After only four days in wide release, A Man Called Otto has grossed $21.6 million domestic and another $14.5 million overseas. No superheroes. No CGI. No car chases. No blue people whining about Global Warming (which is a hoax). Otto is the story of a suicidal, misanthropic senior citizen dealing with the death of his wife and his inability to connect with people.
The movie stars a senior citizen, 66-year-old Tom Hanks, and surprised everyone over this weekend — its first in wide release — by over-performing with a $13 million haul.
Otto is not a sequel, did not garner stellar reviews, and is receiving no Oscar talk.
So why is it doing so well?
The answer is simple…
The public likes Tom Hanks, and the movie’s advertising is universally appealing. A suicidal curmudgeon wounded over the loss of his wife finds redemption and acceptance through his neighbors.
From the trailers, it looks to me like a watered-down version of Clint Eastwood’s magnificent Gran Torino (2008). It also looks a little syrupy for my taste. But what we have here is a movie promising to explore universal themes headlined by the rare actor who has not yet squandered the public’s goodwill by being a rude and divisive jerk.
A Man Called Otto is why people go to the movies, most especially older people. They don’t care how predictable the story is. Actually, that’s part of the appeal. The joy is in the execution. How will what we know happen happen? It’s the same with Marvel movies, no? Those have their own boilerplate. There’s nothing wrong with familiarity. It’s all about the execution.
Audiences also saw the trailer and trusted they would not be attacked, preached to, or demeaned. That doesn’t mean nothing will be asked of them. Movies like A Man Called Otto ask us to accept, forgive, aspire, and be better. That’s a lovely message. It’s also a rare message in an entertainment world that has rejected those themes to lecture and shame, to tell us how virtuous they are and how awful we are.
In one weekend, A Man Called Otto earned $13 million. Look at how much these Oscar-bait movies have earned in total:
The Whale – $10.7 million
The Fabelmans – $14.2 million
Women Talking – $615,000 (not a typo)
The Banshees of Inisherin – $9.3 million
Tar – $5.8 million
Empire of Light – $1.1 million
How sad is that?
But people don’t trust those movies. There are no trustworthy stars (Hollywood killed the movie star), and more than one looks self-important and preachy. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing Banshees and Tar, but obviously, I’m in a tiny minority.
Will A Man Called Otto stop the entertainment media from lying and blaming the China Flu and streaming for the ongoing failure of preachy, smug, self-important, off-putting flops?
No.
Top Gun: Maverick didn’t stop those lies, even though older audiences made that the biggest domestic hit of the year.
But the truth is the truth, and the suits at these studios know the truth. Too bad they lack the moral courage and artistic integrity to buck the Woke Blacklist and treat the customers and the art with a little more respect.
We used to get 20 Man Called Ottos a year. Now they feel like we’ve discovered an endangered species.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
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