The President’s Day Weekend was a big one at the box office, as it often is, but in many ways it was quite unusual. We saw three significant films open on the same day: Wuthering Heights, GOAT, and Crime 101. They were three very different films for three very different audiences, and while Wuthering Heights took home the box office crown, Crime 101 star Halle Berry is still celebrating her movie’s big opening.
Crime 101 opened in third place at the domestic box office, with only $16 million compared to Wuthering Heights ‘ $35 million. However, while the heist movie starring Halle Berry, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth may not have been seen by quite as many people, the people who have seen it seem to prefer it to Wuthering Heights. Halle Berry took to Instagram to celebrate the film’s Rotten Tomatoes success.
Crime 101 is officially a “Certified Fresh” movie, with a critics’ score of 87%, slightly better than the still rock solid 84% score given by audiences. Both these numbers are far better than Wuthering Heights, which is far more divisive among critics, with a 60% score, and a 79% score among the audience.
Berry’s Instagram Stories are currently full of individual social media and Letterboxd reviews from a variety of people who saw Crime 101 and are singing its praises. The actress is certainly doing her part to raise the profile of the movie, and that, alongside the solid reviews, might help elevate the film’s box office in the weeks to come.
Crime 101 honestly feels like a movie from a different era. It’s not a franchise; it is based on a book, but for many, it likely appears to be a completely original film. Its primary selling point is its star power, like Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry. It’s exactly the sort of movie that we don’t tend to see in theaters as much anymore, which is likely why the box office wasn’t better over the opening weekend.
To be fair, since Crime 101 is an Amazon MGM production, the box office probably isn’t seen as the major focus of the film. While box office numbers are always good, odds are there will be a much bigger promotional push when your Prime Video subscription gives you access to the film in a few months.
The fact that Crime 101 is, by all accounts, a really good movie, will certainly help it find an audience eventually. If people don’t go to the theater, they could find it on VOD or on streaming. Of course, if the movie does continue to struggle at the box office, it almost certainly means that films like this, will only continue to dwindle and find homes elsewhere. If they’re made at all, that is.
