Box Office Report: The Toys Are Back in Town! Again!

Dude here again. Yes, I love technology. But not as much as you, you see. But I still love technology. Always and forever.

Always and forever.

This weekend, toys out do grown ups, so take that popular psychology! Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates. The actuals will be available on Monday, as these are holiday numbers).

1. Toy Story 3 (BV)- $59.0, 4028 screens, week 2, $226.5 total

2. Grown Ups (Sony) - $41.0, 3534 screens, week 1, $41.0 total

3. Knight & Day (Fox)- $20.5, 3098 screens, week 1, $27.7 total

4. The Karate Kid (Sony) - $15.4, 3740 screens, week 3, $135.6 total

5. The A-Team (Fox)- $6.0, 3242 screens, week 3, $62.8 total

6. Get Him To The Greek (Uni)- $3.0, 2188 screens, week 4, $54.4 total

7. Shrek Forever After (Par/DW) - $2.8, 2340 screens, week 6, $229.3 total

8. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (BV) - $2.8, 1851 screens, week 5, $86.1 total

9. Killers (LGF) $2.0, 2271 screens, week 4, $44.0 total

10. Jonah Hex (WB)- $1.6, 2825 screens, week 2, $9.1 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? Well, it means that once again, we say it in unison: All Hail Our Pixar Overlords!!!!

Oh Adam Sandler. Every time you do something brave like Funny People that fails, you make a home video of you and your buddies riffing on the big chill and you hit the jackpot. How do you do it? Personally, I'm grateful for the give and take nature of this relationship.

I want to know how many people bought tickets for Knight & Day, walked into Killers by accident, and couldn't tell the difference. someone MUST have done this. Anyway, while performing slightly better than Killers, the latest action spectacle from Tom Cruise still only did slightly better than Killers. This does not bode well for the Les Grossman project.

I'd like to once again thank the audiences of the world for making the cut and paste of this week's chart that much easier and having everything shift a spot. even though they're just killing time before the next behemoth muscles everything out of multiplexes with ease.

And the less we say about Jonah Hex, the better. At least MacGruber had the honor of being the first huge flop, and it will be remembered as the yardstick by which all others live up to. Hex might as well be forgotten.

Fun Fact: Prince of Persia is kicking ass overseas, and has surpassed Tomb Raider os most successful video game adaptation. Until Hollywood greenlights my adaptation of WAR GODS!

Below the radar, the war-doc Restrepo was released on 2 screens and took in $30,500, while Oliver Stone's doc South of the Border opened up on 1 screen and took in $21,000. For what it's worth, there seems to be a strong showing of indies and docs slowly infiltrating and entertaining folk across the country. In addition to the few that opened up this weekend, you have Please Give, Cyrus, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Winter's Bone, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Micmacs, and Solitary Man. A nice antidote to the noise of summer.

So there, you have my amazing break down. Next week, some nonsense about wolves and vampires that doesn't contain the word "Underworld". Plus the latest twisty (but not) epic from M Night Shamalamadingdong. And if we're lucky, the last possible chance to see Jonah Hex projected on a screen. Good luck, folks!

Until next weekend....

(All Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo)

I Come In Peace...

"And You Go In Pieces"

Fun Fact: I wore this for the "Stallone Triple Bill!" at the New Beverly, a wonderful celebration of masculinity earlier this month, that bestowed upon us a immortal line-up of action: COBRA! TANGO & CASH!! CLIFFHANGER!!!

All three films are amazing, and to view them projected on a screen again was bliss. To mark just how rad the occasion was, I joined my friends Larry and Ryan in consuming some Double Down Sandwiches.

The Verdict: They are exactly as you think they would be. Surprisingly not that greasy. Very salty. But Phil, the man who threw the Stallone Triple Bill! together commended our badassitude for eating KFC in the line before the Stallone!

This was the first event in the "CinePrince Summer of Assertive Masculinity", a series of film screenings and events celebrating the nostalgic machismo of yesterday as it once was, and what it looks like today.

This was the email I sent to my friends official press release

Summer is upon us, and with it comes movies. Movies that look awesome in their badass-itude and sheer bossomeness. We're especially blessed this summer, as there will be something badass and macho EACH MONTH this summer!!!

Now, due to certain shall-we-say zoning restrictions (a lack of chairs) the CinePrince is evolving, and will not occur at various actual cineplexes. That's right, GENUINE THEATRICAL PRESENTATIONS!!!

Here's the list of events. Don't even pretend that you don't think this is awesome:

JUNE

Stallone Triple Bill!!! - June 4th - New Beverly Cinema!! 7:30 PM, $10

COBRA!! TANGO & CASH!! CLIFFHANGER!!! This trio of flicks is sure to melt your face off.

As an extra added bonus, there is a possibility of Double Downs being consumed. Thank you KFC.

The other films are as follows. Mini-presentations of related films might be a possibility, more details as these come closer.

JULY

Fuckin PREDATORS!!!!

AUGUST

THE MOTHERFUCKIN EXPENDABLES!!!

SEPTEMBER

MACHETE!!! (I got tired of finding ways to incorporate "Fuck")

What more do you need? Can you not see that I am serious? There's no proper response other than "Yes", and maybe "This line up of cinema slightly arouses me."

If this does not interest you and you wish to be removed from this mailing list, please send me an email. Then feel shame. A lot of shame. Then smack yourself in the face, write an apology email and get your punk ass back on this email list.

Yours in masculinity,
Dolph Lundgren's....Cousin

In case anyone is curious, the screening of Expendables may involve a trip to the desert to shoot machine guns before viewing.

PS- In case anyone was wetting themselves with anticipation, The Expendables was officially rated R!

Box Office Report: Toys are Back in town!

Dude here again. Not gonna lie, a little miffed that there was an upswing in the box office. I was so pleased with all the disappointment, and the resigned shrugs and sighs we were giving the people who made movies. But then you you hit me with a one-two punch, two weeks in a row.

Sometimes I feel like I'm Job.

This weekend, toys come to life, and a comic book movie actually bombs spectacularly. Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates. The actuals will be available on Monday, as these are holiday numbers).

1. Toy Story 3 (BV)- $109.0, 4028 screens, week 1, $109.0 total

2. The Karate Kid (Sony) - $29.0, 3663 screens, week 2, $106.2 total

3. The A-Team (Fox)- $13.7, 3544 screens, week 2, $49.7 total

4. Get Him To The Greek (Uni)- $6.1, 2592 screens, week 3, $47.8 total

5. Shrek Forever After (Par/DW) - $5.5, 3207 screens, week 5, $222.9 total

6. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (BV) - $5.2, 2605 screens, week 4, $80.5 total

7. Killers (LGF) $5.1, 2619 screens, week 3, $39.3 total

8. Jonah Hex (WB)- $5.0, 2825 screens, week 1, $5.0 total

9. Iron Man 2 (Par) - $2.6, 1612 screens, week 7, $304.7 total

10. Marmaduke (Fox)- $2.6, 2495 screens, week 3, $27.8 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? Well, it means that Pixar is the savior of all that is good and decent. All Hail Our Pixar Overlords!!!!

(What, you're surprised? I actually wrote that immediately after writing last week's box office report. Let's be real, though, who didn't see this happening?)

Poor Jonah Hex. It's not easy to create comic book franchise tentpole pictures, people. Sometimes you get Iron Man while sometimes you get Iron Man 2. And sometimes you get Spiderman 3. (And sometimes, if we've been good, we'll get a Punisher War Zone!) The point is, nobody saw this movie, and that's kinda sad as it "Pulled a MacGruber". However, I heard it failed on every conceivable level, which instantly rockets it to the top of my must see list.

(Don't let the Pixar Overlords overhear).

Everything else might as well not even exist anymore. Sure Karate Kid gave a brief bit of life, but A-Team seems to be crashing. I don't even know what the hell a Prince of Persia is. All I know is, once again, people don't seem to change their interest in these films, which makes my formatting a breeze!

Fun Fact, Avatar is still playing on 17 screens!

Below the radar, Cyrus, quite possibly the best movie I've seen this year, opened on 4 screens to take in $180,300. That's a higher per screen average than the talking Toy picture! I can't recommend this film enough, as it delivers everything a good movie should. Make an effort to check this one out.

So there, you have my amazing break down. Next week, Tom Cruise goes head to head with Adam Sandler and the rest of the SNL cast from 1994. Sadly, that movie will make in an hour what MacGruber did in its entire run.

Until next weekend....

(All Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo)

What's that? You're clamoring to see that awesome Fantastic Mr. Fox Stop Motion Interview Again?

While I'm at it, did I mention that I once made Simon Pegg laugh?



Ghost: [after letting Gunnar fall from the mountain] I'm not your kind.

Hollywood Finally Gets One Right!

The lunatics braintrust responsible for this:

...are now allegedly going to make a Nic Cage sequel to a terrible Nic Cage film.

But for once, this sounds like a good idea.

Jackie Chan Hates Karate Kids

More Videos at IGN.com

Box Office Report: Salvation (again)

Dude here again. How about that World Cup, eh? Or the NBA Finals? Or The Hockey Thing. Or that oil spill that seems to be prevalent on people's Facebook status? Or anything that doesn't involve movies, because nobody seems to care about those anymore.

No, wait, I'm wrong again.

This weekend, a movie met and exceeded expectations and brought a burst of air to Hollywood's slowly deflating collective ego. Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates. The actuals will be available on Monday, as these are holiday numbers).

1. The Karate Kid (Sony) - $56.0, 3663 screens, week 1, $56.0 total

2. The A-Team (Fox)- $26.0, 3535 screens, week 1, $26.0 total

3. Shrek Forever After (Par/DW) - $15.8, 3868 screens, week 4, $210.0 total

4. Get Him To The Greek (Uni)- $10.1, 2702 screens, week 2, $36.5 total

5. Killers (LGF) $8.1, 2859 screens, week 2, $30.6 total

6. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (BV) - $6.6, 3108 screens, week 3, $72.3 total

7. Marmaduke (Fox)- $6.0, 3213 screens, week 2, $22.2 total

8. Sex and the City 2 (WB)- $5.5, 2750 screens, week 3, $84.7 total

9. Iron Man 2 (Par) - $4.5, 2305 screens, week 6, $299.3 total

10. Splice (WB)- $2.8, 2450 screens, week 2, $13.0 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? Well, it means that The Karate Kid has still got it! Despite the misleading title (the kid learns kung fu!), the film went to make far more than anyone predicted, going so far as to make back its budget in three days. It also proves that it is indeed the best (cha) around! Nothing's ever gonna take it down!

(Fun Fact: Last evening I went to the Golf 'n Stuff they filmed the original at! It was the coolest place on Earth!)

The A-Team had an impressive debut, but given the cost and the hype, should have done better. This being the summer that it is, though, anything can happen. And what once seemed like a surefire bet plucking the talent from last years sleeper hits (Taken, Hangover, District 9) and blowing things up around them, has now turned into a cautionary tale of mediocrity.

I'm quite pleased that a lot of the rest of the top ten remained virtually unchanged, making it an easy week for me to show declining numbers of disappointing Hollywood product. I like calling it product. Reminds of cheese product. Eww.

Below the radar, Winter's Bone, which is sadly not a porn, opened on 4 screens to take in $85,400.

So there, you have my amazing break down. Next week, it's Pixar to the rescue. How amazing is Pixar? So amazing that when I type the word, it's already registered in SpellCheck! Also Jonah Hex opens, but if nobody sees it. will it have opened? Find out next week!

Until next weekend....

(All Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo)

JAX WINS....

FLAWLESS VICTORY



So this is allegedly a promo for a real movie? If so, it's awesome. Looks like Michael Jai White is in charge of things. That man is terrific.

I want to see this. RIGHT NOW.

Box Office Report: Another boring weekend of disapointment.

Dude here again. These numbers are disappointing, people. It's like we're not trying to keep Hollywood afloat. How are we gonna get more transforming robot pictures made if we don't support the smaller things?

For what it's worth, though, I'm freakishly enjoying this.

This weekend, four movies go heat-to-head-to-head-to-head but not really as Shrek yawns to first place. Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates. The actuals will be available on Monday, as these are holiday numbers).

1. Shrek Forever After (Par/DW) - $25.3, 4386 screens, week 3, $183.0 total

2. Get Him To The Greek (Uni)- $17.4, 2697 screens, week 1, $17.4 total

3. Killers (LGF) $16.1, 2859 screens, week 1, $16.1 total

4. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (BV) - $13.8, 3646 screens, week 2, $59.4 total

5. Sex and the City 2 (WB)- $12.6, 3445 screens, week 2, $73.4 total

6. Marmaduke (Fox)- $11.3, 3213 screens, week 1, $11.3 total

7. Iron Man 2 (Par) - $7.7, 3007 screens, week 5, $291.2 total

8. Splice (WB)- $7.4, 2450 screens, week 1, $7.4 total

9. Robin Hood (Uni) - $5.1, 2599 screens, week 4, $94.2 total

10. Letters to Juliet (Sum)- $3.0, 1962 screens, week 4, $43.3 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? Well, it means that more people cared to see Shrek than any other movie that's out there. Is it inflated.. oh who cares?

I'm glad that Get Him To The Greek found a sizable enough audience, but so did Killers. And I want you to think about what this means. We've allowed both Russell Brand and Katherine Heigl to continue being in movies for a little while longer. But only for a little bit, those aren't great numbers for June.

Well, maybe for June 1993! BURN!

Nobody's going to see Marmaduke, eh? My buddy Larry went to the midnight show of it. Said it was "SUPERB" and that it ended with a dog farting and winking at the camera. Grade-A cinema, though not as great as Furry Vengeance, where a raccoon urinates on Brendan Fraser.

Tough break, Splice. You can take comfort in knowing at least you're not MacGruber, (which dropped a whopping 93% from last weekend). Or any of the other alleged "blockbusters" which are doing okay, but not nearly as good as anybody was predicting.

Below the radar, Raajneeti was unleashed upon 124 screens, and took in $917,000 to come in 11th place. It also has the highest per screen average of the week. Take that Fat Bast… I mean Shrek.

So there, you have my amazing break down. Next week, the box office has a problem, so hopefully The A-Team can solve it. (I wanted to quote the whole opening from the show, but I've got too much else to do today to even bother searching, cutting and pasting).

Until next weekend....

(All Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo)

A Printer Made of Legos?!?!

Why, I never...






(Thanks to Geekologie for pointing me in the direction of this one).