Three wide releases hit North American theaters this weekend, offering a split verdict from critics before audiences even weigh in: a horror sequel posting the best reviews of its franchise, an action thriller posting some of its star's worst, and a family fantasy adaptation aiming squarely down the middle.
"Insidious: Out of the Further," the sixth film in the horror franchise and a sequel to 2023's "Insidious: The Red Door," opened with a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — the best score in the series, edging past the original 2010 film's 66%. Directed by Jacob Chase, it stars Amelia Eve as Gemma, a young mother who discovers she can travel into the Further, the astral realm at the center of the franchise, while Lin Shaye returns as the series' recurring psychic, Elise Rainier. IGN's Tom Jorgensen called it "a better soft reboot than a sixth franchise entry has any right to be," and io9's Germain Lussier described it as the best entry in the series since the original.
"Mutiny" fared worse with critics. The Jason Statham vehicle, directed by Jean-François Richet, casts the actor as Cole Reed, a man framed for his boss's murder who boards a cargo ship to track down the real killers and stumbles onto a wider conspiracy. It opened at 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, Statham's lowest-rated wide release since 2023's "Expend4bles." Screen Rant called the action "aimless, dull, and uninspired."
The gentler option is "The Magic Faraway Tree," Ben Gregor's adaptation of Enid Blyton's children's book series, which expands into wide U.S. release after opening in the U.K. in March. Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy star as parents who move their three children to the countryside, where they discover a tree connecting to a rotating cast of magical lands; Nicola Coughlan voices the fairy Silky and Jessica Gunning plays Dame Washalot. In an interview with NPR, Garfield said the response to early screenings reflected an appetite for lower-stakes viewing.
Families are longing for that.
Andrew Garfield, to NPR, on families seeking "simple, sweet, joyful" films
The three films will compete for a late-August box office that typically slows before fall awards season begins in earnest, with horror historically the most reliable draw of the genres represented this weekend.
