Elsewhere, the Peter Jackson-produced tentpole 'Mortal Engines' bombs; Barry Jenkins' 'If Beale Street Could Talk' shines at the specialty box office.

Six leading directors — Ryan Coogler, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuaron, Marielle Heller, Yorgos Lanthimos and Spike Lee — discuss how they conquer the fears of actors, the politics of art in "dangerous times," what you learn in film school and what can ruin a project: "In one word, Hollywood."