Box Office Update: Vacation Cut Short

At this point, I'm sick and tired of people making excuses for not heading out to the theaters this weekend. It's no longer a fitting excuse to say that there's nothing worth watching out there, because that's a lie. Hanna proved to be something brilliant, Source Code was an intriguing and emotional journey, and Scre4m is an enjoyable enough romp if you're not looking for brilliance. So how is it that these films are being criminally under-appreciated at the box office? It probably has to do with the unreasonable boost in ticket prices. It is getting to the point in which it is not a weekly escape so much as an occasional luxury.

I admit that I did not get around to seeing Rio this weekend, mostly because I didn't have such an urge to rush out to the theater. It appears I was the only one, as families flocked (no pun intended) to the 3D animated adventure. I hope I'll get around to it sometime this week, but it's not an immediate priority. Scre4m underperformed at the box office, falling back on Saturday and Sunday grosses after a somewhat promising Friday. It's highly characteristic of how Sucker Punch performed a few weeks ago. Hop fell just as much as expected, which isn't at all surprising. Hanna fell being Soul Surfer, dropping 40.8% and 30.2% respectively. The Conspirator fared about as well as Scre4m did, at least in terms of per theater averages. The box office this weekend was actually 4.5% higher than it was the same weekend last year, when Kick-Ass also disappointed at the opening spot. How to Train Your Dragon picked up the slack in hold overs.

1. Rio (First Weekend; $40 million)
2. Scre4m (First Weekend; $19.3 million)
3. Hop (Third Weekend; $11.2 million)
4. Soul Surfer (Second Weekend; $7.4 million)
5. Hanna (Second Weekend; $7.3 million)
6. Arthur (Second Weekend; $6.9 million)
7. Insidious (Third Weekend; $6.8 million)
8. Source Code (Third Weekend; $6.3 million)
9. The Conspirator (First Weekend; $3.9 million)
10. Your Highness (Second Weekend; $3.9 million)

The Weekend Report: A Red Sun Rises

It looks like we are in for our first truly successful box office weekend this year, even if it's small by last year's standards. Two $40 million openings does seem a bit small in the context of Summer, but looking at the drought we've been in so far this year, it's a welcome change. Oddly enough, The Conspirator, the independently released historical drama starring James McAvoy and Tom Wilkinson has gathered many mixed reviews. So don't expect long term potential, not that we would from a 700 theater release. The real benefits of this weekend will come from franchise hits and 3D kids pics, as one should expect. We haven't had that many big franchise releases so far this year, so maybe that's the explanation for the decline.

After spending a decade away from theaters, the Scream franchise is back with Scre4m. All the nostalgic core fanbase members, along with new audience members intrigued by the trailers should be in attendance. I'd say Wes Craven's name is also a draw, but things have changed, and My Soul to Take didn't do too well with that. I'd imagine it to do about as well as Rio, the second 3D animated childrens film of this year, the first being Gnomeo and Juliet. Seeing as this film has a good chance of actually being good, I'd call its box office potential a more positive thing. Imagine both films to open as the best thus far this year. We're slowly escalating towards the Summer movie season, where the box office will really be booming.

For Your Anticipation: Control the Prosecution

James McAvoy is in a most interesting position in his career at present. The man is a terrific actor, as very few would deny, but he has not been given a role that really pushes him to the level of fame he deserves. The Conspirator will not be part of that rise, nor do I expect it to do especially well in terms of critical reception or rewards. It will be good, and good enough, but not much more than that. If McAvoy makes a breakthrough this year, it'll probably be in X-Men: First Class. It's still too soon to tell.

Theatrical Trailer: The Conspirator

Somewhere during the Telluride, Venice, and Toronto Film Festivals, Robert Redford was shopping off his historical courtroom drama, The Conspirator. It has the long tread over surroundings of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, so I entered into the trailer largely hesitant. It's edited in a rather rushed fashion, so I had to go over it twice in order to get the actual plot of it. It stars so many people that you wanted to see in a film together, such as James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, and apparently Johnathon Groff. It's an odd bunch, and the music heard in this trailer has been heard a million times before. Still, I might see The Conspirator for the solid cast.