Original co-host and now semi-regular guest Ryan Scott returns for an old-school “year one”-style episode, as the original core four discusses, well, what else? Yes, we do offer a few notes related to Minions & Monsters, The Invite and other holdovers. However, the bulk of the discourse focuses on The Odyssey and Christoper Nolan’s artistic and commercial track record.

Among the highlights…

* Favorite performance in a pre-Odyssey Chris Nolan movie.

* Warner Bros.’ thus-far lousy year at the box office.

* The value of counterprogramming even against would-be titans.

* How and why The Odyssey opened so high.

* How high The Odyssey might climb, and how little it might dip on weekend two.

* Audience demographics and Chris Nolan as a generational movie star.

* What If? — What if Tenet had been a global hit (even noting that it only really underwhelmed in North America) and/or opened amid normal circumstances?

* The few actors for whom The Odyssey was not their biggest-ever global opening.

* Hopes and fears over “InfinityVision.”

* Whether most audiences will greet Avengers: Doomsday as another Disney 2010s-era nostalgia sequel, little different from Toy Story 5 or Inside Out 2.

And more!

Recommended Reading/Listening…

* Scott Mendelson discusses Skydance’s horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week, at least as it relates to its attempts to buy Warner Bros., and argues that the once-inevitable merger now seems noticeably less so.

* Jeremy Fuster interviews projectionist Taylor Umphenour, the man in the booth running the 70mm show as the century-old Alex theater re-opened with, of course, The Odyssey. I was actually invited to, and attended, Thursday night’s The Odyssey showing, with my 19-year-old (who loves old-school movie palaces) happily tagging along. She liked both the movie and the theater quite a bit. I hope the same level of care is put into whatever Sony (now officially confirmed) decides to do with The Archlight’s Cinerama Dome.

* Lisa Laman notes that the success of Barbie and The Odyssey shows that whether casting transgender actors helps at the box office, it sure as hell doesn’t hurt.

* Ryan Scott’s latest kinda-sorta/unofficial “Tales from the Box Office” column discusses Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm.

* Max Deering offers up the ten best end credits songs for movies that don’t exist, while this week’s Action For Everyone (with Aaron Neuwirth guesting) turns The Odyssey discourse into another episode of Vyce’s War Journal.

If you like what you hear…

Please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at Asktheboxofficepod@gmail.com.

* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News

* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap

* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Autostraddle

* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse

* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone

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