Lionsgate has revealed the first trailer for Jade Halley Bartlett’s feature debut, Miller’s Girl, which stars Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega, coming to theaters on January 26, 2024. The story follows a talented young writer (Ortega) and her teacher (Freeman), who embark on a creative journey that will inevitably bring them closer together, with some boundaries poised to be overstepped sooner rather than later.
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From Lionsgate: “As lines blur and their lives intertwine, professor and protégé must confront their darkest selves while straining to preserve their individual sense of purpose and the things they hold most dear.” Check out the trailer for Miller’s Girl here:
MILLER’S GIRL TRAILER REVEALS THE FILM WILL SHOWCASE SENSITIVE THEMES
Miller’s Girl promises to touch upon sensitive subject matters like misogyny and sexual assault in educational centers and warns it may be too much for some viewers, redirecting them to certain NGOs that can help if needed. While it’s definitely a darker tone than the one we’re used to for stories with a similar logline, it feels like it’s leaving a lot on the table.
That might be a good thing, though, as you don’t want to give all away in your first trailer, especially in a movie like this — but it’s hard to overlook the fact that Lionsgate is dumping this movie in theaters in January, which does not show a lot of confidence in it on their part. Do they have something special and they are just trying something new, or will this become next year’s first major disappointment? From the trailer, it’s hard to tell, but the odds are not in its favor.
In terms of box office competition for Miller’s Girl, January seems to be pretty light. There might be some audience crossover with Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle, which will likely put Dua Lipa all over its marketing, but even that seems like a bit of a stretch. That film opens in theaters the week after.
Jenna Ortega’s Big 2024
The movie will be a big test for Jenna Ortega’s power at the box office. She’s not only the lead of one of the biggest Netflix series ever on Wednesday or a booster to the Scream franchise, but she could become a major movie star next year. If Miller’s Girl does any business at the box office, it will be in big part because of her name and face on the poster. But there’s an even bigger test coming later when Warner Bros. opens Beetlejuice 2 in September.
That film has been in the works for years, but it wasn’t until Tim Burton and WB were able to sign Ortega to play Astrid Deetz that the studio decided to finance the movie. And you can’t really blame them. Top Gun: Maverick may have been in a similar position a few years ago, but that movie is definitely a miracle — and possibly another reason why Beetlejuice 2 is happening. After all, how many other long-gestating sequels have performed well at the box office lately?
Tim Burton doesn’t have a great track record with modern audiences, and Michael Keaton is not the recognizable name for the younger generations he was back in the 1990s. But Wednesday proved that there was a chance for a Beetlejuice sequel to exist in the modern day, as there is a hunger for this genre — but will that translate into ticket sales? If the movie does perform well, Jenna Ortega will definitely have to take a lot of credit for it — and likely a few points on it as well.
The question then becomes: What if it doesn’t perform well? It’s currently scheduled for September 6, a week after Sony’s Kraven the Hunter opens. I’ll give Beetlejuice 2 the edge here, but Warner Bros. will have to pull a big marketing swing for this one, as this is not that recognizable of an IP among younger viewers, and putting a “2” on the title will scare away a large portion of the audience.
In addition to these two movies, Jenna Ortega has a few other movies she’s starring in: Winter Spring Summer or Fall (which is not a remake of the South Korean film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring), from director Tiffany Paulsen, Alex Scharfman’s Death of a Unicorn, and an untitled film from Trey Edward Shults that also stars The Weeknd.
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She’s also supposed to film the second season of Wednesday for Netflix in spring 2024. As reported a few weeks ago, she’s now exited the Scream franchise as the filmmakers have moved in a different direction.
What did you think about the trailer for Miller’s Girl? Are you a Jenna Ortega fan, and are you looking forward to her big 2024? What is your favorite Jenna Ortega performance’ Let us know your thoughts on our social media!
SOURCE: Lionsgate
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