Box Office Update: "Vow" for "Safe" "Journey", Despite "Menace"

I didn't really hold strong hopes for this box office weekend, but it has fared about as well as the year for the whole part has so far. Last year was a long and drawn-out nightmare of a year in terms of the box office. There was simply nothing of real spectacle happening, so despite the mildly disappointing films the money's headed towards, it's still satisfying to see an invigoration towards the theatrical experience. I had worried that this weekend would pale in comparison to last year, when that Justin Bieber movie and "Just Go With It" ruled the box office. I guess I underestimated the Valentine's Day weekend draw of Channing Tatum, Denzel Washington, and... 3D, apparently.

"The Vow" clearly played to the right demographic this weekend, and as such reaped the majority of the weekend's winning. "Safe House" played more to the date-night-action-flick crowd, falling just a tad short of its competition. Both are likely to be frontloaded openings likely to fall immensely come next weekend. "Journey 2" and "Star Wars" managed to split the 3D winnings this weekend, so clearly the problem of not having enough 3D screens that we dealt with just two years ago isn't anything to worry about now. The weekend ended up a 31% increase upon last year, so this year is proving to be a pretty strong bounce-back from last year.

Irvin Kershner (1923-2010)

Leslie Nielsen's death sure was a shock, but nobody really expects another death so soon. If you're not sure who Irvin Kershner was then it's not surprising, since the man has been out of the film business for some time. The director passed away from a long term illness in Los Angeles, California. He may not have made such a lasting impression, but he deserves recognition for bringing to the screen what most consider to be the best film in the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back. He also directed Robocop 2 and the James Bond film Never Say Never Again, but he will always be remembered for his work on the famous science fiction franchise. As a matter of fact, he may ultimately be deserving of more praise for that than George Lucas. Look at how far Lucas has gotten without him. This death actually struck more of a punch than Nielsen's, though both are more than worthy of recognition.