . The gun topic is one of many that needs to get addressed .
I never heard a single thing about this movie. Seems like a marketing fail
Or maybe regardless of your stance on guns you are so absolutely sick with Washington right now, you don’t want to watch Lobbyists go at each other. That really isn’t esacpism right now.
Go see Moana instead.
I’m going to Moana this weekend! It’s very popular here in Hawaii!
I spent three years on Ohahu, and it definitely made me nostalgic for the island life!
Moana…..SOOOOOOOOO good! It won’t replace Beauty and the Beast in my heart, but it is very cute. It looks like we might be transferred to Hawaii in the new year, and even though we keep telling her that it won’t be like the movie, because the movie doesn’t technically take place in Hawaii, she won’t accept it.
Poor kids gonna be sad when she can’t dress like Moana every day.
Agree with marketing fail. Never heard about it.
The times it was showing this weekend didn’t fit into our schedule but I do plan to see it this week
Saw the ads, had no idea that it was about gun control.
There is nothing sexy about Washington lobbyists. The only thing more predatory might be the Congressmen.
The again, I guess when you make a movie/TV show, you have to make it look better than reality. My Dad loves NCIS, but he always laughs at the way the guys are actually portrayed because he’s worked with more than a few of those guys and it doesn’t work like the show.
I saw this movie on Friday because I like Jessica Chastain and I walked out of the movie the best I’ve felt since the election.
She is amazing in it, the cast was great. Total underdog movie and it’s on my top 10 list for this year.
I see at least 1 movie a week, 2 if schedule permits. I’ve seen Loving, Manchester, and Miss Sloane. Miss Sloane is way better than Manchester. Loving was understated, subtle and the performances were great.
But Jessica shines. I can’t say enough good things about this.
good to hear. i wanted to see it this weekend but i needed an escape film in light of all the news this past week. So saw Fantastic Beasts….
I saw a preview and I thought to myself “It’s Scandal: the Movie” because that’s how it felt. I got no gun control vibes off of it. It just looked boring to me.
Same, I didn’t get a gun control message of any kind from the previews. Not sure how America can be blamed for failing to turn up when we weren’t invited?
That’s the vibe I got too.
This movie is not showing on the cinema I go here in Houston…
This project seems like it would have done better as an HBO or Showtime-type miniseries
Never heard of it til the Globe nomination. Will definitely see it.
People don’t like preachy movies. Why is this a shock?
I think people are politicked out at the moment. I know this one isn’t high on my list right now. I’m too busy worrying about nonfictional politics to spend my entertainment time consuming fictional politics.
agreed. I’m definitely not interested in a political movie right now! I like jessica chastain and I’m sure it’s a good film, but I can wait for it to show up on prime/netflix.
are you kidding me? 1.9M for a 13M budget is GREAT, specially if the release will widen after Jessica’s noms and buzz. To make a comparison of a similar budget small film: Hell or High Water’s budget was 12M and opened under 500k. It went on to make 26M, which is considered a small success for an independent movie premiered in the summer, and even if it’s still under the profit line (to break even it should have made more than 30M), is a good result.
I think Sloane will do better.
It was in wide release and it did not make to top 10. It is not good. Hell or High Water did not open wide.
You have a movie where the director openly admitted that he chose not to speak to anyone on the “pro-gun” side and the entire movie hinges on pushing through a bill that is unrealistic, inefficient and a bloated version of what is already in the market. I know it’s hard to believe but people don’t want to be lectured by Hollywood on a topic that the writers/directors invested zero time in getting factually correct.
I’ve heard of it but didn’t realize it was out yet. I would like to see it.
It looks like I’m going to have to drive about an hour to see it this weekend.
There are like 5 movie theatres with a 10 mile radius of my home, including one in walking distance.
I guess they Are Pulling It
Now that you’ve included photographic proof that Mark Strong is in it, I’ll definitely be seeing it! 🙂
i work in washington dc (just had a happyhour yestrday with young powerful and women types there), and YES lobbyist and powerbrokers can DEFINITELY be slick and glamorous….often times making wallstreet salaries…..which is high for DC