November is when the American studios bring out big films for the holiday season, and this year's slate has more to teach a working filmmaker than usual. It has a franchise film billed as "Filmed For IMAX", a McDonagh film made in several formats, and a David Fincher film that plays only in IMAX cinemas before it goes to Netflix. Below are the dates, who's releasing what, and what each film is worth watching for.
A note on dates: unless we say otherwise, they're US release dates. Only two of these films had Nigerian dates when we checked in late October, both at Filmhouse: The Cat in the Hat on 6 November and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on 20 November.
The month at a glance
- 6 November: Wild Horse Nine (Searchlight Pictures); The Cat in the Hat (Warner Bros.; also 6 November in Nigeria); Godzilla Minus Zero (GKIDS, across North America)
- 13 November: Ebenezer (Paramount); How to Rob a Bank (Amazon MGM Studios)
- 18 November: Madden, on Prime Video
- 20 November: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (Lionsgate; also 20 November in Nigeria)
- 25 November: Hexed (Disney); Focker-In-Law (Universal); The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth (IMAX cinemas worldwide, then Netflix; Netflix's Africa channel gives 27 November)
Sunrise on the Reaping and shooting for IMAX
The new Hunger Games film goes back 24 years before the first one. It follows a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, at the 50th Games, where twice the usual number of tributes are sent into the arena. Francis Lawrence directs from a screenplay by Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie, based on Suzanne Collins's novel, and Jo Willems is the cinematographer. The cast includes Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin and Elle Fanning.
IMAX bills the film as "Filmed For IMAX". Godzilla Minus Zero carries the same label, and Toho and GKIDS say that film was shot with "high-definition digital cameras certified by IMAX". We looked at how its predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, was made on a reported $15 million budget.
In Nigeria, Filmhouse lists Sunrise on the Reaping for 20 November, with tickets on sale since 16 October.
Wild Horse Nine and mixing formats
Martin McDonagh wrote and directed Wild Horse Nine, which stars John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi. It's set shortly before the 1973 coup in Chile: CIA agents are sent from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief. Ben Davis shot it, and the film was captured in more than one format.
Watch it for texture. When a film cuts between formats, each one carries its own grain, colour and feel, and the choice of which scenes get which format becomes part of the storytelling.
IMAX first, then Netflix
David Fincher's The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth has an unusual release. Netflix says it plays in IMAX cinemas around the world for an exclusive two-week run from 25 November, then starts streaming on Netflix on 23 December. Netflix's Africa channel gives the IMAX date as 27 November. Fincher directs from a new script by Quentin Tarantino, with Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, a Hollywood "fixer" in 1977. Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II co-star.
Netflix has named the film's key creative team, a useful map of who leads each department on a film like this: director of photography Erik Messerschmidt, editor Kirk Baxter, production designer Donald Graham Burt, costume designer Trish Summerville, sound designer Ren Klyce and casting director Laray Mayfield.
IMAX's Nigeria page lists the film as coming soon for 25 November, but no Nigerian cinema had it on sale when we checked.
David O. Russell's Madden goes the other way. It's mainly a Prime Video film, streaming from 18 November, with only a limited run in select cinemas earlier in the month. Nicolas Cage plays the American football coach and broadcaster John Madden, and Christian Bale plays the Raiders owner Al Davis.
Release dates move
Amazon MGM Studios first dated David Leitch's How to Rob a Bank for 4 September. It now opens on 13 November. Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz and Anna Sawai star in the story of a crew of bank robbers who broadcast their heists on social media. Big studios move dates, and the calendar gets crowded. Nigerian cinemas have their own crowded Friday this month: three Nigerian films open on 13 November, which we covered in our November Nollywood roundup.
The same day brings Paramount's Ebenezer, a new Scrooge story from the director Ti West, with Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, alongside Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint and Sam Claflin.
Animation and comedy for the holidays
- The Cat in the Hat is directed by Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja, with Bill Hader voicing the Cat. In the US it's showing in 2D, 3D, Dolby and premium large-format cinemas. In Nigeria, Filmhouse lists it for 6 November.
- Hexed, from Walt Disney Animation Studios, is directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, with Josie Trinidad as co-director. Hailee Steinfeld voices Billie Doe, a teenager who finds out she has magical powers.
- Focker-In-Law brings back Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, with Ariana Grande. Universal releases it in the US.
Where to watch in Abuja
Abuja's cinemas include Genesis at Ceddi Plaza, and Silverbird at the Silverbird Entertainment Center and at Jabi Lake Mall. In late October neither Genesis nor Silverbird listed any of these films. The two Nigerian dates above are at Filmhouse, which has no Abuja cinema on its site. Listings change week by week, so check each cinema's own site closer to the date.
Take it back to your own set
You won't be shooting on an IMAX-certified camera next week. What you can take from these films is the planning behind them: decide the format before the shoot, choose your look on purpose, and build your crew around people who know their department. Our post on choosing your first cinema camera covers the trade-offs. If you want to shoot raw on a proper cinema camera without buying one, we rent the Blackmagic 6K Pro in Abuja for ₦50,000 a day, and lights, lenses and sound kit are on our rental page.
Poster: Lionsgate.
