Movies
[TV] Malevolent Casting For “Under the Dome”
Mare Winningham is taking a trip “Under the Dome,” reports TVLine.
The two-time Emmy winner — most recently nominated for her turn on “Hatfields & McCoys” — will guest-star on CBS’ summer smash, in a role that is mysterious and maybe even a bit… malevolent?
Says the site, Winningham will appear in a late-August episode as Agatha, a deceptively warm caretaker who welcomes Big Jim into the Chester’s Mill home she’s looking after. However, it quickly becomes apparent that her intentions are anything but pure.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Mare Winningham on ‘Under the Dome,’” executive producer Neal Baer said in a statement. “She’s my good-luck charm: I worked with her on ER, as well as on Law & Order: SVU (for which she was Emmy-nominated as Best Guest Actress). She brings truth and believability to every role, and she will definitely leave viewers talking.”
An original big screen Brat Packer, Winningham’s most recent TV credits include “Hawaii Five-0,” the aforementioned “Hatfields & McCoys” and “Torchwood.”
“Under the Dome,” which to date has drawn nearly 20 million viewers to its pilot, airs Mondays at 10/9c.
Movies
‘Abigail’ on Track for a Better Opening Weekend Than Universal’s Previous Two Vampire Attempts
In the wake of Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man back in 2020, Universal has been struggling to achieve further box office success with their Universal Monsters brand. Even in the early days of the pandemic, Invisible Man scared up $144 million at the worldwide box office, while last year’s Universal Monsters: Dracula movies The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield didn’t even approach that number when you COMBINE their individual box office hauls.
The horror-comedy Renfield came along first in April 2023, ending its run with just $26 million. The period piece Last Voyage of the Demeter ended its own run with a mere $21 million.
But Universal is trying again with their ballerina vampire movie Abigail this weekend, the latest bloodbath directed by the filmmakers known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
Unlike Demeter and Renfield, the early reviews for Abigail are incredibly strong, with our own Meagan Navarro calling the film “savagely inventive in terms of its vampiric gore,” ultimately “offering a thrill ride with sharp, pointy teeth.” Read her full review here.
That early buzz – coupled with some excellent trailers – should drive Abigail to moderate box office success, the film already scaring up $1 million in Thursday previews last night. Variety notes that Abigail is currently on track to enjoy a $12 million – $15 million opening weekend, which would smash Renfield ($8 million) and Demeter’s ($6 million) opening weekends.
Working to Abigail‘s advantage is the film’s reported $28 million production budget, making it a more affordable box office bet for Universal than the two aforementioned movies.
Stay tuned for more box office reporting in the coming days.
In Abigail, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
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