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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 14 January 2019
Kevin Hart's 'The Upside' unseats 'Aquaman' in $19.6M debut

By JAKE COYLE ternational Film Festival just
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin weeks before the many al-
Hart isn't hosting the Os- legations of sexual harass-
cars, but he's got a number ment surfaced against the
one movie. movie mogul.
"The Upside," starring Hart STX Entertainment picked
and Bryan Cranston, sur- up the movie, which on
passed expectations to Sunday handed the five-
open with $19.6 million in year-old start-up studio
ticket sales, according to its first no. 1 release at the
studio estimates Sunday. box office. Launched in
The strong performance of 2014 with a mission to make
"The Upside" pushed "Aqua- the kind of mid-budgeted,
man" to second after the star-driven films the studios
aquatic superhero's three- have increasingly aban-
week reign atop the North doned, STX has had some
American box office. War- successes ("Bad Moms,"
ner Bros.' "Aquaman" still ''The Foreigner," the critical-
passed $1 billion worldwide ly acclaimed "The Edge of
over the weekend, be- Seventeen") but has often
coming the first DC Com- struggled to find breakout
ics release to reach that hits. Last year's much de-
mark since 2012's "The Dark rided "The Happytime Mur-
Knight Rises." This image released by STXfilms shows Bryan Cranston, from left, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, and Kevin ders," with Melissa McCar-
"The Upside" opened on Hart in a scene from "The Upside." thy, was one of the 2017's
the heels of several weeks Associated Press most glaring flops.
of Oscar drama surround- STX's Motion Picture Group
ing Hart. The comedian last edly dismissed the Oscar "The Upside," a remake of panic humor that Hart was Chairman Adam Fogelson
month withdrew from host- controversy, saying he was the 2012 French comedy forced to apologize for. pointed to strong audience
ing the Academy Awards "over it," while flirting with "The Intouchables," was Neil Burger's film, which cost reaction (an A CinemaS-
, just days after being the possibility of returning difficult to extrapolate, about $35 million to make, core) and downplayed any
named emcee, when he as Oscar host — something though it surely didn't hurt. stars Hart as an ex-con who effect of the Oscar chatter
initially refused to apologize for which talk-show host El- Ticket sales were almost becomes a caretaker for on "The Upside," noting that
for years-old homophobic len DeGeneres, in particu- twice industry forecasts. a physically disabled au- Hart "is in the culture con-
tweets. lar, advocated. The film received poor re- thor (Cranston). It was origi- stantly for tons of stuff."
On the publicity trail for Whether all that attention views (40 percent fresh on nally to be distributed by Fogelson called the no. 1
"The Upside," Hart repeat- helped raise the profile of Rotten Tomatoes) and was the Weinstein Co. Harvey result a symbol of larger
slammed by some critics for Weinstein premiered the success for STX's business
trading on the kind of gay film at the 2017 Toronto In- model.q

Gervais crafts intelligent and

thoughtful thriller

from a six-month forced could not be more ruthless,
leave after a reporter is in- and if it means killing the
jured during a bust even girls to have her demands
though it's not Hunt's fault. met, so be it. Hunt has to
On his first day back, he's not only work with Garcia's
assigned to assist the trans- daughter, the woman he
fer of a high-profile drug tried to forget and who
cartel target named Vi- loathes him after his be-
cente Garcia. It's personal trayal, he also has to work
for Hunt since he's respon- against the very principles
sible for bringing Garcia he swore to uphold.
to justice at the cost of his In "Hunt Them Down," Ger-
marriage. He also fell in vais has crafted an intelli-
love with Garcia's daugh- gent and thoughtful thriller
ter. When the convoy is that mixes family dynam-
This book cover image re- ambushed, Hunt barely sur- ics with explosive action.
leased by Thomas and Mer-
cer shows "Hunt Them Down," vives. Then he learns that Heroes who fight impos-
a thriller by Simon Gervais. the people responsible are sible odds while being lik-
Associated Press not only attempting to take able characters are always
over the lucrative drug welcome in the world of
By JEFF AYERS business, they have also genre fiction. The possibili-
Associated Press kidnapped Garcia's grand- ties are endless in this new
"Hunt Them Down" (Thom- daughter and a friend of series, and this will easily
as and Mercer), by Simon hers who happens to be find an enthusiastic audi-
Gervais Hunt's daughter. ence craving Hunt's next
Pierce Hunt has returned The new head of the cartel adventures.q