In what was a needlessly barren weekend in terms of new releases from major studios, the newbies and the smaller distribution outlets picked up some of the slack. So, for the occasion of what was technically Super Bowl weekend, Chrissi Michael, content strategist by day and box office nerd by night, returned for the fourth time as she attempts to stake her claim as the Steve Mart… err, uh… Emma Stone of The Box Office Podcast. Among the subjects of discourse…

* Jeremy and Max don’t say jack s**t since neither of them could make it.

* Scott, Lisa and Chrissi dissect Send Help’s staying power.

* Lisa notes the sheer volume of semi-regular small-scale/indie releases.

* Chrissi offers a critical deep dive into Charli XCX’s The Moment

* Scott notes the surprising muscle shown byVertical and Bleecker Street

* Lisa argues that Solo Mio again shows that rom-coms can still work.

* Chrissi demonstrates that she’s far too committed to the Box Office Podcast.

* Scott accidentally makes Dracula sound much better than it actually is.

* Everyone engages in way too much Wuthering Heights pre-release chatter.

* And more!

Apologies, but I’m running behind, so no “recommended reading” for this week. That said, if you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at [email protected].

* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News

* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap

* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer, Pajiba, Looper, Comic Book and Autostraddle

* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm and Fangoria

* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone

* Chrissi Michael - c(ine)m(a) studies

Get full access to The Outside Scoop at scottmendelson.substack.com/subscribe