Originally posted Monday, November 11, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

"Dr. Sleep," a sequel to the seminal horror film "The Shining," flickered badly at the box office this past weekend, not even hitting $15 million. It was shot in Georgia a year ago and stars Ewan McGregor.

Studio expectations and prognosticators had the movie opening in the mid-$20 million range.

This under-performance happened following passable reviews and a relatively so-so B+ CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences. It is unlikely to make money for the film studio.

Dan Torrance (McGregor), who was a child in the original Jack Nicholson film, is now an adult who meets a young girl with similar powers as him. He tries to protect her from a cult seeing immortality by cultivating this particular power.

The World War II flick “Midway” was No. 1 with an estimated $17.5 miliion but the $100 million budget means it will be a challenge to make money unless international audiences take to it.

John Cena's "Playing With Fire" ($12.8 million) and the rom-com "Last Christmas" ($11.6 million) both did modest business. (Audiences really disliked "Last Christmas," giving it an average of B-minus on CinemaScore which is horrendous for that service.)

About the Author

Keep Reading

The newest season of "Celebrity Family Feud" on ABC returned July 10, 2025, and one episode features "The Dan Patrick Show" vs. "The Rich Eisen Show." (Courtesy of ABC)

Credit: ABC screenshot

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC