Box Office Update: "Puss" Wins the Weekend

This weekend has just been a complete barrage against the box office that nobody could have foreseen before two days ago. There was bound to be some slight weakness in the pot, as there most definitely will be on Halloween weekend. But the freak snowstorm combined with Game 7 of the World Series just set things back colossally. I'd say if you give these films about 10% interest, you'll get what they would have made this weekend. Instead, we have this, and it's not all that inspiring. All that said, it still was a welcome increase upon where we were in 2010, which was with "Saw 3D" reaping its meager opening earnings.

And that's meager in comparison to the films this weekend, the top spot going unsurprisingly to "Puss in Boots", which was pushed forward a week to get the kiddie market who was all jazzed up for Halloween. That idea clearly backfired a bit. All the same, the film opened well-ish. But it's still worth noting that "Paranormal Activity 3" dropped as much as we expected it to, so perhaps the weekend box office wasn't totally affected by the onslaught of outlying elements this weekend. All the same, that doesn't ring too well for "In Time" or "The Rum Diary", the first of which performed admirably in comparison to its counterpart. Sure, this weekend was a success compared to last year, but the films are still in a dicey situation as far as the box office goes.

1. "Puss in Boots" (First Weekend; $34 million)

2. "Paranormal Activity 3" (Second weekend; $18.5 million)

3. "In Time" (First Weekend; $12 million)

4. "Footloose" (Third Weekend; $5.4 million)

5. "The Rum Diary" (First Weekend; $5 million)

6. "Real Steel" (Fourth Weekend; $4.7 million)

7. "The Three Musketeers" (Second Weekend; $3.5 million)

8. "The Ides of March" (Fourth Weekend; $2.7 million)

9. "Moneyball" (Sixth weekend; $2.4 million)

10. "Courageous" (Fifth Weekend; $1.8 million)

Box Office Update: Ambiguous "Activity"

Sorry for the two day break, but some big things were happening in the town where I go to school and that took up a great deal of my time. What took up the rest of my time is something you'll learn about by the end of the week. Suffice it to say that I didn't feel motivated enough to head out to see "Paranormal Activity 3", even though I've not been to the theaters in weeks. Not to say that my presence was sorely missed, if it ever is, as the film still managed to bring in a massive sum, despite degenerating interest from last year's film which many were disappointed by. It looks like that franchise has quite enough juice in it to last a while longer. And what with all the positive buzz from reviews, though not overwhelmingly positive, you can expect this entry to do well in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, elsewhere down the box office chain, "Real Steel" managed to hold up better in its third weekend, a drop of just %, and still holding strong over the other new releases. The robot boxing film currently stacks up at $67 million, likely making the $100 million mark by the end of its run. Right behind it was "Footloose", which fell an almost equal percentage, indicating similar adoration for the teen dance flick. Such could not be said for "The Three Musketeers", which opened to director Paul W.S. Anderson's lowest sum since he started working on the "Resident Evil" franchise. The man was thankfully not missed.

For Your Anticipation: Exposition, Exposition...

How come Paul Thomas Anderson has to live with the same first and last name as Paul W.S. Anderson? One makes brilliant films like "Punch-Drunk Love" and "There Will Be Blood". The other makes shit like this. Upon viewing the trailer for "The Three Musketeers", I only thought that it couldn't be nearly as bad as I expected it would be. Lo and behold, it was exactly as horrid as I worried. I think "worried" may be an inappropriate word. That implies that I had any stock whatsoever invested in this. I've been away from the theaters too long, and I feel the urge to see something this weekend. This isn't it.

Teaser Trailer: The Three Musketeers

I could list off the several horrible things that are featured in this trailer, from Milla Jovavich in slow motion, to predictably awful noble dialogue, to atrociously simple cinematography, to a woeful lack of Christoph Waltz. The Three Musketeers is not going to be a good movie, as you can always tell from director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil). I just couldn't help watching this trailer with an overwhelming sense of dread. Take a look for yourself, and comment below on your thoughts.