Disney’s reboot Tron: Ares malfunctioned badly in its box office debut, coming in well behind expectations with a domestic opening of $33.5 million from 4,000 theaters. Unless it can solve its problem quickly, it will once and for all end hopes of rebooting a storied, yet troubled, sci-fi franchise that began more than four decades ago when the first film became a cult classic.
Overseas — where the sci-fi genre is an even harder sell — Ares also disappointed with a debut of $27 million for a global start of $60.5 million. It unfurled everywhere except for China, where it opens next weekend.
Heading into the weekend, the big-budget event pic had been tracking to open to $40 million to $45 million domestically (at one point, $50 million was even a possibility) against a hefty net production budget of $180 million after tens of millions in tax breaks and production incentives.
The Tron film franchise has always been challenged, resulting in terms of long gaps between installments. It took 33 years for the sequel, Tron: Legacy, to hit the big screen. Debuting in 2015, Legacy opened to $44 million domestically on its way to earning $409.9 million globally, not adjusted for inflation. Ares was in development for a decade, but former Disney exec Sean Bailey refused to give up and shepherded the project when serving as head of Disney’s live-action studio.
Disney insiders were well aware that Tron: Ares might encounter trouble in its box office debut. The hope now is that solid audience scores can make up for decidedly mixed reviews. Its current critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes is 57 percent, while the audience ranking is much better at 87 percent. And it got four out of five stars on PostTrak. Also, it has little competition coming up and will retain Imax, Dolby Cinema and other premium large-format screens, which combined accounted for an unheard of 67 percent of opening weekend earnings.
Norwegian Disney vet Joachim Rønning directs the third film, which stars Jared Leto as the eponymous program, Ares, Greta Lee as Eve Kim, CEO of ENCOM, the tech corporation at the center of the series since the start, and Evan Peters as baddie Julian Dillinger.
Another new major studio offering this weekend is Miramax and Paramount’s romantic crime-caper comedy Roofman, starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst. Derek Cianfrance directed the pic, which co-stars LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple and Peter Dinklage.
Roofman came in on the low end of expectations with an estimated $8 million from 3,362 theaters, but who is counting when the film’s net production budget is a modest $19 million (tracking had it debuting at $8 million to $10 million). Miramax produced and financed the film, which hoped to serve as counter-programming for females not interested in Tron or the myriad of male-skewing films dominating the marquee. So far, however, more males than females are showing up to see the film, even if by a slim margin.
Unlike Tron, Roofman boasts strong reviews, although moviegoer reaction is relatively similar. Roofman‘s Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score is 85 percent, while the audience score is 84 percent. Both films received a B+ from polling service CinemaScore, as well as four out of five stars on PostTrak.
Based on a true story, Roofman follows the adventures of an Army veteran and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs, earning him the nickname Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys “R” Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move, but his double life begins to unravel when he falls in love.
Another new nationwide offering is Soul of Fire, from Sony’s faith-based Affirm label. The movie opened to $3 million from 1,730 locations for a sixth-place finish. The good news: the movie reportedly cost a net $3 million to produce and earned an A CinemaScore. It is doing best in America’s heartland and the South.
At the specialty box office, A24 launched its Rose Byrne-starrer If I Had Legs I’d Kick You in four theaters for an estimated per-location north of $27,000, the best of the weekend.
Amazon MGM Studios is also going the platform route with Luca Guadagnino’s specialty psychological thriller After the Hunt, starring Julia Roberts. It’s paying off so far; the #MeToo movie opened in six theaters for a promising per-location average of $25,745. The awards contender, which also stars Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny, made the rounds at the fall film festivals and is about a sexual assault accusation that tears apart Yale’s philosophy department.
The score for After the Hunt is from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who are on double duty, having also done the score for Tron: Ares (in the latter, they are credited by their band’s name, Nine Inch Nails).
Among holdovers, Paul Thomas Anderson‘s One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, came in third with an estimated weekend gross of $6.7 from 3,127 sites, a drop of 39 percent. Some box office pundits are stumped that the high-profile awards contender from Warner Bros. isn’t holding in stronger after earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore, but the film’s fate is far from being decided (it is only in its third outing). Overseas, it took in another $15 million for a global tally of $83.5 million and $138 million globally.
New Line and Warner Bros.’ The Conjuring: Last Rites achieved a major milestone in screaming past the $300 million mark internationally. In North America, it rounded out the top five with $3 million from 2,334 cinemas for a domestic tally of $233.4 million and a profit-popping $473 million.
Japanese manga blockbuster Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle also notched a major milestone this weekend in passing up Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to become the top-grossing international film of all time at the domestic box office with a cume of $128.6 million, not adjusted for inflation (it came in seventh for the frame with $3 million from 1,834 sites. Sony’s Crunchyroll is handling the blockbuster both domestically and in numerous foreign territories outside of Japan; its share of the film’s global total of $648 million is $336 million.)
Dwayne Johnson-starrer The Smashing Machine appeared to collapse in its second weekend after getting snubbed by audiences, despite solid reviews. The A24 pic dropped nearly 70 percent to $1.7 million from 3,321 theaters for a paltry 10-day domestic total of $9.8 million and an eighth-place finish. The movie, which kicked off its awards campaign with a splashy world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, marks Johnson’s first foray into Oscar territory. The Benny Safdie-directed pic cost $50 million to produce before marketing, a high price tag for an indie pic, although Johnson himself took a far lower fee than he usually commands.
Channing Tatum stars in Paramount Pictures’ “Roofman,” which is based on an N.C. crime story (and filmed in the Charlotte area last year).
Davi Russo
TNS
Of all the questions moviegoers can come up with regarding the authenticity of the new “Roofman” movie, this one might stand as the biggest: At the time of his crimes, was Jeffrey Manchester even remotely close to as good-looking as Channing Tatum?
That, of course, is subjective. Meanwhile, many of the other “what’s true and what’s not” questions we expect to be raised by the film — based on Manchester’s brazen McDonald’s robberies, his bold escape from a North Carolina prison, and the bonkers series of adventures that saw him living in (and next to) a Charlotte Toys R Us while wooing a churchgoing single mom under false pretenses — can be answered much more objectively.
“Roofman” opened in theaters nationwide on Friday; so if you haven’t yet seen it but plan to, you may want to bookmark this page and come back to it after.
Because, obviously, spoilers abound.
If you have seen it, then let’s dive right in to our great, big fact check, which outlines numerous examples of the creative license the filmmakers took on their way to adapting Manchester’s life and crimes for the big screen.
Kirsten Dunst (who portrays Leigh Wainscott) and Channing Tatum (Jeffrey Manchester) on the set of “Roofman.” Davi Russo Davi Russo
In the movie: As the story begins, Jeffrey (played by Tatum) is in a tenuous off-again-on-again relationship with the mother of his three children, including very young twins and a daughter who turns 6 and then 7 in the first 15 minutes of running time. It’s implied that they reside in North Carolina (and, though it’s never made explicit, it’s suggested they’re in the Fayetteville area).
In real life: Somewhat true, somewhat false. Manchester was never a permanent North Carolina resident. He had lived near California’s Bay area for years. He was divorced in 1999, and during that period became estranged from his three children. In May 2000, he arrived in the Tar Heel state on an assignment as an Army Reserve sergeant; shortly thereafter, he wound up in the Charlotte area — where he would rob two McDonald’s over the course of just a few hours. At the time, his daughter was about 7, but his twin sons were actually a year older than her.
In the movie: Having broken into a Fayetteville McDonald’s through its roof, Jeffrey genially forces employees into the restaurant’s freezer — and in doing so, he makes sure they put on the coats they had worn to work (implying that it is wintertime).
In real life: More true than not, though there’s no record of him ever committing a robbery anywhere near Fayetteville. Also, this is somewhat nitpicky, but … he actually was known for putting employees into the restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator. And FWIW, Mirvat Fayad says that when he robbed the McDonald’s she worked at in Belmont on the morning of May 20, 2000 (low temp that day: 65 degrees), he put them in the fridge after having the manager fetch for each of them a McDonald’s-uniform jacket. Those coats, she told us, were provided for employees who need to do work inside the refrigerators or freezers.
This newly renovated McDonald’s, on Main Street in Belmont, stands in place of the old building that was originally broken into and robbed by Jeffrey Manchester in May 2000. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
In the movie: As Jeffrey presents a new bike to his daughter at her seventh birthday party, police arrive to arrest him for his “Roofman” crimes.
In real life: False. He was arrested as he fled with cash he’d taken from the Belmont McDonald’s, after Fayad and her co-workers were able to break open the refrigerator’s door and call police.
In the movie: Jeffrey — who claims that he robbed 45 McDonald’s restaurants before being caught — is convicted of three counts of felony kidnapping. At a hearing on Feb. 4, 2004, a judge tells him, “Although you’re only being tried for one robbery, we know you’ve done many more,” then sentences him to 45 years in prison. (Jumping ahead a little here, but the movie suggests the whole Manchester saga played out over the course of two years. It actually spanned more than twice as long as that.)
In real life: True-ish, and false-ish. A jury convicted him of seven counts of kidnapping and one weapons offense, all related to the two N.C. robberies. He was sentenced to 32 to 45 years by a Gaston County judge — on Nov. 2, 2000. Authorities had been investigating him for at least 42 armed robberies in other states, but eventually retired those efforts.
In the movie: Jeffrey escapes from a Polkton prison by wedging a piece of plywood into the undercarriage of a large box truck, and then climbing up onto the plywood, where he could avoid being spotted by guards using under-vehicle search mirrors.
In real life: True. The film’s and history’s timelines realign here, too, with the escape taking place in June 2004. (What’s false about how that scene plays out, however, is that it has Manchester managing to get a fair distance away from the prison while riding under the truck; in actuality, he only got as far as an outbuilding, then had to slip away from there.)
In the movie: Jeffrey winds up in the Charlotte area and randomly decides that a Toys R Us store (shown late in the movie as being located in Pineville) would be a good place to hide out. He finds a difficult-to-access, walled-off area of the store — behind a display of kids’ bikes — where he creates a lair that includes a children’s mattress fitted with Spider-Man bedsheets and comforters. He manages to take control of the security cameras, sets up stolen baby monitors to spy on employees, uses the store as a playground at night, and eats stolen candy and baby food. The lair goes undetected for six months.
Channing Tatum as Jeffrey Manchester in “Roofman,” much of which is set in the busy Toys R Us store he’s hiding in. Davi Russo Davi Russo
In real life: More true than not. The false parts include the fact that the store was actually on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte; as well as the fact that while he did live behind a wall in the Toys R Us for multiple months, that hideout was discovered by employees (when he happened to not be there). Around that time, he bored a hole through a wall on the opposite side of Toys R Us, into a closed-down Circuit City electronics store, where he created another lair behind a wall underneath a staircase.
In the movie: Leigh Wainscott (played by Kirsten Dunst) is introduced as an employee at Toys R Us and a recently divorced single mom of two girls — Dee, 11, and Lindsay, 16.
In real life: Vaguely true, but largely false. Wainscott (now Leigh Moore) worked in the corporate office of a large automotive group at the time. She was separated, but not yet divorced; and she actually has three children, including daughter Ashley (who was about 15 at the time), son Matt (about 12 then), and daughter Ginny (about 9).
In the movie: Jeffrey hacks into the store manager’s computer and changes Leigh’s work schedule.
In real life: Again, Wainscott never worked at Toys R Us. However, it’s true that Manchester was able to get into the store’s scheduling system and made changes based on who he might want working (or not working) at particular times — and perhaps just to generally create chaos.
In the movie: While spying on a conversation between Leigh and Toys R Us manager Mitch (played by Peter Dinklage), Jeffrey learns of a toy drive happening at Wainscott’s church — Crossroads, located “just across the interstate.” He starts attending the church after dropping by with a garbage bag full of stolen toys.
Channing Tatum’s Jeffrey Manchester uses the Toys R Us as a playground in “Roofman.” Davi Russo Davi Russo
In real life: Somewhat true, somewhat false. In mid-fall of 2004, Manchester did in fact wander over to Crossroads Church — about 300 yards from the Toys R Us, over on Monroe Road — but mainly because he was bored and lonely after more than four months of little to no human contact. He didn’t meet Wainscott until after he started attending services. Oh, and he did bring an impressive amount of (stolen) toys to support a church toy drive, but not till closer to Christmastime.
In the movie: Jeffrey introduces himself to Leigh as John Zorn, a “just officially divorced” dad of “two little monster boys and … a little girl that is my best pal.” He says he works for the government, but “can’t really talk about it. It’s classified.”
In real life: Mostly true. The only exception? Leigh Moore told us recently that Manchester never mentioned having kids or being married while they were dating.
In the movie: “John” and Leigh attend a singles brunch at Red Lobster, after which she asks him out.
In real life: All true, except the event was actually at TGI Friday’s.
In the movie: Leigh tells “John” her ex’s name was Jeffrey, making for a strange coincidence.
In real life: True!
Jeffrey Manchester, photographed during his trial in November of 2000, one day before he was sentenced to serve at least 35 years in prison. John D. Simmons Charlotte Observer File Photo
In the movie: His excessively sugary diet causes Jeffrey to have to visit a nearby dentist to have 14 cavities filled.
In real life: True. We don’t know exactly how many cavities he had, but he did indeed get some filled at a dentist’s office.
In the movie: Speaking of candy, there’s a scene on Halloween when “John” and Leigh’s younger daughter Dee are shown trick-or-treating together, with him dressed as a pink bunny.
In real life: False. Manchester hadn’t even met Wainscott by Halloween of 2004. He did steal a pink bunny costume from a staff area of Toys R Us (it was used around Easter), but he wore it — for kicks — to a Christmas party hosted by a member of Crossroads Church in December.
In the movie: After a simmering rift between Leigh and her teenage daughter leads to an argument over Lindsay’s refusal to learn how to drive her mom’s stick shift, “John” announces they need a “beater” — i.e. a used automatic-transmission car that will make it easier for her to get her license. “John,” Leigh and the two girls pick out a green Chrysler Concorde sedan at a local dealership and take it for a memorably zany test drive. He winds up buying it, with a roll of cash.
In real life: Kinda, sorta true. Ish. Wainscott grew to thinking he really needed a car, so they went to a local dealership and he stunned her by plunking down $5,000 cash for a green 1999 Chrysler Concorde. None of her children went with them. The test drive was uneventful.
Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst chat next to the green Chrysler Concorde in “Roofman.” Davi Russo Davi Russo
In the movie: Jeffrey is seen making three visits to a pawn shop. Twice, he goes when it’s open, to sell video games he stole from the toy store (at one point it’s mentioned that he stole $10,000 worth of games in total). Closer to the end, he breaks in at night and steals a pistol from a glass case along with a “POLICE” vest on a clothing rack.
In real life: Almost entirely true. Manchester did steal a significant amount of video games from the store, and pawned them. Former Charlotte police sergeant Katherine Scheimreif told us he also stole two pistols from a pawn shop farther down Independence.
In the movie: On Christmas Eve, Jeffrey robs the Toys R Us he’s been living in as it gets ready to open for the day. In the process, he knocks out and bloodies an armed security guard by striking him with his rifle.
In real life: Fairly accurate. In the course of a day-after-Christmas robbery, Manchester — wearing a vest that had “POLICE” on it — got the jump on an off-duty Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputy who’d been hired to protect the store that morning. He took her service pistol, pointed it at her, and ordered her to the floor. He did not physically harm her, but Scheimreif told us the woman was new to her job and decided to leave the profession after being victimized.
In the movie: Jeffrey gets the big score he came for, but is thrown off his game when Leigh appears unexpectedly at the entrance. Rattled, he runs with the stolen cash to the rear of the store and flees via the emergency exit.
In real life: Fairly inaccurate. Manchester’s robbery went awry when two employees escaped while he was pulling money from the safe. He did run to the back of the store, but his plan had been to trigger the emergency-exit alarm — to make everyone think he’d left the building — and then slip through the passageway to reach his Circuit City hideout. Unfortunately for him, he forgot to trigger that alarm. Responding officers found the passageway, then found the hideout. He wasn’t in it, but they found a fingerprint that matched the escaped convict Jeffrey Manchester. Leigh didn’t find out about any of this until a week and a half later (more on that in a moment).
In the movie: Jeffrey tries to cover his tracks by burning down the dentist’s office where he had his cavities filled.
In real life: True.
In the movie: It’s implied that Leigh went to the police and then agreed to use herself as bait. As Jeffrey is on his way to the airport, to catch a flight that will take him to a country with no extradition, she calls and asks if he’s coming to Christmas dinner. He turns around and heads back to her apartment, where police are waiting to arrest him.
Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst in a scene from “Roofman.” Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
In real life: Mostly false, but with grains of truth. Charlotte police were showing Manchester’s photo to residents and businesses all around the Toys R Us, and finally got a hit at Crossroads Church, where members recognized him as John Zorn. They said he’d been dating Wainscott, and on Jan. 6 — her 40th birthday — police made a surprise visit to her workplace to tell her that her boyfriend was on “America’s Most Wanted.” The couple already had plans for dinner, and although Manchester knew police were onto him, Wainscott successfully got him to stick to the plan by acting calm and cool on a phone call confirming their date. He was arrested without incident outside of her apartment when he arrived to pick her up. He apparently did have plans to leave the country after taking her to dinner.
In the movie: Jeffrey is sentenced to “384 more months,” which is 32 years. “That means by the time I get out of here,” he says in voiceover, “I’ll be an old man.”
In real life: Basically false. Manchester is in Central Prison in Raleigh serving out the rest of his original 35-year sentence (for his Gaston County crimes). He did get more than 25 years for the Toys R Us crimes and the arson conviction, but the Mecklenburg judge who sentenced him in that case ordered that time be served concurrently — so he’s still expected to be released in 2036. By then, he’ll be 65 years old.
In the movie: A fellow convict asks Jeffrey if he ever got to see Leigh again. Then the film cuts to a scene in which Leigh visits Jeffrey in prison shortly after he’s recaptured. She tells him, tearfully, “I was really angry at you. I was most angry at how you hurt the girls. But that’s not the way I think about it now. I think about it as an adventure. I had a lot of fun. I’m thankful.”
In real-life: True-ish. Wainscott did make one visit to the prison afterward. She said it was just “for closure.” She then went almost two decades without talking to him, and has been happily remarried since 2016. But she reconnected with Manchester after the movie went into production — both were involved as consultants. In an interview with The Charlotte Observer last month, she said, “Yes, he broke the law. Yeah, he was a criminal. But he’s a good person.”
Leigh Moore, photographed this past summer at her home in Matthews. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM.
Théoden Janes has spent more than 18 years covering entertainment and pop culture for the Observer. He also thrives on telling emotive long-form stories about extraordinary Charlotteans and — as a veteran of three dozen marathons and two Ironman triathlons — occasionally writes about endurance and other sports. Support my work with a digital subscription
Fans are excited about the new Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst movie, Roofman, and many are curious if it has a post-credits or mid-credits scene. The big question is: should you stay after the film ends?
The answer is yes. Roofman shows a mid-credits scene that fans don’t want to miss. It gives extra details about the real-life story behind the movie and helps the fans understand the events better.
Does Roofman have a mid, end, or post-credits scene? What is shown during Roofman’s credits?
Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman has a mid-credits scene after the movie ends, so fans should definitely stick around to watch it. This gives them more background on the real events that inspired the story.
The mid-credits scene shows pictures of the real Jeffrey Manchester, Leigh Wainscott, and others from the movie. It also shows clips about the McDonald’s robberies. The scene also features short interviews with people who interacted with Manchester, including McDonald’s employees, the prison truck driver, the church pastor, and Leigh.
The movie follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a single dad who robs McDonald’s through their roofs, earning the nickname “Roofman.” After escaping prison, he hides in a Toys ‘R’ Us for six months while planning his next move.
Things change when he falls for Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst), a Toys ‘R’ Us employee and divorced mom drawn to his charm. Manchester’s secret life starts to fall apart, leading to a tense and exciting struggle with his past coming to haunt him.
It has already earned praise from critics, especially for the chemistry between Tatum and Dunst. Derek Cianfrance directed the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Kirt Gunn. The cast also includes Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Melonie Diaz, Uzo Aduba, Lily Collias, Jimmy O. Yang, and Peter Dinklage.
Channing Tatum stars in the movie and works as an executive producer alongside Cianfrance.
It’s hard to imagine that a man who has been described by Esquire as “the first honest-to-God movie star of his generation” and by Vanity Fair as “the biggest male star since Pitt or Clooney,” and who was chosen as People’s Sexiest Man Alive and one of TIME’s 100 most influential people in the world, would feel anything but immense confidence. But Channing Tatum, on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, insists that he felt “imposter syndrome” throughout his career — until, that is, he completed his latest film, Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman, which premiered at last month’s Toronto International Film Festival — bringing Tatum the best reviews of his career — and will be released nationwide on Friday.
Tatum’s path to Hollywood is highly unusual, to say the least, and literally the stuff of movies — the blockbuster Magic Mike films, which he produced and starred in, were inspired by his own youthful adventures as an adrift young man who turned to stripping for lack of a better idea of something to do. For Tatum, though, stripping, against all odds, eventually led to dancing in music videos, most notably Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs”; then to modeling for the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani; then to appearing in national commercials for Pepsi and Mountain Dew; and eventually to acting.
He landed his first film roles 20 years ago, and since then has proven to be a box-office magnet. Indeed, it can’t be a coincidence that 13 of his films have topped the domestic box office in their opening weekend: 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2010’s Dear John, 2012’s 21 Jump Street and The Vow, 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, 2014’s 22 Jump Street and The Lego Movie, 2017’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle and The Lego Batman Movie, 2019’s The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, 2022’s The Lost City, 2023’s Magic Mike’s Last Dance and 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.
He also has shown himself to be a gifted and constantly-improving actor who top filmmakers want to work with. He has been directed by Steven Soderbergh (five times), Quentin Tarantino, Bennett Miller, Michael Mann, Kimberly Peirce, Jon M. Chu, Lasse Hallstrom and the brothers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, among others. And if anyone doubts his chops, they should check out his performances in 2006’s A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, 2009’s Fighting, 2012’s Magic Mike, 2013’s Side Effects, 2014’s Foxcatcher, 2015’s The Hateful Eight and especially Roofman.
In Roofman, which is based on a true story that is stranger than fiction, Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a military veteran who struggles to provide for his family; turns to robbing businesses (in the most polite of ways); winds up incarcerated; and then escapes and secretly takes up residence in a Toys ’R Us store, while also embarking on a relationship with an unwitting single mother (Kirsten Dunst) who works there.
The performance, which required from Tatum both emotional vulnerability and physical comedy, is the fruit of a collaboration with the writer/director Derek Cianfrance, who is best known for the 2010 masterpiece Blue Valentine — a film, it turns out, that Cianfrance offered to Tatum before the actor he eventually cast, Ryan Gosling. Cianfrance came back to Tatum all these years later, having co-written the part of Manchester with the actor in his mind, at a time when Tatum had grown disillusioned with the business and with fame, and had begun to work less than he used to. But this time, the actor was not going to make the same mistake that he made all those years ago by passing on an opportunity to collaborate with Cianfrance, among the most highly-regarded actors’ directors.
And sure enough, as Tatum describes during this conversation, Cianfrance’s unusual way of working not only brought out the best in him, but also reignited his passion for acting and provided him with a sense of belonging in the business that he had never possessed before.
Never did I think that the lone Toys R Us by the Pineville Mall would get its time to shine but thanks to Roofman, my beloved Charlotte was displayed in all its glory. The Derek Cianfrance film tells the true story of Jeffrey Manchester, a thief known as the “Roofman.”
Jeffrey (Channing Tatum) is a former Army Reserve soldier who was suspected of stealing from McDonald’s in the surrounding Charlotte, North Carolina area. In Cianfrance’s film, we get to see the kind of family man Manchester is. He starts to steal because he wants to make a better life for his daughter and sons but makes bad decisions to get there.
He’s a deeply flawed man who doesn’t really understand that his family not wanting to talk to him is warranted but it makes Tatum’s take on the man so much more interesting. He is, at his core, a man who just wanted a better life for his wife and kids. Yes, he went about it in the wrong way, but it is the kind of movie that really tugs at your heart strings when it comes to compassion and understanding.
The use of humor in Cianfrance’s script, which he co-wrote with Kirt Gunn, lulls the audience into a “cutesy” little feeling as Jeffrey hides away in a Toys R Us to keep himself safe from the police. But there, he meets Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) and all his caution goes out the wind.
A story of compassion, love, and bad decisions
(Paramount Pictures)
Maybe my love of this movie comes from a mix of going to school in the Carolinas and living in Charlotte or maybe I have a deeper understanding of men trying but I do love it. My own father always thought of these half-baked ideas to make things easier for our family and he was never right, much like Jeff. Which is why I think I found myself moved by Jeff’s attempts to still be a great guy.
And even with the true story element to this movie, we still have moments that shock us. Like the reveal at the end of what Jeff continued to do behind bars and Cianfrance and Gunn’s work make the 2 hour run time fly by as we’re learning who Jeffrey Manchester really is.
What makes Roofman special is that it doesn’t pretend like Manchester’s crimes are nothing to worry about. Those trying to track him down are not villains, he’s not some hero. But we do see why he was forced into that possession. It’s an interesting balance between understanding why someone does the things they do and knowing that you might not do the same but you can understand their motivations.
Tatum’s work as Jeffrey is a perfect character study and one made that much better with the scenes between Leigh and Jeff. These two people just want a fresh start and while a lot of it is based around Jeff’s lies, it is still a beautiful story about resilience and how long someone can sustain living behind the bike rack.
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She’s been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff’s biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she’s your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell’s dog, Brisket.
Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.
Roofman star Channing Tatum recently shared his thoughts on how streaming platforms have “confused” Hollywood and the moviemaking process. He also said that artists, “at times,” are now “incentivized” to make “bad things” rather than something good.
Channing Tatum says actors are ‘incentivized’ to make ‘bad things’
During his appearance on the First We Feast’s Hot Ones, Channing Tatum was asked about his statement in his Variety cover story, where he said that the streamers have “effed up the industry a bit — for good and for bad.”
The Roofman actor responded by saying, “I think, now, when you get asked to do a movie, or you’re trying to get a movie made, it’s a very confused pipeline of possibilities.”
He further added, “And it really feels like, at times, that you’re incentivized to make bad things to get paid, rather than make something really, really good, for the f—— people that actually get to see these things and people that I want to see these movies, the person that I was when I was a kid, I want good movies.”
The 21 Jump Street actor continued, “I’m like, ‘Man, I want to give my money to the good movies.’ It’s such an upside-down moment.”
However, despite his criticisms, the actor remained hopeful. “But I do believe that the disruption is going to lead to something good. I do believe the streamers came in for a reason, and it had to change. It had to morph,” the Step Up star shared.
Later in the episode, Tatum reflected on some of his past movies. Recalling his 2010 romance Dear John, the actor said that it was “such a generic” movie. He also spoke about his brief cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, sharing that he doesn’t “feel” like he’s a “part of that” film.
Tatum is currently promoting his upcoming movie Roofman, which also features Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelsohn, and Peter Dinklage, among many others.
Channing Tatum explained why he feels streamers have “effed up” and “confused” Hollywood and the moviemaking process.
In a recent appearance on Hot Oneswith Sean Evans promoting his upcoming film Roofman, Tatum got the opportunity to clarify his statement.
“I think, now, when you get asked to do a movie, or you’re trying to get a movie made, it’s a very confused pipeline of possibilities, and it really feels like, at times, that you’re incentivized to make bad things to get paid, rather than make something really, really good, for the fucking people that actually get to see these things and people that I want to see these movies, the person that I was when I was a kid,” The Lost City actor explained. “And I want good movies.”
He continued, “I’m like, ‘Man, I want to give my money to the good movies.’ It’s such an upside-down moment, but I do believe that the disruption is going to lead to something good. I do believe that. I do believe the streamers came in for a reason, and it had to change, it had to morph.”
Elsewhere on the show, Tatum threw light zingers at his past projects, calling 2010’s Dear John a “generic” movie and saying of his recent Deadpool & Wolverine cameo, “I was in it for two seconds, so I don’t feel like a part of that,” while guessing the projects in his filmography based on logline.
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