Box Office Update: "Help", I Need Somebody!

If I had some sort of foresight on the box office of this weekend, I'd have taken the time out of my weekend to see "Fright Night". It is unfair that that should hit below $10 million. That being said, I still won't see it, if only because I'd rather see something great instead of something merely adequate. Hell, I'm even shelling out some pity for "One Day", which maybe received too much of a critical bashing. I think people were pissed it wasn't the second coming of "An Education", and they immediately wrote it off. I certainly did, without seeing it. I doubt I'd like it too well, but I'm not a huge fan of romances.

On to the real winner of the weekend, "The Help" came out on top, having only dipped % from last weekend. I guess I was right to assume that people would flock to it. It's an extremely likable film. I could see it going on to surpass "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" at this point. The science fiction reboot isn't declining massively, but at a steady pace of which you could expect. It certainly has more staying power than some other notable blockbusters. As for the other new releases I don't really care about, obviously they were the bigger successes. "Spy Kids 4" proved most successful, a horrific crime against nature in my opinion, with "Conan" just behind it.

Of course, what could you have expected with August beginning to draw to a close. There's always been that expectation of something lesser as the most successful part of the year closes out. Next week's slate does have its work cut out for it, as there was a slight resurgence at the end of last summer with "Takers" and "The Last Exorcism". I suppose that "Columbiana", "Our Idiot Brother", and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" are somewhat up to the task. They're covering the market pretty well.

1. "The Help" (Second Weekend; $20.5 million)

2. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (Third Weekend; $16.3 million)

3. "Spy Kids 4" (First Weekend; $12 million)

4. "Conan" (First Weekend; $10 million)

5. "The Smurfs" (Fourth Weekend; $8 million)

6. "Fright Night" (First Weekend; $7.9 million)

7. "Final Destination 5" (Second Weekend; $7.7 million)

8. "30 Minutes or Less" (Second Weekend; $6.3 million)

9. "One Day" (First Weekend; $5.1 million)

10. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" (Fourth Weekend; $4.9 million)

Box Office Update: "Help" Wins Under "Rise"

If things seem somewhat tried and redundant in the coming weeks, it's frankly because there's absolutely nothing new to say. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" looks to be the last major blockbuster of the summer, still holding the top slot for the second consecutive weekend. That wouldn't be such a major accomplishment if things had unfolded as predicted, but "The Help" was a surprisingly strong debut. Much as I hoped, audiences have been reacting to the drama positively in all corners. It certainly shows up the other debuts this weekend.

"Final Destination 5" couldn't scrape $20 million, so things may be coming to a halt for the horror franchise. "The Smurfs" continues to reap more cash than it deserves, now climbing past $100 million. "30 Minutes or Less" proved to be mostly a failure, due likely to negative reviews and some controversy over real life events. "Glee" didn't even scratch the top ten, falling at number 11 with under $6 million. Things are still generally more positive than the end of last summer, but that could change somewhat quickly.

1. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (Second Weekend; $27.5 million)

2. "The Help" (First Weekend; $25.5 million)

3. "Final Destination 5" (First Weekend; $18.4 million)

4. "The Smurfs" (Third Weekend; $13.5 million)

5. "30 Minutes or Less" (First Weekend; $13 million)

6. "Cowboys and Aliens" (Third Weekend; $7.6 million)

7. "Captain America" (Fourth Weekend; $7.1 million)

8. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" (Third Weekend; $6.9 million)

9. "Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (Fifth Weekend; $6.8 million)

10. "The Change Up" (Second Weekend; $6.2 million)

Weekend Report: "Help"less Wandering

Having already effused this morning about the highlight of the mainstream summer, to say absolutely nothing of indie greats like "Midnight in Paris" and "The Tree of Life", the rest of this month is admittedly headed nowhere. I'm in fact surprised that "The Help" hasn't gotten a total critical backing. True, it's not the most controversial of racial commentaries, but it's worthy and emotional entertainment nonetheless. I'm certain audiences will embrace it entirely by the time the weekend is out, and expect a prosperous life through till September.

The other competitors this weekend are less fortunate, with "30 Minutes or Less" taking critical flak for obvious reasons, but also gaining a bit of controversy. Anybody denying the obvious ties to real world events is moronically ignorant and this point. It might still get an audience from the curious, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a massive failure. "Final Destination 5" at least has a built in audience of people who simply want to see people they hate die in graphic fashion. Say what you want about the mediocre young actors, but the filmmakers seem to have a good eye on casting people who we're meant to not care about.

And finally there's "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie". I am a pretty decent fan of the show, which has had plenty of strong moments I enjoy. All the same, there is no real reason for this film to actually exist. I don't see why I'd ever spend money to see any concert movie for that matter, much less in 3D. People are better off with "The Help", but if I had the option, I'd be rushing to see "Senna" this weekend. Having heard fantastic things about it from most ends, It'll be a while before it come 'round my way.

For Your Anticipation: A Wrinkle in Reality

They've already reached the fifth film in their franchise, so I'm just going to safely say that Final Destination is just not going to go away. And I'll assume that it just keeps getting progressively worst. I can't imagine that a Fast Five occurrence is going to happen here, so I'll remain in a state of simply not caring, because I have better things to do with my time. It's times like these when I wonder why I ever gave Saw 3D time for a single word.

Film to See in 2011: August

This will be a bit of an unorthodox edition of this monthly column, mostly due to the fact that I can't say I'm truly ecstatic about any of the films releasing this August. In any case, I'll be busy this month catching up on films I've missed out on over the past couple months. Meek's Cutoff and Tabloid are two films I'm eagerly waiting to see, and I'll be sitting down this afternoon for Crazy, Stupid, Love, so it's very much a reserved time of the year. In my opinion, it's a month too many in a Summer that has long since become redundant. Still, there are a few films probably worth checking out.

I can't say I feel anything but contempt for The Change-Up, which stacks together the repetitive Jason Bateman and the much maligned Ryan Reynolds. Rise of the Planet of the Apes has been artificially cold on the radar for quite some time. The Help honestly looks insipid, and sadly what you'd expect to see from it. 30 Minutes or Less could be fun, but it lacks the emotional core that made Zombieland enjoyable in the first place. No comment on Final Destination 5, Glee's concert film, Spy Kids 4, or Columbiana, and that's for good reason.