The Hot Button by David Poland

The Hot Button by David Poland

THB #719: When Bombs Fall...

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David Poland
Jun 22, 2025
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This is not the column you might think it is from that headline.

It’s about Elio… mostly.

“You talkin’ to me? Yeah. I am talkin’ to me! Do you see Joe Pesci here?”

We have had our share of bad studio openings this year. The Alto Knights ($3.2 million opening) sits on the ocean floor and is followed by Love Hurts, Drop, Heart Eyes, Novocaine, Companion, and The Woman in the Yard as sub-$10 million major studio releases this year. But of that group, it appears that only The Alto Knights, a vanity greenlit by the endlessly chased-by-villagers David Zaslav, cost more than $20 million to produce. (The “reported” coincidence that Love Hurts, Heart Eyes, and Novocaine all allegedly cost $18 million is beyond credulity, but I will put that aside here.)

These are not the bombs you are looking for. (This group is more deeply examined here.)

The next tier are higher budget releases that opened to less than $20 million. Mickey 17, Paddington in Peru, The Amateur, and Karate Kids: Legends.

We can skip…

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