Ford v Ferrari is one of many great movies about auto racing, which went full throttle at the box office and was even nominated for four Oscars, winning two and becoming a modern classic. However, what if I told you there was once a version in the works that would have starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise together? According to Pitt himself, it was “this close” to happening. Pitt, who's currently basking in the glow of the success his racing flick, F1, is enjoying, is spilling the tea on the Ford v. Ferrari that almost was.

Brad Pitt recently engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with The National about the massive success of his 2025 movie release. Pitt casually dropped the bombshell that he and Tom Cruise were originally attached to an early version of Ford v Ferrari over a decade ago. It seems that the two actors were indeed passionate about the project, but it seemingly fell apart due to a major realization on Cruise's part:

Imagine Pitt as the fierce, no-nonsense racer Ken Miles, and Cruise as the charismatic, but track-bound, designer Carroll Shelby. Now, imagine them going head-to-head, working through gear-grinding tension and corporate meddling to take on Ferrari. That’s a version of the movie I think could have worked, but ultimately, will be left as a Hollywood “what if."

Additionally, it's interesting to hear that it all came down to who would get to drive. If the Mission: Impossible front man couldn’t be the guy behind the wheel, he wasn’t all that interested and, honestly, that tracks perfectly with everything we know about the man who straps himself to planes for fun.

That iteration may have fizzled out, but the project was reborn years later with Matt Damon and Christian Bale in the lead roles, both of whom delivered outstanding performances. The James Mangold-directed version earned massive box office success and critical acclaim.

The Legends of the Fall performer, for his part, is gracious about it. He gives props to the final film, calling it “great.” Now, F1 has finally been released, giving Pitt his own high-octane, crowd and critic-pleasing hit, even if our own Eric Eisenberg wasn’t so keen with all the sports movie cliches, which you can read about in CinemaBlend's F1 review. After nearly four decades in Hollywood, he’s calling it the blockbuster he always hoped to make.

Pitt's not done dreaming big either, as the Oscar winner told The National he’d love to reunite with Cruise. The last time they worked together was more than 30 years ago on the horror hit Interview with the Vampire. Pitt hinted that a reunion between the two A-listers could happen, maybe even for an F1 sequel that somehow ties into Days of Thunder. Pitt's well aware the Top Gun star wouldn’t say yes unless there were a steering wheel involved, yet he’s more than ready to “give it a go.”

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise didn't appear in Ford v Ferrari, but the roads in Hollywood never really end. They just take sharp turns, and I'm excited and hopeful that an Interview with the Vampire reunion might loop back around, in the form of an F1 sequel.

As for the current F1 film, it's now playing in theaters. Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes. As for Ford v Ferrari, it's available streaming to anyone with a Hulu subscription.

There is nothing more exciting than watching the most skilled drivers drive the fastest cars at the edge of their limit. Great movies about auto racing are a rush, no matter what kind of racing it is. It might be street racing, or on a track, but either way, it'll leave you breathless. These movies are just what want when you have a serious need for speed. 

Days Of Thunder

On the heels of the wild success of Top Gun, Tom Cruise and director Tony Scott teamed up for another adrenaline-fueled movie replacing fighter jets with stock cars in Days of Thunder. The film featured some of the most intense auto racing ever shown in a movie to that point and it was another giant hit for the Cruise/Scott team. Cruise even co-starred with his future wife Nicole Kidman in the movie.  

Rush

Rush is based on the true story of the drive for the 1976 Formula 1 championship between Englishman playboy James Hunt and the dour and serious Austrian, Niki Lauda. It's an intense movie both on and off the track as the rivalry was fierce. Lauda suffered a horrific crash during the season that bonded the two, but that didn't slow their fight for the final checkered flag against each other. 

Cannonball Run

No track, no rules. That's the Cannonball Run. A bunch of teams load into their custom cars for a cross-country race for the ages. The comedy features a completely bonkers cast that includes Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jamie Farr, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Jackie Chan, and more. The cast alone is worth a watch.  

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Many people will argue that Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is the greatest racin' movies of all time. It's hard to argue against it. Not only is the movie hilarious, but the racing scenes are pretty great too. Shake AND bake! 

Speed Racer

If you grew up in the '80s, the odds are you were a big Speed Racer fan. While the movie doesn't have the same nostalgia, it's actually a pretty faithful adaptation that features some really trippy racing scenes, just like the cartoon. 

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning isn't the best movie on the list, but it's not a bad movie, either. It's pretty obscure, and that's too bad if for no other reason than it's the semi-true story of Wendell Scott, who was the first Black driver in NASCAR. Scott is played by Richard Pryor and anytime he's in a movie, it's worth anyone's time. 

Lucky Logan

To be fair, Logan Lucky is only tangentially about NASCAR racing, but it's such a fun movie, we had to include it. The movie is really about a heist at a NASCAR track, the Charlotte Motor Speedway, during a race, the Coca-Cola 500. So sure, it should count, right? 

Need for Speed

Movies adapted from video games are usually a mixed bag. Some work, many don't. Need for Speed falls in the latter category, for sure. That doesn't mean the racing scenes won't give you an adrenaline rush, however, because they will. It might not be your first choice, but if you love fast cars, it's here for you. 

Grand Prix (1966)

1966's Grand Prix is a race movie for true race fans. Originally shot in 70mm, it blew people away with the race action. The story is incidental here, though it is ostensively about one season of Formula 1. It's really all about the racing scenes, they are remarkable, even to this day. 

Ferrari

If there is one thing Michael Mann knows how to do, it's how to make cars look really cool. While 2023's Ferrari was a disappointment at the box office, that should deter you if you're a fan of racing or Ferraris. The movie isn't perfect, but any scene with a car in it is great. All of them. 

The Last American Hero

Junior Johnson was a towering figure in the history of NASCAR. The Last American Hero is a biopic, starring Jeff Bridges as Johnson, covering the early start of his racing career and his moonshining roots. It's been forgotten by some people these days, but it's super fun and a must for any NASCAR fan. 

Driven

Director Reny Harlin, a master of movies made for adrenaline junkies, and writer and star Sylvester Stallone teamed up for the 2000 release, Driven about the CART racing series (then called the Champ series). Like Days of Thunder a decade early, this was American auto racing at its best on the big screen. It's not as good as the Tom Cruise classic, but it's still pretty awesome. 

The Fast and the Furious Franchise

You knew we couldn't leave the Fast and Furious movies off this list. There's nothing professional about the drivers, but don't let that fool you, they're still the best. Do we really need to say much more about his monster franchise?

Ford V. Ferrari

Ford V. Ferrari is just a great movie in every way. Christian Bale and Matt Damon both crush it with their performances and the racing scenes are amazing. The story follows the true story of Carroll Shelby (Damon) and Ken Miles (Bale) in their quest to help Ford beat perennial champs at Le Mans, Ferrari. It's a must-see for any racing fan. 

Freejack

Freejack is a bonkers movie. That's both a good and a bad thing. The plot is ridiculous, as rich people in the future steal bodies from the past to extend their lives. Yeah, it's confusing and ridiculous. Add in the fact that Mick Jagger plays the guy hoping to steal Emilio Estevez's body when he crashes in an auto race and well... it has to be seen to be believed. 

The Speed Kings

The Speed Kings is on this list for one reason: it was completely groundbreaking. Made in 1913 and starring the great Fatty Arbuckle. The silent film was one of the earliest to feature actual race footage, which at the time was something most people had never seen. It's worth seeking out for the historical nature of the short film. 

Winning

Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Robert Wagner team up in this movie about a driver, Newman, who desires one thing in life - to win the Indy 500. Newman was, of course, a keen race car driver himself, so this is the Hollywood legend in his element, not to mention he's co-starring with his wife (Woodward). 

Death Race 2000

One of the best cult movies about auto racing is the sci-fi action flick Death Race 2000. This Roger Corman-produced movie is like the violent cousin of The Cannonball Run. There's nothing funny about this cross-country race, but man, the race scenes are just so cool. 

Le Mans

You just knew Steve McQueen had to pop on this list. One of Hollywood's most legendary gearheads loved to make cool car movies and was part of more than one of the best car chases in the history of movies. In Le Mans, as the title suggests, McQueen plays a driver at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The movie even features actual footage of the 1970 race. 

Gran Turismo

Like other video game adaptations, Gran Turismo isn't the best movie, overall. I also like the game though, it features some great car scenes. it's easy to criticize the plot, as many critics did when it was released in 2023, but the actual racing is fantastic, as most critics agreed, and if you love cars going fast on film, it's definitely worth checking out. 

The Love Bug

There is no more iconic car in the world than the VW Beetle and the most famous Beetle of them all is Herbie from The Love Bug. The enduring franchise goes all the way back to 1969 with this one. Over the next 35 years or so, they would release another five Herbie movies and they remain beloved today. Don't worry about the plot hole that has a 4 cylinder Beetle winning car races, just go with it. 

Cars Franchise

Millions of kids first fell in love with car racing movies after watching Cars. The 2006 Pixar film has a dedicated following and has spawned a number of sequels and spinoffs and become an important piece of Disney's brand since it was first released. The original also fittingly features Paul Newman in his final (voice) role. 

Stroker Ace

Director and former stunt coordinator Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds made a heck of a team when it came to driving movies. The two teamed up for Cannonball Run and Smokey & The Bandit before making Stroker Ace in 1983. While the movie bombed at the box office, it became a bit of a cult hit as a regular movie on cable TV in the mid-1980s. It's not great, but it's got its moments and Reynolds is as charming as ever. 

Ready Player One

Ready Player One isn't really a movie about car racing, but we included it because the race toward the beginning is just so epic. Where else would ever see the Mach 5 from Speed Racer going against the monster truck Big Foot and the van from The A-Team? In a movie filled with great easter eggs, the race has some of the best. 

Snake & Mongoose

2013's Snake & Mongoose flew under the radar, even among gearheads, so if you haven't seen it, that's not surprising. If you love racing, especially drag racing, this movie is one you should seek out as it's surprisingly good and tells a great history of the sport. 

The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain is a bit over-the-top and frankly, cheesy. But the racing scenes are great! So while it's tough to watch as it's overwrought and saccharine-y sweet at the same time, the racing is worth it, at least once.  

Grease

Sure, Grease is a love story about high school kids, but you can't deny it has one of the most legendary racing scenes ever put on film. The street race in the LA river is totally iconic and to leave it off would be just wrong. 

Wreck-It Ralph

Like a few other movies on this list, Wreck-It Ralph isn't strictly about car racing. Or real car racing at all, but how can you deny the greatness that is Sugar Rush?? You simply can't and that's why it should be any list like this. 

Fireball 500

Fireball 500 is what would happen if you make Beach Blanket Bingo at a race track. While the racing scenes are surprisingly good, the movie is pretty ridiculous and worth checking out to see the cultural artifact that it is. 

The Racers

Rudolf Caracciola was one of the early heroes of F1 and The Racers is a movie loosely based on his life and career. His career spanned decades and was not without controversy, but it makes for a great movie, with Kirk Douglas playing the fictionalized version of Caracciola, called Gino Borgesa.

The Gumball Rally

in the mid-70s, cross-country races were all the rage in Hollywood and maybe the most famous is 1976's The Gumball Rally. It's even inspired races like it in real life. That's saying something about how great the racing scenes are, which were groundbreaking at the time. 

Viva Las Vegas

While the movie is really pretty bad, Viva Las Vegas is notable for two things, one, it was a hit, mostly because it starred Elvis Presley, and two, it's responsible for the theme song that you are current humming to yourself right now. So that alone makes worthy of inclusion here. 

Friends and readers, the IMAX format is on a hot streak. 2024 movies like Dune: Part Two and Civil War have been hyping up that particular venue in their marketing, which is great news for the future. But what's even more exciting are the re-releases, like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, that have been attracting moviegoers to take part in the large format 70mm magic outside of the crop of incoming blockbusters.

With that particular scenario in mind, I’d like to suggest some long overdue re-issues that the IMAX format could benefit from. Though mostly, I’ve crafted this list as a love letter to fond outings of the past, as well as some titles I missed for one reason or another that I’m still looking to catch. So let’s start the countdown, and go big with these delightful IMAX releases that deserve another spin on the platter.

Speed Racer

You can bet I caught The Wachowskis’ Speed Racer back when it was released in IMAX the first time around. But now, with the film’s critical reappraisal, it feels like the perfect time to bring that large format magic back to the biggest screens possible, if only to encourage a 4K remaster and home video release to follow.

Tron: Legacy

As we make our way to Tron: Ares’ upcoming Disney movie release date of October 10, 2025, people are going to want to revisit 2010’s Tron: Legacy. The IMAX 3D variant is hands down the best way to experience Joseph Kosinski’s awe-inspiring cult classic, and a revival could fuel the next entry in the Tron franchise timeline’s journey to the big time.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Sometimes a major motion picture like Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol films special scenes in IMAX format, but doesn’t send that version to home video. As the series continues to be quite popular, despite Dead Reckoning’s box office performance, Ghost Protocol lighting the fuse in IMAX is quite an opportunity to remind people why the format works so beautifully.

Fantasia 2000

In the absence of further installments of what was supposed to be a Fantasia franchise, bringing back Fantasia 2000 for a new generation would take total advantage of people seeking out IMAX 70mm entertainment. It could also spark the want for a fresh installment, which in turn could be a major movie event waiting to happen. Also, "Rhapsody In Blue" in true IMAX would especially make my day.

The Polar Express

As far as my money is concerned, IMAX 3D is the superior third-dimensional experience at the movies. And while I’ve seen periodic re-issues of The Polar Express in regional IMAX showings, this year’s 20th anniversary basically begs for this holiday favorite to ride the rails on a wider scale.

Treasure Planet

Treasure Planet is another Disney movie that seems to have amassed more love over time, and it was also part of the early era of IMAX conversions for the studio’s work. If you can convince me Jim Hawkins’ coming of age journey through space wouldn’t look and sound brilliant in this format, I’ll stop asking for it... but good luck trying.

Tangled

One of several IMAX titles offered in 3D internationally, to have Tangled re-released for the rest of the world to experience nice and huge would be a beautiful sight. Even though I fully understand it's hard to see third-dimensional thrills through tears of joy, I think this would certainly be worth the extra cash on the big, big screen.

No Time To Die

Yes, I have another international IMAX 3D variant to plug, because while the company has seemed to distance itself from wide spanning releases in the format, movies like No Time To Die still get to enjoy such versions. Standard 3D was a treat for Daniel Craig’s James Bond swan song, so I could only imagine the premium format expansion of the picture being even more exciting to behold.

Dune

Much like No Time To Die, the first half of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune also received the IMAX 3D treatment in certain international markets. With the 70mm variant of Dune: Part Two already returning to rake in the IMAX cash, having a double feature that includes this version of the previous part of the story just makes business sense.

Real Steel

While we continue to wait for some sort of movement on the Real Steel Disney+ series, Shawn Levy’s rock ‘em sock ‘em sci-fi flick has become a streaming champion. The fanbase seems to be there, so why not let people indulge in some massive robot fighting action on an IMAX screen?

Ford v. Ferrari

A lot of the movies on this list are admittedly some pretty huge genre undertakings, which usually makes for the majority of movies that are presented in IMAX. However, learning that Ford v. Ferrari had a limited run in large format only makes me want to relive the heartbreak and the triumph of Matt Damon and Christian Bale’s journey through auto racing.

The Martian

If The Martian’s IMAX 3D variant could be brought back to premium auditoriums worldwide, I’d gladly be seated to see Mark Watney’s journey to survive the wilds of Mars at least a handful of times. Also, this would make for a perfect Matt Damon double feature with either Ford v. Ferrari or Interstellar, which actually is returning to IMAX this November!

Top Gun: Maverick

While I got to see Top Gun: Maverick in a Dolby auditorium, I missed out on experiencing this Tom Cruise legacy-quel in the IMAX format. If we’re going to get the world as hyped for a potential Top Gun 3 as Mr. Cruise happens to be, a re-issue of this box office goliath is a good first step.

Beauty And The Beast (1991)

The original animated Beauty and the Beast was Disney’s first IMAX re-issue of a classic from the vaults. As if that wasn’t enough incentive to send this tale as old as time back to the movies, this variant also happens to be the Special Edition, which reinstates the oft-overlooked and yet best Beauty and the Beast song “Human Again.” I need to see and hear this movie on an IMAX system, and I especially need that tune to be a part of the experience.

Alita: Battle Angel

There was an IMAX re-release of Alita: Battle Angel as part of an early effort to get fans back into movie theaters in late 2020. But if 20th Century Studios really wanted to take advantage of the re-issue craze that seems to be going on right now, as well as try to gauge the popularity of Robert Rodriguez’s cult favorite manga adaptation, another roll of the dice in IMAX 3D would certainly be welcomed.

Turning Red

Yes, I know Turning Red was re-released into theaters this spring. However, there are two versions that sadly never got to shine in its hugely altered 2022 theatrical exhibition: 3D and IMAX. Seeing that the movie was optimized for large format when first watching it on Disney+ broke my heart, as the gigantic finale alone would have been worth the ticket price.

Our girl Mei deserves her day in IMAX, and the 2024 theatrical landscape has plenty of room. With plenty of other titles on this list set to get their premium ticket due, there’s certainly a wide swath of options to entice moviegoers to keep fueling the recent boom in this format.

Every major sport has its own movie. Some of the most popular spectator sports – baseball, football, basketball, and soccer – have multiple films that use competition as the backdrop. But which films constitute the best sports movies ever made? There are so many factors at play. Is it an underdog sports story, about loveable losers who overcome the odds to achieve greatness? Or is it a story about the greatest to ever play a game, and an analysis of what drove them to be elite?

As we debated over the best sports movies ever made, CinemaBlend staffers came to realize that it’s not always about the sport itself, but more about the characters in which we have invested. Especially if they happen to be played by Kevin Costner, who’s like Hollywood’s unofficial mascot of terrific sports movies. That dude is the Patron Saint of sports films. He has excellent sports flicks that didn’t even make this list! That’s how good he is. 

So what did make the list? A healthy mix of recognized classics, some newer films that take unconventional approaches to their athletic subjects, and Foxcatcher. Man, that’s a weird movie. Great! But weird. 

25. Love & Basketball

When filmmakers mix sports and romance, the results can vary, but Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love & Basketball is an example of how to do it right. The 2000 movie tracks the relationship and playing careers of friends-turned-lovers Quincy McCall and Monica Wright, played by Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan, respectively. Thanks to Prince-Bythewood’s keen direction, the two characters’ stories are multifaceted and compelling. Lathan and Epps also more than shine in their role as do the supporting cast members.

What’s most exceptional is Gina Prince-Bythewood’s exploration of modern-day romance. The fact that the African American experience is the lens through which she does that is also refreshing. As a whole, the film is an engaging drama that depicts love and sports in a way that anyone can relate to.

24. Tin Cup

Kevin Costner has made a lot of sports movies. Some are more popular than Tin Cup, but none are able to find the same loveable tone. His lead character, Roy McAvoy, has charm for days, and it’s a delight watching him chase his destiny, not because he wants to fulfill his potential but because he’s horny and spiteful. 

Costner’s scenes opposite Rene Russo are a particular delight, and the movie deserves special credit for having one of the most unconventional and yet oddly perfect endings in sports movie history. Sometimes it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about creating a moment, and no one will ever forget Roy’s.

23. Rudy

Even people who aren’t very interested in sports can relate to the true story behind Rudy — all it takes is having a dream like Daniel E. “Rudy” Ruettiger did. Sean Astin (former The Goonies cast member and future Lord of the Rings movies star) plays the title role, a teenage student who is determined to beat the odds and achieve his life-long goal of making it into Notre Dame and playing on the college’s famed football team, despite being half the size of most of the players. 

Hoosier director David Anspaugh helms this inspirational, crowd-pleasing biopic that is easily one of the greatest underdog sports stories that cinema has ever seen.

22. Bring It On

When I tell you, “Brrr, it’s cold in here,” you better reply, “There must be some Clovers in the atmosphere.” Or else we can’t be friends. Very few of us went into Kirsten Dunst’s cheerleading feature Bring It On expecting to see the next beloved cult comedy classic. But a witty script, tons of spunky teenage attitude, and a killer dance soundtrack turned Bring It On into a beloved hit. It basically was Spirit Fingers, in cinematic form.

Movies like Bring It On succeed because everyone on board – from director Peyton Reed (Ant-Man) to leading ladies Dunst, Gabrielle Union, and Eliza Dushku – know exactly the type of movie they are making. They don’t play the material too seriously. They bring bubbly fun to an entertaining script. And they made an infectious teenage comedy that rose up during the time of the American Pie franchise (and all its idiotic clones), then proved to have the staying power of an instant classic.

21. Goon

Doug Glatt can throw a punch – that much is made clear early on in Goon (written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, and directed by Michael Dowse). It’s a skill that lands him a spot on a minor league hockey team, despite his lack of actual hockey-playing abilities. But Goon is about so much more than an enforcer who’s ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Doug Glatt may not be the smartest guy in the room, or the best hockey player on the ice, but he has a giant heart and it’s on display from beginning to end in this charming, funny and at times, exciting hockey movie. 

While we can easily celebrate Goon for being one of the better sports comedies out there, there’s also the great chemistry between Seann William Scott’s character and his love interest, Eva (Alison Pill), and the underrated supporting cast, which includes Baruchel, as well as Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Kim Coates and Marc-André Grondin.

20. Jerry Maguire

Time to show this list the money! Tom Cruise has had a number of spectacular roles over the course of his career, though none may be as rich, complicated, flawed, but rewarding as sports agent Jerry Maguire, who undergoes a crisis of conscience and tries to reinvent himself… with one boisterous client (Cuba Gooding Jr., who won an Oscar for his performance). 

Jerry Maguire is Cameron Crowe at his finest, mixing powerful life lessons about family, emotional support, and loyalty in a tight comedic package. The film also leans into a winning love story between Jerry and his single-mom assistant, played by an adorable Renee Zellweger. We’re kind of saying that Jerry Maguire “completes” this list. But also, this list had us at hello.

19. The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid may be a massive film property now, but one can’t forget that the whole saga traces its roots back to the original 1984 film. John G. Avildsen’s martial arts drama introduced the world to Daniel LaRusso and his witty and wise mentor, Mr. Miyagi. While it may be conventional in many respects, the movie is incredibly endearing and paints a picture of an unexpected yet warm friendship. Not only that, but the fight sequences are also well-choreographed and engaging.

One of the standout elements of Karate Kid, though, is the pitch-perfect performance from Pat Morita, who earned an Oscar nomination for his turn as Miyagi. It also made young Ralph Macchio into a household name (and the object of various teen girls’ affections). If you’ve yet to see this seminal ‘80s film, then you should do yourself a favor and give it a watch.

18. Cinderella Man

The real-life comeback story of boxer James J. Braddock (Russell Crowe) was an inspiration to those who followed it as it played out during the Great Depression. So leave it to director Ron Howard to take that story and turn it into a rousing motion picture like 2005’s Cinderella Man. 

Crowe’s leading portrayal of Braddock mixes his trademark physicality and ferocity with a tenderness that shows just how much was riding on his fortunes in the ring. With a tour de force supporting role from Paul Giamatti, you can be sure that you’ll get as wrapped up in this movie as you would any captivating story of hope.

17. Creed

Arguably, the best Rocky movie since the original is not so much a continuation of the Italian Stallion’s own story, but a new chapter focusing on the aspirations of a young boxer to whom Sylvester Stallone’s character discovers he has a personal connection.

In his second collaboration with acclaimed Fruitvale Station and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan gives a stunning, star-making performance as Adonis Johnson — the love child of Rocky’s late rival-turned-mentor and friend, Apollo Creed — who enlists his “uncle’s” help to train him for a shot at the big time. Earning rave reviews, impressive box office returns, and spawning two sequels (including the Jordan-directed Creed III), Creed is an inspiring story of a man who chooses to fight not for the glory, but for his own sense of self-worth.

16. Million Dollar Baby

Stop me if you have heard this one before: A crusty old boxing trainer (Clint Eastwood) who’s just about ready to hang up his whistle encounters a scrappy young fighter (Hilary Swank) who just might have the right stuff to carry both of them to the top of their sport. 

That premise alone might be cliched and hokey, but Eastoowd hides a devastating left hook in Million Dollar Baby that, when it lands, turns this film’s narrative on its head, and coaxes magnificent performances by Eastwood, Swank, and Morgan Freeman. Some argue that the back half of Million Dollar Baby overdoes things. But I think the subtle composition both on screen and behind the camera marks some of the strongest work of Eastwood’s illustrious career. 

15. Hoosiers

Hoosiers hits every conceivable trope in the “underdog sports movie” playbook. A small team of basketball players with no chance gets a brand new unorthodox head coach who upsets the way things have always been. There’s even a “slow clap” moment. 

Maybe these cliches were less cliched in 1986, but even with a modern eye, Hoosiers still overcomes all of it. It’s all done so well that it’s essentially impossible to not fall in love with the movie. The characters, lead by Gene Hackman’s coach Dale, and his assistant coach, the town drunk played by Dennis Hopper, are what make Hoosiers unique and special. Every character is well-developed, making them easy to empathize with and root for, even if you know exactly what’s going to happen.

14. Major League

Major League is the kitchen sink of sports movies, and it’s a Cleveland-based miracle that it works as beautifully as it does. The film features a star-studded ensemble — featuring Charlie Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, Tom Berenger and more greats — where nearly everyone who has more than 3 lines boasts a measurable character arc. It hinges on a fairly dramatic theme of an underdog squad rising up from the dregs and reaching all-star status, while also serving as a hilarious comedy that borders on spoofery. Not to mention a romantic storyline or two, along with a “bosses vs. underlings” conflict, and the sports version of office politics. 

There’s no reason for this movie (or its only slightly less enjoyable sequel) to be this perfect, especially with “Wild Thing” as its musical hook. But by the power of Bob Uecker, Major League will be a classic forever, even if the same can't be said for the team’s mascot.

13. Hustle

Adam Sandler’s at a phase in his career right now where he can pretty much do anything he wants. Which is probably part of why he’s been so loyal to Netflix, delivering many hits to the streaming studio’s library through films like Hustle. 

Director Jeremiah Zagar’s story of a scout (Sandler) who’s trying to nurture a burgeoning talent (Juancho Hernangómez) that he spotted in his travels is so full of heart and determination that even for a movie focused on the scouting aspect, Hustle stands as a feel good inspirational sports flick. And the Sandman’s performance in this film is also one of the best he’s ever delivered.

12. Foxcatcher

Moneyball director Bennett MIller returns to the list for another dramatic narrative that’s set against sports as a backdrop – in this case, the world of olympic wrestling – but focused on so much more than the competition. 

Steve Carell sheds his funnyman tics to portray John Du Pont, an eccentric multi-millionaire who opens up his training facility to olympic hopeful Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum). Miller once again digs deep into the dark obsessions that can be found in most sports communities, while simultaneously shining a light on the harrowing lengths people will go to taste success, in any form. See it for the performances, even though the oppressive tone can be a challenge.

11. Ford v. Ferrari

With two stellar performances from Matt Damon and Christian Bale, Ford v. Ferrari isn’t just the story of an epic auto race, but the story of how two unlikely men made it all happen in the first place. The challenge the characters face ultimately isn’t the racing contest at all. It’s the struggle to even get there that is the most compelling. 

The racing scenes in Ford v. Ferrari are beautifully directed by James Mangold, and the Oscars for Editing and Sound Mixing were well deserved. But it’s the performances and the chemistry, shared between Damon and Bale that elevates Ford v. Ferrari to something special. They’re having so much fun on screen together that their passion bleeds into the audience. 

10. The Big Lebowski

The one sports movie with White Russians as a favored drink, The Big Lebowski isn’t really about sports in the way that others films are, but Jeff Daniels’ Dude wouldn’t be The Dude without bowling, man. The game and its setting are as critical to the Coen brothers’ story and its characters as baseball is to The Natural, or as basketball is to Hoop Dreams, and those didn’t even feature John Tuturro sensually licking bowling balls occasionally. 

One could pretend another sport could serve as a substitute, but then The Big Lebowski wouldn’t contain the unintuitively soothing sounds of bowling balls rolling across wood and pins being smashed into. If scenes happened in loud football stands or super-quiet golf crowds, how would we ever hear John Goodman’s Walter hollering at Donny? Nah, bowling is perfect… just as The Big Lebowski is perfect. But that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

9. The Hustler

In 1987, Paul Newman finally won the elusive Best Actor Oscar for The Color of Money, the sequel to the movie that he arguably should have won the Academy Award for first – 1961’s The Hustler. The original movie sees Newman as young, hotshot pool player Fast Eddie Felson, a hustler, making his living taking people’s money. But after he is soundly defeated by the great Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason), Eddie goes on a journey that reveals to him the true value of winning… and losing.

The Hustler is full of brilliant performances, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, and Gleason would all see Oscar nominations alongside Newman, and for good reason. Fast Eddie Felson’s character arc, and each character’s role in it, is beautifully heartbreaking. The Hustler isn’t about whether Fast Eddie wins or loses the game of pool at the end. It’s not a movie about working hard to be the best at your sport of choice, and winning in the end. The Hustler asks the audience to question the definitions of terms like winner and loser. The sport is just the metaphor. Life is the drama.

8. Remember the Titans

There was a time when Walt Disney Pictures seemed to dominate the world of sports biopics. That reign began thanks to director Boaz Yakin’s Remember the Titans. Recalling the true story of T. C. Williams High School’s football season under the watch of head coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), the movie is as known for early appearances by future stars Hayden Panetierre and Ryan Gosling as it was just how good of a football film it’s still remembered to be. 

The best sports movies draw crowds in with stories that are worth watching, and this tale of overcoming racial boundaries celebrates the camaraderie of football with a huge debt of respect. Even if you’re not a sporting person, it’s hard not to fall into the expert storytelling and killer soundtrack Remember the Titans has to offer. However, the central performances of Denzel Washington and Will Patton, roping in a bunch of young talent worthy of standing on the field with them, is the truly successful team effort.

7. The Sandlot

The Sandlot isn’t about winning games, as much as it’s about bragging rights. It isn’t about losing as much as it’s about not getting in trouble. It’s about growing up and how, for millions of kids, adolescence is commingled with playing sports, even if that’s just in a rundown baseball field during summer vacation.

We love to measure success in wins and losses, but in childhood, those wins and losses aren’t always measured in runs scored. Sometimes a win is making friends, watching the fireworks or talking trash to some scumbag rich kids. Sometimes it’s catching your first flyball or concocting a really inappropriate scheme to kiss the much older lifeguard. The Sandlot just gets it. It gets how sports sometimes feel like everything to a fifth grader but also, sometimes feel like nothing if it’s too hot or there are girls around or you need to learn what a Smore is. 

6. A League of Their Own

The best thing about A League Of Their Own isn’t just that its loveable characters are women with realistic personalities, it’s that they’re also realistic baseball players. All of the little touches feel so authentic. A lesser movie would tell us Kit is a bad hitter. A League Of Their Own tells us she can’t lay off the high ones. A lesser movie would tell us Evelyn is a bad outfielder. This one shows her missing the cutoff woman. 

Much of that credit should go to director Penny Marshall, who oh so carefully walks the first base line between comedy and authenticity. Instead of betraying reality for bigger laughs or bigger emotional highs and lows, she consistently makes little choices that make the film more relatable — like Jimmy Dugan getting mad at himself, not because he can’t hit a pitching machine but because he’s hitting too many ground balls to short. That grounded realism helps us invest in the characters more, and it makes the film’s bigger moments like the war telegram and the home plate collision that much more impactful. 

5. The Fighter

In 2010, David O. Russell gave the world one of the best boxing movies of all time and a tremendous exploration of family dynamics with his Academy Award-winning biopic, The Fighter. On the surface, the movie is about Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his quest to make a name for himself in the ring and escape the shadow and tarnished legacy of his half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), but dig deeper and you have a family-centric drama about past trauma, resentment, and intense in-fighting; all of which are combined to create an intense, emotional, and rich experience.

And while Micky, and Wahlberg for that matter, gets overshadowed by the larger-than-life personalities of his half-brother, and their mother, Alice Eklund-Ward (Melissa Leo), it almost feels as if that’s the point of the movie. Yeah, Bale and Leo both won Oscars for their outstanding performances, and rightfully so, but Wahlberg’s take on the underdog boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, is this unlikely hero, one who’ll do anything he can to bring glory to his hometown and his family.

4. Field of Dreams

“If you build it, he will come” is a line that will forever live in movie history. Those seven words in the opening minutes of Field of Dreams set Kevin Costner’s Ray Kinsella on a path that defies logic, reason, and reality, while also helping the hippie-turned-farmer ease the pain of his childhood hero, just not the one he expected in the beginning. Unlike a lot of other great baseball movies over the years, this 1989 sports classic has less to do with the fundamentals of the game (though those are important) and more to do with the passion and love for the game, its history, and the redemptive quality of the sport.

Similar to the opening of the movie featuring an iconic line, Field of Dreams also closes with a quote that fills my eyes with tears just thinking about it: “Hey Dad, wanna have a catch?” Watching the resentment, pain, and decades of not being able to say the right words shared by Ray and his father wash away in an instant is never not a powerful moment, one that leads me to call my dad to talk more times than not.

3. Moneyball

The best baseball movie ever made isn’t completely about the action on the diamond, but more dedicated to the moves that happen behind the scenes to build a possible contender. Brad Pitt gives one of his greatest performances as the steadfast general manager Billy Beane, the inventor of moneyball who shattered decades-old baseball practices to introduce a system heavily influenced by metrics. 

Baseball has not been the same since Beane and Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) revamped the Oakland A’s to match their revolutionary system. And neither have sports movies, which now have a new bar of quality to meet, one that’s set by Aaron Sorkin as a screenwriter and Bennett Miller as a director. Look for winning supporting turns in Moneyball from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, and Robin Wright in this dramatic masterpiece.   

2. Uncut Gems

The number one rule of gambling is never to chase your losses. Uncut Gems is a stressful depiction of what happens if you do. Adam Sandler’s Howard Ratner begs, borrows, steals and mortgages both his family’s and his own future repeatedly on low percentage parlays, fake watches and the title uncut gem in increasingly desperate efforts to stay ahead of creditors. It’s an absolute nightmare to watch as a viewer, but it’s also, in a weird way, a lot like watching a sporting event you’re really emotionally invested in. 

And thanks to Sandler’s career best performance, it’s so easy to emotionally invest in Howard. He’s an absolute scumbag, a cheater with a gambling addiction and zero impulse control, but despite his rank horribleness, there’s still something about him you want to root for. He’s the horrible team so many of us were groomed into rooting for as children, and even though we all know it’s gonna end poorly, there’s still that hope somewhere inside, it might be different this time. 

1. Rocky

In 1976, Sylvester Stallone became one of the biggest names in Hollywood and launched what would later become one of the premier sports-drama franchises the world has ever known with Rocky. More toned down and grounded than the movies that would follow in the years and decades to come, this iconic boxing movie introduced audiences to Rocky Balboa (Stallone), a down-on-his-luck and struggling fighter who’s given a shot at Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) and his championship belt.

Gritty, heartfelt, and inspirational, this beloved underdog story has inspired millions over the years with its touching and unforgettable drama about never giving up and always knowing your own worth, even when others don’t see it. There are boxing movies, and then there is Rocky. There are sports movies, and then there is Rocky. This Best Picture winner takes the best of sports movies and drama films and combines those elements to create a masterpiece that beautifully explores the heart and soul of a fighter.

From a down-and-out boxer in Philadelphia to an undersized high school basketball team in rural Indiana, great underdog stories in sports movies can be found in many places. It’s not just boxing and basketball; every sport has inspired amazing stories of the little guy overcoming adversity and winning it all. Here’s our list of the 22 best underdog stories in sports films. 

Rocky Wins The Cold War - Rocky IV

Rocky Balboa is the ultimate underdog and while my first inclination was to just put the original Rocky on this list, it’s missing one thing – a victory. He was just as big an underdog in that ultimate Cold War film: Rocky IV. After the robotic Soviet, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren), literally kills Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in the ring, it’s up to Sylvester Stallone’s character to save the world from communism, and he almost died in the process. Let freedom ring. 

USA Wins The Hockey Gold Medal - Miracle

The USA hockey team defeating the Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics might rank as the biggest upset in sports history, and unlike Rocky’s victory, this one happened in real life. The movie about it, Miracle, starring Kurt Russell as legendary coach Herb Brooks, inspires all the same dramatic emotions as the game did and gets us all to believe in miracles. 

Daniel LaRusso Wins The Title - The Karate Kid

With a little help from Mr. Miagi (Pat Morita), Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) wins the Under 18 All-Valley Karate Championship tournament against all odds (and with an injured leg), defeating one of cinema’s most infamous bullies, Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). It was such a big win, an entire franchise was launched, and almost 40 years later, we still can’t get enough of it.  

Kit Beats Dottie - A League Of Their Own

A sibling rivalry reaches a boil in A League Of Their Own after Kit (Lori Petty) is traded to a different team than her sister, Dottie (Geena Davis), in the All-American Girls Baseball League. It sets up the climactic scene of the movie, where the sisters play against each other in the World Series. It looks like Dottie is going to get the best of Kit again when she drives in a run to take the lead in Game 7. Kit gets a chance to bat in the 9th and scorches a ball to the outfield. As she rounds third, the ball comes into Dottie at the plate and Kit levels her, knocking the ball out of her hand and winning the series for the Belles

Jess Succeeds Against All Odds - Bend It Like Beckham

In Bend It Like Beckham, Jess (Parminder Nagra) faces a hostile family unhappy with her choice to play soccer, which they see as something a girl shouldn’t do. Eventually, as angry as her father is, he sneaks in to watch her play and is devastated by the racial slurs she endures and realizes what it all means to her. After winning the final match of the season, Jess gets a scholarship to college in the U.S. and more importantly, respect from her family. 

Rudy Makes The Team - Rudy

Rudy is one of the most iconic underdog movies of all time. Based on the true story of Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin), it follows the longshot walk-on at Notre Dame’s quest to make one of the most prestigious college football teams in the country. There is some dispute over how it all went down in real life, as ND quarterback Joe Montana explained to Dan Patrick, but on film, it's one of the best sports movies we've ever seen, with the unlikely underdog defying all odds to succeed. 

Roy Hobbs’ Home Runs Wins The Game - The Natural

A thrilling sports movie is The Natural, starring Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, a baseball slugger who never really got the opportunity to become an all-time great after he is shot by a stalker (Barbara Hershey). Many years later, the forgotten Hobbs gets signed to the struggling New York Knights. In one of the most iconic scenes in movie history, Hobbs comes to bat in the bottom of the ninth and hits a home run that shatters the lights, wins the game, and clinches the pennant. 

High School Wimp Makes The Football Team - Lucas

The titular Lucas, played by the late Corey Haim, is a high school “loser” who is constantly tormented by bullies on the football team. Even worse for him is that he’s got a crush on Maggie, a new girl in town who befriends him, but later draws his ire as she falls in with the popular crowd. In a desperate attempt to woo her, Lucas joins the football team. He's bullied by his so-called teammates until, finally, he’s hit so hard in his first game that he winds up in the hospital. It earns the respect of his teammates and he receives a varsity letter. 

Misfits Win The Dodgeball Title - Dodgeball

In the mid-'00s, dodgeball was kind of like pickleball is today. You can thank the comedy, Dodgeball, starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. Sure, the plot is a little cliché, pitting the unathletic “Average Joes” against the Globo Gym jocks, but the jokes make up for it. In the climactic finale, Vaughn's character takes the bold strategy of blindfolding himself while going against Stiller’s character in a sudden death face-off for the championship. Vaughn dodges one ball and plants another in Stiller’s face. The Joes win and the prize money saves the gym. 

The Ducks Beat The Hawks - The Mighty Ducks

The Mighty Ducks is the ultimate underdog story. It’s The Bad News Bears of hockey with one major difference, the Ducks win the end. The plot sees an underfunded team of misfits coached by the head misfit (Emilio Estevez), triumph over the too-well-funded powerhouse in a kids hockey league. In the championship, the Ducks win on a penalty shot, but the important thing is the lessons we all learn along the way. 

Big Mike Oher Succeeds - The Blind Side

Based on the true story of Mike Oher (Quinton Aaron), who went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, The Blind Side follows Oher’s journey from high school to college while guided by his adoptive mother (Sandra Bullock). He had an incredibly tough childhood and it takes the effort of a village, led by Bullock's character, to get his grades and confidence up, and see him through to college. 

Hickory High Wins State - Hoosiers

You knew we couldn’t get through this list without Hoosiers. Another movie based loosely on a true story, it's become the ultimate tale of the underdog winning it all and maybe the best basketball movie of all time. Led by coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), the undersized Hickory High School beats South Bend on a buzzer-beater to win the title. 

Richard Williams Raises Champions - King Richard

King Richard vividly shows how difficult it was for a family from Compton to become the GOATS in a sport usually reserved for country clubs and the elite. Will Smith, who plays the Williams sisters’ father, Richard, was so great in the role he won an Oscar, and his performance is one for ages. 

The Titans Go Undefeated - Remember The Titans

Remember The Titans, starring Denzel Washington as real-life high school football coach Herman Boone, tells the story of Boone’s task to integrate the football team at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, VA. He's chosen over the popular white coach, which makes things that much harder in a culture resisting integration. In the end, Boone wins over the school and the town. The Titans win it all, and, in the words of President Richard Nixon at the time, “saved the city of Alexandria.”

Jackie Robinson Integrates Baseball - 42

Speaking of integration, there is no bigger story in sports than Jackie Robinson becoming the first Black player in the Major Leagues in 1947. 42 tells the inspiring story of both Robinson (the late Chadwick Boseman), and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) doing what was thought to be impossible: integrating the national pastime. Despite the horrible reception Robinson received from fans and even teammates, he diligently goes about his business and proves his worth as a player and as a man, becoming an American hero in the process. 

Ford Beats Powerhouse Ferrari - Ford V Ferrari

Is it possible for one of the largest companies in the world to really be an underdog? Well, when you are going against the great Ferrari, you’re almost guaranteed that position. Such is the case for the Ford racing team, led by Matt Damon as the legendary car designer Carroll Shelby, and Christian Bale as driver Ken Miles. Together, they take on the most prestigious and successful racing team of all time, Ferrari, at the iconic La Mans endurance race and win. 

South Africa Wins The Rugby World Cup - Invictus

For years, South Africa was a pariah in the international community due to the racist policy of apartheid. Shunned from all sporting events for decades, it emerged from the apartheid system in the early 1990s with the election of Nelson Mandela as president. Only two men, according to the film, believed in South Africa at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Mandela (Morgan Freeman), and team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon). The Springboks, inspired by an adoring nation, take the title, by defeating the intimidating All-Blacks, New Zealand’s legendary national team.  

The Chiefs Win The Championship - Slap Shot

Slap Shot is the anti-hero of underdog movies and has become the ultimate hockey cult classic. Paul Newman plays Reggie Dunlap, who decides to go a different direction with the minor league hockey team he plays for and coaches. Years of unsuccessful seasons convince him to get violent. Very violent. And it works, eventually turning around the team to win the championship.

The Indians Win The Division - Major League

The Indians in Major League are kind of anti-hero underdogs, too. This team of inexperienced/aging misfits was put together by a ruthless owner hell-bent on moving them to Miami from Cleveland, and they suck in the beginning. Soon, though, they reel off win after win as they find their stride. When star player Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) fakes out the Yankees by bunting after "calling his shot" the team wins the last game of the season and goes on to the playoffs. 

Scott Howard Wins The Game As Himself - Teen Wolf

It's the classic tale of a boy who becomes a wolf, making him the best athlete and coolest guy in school. Eventually, that boy becomes disillusioned by being half man/half beast, and in the end, wins the big game as himself. It's become one of the truly classic '80s teen comedies – and a franchise that has been somewhat controversial lately. Michael J. Fox plays the high school kid-turned-wolfman. As the wolf, he leads his team to the championship, before deciding he needs to win it as himself. He does, and also gets the girl, because that's the way all werewolf stories should end, right? Poor Jacob. 

We never get tired of the underdog. At any given sporting event in the world, if a spectator doesn't have a favorite, they will inevitably root for the underdog. It's because of wonderful stories like these that we all have it in our hearts to see the little guy win in the end. 

He could be playing a realistically violent Marvel character, portray one of TV’s most complicated villains, or appear in flashbacks where he doesn’t say a word, and there’s a chance Jon Bernthal is still giving an unforgettable performance on the silver and small screens. There’s this certain quality about the talented and versatile actor that makes you want to see more of any of his characters long after the movie or show has finished.

With his new HBO drama, We Own This City, quickly approaching on the 2022 TV schedule, now feels like a good time to go through some of the best Jon Bernthal movies and TV shows, talk about why they should be required viewing, and all the ways you can watch them streaming and a variety of other ways.

Punisher (2017 - 2019)

Just when Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), better known as “The Punisher,” thinks everyone who had a role in his family’s vicious murder has been brought to his twisted form of justice, the ex-Marine learns this is just the beginning and heads back out onto the streets of New York City to end the pain once and for all.

Perhaps the most violent show available to anyone with a Disney+ subscription, The Punisher is also one of the best Marvel shows brought over from Netflix. Multiple actors have played Frank Castle in the past, but none of those actors capture the emotionally damaged and vengeful assassin who will do anything to free himself from the pain of grief as well as Bernthal. Let’s hope we haven’t seen the end of him yet. 

Stream The Punisher on Disney+.
Buy The Punisher on Amazon.

Baby Driver (2017)

Edgar Wright’s incredible 2017 crime flick, Baby Driver, follows a talented wheelman named Baby (Ansel Elgort) as he serves as a getaway driver in a series of high-stake heists. But, upon meeting a waitress named Deborah (Lily James), Baby sees a way out of his life of crime and puts a plan in motion to turn the corner.

Just about everyone in Baby Driver is performing at the top of their game, and the same can be said about Jon Bernthal, who briefly appears as a cocky bank robber named Griff. Despite being in the movie for all of 10 minutes, Bernthal milks every second of it in dazzling, albeit annoying, fashion. 

Rent/Buy Baby Driver on Amazon.
Buy Baby Driver on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Walking Dead (2010 - 2012, 2018)

The long-running AMC horror drama series, The Walking Dead, has followed what’s left of humanity as its members attempt to survive not only millions of zombies walking the earth, but also the more dangerous and sinister humans who have control of small pockets of the American landscape in the years following societal collapse.

Countless members of The Walking Dead cast have come and gone over the years, and one of the most prominent of those is Jon Bernthal, who portrayed Shane Walsh during the show’s first two seasons (though he did reappear as hallucinations later on). The friend-turned-rival of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Shane slowly morphed into the show’s antagonist part-way through Season 2 in a heartbreaking yet captivating performance by Bernthal.

Stream The Walking Dead on Netflix.
Buy The Walking Dead on Amazon.

Wind River (2017)

Upon finding the mutilated body of Natalie Hanson (Kelsey Asbille), a young American Indian woman on a reservation in Wyoming, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Agent Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) teams up with FBI Agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to solve the mystery surrounding her death. Although their mission finds some truths, it also brings them face-to-face with pure evil.

Jon Bernthal’s character, Matt Rayburn, is technically only in one scene in Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western thriller Wind River, but it happens to be one of the most intense and memorable sections of the entire movie. The scene, which is a flashback showing how Matt and Natalie were killed, quickly goes from a happy moment shared by two lovers to an incredibly traumatizing display.

Stream Wind River on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Wind River on Amazon.
Buy Wind River on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Show Me A Hero (2015)

Taking place between 1987 and 1994, David Simon and William F. Zorzi’s Show Me a Hero follows several high-ranking officials and various residents in the city of Yonkers, New York, after the municipality is ordered by the federal government to construct a public-housing development and put an end to the city’s segregation.

Whenever the 2015 limited series is brought up, the conversation quickly turns to Oscar Isaac’s Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Nick Wasicsko, who was famous for being the youngest mayor in the country at the time. Though Isaac was phenomenal, another actor who doesn’t get brought up nearly as much is Jon Bernthal who played civil rights attorney Michael H. Sussman, who was a major proponent in getting the housing block built. 

Stream Show Me a Hero on HBO Max.
Buy Show Me a Hero on Amazon.

King Richard (2021)

From the crime-ridden streets of Compton, California, to the gated communities of Florida, Richard Williams (Will Smith) trains his daughters — Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena Williams (Demi Singleton) — to become two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Although King Richard primarily focuses on Richard Williams and his quest to make something of his daughters, the movie also features a large ensemble cast of characters who are just as committed to the young girls’ success. Case in point, Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal), the decorated tennis coach who agrees to take the budding stars under his wing as they prepare to go pro. The look, the accent, and everything else about Bernthal’s performance is electric throughout the second half of the movie.

Stream King Richard on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy King Richard on Amazon.
Buy King Richard on DVD on Amazon.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

In the wake of losing his job on Wall Street, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) joins a penny stock brokerage firm before branching out on his own with one of the most successful yet morally bankrupt financial companies the world has seen. Over the course of many shady deals and run-ins with ever shadier individuals, Belfort tries in vain to keep afloat professionally and personally.

The Wolf of Wall Street cast is stacked from top to bottom with outstanding talent, including Jon Bernthal, who portrays Belfort’s quaalude dealer and deeply loyal friend. This is another example of Bernthal getting a lot out of something small and turning a secondary character into one of the most fully-realized roles in the entire movie.

Stream The Wolf of Wall Street on Showtime.
Rent/Buy The Wolf of Wall Street on Amazon.
Buy The Wolf of Wall Street on Blu-ray/DVD on Amazon.

Ford V Ferrari (2019)

Despite their differences, driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) team up to create a powerhouse of a race car in hopes of defeating the famed Ferrari team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.

You would think that it would be hard for an actor to stand out in a movie led by Christian Bale and Matt Damon, but Jon Bernthal is up to the task with his portrayal of Ford Motor Company Vice President Lee Iacocca, who puts the famous driver and car designer together in the first place. The way in which Bernthal embodies the character is truly something else.

Rent/Buy Ford v Ferrari on Amazon.
Buy Ford v Ferrari on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Fury (2014)

David Ayer’s 2014 military drama, Fury, follows a close-knit tank crew fighting in World War II as they are joined by a new member. Over the course of several battles and difficult encounters with German soldiers and non-combatants, the group becomes even closer.

One thing about Fury that makes it such a great watch is the camaraderie shared by the members of the titular tank crew. Although their earlier battles aren’t shown (they have been fighting together for years at this point), you can see it in the eyes of Jon Bernthal, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Peña, and Logan Lerman that these men have been to hell and back with one another.

Stream Fury on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy Fury on Amazon.
Buy Fury on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Me And Earl And The Dying Girl (2015)

Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) goes through an incredible change after he and best friend Earl Jackson (RJ Cyler) befriend Rachel Kushner (Olivia Cooke), a classmate who has been diagnosed with leukemia.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s moving Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is anchored by the three outstanding young leads, but the adult supporting cast is also worth mentioning, with one of the highlights being Jon Bernthal’s portrayal of the gang’s history teacher Mr. McCarthy. One of the best examples of a “cool teacher,” McCarthy constantly has Greg and Earl’s back and offers some much need advice during one of the film’s crucial scenes.

Rent/Buy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl on Amazon.
Buy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl on DVD on Amazon.

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Upon escaping his care facility to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, a young man with Down syndrome named Zak (Zack Gottsagen) forms an unlikely bond with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), an on-the-run fisherman, who takes the would-be grappler under his wing.

Jon Bernthal doesn’t have any lines in The Peanut Butter Falcon, and only appears in a handful of short flashbacks experienced by Tyler, but you can feel the bond shared by the two brothers and the impact his life and death had only his younger sibling. It’s honestly one of the most beautiful aspects of this incredibly moving comedy-drama.

Stream The Peanut Butter Falcon on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy The Peanut Butter Falcon on Amazon.
Buy The Peanut Butter Falcon on DVD on Amazon.

With several projects in the works, expect to see even more titles added to the list of the best Jon Bernthal movies in the very near future. If you want to know when and where you’ll see the star in action, check out CinemaBlend’s 2022 movie premiere dates schedule.

It might sound hard to believe, but Christian Bale as been popping up in movie after movie for more than 30 years now. Long before he was known as Batman, Patrick Bateman, or even "Laurie" in the 1994 adaptation of Little Women, the British actor was already an established figure in show business. And with several decades and dozens of acting credits to his name, there are plenty of movies featuring the acting and even musical and dance talents of the Academy Award-winning actor. Best of all, many of his best movies can be watched on services like Netflix, Hulu, and even Peacock.

But with so many streaming platforms and even more Christian Bale's movies to stream on many of them, figuring out what to watch and where to watch it is no easy task. Luckily, I've put together this list of some of Bale's best performances including his biggest movies and even some that might have been forgotten over time. Let's take a look at just a few of the streaming options for fans of Christian Bale.

Newsies (Disney+)

A group of New York City newsboys rise up and become heroes when a corrupt and greedy newspaper tycoon (Robert Duvall) threatens their livelihood. The fight soon escalates into the streets with plenty of singing and dancing.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: Those who are more familiar with Christian Bale's more action-oriented roles that would come in the following years will surely get a kick out of seeing the young actor's portrayal of another hero, homeless newsboy Jack "Cowboy" Kelly as becomes the inspiration for the scores of disenfranchised youth who got on strike to prove a point to Joseph Pulitzer.

Stream it on Disney+ here.

American Psycho (Peacock)

On the outside, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) looks like nothing more than just another yuppie working on Wall Street in the 1980s, but there's something more sinister than meets the eye. As he becomes more unhinged, Bateman's lust for drugs, sex, and vicious murder only becomes more deranged.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: For a lot of people out there, American Psycho was when they started to see Christian Bale as more than just another pretty face in Hollywood. Through flashes of brilliance like the one seen in the iconic "Huey Lewis and the News" murder scene and the string of violent crimes committed during American Psycho's ending, this is really Bale's coming out party and would only lead to bigger and better things in the years to come. Plus, Patrick Bateman's meticulous morning routine and obsession with business cards still stand out 20 years later.

Stream it on Peacock here.

The Machinist (Amazon)

Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) suffers from a severe case of insomnia that causes extreme weight loss and an assortment of other physical and mental disorders which ultimately leads to a severe accident at the factory in which he works as a machinist. As his condition worsens, Reznik begins to lose touch with reality and descends into madness.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: Released less than 18 months before Christian Bale would reinvent himself as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, The Machinist showcased just how far the dedicated actor would push himself to get the most of out of a performance. Putting himself through hell to achieve the desired effect of his depiction of a mentally unwell man, Bale proved that he would do just about anything and everything for the sake of art. Fans of Bale's later work with American Hustle and Vice will appreciate the actor's work on the other side of the weight spectrum.

Stream it on Amazon here.

Batman Begins (HBO Max)

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) transforms himself from billionaire heir to Wayne Industries to caped crusader of the Gotham City in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. Wayne's story takes him from the Far East where he joins the ranks of the League of Shadows before coming home to start a new life as the Dark Knight.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: When the tragic day comes when Christian Bale's name is displayed during the "In Memoriam" section at the Academy Awards, a large section of that will be dedicated to his three appearances as Bruce Wayne / Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. This movie really put Bale's career into overdrive and opened the doors for some pretty major action movies in the years to come. It showed that not only can he carry a movie on his back, he can carry an entire franchise. And while his Batman voice gets a lot of flack, Bale made it his own.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

The Dark Knight (HBO Max)

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) continues his fight as Batman as the Gotham Knight protects his city from a new threat, the anarchistic Joker (Heath Ledger) who is hellbent on pushing society to the brink for his personal enjoyment. The fight to save Gotham is much different this time and Bruce Wayne must consider all options to stop the Crown Prince of Crime.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: The Dark Knight is arguably one of the best superhero movies in the history of the genre and that's thanks in part to Christian Bale's performance as the caped crusader as he takes on Joker and Two Face in a Gotham City ready to implode upon itself. Pulling double duty as the masked vigilante at night and philanthropic billionaire during the day begins to take a tole on Wayne here and you can see it in the pained expressions and mindset of Bale throughout the performance.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

3:10 To Yuma (Hulu)

When the outlaw Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is captured in 19th Century Arizona, ranch owner Dan Evans (Christian Bale) volunteers to safely deliver him to the proper authorities. The plan goes south when Wade's men catch on to the plan and make a daring attempt to rescue their captured leader.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: For most of 3:10 To Yuma, Christian Bale plays the opposite role he had been playing up to this point in his career in 2007, meaning that he isn't the daring badass audiences were used to seeing at that point. Torn, conflicted, and ashamed of his checkered past, Bale's performance of Dan Evans is really something you have to wait until the end of the movie to really appreciate. But it's definitely worth the wait for this daring and explosive conclusion.

Stream it on Hulu here.

The Fighter (HBO Max)

Underdog boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) tries to reach the top of his weight class and keep his drug addict brother Dicky (Christian Bale) out of trouble at the same time in David O. Russell's 2010 The Fighter. Based on the true story of the Ward brothers as they make one final shot at glory, this hard-hitting and emotional thrill ride has it all.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: Just like he did with The Machinist six years earlier, Christian Bale put his body and mind through hell to cut weight (and some teeth) to pull off the distinct look of the real-life boxer-turned-addict Dicky Ward. Bale's hard work and dedication paid off here as the performance earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and he more than deserves it for this electric and captivating performance.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Hostiles (Netflix)

Set in 1892, Hostiles centers around Army Captain Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale) after he agrees to escort a dying war chief from New Mexico to Montana, but encounters more than his fair share of adventure and adversity along the way.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: Fans of the more rugged appearance of an older Christian Bale will really enjoy his take on the conflicted Army captain in this 2017 western. It doesn't get as much love as some of Bale's other performances, but the actor is more than dedicated to the character in this bleak and violent period thriller.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Vice (Hulu)

Told over the course of several decades, Adam McKay's 2018 Vice explores the rise to power of the former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney. The movie jumps back and forth through time to showcase different milestones in the public figure's professional career and hopes to explain how he became the way he is.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: If you didn't know any better you wouldn't recognize Christian Bale under all the weight he gained leading up to his portrayal of Dick Cheney, but that's him. Besides the weight and signature look of one of the controversial public figures in the past half century, Bale also captured Cheney's vicious nature and mentality throughout this new take on the biopic.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Ford V Ferrari (HBO Max)

James Mangold's 2019 American racing epic tells the story of the partnership formed between Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they attempted to dethrone Ferrari with the famed Shelby Cobra for the Ford Motor Company at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race.

Why It's A Good Option For Christian Bale Fans: There are times in an actor's career where you stop seeing the performer and only see the person they are portraying. This is the case for Christian Bale in his portrayal of Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari. You simply believe that you are watching the late British driver siting in the iconic Cobra and not an actor on a set and that is a testament to the passion of Bale throughout the performance.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Those are just 10 of the great Christian Bale performances you can stream right now. If you think there is something I should have included make sure to sound off in the comments below because I am always looking for more movies showcasing the talents of one of the greatest actors of our generation.

James Mangold's 2019 high-octane racing biopic Ford v Ferrari is one of the most the intense and satisfying sports movies to come out in recent memory. With plenty of white-knuckle racing sequences, an engaging and emotional plot, and dramatic corporate in-fighting, the Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby story is definitely a film no one will soon forget. Given the impressive filmmaking on display, some fans of the movie may wonder just how the production pulled off some of those technical racing scenes, recreated famed tracks around the world, and learn other impressive behind-the-scenes facts.

With Ford v Ferrari recently making its television debut on HBO, now seems like the perfect time to take a look behind the scenes of the movie and see how everything came together. It should come as no surprise that those involved with the epic biographical drama were obsessed with attention to detail and went to great lengths to make it one of best films of its kind. And although some aspects of the story were changed or left out entirely, the final product is so good you're willing to let some things slide and enjoy the show. That being said, let's dive into some behind-the-scenes facts!

Christian Bale Lost 70 Pounds In Order To Look More Like Ken Miles

Christian Bale has become just as well known for his constantly transforming physical appearance as for his acting chops, and that was a a legacy he added to with his depiction of Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari – which had the actor drop 70 pounds in preparation for the role. And even though Bale has said that he's done with drastic weight changes after bouncing from Adam McKay's Vice to the racing biopic, his co-star Matt Damon told CBS Sunday Morning in 2019 that he was impressed by his commitment:

Despite that "monk-like" discipline that Matt Damon alluded to, the constant fluctuations in weight and muscle mass have had a toll on Christian Bale's physical state in the past, including during his work on The Machinist.

Ken Miles' Real Life Son Helped Christian Bale Prepare For The Role

In addition to putting his body through hell in order to accurately portray his real-life characters, Christian Bale also spends countless hours preparing mentally and emotionally for his roles, which was very much the case for Ford v Ferrari. One way of doing this was meeting with Ken Miles's son Peter when the actor was preparing to play the famed driver.

Speaking with LeMans.org, Peter Miles explained that he gave Christian Bale old press clippings and magazines about the late Ken Miles, and also showed the actor personal photos and audio recordings to help have a faithful portrayal of every aspect of his father's being. In addition to that, Peter Miles also met with Caitriona Balfe to provide her with material to help in her depiction of his mother, Mollie.

Christian Bale Improvised One Of The Movie's Most Touching Scenes

One of the most touching moments in Ford v Ferrari comes near the beginning of the movie when Ken Miles has his son jump into his car after winning a race. As great as that scene was, however, it wasn't in the script, as director James Mangold told Yahoo Entertainment in 2019:

So not only did Christian Bale improvise this great father-son moment, he put the cherry on the top with the lovely song to create one of the best character building moments of the entire movie.

The Production Crew Took Extraordinary Steps To Recreate The Iconic Le Mans Track

It should come as no surprise that the racing scenes were some of the most difficult shoots of the entire movie. Needing to recreate some of the most iconic tracks in the sport of racing in lieu of using the tracks themselves, the production crew had quite a task at hand, especially when it came to making mockups of the signature turns and straightaways at the famed track in Le Mans, France, as stunt coordinator Robert Nagle shared with CinemaBlend in early 2020:

Robert Nagle went on to reveal that he and his crew had to come up with ways to organize and properly choreograph the race which is supposed to take place over the course of 24 hours. With going between night and day as well as rain and shine, Nagle said it took a tremendous amount of planning to pull off.

Director James Mangold Was Obsessed With Pulling Off The Illusion Of Speed

There are few movies that create a sense of speed better than Ford v Ferrari, and you can thank director James Mangold, and his obsession with pulling off the illusion of driving a race car 200 miles per hour, for that. Sitting down with CinemaBlend in late 2019, the acclaimed director explained that it was really the technicians on set who would do everything he asked of them in order to get the right look to the race sequences, stating:

James Mangold also noted that each race took place at a different location, which required the production team to find new ways specific to those areas to recreate the sense of speed that we saw in the final product. By adding environmental obstacles and working with the sound of the engines and environments, they were able to pull that off.

James Mangold Walked The Line Between Hollywood and Reality

James Mangold is no stranger to the biopic genre having written and directed Walk the Line back in 2005. When making these movies, the director learned that to strike that perfect balance of real-life events and movie-making, he couldn't get bogged down with all the facts. While sitting down with CinemaBlend in late 2019, Mangold had this to say about the process:

James Mangold went on to explain that although he had an attention to detail when filming the movie, he also wanted to focus on the emotional history and tone of the piece in order to create a more satisfying and entertaining story.

Christian Bale Did Very Little Of His Own Driving

A lot of Christian Bale's depiction of Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari is seen behind the wheel of a car, especially during the Le Mans 24-hour race at the end of the film. But according to producer Peter Chernin, Bale didn't do very much of the actual driving scene in the movie, as he noted THR's Producer Roundtable in 2019:

And you can't really blame a studio for not allowing one of the biggest stars of their movie getting injured or worse filming dangerous high-speed race scenes when there are more than enough stunt drivers out there willing to take on the task.

The Real Life Leo Beebe Was Nothing Like His Villainous Depiction

Even though Enzo Ferrari and his high-performance sports car brand are made out to be Ford's biggest competition in the movie, the film's actual villain is Leo Beebe, who's portrayed by a convincing Josh Lucas. According to one of the real-life Beebe's contemporaries, Ed Cloues, and his remarks to the Philadelphia Inquirer, however, that's not the man he knew. In the interview, Ed Cloues explained that while Leo Beebe was just as tough as his portrayal in Ford v Ferrari, the actual person was not the despicable character he was made out to be and that he knew how to bring the best out of people, not cut them down for his own benefit.

Josh Brolin Filmed Scenes For The Movie But Didn't Make The Final Cut

Our final bit of information about the making of Ford v Ferrari revolves around Josh Brolin's role in the film, or at least the role that was left on the cutting room floor. In November 2019, the star of Avengers: Endgame revealed that he had shot scenes with Matt Damon for the racing film, but the footage never made it into the final cut:

Who knows what could have come from having such an amazing actor lending his talents to an already stacked movie, but maybe we'll see his character in an extended cut one of these days. I mean, who doesn't want to see more Ford v Ferrari, this time with a splash of Josh Brolin?

Hopefully all of this information shed some light on everything that went into making Ford v Ferrari, and helps you all better appreciate epic racing drama. Let us know which fact was your favorite in the comments below, where you can also point out any that we missed.

The future of movie theaters is uncertain. Right now, the industry is in a shut down, and even when things open back up and we, as a society, inch back towards normal, it will take some time before we get back to a standard that was set prior to the world going on hold. But if you listen to the warnings of filmmaker James Mangold, whose films include Logan and Ford v Ferrari, things weren’t so great to begin with at movie theaters in the current age of distribution.

Mangold is a fierce proponent of the theatrical experience, and he went to great lengths to make sure that Ford v Ferrari played well in the multiplex. (His sound mix was incredible, with the roar of the race cars making your theater seat shake.) During a recent conversation with Discussing Film, the two-time Oscar nominee opened up about the sad state of affairs he was seeing in movie theaters. He said:

This is one of the main issues that we used to confront in our regular To 3D or Not To 3D reviews. The presentation of 3D films requires specific technology, especially lenses and lightbulbs. Any minor change affects the presentation, and it’s to the detriment of the filmmaker’s film… even when it’s out of their hands.

If I were James Mangold, this would drive me crazy. His movie’s not in 3D, so why would a theater – one that was set up to screen his movie for awards conversations – not be shown in optimal conditions? He went on to say:

That final nod, towards streaming potentially being the savior is an interesting concept. We are in a reality where Judd Apatow, the director of Knocked Up and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, sends his latest movie to paid VOD. Will other storytellers like him, and even Mangold, follow his lead, even when movie theaters are back open and fully functional?

The 2020 Oscars are almost upon us, as tonight’s celebration of the best movies at the box office in 2019 will eventually reveal the latest winner to claim the Academy Award for Best Picture. Of course, while most studios are probably prepared to take a financial bath in the name of such a prestigious honor, it still wouldn’t hurt for the nine nominated films to make some money for the accounting department’s troubles.

Out of curiosity, we took the nine Best Picture nominees and, in an exercise of comparative superiority, ranked them by their worldwide grosses to date. While some of these movies are still in theaters (and the figures listed are as of Friday, February 7), this is where the order currently stands.

Those results are sealed in their own metaphorical envelopes, even though their contents are known to the world. But, we didn’t gather together here for no good reason, so let’s open the results together, shall we? Here now are the 2020 Best Picture nominees, ranked from lowest grossing to highest.

#9. Marriage Story

Global Box Office: $2,300,000 (Estimated)

Marriage Story is one of two movies in the 2020 Oscars crop that is a bit hard to peg with an exact figure in terms of box office grosses. We say this because thanks to the film being a Netfilx-distributed title, theatrical release is pretty limited, which is strike one for any sort of total accuracy.

Still, without Netflix releasing its numbers for North American theatrical release, and the limited release in international territories bringing in what it did, Marriage Story is at the bottom of the best picture nominee pile in terms of its settlement with moviegoers. Though who knows what the planned Chinese theatrical release will do for those numbers, should it still take place as planned, in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis.

#8. The Irishman

Global Box Office: $8,000,000 (Estimated)

On a similar scale to Marriage Story, director Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman was put into a limited release in North America, due to continuing disagreement between Netflix and major theatrical exhibition chains. Though even with that particular stumbling block, there was a substantial gain to be had over its streaming service sibling.

Many independent theaters, as well as a month long exclusive run at New York’s Belasco Theatre, helped The Irishman bringing a rather impressive sum, on top of some interesting first week viewership numbers on their native platform. But again, this is based off of an estimate, as Netflix has not released the figures for how much this film made at this time.

#7. Jojo Rabbit

Global Box Office: $65,465,404

Moving into the lowest ranking wide release competitor, writer/director Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit took in the lowest amount of money for a widely released 2020 Best Picture nominee. This end result ended up performing in favor of the international audience, as the split that makes up the $64.5 million result is slightly higher in that particular column.

Grossing roughly $28.6 million domestically and $36.9 million internationally, Jojo Rabbit started modestly in a mid-October limited release platform on the domestic front. By time the film started its wide release strategy, there was definitely a buzz, but the film only ever cracked into the top 10 a handful of times.

#6. Parasite

Global Box Office: $163,119,346

Examining the balance between domestic and international grosses is going to be particularly interesting in some cases when discussing 2020’s Oscar nominees for Best Picture. One case in point is co-writer/director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which performed modestly in domestic theaters, but cleaned up around the world.

Out of the total $163.1 million, only $33.2 million came from the U.S. The rest of the phenomenal result for this hotly buzzed candidate to upset the Best Picture race came from the foreign market, which brought in over 10 times the film’s budget.

#5. Little Women

Global Box Office: $164,616,717

From the word go, writer/director Greta Gerwig’s Little Women has been a box office assassin. Delivering consistently fantastic results, the film actually skipped a limited release platform and started out as a wide release.

What’s even more impressive is that Little Women is one of those cases where the domestic box office outweighs the international figures. Seeing as the film has recently crossed the $100 million mark it was predicted to clear earlier this week, the $64.6 million brought in internationally is not too far behind, but distant enough for this to be a bit of a surprise.

#4. Ford v. Ferrari

Global Box Office: $222,197,462

No matter if you call it Ford v. Ferrari, like those in the US do, or Le Mans ’66, like most of the rest of the world, director James Mangold’s racing biopic has been hell on wheels. Though if you want to compare the finish line results on those same dividing lines, the results aren’t too far off.

With the domestic tally weighing in at $115.6 million and the international result clocked at a solid $106.9 million, those numbers have a variance around $8.7 million between the two. Thanks to this real life story of racing superiority and love of sport, it looks like the box office has found something the world can agree on once again.

#3. 1917

Global Box Office: $253,119,104

As far as the Best Picture nominees for 2020 are concerned, the World War I epic 1917 is sitting pretty as the odds on favorite for who will take home the Academy Award for Best Picture. Co-writer/director Sam Mendes’ vision of a real time fight to the front has impressed critics and audiences, and did so with a pretty impressive showing.

Considering the film opened in limited release on Christmas day, and went into wide release on January 10, the fact that it’s at a cumulative total of $253.1 million so far is something pretty special. It’s the result of another pretty close horse race between domestic an international box office, with $122.5 million coming from the domestic side and the international portion giving $130.6 million to the cause.

#2. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Global Box Office: $373,967,035

While writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood may have shown the fortunes of Leonardo DiCaprio’s actor/bon vivant Rick Dalton on the decline, the film itself was met with some pretty warm results upon its summer release. In fact, those extra months may have helped propel it to the runner up spot of this year’s Oscar nominees.

$142.1 million came in from the domestic grosses, with $231.8 million roaming in from overseas, which probably explains part of why Once Upon A Time In Hollywood did so well at the Golden Globes this past January. But have domestic audiences and professionals noticed the film enough to make it a winner at The Oscars? We’re ready to make some frozen margaritas and find out ourselves.

#1. Joker

Global Box Office: $1,071,869,171

Out of this year’s Best Picture nominees, there was one winner at the box office that cleared the rest of the competition by leaps and bounds. While it may have started out as a joke to some, co-writer/director Todd Phillips and Warner Bros quickly proved that the Joker was no laughing matter in terms of box office firepower.

Not only was the $335.1 million domestic haul and its complementary $736.8 million result of Joker’s box office punchline enough to make it the most profitable comic book movie of all time, it was also what made the DC Comics anti-hero picture the highest grossing R-rated film of all time. Beating out Deadpool 2 for those particular honors, it was enough to make everyone sit up and take notice.

The box office results of 2020's Best Picture nominees tells one story, but what will the narrative unfolding during tonight's Oscars look like? There's only one way to find out, and that's by watching the 92nd Annual Academy Awards, which start tonight at 8 PM ET on ABC!

A few weeks ago, we published a piece titled “The Top 10 Films Of 2019, According To CinemaBlend” – a feature generated by analyzing the average out-of-five scores given to every film members of our staff saw in the previous calendar year. It’s become a bit of a tradition on the site, as we’ve run similar articles annually going back to 2015, and last year we even introduced a new mid-year variant.

Now we’ve taken that same general idea and applied it in a new direction: ranking the nominees for Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards.

All nine of the films up for the top prize at the Oscars were seen by at least 18 members of the CinemaBlend staff, many of us working hard in recent weeks to catch up with titles we missed last year (explaining why the rankings and scores here are slightly different than those in the Top 10 of 2019 feature). Our final analysis? It’s most definitely a crop of movies that we seriously dig. Without further ado, let’s dive into the rankings!

#9. Ford v Ferrari

Average Score: 3.8055556/5

It can’t really be said that James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari was CinemaBlend’s “favorite” new release of 2019, placing 27th overall in our site-wide ranking, but it’s certainly a film that our staff appreciates. It’s a story that’s pretty basic as far as sports movies go, but also one hell of a ride thanks to incredible and tense action sequences and fantastic performances from both Matt Damon and Christian Bale. We wouldn’t be surprised in the least if it wound up winning some major technical awards during the Oscars (it’s nominated in three other categories), but it’s not exactly our number one pick for Best Picture.

#8. Joker

Average Score: 4.0909091/5

Todd Phillips’ Joker stunned the film world when it wound up earning more Academy Award nominations than any other 2019 release earlier this month – a grand total of 11. Because of this, it’s unlikely that the movie walks away from the show totally empty handed (Joaquin Phoenix has some strong odds in the Best Actor category), and there are select members of the CinemaBlend staff who would whole-heartedly cheer if it were to win the biggest prize of the night. Controversial as the comic book adaptation may be, it earned no score below a three in our company survey… though also didn’t end up with an average particularly close to the top.

#7. The Irishman

Average Score: 4.1136364/5

Martin Scorsese might be 77 years old, but he still makes films with the energy of a 20-year-old, and The Irishman is a truly stunning piece of work. It took the filmmakers years and years to actually get the project made, ultimately needing technology to catch up with his grand vision, and what he has created fits every definition of epic. As many have pointed out, it’s definitely what you might call “a lot of movie,” requiring a three-and-a-half hour runtime to tell its story, and that surely dinged its final score, but it most definitely is a piece of art that is greatly appreciated in the CinemaBlend offices.

#6. Marriage Story

Average Score: 4.2272727/5

Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story just missed out on the holy quintinity of Academy Award nominations – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress – as Baumbach didn’t get the nod in that second category, but it richly deserves all of its recognition. Both Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson deliver some of the best work of their respective careers with emotional and captivating performances, and it’s fascinating that every viewer who watches it takes something different away from the central conflict and story. Four of the 22 members on the staff who saw it give it 5/5 scores, and nobody gave it lower than a 3.5.

#5. Jojo Rabbit

Average Score: 4.2857143/5

The CinemaBlend staff is filled with movie fans who are very much on the same wavelength when it comes to the wild and hilarious sensibilities of Taika Waititi, and being a film that is very much pure Taika, Jojo Rabbit was most definitely one of our team’s most beloved features from last year (hence it ranking at #6 on our end-of-year list. The World War II satire does a remarkable job executing a very complex tone – finding cartoonish comedy in Nazi-controlled Germany – and it’s stunning how it’s able to have your rolling with laughter one minute, and crying the next. It’s a powerful and relevant piece of work, and a favorite among the crop of Best Picture nominees.

#4. Little Women

Average Score: 4.3095238/5

Coming out at the very, very end of 2019, not everyone on the CinemaBlend staff had the opportunity to see Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and as a result it just missed out being on our Top 10 of 2019. That’s changed in the weeks since, though, and the result has been an improved average score that demonstrates it as one of our team’s favorites among the Best Picture nominees. This is a film that is sweet, stunning, and overloaded with charm – brought to life with brilliant performances from the entire ensemble. And no, we don’t know why Greta Gerwig didn’t get a Best Director nomination either.

#3. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Average Score: 4.3260870/5

While Quentin Tarantino owns two Academy Awards (both for writing), three of his movies have been up for Best Picture in the past, and none of them have won. That means that Once Upon A Time In Hollywood winning this year would be a long overdue achievement for the filmmaker – and there’s not a person on the CinemaBlend staff that would be overly upset with the turn of events. In totality it’s a beautiful and loving tribute to the legendary titular city/industry, but also an exciting piece of revisionist history that features some of the best performances we saw on the big screen last year.

#2. Parasite

Average Score: 4.5476190/5

Alfonso Cuarón's Roma wound up turning a lot of heads when it became the first foreign language film in years to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and just 12 months later Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite makes us question why it isn’t the norm (it’s pure hubris to assume all of the greatest movies are English-speaking). While the story is set in South Korea, the true power of its satire is that it’s universal in its themes, and it weaves a brilliant story that whacks you upside the head halfway through with a twist you could never see coming. It’s surprising, witty, clever and powerful right up to the end.

#1. 1917

Average Score: 4.5952381/5

World War I is easily one of the most extensively covered international events in cinematic history, and yet director Sam Mendes – in collaboration with genius cinematographer Roger Deakins – found a whole new way to let audiences experience the conflict with 1917. The combination of the single take photography with the ticking clock plotline creates a phenomenal immersive experience unlike anything found in your typical war movie, and just the way it’s all pieced together is magnificent. We here at CinemaBlend love it, and collectively as a team it’s our favorite to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

How would you rank this year’s class of nominees for Best Picture at the Oscars? Hit the comments section to let your voice be heard, and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more of our award season coverage!

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It's Oscars weekend, which means it's also Razzies weekend -- but also time to read the thoughts of anonymous Academy voters. These "honest" Oscar ballots are almost always baffling, although sometimes you get good insight. In this case, a male producer broke out of the gate with his Best Picture contenders, insulting several nominees on his way to ultimately picking Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for his #1 vote.

Here's more from that anonymous male producer to THR on the Best Picture nominees:

Wow. So he's mad that Ford V Ferrari wasn't more accurate to racing but couldn't even follow the timelines of Little Women. I heard about some fans being confused by The Witcher's timelines, but not so much Little Women. At least this producer was not confused by The Irishman's timeline, although he did later complain that "after Hoffa was dead, the movie was done for me, my ass was sore and I wanted to get the fuck out of there."

The producer added that he loved Parasite, but "once the murdering started happening they lost me." For him, the choices came down to Jojo Rabbit and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He put Once at the top and Ford V Ferrari at the very bottom of his list. Apparently he's OK with QT taking creative license with history but creative license with racing is a no-no.

That producer was not the only Oscars voter to share a ballot. An anonymous actress posted a ballot bashing Little Women as "badly acted and confusing," putting it at the bottom of her list. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was at the top with 1917, Joker, and Parasite, followed by Ford V Ferrari. For her, accuracy was also important and movies got called out when they didn't fit her standard:

The actress did like Ford V Ferrari and wishes it had been promoted more to get more attention. She thought Parasite was beautifully done, "but it didn't hold up the second time, and I don't think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films." (Hmm. They're not just regular films too?)

Going into Oscars weekend, it looked like 1917 was all but a lock for Best Picture after all of its other wins. But if the Moonlight/La La Land fiasco taught us anything ... it's that we need an Oscars host to capitalize on such moments. Also, that there's no given in any race. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood still seems to be a pretty popular contender for Best Picture, although I do hope these "honest" Oscars ballots don't really represent too many of the Academy voters. How depressing would that be?

The 2020 Oscars air Sunday, February 9, aka tomorrow, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Here's the full list of nominees. Stick with CinemaBlend for all the winners, speech clips, and analysis.

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn commission when you click on or make purchases via links. Also, don't gamble if you can't afford to lose the money you're gambling. Nothing is ever a sure thing, and if losing the money is going to hurt, don't put it in jeopardy. This article should in no way be considered surefire advice or the sign you need to start gambling. It's not. Use your head.

I like gambling. I also like movies. Unfortunately, the world does not let these things overlap nearly enough. If you’re into betting on sports, cards or playing the ponies, the options are almost limitless. There are even sites where you can place bets on The Academy Awards (you can sign up here!). There are so many businesses with greedy outstretched hands just waiting to take your money, but apart from some fantasy box office leagues, the options on movies are typically limited. As far as I know, there aren’t any casinos offering futures bets on Rotten Tomatoes scores, though if that exists, please please post about it in the comment section.

The Academy Awards, however, is the one event a year in the movie space that is widely and consistently gambled on. Much of the action comes in the form of friendly ballot pools, and if the people I speak to participating in these pools are a fair representation, almost everyone is terrible at it. So, I’m here to help, at least on all the categories that aren’t short films or documentaries or involve sound awards. You’re on your own there.

For all the major and semi-major categories, I’m going to give you my choice as to who I think is going to win and who is the most intriguing option for the odds. Now, if you’re not a degenerate gambler, you’re probably saying to yourself, “Why would you ever pick something that’s probably not going to win?” Good question. It all depends on what you’re gambling on. If you’re filling out an office pool in which the only goal is to get the highest number of winners, then you should always pick the nominee you think is going to win. If you are being offered odds in a particular category, though, then the goal is to find someone who you think is more likely to win than their odds indicate.

Let me give you an overly simple and stupid example to prove my point. Let’s say your sister-in-law says she’s going to paint her bathroom, but she doesn’t tell you what color she’s choosing. Now, she’s probably going to choose some version of grey. Most of her house is grey, but you also know her favorite color is blue and now again, she gets a little crazy and tries something out of the ordinary. So, let’s say the odds of grey are 2 to 1. That means if you bet $10 and win, you get $20 back. But let’s say the odds on blue are 20 to 1. That means if you bet $10, you get $200 back. If you think there is a reasonable chance that it’ll be blue, even if it will probably be grey, you should bet on blue because the payoff is so much higher.

Make sense? Then let’s roll…

Best Picture

To me, this is the deepest and strongest Best Picture field in a long time. There were a ton of great movies in 2019, and there was actually a pretty solid overlap between movies critics enjoyed and movies fans enjoyed. You can technically gamble on any of the 9 nominees, but there are really only 4 options in play: 1917 (-250), Parasite (+275), Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (+800) and Joker (+1600). Joker might seem tasty at 16 to 1, but it hasn’t won many lead-up awards and there are a lot of people who hate this movie for feeling too much like early Martin Scorsese and for allegedly not being deep enough.

I think Parasite is definitely in play. It’s a really well-liked movie and there are some who would love to see the top honor go to a non-English film. That being said, some Academy voters embarrassingly won’t watch it because it has subtitles and others will just select it for Best International Film and consider it a way to reward two different movies. So, if it were me, I’d roll with the favorite and just get a terrible return on 1917 or I’d consider Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as a surprise win paying you back 8X.

What Will (Probably) Win: 1917

What I’d Gamble On: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Director

No offense to Martin Scorsese or Todd Phillips, but they should be happy with their nomination and except nothing more. The Irishman has completely run out of steam and while I think Phillips did a nice job with Joker, most of what people like about that movie is Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. So, the real options here are Sam Mendes (-1400), Bong Joon-Ho (+550) and Quentin Tarantino (+1200). I could see a longshot case for Tarantino getting this partially because Once Upon A Time is great and partially as a celebration of his career since he’s allegedly only making one more movie, but he just hasn’t won many of the precussor awards. He lost at the Critics Choice (Mendes and Joon-Ho tie), the Golden Globes (Joon-Ho) and the Directors Guild (Mendes). So, let’s throw him out.

Everything about 1917 screams well-directed movie. You can just see the elite level of planning and the direction in what was accomplished. He deserves to be the favorite and will probably win, but Bong Joon-Ho is very much alive. He seems to be very well-respected and well-liked in the industry, and if enough voters power through the subtitles, he could win. I think there’s like a 1 in 3 shot he takes this, which is worth it from a gambling standpoint.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Sam Mendes

Who I'd Gamble On: Bong Joon-Ho

Best Actor

Joaquin Phoenix is the overwhelming favorite here at (-2500). That means you’d have to bet $25 to win back $1. That’s really rough and hard to make worth it, especially when Adam Driver is only (+1000) for Marriage Story. I could maybe talk myself into flushing money down the toilet if he was (+2000) or something, but I just don’t think he actually wins 1 out of 10 times. Sometimes you just need to pass.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Joaquin Phoenix

Who I'd Gamble On: Nope. Nope. Nope.

Best Actress

Renee Zellweger (-2000) has been dominate throughout the awards season. She’s won the SAG, Critics Choice and Golden Globe, as well as top honors from other critics groups. It would be an awfully big surprise if she didn’t pick up the Oscar, especially since her nearest competitor Scarlett Johansson (+750) is double nominated in Best Supporting, which means she may split some of her own vote since many Academy members will not want to select her twice.

Who Will Probably Win: Renee Zellweger

Who I'd Gamble On: I'd Sit This One Out

Best Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt (-2400) is almost certainly going to win here, but this is one of the few acting categories in which I would still consider putting in some money. Joe Pesci (+900) is definitely the clear second place. He’s well-liked by the Academy (he won previously for Goodfellas), and he’s picked up the occasional award during this season, most notably the New York Film Critics Circle. Given everyone thought we’d never see him again as well, he also has a nice coming out of retirement narrative going for him.

+900 is a little weak on the payout. I’d love to see something like +1200, but I do think Pesci has a non-zero chance. So, if you feel like pushing your luck, I’d certainly try this over betting against Zellweger or Phoenix.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Brad Pitt

Who I'd Gamble On: Joe Pesci

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern (-1600) is considered the weakest of the four acting frontrunners, but real talk, -1600 is still pretty damn strong. She is the prohibitive favorite and should be after winning at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, SAG Awards and the Critics Choice Awards. It also feels like her year given she’s never won before and also turned in a very solid performance in Little Women, another well-liked Best Picture nominee. If you want to bet against her, Margot Robbie (+850) and Florence Pugh (+1000) are considered the strongest alternatives. It’s honestly hard to imagine either of them winning.

Many thought if Robbie was nominated it might be for her performance in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and while Pugh is spectacular in several older Amy Little Women scenes, most people seem to agree she seemed a little old for the young Amy scenes. I’m not super confident in Dern, but I just don’t know that I’m confident enough in anyone else to vote for them.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Laura Dern

Who I'd Gamble On: I'd Move Along

Best Animated Featured

Here we go! This is the first category in which I’m running to put my money in. I love Toy Story 4 (-150). It’s considered the favorite here and should be because it’s the best and most famous movie in the category, but voters do not seem to like it nearly as much as the general public. Maybe it’s because it’s the 4th installment in the series. Maybe there’s just some fatigue against Disney right now, given Frozen 2 was somehow not even nominated.

Toy Story 4 lost at the Golden Globes to Missing Link. It lost at the Annie Awards to Klaus and lost at the BAFTAs to Klaus. I’m not saying Toy Story 4 is definitely going to lose. It could easily win, but I’m certainly not betting on something that probably has a less than 50% chance of winning when I’m getting -150 odds. That’s insane. Give me Klaus (+125) or even Missing Link (+950).

Who Will (Probably) Win: Toy Story 4... I Guess

Who I'd Gamble On: Klaus

Best Cinematography

1917 (-2000) almost even feels too low. That’s crazy to say given it was a really strong year for cinematography. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (+1400) is just a treat visually, especially in a lot of the scenes on Hollywood sets. Joker (+1400) also has a really effective, almost grainy quality to the way it was shot, and The Irishman (+2000) and especially The Lighthouse (+1400) are beautiful-looking movies too. Everyone involved with the cinematography should be really proud of themselves here, but 1917 was stitched together to look like it was almost shot in one take. It could have come off as so gimmicky and stupid, but it doesn’t because it’s all planned out so well. I also haven’t heard anyone talk about getting a headache or getting too confused which has been a problem with some extended tracking shots, especially chaotic tracking shots, in the past.

Who Will (Probably) Win: 1917

Who I'd Gamble On: Nothing

Best Costume Design

Every nominee in this category is either a period piece or looks in such a way that it’s meant to make you feel like it’s a period piece (Joker +4000). That’s not surprising since the Academy isn’t giving out awards for going to Banana Republic and buying bland button-up shirts. The frontrunner here is Little Women (-300), and that’s probably deserved. Not only did we get period appropriate costumes, we also got period appropriate costumes for the characters at two different points in their teenage/ early adulthood years. There’s a hell of a lot of difference between how 13-year-olds dress and how 17-year-olds dress. It’s not like the characters went from 37 to 41 over the course of the movie.

I think both Jojo Rabbit (+275) and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (+600) are very much in play, especially since Dolemite Is My Name wasn’t nominated for I have no idea what the hell reason. I like Jo Jo as a slepper pick here. The costumes in that movie are fantastic, especially everything associated with Scarlett Johansson. There’s also a good balance between war stuff and fashionable old timey clothes.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Little Women

Who I'd Gamble On: Jojo Rabbit

Best Makeup And Hairstyling

I will give you exactly one reason I think Bombshell (-600) is going to win and exactly one reason I don’t think it’s going to win. Are you ready? In the not going to win column, people really don’t like voting for movies they didn’t like that much, and I don’t think Bombshell was that well liked. It didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, nor did it pick up any non-acting technical nominations outside of this one. On the going to win column though, they made Charlize Theron look exactly like Megyn Kelly. I mean… just look at the pictures. It’s stunning. How could you vote against that?

Joker (+400) is considered the strongest competition here. His makeup certainly looks good, and there’s some good work done with the side characters. I guess I wouldn’t be shocked, but for me, it’s Bombshell.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Bombshell

Who I'd Gamble On: Passssss

Best Original Screenplay

This is a really fascinating category. Parasite (-200) is considered the favorite with Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (+150) also a strong contender. If Quentin Tarantino would win, he’d tie Woody Allen for the most Oscar screenplay wins. I think many thought his victory was almost a foregone conclusion, but Parasite has really been coming on strong over the past few weeks. The buzz is building and more and more people are seeing it.

I’m not a big bet on the favorite guy, but I feel great about Parasite and -200 is not that bad. If you want to go crazy, I also don’t hate Knives Out as a wild longshot at +4500. That movie is really well liked, and it was very widely seen.

Who Will Probably Win: Parasite

Who I'd Gamble On: Parasite (Or Knives Out As A Fun Longshot)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jojo Rabbit (-250) is definitely the frontrunner, but I’m not really sure it should be a -250 frontrunner. There was a lot of frustration and outrage when Greta Gerwig was not nominated for Best Director for Little Women. She’s nominated here for the screenplay. She did good work on it, and on top of that, I think a lot of voters would like to see her have a moment on stage. Little Women (+180) should be considered a real threat here and offers a way better return on your money. The Irishman (+900) is a really, really great screenplay in my opinion, but at some point, we need to just admit that movie has lost all its momentum.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Jojo Rabbit

Who I'd Gamble On: Little Women

Best Editing

There are three live choices here, and I have no idea who is going to win. Parasite (-125) is certainly a well edited movie, and there is a lot of love for it, given the six nominations. Ford V Ferrari (+130) is a much less popular movie, but its great editing is also a bit more noticeable. Those racing scenes are so well put together. They find the perfect balance between showing speed and chaos but also letting the viewer understand what’s going on. The Irishman (+550) is also a very well edited movie, and this is Thelma Schoonmaker’s 8th nomination, which tells you how much voters like her.

I’m going to go with Parasite here because I like picking the more well-liked movie, but I think any of these three are decent picks. I’d stay away from Jojo Rabbit (+3000) and Joker (+3500), both of which feel like sucker bets.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Parasite

Who I'd Gamble On: Parasite

Best Original Song

This has to be Elton John for Rocketman (-850), right? I realize Rocketman wasn’t particularly well-liked by the Academy and didn’t get nearly as many nominations as it deserved (sorry Taron Egerton), but there’s also no real competition here. Harriet (+550) is, I guess, the biggest spoiler possibility, but I don’t think people like that movie very much either, at least outside of Cynthia Erivo’s performance. The same could be said for Frozen 2 (+1000), which wasn’t even nominated for Best Animated Feature. “Into The Unknown” is also way worse than “Let It Go”, and deep down, everyone knows that.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Rocketman

Who I'd Gamble On: Not This Category

Best Production Design

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (-200) has incredible production design. The movie is visually beautiful, and there are so many great little details in the backgrounds of shots. It also moves to a lot of different locations. Parasite (+400), however, does a spectacular job of utilizing its house. By the end of the movie, you have a really good sense of the location almost as an additional character. 1917 (+250) also does an amazing job with all of its trenches and a few scenes that are indoors. I wouldn’t be mad if any of these movies won.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Who I'd Gamble On: Parasite

Best Visual Effects

This category has already gone through so many changes to conventional wisdom. First, it was widely assumed Avengers: Endgame (+190) would win as a way to say thank you to such a well-liked movie that would probably miss out elsewhere. Then The Irishman (+500) came out and people liked the effects way, way better than expected; so, that seemed like a pretty clear winner. Then 1917 (-125) came out and quickly emerged as a threat in basically every category. Now it’s considered the leader here. I’m not entirely sure that’s fair. I think Endgame and The Irishman probably both did more complicated things, but it’s hard to bet against 1917. Still, I’m going to do it here. I think this is the category where the Academy nods at Marvel and how much Endgame worked. That’s the movie I’d bet on, and I kinda think it would be the favorite too.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Avengers Endgame

Who I'd Gamble On: Avengers Endgame

Best Score

This is one of the biggest surprise categories for me. The score from Joker (-450) is nice. It's very well done, and I'm certainly not opposed to it winning, but I'm a bit surprised 1917 (+300) hasn't been stronger in the lead-up. Not only is the movie likely going to dominate on Oscar night, it's composer Thomas Newman's 15th nomination! 15! He's never won either. This could have finally been his moment to celebrate, but I just don't think I can bet against Joker. Outside of Joaquin Phoenix, this seems to be the one part of the movie everyone loves. It's not going to get a ton of votes for Best Picture, and if people want to reward something about the movie outside of the acting, I think it's going to be this.

Who Will (Probably) Win: Joker

Who I'd Gamble On: Passsss

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Nothing quite compares to the difficulty of driving a race car at breakneck speeds for 24 hours straight, but recreating it on the big screen sure comes close. In Ford v Ferrari, we see one of the greatest examples of a realistic racing movie in recent memory, but that realism wasn’t easy to create for the big screen. Director James Mangold took on the difficult challenge of taking the viewer on a trip through time, recreating the world of 1960s race car driving in an authentic and believable way, but the complications didn't end there. With the number of vintage race cars, high intensity racing scenes and iconic moments they had to recreate for the film, it's not hard to imagine how difficult some of the shots were to capture.

For instance, what about the actual race? How do you recreate the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an iconic track whose every twist and turn is burned into race fans' memory, when the track itself no longer exists as it did in 1966?

I had the opportunity to sit down with Ford v Ferrari’s stunt coordinator, Robert Nagle, at the Daytona International Speedway ahead of the film’s Digital, Blu-ray and DVD release. Nagle was quick to identify the Le Mans sequence as the most difficult to shoot from the entire movie and went on to explain:

While I could have guessed they weren’t actually filming on the Le Mans raceway in France, I would have never guessed it was recreated on more than one track, let alone five. And while Director James Mangold may feel too much research into a true character can hurt a performance, the creative team clearly took a thoroughly researched approach for Le Mans, visually recreating famous portions of the track in various locations convincingly enough to fool perhaps even the most devoted racing historians.

However, the difficulties didn’t end there. The 24 Hours of Le Mans was just that: 24 hours. That means racing in the day and night and in the events of the movie, rain or shine as well. Robert Nagle went on to say:

So not only did the team behind Ford v Ferrari have to create the illusion of a single race track from four or five locations, they also had to maintain the continuity over a perceived 24 hour period of time and varying weather conditions. Then beyond that, they had to keep track of each individual race car and ensure they were in their logical place as the race develops. From an outside perspective, this juggling act seems almost impossible, yet Ford v Ferrari pulled it off in a way that made it seem effortless and that is where the magic of this movie lies.

Sure, you had some of Hollywood’s most capable actors, Matt Damon and Christian Bale, putting on outstanding performances as automotive designer Carroll Shelby and famed race car driver Ken Miles, but in some ways, that’s just the cherry on top. Ford v Ferrari doesn’t concern itself with small details and while it is largely historically accurate, it focuses more on immersion and believability, rather than documentary-like storytelling. To me, that’s what makes a movie based on a true story great.

Speaking to Robert Nagle during a break at the Rolex 24, I realized he had something in common with all of the other race car drivers I had spoken to that day. They all share a very singular pursuit of perfection, a mindset I think is best described by Ken Miles in one of my personal favorite scenes from Ford v Ferrari. Check it out.

The pursuit of the perfect lap is not unlike the pursuit of the perfect stunt. Most people don’t even know it’s out there, but it is, and it’s the job of stunt professionals like Robert Nagle to achieve it. If you want to see the fruits of his labor yourself, Ford v Ferrari is available now on Digital and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD February 11.

James Mangold creates a bittersweet sports movie with Ford V Ferrari. It gives viewers the same excitement, anticipation, and triumph that we expect with sports movies. Matt Damon and Christian Bale give two of their best performances as men on a mission to accomplish the impossible, while working under the constraints of a major corporation. The Academy Awards nominated Ford V Ferrari for four Oscars, including Best Picture. The fate of Ford V Ferrari ‘s Oscar chances have yet to be determined, but the film definitely leaves an impression.

Ford V Ferrari recounts Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and Ken Miles (Christian Bale)’s journey as they improve the Ford GT40. Shelby and Miles hope to use the car to defeat reigning champion Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) and his team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race. James Mangold may take some creative liberties with the true story of the 1966 Le Mans, but he succeeds in capturing the spirit of Ken Miles, his family, and Carrol Shelby.

Many people may consider skipping Ford V. Ferrari because it’s not getting as much media attention as some of the other Academy Award nominated films, but it’s definitely worth a watch, especially for the acting, surprise ending, and the film’s spirit.

So where exactly can you watch Ford V Ferrari?

Is Ford V Ferrari Available To Stream Yet?

Ford V Ferrari is available to purchase to stream as of January 28, 2020. It can be purchased on most major digital movie platforms, such as Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and iTunes. Ford V. Ferrari has a set price of $19.99 across all streaming services. The video quality options are SD, HDX, HD, and UHD. Ford V Ferrari is also still available to view in theaters and will be part of AMC and other theaters’ Oscars Best Picture showcase. These showcases are happening nationwide on Feb 1 and Feb 8.

When Will Ford V Ferrari Be Available On DVD And Blu-ray?

Ford V Ferrari is available on Blu-ray and DVD on February 11. The prices of Ford V Ferrari range between about $19 and $34. As previously stated, those who want to purchase the digital version of the film before the physical copies are available can stream it on various sites like FandangoNow and Google Play. Pre-order Ford V Ferrari on Blu-ray and DVD HERE.

When Will Ford V Ferrari Be Available To Rent On VOD?

Ford V Ferrari is available to rent on Feb 11. Ford V Ferrari’s renting prices and options will then be available on various streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and iTunes.

Are Any Of James Mangold’s Other Movies Available To Stream?

James Mangold has been in the film industry since 1985. He co-wrote his first major Hollywood screenplay in 1988 and directed his first film in 1995. James Mangold has directed and written some of the most well known movies of the last 30 years, including Girl, Interrupted and Walk the Line. Here are some of James Mangold’s films that are currently available to stream.

Oliver & Company

Oliver & Company is Disney’s animated adaptation of Oliver Twist. Oliver & Company follows an orphaned kitten named Oliver and the street animals that help him survive. James Mangold is credited with co-writing the screenplay for this Disney classic. Oliver & Company is available to stream on Disney+. Stream it HERE.

Cop Land

James Mangold wrote and directed Cop Land. It stars Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Sylvester Stallone. Cop Land is about corrupt NYPD police officers and the New Jersey sheriff (Sylvester Stallone) that decides to fight their corruption. Cop Land is available through a Starz cable subscription. It’s also available for rent or purchase on multiple streaming services like Amazon Prime Video. Buy or rent Cop Land HERE.

Girl, Interrupted

Mangold directs Angelina Jolie, Winona Ryder, and Whoopi Goldberg in Girl, Interrupted. The film is based on Susanna Kaysen’s memoir of the same name. The movie, and book, is about her stay at a mental institution. Girl, Interrupted won Angelina Jolie the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2000. Girl, Interrupted is available as part of a Showtime cable subscription. Those without Showtime can rent or purchase the film on various VOD services. Buy or rent Girl, Interrupted HERE.

Kate & Leopold

Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan star as star-crossed lovers in Kate & Leopold. He’s from 1876 and she’s from modern-day New York, so this is a complicated romance. James Mangold co-wrote and directed this romantic comedy. Kate & Leopold is available to stream on Netflix. Stream it HERE.

Identity

John Cusack leads an ensemble cast in Identity, a psychological thriller where things are not as they seen. Ten strangers meet at a hotel, and then they begin to die one by one. Mangold directs Identity, and it is available to stream for free on Crackle. Stream Identity HERE.

Walk The Line

Walk the Line is a Johnny Cash biopic that features Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as Johnny Cash and June Carter. James Mangold co-wrote and directed Walk the Line. It was another one of his Academy successes, receiving five nominations, and Reese Witherspoon won Best Lead Actress for her role in this movie. Walk the Line is available to purchase or rent on Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services. Buy or rent Walk the Line HERE.

3:10 To Yuma

3:10 to Yuma is an American western film starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is a rancher who agrees to escort a dangerous outlaw, Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). Dan must travel on train to bring Wade to his trial. James Mangold directs 3:10 to Yuma. The film is available to purchase or rent on multiple streaming platforms. Buy or rent 3:10 to Yuma HERE.

Knight And Day

Mangold directed Knight and Day, an action comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. She plays a car restorer who's dragged into a secret agent's (Tom Cruise)  escape from the CIA. Knight and Day is available to buy on various streaming services like iTunes and Vudu. Buy or rent Knight and Day HERE.

The Wolverine

The Wolverine is the second installment of Wolverine’s film series. It follows the events after X-Men: The Last Stand. Logan (Hugh Jackman) travels to Japan to cope with the death of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). This is the first of two Wolverine films that James Mangold directs. The Wolverine is available to purchase or rent on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu, and other streaming platforms. Buy or rent The Wolverine HERE.

Logan

Logan is James Mangold’s second Wolverine related film, and his third collaboration with Hugh Jackman. Logan marks Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart’s curtain calls as Logan and Charles Xavier. Logan is a dark look at the future for X-Men and a conclusion to Logan’s film journey. Logan is available to rent or purchase on most major streaming services. Buy or rent Logan HERE.

James Mangold and Matt Damon plan to team up again for a crime drama. Mangold also has a few other high profile pictures in the works. Catch the Academy Awards on Sunday February 9 to see if Ford V Ferrari takes home any Oscars.

Warning: Mild SPOILERS for Ford v Ferrari ahead. In addition CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Although it went unrecognized by the Academy, Christian Bale gave a predictably brilliant performance as mechanic, engineer and race car driver Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari. The actor didn’t only take what was on the page and turn it into magic on the screen though. We recently learned one sweet Ford v Ferrari scene was actually improvised by Christian Bale.

The scene occurs at the beginning of the movie after Ken Miles has just won a race at Willow Springs as his son Peter, played by Noah Jupe, looks on and cheers. It was at this point that Christian Bale had an idea, as Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold recalled:

It seems that the script for Ford v Ferrari did not have Peter Miles jumping into the car with his father after Ken’s victory at Willow Springs. This was all Christian Bale’s idea and it worked brilliantly. Whether he thought it would add to the scene or just thought it made more sense we don't know. But whatever the reason, the idea came to Christian Bale to have Ken Miles invite his son to hop into the car with him after his win, so during one of the first few takes, Christian Bale proposed this question to director James Mangold.

Although it may not have been what James Mangold had initially intended, the director was open to his actor’s suggestion and they gave it a shot. In addition to proposing that Ken Miles ask Peter to get in the car with him in the first place, Christian Bale also came up with their interaction after. Christian Bale thought to sing a song about being happy that he knew from his childhood. It was fitting given his character’s personality and the fact that he had just won a race. Fortunately, Noah Jupe actually knew the song because he is English as well, so the two could sing the song together, really coming off as father and son.

As James Mangold told Yahoo Entertainment, it was a beautiful moment. In addition to being incredibly sweet, it also serves several functions in the story. Since this occurs early in Ford v Ferrari, it lets us know what kind of father and man Ken Miles is, who up to that point has largely been a brash and prickly character. Secondly, it further establishes the importance of the relationship between Ken and Peter Miles.

Ken’s relationship with Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby and Caitriona Balfe’s Mollie Miles are both important as well, but I would say that the father-son relationship between Ken and Peter is really at the heart of the film. Christian Bale’s improvisation in this scene really helped to establish and contribute to that.

The other notable thing about this anecdote from James Mangold is that it turns out that Christian Bale actually did some driving! We had previously heard that the most driving Christian Bale did on Ford v Ferrari was driving to work in the morning, but it seems that he was in the car for part of this scene and he actually drove up to Noah Jupe.

Ford v Ferrari races onto Digital on January 28 and arrives on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and DVD on February 11. The film will also compete for four Oscars, including Best Picture at the Academy Awards on February 9. Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what movies you can look forward to this year and for the latest movie news stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Awards season is upon us. The 2020 Academy Award Nominations have been announced! This year the field is competitive with plenty of surprises and snubs. So, we decided to partner with AMC to give readers a chance to show off their ballots. We want to know who you think will take home the coveted awards. Just let us know who you think will win in each category below! One ballot will be randomly selected to receive two $40 gift cards courtesy of AMC on Monday, February 10th.

And if you haven't been able to check out all the movies yet, please consider heading over to AMC theaters. Many of the nominees are still playing, and there's no experience quite like seeing a great movie in a crowded theater. You can grab tickets here.

As for the ballot below, it's simple. Just go through each category and choose who you think is going to win, not necessarily who you think should win. Then give us an email address so we can contact you if you're the winner. You may also receive other content-related emails from us. They're great, but if you have bad taste or just don't like a cluttered inbox, you can opt out at anytime. Good luck!

Official Rules: Just fill out the above ballot and leave your email address so we can copy you. The giveaway ends at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, February 9th. The winner is chosen at random and will be notified via email and given 3 days to respond. Only U.S. residents over the age of 18 may apply. Prize packs will be emailed directly to the winner. No purchase necessary. Participants can be disqualified for any reason. Failure to comply with the rules will result in disqualification and subsequent mockery. Any shipping issues are not the responsibility of CinemaBlend. Good luck!

James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari was greatly successful for the director from a financial standpoint, and now it boasts four Oscar nominations during an especially competitive year for film. Instead of stopping to smell the green, Mangold is already off to the races on a couple projects – including an adaptation of The Force with Matt Damon now attached to star.

Fox originally bought the rights to Don Winslow’s best-selling novel back a few years back, with Ronin and Hannibal writer David Mamet working on a script for a 2019 release. Since then, James Mangold and his Logan co-writer Scott Frank have taken over writing duties and Fox is under new management. Have you heard of Disney? The Force will now be produced under the new studio name “20th Century Studios,” and Matt Damon is taking the top billing.

Reminiscent of his role in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, Matt Damon will be once again be playing a corrupt cop. But The Force explores a much more complex and entangled story. Don Winslow’s novel centers on an NYPD detective named Denny Malone who runs an elite crime fighting squad, but he's in over his head when it comes to blurring the lines between following the law and bending it.

According to Deadline, Matt Damon will play Denny Malone in the upcoming re-team-up with James Mangold. In the book, Denny becomes involved in a major corruption scandal involving Harlem drug gangs, mobsters, dirty cops and federal investigators. The detective is offered a deal to testify against his team in order to save his own skin.

Ridley Scott is on board to produce, along with Manchester by the Sea’s Kevin Walsh and Bad Times at the El Royale’s Steve Asbell. News of Matt Damon joining The Force comes just weeks after it was announced that James Mangold is also working on a biopic about Bob Dylan starring Little Women’s Timothée Chalamet.

James Mangold’s other film is going with the working title Going Electric, since it’s about Bob Dylan famously embracing the rock genre in 1965, much to the surprise of his folk following. Timothée Chalamet is one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars, and can be seen soon in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.

Matt Damon has a few exciting projects in the works besides The Force. He’ll lead Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater this fall, as well as The Last Duel with his frequent collaborator Ben Affleck, along with Adam Driver and Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer. Ridley Scott will direct the period piece, which is expected to hit theaters in January 2021.

Matt Damon’s co-star in Ford v. Ferrari, Christian Bale, is also moving on to a couple highly-anticipated roles. He’s attached to David O. Russell’s next project and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love and Thunder.

Tune into the Oscars on February 9 to see how Ford v Ferrari does!

As of this week's announcements, the 2020 Academy Awards will see 34 individual movies fight it out for honors throughout the Oscars’ various categories of distinction. Out of those 34 movies, there are 18 that scored only a single nomination to their credit, with four films having only two to their name.

But when it comes to those last 12 films we’re going to mention by name, we’ve got heavy hitters that have received at least three nominations, with the high water mark boosting one film up to 11 nominations. From Joker to The Two Popes, and every film in-between, these films are the most represented in this year's class of contenders.

Now let's open the envelopes and run down what movies got the most Oscar nominations in 2020. And the most prolific nominees are…

Joker (11 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director, Film Editing, Best Makeup/Hairstyling, Best Score, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing & Best Adapted Screenplay

Arthur Fleck’s transformation from social misfit into the figure head of a chaotic movement is the premise behind co-writer/director Todd Phillips’ Joker. A radical reinterpretation of the DC Comics villain, Phillips is nominated for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as being a co-nominee for the film’s Best Picture honors as one of its producers.

But that’s only the beginning of the steamrolling Joker has given the rest of the field, as Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur has landed him a Best Actor nomination at this year’s Oscars. This is Phoenix’s fourth nod overall, and the third in this particular field. Depending on who you talk to, this could be his best chance to finally take home some gold, as well as the overall movie to beat at 2020’s Academy Awards.

1917 (10 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Makeup/Hairstyling, Best Score, Best Picture, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects & Best Original Screenplay

Inspired by stories his grandfather told him about the First World War, director Sam Mendes’ recent hit 1917 is a film that takes place during a real time race against time to deliver an important message. As we follow Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield (Dean-Charles Chapman & George MacKay, respectively) through the battlefield and into the trenches, perilous obstacles are presented to our protagonists, and there’s no room to cut away from the action.

That approach to 1917’s narrative is undoubtedly why, on top of Best Picture honors, the film has gotten crucial Oscar nominations as Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects. Mendes himself is also well represented, as he shares the Best Picture nomination, and also has additional nods for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, alongside co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (10 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing & Best Original Screenplay

In the lazy, hazy days of 1969, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) try to get a handle on life as only characters in a Quentin Tarantino film could. But rather than go for what folks consider the typical QT picture, Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood plays mostly as a mix of nostalgia and self-reflection. Of course, there’s still plenty of Tarantino-isms, and that’s part of why the man could make history with his potential third win for Best Original Screenplay this year.

Put that together with DiCaprio and Pitt being nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, and this is another thoroughbred to watch out for at this dog and pony show. Altogether, 10 nominations have made their way into the hands of this particular film, and if it plays its cards right, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood could be a big winner, thanks to a slew of technical nominations.

The Irishman (10 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actor (x2,) Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Director, Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects & Best Adapted Screenplay

A dream project for director Martin Scorsese, The Irishman fulfills a promise the man had so often made to bring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino onto the screen in the same picture. Showcasing the life and times of mob hitman Frank Sheeran (De Niro,) the Netflix original is a story of friendship, family, and guilt.

It’s also an acting powerhouse when it comes to the 2020 Academy Awards, as both Pesci and Pacino will be duking it out for Best Supporting Actor honors this year. Not to mention, Scorsese himself has a Best Director nomination that compliments his producer’s honors in the Best Picture nomination. But if there was an award this film should want to win, besides its major nominations of course, it would be that of Best Visual Effects, as it took a lot of impressive work to de-age the main cast for this generational epic.

Jojo Rabbit (6 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing & Best Production Design

Shifting gears into the next tier of competitors, director Taika Waititi’s anti-hate satire Jojo Rabbit has found itself in a pretty good niche when it comes to this year’s Oscar nominations. The story of young Jojo (Roman Griffin) and his confrontation of the Nazi ideals that took Germany by storm during World War II, this dramedy is a heartwarming laugh riot.

While Waititi himself missed out on a directing nomination in 2020’s Academy Awards race, the man does have two nominations, as a producer of the film as well as the writer of its Best Adapted Screenplay. But as far as Oscar history is concerned, Jojo Rabbit is where Scarlett Johansson sees the first two nominations ever in her career, with a nod for Best Supporting Actress headed her way.

Little Women (6 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Score, Best Picture & Best Adapted Screenplay

You may have heard about our next nominee, as writer/director Greta Gerwig’s Little Women is a silent but deadly box office powerhouse as of late. The story of the March Sisters and their relationships during the difficult years after their father’s passing, the film was snubbed when it came to Gerwig’s directorial efforts.

However, Gerwig herself does have a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay, along with other impressive nominations going to Saoirse Ronan for Best Actress and Florence Pugh for Best Supporting Actress. Rounding out the field are 2020 Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Score, and Best Picture; all of which bring Little Women’s awards profile to an exciting level of anticipation.

Marriage Story (6 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Score, Best Picture & Best Original Screenplay

Also frozen out of the director’s race is Greta Gerwig’s husband Noah Baumbach, who sees himself earning a similar backdoor into the Oscar nominations race in 2020 with his latest film, Marriage Story. Baumbach not only has a Best Original Screenplay nomination to contend for at this year’s Academy Awards, but he also has a producer’s credit that allows him to potentially win if this movie wins Best Picture.

Loosely based on his own experiences with divorce, Marriage Story also sees Adam Driver being nominated for the honors of Best Actor and Scarlett Johansson picking up a Best Actress nod herself. The pair’s incendiary chemistry, both in love and ruin, helped propel this film to prestige glory, as well as studio Netflix to an impressive 24 nominations overall - the most that any studio/distributor has seen in the Oscar nominations of 2020.

Parasite (6 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Director, Film Editing, Best International Film, Best Picture, Best Production Design & Best Original Screenplay

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho finds himself breaking into the Academy Awards this year, as his dark comedy thriller Parasite is up for 6 Oscar nominations. A story of deception, and all of the consequences that come with such a practice, this particular movie has found itself winning over critics and audiences alike. So the news that it has garnered nominations for both Best Picture and Best International Film should be no surprise.

And as for Bong Joon-ho himself, he’s personally up for a potential Best Director trophy, as well as honors for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. Though if you were to place your bets on which big ticket category Parasite is most likely to win, you might want to place some money on the Best International Film category; if Roma’s Oscar fate last year is any indication.

Ford v Ferrari (4 Nominations)

Nominated For: Film Editing, Best Picture, Best Sound Editing & Best Sound Mixing

Rounding out the field of Academy Awards nominees for 2020 are the last handful of films that have seen 3 to 4 nominations land in their respective buckets. And in the case of Ford v Ferrari, the bulk of those honors come from technical awards, as Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing are three of the four honors it’s vying for.

The story of how American automotive legend Caroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and English race car driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) collaborated on the car that would help a Ford win the 1966 Le Mans event, Ford v Ferrari missed out on a lot of other potential nominations, including acting honors for both Damon and Bale. But the film did manage to crash the party in the Best Picture nominations, which means that director James Mangold could still walk away with a trophy if the night pans out the right way.

Bombshell (3 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress & Best Makeup/Hairstyling

Out of the three actors that make up the core cast for director Jay Roach’s Bombshell, two performers found themselves walking away with Oscar nominations. Those aren’t bad odds if you’re Best Actress nominee Charlize Theron or Best Supporting Actress nominee Margot Robbie.

But somehow, Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of Gretchen Carlson, in a story about the misconduct of Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) and others at Fox News, was a no show when it came to nominations. With one other nod for Best Makeup/Hairstyling, Bombshell has clearly impressed the judges with its acting talents, and could be a spoiler in either race when you consider Olivia Colman's surprise Best Actress win for The Favourite last year.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (3 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Score, Best Sound Editing & Best Visual Effects

While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker isn’t a major contender at this year’s Academy Awards, the 2020 Oscar nominations do see the film helping to set a new record. With his 52nd nomination for Best Score, composer John Willams is now the most nominated person living in Academy Awards history, with Walt Disney still holding the record at 59 nods.

As the concluding chapter of the Skywalker Saga happens to, oddly enough, be under the purview of the late Disney’s studio, it seems fitting that this great honor would accompany the almost assured nominations this film was going to garner in Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.

The Two Popes (3 Nominations)

Nominated For: Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor & Best Adapted Screenplay

For a movie named The Two Popes, there’s an argument to be made that this Netflix original has the most impressive track record for this year’s Academy Awards nominations. We say this because as there are only two popes in this dramatized meeting between Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce,) the fact that both have been nominated is pretty spectacular.

With Pryce in the running for Best Actor and Hopkins competing for Best Supporting Actor, The Two Popes will have its hands full when it comes to this year’s acting races. Though additional excitement is thrown in as writer and previous nominee Anthony McCarten is up for Best Adapted Screenplay honors in 2020’s Oscar nominated class.

The field competing for the 92nd Annual Academy Awards is pretty wide, based on the top contenders above. We'll see what the future holds when the ceremony takes place on February 9th, as it will be aired on ABC at 8 PM ET.

Sometimes fictional drama simply can't compete with reality. There are reasons why movies based on actual events are so popular. Having said that, actual events also don't always cooperate in taking place in the best possible way to make a great movie. This means that the story we get on the big screen is rarely perfectly accurate, some details or characters always go through changes, and that's what some people are saying happened to a major character in Ford v Ferrari.

The new movie, which is currently being showered with awards attention, deals with the attempt by the Ford Motor Company's attempt to build a car that can win the 24 hours at Le Mans road race, and while the underdog story is quite real, some have come out and said that the depiction of one character, Leo Beebe, played by Josh Lucas, is not.

While the ultimate goal of Ford v Ferrari might be the battle between the two auto companies, most of the actual film is about the battle between Caroll Shelby with his friend Ken Miles, and the auto company that hired them, but may not completely trust them to do the job. The major antagonist of the film is the character of Leo Beebe, an executive within the Ford Motor Company who was a real person, but not the type of person the movie portrays, according to those who knew him.

In the film, Leo Beebe is never a fan of Shelby or Miles and takes whatever opportunities he has to actively sabotage their chances of winning. That's not the man that Ed Cloues knew. Cloues served on a board with Beebe and told the Philadelphia Inguirer that Beebe was actually quite the opposite person, somebody who pushed people to be the best.

It certainly would not have been the first time that a real life person was made out to be more of a villain than they actually were. The simple fact is that if there's nobody creating conflict with the main characters, then there simply isn't much of a movie. Leo Beebe was chosen for that role, regardless of whether or not it was really accurate.

And it's not too surprising to see why Leo Beebe was the one chosen for the role of antagonist. While the historical record regarding the famous race is a bit murky to say the least, there is evidence that Beebe and Ken Miles did clash, and it was Beebe's idea to have Miles slow down during the 1966 race at Le Mans so that the Ford cars could finish in a tie, which ultimately led to Miles losing the race, however accidentally.

But it's also understandable why those who knew Leo Beebe would take issue with the way he is presented in the film. For those who don't know anything about the actual event, Ford v. Ferrari will become the "true story" in many ways for a lot of people, and that means people will see Beebe as a bad guy when his friends say that simply wasn't the case. As former NFL player turned entrepreneur Ron Jaworski put it...

Reality is always going to be modified by a Hollywood lens when it ends up on the big screen. Changing the past doesn't make a "true story" movie inherently bad, but it is certainly good to know where the Hollywood version makes changes so that people know what the real story actually is.

The year 2019 is over and the "Roaring Twenties" are finally upon us (we need a new name for this decade, btw). The Golden Globe Awards have been dished out and the top 10 movies of the CinemaBlend team have been announced. The year was a rollercoaster release-wise, front loaded with superhero blockbusters accompanied by a fourth quarter filled with award contenders. Disney alone had six films that made over a billion dollars. Despite the money made by the mouse, the 2019 box office still fell short of the previous year, although not by much.

While the dollars and cents might not have added up, emotions and opinions were definitely not short-changed in 2019. Below is a breakdown of the top 10 films of 2019 from each member of the CinemaBlend staff who saw at least 50 new releases. Be sure to let us know your favorite film of the past year in the poll or comments section below!

Although 2019 closed the door on two of the biggest sagas to ever hit the big screen, 2020 is shaping up to be another blockbuster year, from the beginning of the MCU's Phase 4 to a resurgence of both classic and new horror movies. Make sure to let us know your favorite film of the year by using the poll or comments section below and keep up with everything new dropping this year with our 2020 release date schedule.

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They say that slow and steady wins the race, and while that might not be true in actual racing or even really at the box office, a performance doesn’t always have to be flashy to get the job done. For example, take James Mangold’s racing drama Ford v Ferrari. The critically acclaimed film released wide back on November 15, and now Ford v Ferrari just passed a major box office milestone.

Ford v Ferrari has raced past the $200 million milestone, according to Deadline, making $200.6 million through Monday. The breakdown on that $200.6 million is far more evenly split for the drama than you would get with a blockbuster film. The drama starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale has made $106.6 million domestically, while $94 million has come at the international box office.

Domestically, Ford v Ferrari debuted on November 15 and lapped its rivals to earn first place at the box office with a $31.4 million opening weekend. The crowd-pleasing film has since rode great reviews and an absolutely glowing A+ CinemaScore, indicating good word of mouth, to a stellar seven-week run in the domestic box office top 10. It’s an impressive run for a film that faced the holiday onslaught of prestige fare and mammoth blockbusters alike.

Internationally, Ford v Ferrari, which is titled Le Mans ’66 in some European territories, has added to that domestic performance. Russia leads the international box office for the racing film with $10.1 million. In France, where the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been taking place since 1923, Ford v Ferrari has earned $9.4 million. Other markets where the film has performed well are Korea, the United Kingdom and Australia, with $9.3 million, $7.9 million and $6.9 million, respectively.

For a movie that cost near $100 million to make, a $200 million worldwide box office isn’t quite a perfect lap given the traditional math and number-crunching that goes into determining if a movie is profitable (a good rule of thumb is it needing to make around two and half to three times its budget, if not more). Still, it’s a great performance for an adult drama in a blockbuster-driven marketplace that is rather unforgiving to such fare.

Ford v Ferrari isn’t done yet either. James Mangold’s based on a true story movie has yet to release in some key international markets. The film opens in Japan on January 10, and a release date in the world’s second-biggest film market China has not yet been determined.

Beyond cracking this box office milestone, Ford v Ferrari has a different kind of prize in sight: the gold kind. The Fox movie, inherited by Disney, is a serious awards contender, and thankfully, Disney believes in the film and is putting some effort behind its awards season campaign.

Ford v Ferrari has already received recognition from critics groups as well as the National Board of Review and it has earned nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes. We’ll see on January 13 when the Oscar nominations are announced what sort of recognition this film gets from the Academy. But for now, it’s nice to see that the film has had a solid box office performance.

Ford v Ferrari is now playing. Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see all of the biggest movies racing to theaters in the new year.

Warning: SPOILERS for Ford v Ferrari ahead!

Director James Mangold’s highly entertaining Ford v Ferrari tells the story of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s a true story, but as is the case with pretty much any film that is based on a true story, Ford v Ferrari takes some creative license. According to Tracy Letts, who plays Henry Ford II in the film, the scene of his character leaving the race by helicopter to go have dinner was true, but there is one scene in Ford v Ferrari that James Mangold made up for the movie, as he explained:

In Ford v Ferrari, the legendary Enzo Ferrari, played by Remo Girone, is present at the film’s climactic race. Enzo Ferrari sits in the stands at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and is actively monitoring his team’s progress. He is also shown with barely contained disdain for Henry Ford II and we see him carefully considering his competition, in the form of Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale’s Ken Miles.

But according to Tracy Letts, none of this actually happened. As the actor told Uproxx, Enzo Ferrari was not at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966. The founder of Ferrari did not go to the races, despite his own history as a driver and his passion for the sport. Tracy Letts speculates that this may have been superstition or the fact that he didn’t want to see his drivers die in the dangerous endurance race.

Either way, the scenes of Enzo Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966 were a fabrication, something that was made up for James Mangold’s movie. So the filmmakers took some dramatic license there, which is ultimately to the film’s benefit. You could argue that the fight in the film is really about Ford versus Ford, with the free spirited Ken and Carroll railing against the powers that be in the corporate suits of Ford.

However, the competition is still against the racing powerhouse that was Ferrari. So it’s helpful to have a face representing the opponent and not just the marque’s prancing horse symbol. Enzo Ferrari’s presence in the film, as this true master of motorsport and someone who Miles and Shelby probably have more in common with than Henry Ford II, raises the stakes and makes the whole thing more dramatic.

It’s a worthwhile diversion from the actual history of the event and that’s the great thing about films that are “Based on a true story.” If you want the exact true story of what happened, you can watch a documentary. Films based on a true story can give you an approximation of what happened while adding in an entertaining layer of drama and intrigue.

Ford v Ferrari is now playing. You can also catch Tracy Letts in Greta Gerwig's Little Women, in theaters on Christmas Day. Check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what movies are headed to theaters next year and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest movie news.

Going into this weekend, there was no doubt how things would fall in the rankings. There was never any chance that J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker wasn't going to be declared the number one movie around the world. What was in question, though, was exactly how much the film would wind up making. It was just earlier this year that Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame shattered records, and prognosticators have been guessing for months whether or not the finale of the Skywalker Saga could top its numbers. Now we finally have the opening weekend figures we've been waiting for, and while the new blockbuster definitely made a whole lot of money, it also didn't exactly break any new ground.

Check out the full Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis!

Earlier this week there were reports that Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker could make as much as $450 million in its massive global debut, but the bad news for the blockbuster is that the film couldn't hit those estimates, and actually would up falling way short. The $175.5 million it made in North America was supplemented by only $198 million from foreign territories, which results in an international haul of $373 million — a.k.a. $77 million short of what the experts predicted.

The opening weekend numbers are also significantly smaller than those put up by the movie's direct predecessor in the Skywalker Saga in its debut, as Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi made $220 million domestically, and $437.5 million globally in its first three days

So what happened? There are definitely multiple factors in play. For one, there is the release date. Rather than being released in mid-December like J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the new release came out one week closer to the end of the year, and there was early concern that the proximity to the holiday season would hurt it. Headlines have been made of the fact that the Chinese audience has essentially dismissed it, and on a similar level it's noteworthy that the blockbuster also didn't arrive in theaters with anywhere near the same level of buzz as the other films in the Sequel Trilogy. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker earned a far more divisive response following its massively hyped world premiere. This surely didn't mix well with all of the pressure on it to provide a satisfying ending to 42 years of cinematic storytelling that began with George Lucas' original Star Wars in 1977.

Where it all leads will be interesting, as the divisive feelings among critics seem to be reflected in the opinions of the audience as well. Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker received a "B+" on CinemaScore, and while that might seem fine in a vacuum, it doesn't look great when you consider the fact that it's the only live-action Star Wars movie in the history of the survey to earn a score below an "A-." (it should be noted that the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars from 2008 got a "B-") Looking ahead, there isn't a ton of competition from new releases, as most studios were smart enough to clear out of the way of the sci-fi feature, so it's possible that we could see some interesting developments occur with the other blockbusters that are currently playing on the big screen. Basically, there is an opportunity that now exists for Jake Kasdan's Jumanji: The Next Level to follow directly in the footsteps of Kasdan's Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and put up some big numbers in early 2020.

Of course, many have made note of the fact that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wasn't the only high profile new wide release this weekend, but it seems that Universal Pictures' plan to provide audiences with a bit of counter-programming backfired horribly. Tom Hopper's Cats suggested itself to be a disaster right from the get-go, with its trailer debut back in July getting such a terrible reception that it went viral, and this week it got hit with the Hollywood double whammy: horrible reviews, and box office failure.

Tom Hooper has had success in the past with big, bombastic musicals released in late December, as 2012's Les Miserables made $441.8 million worldwide before it was done with its theatrical run, but Cats is going to go down in cinema history as a massive swing-and-a-miss. The Broadway adaptation is a laughingstock among professional film reviewers, and it seems that even "it can't really be that bad, can it?" curiosity isn't selling tickets. A $6.5 million domestic start for a movie with a reported $95 million budget is seriously problematic launch, and it has the makings of existing as a scar on a lot of resumes.

The film's second weekend performance should be interesting. Given the weak state of the current Top 10, it's possible that Cats will stay on the charts, but whether it will be clawing to stay on or holding a steady position will be interesting. As bad as things look for the release right now, it's not impossible that a cult following could start to grow Rocky Horror Picture Show-style.

With Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker stealing a lot of attention at the box office, there aren't too many milestones to highlight this week, but there are a few. For starters, Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen II has now surpassed Guy Ritchie's Aladdin on the international charts for 2019, and is now ranked as the seventh biggest movie of the year (and it's only about $8 million behind Todd Phillips' Joker). Also, Jumanji: The Next Level and James Mangold's are doing a bit of twining, as both made enough money this week to join the nine figure club domestically.

Coming up this week we have a number of exiting wide releases arriving in time for Christmas Day, including the Safdie brothers' thriller Uncut Gems, Blue Sky Studios' Spies In Disguise, and Greta Gerwig's period drama Little Women. Be sure to come back next Sunday to see how the final weekend Top 10 of 2019 shakes out.

Released around this time two years ago, Jake Kasdan's Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle was a huge hit during its theatrical run. Expectations weren't all that big given that the film was dropped just a week after Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but it won by playing the long game, and wound up being at the top of the box office months after its opening weekend. Obviously that's put a lot of heat on the sequel, Kasdan's Jumanji: The Next Level, but it too is proving to be a popular success on the big screen.

Check out the movie's numbers, as well as what's going on with the rest of the Top 10, in the chart below, and join me after for analysis!

Week-of box office projections estimated that Jumanji: The Next Level would make somewhere between $45 and 55 million in its first three days, but as you can see, the movie's performance was able to beat out even that significant ceiling. The $60 million figure is notably almost twice as much as what Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle made when it first came out, which was a domestic total of $36.2 million. The new blockbuster obviously still has a long way to go until it even comes cross to the total grosses of its predecessor ($404.5 million domestically, and $962.1 million worldwide), and many things will have to go right in the weeks ahead for it to even try and eclipse those figures, but it's definitely off to a great start.

When it comes to the legs, it will be interesting to see how Jumanji: The Next Level handles its particular handicaps in the road ahead. For starters, the buzz on the new release isn't quite as strong as what existed for the first union of Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan. More importantly, though, this time around the feature didn't come out in the wake of a Star Wars release, but instead during the calm before the storm. J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker is dropping next Friday, and there is undoubtedly true that a tremendous percentage of the normal Jumanji audience is going to be purchasing tickets to that show (not to mention basically everyone else as well).

The Next Level is going to experience a second weekend drop far larger than normal, so the big question will be in regard to how its able to recover from what is likely going to be a record-breaking debut from a competitor. As per usual, January is looking seriously weak, so there may be the opportunity for it to coast alongside Star Wars through the rest of winter.

It should also be recognized that the film is in pretty good shape business-wise regardless. Though Jumanji: The Next Level did cost a pretty penny to make, carrying a $125 million reported budget before marketing, it has already made more money than that in ticket sales. In addition to being appreciated here in North America, foreign territories are also showing the feature a good amount of love, and its worldwide total currently stands at $212.6 million as a result.

While this was a good weekend for Jumanji: The Next Level, however, it stands along with that particular adjective, as the other new wide releases from this past Friday didn't perform nearly as well. We'll start with Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, which only managed to make $5 million (and it's sad that was enough for it to claim the #4 spot). While Eastwood has never had a film make nine digits in its debut, he is at least typically reliable for eight digits, but he didn't reach that bar this time out. The total is far less than what his last three directorial efforts did in their opening frames, with Sully, The 15:17 To Paris, and The Mule respectively earning $35 million, $13 million, and $18 million.

At the very least, though, the based-on-a-true-story film managed to make more than Sophia Takal's remake of Black Christmas, which played in about 120 more theaters than Richard Jewell, but brought in about $600,000 less. The film being a Blumhouse release, the good news is that it probably will wind up being profitable, as the film apparently only cost $5 million to make, but it seems that audiences aren't too excited about the prospect of a scary holiday season in 2019.

But let's end things on a positive note, shall we? For starters, there is the impressive milestone that has been hit by Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen II, as it is the latest release to hit a billion dollars this year. It is not only the eighth feature to make that much money worldwide in 2019, but the sixth in that group to be released by the Walt Disney Company. And by the time Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker finishes its run, that number will be seven.

What's far more exciting, though, is everything that is cooking with Benny and Josh Safdie's Uncut Gems. The film is one of the most buzzed about indies of the season following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it looks like the attention being earned by the Adam Sandler-starring thriller is going to result in some big money for A24. The movie won't be available in wide release until Christmas, but the studio put the feature out in limited release this weekend, and playing in just five theaters it managed to make $525,498. That's an average of $105,099, and a record for the company. Obviously it won't still be maintaining those numbers per theater when it's available everywhere, but clearly there are a lot of people chomping at the bit excited to see the nail-biting cinematic adventure through New York's diamond district.

Of course, we here at CinemaBlend are now bracing ourselves for the aforementioned release of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, and along with the debut of Tom Hopper's Cats next weekend should be a fairly insane one at the box office. As always, be sure to tune in next Sunday to this column where we will breakdown the aftermath.

December 2019 is an exciting month for movie fans. Some of the best films of the year come out during this month, and some critically acclaimed films receive wider release in December. Most years, this month is a busy one for moviegoers because of the wide range of options, everything from adventure movies to family classics to Oscar-buzz films all have their moments in December. It’s definitely one of the best times to go to the movies, and there's a little something for everyone here. Let’s take a look at some of the best movies in theaters now.

Jumanji: The Next Level (In Theaters)

Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, and Nick Jonas return for the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Jumanji: The Next Level adds the star power of Danny Glover, Awkwafina, and Danny Devito to this highly anticipated sequel. This film is just as fun, humorous, and charming as the original.

Knives Out (In Theaters)

In Knives Out, Rian Johnson directs an all-star cast that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Shannon. Rian Johnson does a brilliant job directing an equally brilliant ensemble of actors. Knives Out is a stylish and entertaining murder mystery that is a must-see film for Agatha Christie fans and beyond.

Black Christmas (In Theaters)

Black Christmas is a remake of the 1974 slasher film. In this version, it follows the Hawthorne College sorority girls as a stalker starts killing them off one-by-one. They decide not to just sit around waiting to become the latest victims, so the sorority girls fight back. 2019’s Black Christmas’ cast includes Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O'Grady, and Cary Elwes. Black Christmas is a film for movie fans who want something a little gruesome this holiday season.

Bombshell (In Theaters)

Bombshell follows Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), and Kayla Pospisil) as they make allegations against Fox News founder Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). The film is based on the real life sexual harassment allegations made against Roger Ailes in 2016. Bombshell has already gained multiple award nominations for its three actresses, including Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominations.

Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood (In Theaters)

Tom Hanks and Matthew Rhys star in this biopic about everyone’s favorite neighbor, Fred Rogers. Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is mainly about the bond that forms between Mister Rogers and journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matt Rhys). Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is just the tear-inducing, Oscar-buzz film that you need to see this December, especially for Tom Hank’s mesmerizing and dynamic performance.

Richard Jewell (In Theaters)

Clint Eastwood directs Richard Jewell, a movie based on the true-life events of the 1996 Summer Olympics Centennial Olympic Park bombing, and the security guard accused of the bombing, Richard Jewell. Paul Walter Hauser plays Richard Jewell, and the supporting cast includes Sam Rockwell, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, and Olivia Wilde. Richard Jewell brings more awareness to how this tragic event destroyed the lives of many, including Richard Jewell.

Frozen II (In Theaters)

In Frozen II, Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (Josh Gad) leave Arendelle in search of answers about Elsa’s powers and their relation to her parents. Frozen II hit theaters in November and families have been flocking to the movies to see the latest Frozen adventure. With the Christmas spirit running rampant, Frozen II is bound to have a major box office resurgent.

Queen and Slim (Still Showing In Some Theaters)

Directed by Melina Matsoukas and written by Lena Waithe, Queen & Slim follows Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen (Jodie-Turner-Smith), who become outlaws after they kill a cop in self-defense. A video of the incident goes viral and they become a symbol for liberation. Queen & Slim gives us a modern day (innocent) Bonnie & Clyde with all the complexities that come from being black in America.

Joker (Still Showing In Some Theaters)

Todd Philips directs Joaquin Phoenix in one of the most talked about films of 2019. Joker hit theaters in October, but some cinemas are still showing the film. Joker has a January 7, 2020 DVD release date, so movie fans who want to see this award season darling before it leaves theaters only have a few weeks left.

Ford V Ferrari (Still Showing In Some Theaters)

Matt Damon and Christian Bale star in this sports drama. Ford V Ferrari is about Henry Ford’s team of race car developers and drivers who, with the hopes of finally defeating Ferrari’s racing team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, set out to build the Ford GT40. Ford v Ferrari is already receiving critical acclaim, especially forChristian Bale’s portrayal of race car engineer and driver Ken Miles.

The Irishman (Limited Release)

Martin Scorsese directs this crime film starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. The Irishman tells the true-life story of Frank Sheeran, a truck driver in the 1950s who gets involved with the mob and becomes a hitman. The Irishman had a limited theatrical release in early November, and then it became available to stream on Netflix in late November. The film is still available to view in some arthouse theaters nationwide.

Marriage Story (Limited Release)

Marriage Story follows an estranged husband and wife as they go through the legal proceedings of a divorce. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver star. Marriage Story is available on Netflix, but it is also showing in limited theaters. Johansson and Driver give stunning performances that you might want to experience on the big screen.

The Aeronauts (Limited Release)

Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne team up again in The Aeronauts. The biopic follows scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) and wealthy young widow Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) in 1862. The duo sets to break records by flying a balloon higher than anyone in history. The Aeronauts is a gorgeously shot movie about the spirit of perseverance and hope.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Coming Soon: December 20)

J.J Abrams returns to direct the final installment of the new Star Wars trilogy. Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) prepare for their final battle against the First Order. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2019. It’s set to break box office records, and hopefully becomes one of the best Star Wars films yet.

Cats (Coming Soon: December 20)

Arriving in theaters just in time for the holidays is the feature adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved broadway musical production, Cats, directed by Tom Hooper. The star-studded cats... err, cast includes Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and more.

1917 (Coming Soon: December 25)

Sam Mendes directs 1917, a World War I drama about two British soldiers tasked with delivering a message deep within enemy lines. If they succeed, they help save over 1,600 men from a death trap. Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay play the two soldiers tasked with this nearly impossible quest. Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Richard Madden also make appearances. It’s the heart racing, captivating film that leaves an impression long after you exit the theater.

Little Women (Coming Soon: December 25)

Greta Gerwig directs the latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women. In the 2019 version, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen play the March sisters. Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, and Timothee Chalamet also star. With such a prestige cast, fans of the original book should be more than delighted with the latest versions of Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg.

The first weekend of December has a long history of being a valley of death of sorts on the box office calendar. Year after year it's proven clear that audiences aren't really big on going to the movies the weekend after Thanksgiving, and if they are going to the local cineplex, they aren't checking out new releases, but instead of the blockbusters that came out trying to take advantage of the family holiday. In 2019 we've once again seen a classic example of this, as while none of the industry's fresh features made in on to the Top 10, just about all of the rest of the films already playing stayed in their rankings while making much less money - led, of course, by Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen II.

Check out the full Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis!

Frozen II has been totally crushing it since its release in late November, and in week number three it remains in the number one spot on the Top 10, with an additional $34.7 million added to its domestic total in the last few days. Really, there wasn't any competition for the position, as it made more than double its closest competitor. It is starting to slip a bit, as its figures this weekend are 60 percent smaller than they were during the last Friday-to-Sunday stretch, but the $337.6 million its already made in North America is still impressive.

Of course, the blockbuster's box office narrative only becomes more positive when the foreign numbers are taken into consideration as well. While Frozen II is not ready quite just yet to join the nine-figures club, it's definitely going to happen before the end of 2019. As things stand, the movie has brought in $919.7 million worldwide, which makes it the eighth biggest theatrical release put out thus far this year (it bypassed ninth place quite a while ago - namely David Leitch's Hobbs & Shaw, which made $758.9 million at the end of the summer. Given that it's still only in its third weekend of release, it's actually hard to say right now exactly how high it will climb.

At present, Frozen II could potentially become the third biggest film of 2019 (there's no way its toppling the $2.8 billion earned by Joe and Anthony Russo's Avengers: Endgame, or the $1.7 billion made by Jon Favreau's The Lion King), but there are some significant roadblocks in the way - one of which belongs to the Walt Disney Company. The first is Jake Kasdan's Jumanji: The Next Level, which is actually the feature that will probably remove Anna and Elsa from the top of the box office chart when it comes out on Friday. Those who closely follow box office developments won't soon forget the crazy run Kasdan's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle had from the end of 2017 until spring 2018 when it managed to make $962 million while competing with Star Wars.

And speaking of the stories told a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, it's easy to imagine everybody in the world forgetting about Frozen II when J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker finally arrives on December 20th. The animated hit will still continue making money, but the numbers will significantly go down as Disney puts the bulk of its attention towards the end of the Skywalker Saga.

How Frozen II deals with the major upcoming competition will determine its ultimate box office profile - especially compared to the original Frozen, which fans will remember accumulated $1.3 billion six years ago. This weekend, as will be discussed belong, was not a great test of its mettle.

Because studios and distributors are well aware of the black hole that is the first weekend of December, it's notably not a haven for any major titles, and instead is sometimes used as a dumping ground for certain projects. It would appear that is the case for Lino DiSalvo's Playmobil: The Movie, which you'll notice didn't manage to nab a place on the box office chart. Because it only managed to make $660,000 while playing in 2,337 theaters (an average of just $282), the film only managed to nab 14th place. That's actually the third worst opening ever for a movie put out in over 2,000 theaters, the other two being notorious titles The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure and Delgo.

On a much more positive note, while Todd Haynes' Dark Waters doesn't technically count as a new release, as it has been available in limited theaters for a few weeks now, it made a major leap on the charts the last three days thanks to Focus Features putting the film on nearly 2,000 more screens. Obviously a haul of $4.1 million isn't massive by blockbuster standards, but it's a good amount of money for small drama. The movie has been getting very positive reviews, with lead Mark Ruffalo getting some award season attention, and it's noteworthy that the subject matter of the story impacts every person on the planet.

This weekend also may be the last we see of Todd Phillips' Joker on the charts, as its 10th place showing this week means that it will probably be the first title to be bumped down with the slate of new stuff coming in. It's obviously had one hell of a run - it's the only movie still hanging around from October - and it's going to finish its domestic performance likely north of $335 million, which is crazy for dark, dramatic character study. It has surpassed Guy Ritchie's Aladdin on the 2019 global charts with a haul of $1.055 billion, and it could wind up totally changing comic book movies going forward.

As noted earlier, Jumanji: The Next Level is the big release heading into theaters everywhere this weekend, but it will also be joined by Jay Roach's Bombshell , Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, and Sophia Takal's Black Christmas, along with limited releases including the Safdie brothers' Uncut Gems, Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life, and Benedict Andrews' Seberg. Be sure to come back next week to see how all of these films shake up the rankings!

Ford v Ferrari is a movie that's holding its own with critics and at the box office. In a sea of franchise films and familiar stories, Ford v. Ferrari is a movie that, certainly to most Americans, won't be a well known event, and that's exactly why director James Mangold loves it.

While Ford v. Ferrari is based on a true story, many won't actually be all that familiar with it. If it was a fictional racing movie, we might be able to guess where things are going to go, but in real life, the paths that people take are rarely predictable. Predictability can often be a reason a movie is criticized, and yet, many of the most popular films at the box office are those where we all know exactly what's going to happen. James Mangold much prefers it when he has no idea what is going to happen next. According to the director...

James Mangold is certainly right in his comments to Slashfilm that studios seem to be hesitant to produce films that aren't anchored by a character or story that audiences are familiar with. There is clearly a desire from studios to go with familiar ideas that are already proven to be successful with audiences. Ford v. Ferrari certainly isn't that.

And James mangold knows what he's talking about. He's made movies based on bestselling books and comic book superheroes before.

And Ford v. Ferrari is certainly somewhat surprising. While it's possible you may have known how the story ended, because it is based on actual events, most in the audience likely did not, and the way the battle of the two car companies finally comes to a conclusion is anything but predictable.

The other reason that Ford v Ferrari is a bit unpredictable is that it simply takes its time getting where it's going, and certainly doesn't take a direct route getting there. The movie lets itself spend some time with the characters and lets the audience get to know them and understand them rather than simply driving the plot forward every moment. James Mangold says he appreciates the "circuitousness" of the film.

There certainly is something to be said for the unpredictability of films. While most audiences might appreciate jumping back into a familiar story, part of the excitement of storytelling in general is not knowing how the story ends. Hopefully, we'll start to see a bit more of that on the big screen.

The knives came out at the weekend box office, but Rian Johnson’s murder mystery Knives Out wasn’t enough to chip away at the financial dominance of Frozen II. The Disney animated sequel packed even more audiences into theaters over the Thanksgiving break, venturing “Into the Unknown” and proving there was a healthy appetite for the further adventures of Anna, Elsa and Olaf.

Even if it was a debut weekend, the $85 million posted by Frozen II would be a complete and dominant win. Considering the fact that it is the second weekend for the animated hit, and it instantly pushed the film’s cume box office near $300 million, Disney has to be thrilled that they greenlit the sequel to Frozen and explored more story with these beloved characters.

The sequel also posted an impressive 35% drop. That’s an incredible hold for a movie, even over a holiday weekend. Great numbers overall for Frozen II. Speaking of numbers, here is the full box office chart, courtesy of The-Numbers.com:

Rian Johnson shifted away from Star Wars and got back to the types of movies he loves telling – genre tweaks of appreciated storytelling modes – and audiences responded in kind to his Knives Out. The star power of his cast no doubt helped. Led by Daniel Craig playing a bizarre detective, the whodunit surrounded the one-time 007 with co-stars such as Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Ana de Armas, Don Johnson and Christopher Plummer.

Outside of the newcomers, the weekend box office was focused on Oscar hopefuls. James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari continued to pack theaters. After three weeks, the racing drama has inched closer to a $100 million gross. Tom Hanks’ Fred Rogers movie held on for a third place spot. And the new movie Queen and Slim had a fairly strong showing in its debut week, earning $11.6 million in only 1,690 theaters. That’s a spectacular number for a new movie looking for buzz as we head into Oscar season.

Outside of the newcomers, we’re impressed to see Joker holding on to a Top 10 slot, pushing its overall earnings to $330 million. And though the reviews have been largely terrible, the rom-com Last Christmas continues to do well, and could even see an uptik as we get closer to the Christmas season, because there aren’t a lot of seasonal movies coming to theaters in the next few weeks (outside of the Hallmark Channel) so anyone seeing a Christmas fix might grab tickets and enjoy a holiday blast.

James Mangold is no stranger to bringing true stories to the big screen. As director of Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line and Ford v Ferrari, he has shown himself to be adept at handling films that focus on real people in the midst of real events. But he recently revealed that he thinks there is a danger in getting too deep into the intricate details of these lives. And he advocates against doing too much research.

During Ford v Ferrari’s world premiere at TIFF, director James Mangold made it clear that he thinks it is important to strike a balance when making films that are based on real-life events. He has seen how focusing too much on research can actually hinder the filmmaking process, for both actors and directors:

Ford v Ferrari follows Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon), a former professional driver, as he enlists the help of a team, including Ken Miles (Christian Bale), to build the Ford GT40 in the hopes of competing against the iconic Italian automaker’s best race cars. At TIFF, Matt Damon said that neither he nor James Mangold were car enthusiasts prior to making the film.

But James Mangold admitted that he grew to understand the appeal of cars and racing during production. And it appears he followed his own advice for research: Critics have noted that though James Mangold took some liberties, including where the film’s pivotal photo finish was concerned, Ford v Ferrari is in many ways historically accurate.

Keep up with everything still headed to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

Thanksgiving is upon us – and for a lot of us, this means we’ll get to finally enjoy some time off to feast with family and friends. The holiday is also the perfect time to get caught up on the season’s most exciting releases while they are still in theaters! There are so many. Everything you can think of is on the menu on the big screen right now and it’s time to dig in!

This year, we’ve already set the table for you. Check out what you should go see on the Thanksgiving holiday based on your particular appetite:

If You’re Looking To Feel As Mushy (And Delightful) As Mashed Potatoes

To many, the Thanksgiving holiday is all about being around those you love and taking the time to look around and gather up what you’re grateful for. For this purpose, A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood is the perfect movie to go out to see. America’s Sweetheart Tom Hanks played another beloved icon in the fabric of pop culture: Mister Rogers.

Based on a true story, A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood follows journalist Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys) as he’s assigned to write a cover story on the children’s television show host. The two form a unique friendship and Junod repairing a strained relationship with his father (Chris Cooper). The joyous biopic is perfect to take the whole family, get all teary-eyed, walk out inspired off to offer up bear hugs and kindness.

For Skipping Boring “Back In The Day” Discussions And Getting To the Action

There’s also a quality to the coming holiday tied to nostalgia. Family and friends often get in the mood to tell old stories (you’ve probably heard every year) and talk about the good ‘ole days. If you’re not in the mood for it, excusing yourself from the table is a tough nut to crack. So, what do you do? How about taking your chatty uncle to James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari?

The thrilling race car movie is about American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) as they challenge their Ford at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 1966. It’s a true story about American innovation and inspiration starring two of Hollywood’s most well-known talents.

If The Kids Won’t Stop Singing “Into The Unknown” At The Table

Of course, the most popular pick in theaters now is undoubtedly the long-awaited sequel to Disney’s phenomenon, Frozen. You may want to buy your tickets ahead of time for the one because theaters are going to be packed with families all driven by the same idea: their kids want to see it!! Or maybe you’re emotionally invested in Elsa and Anna’s journey? Come on, the songs are catchy, those sisters are badass! Why not see Frozen II?

The new Disney movie follows the sisters of Arendelle as they set out on a brand new adventure that will connect them to their family’s past and Elsa’s mysterious ice powers. Olaf is back, Kristoff is planning a wedding proposal to Anna and there are new characters. You’ll be singing the songs as you leave the theater and probably picking apart its somewhat confusing plot!

If Thanksgiving Somehow Turns Into Date Night

Now, not every Thanksgiving turns out to be all that traditional. Sometimes it’s just not viable to go out to see the family. Or you’re not in the area. Perhaps, you have work earlier in the day, but still want to take advantage of the holiday in the evening. In these cases, check out Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith in Queen & Slim!

The thrilling drama follows a couple who have an awkward first date in a diner in Hollywood after matching on a dating app. On the drive home, they are pulled over by a police officer which sets off a series of events that tie their futures together. The movie is stylish, gripping and has a powerfully relevant story.

If You’re Totally Here For Big Family Drama… Just Not At The Dinner Table

Depending on your own family dynamics, Thanksgiving can either induce a lighthearted smile or send suspenseful chills down your spine. If it’s the latter, you might get a kick out of Rian Johnson’s Agatha Christie-inspired whodunit, Knives Out. The modern murder mystery revolving around Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc as he investigates the death of a patriarch (Christopher Plummer).

Knives Out features an incredible ensemble cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Michael Shannon and Toni Collette as each family member are named suspects. Each character may remind you of a relative of your own. It’s like you already paid them a visit and let yourself off the hook from any unneeded drama!

If You’ve Tired Out The ‘90s Action Re-Runs And Want To See Newer Action

Thanksgiving is also the perfect day to just indulge in comfort food, take some time to kick your feet up and enjoy some mindless entertainment too! We all have classics we often gravitate too for the holiday. But there’s a couple options out there that mix a bit of old and a bit of new and offer a fun time at the movie theaters. Check out Charlie’s Angels or 21 Bridges!

Charlie’s Angels is a modern reboot about a trio of female spies who form their team while on their first mission together. It’s a bit cheesy, but Kristen Stewart is especially good! On the other hand, Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman stars as an NYPD police officer who must hunt down a couple cop killers. It’s in the vein of The Fugitive and Heat.

If You’re That Neighbor That Does All Their Christmas Decorating On Thanksgiving

Then there are those who go straight for the excitement of Christmas just as Thanksgiving hits (or even before then). You know who you are: I see you sneaking peppermint in your coffee and getting all your shopping done before December 1 hits. You don’t get the point of Thanksgiving, because it’s just not the same as the jolly holiday. So, if you’re already untangling the lights and dusting off the decorations, Last Christmas is the movie for you.

Starring Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke and Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding, Last Christmas is a fun rom-com to get you in the holiday spirit early and get the George Michael’s holiday tune it’s named after stuck in your head. It's comfy and predictable, but hey – so are the holidays!

So many options, so little time! What will you go see this Thanksgiving? Sound off in the comments!

This poll is no longer available.

Throughout his career, Christian Bale has portrayed many real-life people, some long dead and some very much alive. There was John Rolfe in The New World, Dieter Dengler in Rescue Dawn, Dicky Eklund in The Fighter, and Dick Cheny in Vice. For his latest film Ford v Ferrari, Christian Bale once again portrays a real person in motorsport legend Ken Miles. In that role he received from help from Ken Miles’ real-life son, Peter. Speaking about collaborating with Christian Bale for Ford v Ferrari, Peter Miles said:

Unlike Dicky Eklund whom Christian Bale was able to get to know, or Dick Cheney, for whom there is a wealth of available footage upon which to base his performance, Ken Miles is no longer around and he wasn’t a public figure in a way that would have resulted in there being a lot of videos of him. So to assist Christian Bale in preparing for the role, Peter Miles helped the actor get to know who his father was.

As he told LeMans.org, Peter Miles shared what he could with the man who would play his father on the big screen. This included stuff like press clippings and magazine articles that may have been more publicly available, but could have also been difficult to find. Peter Miles also shared the more personal stuff, like family photos of his father and audio recordings.

The combination of all of these resources helped to paint a picture of who Ken Miles was, what he did, what he looked like, what he sounded like and his personality, thereby giving Christian Bale a basis for his performance in Ford v Ferrari. As you might expect, according to Peter Miles, the chameleon-like Christian Bale wanted to stay as faithful to Ken Miles as possible. So this collaboration with his son was likely very valuable.

The information from Peter Miles helped Christian Bale to become Ken Miles in Ford v Ferrari in all but one regard. The actor didn’t actually do any of the driving in the film. I guess Peter Miles couldn’t help with that, but Ken Miles’ son did also help out actress Caitriona Balfe, who plays his mother, Mollie Miles in the film.

He shared photos of his mother with the actress and told her about what she was like, to help give her an idea of who she was playing. Peter Miles doesn’t reveal whether or not he met with actor Noah Jupe, who plays him in the film to share what he was like when he was a kid. Regardless, the performances in the film are fantastic all around and Christian Bale will certainly be in the awards conversation for his role as Ken Miles.

Ford v Ferrari is now playing. To see what’s headed to theaters next year, check out our 2020 Release Schedule.

The weather outside is getting colder, but things are heating up at the box office! Get it? GET IT?! Fine, let’s just say that Frozen II dominated the weekend frame, as expected, and set new records for Walt Disney as the highly-anticipated animated sequel crushed the competition (including Tom Hanks in a Mister Rogers movie) and grabbed that coveted Number One slot on the charts.

We have been waiting six years for the Frozen sequel to hit theaters, and fans showed up in droves to find out what happens with Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) on the next steps of their adventures together. What’s crazy is that this isn’t even the Thanksgiving weekend, when families really pack the multiplexes, so we expect Frozen II to perform even better next weekend.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. Here are this weekend’s box office numbers, courtesy of the-numbers.com.

The other contenders this weekend did OK, and actually could celebrate a few small victories, if it wasn’t for the fact that they have to stand next to that $127M number posted by Frozen II. In comparison, you look a little lame.

But James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari continues to build on some serious word of mouth, and likely will parlay that theatrical success into Oscar buzz, which could keep it profitable for weeks to come.

The same sort of buzz wasn’t there for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which opened in third place and didn’t make that many waves due to its Disney competition. Maybe there was something to be said for that Jeopardy moment when the contestants couldn’t recognize Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers. Did the marketing for this movie not find its audience?

Elsewhere on the chart, a few major movies started to slip away. Charlie’s Angels and The Good Liar are fading, fast, while Midway continues to post strong numbers. Joker is a behemoth, crossing $325 million domestically. But Doctor Sleep dropped out of the Top 10, which is a stunning loss for that title. Seriously, folks, you will watch that movie on DVD later and wonder why you didn’t support it in the theater. This is why we can’t have nice things.

Next weekend, all bets are off. It’s Thanksgiving weekend, when the movie theaters thrive, and audiences pack the houses to see movies they need to catch up on. Could Knives Out cut into Frozen II then? See that I did there? C’MON PEOPLE! Work with me here!

How much race car driving did Christian Bale actually get to do for Ford v Ferrari? Bale plays British World War II veteran/professional driver Ken Miles in the sports drama, which is based on a true story. Bale lost about 70 pounds for the role, but that doesn't mean he went so Method he became a professional race car driver and was given the keys to the kingdom.

Ford v Ferrari producer Peter Chernin was asked how much driving Christian Bale is actually doing himself in this movie. Here's Chernin's response:

At least preserve the mystery, man! But, yeah, there are only so many stunts actors would be allowed to do, and I can imagine insurance issues, as well as just practical issues, would lead a movie like Ford v Ferrari to look to professionals for the major driving scenes. And are we sure Christian Bale even drove himself to work in the morning or was he picked up and brought to set?

You may or may not have read that both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise were once attached to Ford v Ferrari. During THR's Producer Roundtable discussion, Peter Chernin said the movie was in development about 15 years, so there were many changes. That came up when Once Upon a Time in Hollywood producer David Heyman jumped in to talk about Brad Pitt driving in Quentin Tarantino's movie:

Sounds like that much driving is OK for an actor on set -- and let's be honest, if Tom Cruise were on set for Ford v Ferrari he'd insist on doing a lot of the driving himself, even if he ended up with injuries. But Ford v Ferrari had some tricky racing scenes, as Peter Chernin explained, and just choreographing them was the biggest challenge of the film:

Ford v Ferrari took pains to match history as much as possible, although certain things were changed from the real story. Fans have really taken to the movie, giving Christian Bale and Matt Damon rave reviews and launching the film to #1 at the box office in its opening last weekend. It's going to have to pump the brakes this weekend, though, for Frozen II and company. But Ford v Ferrari will still be in theaters if you want to check it out.

A huge part of what makes the 24 Hours of Le Mans so difficult is that both the cars and the people driving them must last an entire day. For the drivers, the endurance race is an exhausting affair, requiring them to stay awake behind the wheel despite having very little time to rest. It turns out that the Le Mans-centered Ford v Ferrari also proved to be an endurance test for Matt Damon’s daughter, who fell asleep during the movie… twice. The actor recalled:

Okay, so Matt Damon’s daughter Stella isn’t cut out for the 24 Hours of Le Mans just yet. The 9-year-old couldn’t quite make it through the two-and-a-half hours of Ford v Ferrari without a couple of pit stops in dreamland. But as anyone who has seen the movie knows, her naps were not in any way an indictment of the entertainment value of the film and were in fact completely understandable.

Matt Damon’s daughter Stella is only 9-years-old, and Ford v Ferrari isn’t exactly a short movie for a kid to sit through. In addition, Stella first saw Ford v Ferrari, in which her dad plays the legendary Carroll Shelby, at the movie’s the Los Angeles world premiere. It was the first time Matt Damon had ever taken his wife and four daughters all to one of his films. And as Matt Damon told USA Today, it was past her bedtime when they saw it.

The combined soporific properties of a long film and a late start time stacked the odds against Stella Damon, just as the odds were stacked against Ford when it took on Ferrari at Le Mans. But despite falling short and succumbing to sleep, she still put up a valiant effort, only falling asleep twice and according to her, only for 10 seconds each time.

That 10-second figure sounds like, in classic kid fashion, Matt Damon’s daughter might be rounding down in a major way, but it’s still sweet. It sounds like she wanted to confess that she did fall asleep, but also wanted her dad to know that she saw most of his movie so that he wouldn’t think she dozed off because she was bored or didn’t like it.

Matt Damon’s daughter apparently found the movie really exciting, and while I don’t know how interested she was in the car development aspects of the story (unless she has serious automotive interests like Ken Mile’s son in the film played by Noah Jupe), there is no arguing that the racing sequences in Ford v Ferrari should be exciting to anyone with a pulse, young or old.

Stella Damon wasn’t the only one who liked Ford v Ferrari. The audience response was glowing with the James Mangold film earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore to go along with its widespread critical acclaim. It also won the weekend with an over $31 million debut.

Ford v Ferrari is now playing. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what other movies and potential Oscar contenders are on the way this year.

This weekend’s Ford v Ferrari certainly had its fair share of surprises. Not only did the James Mangold directed film have a beautiful opening weekend, and some impressive fan scores to boot, it also dropped some historically accurate surprises in the film itself. However, there’s one more twist that the film has apparently been hiding from audiences, as it sounds like actor Josh Brolin was cut from the final product of Ford v Ferrari.

This weekend, the Avengers: Endgame star posted a photo with friend and Ford v Ferrari co-star Matt Damon, and the caption had a hell of a story to tell:

So not only was Josh Brolin in Ford v Ferrari, it sounds like he and Matt Damon had several scenes together. And if his biased, but firm, opinion is any indication, we missed out on some gold in them there cinematic hills. Which is a shame, because just looking at those two standing around as friends, you can tell that Damon and Brolin was probably as exciting an on screen pair as Damon and Bale.

While Ford v Ferrari does zoom by in a roughly two and a half hour cut, the length and content of those excised scenes between Josh Brolin and Matt Damon are a subject of intense speculation. We don’t know who Brolin was supposed to play, and past his candidacy for a role in the Fox project way back in its early days of development, there’s not a lot of details as to what function Josh Brolin’s role would have served.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a major film leave Josh Brolin on the cutting room floor. And much like when writer/director George Clooney cut Brolin from his Coen Brothers’ style farce Suburbicon, there may have just been a question of how his character fit in with the rhythm, and maybe even the tone, of the film.

However, the caption in Brolin’s Instagram post announcing this fact makes it sound like those scenes between Brolin and Damon could have muddied the waters a bit for Ford v Ferrari, as their characters might have been on-screen friends.

With the central friendship of Christian Bale’s Ken Miles and Matt Damon’s Carroll Shelby being the big focus in the film, there’s a possibility that Josh Brolin’s character might have been giving the audience more of what they were already getting from that central pairing. And since Miles and Shelby’s friendship is the heart of Ford v Ferrari, something had to give in the edit.

It’s been a popular era for requesting that director’s cut that didn’t make it into theaters, but at the very least, one would suspect that the scenes of this mystery character would be included on the home video release of Ford v Ferrari. Or, if Fox really wants to play things in an interesting fashion, there’s always the possibility of releasing what could be called “The Mangold Cut” or “The Brolin Cut”, depending on who you ask, as a Hulu exclusive.

The only thing that’s certain is you can go catch Ford v Ferrari for yourself, sans Josh Brolin, in theaters now.

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Spoilers for James Mangold’s new racing movie starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon can definitely be found in this story. If you haven’t caught the flick yet, get your engine revving and get to the theater.

Ford v Ferrari blew past the competition at the box office this weekend. Its true-life story about the men behind the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race is the type of holiday story people love to eat up, thanks to its story and its action sequences, and it’s no surprise its already found a box office niche. However, what may surprise you about Ford v Ferrari is that much of it is actually a movie about bureaucracy rather than car racing. Director James Mangold has revealed it was by design.

In fact, he admitted in a recent interview that while Matt Damon’s character may work to get a few digs in at Ferrari during the famous Le Mans race, much of the movie is really about Damon’s Shelby Carroll and Christian Bale’s Ken Miles trying to gain the competitive advantage while a Ford bureaucracy slows them down time and time again. Per James Mangold:

In the film, both Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles are tied up time and time again thanks to big business. There’s also a sneaky suit (played by Josh Lucas), who is out to undermine Shelby at every turn.

The two men also have to deal with the reality of competition from other Ford teams and business decisions outside of their control, which is why James Mangold admitted to Uproxx that a good portion of the movie could and maybe should be called 'Ford v Ford'.

He went on to explain that he has a little bit of both Matt Damon and Christian Bale’s characters inside of him, the “wheeler-dealer” that was Carroll Shelby and the uncompromising Ken Miles. It’s how he could make Ford v Ferrari empathetic to both points of view, and keeps the film from being boring, despite its big business themes.

If you know anything about the way the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race panned out, you’ll know even the final moments in the movie came down to Ford bureaucracy and not competition from Ferrari. There’s ultimately enough competition in the story thanks to Ford’s attempts to buy Ferrari down to Matt Damon sneakily nabbing Ferrari equipment to justify James Mangold’s preferred title, but at the end of the day, this is a movie about companies and about getting stuff done in the face of a large business that already has wheels in motion in other arenas.

It’s also a story about friendship and about what it takes to balance work and family and what it means to seek perfection. If any of those things seem striking to you, you can catch the film out in theaters now, or see what’s coming around Thanksgiving with our round-up of holiday movies.