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New on DVD: Week of March 1
The world ends this week when 2012 hits store shelves. Even though the film received mixed reviews from critics, 2012 still grossed over $769 million worldwide. Also releasing is the Children’s film Where the Wild Things Are. The Spike Jonze directed film did well in reviews, scoring a 73% “Fresh Rating” on Rottentomatoes.com Here is the full release schedule broken up by standard DVD and Blu-ray: -
Second Trailer for Prince of Persia
Disney has released the second trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The first trailer was released back in early November to generally positive reaction and apparently the movie has been testing very high. The video game adaptation follows a prince who along with an enemy princess team up to stop an angry ruler that plans to unleash a standstorm that could destroy the world. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal the movie is directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is slated to release on May 28th.
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Chad Ochocinco To Join Dancing With The Stars
TMZ is reporting that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco will be on the cast of the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars. While athletes have traditionally performed well on the show most of them have been retired at the time. The only active player to take part was Jason Taylor, who received criticism for missing off-season workouts and saw his play drop 0ff ever since. Ochocinco will likely miss the off-season workout program as well but he generally has not shown up to those anyway.
The finale of the show would take place on May 25th if he was to make it that far. His demeanor makes it easier to accept him taking on such a physically daunting and time consuming task but I have to wonder how Bengals fans will feel about him concentrating on this instead of the upcoming season. Other contestants for this season are rumored to include Kate Gosselin, John Stamos, Kevin Federline, and Pamela Anderson. The tenth season of Dancing With The Stars premieres on March 22nd on ABC.
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Zoolander 2 Finally Getting Off The Ground
Recent news has indicated that the sequel to the 2001 film Zoolander is moving forward. Ben Stiller will be returning and there is desire to bring back Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell though no deals have been inked just yet. The story will focus on how the fashion industry has changed in the 10 years that have passed and how Derek Zoolander and Hansel are forced to adapt. Jonah Hill is in negotiations to play the main villain.
Justin Theroux has been pegged to write and direct Zoolander 2. He has written Tropic Thunder and Iron Man 2 but this would be his first big directing gig. His resume is more packed with small acting parts in movies and TV shows including appearing in Zoolander as the “Evil DJ”.
Zoolander became a cult classic on DVD after making $45 million in theaters. It was budgeted at just $28 million so it was seen as a success but the DVD sales and cultural references still being relevant to this day have continually stirred up discussions about a sequel over the years.
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Third ‘Clash of the Titans’ TV Spot
The third TV spot for Warner Bros. Pictures’ Clash of the Titans has been released. The film stars Sam Worthington as Perseus along with Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. Clash of the Titans is set to release April 2. If you missed the second trailer for the film, you can view it here.
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Shutter Island Fends Off Cop Out and The Crazies
Despite winter storms in some areas of the country keeping people home the top five movies accounted for over $80 million. For the second straight weekend Shutter Island topped the box office. Falling a reasonable 45% from its massive opening last weekend it was able to pull in $22.2 million. The movie has already made back its budget which was a relatively modest $75 million in just 10 days. The openings for Cop Out and The Crazies were solid but unspectacular.
Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan provided director Kevin Smith with his biggest gross ever drawing $18.6 million for Cop Out. Despite terrible reviews it was an appealing option with a lack of comedies out and the star power. The moviegoers have been more receptive to it than the reviewers giving it decent scores on sites such as IMDB and Yahoo Movies. It doesn’t have a lot of long term potential and won’t thrive off word of mouth but it also doesn’t appear it will see drops in coming weeks like those of Valentine’s Day or The Wolfman either.
The remake of the 1973 George A. Romera film The Crazies opened above most expectations with $16.5 million. Good reviews and a subject matter that tends to consistently draw out crowds helped as the film didn’t have any big names involved. Movies such as this tend to fall off quicker than others but having the support from reviews and good word of mouth could soften the blow. Regardless, with a budget of just $20 million, it’s already viewed as a big success.
Meanwhile Avatar just continues to astonish as it has surpassed the $700 million mark domestically. The question now is how much further can it go. Alice in Wonderland opens next week and will be taking many of the 3D screens it has owned since December. Winning Best Picture at the Oscars would also provide it another boost with many surely to wanting to catch the film in theaters one last time before it makes its way to DVD late this year.
1- Shutter Island $22.2 ($75.1)
2- Cop Out $18.6 (OPEN)
3- The Crazies $16.5 (OPEN)
4- Avatar $14.0 ($706.9)
5- Percy Jackson $9.8 ($71.2)
6- Valentine’s Day $9.5 ($100.3)
7- Dear John $5.0 ($72.6)
8- The Wolfman $4.1 ($57.2)
9- The Tooth Fairy $3.5 ($53.9)
10- Crazy Heart $2.5 ($25.1) -
Review: Hot Tub Time Machine
There is something endearing about how Hot Tub Time Machine is completely upfront about its ridiculous scenario and the events that take place throughout. The cast is likable and the 80s setting is refreshing and nostalgic. There are some big laughs here but it just swings and misses a little too often to put it in the class with some of the more highly regarded comedies released in the last few years.
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Weekend Box Office Predictions 2/26
Coming off an exceptional opening for Shutter Island it will face some competition for the top spot this time around. The comedy Cop Out and the horror remake The Crazies arrive this weekend.
Starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan the buddy cop comedy Cop Out hopes to be a fun option for moviegoers. The stars appeal to different demographics which should provide increased potential at the box office. Reviews have been horrible, which should have some impact, but probably will not hurt the opening weekend too much. In enters the marketplace as a fresh comedy option with no real direct competition to deal with.
Director Kevin Smith has a history of sparking controversy right around the release of his films and that was the case again this year with his public battle against Southwest Airlines. That, though, seems unlikely to make for additional interest in the film. Marketing has been heavy and awareness appears to be high. Cop Out could finish with about $20 million.
A remake of the 1973 George A. Romero film, The Crazies is receiving generally positive reviews which could boost its take. Horror, zombie-like pictures tend to have a built-in audience with the opportunity to attract a larger audience should there be good reviews or good word of mouth. There is no big star power here but that isn’t necessary for this type of movie to do well.
Competition wise The Crazies will have to deal with last week’s #1 Shutter Island, which also has a heavy, dark feel to it. Also the original isn’t all that well known so as a remake it may not have the same pull as others have. Despite that I think it will do well based on being a quality offering with an always attractive subject matter. Look for The Crazies to make around $15 million.
Opening Predictions
Cop Out: $20 million
The Crazies: $15 million
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