Will ‘Ocean’s 8’ Surprise the Box Office?

Ocean’s 8, which stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson and Awkwafina, (making this writer consider that it blows the George Clooney-lead prequels out of the water in terms of the star-power) was released last night and now it is heading toward the weekend with open certainty to top the box office nationwide against the other new releases: horror-sensation, Hereditary, and Hotel Artemis, a sci-fi based on an original screenplay by Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,) which so far has been receiving negative reviews all around.

Last night, the Gary Ross-directed picture grossed $4 million, beating the previously released, gender-swap (and a critical fiasco) Ghostbusters. The figure has made box office predictors to raise the opening weekend number from $30 to $40 million. The film has, so far, been getting average reviews, some especially highlighting Anne Hathaway’s hilariously self-indulging performance.

For Warner Bros. the female-lead film is meant to be the biggest summer release, with the studio waiting until Fall and Winter for their major releases. Gary Ross is also put back on the map as one of the more prominent, blockbuster directors which should get his fans excited to see what next Hollywood hit he will try to hustle up, after the not-so-successful Free State of Jones. Ross must be getting hungry for some game again.

Ocean’s 8 is a big, hopeful leap for any fans of the female-lead reboots and it is important for the film to hold its own both critically and commercially. Although, its influence will only be evident months and even years after the release, I am hopeful that it will change some views of female-starring, feature comedies. One can predict from the numerical distance that is left between 8 and 11 (the number that starts the first film of Soderberg’s trilogy,) future sequels are expected and the exciting box office numbers confirm these chances.