Box Office Update: To Another Day...

Well, 2011 still continues to pale in comparison to 2010, but this weekend could actually be considered a modest success. I'm going to consider 2010 an anomaly, as it started out huger than it had any right to, and then eventually drowned into the doldrums of summer before making it to a decent winter season. This year seems to be moving at a pace that's more agreeable, even if it's seen as a massive failure right now. This weekend was never going to beat out the same weekend last year, mostly because last year ushered in the surprise success of Alice in Wonderland. That film truly robbed the 3D market a month before ticket prices escalated and people began to question the value of 3D.

This weekend, we had Rango, which is a completely new enterprise that's only working off the children's demographic and Johnny Depp's name, even though it's animated. So from that perspective, I'd say it opened pretty spectacularly, especially seeing as it should hold onto those numbers in the following weeks. Gnomeo and Juliet is on its way to $100 million, mostly through promising repeat business, and when the decision props up between seeing Rango and Mars Needs Moms, I think people will pick the former. As for the live action option of this weekend, The Adjustment Bureau underperformed, as expected. I guess the less-than-amazing reviews did take a beating to the morale of moviegoers.

Beastly, surprisingly enough, managed the third spot on the chart, garnering just over $10 million. That's crazy for a film opening at under 2000 sites, but I imagine it won't be doing too well over the next couple weeks, because reviews for the film have been anything but pretty. The only other thing worth commenting on is The King's Speech's post-Oscar weekend, which boosted the undeserving film above Inglourious Basterds to be The Weinstein Company's highest grossing feature. This weekend was a 37.2% drop from last year, but a 17.3% increase from 2009 when Watchmen opened in the top spot.

1. Rango (First Weekend; $38 million)
2. The Adjustment Bureau (First Weekend; $21 million)
3. Beastly (First Weekend; $10.1 million)
4. Hall Pass (Second Weekend; $9 million)
5. Gnomeo and Juliet (Fourth Weekend; $6.9 million)
6. Unknown (Third Weekend; $6.6 million)
7. The King's Speech (Fifteenth Weekend; $6.5 million)
8. Just Go With It (Fourth Weekend; $6.5 million)
9. I Am Number Four (Third Weekend; $5.7 million)
10. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Fourth Weekend; $4.3 million)

Box Office Update: So Weak

Looks like animated fanfare is gaining speed, while everything else is quite literally stalling. Gnomeo and Juliet finally took the top spot after holding strong over the past two weeks. Hall Pass was the biggest new release, but didn't really astonish with its numbers. Drive Angry came in eighth with only $5 million the first weekend, which is far less than it probably deserved. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never released the extended director's cut, which only slightly held back the decline. The King's Speech is probably the most notable, expanding to 300 more locations to make for nice hold on Oscar weekend. Surprisingly, despite everything, this weekend had only a 10% decrease from last year. It looks like we've finally reached the turnaround in the box office.

1. Gnomeo and Juliet (Third Weekend; $14.2 million)
2. Hall Pass (First Weekend; $13.4 million)
3. Unknown (Second Weekend; $12.4 million)
4. Just Go With It (Third Weekend; $11.1 million)
5. I Am Number Four (Second Weekend; $11 million)
6. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Third Weekend; $9.2 million)
7. The King's Speech (Fourteenth Weekend; $7.6 million)
8. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (Second Weekend; $7.5 million)
9. Drive Angry (First Weekend; $5.1 million)
10. The Roommate (Fourth Weekend; $2.1 million)

Box Office Update: Half-Hearted Benefits

Last weekend was a nice step in the right direction in terms of where the film industry is financially and where it needs to be, so there are about two ways that you can respond to these numbers. You can keep with the pessimistic tone of the last several weeks and say that the box office is regressing back to where it was before, or you can keep hope alive and see the decent numbers for what they are. I can confidently say that the array of poor films earned far more than they probably deserved to, and that's a good thing. It means that audiences are still making as poor decisions as they always have, and they haven't just gotten tired of going to the movies.

Liam Neeson ruled the box office this weekend, with Unknown coming in just $3 million short of Taken's opening two years ago. I Am Number Four came in at number two, although that might change when numbers for Monday's earnings make their way in. Big Mommas earned far more than it should have, and it makes me sad that people actually wasted their time with it, and even worse, that some actually enjoyed it. Gnomeo and Juliet held onto third place, dropping only 23.5%, with Just Go With It and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never dropped 40.4% and 53.9% respectively. Finishing it off on a lighter note, Black Swan and The King's Speech passed the $100 million mark this weekend, meaning that more than half the Best Picture nominees this year have reached that milestone. I don't believe that people don't notice or appreciate quality filmmaking anymore. Just look at those numbers.

1. Unknown (First Weekend; $21.8 million)
2. I Am Number Four (First Weekend; $19.5 million)
3. Gnomeo and Juliet (Second Weekend; $19.4 million)
4. Just Go With It (Second Weekend; $18.2 million)
5. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (First Weekend; $17 million)
6. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Second Weekend; $13.6 million)
7. The King's Speech (Thirteenth Weekend; $6.6 million)
8. The Roommate (Third Weekend; $4.1 million)
9. The Eagle (Second Weekend; $3.6 million)
10. No Strings Attached (Fifth Weekend; $3.1 million)

The Weekend Report: Minimalistic Maximality

We're getting so close to a time when I can actually recommend that you get out of the house and go to the theaters again, and I'm almost getting ahead of myself. We still need to work through a bit more tedium and total crap in order to get there, which leads me to this week's array of releases. The one film that I urge you to never see if you wish to live this year untarnished is Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. We've received some terrible films so far this year, but this one may just take the cake. If that horribly cliched phrase doesn't get through my disgust at this feature, having never even seen it,

The other two releases are up to your own divine wisdom, but recently I've been seeing parallels between I Am Number Four and a certain other teen franchise. I think it's one of the leading causes of erectile dysfunction worldwide, and it's called The Twilight Saga. Somehow an alien falling in love with a small town girl and a vampire falling in love with a small town girl aren't that different in comparison. Weird, right? If I suggest you see anything this weekend, and I suggest you see it with unbridled enthusiasm, it's Unknown. I'm not saying the film is supposed to be good, but it's supposed to be ridiculous in the best way possible. I'm quivering in anticipation at this moment. Those are your choices this weekend. Just don't see the third installment in the Big Momma saga.

For Your Anticipation: A World Before This One

I think that we can officially peg director D.J. Caruso as the next Michael Bay. They both have no actual talent, aside from making inelegant visual effects spectacles that run on for more than two hours. I mean that in the utmost respect, because despite every review and response, I actually didn't mind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I really thought it was funny and enjoyable, even if it wasn't going to last in my mind too far past the theater. I think we can expect a similar calling for I Am Number Four, which is essentially about aliens, and not the massive invasion kind. To tell the truth, I have no idea what kind of aliens they are. The biggest draw for me to see the film, aside from having Dianna Agron as the main love interest, is this year's official breakout heartthrob Alex Pettyfer. On the other hand, he's also going to be in Beastly, so I'll just wait until I see him then.

Films To See In 2011: February

So what could possibly be worst than January in terms of theatrical enjoyment? It seems like that's February in terms of this year, because we are definitely stepping down in terms of quality. I've had a hard time picking out three films I actually want to see, because there are so few. At the same time, I had a hard time figuring out three bad films for you to vote for me to see, because there are so many. I'm obviously not looking forward to The Roommate, Gnomeo and Juliet, and Drive Angry, but I'm also not terribly excited to see Sanctum, The Eagle, I Am Number Four, or Hall Pass. There are probably only three films I'm truly pumped to see this February, and there's no guarantee that any of them will be good in the slightest. On the other hand, both The Rite and The Mechanic have been getting slightly good reviews, so maybe things aren't as bad as they seem.

#3.

"Unknown"
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

It's never a bad thing to release an action-thriller starring Liam Neeson early in the year. The man makes films playing these normal sorts of characters that turn out to be total bad-asses. He proved that with Taken, and it's impossible to tell if his latest thriller will be anything like that in terms of entertainment. It also has Frank Langella, January Jones and Diane Kruger taking supporting roles, so I'm in the seat on opening night, no questions asked. Why isn't this film higher up on my list? Because you know it's never going to be as awesome as it seems from the trailer. There is always going to be some corny plot twist ruining the entire thing, which happened with The Tourist (among other things), or the script is just not going to be entertaining. That's the constant fear for any film, but I'm willing to take the risk for Unknown.

#2.

"Cedar Rapids"
Directed by Miguel Arteta

I am ever puzzled by my own choices for what I'm most anticipating this month, because somehow a quirky and raunchy comedy using a storyline we've probably already seen before is making its way to second place. It might just be because the film is playing at Sundance, but I feel like there's a bit of indie classiness attached to this film. It features Ed Helms in the main role, which I always take as good thing because Helms isn't really known for leading man status. He's known as that guy from The Office or part of the ensemble cast of The Hangover. He doesn't need to be any more popular than that, and that makes this project a little more endearing. Besides, it just looks like a more entertaining film than your average pathetic comedy.

#1.

"The Other Woman"
Directed by Don Roos

The second film in Natalie Portman's post-Black Swan victory lap finds its way to the top spot on my list, perhaps because I so immensely trust the actress after what she's given us. It's a peculiar series of films she's got releasing between now and June. The ones that people are most aware of are obviously Thor and Your Highness, but the personal nature of The Other Woman really hits me. It's probably not going to be anything special, and I'm preparing myself for that possibility. The film was originally called Love & Other Impossible Pursuits, and that was only changed because of Love and Other Drugs. I trust this one to tread on a steadier emotional string than the Jake Gyllenhaal rom-com. The fact of the matter is that I think this could be another strong showcase for Portman's acting capabilities, and probably the only this year. If the film holds up, all the better.

Theatrical Trailer: I Am Number Four