By Chris Kavan - 09/25/19 at 11:02 PM CT
It will be almost one year to the day this Friday that Smallfoot was released in theaters (9-28-18) and this year Hollywood is all about more frozen friends with Abominable. The only new wide release, and the first animated offering in over a month, better hope families are ready for another outing, as that will be the film's one saving grace. Downton Abbey scored a major win - but it may not be enough to stay on top for a second straight weekend. Both Ad Astra and Rambo: Last Blood probably won't be much of a threat, either, so Abominable has a good shot at taking the top spot.
ABOMINABLE The "monster" with a big heart has been a staple of family-friendly films for a long, long time - everything from E.T. to Harry and the Hendersons and many, many more. Abominable follows a familiar story: Everest, our erstwhile Yeti, gets separated from his family and finds himself on a Shanhai rooftop - where a trio of friends - Yi, Peng and Jin (voiced by Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai and Tenzing Norgay Trainor respectively) decide to help the lost creature return to his family. But, of course, there are other not-so-nice humans after him as well, in the form of Dr. Zara (Sarah Pauling) and Burnish (Eddie Izzard). Adventure ensues, lessons are learned and, just a wild guess here, I'm guessing everything works out just fine. But Abominable is sure to be a decent hit for those exact reasons: it's a film with a big heart and a good message. Plus, the cast has plenty of international talent involved - Tsai Chin, Michelle Wong, James Hong and Christine Lin are all part of the cast. Given the setting and people involved, I think it's safe to say that China's burgeoning market share must have had some influence on the story. It's still nice to see a well-rounded cast, in any case. Abominable should have a pretty good shot at the top - unless Downton Abbey fans return for a second run or were really good at selling the film to their friends.
With the animation drought coming to an end, Abominable should secure a place atop the box office. We'll see come Sunday, when I'll have the results per usual.
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