Why the worst movies of the year always come out in January
Paramount
This January is no different. Paramount's $125 million kids action movie "Monster Trucks" was made in 2014 and after changing the release date three times, the studio finally settled on the dump month to release it. And to no one's surprise, the movie opened this past holiday weekend with only $14.6 million on over 3,000 screens.
And misery loves company. Coming out later this month is "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter," which also had numerous false starts before finally getting a January 27 release date.
January isn't just home for big-budget duds. Movies that didn't cut it during award season are also thrown into the mix. Ben Affleck's disappointing gangster movie "Live by Night" also opened over the weekend to just a paltry $5.7 million on 2,822 screens. And Matthew McConaughey's lackluster "Gold" opens wide January 27.
Warner Bros.
But why has January still been a dumping ground for Hollywood? Rotten Tomatoes editor-in-chief Matt Atchity points out that it's a combination of things. Bad weather and folks tightening the belt financially after spending a lot during the holidays are a couple reasons audiences steer clear of the multiplex. However, Atchity points out that the studios also have other priorities this time of year.
"The awards contenders hit wide release this month," he told Business Insider, "so I think the studios release their weaker films to stay out of the way of their awards contenders hitting national platforms."
Oscar contenders like "La La Land" and "Hidden Figures" have both had strong national rollouts since the calendar turned to 2017.
20th Century Fox
Studios aren't willing to plant one of their huge tentpole movies in January, but Atchity believes mid-level movies like "Taken" and "Ride Along," titles that can be appealing worldwide, are the best movies to release this time of year.
"I think there's fertile ground there for the right film," Atchity said. "But it's still pretty risky."
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