New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

This movie title so doesn't sound like what it actually is.

Kim Hollis: The Conspirator, the latest project from Hollywood living legend Robert Redford, finished in a surprise 11th place with $3.5 million in only 707 exhibitions. How impressed are you by this result? Do you think it is the default early season awards contender?

Josh Spiegel: I would be surprised if this is an awards contender; in terms of default status, Jane Eyre hasn't made that much since it opened, but it's prime awards bait and has gotten better reviews than The Conspirator did. Had this movie been somewhere near #5 on the list, I could see there being some kind of discussion about this movie, but I doubt it.

Bruce Hall: I was this close to checking out The Conspirator this weekend, until I saw the synopsis. My first thought was "Mary Surrat? Spoiler alert...death by hanging. This just in: President McKinley is also dead. Where's the story?"





Okay, I jest. It's hard to believe so many people remain skeptical about the alleged conspiracy to kill JFK, since the conspiracy to kill Lincoln was quite real, and would be beyond belief had it not actually happened. It's a major event in American history that hasn't been explored enough on film, so it's good to see The Conspirator in theaters. But while this weekend's box office is an admirable result, and Robert Redford will always carry weight on Planet Oscar, I agree that this is probably not a financial or critical breakthrough significant enough to generate a major award buzz.

Max Braden: I love historicals, and with this being set in DC, it was perfectly targeted at someone like me. Yet I saw the trailer and thought "Isn't this being released seven months early?" It didn't even occur to me until now that the the timing was perfect with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. $3.5 million is okay, but will probably just be a flash in the pan; I think it might have earned more as an Oscar season platform release.

David Mumpower: Bruce touches on the primary reason it could get sustained awards season awareness. Anything with the Robert Redford stamp on it merits consideration. What I find odd about the entire production is how little awareness there was prior to opening weekend yet audiences found the film anyway. That’s how much respect his name carries in terms of branding. It’s entirely possible he’s ready to enter his Clint Eastwood phase of late career directing triumphs.

Continued:       1       2       3       4       5