In Theaters: HUSTLERS, THE GOLDFINCH, MONOS and FREAKS

The true-life stripper crime drama "Hustlers" starring Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez and featuring an impressive supporting cast that also includes Cardi B, Julia Stiles and Lili Reinhart, is now in theaters and off to a solid start with $2.5 million from Thursday night previews, which should put it on track for a $25+ million debut from 3,250 theaters. It won't be enough, however, to knock "It" down from the top spot, as the horror film is expected to hold at #1 with a $37 million second weekend. "Hustlers" has received excellent reviews from critics, but a lukewarm "B-" grade from CinemaScore's opening night polls.

Another new wide release is Warner Bros' "The Goldfinch", an adaptation of Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that stars Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson and Sarah Paulson. Like "Hustlers", the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, but the critical reception for the film has been generally negative. On the bright side, it looks like moviegoers are mostly liking the film, as CinemaScore reports a decent "B" grade from their polls. Pundits expect this one to debut with around $8 million from 2,542 theaters.

In other news, the dramedy "Brittany Runs a Marathon" starring Jillian Bell has expanded nationwide. And, in limited release, it's worth checking out Alejandro Landes' teen commandos drama "Monos", and the sci-fi thriller "Freaks" starring Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park and Amanda Crew

Synopses, details, critical/audience reception, trailers, and more after the jump.

HUSTLERS

Official Synopsis

Hustlers follows a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients.

Film Details

• Director: Lorene Scafaria
  
  
• Starring: Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Julia Stiles, Mercedes Ruehl
  
  
• Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 109 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for pervasive sexual material, drug content, language and nudity
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 87% (130 fresh, 19 rotten, score: 7.5/10)
  
• Metacritic: 79 out of 100 (35 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 74% (average score: 3.9/5 from 382 user ratings)
• Metacritic: 7.1/10 (30 positive, 7 mixed, 9 negative).
• IMDb: 6.3/10 (2,049 votes)
  

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THE GOLDFINCH

Official Synopsis

"The Goldfinch" is the film adaptation of Donna Tartt's globally acclaimed bestseller of the same name, which won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and spent more than 30 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list. Theodore "Theo" Decker (Ansel Elgort) was 13 years old when his mother was killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The tragedy changes the course of his life, sending him on a stirring odyssey of grief and guilt, reinvention and redemption, and even love. Through it all, he holds on to one tangible piece of hope from that terrible day...a painting of a tiny bird chained to its perch. The Goldfinch.

Film Details

• Director: John Crowley
  
  
• Starring: Oakes Fegley, Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Luke Wilson, Sarah Paulson, Willa Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Wright
  
  
• Genre: Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 149 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for drug use and language
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 24% (26 fresh, 81 rotten, score: 4.4/10)
  
• Metacritic: 41 out of 100 (5 positive, 19 mixed, 10 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 78% (average score: 4.2/5 from 59 user ratings)
• Metacritic: 7.5/10 (2 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative).
• IMDb: 6.3/10 (599 votes)
  

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MONOS

Official Synopsis

MONOS, Alejandro Landes' third feature, is a survivalist saga set on a remote mountain in Latin America. The film tracks a young group of soldiers and rebels -- bearing names like Rambo, Smurf, Bigfoot, Wolf and Boom-Boom -- who keep watch over an American hostage, Doctora (Julianne Nicholson). The teenage commandos perform military training exercises by day and indulge in youthful hedonism by night, an unconventional family bound together under a shadowy force know only as The Organization. After an ambush drives the squadron into the jungle, both the mission and the intricate bonds between the group begin to disintegrate. Order descends into chaos and within MONOS the strong begin to prey on the weak in this vivid, cautionary fever-dream.

Film Details

• Director: Alejandro Landes
  
  
• Starring: Sofia Buenaventura, Julian Giraldo, Karen Quintero, Laura Castrillón, Deiby Rueda, Julianne Nicholson
  
  
• Genre: Drama, Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 102 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for violence, language, some sexual content and drug use
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 90% (38 fresh, 4 rotten, score: 8.0/10)
  
• Metacritic: 75 out of 100 (11 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: % (average score: X/5 from X user ratings)
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 7.5/10 (1,260 votes)
  

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FREAKS

Official Synopsis

Kept locked inside the house by her father, 7-year-old Chloe lives in fear and fascination of the outside world, where Abnormals create a constant threat - or so she believes. When a mysterious stranger offers her a glimpse of what's really happening outside, Chloe soon finds that while the truth isn't so simple, the danger is very real.

Film Details

• Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
  
  
• Starring: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Lexy Kolker, Amanda Crew, Grace Park, Ava Telek
  
  
• Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 104 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for violence and some language
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 86% (57 fresh, 9 rotten, score: 6.9/10)
  
• Metacritic: 63 out of 100 (8 positive, 7 mixed, 1 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 60% (average score: 3.4/5 from 5 user ratings)
• Metacritic: N/A
• IMDb: 6.7/10 (617 votes)
  

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