George Lucas on getting kids to pay attention.

I mean, literally who better to explain it?

May 01, 2025

THE QUOTE 🎬 💬

“By the way, I would have voted for Obama for a third term, if I could.”

hint: while intended as commentary, the quote might’ve been more prescient than intended.

THINK THOUGHTS 💭

When I first started this email I used to include the box office numbers. I still pay attention to them every weekend, but I no longer lay them out for you, my dear sweet reader. Felt a bit too insider-y (though you should let me know if you’d enjoy seeing them again - with context of course). Can blame “the bullshit” a bit too.

But when there are noteworthy cases, I still like to call them out. And we actually had two last weekend. The first was the re-release of Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith. It made $25.5 million. That’s a damn good opening for many movies (a million more than Ben Affleck’s The Accountant 2), but Revenge of the Sith first came out 20 years ago(!).

Think there are two things happening here. Well, kind of one thing with two parts. First part is that people love watching a movie they know well in theaters, even if they can see it at home, for “free.” Second part is, an entire generation of kids grew up watching (because they were forced to by their moms and dads?) Star Wars movies on DVD and then streaming, but most hadn’t seen it on anything bigger than a 55 inch LCD. And now, they get to experience Obi Wan yelling “It’s over Anakin. I have the high ground!” with the best sound, the biggest screen and a group of giddy nerds just like them cheering in unison. Think it’s both a testament to a communal experience and nostalgia.

The second is Sinners’ second frame. After great reviews, fantastic fan reactions and a solid opening weekend, there was this relatively small hullabaloo because “the media” (see: NYT’s headline ‘Sinners’ Is a Box Office Success (With a Big Asterisk)) didn’t call the movie an unequivocal hit. They couched it slightly on account of the budget ($90 million), the overseas reception (from NYT article: “Overseas, “Sinners” collected a muted $15.4 million from more than 70 countries. Horror movies and stories rooted in Black culture can be difficult sells in some markets, analysts said.”) and how the movie would play long term. Some people read that as being an unnecessarily stingy analysis for a movie created, starring and about mostly Black people.

Now, some context that a great hold for a second weekend for most movies is like 20-30%. More often it’s around 50%+. For example, Barbie and Oppenheimer each dropped 43%.

Sinners dropped just 5% in its second weekend1.

You can attribute that, my friend, to very good word of mouth. And word of mouth is most certainly what helps a movie become a hit. In fact, we could be on our way to a mini-phenomenon here. And the best part? It’s an original. With likely no sequel on the way. Just a damn good movie doing damn good business. It’s the example people, aka Hollywood, wants more of. But there aren’t a ton of Ryan Coogler’s (director of Sinners) out there.

Or, there are, and they just haven’t gotten their chance yet.

NEWSY BITS 👾

George Lucas Reveals Why Yoda Talks Backwards at ‘Empire Strikes Back’ Anniversary Screening - “Because if you speak regular English, people won’t listen that much, but if he had an accent, or it’s really hard to understand what he’s saying, they focus on what he’s saying.”

“He was basically the philosopher of the movie,” Lucas continued. “I had to figure out a way to get people to actually listen — especially 12-year-olds.” Fun. Especially because, at 80 years old, Lucas doesn’t make that many public appearances. - Variety

NOTABLE NEW RELEASE(S) 🎟 & 📺

Thunderbolts*

This is the first movie I’ve discussed here at WIT+ with an asterisk in the title. However, it is certainly not the first Marvel movie I’ve brought to your attention. The 19th (out of 35) in fact!

So what’s so special about the asterisk?

I don’t actually know. I mean, I think I know, but I don’t want to tell you because it might be a bit spoilery.

It’s almost as if Marvel took their end credits scene teases and said “fuck it, we’ll do it before the movie too.” Honestly, anything they can do to pull people back in love with the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) after some releases that were bigger bummers than Ross in the first season of Friends.

They even released a trailer with a sick beat and all the indie bonafides of its cast and crew to basically say “hey! we hired people who make good movies. this is a good movie too!”

Huge contrast from before when Marvel could just walk up to any average moviegoer, slap them in the face, steal their lunch and tell them they have a new movie coming out and the moviegoer would desperately say “thank you!” as Marvel walked away, taking a single bite of the lunch, tossing the rest in the trash.

But to keep people interested, you have to keep making interesting, good movies.

So. Is it? A good movie?

I mean, it’s still a superhero action movie, but by all accounts, yeah, it really seems to be. Florence Pugh is key here as she essentially carries the emotional weight of the movie and maybe even the entire franchise? Because the story revolves around a group of people that are very much not the Avengers, the previous drivers of the MCU. Hell, most of the characters used to be “bad guys.” And to get out from under that shadow, they may have to walk right into it.

Which maybe, is exactly what Marvel is doing too.

Watch the Trailer

Out: Friday

Where: Movie Theaters

Details: 2 hrs 6 mins | PG-13 | 🍅: 89%

Another Simple Favor

Do me a… solid. For a few moments, separate your mind from the knowledge it contains.

🤔

Agreed, sounds weird. Is weird. But I’m trying to get you to think about this Paul Feig directed sequel, which stars Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, without thinking of “Blake Lively,” the cultural target.

You don’t have to of course. You’re free to roam to whatever deep dark (dark) recesses are contained within your mind. But if you are going to consider Another Simple Favor, I think you need to do yourself one and try and lock away all the mostly inane conversations going on around Lively and just enjoy the movie for what it is—a well reviewed twisty, turny, sharply written comedic road trip that you can enjoy from your couch.

Because if you think too hard about “Blake Lively,” or the plot of the movie, you’re likely to enjoy it less than you would otherwise. And not that I’m encouraging willful ignorance of the world. I maybe am, but for like two hours. Enjoy.

Watch the Trailer

Out: Friday

Where: Amazon Prime

Details: 2 hrs 0 mins | R | 🍅: 81%

Movies are better with (good) company.

EXTRA CREDIT MOVIE(S) 📝

The Surfer - Nic Cage is a surfer dad who can’t surf with his son on account of some aggressive a-holes calling dibs on an Australian swell. He could say “G’day mate” and fuck off, but this is a Nic Cage movie. He has to live in torment. The reviews say while it is a particular brand of torment, no one does it better than Cage and it’s another psychosis session with the best to ever lose it on screen. - Limited Theaters Friday

Rust - this small budget gritty western has received more publicity than most blockbusters, but for the worst reasons. It’s the movie were Alec Baldwin accidentally shot (and killed) Halyna Hutchins, the movie’s cinematographer. What reviews are out say the film is a bittersweet showcase for really good work done by Hutchins, but that it’s hard to separate movie from events. Fwiw, the producers aren’t making money on the movie and Hutchin’s husban and son will receive profits (if there are any). - VOD and Limited Theaters Friday

Pavements - “big” 90’s band, but only if you were cool enough to listen to them (I was not). Joe Keery and Jason Scwhartzman star in a half documentary, half mockumentary where Pavement was the most important band of all time. The reviews say it works perfectly to discuss the legacy and complexity of the cool kids that never got (that) popular. - Limited Theaters Friday

THE WEEKLY TRAILER PLAYLIST ⏯

Weapons - full trailer for new horror movie from director of Barbarian. Basic premise is a group of children run off in the middle of the night and no one knows why. The twist? They were all in the same classroom.

The Smashing Machine - that’s The Rock. Except it’s not The Rock’s face. Because he’s playing Mark Kerr, one of the first big UFC stars, in a story about his life. Directed by Benny Safdie, who directed Uncut Gems with his brother Josh.