Fantasy Movie League
By: Matthew Fox
Tags: Pop Culture, Summer, Movies, Entertainment, Fantasy Sports

Fantasy Movie League

In its third weekend in release, The Lion King is no longer in daily scoring, but something else now is. That’s right, the challenges continue this weekend. But this is the lone weekend in August with only one wide release before a literal flood of films begins next weekend. But more on that later, first a look back at last weekend.

Quentin Tarantino’s new film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood opened, but I thought some daily mixes of The Lion King were a better bet at anchor. I also liked Stuber as a Best Value candidate. Instead, Annabelle Home Coming was the Best Value, and a combination of Tarantino and Friday’s Lion King were the best anchors. So I fell quite a bit behind the pace, racking up one of my worst weeks of the summer.

This week it’s a question of whether I load up on Hobbs & Shaw, or the Lion King (now in single scoring) provides the best anchor. And as has been the case all summer long, it’s also about finding the best value candidates. As always, if you think you’re better at the game than me, I encourage you to join me in a Fantasy Life App Blog league! You can join the league here. On to this week’s competition.

New at the Box Office:

The only new release this week is Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw, a spin-off of the Fast and Furious franchise starring The Rock and Jason Statham. It’s going to be a grand spectacle, one filled with action, car chases, explosions and plenty of smoldering looks. And it is projected to easily capture the top spot at the Box Office. Box Office Pro sees $70 million while Box Office Report sees $63 million. And it’s gotten OK reviews, launching with a critical score of 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fantasy Movie League put it in Daily Scoring, with Hobbs & Shaw taking the second, third and fourth highest dollar amounts. Friday is $483, which will include Thursday previews, Saturday is $353 and Sunday is $284. That aligns with predictions, that have Friday at $33.4 million, Saturday at $28.6 million and Sunday at $20.6 million. Combined that’s $82.6 million, which is a good lot higher than any other site. That means it’s buy beware with the value on Hobbs & Shaw.

The Search for the Best Value:

The Lion King remains the highest cost at $572 and is the highest stand alone film at $38.7 million. Box Office Pro sees $38.9 and Box Office Report sees $37.5 million. That makes it relatively stable, but it’s questionable about whether it returns a great value atop the Box Office. It still may be a better bet than Hobbs & Shaw, but you have to pay a premium to get it.

Another anchor option is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which outpaced projections last week and could be strong counter-programming to other options. At $276 it is cheaper than any screening of Hobbs & Shaw, and it is projected between $19.7 and $21 million. That might make it a more appealing options stacked up on a Cineplex. I’m also high on Toy Story 4. It’s $97 FML bucks and projected at $6.1 million. However, Box Office Report and Box Office Pro are around $7.5 million, giving it great value. And the lower end films have been the value producers this summer, so why not Toy Story 4.

This Week’s Lineup:

I’m going with Tarantino and Tom Hanks this week.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Toy Story 4 x7

That’s it for this week. Disagree, have a comment, want to share your process with the world? Hit me up at fantasylifeappblog@gmail.com or on Twitter @Knighthawk7734

The Fantasy Life App is the must-have app for fantasy sports players and sports bettors, with the fastest breaking news, advice, chats, trash talk & more. Co-founded by ESPN’s Matthew Berry, Fantasy Life App offers fantasy fanatics an edge, from draft day to league domination.

Available on iOS & Android. Download from the App Store, Google Play, or at fantasylifeapp.com.