Reports have been coming in all weekend claiming the bitter feud between Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s new drama The Revenant and J.J. Abrams’ newest entry in the Star Wars franchise, The Force Awakens. It would seem though, according to the numbers I have been seeing, that The Revenant is out in front, if only slightly.
We were all wondering what film would unseat The Force Awakens, and many, like myself, saw February’s Deadpool as the first likely contender, but perhaps we were wrong, as many in the box office tracking community saw The Revenant coming in at a respectable but lower $20 million. It now appears like the possible Best Picture contender is racing for somewhere around $37-38 million.
For star Leonardo DiCaprio, the recognition must feel good. DiCaprio, often thought to be cursed from ever getting a Best Actor Academy Award for his countless wonderful performances, seems to be, for now at least, considered one of the front-runners.
The Revenant, a definitely on-the-radar film for the Oscar season, is directed by Inarritu, known for last year’s Best Picture winner Birdman, and stars DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Domhnall Gleeson, and was in a very limited release starting Christmas Day before opening wide on Friday.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is, of course, the newest entry in the long-thought-dead film franchise, renewed by Disney in their purchase of Lucasfilm. It also feature Gleeson, who, no matter what this weekend, comes out a winner.
Both films are in wide release right now.
-Kyle A. Goethe
So what do you think? Does Star Wars deserve another week at the top or are you out in the wild with Leo fighting to take the #1? Let me know!
GOAT Film Reviews 
I enjoyed reading your post. Unlike the undeservedly over-hyped Star Wars, The Revenant is a true epic in every sense of the word. You are welcome to read my reviews of both on https://richardalaba.wordpress.com