movie review the box

Working outside The Box

The eponymous character.

I know, I know, “The Box” triumphantly qualifies for one of my favorite adjectives, “preposterous.” But if you make a preposterous movie that isn’t boring, I count that as some kind of a triumph. This one begins as traditional science fiction and branches out into radio signals from Mars, nosebleeds, Sartre’s theories about free will, amputated toes, NASA, the National Security Agency, wind tunnels, murders, black Town Cars, obnoxious waiters, and a mysterious stranger.

His name is Arlington Lewis Steward. He drops a box on the front porch of Norma and Arthur Lewis , and returns with an offer: If they push the button on top of the box, they will be paid $1 million in crisp $100 bills (“non-taxable”), but unfortunately, someone not known to them will die. Well, what would you do? Norma has just learned their son’s tuition is going up, and Arthur has been dropped from astronaut training. The hell with it: Norma, so sweet and earnest, pushes the button.

This sets into motion a chain of events that I will not describe for you even if I could. The writer-director, Richard Kelly , goes from A to Z using 52 letters, but his transitions flow so uncannily it’s only when you look back that you realize you’re off the road. Everything, including some impressive high-tech rocket science, is taken so seriously that you get sucked in. There’s also the matter of the 360-degree camera that Arthur Lewis has designed for the Mars Lander. Well, what about it? After you’ve seen the movie, you tell me. At least the nosebleeds are explained.

“The Box” is based on the story of the same name by Richard Matheson , published by Playboy in 1970. It inspired a simpler adaptation for a Twilight Zone episode in 1986, which had a different ending but a very similar box design. Well, what can you do with a box with a button on top? Matheson, who has three films in pre-production at 83, has inspired or written at least 23 films (“I am Legend” has been made three times) and countless TV episodes.

Here he seems motivated by the Milgram Experiment, one of the most famous psychological tests ever conducted. You’ve heard of it. Prof. Stanley Milgram of Yale told volunteers he was testing the limits of human pain endurance. He showed them a dial and said it would administer electrical shocks to test subjects. The high range on the dial was painted red, indicating danger. The volunteers could hear the subjects screaming. They were told by the test supervisor it was “essential” to continue administering shocks (even though the dial indicated they might become fatal). In one round of experiments, 65% of the volunteers followed orders even when it meant a fatal shock.

What would you do? And what if the victim wasn’t a person you had met who was screaming in another room, but someone unknown to you? And the reward wasn’t helping out Yale with its research, but a cool million? Norma and Arthur Lewis aren’t bad people — pretty nice ones, in fact. They regret her impulsive action immediately. But then the plot grows sinister, coiling around to involve them, which we expect, but also venturing into completely unanticipated directions, and inspiring as many unanswered questions as “ Knowing ,” which I loved.

Many readers hated “Knowing,” and many will hate “The Box.” What can I say? I’m not here to agree with you. This movie kept me involved and intrigued, and for that I’m grateful. I’m beginning to wonder whether, in some situations, absurdity might not be a strength.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

Frank Langella as Arlington Steward
Cameron Diaz as Norma Lewis
James Marsden as Arthur Lewis

Written and directed by

Richard Kelly

Based on the short story by

Richard Matheson

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The Box Review

04 Dec 2009

115 minutes

Well, what would you do? That’s the question that will sit with you long after Richard Kelly’s sci-fi/horror/morality play has faded out. Like Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal 16 years before it, his high-concept quandary asks both its protagonists and its audience a million-dollar zinger. Unlike its predecessor, here it’s not just OAP ugly-bumping that’s at stake. This time, taking the money comes at a much higher price...

It should have been the stuff of dinner-party discussion the world over; a movie that intrigued across genders and generations. Not least given its credentials: based on a short story by sci-fi icon Richard Matheson (I Am Legend); already adapted into one of The Twilight Zone’s more famous episodes; and starring the highest-paid actress working today. It should, frankly, have made a hell of a lot more than its crumby $7.6 million opening weekend in the US.

That it did may not exactly be the greatest news for Kelly — where now, Richard? — but at least he can’t be accused of selling out. On paper, it all looked very straight and smart: big star, big studio, big success. Instead, he takes that box office-friendly set-up and, well, indies it all over the place. Nose-bleeding zombies, Sartre-spouting mystery men with half their faces missing, her off of There’s Something About Mary with half her foot missing, NASA conspiracy theories, 2001-styled Star Gate montages, endless existential noodling, a spot of time travel and a suicidal Santa... It’s so stripped of mainstream logic that the first screening to the Paramount brass must have made for an interesting day. And it so wilfully, wonderfully disregards narrative convention that Donnie Darko fans will have a ball.

Of course, such was the fallout from Southland Tales — Kelly’s savaged sophomore farrago — that Darko already feels a mighty long time ago. But that movie’s faithful will feel right at home from the get-go. The Box, like Darko, once again sees Kelly pit an all-American family against paranormal forces. And this time it’s personal, with Diaz and Marsden based in part on Kelly’s parents and the movie set in his childhood backyard of Virginia, circa 1976.

The setting gives Kelly the chance to play with many of the stylistic licks of that era, his sound design, Arcade Fire’s retro soundtrack, and cinematography (he shot on digital, having been convinced the medium could fit a period setting when he saw David Fincher’s Zodiac) establishing a paranoid, foreboding tone that riffs on the likes of Rosemary’s Baby and Kubrick — The Shining and 2001 the most obvious influences. But although the personalising of his story draws out some great performances — particularly from Diaz — it also strips the situation of much of the empathy needed for it to truly work. Diaz and Marsden here are a teacher and a Langley scientist respectively, struggling to pay their son’s private school fees when his application to become an astronaut is rejected. Hardly on the breadline, are they? Are we really supposed to empathise with their decision to sacrifice a human life, anonymous or not, for the sake of a fancy education?

In Frank Langella’s Arlington Steward, though, Kelly has crafted a brilliant bad guy. Sporting some terrific CG work that sheers off an entire cheek, he’s a captivating combination of Two-Face and Jigsaw, an unhinged loon, all the more scary for his conviction that morals are on his side. Any more would spoil it, but it’s safe to say that once his button is pushed, he’s a memorably scary creation.

Certainly, The Box will befuddle, confound and frustrate, its refusal to stick to a single tone, or even genre, maddening if you’re not prepared to fly with it. But here’s the real question: given Kelly’s startling box office wobble since the highs of Darko, will he feel forced to play things more commercial in the immediate future? Will this, then, be the last pure Kelly movie we see in a while? It’s a very real worry. The question is: is missing it on a big screen a choice you’re prepared to make?

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Common Sense Says
Parents Say 12 Reviews
Kids Say 33 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Creepy thriller too confusing for kids, awful for adults.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

The entire movie is based on a violent premise: Couples must decide whether to s

Corvette, Jack Daniels, and JVC are all seen.

Adults drink wine, cocktails, and champagne at a rehearsal dinner and reception.

On the milder side -- one use of "s--t," plus "hell," "damn," "stupid," and "Jes

A married couple embraces several times, exchanges longing looks, and kisses pas

Any Positive Content?

Despite the movie's overwhelmingly negative message about humans being more self

Despite their decision to hit the "button unit," Norma and Arthur are repentant

Violence & Scariness

The entire movie is based on a violent premise: Couples must decide whether to sentence someone they don't know to death and win $1 million or to pass up the lucrative offer. There's also gun violence, scenes that feature two dead women, a kidnapped child, and other bizarre, disturbing goings on. One of the main characters is horribly disfigured in the face, and another protagonist is missing almost all of the toes on her foot. Characters often have strange nose bleeds and act creepily in general.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Adults drink wine, cocktails, and champagne at a rehearsal dinner and reception. Arthur says he "needs a drink" and has a glass of whisky.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

On the milder side -- one use of "s--t," plus "hell," "damn," "stupid," and "Jesus" used as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A married couple embraces several times, exchanges longing looks, and kisses passionately.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Despite the movie's overwhelmingly negative message about humans being more selfish than selfless, Norma and Arthur's actions ultimately prove that as parents, at least, they have enough unconditional love for their child to be completely self-sacrificing.

Positive Role Models

Despite their decision to hit the "button unit," Norma and Arthur are repentant and remorseful about their actions and go to great lengths to try to right their wrongs. They never spend any of the money they "won" and instead try to track down the many mysteries surrounding the strange offer they were given.

Parents need to know that this Cameron Diaz thriller from the director of Donnie Darko is based on a macabre premise: that human beings would rather win money than protect a stranger's life. It's too confusing and intense for tweens and young teens, and, in addition to the cloud of violence hovering over the entire movie, there are several disturbing images, including an upsetting disfigurement; two women being killed at close range; people who have eerie, unexpected nosebleeds; a fatal car accident; and gun violence. The swearing is fairly mild (one use of "s--t" is as strong as it gets), the sexuality is limited to the main couple kissing passionately and embracing, and the drinking is mostly social and done by adults. Still, most kids won't want to bother figuring out the movie's dark themes and puzzling plot. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (12)
Kids say (33)

Based on 12 parent reviews

A bit confused!

Too ambitious for it's own good... but fascinating., what's the story.

Set in 1976, THE BOX follows Norma and Arthur Lewis ( Cameron Diaz and James Marsden ), a happily married couple raising a sweetly precocious son (Sam Oz Stone) in the Richmond, Virginia, suburbs. One day, the Lewises' doorbell rings at 5:45 a.m. -- but when they open the door, all that's there is package. Inside, the couple finds a mysterious wooden box with a glass dome covering a red button. That afternoon, a disfigured man named Arlington Steward ( Frank Langella ) informs them that they've been selected for a unique offer: They have 24 hours to decide whether to push the button and win $1 million -- and, in doing so, sentence a stranger to death -- or to do nothing and keep a $100 consolation prize. Strapped for cash, Norma eventually pushes the button ... but then immediately regrets it. The Lewises are caught up in an enigmatic cat-and-mouse game with Steward as they attempt to figure out who he's working for and how to stop the murders, since it's clear the next "stranger" to be killed could be one of them.

Is It Any Good?

Richard Kelly 's The Box is just plain dull and uninteresting. Enigmatic thrillers with high-concept premises can lead to cinematic highs like The Usual Suspects , and those with sci-fi overtones can be cerebral like the under-appreciated Minority Report , but this movie doesn't share those qualities. Diaz and Marsden (who looks either stiff or smoldering in every scene) can't believably pull off the Southern married parents routine, Diaz's horrible attempt at a Southern accent alternately draws groans and guffaws, and the '70s accouterments -- like the awful wallpaper and Marsden's ghastly mutton chops -- don't help. At least there are glimpses of Alice and What's Happening! on the telly.

The movie's premise starts off like a Twilight Zone episode, but it soon devolves into a ridiculously schlocky conspiracy to treat humans as sociological test subjects. Even Langella, one of those dignified older actors who could ask for a bus pass and make it look interesting, is too over the top as the Grim Reaper-esque agent of doom. By the time a zombie-like crowd starts following Diaz and Marsden around a public library, it's difficult to suppress the "it's so bad, it's funny" laughter.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what the movie's experiment says about human nature. Is money more important than a stranger's life?

What would have you done given the same choice? Was what happened after the characters "hit the button" predictable?

Do movies have to be believable or relatable to be entertaining?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 6, 2009
On DVD or streaming : February 23, 2010
Cast : Cameron Diaz , Frank Langella , James Marsden
Director : Richard Kelly
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
Studio : Warner Bros.
Genre : Thriller
Run time : 115 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images
Last updated : January 18, 2024

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Movie Review: The Box (2009)

By Brad Brevet

How much do you know about French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, his play “No Exit” and his ideas of free will? Well, you may want to bone up a bit if you want to have a leg up on your friends before going into Richard Kelly’s The Box . This is hardly an accessible film, but it can become increasingly available if you have done a bit of homework in advance.

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as Norma and Arthur Lewis are presented with an interesting proposition when Frank Langella playing the mysterious Arlington Steward shows up on their doorstep. His face, disfigured due to an initially unknown accident, is a source of unease as he offers the couple a button unit with the promise that should they push the button someone they don’t know will die and in return they will be given one million dollars. The proposition sounds like a no brainer and we even joked about it earlier this week, but as presented in the film I can understand why the Lewis family may be a bit hesitant to condemn someone to death in favor of a major pay day. Consequences can be a bitch.

They, of course, do end up pushing the button which sends things on a wild roller coaster that I won’t even begin to spoil here. However, I will say I stared at the screen in bewilderment for the majority of the film’s duration wondering just what the hell was going on. By the time it was all over I was asking myself Why? What was the point of it all?

Lessons of free will versus destiny ring loudly in the film’s final moments resulting in a couple of possible scenarios running through my head. Unfortunately, excited about the prospect of all the time I had spent actually going somewhere, I was eventually let down by the way things turned out. Kelly reached for the stars in this adaptation of Richard Matheson’s “Button, Button” and it’s nice to see Warner Bros. doesn’t appear to have gotten too hands-on with a film that never for an instant feels like a major studio piece, but in the end I felt Kelly pulled back, realizing his reach extended too far.

I will applaud Richard Kelly for continuing to push the boundaries and somehow manage to do it inside the studio system. However, the fact he was able to get a non-Hollywood film made in Hollywood is only the front line battle, the true test is the content. While the concept behind The Box is fascinating, it really could have used a little tightening up. Kelly was right not to dig too deep into some aspects of his outlandish story, but his attempts to build tension ultimately cause the film to become something it’s not all while leaving the more intriguing story details a mystery to be solved with only scant pieces of evidence as you head home from the theater.

NOTE: Warner Bros. screened this film at 7:30 PM the night before opening leaving me with very little time to digest it before publishing this review. I have a feeling my opinion of this film may improve over the coming weeks and suggest anyone that sees it to be sure to bring a friend and keep an open mind. There seems to be a lot to this story and it’s unfortunate the studio didn’t have the confidence to give film reviewers a proper chance to absorb the film fully.

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The Box Reviews

The Box is a thought-provoking thriller that focuses on the exploitative regimes that leave a devastating result, and a young boy’s desire to find a father figure.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2023

It's a solid and well-acted drama that can hold viewers' interest, even when the movie drags on for a little too long, and a family secret is too easy to predict before it's revealed.

Full Review | Mar 16, 2023

The Box uses an identity crisis to excavate the skeletons in Mexican capitalism’s close -what the movie asks is, who put them there and why?

Full Review | Dec 24, 2022

We can't help the feelings of rage and indignation upon seeing Hatzin's compliant attitude with the implicit violence, which, although it's not shown, is present at all times [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: B | Dec 18, 2022

Lorenzo Vigas has notable artistic intuition for directing actors. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Nov 28, 2022

A lean, quiet and disturbing parable about global capitalism as it is practiced in much of the Third World.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 15, 2022

“The Box” weaves some of the greatest horrors of modern Mexican life into an unsettlingly cryptic thriller.

Full Review | Nov 10, 2022

While the slow pacing and lean storytelling will be compelling to certain audiences, others will use the same characteristics as reasons they do not care for the film. Understated performances allow for maximum emotional impact.

The film slides effortlessly from mystery to criminal story to quasi-Greek tragedy, changing registers with subtle alterations of tone.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 7, 2022

An engrossing, lean and tender emotional journey.

Full Review | Nov 3, 2022

It simply feels like everything insists on its artfulness without providing much of anything original or actually thought-provoking.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Nov 3, 2022

The film, as piercing as an internal scream of despair, warrants a response to the darkest realities of Mexico, tackling a sensitive theme through a brainy story punctuated with some surprises.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 19, 2022

It effectively shows the ways that corruption and poor choices can build upon each other until, before you know it, you're in too deep, and it's hard to see the way out.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jul 11, 2022

Lorenzo Vigas continues his critical take on father figures and the broader implications of paternal absence in this subtle coming-of-age story anchored by the exceptional presence of its young lead.

Full Review | Feb 26, 2022

Vigass straightforward narrative provides just enough bouts of tension to illustrate how a broken system justifies itself to seemingly moral men.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Feb 12, 2022

Those who've seen Vigas' debut know that he's quite skilled at examining enigmatic and complicated relationships between an older and a younger man and unflinching about the transactional nature of so many relationships.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Nov 2, 2021

Although it packs suspense and many questions in its interior, the film doesn't manage to fully explore its interesting and urgent social themes. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 10, 2021

The premise piqued my interest, it starts strong with the protagonist diverting into his own journey after insisting his father is alive. But it never truly reaches a level of complexity nor tonally increases the stakes.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 9, 2021

The Box is not flawless, at times a little drab, but Vigas places his finger squarely on a vital matter.

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Despite suffering from an instinct for the unsubtle, The Box is ultimately economical, and brilliantly simple in its premise.

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Screen Rant

The box review.

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Cameron Diaz and James Marsden in The Box movie review

Screen Rant reviews The Box

Well this is going to be a short review because I don't want to spend any more time on this movie than I have to. The Box is based on Button, Button - a very short story written by Richard Matheson that was used for an old episode of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone . It was written and directed by Richard Kelly, the man behind the cult classic Donnie Darko and the poorly received Southland Tales .

BTW, personally I think it's obvious, but this review does tell you whether or not they push the button.

The film takes place in 1976, around the time we started sending probes to Mars. This is the (very thin) reason the film takes place back then - it could have easily taken place today, but then the pacing of the film might not have made as much sense (I'll get to that later). Cameron Diaz and James Marsden star as a mid-30s couple living in Virginia. He works at Nasa as an optical engineer but has aspirations to be a space shuttle astronaut, she works as a teacher at a private school at which their son attends. They're living paycheck to paycheck and money is tight (and despite seeming to be a bright guy, mid-30s Marsden is driving a Corvette despite their financial status).

They receive a package wrapped in plain brown paper early one morning: A black box with a glass dome covering a red button. Very simple, but well-crafted. It is locked, and later that day the mysterious Arlington Steward (the ever sophisticated Frank Langella) arrives with a key to the box, a briefcase with one million dollars and half his face CGI'd away and scarred in a terrible burn injury. He makes the offer: Press the button and somewhere, someone you do not know will die, but you will then receive one million dollars tax free.

Decisions, decisions.

Well a couple of things have coincidentally (or, not so much) just happened to cause the financial noose to tighten a bit more, making the deal tempting them (to the wife in particular). They vacillate between calling the police (telling anyone and the deal will be off), just returning the box, and assuming that even if the guy IS crazy, maybe they can get the money. After all, the person killed "might be some murderer on death row."

Frankly, maybe it's just me (and I really hope it's NOT), but the movie lost me here. If someone showed up at your door and made this offer, with the guarantee that SOMEONE WOULD DIE if you pushed the button, would you? I sure as hell wouldn't, even for a million dollars.

The husband does decide to open the box, not knowing what to find, but it's just empty - not even a transmitter to notify anyone if the button had been pushed. Still, he is leery. In the end, the wife pushes the button, Steward arrives with the money, and assures them that the box will be given to someone they do not know .

Didn't see THAT one coming.

Of course writer/director Richard Kelly realizes this, and in order to keep the movie *cough* interesting *cough* puts in a ton of oddities that could've drawn you in with the mystery, but instead just get annoying as they continue to pile on top of each other. In the end what made for a great, short morality tale is made so convoluted by trying to stretch it out into a two hour movie and give explanation to the hows and the whys that you'll be dying to be done with the movie and get out of the theater.

I found it interesting that it was set in the 70s because the pacing of the film reminded me of movies from that time period. Looking back, a lot of the movies made then seem agonizingly slow in moving the story along, and that's the case here. In the last 30 minutes or so it feels so completely disjointed, jumping helter-skelter from scene to scene that you'll wonder what the editor and director were thinking.

I'll give it two stars for concept and Frank Langella, but that's being generous - I wouldn't even call this a rental.

The Box (2009)

The Box follows Norma and Arthur Lewis, a couple who receive a mysterious box with an offer to receive a large sum of money if they press a button—at the cost of a stranger's life. Directed by Richard Kelly and starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, the film explores moral dilemmas and consequences in a suspense-filled narrative based on Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button."

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I was really ready to like this film. The premise is extremely interesting. If a strange man offers you a weird box and said that you could have a million dollars if you pushed the button inside but someone, somewhere that you don’t know will die, what would you do? I was looking forward to seeing how this would play out but unfortunately all I get from Richard Kelly’s “ The Box ” is mixed feelings and an unsatisfying ending. There are aspects of the film I really liked such as the choice to make it a period piece set in 1976. It made for a bold and sharp look. I also very much liked the performance of Cameron Diaz. I think she is an extremely underrated actress. Despite that I still felt cheated by the film in a way.

The premise is so wild and at times becomes so abstract that it really takes a leap of faith to follow and I did that but the ending is like pulling the carpet out from underneath your feet and I wished the filmmakers took as big a risk with the ending as they did with the lead up. The ending has no twist, it’s exactly what the film promised it would be and I felt like I was waiting for something to happen that never did. I don’t need a happy ending but I feel it would be nice for the protagonist to have some kind of victory or catharsis at the end and that wasn’t there. Not to mention the fact that the bad guy gets away in the end completely free of consequence further supports my argument. I just wish that the film respected the journey it is asking the audience to go own a bit more. There are some wild concepts in the film to swallow and after I did the result in the end was just such a let down. The film makes you believe that it is going to go in the exact opposite of the way it seems to be going but in the end really sticks to what it has set up and the result is no twist, no third act surprise to throw you off, just a lot of odd things thrown together for effect which leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth by film’s end.

The movie is set in 1976 and centers around Norma played by an extremely underrated Cameron Diaz. Norma is a schoolteacher married to a NASA worker played by James Marsden. One morning she wakes up and finds an unusual box on her porch. The note says, “Mr. Steward will arrive at 5PM.” As the couple waits for the visitor they examine the box. It is wooden, nothing special and contains a simple red button. 5PM arrives and so does Mr. Steward played by the always great, Frank Langella. He is an older man and half of his face has been burned off leaving a severe scar, which was not delivered well by the VFX department. The old man explains that he has a proposition for the couple. Push the button and he’ll give them a million dollars, cash, no strings attached but someone, somewhere, that they don’t know will die. Norma can only discuss this with her husband and has 24 hours to make a decision. Norma has a foot injury that she is very insecure about and has difficulty dealing with. I have to say that Diaz handled the impediment well and I thought it was a nice touch to the character. She gets the news that the private school she teaches at will no longer provide discounts for faculty members and fears that her son will have to go to public school next semester. Her husband Arthur is also dealing with the news that his dreams of being an astronaut are not going to come true. All of these reasons combined compel Norma to push the button. Upon arrival Mr. Steward takes the box back and delivers the money. He then says that he will now give the box to someone else, that they do not know. What follows is a series of interesting and strange events that lead up to the conclusion of the film.

As the couple investigates what exactly they’ve done they encounter strange behavior among the local town's people and their friends and family, who are all experiencing mysterious nosebleeds. As the film unfolds we learn that Arlington Steward once worked for NASA but was struck by lightning and when he awoke, he was something else. This something else is never really explained but assumed as extraterrestrial. He is here to test us with the box and will continue to do so until we pass or else. Again, the or else is a bit vague here as well. There are some fantastical ideas introduced here such as a water-like doorway that Arthur encounters that leads him to hover over Norma lying on her bed. The film concludes with Mr. Steward’s return and one more proposition. Their son has been in a terrible accident one we assume was caused by Steward and his employees. He is locked in the upstairs bathroom and can no longer see or hear. He will remain this way forever unless Arthur shoots Norma in the chest killing her. Without giving away the ending too much I will just say that the result is a complete let down. Exactly what you think will happen does happen. There is no heroic moment or realization of what they had done was wrong. The Villain doesn’t get his well deserves, in fact the movie pretty much ends with his getting away and the protagonists that we were asked to watch for two hours suffer somewhat undeservingly.

I think that at the heart of things that is the problem with “ The Box .” Filmmaker Richard Kelly presents us with very likable people. I dare you to find someone more likable in the world then Cameron Diaz, as a matter of fact, and I have to say that she does a great job in creating this character. He introduces these lovely characters that are actually very nice people and has us get behind then only to then do something extremely horrible to them with no chance for their redemption. It was unsatisfying, which may have been Kelly’s intent. But to not have any consequences for the villain and essentially have the heroes defeated was completely anti-climatic and a really big let me down to me. Like I said, I was into this. I was ready to go on Kelly’s journey and was willing to believe whatever fantastical idea he wanted to sell me in the hopes that it would pay off in a rewarding way. I think that is the faith we put in a director. That if we go along with him on his journey that we will be paid off with a rewarding experience in the end and that is something that unfortunately is missing from this film.

Movie and TV Reviews
the box (2009)

The Box (Movie Review)

Luke's rating: ★ ★ ★ director: richard kelly | release date: 2009.

The minds of Richard Matheson and Richard Kelly collide with Cameron Diaz's terrible southern accent in the sci-fi thriller, The Box . Kelly, who brought us the cult classic Donnie Darko dips into the weird well a little too early and a little too often in this twisty morality tale. Diaz stars alongside James Marsden as a money strapped married couple who are visited by a stranger with hideous facial scars (Frank Langella) who presents them with a box and inside the box lays a button. The concept is simple, press the button and immediately be presented with $1,000,000.00 cash, but someone somewhere that they don't know will simultaneously die- or don't press the button and the offer will be revoked after 24 hours and presented to someone else.

With a movie like this, based off Matheson's short story "Button, Button" the problem lies in stretching the concept into a full-length feature. Kelly manages to do so in mixed fashion. Marsden is a tremendously underrated talent who is constantly mis-cast in loathesome romantic comedies and other chick flicks who carries the vast majority of The Box on his shoulders- made all the more evident every time we are subjected to Cameron Diaz cartoonish southern accent. Kelly's script gives each moments to take over the emotions on screen, but the tone is constantly shifting between the emotional core of the story and the relentless weirdness of the science fiction mixed within.

There's a mystery that slowly unravels itself- what is this box, where did it come from, and what is the ultimate purpose. Nuggets of pertinent info is info dumped at several of the film's checkpoints, some of them forcefully so. The film's strength lies in the mysterious charm of Frank Langella's character which is also at times menacing. However, like Langella's unfortunate scars (used to great effect throughout) the film's mystery is missing chunks of skin leaving it a little disfigured. Intriguing as it is, the film's over serious tone is often derailed by hokey acting and refusal to let off the gas a bit when the weirdness starts spiraling out of control.

Richard Kelly is able to create an immensly creepy atmosphere that builds on the dread with a pretty great score that sometimes ventures into old school sci-fi. The time period setting also lends to the dated aesthetic Kelly has skillfully crafted. In the end The Box isn't quite destined for the cult status of Donnie Darko, but the film will certainly have a niche audience willing to engage it's bizarre temperament.

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The Box (2009 film)

The Box (2009 film) explained

The Box
Director:
Producer:
Screenplay:	Richard Kelly
Music:
Cinematography:
Editing:	Sam Bauer
Studio:
Distributor:	(North America) (International)
Runtime:	115 minutes
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Budget:	$30 million
Gross:	$33.3 million

The Box is a 2009 American thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly who also serves as a co-producer. It is based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson which was previously adapted into an episode of The Twilight Zone . The film stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man (played by Frank Langella ) who offers them one million dollars if they press the button sealed within the dome on top of the box but tells them that once the button has been pushed, someone they do not know will die.

The Box was released on November 6, 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures . The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $33.3 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million.

The film opens with a CIA internal memo about Arlington Steward, a man who has recovered from severe burn wounds and is delivering units related to the Mars project. Set in 1976, the story follows Norma and Arthur Lewis, who awaken early one morning to find a mysterious package on their doorstep. Inside is a wooden box with a button protected by a glass dome, a key, and a note stating that Mr. Steward will visit at 5:00 pm. Norma and Arthur have breakfast with their son, Walter, before Arthur heads to work at NASA, where he works in optics and was involved in designing the camera for the Viking Mars probe. Arthur learns he has been rejected from the astronaut program due to failing the psychological exam.

Norma, who teaches literature at an elite private school, reveals her disfigured right foot to her class during a discussion on Sartre’s vision of Hell. She learns from her boss that her tuition discount for Walter’s school is being revoked, causing financial concern. Later, Arlington Steward, a man with a severely disfigured face, arrives at their door as promised. He presents an offer: if they press the button, someone they do not know will die, and they will receive one million dollars. Arlington leaves them with 24 hours to decide.

After much deliberation, Norma impulsively presses the button. Arlington returns and gives them the promised money, implying that someone close to them may die as a consequence. Arthur attempts to return the money, but Arlington leaves abruptly. Later, Arthur and Norma attend a wedding rehearsal dinner, where Arthur encounters a student of Norma’s and sees a box similar to the one left on their doorstep, containing a photograph of Arlington.

Arthur’s investigation into Arlington’s background reveals his car is registered to the NSA. Concurrently, Norma receives a cryptic warning from a stranger at a supermarket, instructing her to look up a library call number and not trust Arthur. Arlington chastises Norma for involving the police, as Arthur had asked Norma’s father, a police officer, to run Arlington’s license plate.

At home, Arthur’s encounter with their babysitter, Dana, reveals she is not who she claims to be. She directs him to look in the mirror for answers before disappearing mysteriously. Further, Arthur discovers Arlington’s photo in a picture from his work at NASA.

Arthur and Norma separately visit a library, each following clues leading to Arlington. Arthur, guided by Arlington’s wife, navigates through three water gateways, choosing the correct one based on a prior hint. Norma, guided by Arlington, reflects on her disfigurement and experiences a moment of emotional connection with him.

Norma and Arthur reunite at home, where Arthur emerges from the water portal, and they find Walter demanding answers. At a wedding, their son is kidnapped, and Arthur is abducted by a former NASA employee, who reveals he faced a similar choice between his wife and daughter. Arthur is shown a manual and water portals but is interrupted by a Santa Claus figure before being struck by a truck.

Arthur emerges from a NASA warehouse, surrounded by military personnel. Back home, Arlington offers them a final choice: live with their million dollars and a deaf-blind son, or Arthur can shoot Norma, restoring Walter’s senses and securing the money for his future. They learn Arlington’s employers are testing humanity’s worthiness.

Norma and Arthur decide to sacrifice Norma. After she is shot, Walter’s senses are restored, and Arlington delivers the million to another couple who have pressed the button. The film concludes with Arthur being taken away by authorities, indicating the cycle of testing will continue.

Cameron Diaz as Norma Lewis
James Marsden as Arthur Lewis
Frank Langella as Arlington Steward
James Rebhorn as Norm Cahill
Holmes Osborne as Dick Burns
Sam Oz Stone as Walter Lewis
Gillian Jacobs as Dana / Sarah Matthews
Celia Weston as Lana Burns
Deborah Rush as Clymene Steward
Lisa K. Wyatt as Rhonda Martin
Mark Cartier as Martin Teague
Kevin Robertson as Wendell Matheson
Michele Durrett as Rebecca Matheson
Ian Kahn as Vick Brenner
John Magaro as Charles
as James Charles

Director Richard Kelly wrote a script based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson , which had previously been turned into a Twilight Zone episode of the same name . [5] The project had a budget of over $30 million provided by Media Rights Capital . Kelly described his intent for the film, "My hope is to make a film that is incredibly suspenseful and broadly commercial, while still retaining my artistic sensibility." [6] Actress Cameron Diaz was cast in the lead role in June 2007. [7]

Most of the filming took place in the Boston, Massachusetts area, with scenes shot in downtown Boston , South Boston , Waltham , Ipswich , Winthrop , Milton , Medfield , Quincy , Kingston , and North Andover , as well as other localities. Some filming took place on the Milton Academy campus and at Boston Public Library . A large indoor set was built inside a former Lucent Technologies building in North Andover to recreate a NASA laboratory. The production crew also journeyed to NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton , Virginia , to shoot a number of scenes for the film. Richard Kelly's father had worked at NASA Langley in the 1970s and 80s. [8]

Filming also took place in Richmond, Virginia, including overhead shots of the city, including 95 South passing the train station. Many background extras were reused in different scenes, and people with period-correct 60s and 70s cars were encouraged to participate. Arlington Steward's car, in particular, is a Buick Electra , although characters in the movie refer to it as Lincoln Town Car (an entirely different car model, which was not yet in production at the time the movie is set).

Actor Frank Langella was cast in October 2007, and production began on the film the following month. [9] Prior to production, actor James Marsden was cast a lead role opposite Diaz. [10] Production concluded by February 2008. [11] It was the second time Marsden and Langella worked together, the first being Superman Returns and re-teaming again in Robot & Frank .

In December 2008, it was announced that Win Butler and Regine Chassagne of Canadian band Arcade Fire , and Owen Pallett provided an original score for the film. [12] Butler, Chassagne, and Pallett helped Kelly during the editing process by advising his decisions. [13] Butler, Chassagne, and Pallett had planned on releasing the soundtrack after Arcade Fire's third album release in August 2010, but as of 2023, the soundtrack is still unavailable. [14]

The film was first released in Australia on October 29, 2009. While it was originally scheduled to be released in the U.S. on October 30, 2009, on July 31, 2009, it was announced the release date would be delayed to November 6, 2009. [15]

The film opened with $7,571,417 in 2,635 theaters at an average of $2,873 per theater. It ranked number 6 at the box office coming in behind the newly released Disney's A Christmas Carol , The Men Who Stare at Goats , and The Fourth Kind . The film went on to gross $15,051,977 domestically and $32,924,206 worldwide.

It was released on DVD , Blu-ray and digital download in the U.S. on February 23, 2010. [16] [17]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 43% of 156 critics have given the film a positive review, and the average rating is 5.2/10. The site's consensus is that "Imaginative but often preposterous, The Box features some thrills but largely feels too piecemeal." [18] Metacritic , which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, has a score of 47 based on 24 reviews. [19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore on opening day gave the film an F, for which CinemaScore President Ed Mintz blamed the film's ending and was quoted as saying "People really thought this was a stinker." [20] , it is one of only 22 films to receive such a rating. [21]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars and wrote: "This movie kept me involved and intrigued, and for that I'm grateful." [22] Jordan Mintzer of Variety wrote: "Kelly's trademark mix of sci-fi, surrealism and suburbia occasionally entertains." [23] Keith Uhlich of Time Out New York named The Box the ninth-best film of 2009, calling it "a defiantly personal project that solidifies writer-director Richard Kelly's talent, even as it surely pushes him further toward the filmmaking fringe." [24]

The film was nominated at the 8th Visual Effects Society Awards in the category of Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture but lost to Sherlock Holmes . [25]

Notes and References

Web site: The Box (2009) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . December 15, 2022.
Web site: The Box . Screen Daily . John. Hazelton. 5 November 2009. 11 August 2021.
News: Movie projector: Holiday season kicks off with Disney's pricey 'Christmas Carol' . . November 5, 2009 . November 5, 2009.
Web site: The Box (2009) Box Office . . January 6, 2010.
Web site: Open Over 50 Hi-Res Stills from Richard Kelly's The Box . Bloody Disgusting . October 19, 2009.
Web site: Richard Kelly Blogs about The Box & Provides a New Clip . Dread Central. October 28, 2009.
Michael Fleming . Cameron Diaz to star in The Box . . June 28, 2007 . January 11, 2008 .
News: Jim Hodges . The Producer of the Director Returns to NASA Langley . NASA Langley Researcher News . NASA . January 28, 2008 . April 17, 2009 .
Diane Garrett . Frank Langella to star in Kelly's The Box . . October 11, 2007 . January 11, 2008 .
News: Gregg Goldstein . Marsden wrapped up in The Box role . . November 2, 2007 . January 11, 2008 .
News: Kelly Wraps The Box . . February 6, 2008 . February 6, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080915183524/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=48091 . September 15, 2008 .
Web site: Arcade Fire's Butler Talks Miroir Noir, The Box Score . December 23, 2008 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081223042529/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/148217-arcade-fires-butler-talks-miroir-noir-the-box-score . December 23, 2008 .
Web site: Mr. Beaks And Richard Kelly Rummage Through THE BOX ! . Ain't It Cool . November 6, 2009.
Web site: Richard Kelley Interview (segment from the Collider.com interview is about the film's soundtrack) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/tuaNwF9Cf6w . 2021-12-21 . live. YouTube . November 3, 2009.
Web site: Phase 1 of The Box Website Now Open . Dread Central. October 9, 2009.
Web site: Open The Box at Home . Dread Central . January 6, 2010 . January 6, 2010.
Web site: Exclusive Blu-ray/DVD Special Features Clip: The Box . Dread Central. August 4, 2012 .
Web site: The Box (2009) . Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . January 4, 2024.
Web site: The Box : Reviews (2009) . CNET Networks . Metacritic . December 8, 2009.
News: Film oracle CinemaScore spells doom for The Box . guardian.co.uk . August 6, 2010 . London . Damon . Ferrari . November 20, 2009.
Web site: Is an "F" from CinemaScore Actually a Good Thing? Our Critics Weigh In . Dowd . A. A. . Rife . Katie . . April 3, 2020 . April 3, 2020.
News: November 4, 2009. Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert's Review . .
Web site: October 29, 2009 . Mintzer . Jordan . The Box . .
News: 18 December 2009. Best (and Worst) of 2010 . Time Out New York. 21 June 2020.
Web site: 8th Annual VES Awards . Visual Effects Society. December 22, 2017.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License . It uses material from the Wikipedia article " The Box (2009 film) ".

Review by Brian Eggert November 6, 2009

Richard Kelly’s The Box spins a suspenseful yarn that’s enigmatic as it is entertaining. The film derives its basic structure from Richard Matheson’s short story Button, Button . Matheson’s text, which was adapted into an episode of the ‘80s version of The Twilight Zone , told of a mysterious man who visits a suburban home and offers a married couple a deal: He gives them a box, and if they push the button on top of it, they’ll receive a tax-free payment of one million dollars, but someone they do not know will die. Matheson wrote the ending so that the husband died because the wife didn’t really know him at all. However, the television adaptation left the mysterious man taking the box to another couple whom the first couple doesn’t know, meaning the first couple would die when the button was pushed again. Kelly concocts something different than both of these endings and instead invents something more complicated, though decidedly more involving.

Set in 1976, Kelly’s film opens with a package being left on the doorstep at the home of Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur Lewis (James Marsden), a happy, average American couple. Inside there’s a wooden box, on the top of which is a red button inside a small glass dome. The package also bears a note that says Arlington Steward will return at 5 p.m. that evening. Mr. Steward is played with considerably menacing politeness by Frank Langella, his deep voice lending shivers. His character is marked by a grotesque scar on the left side of his face. When he returns, he offers the couple a million in cash with the contingency that someone they do not know will die. They have 24 hours to make up their minds, at which point he will reprogram the box and make the offer to someone else.

Norma and Arthur have your average money troubles. She’s a schoolteacher and he works for NASA, having designed the camera on the Viking Mars probe. But Norma learns she’s losing a discount through her job, and Arthur finds he failed the psych portion of his astronaut entrance exam, which he aced otherwise. But they’re now living paycheck-to-paycheck, so these blows will topple them financially. Suddenly the offer of a cool million sounds irresistible, and the button is pushed. Being good people, they immediately regret their impulse and try to give the money back, but Mr. Steward won’t take it. They instead decide to investigate Mr. Steward and the origin of the box, finding innumerable connections and coincidences that make up this circular, spellbinding film.

To explain any more of the plot would be criminal. Kelly makes wonderful use of ambiguity in the film, just as he did with his debut, Donnie Darko (just forget that he directed Southland Tales ). He keeps the audience feeling that we’re always on the cusp of discovering the last piece of the puzzle, but he never gives us all of the pieces. In a way, that’s incredibly frustrating. In another way, it’s an ingenious move on his part. Kelly intrigues us by giving just enough information to feel satisfied with his conclusion, and just enough mystery to keep talking long after the credits roll. Kelly’s choices may limit the scope of his audience, but for a select few, he’s tapped into an absorbing realm of sci-fi storytelling.

So why only three stars? Why not three-and-a-half or four? Specifically, because Kelly goes out of his way to make the experience ambiguous by incorporating scenes and imagery that seem to exist without explanation, intentionally and at times obviously so. There’s much we have to ignore or apologize for to appreciate what Kelly is trying to do. And then there’s Cameron Diaz, who is grossly miscast. Though she doesn’t stand out in her scenes, she doesn’t completely disappear. Her southern accent is phony, and Kelly would have been better off finding an actress more familiar with the thriller genre. But Kelly makes up for these missteps with a stylish, admirable production.

This is a technically impressive film. Kelly incorporates lighting filters to make his presentation seem soft and washed by time, and his computerized special effects, though at times iffy, appear more real because of his flattened color scheme. The effect to make Langella’s scarred face, for example, is flawless. Kelly also captures some genuinely creepy, hypnotic moments. Consider when Arthur is followed in the library or the peculiar waiter at the wedding party. They’re all augmented by the Hitchcockian music composed by members of The Arcade Fire; it feels like a Bernard Herrmann score with comparable grave pangs and winding tones. It’s brilliant music.

Approach The Box the way you would Knowing , another sci-fi thriller from this year. Both films have plenty of ideas, but they require that you take a leap of faith to fully appreciate what they’re saying and how they’re saying it. They’re both high-concept pictures, and they both call for a preexisting appreciation of the science fiction genre. But for the right audience, these are entertaining, well-made stories that inspire conversation and debate. They play as though their filmmakers took the time to bring an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits to full cinematic life, and if that sounds like your cup of tea, then you won’t be disappointed. Those with an aversion to all things a little out there, stay home.

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‘The Box’ Review: A Dark Coming-of-Age Tale

This unsettlingly cryptic thriller directed by Lorenzo Vigas follows a teenager after he retrieves the remains of his father who was found in a mass grave.

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By Beatrice Loayza

The Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas’s “The Box” weaves some of the greatest horrors of modern Mexican life into an unsettlingly cryptic thriller.

Hatzín (newcomer Hatzín Navarrete), a reticent teenager with melancholic eyes, takes a journey by bus to the north of Mexico to retrieve the remains of the father he never knew. When he arrives, he’s unceremoniously given a tin box. In it is his dad, one of dozens of people found in a clandestine mass grave — a not uncommon phenomenon in this part of the country, where gang members often dispose of their dirty business.

When Hatzín sees a man on the street who closely resembles a photograph of his father, Hatzín promptly surrenders the box. There’s been a mistake. He tracks down the man, Mario (Hernán Mendoza), and insists he’s his son, following him until Mario accepts him into his life, or, rather, his business.

Mario is a contractor of sorts who hires cheap laborers and transports them to nearby factories, where they’re encouraged to make products “nicer and faster” than their Chinese competitors.

Hatzín is quick; he immediately realizes that the workers are being scammed, and, good with numbers, he helps Mario with some of his accounting. He intuits that Mario is hiding something — perhaps a dark past that caused him to abandon Hatzín and his mother. The film creeps in distressing and unexpected directions as Hatzín investigates the whereabouts of a missing worker. Eventually, the distorting effects of the teen’s own absent-father trauma makes us question Mario’s intentions.

Filled with static widescreen shots that bolster the mystery of the desert landscape, the film is a gloomy slow-burn with hints of neowestern malaise à la the Coen brothers. It’s rich with subtle commentary about the exploitation and disappearance of industrial workers, particularly women, and an identity crisis central to Mexican history, and it delivers these lessons in the mode of a coming-of-age story—a very dark one, indeed.

The Box Not rated. In Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes. Watch on Mubi .

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The Box (2009). Great ideas. Terribly executed. Would have worked better as a theater play.

A great idea but the two main actors werent good. Cameron Diaz had many dramatic limitations, the crying scene at the end came as cheesy as it could get. I didnt like it at all.

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Blink Twice —a psychological thriller from first-time director Zoe Kravitz—is projected by Deadline to make $7.3 million in 3,067 theaters for the No. 4 spot at the weekend box office. Along with the film’s $6.7 million overseas tally, the film earned an estimated $14 million in its debut weekend worldwide.

Released by Amazon/MGM studios, the production budget for the film—which stars Tatum, Naomi Ackie, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Christian Slater and Alia Shawkat—was $20 million before prints and advertising, Deadline noted.

Coming in at No. 5 is the faith-based film The Forge , released by Sony subsidiary Affirm. Per the studio, The Forge is projected to make $6.6 million domestically in its opening weekend. The film has not yet been released internationally.

Bill Skarsgård in “The Crow.”

‘The Crow’ Crashes With No. 8 Finish

The opening weekend was disastrous for The Crow , a remake of the 1994 supernatural thriller starring Bill Skarsgård, who is reprising the role originated by the late Brandon Lee.

Deadline projects the film will debut at No. 8 at the domestic box office with $4.6 million in ticket sales at 2,752 theaters.

According to Variety , The Crow had a $50 million production budget before P&A. If there’s any saving grace, Lionsgate is only on the hook for the $10 million it laid out for the film’s distribution rights, Variety noted.

The Crow was crushed by Rotten Tomatoes critics, who gave the film a combined 20% “rotten” rating based on 80 reviews. At least The Crow found some favor with viewers using RT , giving the movie a 64% “fresh” audience score based on more than 250 verified user ratings.

While bad reviews don’t always signal the death knell for a new movie, good reviews, on the flip side, don’t automatically guarantee success as evidenced by the positive notices for Blink Twice .

RT critics gave the movie a 78% “fresh” rating based on 144 reviews. The RT Audience Score was 68% fresh based on 250-plus verified user ratings.

Also opening in limited release this weekend is the twisty horror thriller Strange Darling , which Deadline estimates will earn $1 million in domestic ticket sale in 1,135 theaters.

Written and directed by J.T. Mollner, Strange Darling stars Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, and marks the cinematography debut of actor Giovanni Ribisi .

Note: The final numbers for this weekend’s box office will be released on Monday.

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‘maria’ review: angelina jolie hits the high notes as doomed diva maria callas in pablo larraín’s curiously bloodless biopic – venice film festival, breaking news.

‘The Crow’ OG Director Revels In Remake’s “Brutal” Reviews: “Cynical Cash-Grab”

By Glenn Garner

Glenn Garner

Night/Weekend Editor

Watch on Deadline

How ‘The Crow’s Wings Got Clipped At The Box Office: Reboot Of Brandon Lee Cult Pic Bombs With $4.6M

Original ‘The Crow’ Director Not Enthused About Remake, Says 1994 Film Is Brandon Lee’s Legacy And “That’s How It Should Remain”

Proyas took to Facebook ahead of the movie’s Aug. 23 premiere, posting a monocle emoji with a screenshot of a review about the “ unfathomably awful goth remake .”

“Wow. The reviews are brutal,” wrote Proyas in one post , adding : “I thought the remake was a cynical cash-grab. Not much cash to grab it seems.”

The director also shared a Facebook meme that read, “Marked safe from seeing Crow 2024 today.”

Proyas also shared a message he sent to composer Michael Lira — the composer on his upcoming sci-fi satire R.U.R . , which begins filming Oct. 21 in Sydney, Australia — about why indie filmmaking is “ the best kind of filmmaking .”

“Having so much fun making this movie…” write Proyas in the message. “About now the studio would call us to say they don’t like opera and we should make it a hiphop song! Oh that’s right – THERES NO F— STUDIO!!!”

Sharing what he called “the review we’ve all been waiting for,” Proyas seemingly ended his onslaught Tuesday. “It’s a bit like flogging a dead horse now so I think I’ll stop after this… until another funny one comes along!” he wrote .

“I really don’t get any joy from seeing negativity about any fellow filmmaker’s work. And I’m certain the cast and crew really had all good intentions, as we all do on any film. So it pains me to say any more on this topic, but I think the fan’s response speaks volumes. The Crow is not just a movie. Brandon Lee died making it, and it was finished as a testament to his lost brilliance and tragic loss. It is his legacy. That’s how it should remain.”

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Live Coverage

Superheroes came to Hollywood’s rescue this summer. Is it enough to save movies?

Superheroes Deadpool and Wolverine stand together in a still from the movie.

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Foul-mouthed superheroes, babbling Minions and plenty of Anxiety ( the animated kind ) have propelled this summer’s box office past the winter and spring theatrical doldrums, marking one bright spot in an otherwise industry-wide gloom.

Boosted by a bevy of sequels, the summer’s gross box office receipts (starting from the first Friday in May) is projected to total roughly $3.6 billion through the Labor Day weekend, according to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

That’s short of last year’s “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”-fueled haul of $4 billion, but still higher than summer totals in 2022, 2021 and 2020 — a positive sign for theater owners and studio executives who weathered a tough January-to-May stretch of limited and underperforming films.

And with a much-anticipated fall and winter slate of films including “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Wicked” and “Moana 2,” industry insiders are sounding more upbeat for the end of the year and beyond.

“If we can carry this same momentum that we have this summer currently into the fall and then into the beginning of 2025, I think exhibition will be very pleased,” said Jim Orr, president of theatrical distribution at Universal Pictures. “We can truly say we’re back.”

The optimism is a far cry from earlier this year, when the industry collectively wrung its hands as the box office struggled to captivate audiences . That concern turned into panic by Memorial Day, when films such as “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “Garfield” did not perform up to high expectations , leading to the worst Memorial Day weekend box office in almost three decades. (“Garfield” ended up grossing more than $257 million in global box office on a reported budget of $60 million.)

Column: Hollywood’s high-pressure expectations game has created a box office doom loop

How Hollywood’s absurdly high expectations — on big-budget franchises, familiar IP, opening weekend and more — led to the current box office crisis.

May 28, 2024

Industry observers now see that five-month stretch as the low point in the theatrical slump, fueled in part by a lingering slowdown from the pandemic and the dual strikes by writers and actors, which disrupted the production and marketing of films.

“This industry took a double gut punch,” said Charles Rivkin, chairman of the Motion Picture Assn. “First we had COVID, which turned our $11-billion industry into zero overnight. And then when we were recovered from that, we immediately had the strikes.”

Morale was low at the outset of the season. Save for a few successes, such as Disney’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” May releases — from Universal’s “Fall Guy” to Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa” — mostly fell flat.

“The expectations for ’24 were definitely tempered,” Dergarabedian said. “We didn’t have a Marvel movie kicking off the summer.”

But starting with June’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the box office started to pick up. It would be the first of several sequels to power the all-important summer box office.

Animated films helped to power the rebound.

“Inside Out 2” and “Despicable Me 4” put up blockbuster numbers, which is notable because animation was one of the slowest genres to recover from the pandemic due to families’ wariness to return to theaters and the ease of watching movies on streaming platforms.

With several animated films set for release later this year, worldwide family box office revenue could reach $6.1 billion, which would surpass 2018’s total, said David A. Gross, who publishes the FranchiseRe movie industry newsletter.

“It’s fair to say that since ‘Super Mario’ in spring of 2023, family moviegoing is back to pre-pandemic levels,” he said.

To date, the domestic box office has generated about $5.6 billion, down from $6.6 billion at this point last year, according to Comscore. But the summer box office has made up a lot of ground.

“I don’t like to spike the ball on the five-yard line, but I think we’re in the right direction,” said Rich Gelfond, chief executive of Imax Corp., the giant-screen technology company that operates out of Playa Vista. “We’re certainly on the road back.”

One reason for the recovery: Walt Disney Co. got its groove back this summer, with the help of “Inside Out 2.”

The Pixar animated sequel to 2015’s “Inside Out” drew $1.6 billion worldwide, making it the highest grossing animated title of all time, and the top movie of the summer season. Then, Disney-owned Marvel Studios packed a punch with the R-rated “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which amassed $1 billion in global revenue and became the second-highest grossing film of the summer.

“Historically, there’s been a bit of a ceiling for R-rated movies just because a bunch of kids can’t come,” said Greg Marcus, chief executive of Marcus Theatres, a Milwaukee, Wis.-based chain with about 80 locations spanning 17 states.

But the reception for the movie “speaks to the ... clamoring for product. The people are saying, ‘If you build it, we will come,’” he said

The box office showing for Pixar and Marvel was significant, as the key Disney brands have struggled to consistently deliver in recent years . The House of Mouse’s uncharacteristically weak post-pandemic track record was one reason box office analysts drastically lowballed opening weekend projections for “Inside Out 2.”

“Everyone had high hopes for that film,” said Sean Gamble, CEO of Cinemark, the Plano, Texas-based theater chain with more than 300 locations, including 20 in Southern California. “We certainly did, but that proved out to be way beyond what we expected. It’s probably one of the biggest outperforming films … we’ve seen in a very, very long time.”

Tony Chambers, executive vice president of theatrical distribution at Disney, said, “Quality matters, and quality delivers” — echoing a key point from Disney CEO Bob Iger, who has ordered sweeping cuts across the company to stem losses from its streaming business and has directed creative departments to focus on theatrical and not crank out as much content.

Appealing to broader, multicultural audiences doesn’t hurt either, Chambers said.

“It sounds very simple, but if you cast your net wide enough, the more fish you’re likely to get,” he said. “That’s been the common denominator for all the movies that have worked successfully this summer.”

This image release by Illumination & Universal Pictures shows a scene from "Despicable Me 4," (Illumination & Universal Pictures via AP)

Hollywood Inc.

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To be sure, the movie industry still faces massive challenges, regardless of this summer’s slight reprieve. Box office revenue is still below pre-pandemic levels, and it’s unclear whether it will ever fully rebound as viewing habits shift.

So far this summer, theaters across the U.S. sold 274 million tickets, an 18% decline from last summer, according to industry data firm EntTelligence. That pales in comparison to the 406 million tickets sold in summer 2019 — a time when moviegoers weren’t yet accustomed to watching major releases at home on streaming services.

What’s more, film financing has become more difficult as interest rates have increased. China is no longer a reliable market for boosting American films’ box office revenue. And studios have slashed budgets and laid off thousands of employees as they struggle to balance their massive spending on streaming services with the lower-than-expected returns.

Still, if box office returns for the second half of this year are down by only 10% compared to pre-pandemic levels, that would be a good result, Gross said.

And this summer, the charge was led by a plethora of sequels.

“Sometimes people question, ‘Are there too many sequels?’’’ Gamble said. “Across the board, with compelling stories, they work. And we’ve seen many, many examples of that throughout the course of this summer.”

Of course, simply adding more chapters to a franchise doesn’t necessarily guarantee success (see: “Furiosa”). But this summer’s sequels have been “solid,” leading to some level of reassurance for the industry.

“When these things are hitting, and when the box office is flowing, it just helps everything about the business,” Gross said. “It helps everyone relax.”

While original and nonfranchise films didn’t lead the box office this year, they certainly gave it a boost.

Surprise breakout hits such as Neon’s masterfully marketed horror flick “Longlegs (the indie studio’s biggest movie to date) and Sony’s adaptation of the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel “It Ends With Us” weren’t nearly as lucrative as the likes of “Deadpool” or “Inside Out 2.” But they played an important role, exceeding expectations and keeping the popcorn lines moving.repeats “flowing” from quote.

“Every dollar counts in the summer, and those ... films added significantly to the bottom line,” Dergarabedian said. “Every $20 million times five ... is $100 million. So it all adds up to what turned out to be a pretty magnificent summer.”

Emelyn Stuart, owner of Stuart Cinema and Cafe in Brooklyn, N.Y., said summer business has been “amazing” compared to the previous year. Her theater has only one screen, which means she has just one chance at a time to pick a winner.

Last year, some of her choices included “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” as well as the DC Comics superhero film “The Flash,” which grossed just $271 million worldwide amid a controversy surrounding its star, Ezra Miller .

This year, she chose “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” “Despicable Me 4,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “A Quiet Place: Day One.” The variety of available films led to a winning combination, she said.

For the fall, she’s planning to add a second screen to expand her options — particularly for attracting family audiences.

“With ‘Wicked’ coming, with ‘Beetlejuice,’ with ‘Joker,’ I think we’re going to end the year strong,” she said.

Box office: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ continues strong box office run during second weekend

Aug. 4, 2024

(L-R): Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios' DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. Photo by Jay Maidment. © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.

Box office: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ notches biggest opening ever for an R-rated movie

July 28, 2024

This image released by 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios shows Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in a scene from "Deadpool & Wolverine." (20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios via AP)

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ box office gives an R-rated boost to Marvel

July 26, 2024

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Samantha Masunaga is a business reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She’s worked at the paper since 2014.

Christi Carras reports on the entertainment industry for the Los Angeles Times. She previously covered entertainment news for The Times after graduating from UCLA and working at Variety, the Hollywood Reporter and CNN Newsource.

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China Box Office: ‘Alien: Romulus’ Becomes Hollywood’s Second Biggest Film of 2024

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“ Alien: Romulus ” has become Hollywood’s second biggest film of the year at the mainland China box office , following a strong second weekend hold.

The film picked up RMB140 million ($19.7 million) between Friday and Sunday in China, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That compares favorably with its $26.2 million opening weekend and gives it a cumulative of RMB523 ($73.7 million) since releasing on Aug. 16.

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Imax reports that, of the latest weekend gross figure, the film earned $2.75 million on its screens. After ten days, “Alien Romulus” has earned $11.6 million on the circuit’s giant screens, or approximately 16% of its China total.

Opening in second place, was the Gu Changwei-directed light drama “The Hedgehog.” It is a friendship story involving a rebellious and stuttering teenager and his mentally-handicapped uncle. Significantly, the picture stars enduringly popular Ge You (“Let the Bullets Fly” “If You Are the One”) and Karry Wang (real name Wang Junkai), a member of the TFBoys boy band (alongside Jackson Yee and Roy Wang). The film earned RMB74.4 million ($105 million).

Close behind was another new release Chinese film, “Untouchable,” which weighed in with RMB73.4 million ($10.3 million). A crime drama, directed by Wang Daqing, it stars Shen Teng, Zhang Yuqi and Jack Kao.

Also in its second weekend in China, Japanese animation “Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram” added $4.8 million. After ten days, it has accumulated $29.2 million.

Local data sources show that Thai comedy-drama hit “ How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies ” opened outside the top five and with a three-day score estimated at $4.4 million.

Artisan Gateway reports that the nationwide box office total was $70.8 million for the weekend. That increases the year-to-date total to $4.62 billion. That is more than 21% below the equivalent figure in 2023.

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After graduating from high school without any plans for the future, Isaiah receives a push to start making better life decisions. After graduating from high school without any plans for the future, Isaiah receives a push to start making better life decisions. After graduating from high school without any plans for the future, Isaiah receives a push to start making better life decisions.

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Trivia This is the first Kendrick Brothers film where characters from an earlier film (War Room) appear.

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Aug 24, 2024
August 23, 2024 (United States)
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Aug 25, 2024

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COMMENTS

Working outside The Box movie review (2009)
Working outside The Box. Drama. 115 minutes ‧ PG-13 ‧ 2009. Roger Ebert. November 4, 2009. 3 min read. The eponymous character. I know, I know, "The Box" triumphantly qualifies for one of my favorite adjectives, "preposterous.". But if you make a preposterous movie that isn't boring, I count that as some kind of a triumph.
The Box (2009)
The Box: Directed by Richard Kelly. With Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, James Rebhorn. With the press of a button, a wooden box bestows riches and death.
The Box (2009 film)
The Box was released on November 6, 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $33.3 million worldwide against a budget of $30 million. ... Arlington Steward's car, in particular, is a Buick Electra, although characters in the movie refer to it as Lincoln Town Car (an entirely different car model ...
The Box
Nov 6, 2009, Wide. Release Date (Streaming) Aug 1, 2011. Box Office (Gross USA) $15.0M. Runtime. 1h 53m. A suburban couple, Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur (James Marsden), face a moral dilemma ...
Simplifying One Life, Complicating Another
The Box. Directed by Richard Kelly. Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller. PG-13. 1h 55m. By Manohla Dargis. Nov. 5, 2009. Richard Kelly, the writer and director of the much-loved "Donnie ...
The Box (2009)
8/10 - Ignore what the film says about the acronym HREM. With the film constantly referencing X-rays, it means "High Resolution Electron Microscopy". IE - the box test is an X ray of humanity, the aliens trying to see what we're really like deep down inside. 116 out of 136 found this helpful.
The Box
10. HighRated. Jul 28, 2021. One of the most original and thought provoking films ever to bless the screen. Completely underrated unfortunately, which may have turned some viewers away but believe me, if your an artist, a mystic, a sci-fi nerd or a horror buff, this is a must see. Never seen anything like it then or now.
The Box Review
The Box Review. When a mysterious stranger deposits a box at the door of married couple Arthur (James Marsden) and Norma (Cameron Diaz), they are presented with a stark choice. Do they press the ...
the box (2009)
The latest and exclusive the box (2009) coverage from MovieWeb. ... The Box Review Movie and TV Reviews.
The Box (2009)
In the evening, a creepy man with a deformed face appears at the home of Norma & Arthur, introducing himself as Arlington Stewart. He gives the couple the key to open the button unit, along with an offer: If they press the button, they will receive $1 million. However, a stranger somewhere in the world will have to die.
The Box (2009)
Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world ...
The Box Movie Review
Kids say ( 33 ): Richard Kelly 's The Box is just plain dull and uninteresting. Enigmatic thrillers with high-concept premises can lead to cinematic highs like The Usual Suspects, and those with sci-fi overtones can be cerebral like the under-appreciated Minority Report, but this movie doesn't share those qualities.
'The Box' Movie Review
Movie Review: The Box (2009) November 6, 2009. By Brad Brevet . How much do you know about French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, his play "No Exit" and his ideas of free will?
The Box Review
The Box. is certainly Richard Kelly's most commercial film to date - far more cohesive than Southland Tales and slightly more comprehensible than Donnie Darko. It is a film about our moral ...
The Box
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 9, 2021. The Box is not flawless, at times a little drab, but Vigas places his finger squarely on a vital matter. Full Review | Oct 6, 2021. Despite ...
The Box Review
Screen Rant reviews The Box. Well this is going to be a short review because I don't want to spend any more time on this movie than I have to. The Box is based on Button, Button - a very short story written by Richard Matheson that was used for an old episode of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone.It was written and directed by Richard Kelly, the man behind the cult classic Donnie Darko ...
The Box Review
The movie takes you on a intriguing journey but in the end feels hallow and leaves the audience unsatisfied and out in the cold. ... The Box Review the box (2009) By Jami Philbrick. Published Nov ...
The Box (Movie Review)
The Box (Movie Review) Luke's rating: ★ ★ ★ Director: Richard Kelly | Release Date: 2009. By Luke on March 23rd, 2016. The minds of Richard Matheson and Richard Kelly collide with Cameron Diaz's terrible southern accent in the sci-fi thriller, The Box. Kelly, who brought us the cult classic Donnie Darko dips into the weird well a little ...
The Box (2009 film) explained
The Box is a 2009 American thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly who also serves as a co-producer. It is based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson which was previously adapted into an episode of The Twilight Zone.The film stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man (played by Frank Langella) who offers them one ...
The Box
Richard Kelly's The Box spins a suspenseful yarn that's enigmatic as it is entertaining. The film derives its basic structure from Richard Matheson's short story Button, Button.Matheson's text, which was adapted into an episode of the '80s version of The Twilight Zone, told of a mysterious man who visits a suburban home and offers a married couple a deal: He gives them a box, and if ...
'The Box' Review: A Dark Coming-of-Age Tale
It's rich with subtle commentary about the exploitation and disappearance of industrial workers, particularly women, and an identity crisis central to Mexican history, and it delivers these ...
"The Box" Contains A Conspiracy Wrapped In a Mystery ...
The movie is packed with the memorable, strange imagery that is Kelly's trademark. Boxes made of water hover in the air, a perfect recreation of a low-tech 1970s library becomes a haunting maze ...
The Box (2009). Great ideas. Terribly executed. Would have ...
The Box (2009). Great ideas. Terribly executed. Would have worked better as a theater play. A great idea but the two main actors werent good. Cameron Diaz had many dramatic limitations, the crying scene at the end came as cheesy as it could get. ... A subreddit for movie reviews and discussions Members Online. Thoughts on this movie? upvotes · ...
Audiences Turn Blind Eye To 'Blink Twice' And 'The Crow' At Box Office
Deadline projects the film will debut at No. 8 at the domestic box office with $4.6 million in ticket sales at 2,752 theaters. According to Variety , The Crow had a $50 million production budget ...
'The Crow' OG Director Gloats About Remake's "Brutal" Reviews
Alex Pro y as, who directed the original 1994 movie based on the James O'Barr graphic novel, seems to be reveling in the $50 million Lionsgate remake's negative reviews after it bombed at the ...
Bright summer box office gives a gloomy film industry hope
With several animated films set for release later this year, worldwide family box office revenue could reach $6.1 billion, which would surpass 2018's total, said David A. Gross, who publishes ...
China Box Office: 'Alien: Romulus' Scores Strongly for Hollywood
"Alien: Romulus" has become Hollywood's second biggest film of the year at the mainland China box office, following a strong second weekend hold. The film picked up RMB140 million ($19.7 ...
The Forge (2024)
The Forge: Directed by Alex Kendrick. With Aspen Kennedy, Cameron Arnett, Karen Abercrombie, Selah Avery. After graduating from high school without any plans for the future, Isaiah receives a push to start making better life decisions.

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