In Theaters: BLACK AND BLUE, COUNTDOWN and THE CURRENT WAR (Director's Cut)

It look like it's going to be a slow weekend at the box-office, with just three low profile wide and semi-wide releases. The cop thriller "Black and Blue" opened in 2,062 theaters to a pretty negative reception from critics and moviegoers. The film, which stars Naomi Harris and Tyrese Gibson, has raked in $675,000 from Thursday previews and will probably finish the weekend with around $6 million.

Another new release is the micro-budget horror film "Countdown", which has also been mauled by critics. Moviegoers aren't particularly enjoying it either, with CinemaScore giving it a terrible "C+" grade based on their opening night polls. "Countdown" brought in $515,000 from previews and will probabil score a $7-8 million opening weekend from 2,675 theaters.

Meanwhile, "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil", "Joker" and "Zombieland: Double Tap" are in a tight race in the Top 3.

The semi-wide release I mentioned above is the biopic "The Current War", which is being released in its Director's Cut form in 1,022 theaters. The film was initially scheduled for release in 2017, but ended up getting shelved after Harvey Weinstein got into trouble and his company went belly-up. Despite being an improvement on the film's original cut, it's still far from a masterpiece, receiveing a mixed reception from critics and audiences. It's box-office prospects are also limited with expectations for a $2 million debut this weekend.

In other news, Robert Eggers' new horror film "The Lighthouse" starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe has expanded nationwide (578 new locations). Coming back this weekend are Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (1,674 locations) with 10 extra minutes of footage, and the Guillermo Del Toro-produced horror film "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" (1,567 locations).

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

BLACK AND BLUE

Official Synopsis

BLACK AND BLUE is a fast-paced action thriller about a rookie cop (Naomie Harris) who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing that the murder was committed by corrupt cops, she teams up with the one person from her community who is willing to help her (Tyrese Gibson) as she tries to escape both the criminals out for revenge and the police who are desperate to destroy the incriminating footage.

Film Details

• Director: Deon Taylor
  
  
• Starring: Naomie Harris, Mike Colter, Frank Grillo, Reid Scott, Nafessa Williams, Beau Knapp
  
  
• Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
  
  
• Running Time: 108 min.
  
  
• Rating: R for violence and language
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 46% (25 fresh, 29 rotten, score: 5.3/10)
  
• Metacritic: 53 out of 100 (8 positive, 12 mixed, 1 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (average score: 4.5/5 from 344 user ratings)
• Metacritic: 2.3/10 (3 positive, 1 mixed, 9 negative).
• IMDb: 4.5/10 (506 votes)
  

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COUNTDOWN

Official Synopsis

When a young nurse (Elizabeth Lail) downloads an app that claims to predict exactly when a person is going to die, it tells her she only has three days to live. With time ticking away and death closing in, she must find a way to save her life before time runs out.

Film Details

• Director: Justin Dec
  
  
• Starring: Elizabeth Lail, Anne WInters, Tom Segura, Jordan Calloway, Tichina Arnold, Peter Facinelli, Talitha Eliana Bateman
  
  
• Genre: Horror, Thriller
  
  
• Running Time: 90 min.
  
  
• Rating: PG-13 for terror, violence, bloody images, suggestive material, language and thematic elements
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 23% (8 fresh, 27 rotten, score: 4.1/10)
  
• Metacritic: 29 out of 100 (1 positive, 5 mixed, 7 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 71% (average score: 3.9/5 from 204 user ratings)
• Metacritic: 1.9/10 (1 positive, 2 mixed, 10 negative).
• IMDb: 5.2/10 (539 votes)
  

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THE CURRENT WAR: Director's Cut

Official Synopsis

The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world.

Film Details

• Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
  
  
• Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Katherine Waterston, Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult Tom Holland, Tuppence MIddleton, Matthew Macfadyen
  
  
• Genre: Biography, Drama, History
  
  
• Running Time: 107 min.
  
  
• Rating: PG-13 for some disturbing/violent images, and thematic elements
  
  

Critical Reception

• Rottentomatoes: 57% (32 fresh, 24 rotten, score: 6.3/10)
  
• Metacritic: 49 out of 100 (8 positive, 20 mixed, 3 negative).

Audience Reception

• Rotten Tomatoes: 79% (average score: 3.9/5 from 67 user ratings)
• Metacritic: 3.5/10 (2 positive, 4 mixed, 4 negative).
• IMDb: 6.3/10 (4,270 votes)
  

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