09/23/10

More From the Box: Teen comedy Easy A, the film destined to make SuperBad’s Emma Stone a young breakout star (and likely Lindsay Lohan career killer), took the No. 2 spot last weekend, bringing in a solid $18 million over its first three days. Not bad for a film that a major studio only spent $8 million to make. Looks very much like a classic-era John Hughes teen comedy to us. Taking the No. 3 spot last weekend was the M. Night Shyamalan-produced Devil, a Hitchcock spirited thriller that brought in just under $13 million over its first three days. Looks interesting to us, but probably only in the context of the Redbox. Last weekend’s No. 4 and No. 5 films, Resident Evil 3D and  animated newcomer Alpha and Omega, respectively, brought in $10.1 million and $9.2 million each, respectively. All in all box office totals were very high last week for this time of year, springing theories that Americans are finally starting to get bored with watching nine football games per weekend. (Yeah right.)

Opening this Weekend: Low budget comedy The Virginity Hit, produced by Will Ferrell and Adam Mckay, has seen a huge viral marketing campaign that we at ScreenTime have found quite annoying. We know that it’s about a guy losing his virginity and we know that it’s supposedly filmed mostly on cell phones and cheap cameras by annoying teenagers, but we don’t believe that. We’re too smart to believe that. Putting footage from a cell phone on a big screen is not a good idea, even if you have the post production tools available to make it look charming. Regardless, this somewhat interesting $2 million comedy - starring a bunch of newcomers - opens in 650 theaters across the country this Friday, September 24. If it opens strong, expect a serious expansion. (Not likely!) Warner Bros.’ animated film Legend of the Guardian: The Owls of Go’Hoole will open everywhere, almost certainly taking the weekend’s No. 1 spot. Directed by one of ScreenTime’s most loathed filmmakers, Zach Snyder (Watchmen, 300), look for this uber-production (which is somehow getting strong reviews thus far) to do quite well for a few weeks … then be a punchline amongst most cinephiles. Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps drama, starring Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan and Charlie Sheen, might do okay. Hard to say, but it does have the LaBeouf thing going for it. Reviews thus far are strong, but we’re skeptical, seeing as how Stone lost his touch long ago. Also opening wide is Buena Vista comedy You Again, a shallow-looking comedy starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis and lots of other female stars who are all probably fighting each other and acting like female screen cliches. The movie is written and directed by men, so don’t expect any intellectual women to find it even remotely relatable.