A new weekend means new films will be hitting movie theaters across the country. Seeing is how it’s the week before the much-anticipated Avengers: Endgame (AHH!), we won’t be getting any big budget blockbusters. Instead, we’ll be getting a small handful of smaller production.
It’s also worth noting that this week is a bit of an oddball. Two films are opening wide on Wed. the 17th. These include the faith based drama Breakthrough as well as the Disneynature documentary Penguins.
Let’s start with the largest of this week’s releases:
The Curse of La Llorona (Opens April 19)
Director: Michael Chaves
Starring: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez
Rating: R (for violence and terror)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Studio: New Line Cinema
Synopsis: Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm.
The Curse of La Llorona is the latest supernatural thriller produced by James Wan and the rest of the team behind the hugely successful The Conjuring universe. Though the film drops this weekend, Wan has already tapped director Michael Chaves as his replacement to helm The Conjuring 3, which hits theaters Sep. 11, 2020.
Breakthrough (Opens April 17)
Director: Roxann Dawson
Starring: Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, Topher Grace, Mike Coulter
Rating: PG (for thematic content including peril)
Runtime: 90 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Synopsis: When her 14-year-old son drowns in a lake, a faithful mother prays for him to come back from the brink of death and be healed.
Breakthrough is based on the book of the same name by Joyce Smith, who tells the inspirational true story about the miraculous revival of her son John. Roxann Dawson is a seasoned director, though she has mostly cut her teeth directing critically praised installments of a number of successful series, including Star Trek: Voyager (where she also played Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres), Lost, Heroes, The Good Wife, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Bates Motel, and Scandal. Screenwriter Grant Nieporte previously penned the Will Smith vehicle Seven Pounds.
Penguins (Opens April 17)
Director: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson
Starring: Ed Helms, Steve the Penguin
Rating: G
Runtime: 76 minutes
Studio: Disneynature
Synopsis: The story of Steve, an Adélie penguin, on a quest to find a life partner and start a family. When Steve meets with Wuzzo the emperor penguin they become friends. But nothing comes easy in the icy Antarctic.
Each week of Earth Day, Disneynature (the eco-friendly documentary arm of Disney) releases a new documentary centering around a different species of animals with whom we share this world. This year the theme is Penguins. Take a trip down to the Antarctic and get to know Steve, a young male learning how to make it in one of the planet’s harshest and most unforgiving environments. Each of these Disney docs takes years to film and for the first week of release, a little bit of the proceeds from every ticket sold goes towards aiding conservation causes related to that year’s theme.
That’s all the movies hitting a theater near you this week. Are you already planning a trip to see one of these? If so, which ones? Or will you be saving your pennies for next week? Hit me up in the comments below and let me know your moviegoing plans for the weekend!
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