Archive: Reviews Archives

2006

Box Office: May 12-14, 2006

1. Mission: Impossible III $25.0M (Total: $85.1M)
2. Poseidon $22.2M (Total: $22.2M)
3. RV $9.95M (Total: $43.3M)
4. Just My Luck $5.7M (Total: $5.7M)
5. An American Haunting $3.6M (Total: $10.8M)
6. United 93 $3.5M (Total: $25.6M)
7. Stick It $3.2M (Total: $22.1M)
8. Ice Age: The Meltdown $3.2M (Total: $187.6M)
9. Akeelah and the Bee $2.4M (Total: $14.0M)
10. Hoot $2.3M (Total: $6.4M)

Poseidon has an unimpressive debut and, instead of surpassing last week’s number 1 Mission: Impossible III as it was expected to, it comes in a close second.

-Wesley Lovell (March 16, 2006)

The 10 Best Horror Films

I love horror films. I have since before I loved the Academy Awards. However, it’s a rather daunting prospect for me as I have, sadly, missed a great number of the most recent horror films. That said, here’s my list of the 10 best horror films that I’ve ever seen. Keep in mind that I’m not including films about terror (like The Birds or The Silence of the Lambs ). Those films fall into a completely different style and will be considered separately.

The Shining (1980)
The Exorcist (1973)
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Misery (1990)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Scream (1996)
Poltergeist (1982)
Halloween (1978)
Dolores Claiborne (1995)

Honorable Mentions: Seven, Identity, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, Scream 2 and Interview with the Vampire.

-Wesley Lovell (May 22, 2006)

Most Anticipated Films

In recent years, the films I’ve looked forward to (Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events , The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ) have provided significant disappointment. This year, we’ll hope for a turnaround.

Things started off badly with the unimpressive third installment of the Mission: Impossible series. The next chance for the season to lift my hopes is the final chapter in the X-Men trilogy. The Last Stand preview has me excited but that excitement could easily be deluded.

Other films that pose good prospects include A Prairie Home Companion ,Superman Returns , The Lake House ,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest , Little Miss Sunshine , Casino Royale and Dreamgirls. If even half of these films hold up to promises, I’ll be happy.

-Wesley Lovell (May 22, 2006)

Review Preview

The summer movie season is upon us. Hit movies like Mission: Impossible III , The Da Vinci Code and X-Men: The Last Stand are only the beginning.

I’ll bring you the latest reviews of summer films as they arrive; however, it won’t be the only feature you can expect. Later this year, as Oscar season approaches, I’ll be posting reviews of all 78 Academy Award winners for Best Picture. I’ll start at the beginning with Wings and follow it up with all of the greats, including Gone With the Wind , Lawrence of Arabia , The Godfather , Schindler’s List and finish it all off with Crash. I’ll be updating nearly every review I’ve posted for these films previously.

I also anticipate reviews of other Best Picture nominees as well as winners and nominees in many other categories. This will be one of my site’s biggest expansions and hopefully everyone will find something interesting.

-Wesley Lovell (May 22, 2006)

May 19-21, 2006

1. The Da Vinci Code $77.1M (Total: $77.1M)
2. Over the Hedge $38.5M (Total: $38.5M)
3. Mission: Impossible III $11.3M (Total: $103.5M)
4. Poseidon $9.2M (Total: $36.8M)
5. RV $5.0M (Total: $50.3M)
6. See No Evil $4.6M (Total: $4.6M)
7. Just My Luck $3.4M (Total: $10.5M)
8. An American Haunting $1.5M (Total: $13.4M)
9. United 93 $1.4M (Total: $28.3M)
10. Akeelah and the Bee $1.0M (Total: $15.7M)

The Da Vinci Code takes top spot this week, supplanting last week’s number 1, Mission: Impossible III

-Wesley Lovell (May 23, 2006)

May 26-29, 2006

1. X-Men: The Last Stand $122.9M (Total: $122.9M)
2. The Da Vinci Code $42.4M (Total: $144.9M)
3. Over the Hedge $35.3M (Total: $84.4M)
4. Mission: Impossible III $8.9M (Total: $116.2M)
5. Poseidon $7.1M (Total: $46.7M)
6. RV $5.4M (Total: $57.3M)
7. See No Evil $3.4M (Total: $9.4M)
8. Just My Luck $2.5M (Total: $14.1M)
9. United 93 $1.1M (Total: $29.9M)
10. Ice Age: The Meltdown $1.0M (Total: $190.7M)

X-Men: The Last Stand destroys the competition and sets a Memorial Day weekend record.

-Wesley Lovell (May 31, 2006)

June 2-4, 2006

1. The Break-Up $39.2M (Total: $39.2M)
2. X-Men: The Last Stand $34.0M (Total: $175.3M)
3. Over the Hedge $20.6M (Total: $112.4M)
4. The Da Vinci Code $18.6M (Total: $171.9M)
5. Mission: Impossible III $4.7M (Total: $122.7M)
6. Poseidon $3.5M (Total: $51.8M)
7. RV $3.2M (Total: $61.7M)
8. See No Evil $2.0M (Total: $12.4M)
9. An Inconvenient Truth $1.4M (Total: $1.9M)
10. Just My Luck $0.9M (Total: $15.6M)

The Break-Up wrenches the top spot from the X-Men.

-Wesley Lovell (June 6, 2006)

June 9-11, 2006

1. Cars $60.1M (Total: $60.1M)
2. The Break-Up $20.3M (Total: $73.9M)
3. X-Men: The Last Stand $16.1M (Total: $202.2M)
4. The Omen $16.0M (Total: $36.3M)
5. The Da Vinci Code $10.4M (Total: $189.2M)
6. Over the Hedge $10.2M (Total: $130.2M)
7. A Prairie Home Companion $4.6M (Total: $4.6M)
8. Mission: Impossible III $3.0M (Total: $127.5M)
9. RV $1.9M (Total: $64.9M)
10. Poseidon $1.8M (Total: $54.9M)

Cars takes the top spot from The Break-Up. The Omen debuts weakly for a horror film and Prairie Home Companion impresses with a high per-screen average.

-Wesley Lovell (June 13, 2006)

Reviews Update

It’s taken quite some time to get everything together to make the review areas look the way they should. I have successfully completed the transition of 2003 and 2004 review years. I’m currently working on 2005 , then 2006 and then everything else. Please continue to maintain patience. Enjoy a flashback to 2003 and 2004.

-Wesley Lovell (June 16, 2006)

2005: The Year Updated

2005 is now ready to go. All the reviews I had written already are posted as well as all the details of all the films that I’ve seen but for which I have not written reviews.

-Wesley Lovell (June 19, 2006)

June 16-18, 2006

1. Cars $33.7M (Total: $117.1M)
2. Nacho Libre $28.3M (Total: $28.3M)
3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift $23.97M (Total: $23.97M)
4. The Lake House $13.6M (Total: $13.6M)
5. The Break-Up $9.8M (Total: $92.3M)
6. X-Men: The Last Stand $7.8M (Total: $216.2M)
7. Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties $7.3M (Total: $7.3M)
8. The Omen $5.6M (Total: $47.2M)
9. The Da Vinci Code $5.3M (Total: $198.8M)
10. Over the Hedge $4.3M (Total: $139.0M)

Cars retains the lead but faced stiff competition from surprisingly hostile Nacho Libre and The Fast and the Furious 3. The Lake House debuted far behind in third while Garfield 2 pinched a pathetic 7th.

-Wesley Lovell (June 20, 2006)

June 23-25, 2006

1. Click $40.0M (Total: $40.0M)
2. Cars $23.3M (Total: $156.7M)
3. Nacho Libre $12.7M (Total: $53.2M)
4. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift $9.8M (Total: $43.1M)
5. Waist Deep $9.4M (Total: $9.4M)
6. The Lake House $8.8M (Total: $29.8M)
7. The Break-Up $5.2M (Total: $104.2M)
8. Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties $5.2M (Total: $16.5M)
9. X-Men: The Last Stand $4.8M (Total: $224.5M)
10. The Da Vinci Code $4.1M (Total: $205.6M)

It’s not surprising that Click debuted at number one. However, with the speed with which Nacho Libre plummeted, Click should face the same fate next week when Superman debuts.

-Wesley Lovell (June 27, 2006)

June 30-July 2, 2006

1. Superman Returns $52.5M (Total: $84.6M)
2. The Devil Wears Prada $27.5M (Total: $27.5M)
3. Click $19.9M (Total: $78.4M)
4. Cars $14.5M (Total: $182.6M)
5. Nacho Libre $6.6M (Total: $65.4M)
6. The Lake House $4.8M (Total: $39.0M)
7. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift $4.5M (Total: $51.7M)
8. Waist Deep $3.4M (Total: $15.3M)
9. The Break-Up $2.9M (Total: $110.2M)
10. The Da Vinci Code $2.4M (Total: $209.9M)

Superman Returns was on top as expected but with a significantly lower-than-expected return. Meanwhile, The Devil Wears Prada managed a much larger debut than was predicted but as counter-programming, it worked.

-Wesley Lovell (July 4, 2006)

July 7-9, 2006

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $135.6M (Total: $135.6M)
2. Superman Returns $21.8M (Total: $141.6M)
3. The Devil Wears Prada $15.0M (Total: $63.1M)
4. Click $11.9M (Total: $105.8M)
5. Cars $10.7M (Total: $205.9M)
6. Nacho Libre $3.3M (Total: $73.8M)
7. The Lake House $2.9M (Total: $45.6M)
8. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift $2.5M (Total: $57.4M)
9. Waist Deep $1.9M (Total: $19.2M)
10. The Break-Up $1.6M (Total: $114.3M)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest debuted phenomenally well against no new competition and older films that weren’t drawing the audiences they should have. It’ll top again next week no problem but the fall will likely be around 56% or greater.

-Wesley Lovell (July 11, 2006)

July 14-16, 2006

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $62.3M (Total: $258.4M)
2. Little Man $21.6M (Total: $21.6M)
3. You, Me and Dupree $21.5M (Total: $21.5M)
4. Superman Returns $12.3M (Total: $164.3M)
5. The Devil Wears Prada $10.4M (Total: $83.5M)
6. Cars $7.8M (Total: $220.0M)
7. Click $7.3M (Total: $119.96M)
8. The Lake House $1.7M (Total: $48.996M)
9. Nacho Libre $1.6M (Total: $77.2M)
10. A Scanner Darkly $1.3M (Total: $1.9M)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest stayed at the top of the chart and fell slightly less than I was expecting dropping only 54%. Next week, the competition finally arrives with Lady in the Water, Monster House, Clerks II and My Super Ex-Girlfriend all poised to chip away at the box office leader.

-Wesley Lovell (July 18, 2006)

July 21-23, 2006

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $35.2M (Total: $321.9M)
2. Monster House $22.2M (Total: $22.2M)
3. Lady in the Water $18.0M (Total: $18.0M)
4. You, Me and Dupree $12.8M (Total: $45.3M)
5. Little Man $11.0M (Total: $40.6M)
6. Clerks II $10.1M (Total: $10.1M)
7. My Super Ex-Girlfriend $8.6M (Total: $8.6M)
8. Superman Returns $7.4M (Total: $178.3M)
9. The Devil Wears Prada $7.4M (Total: $97.5M)
10. Cars $4.9M (Total: $229.5M)

The juggernaut persists. Unfortunately, there’s no stopping Pirates now. Althought Miami Vice will debut well, it’s uncertain whether it will be able to lift past Pirates. Though its third weekend was below two other films that passed the $400 million mark, its intial weekend will likely send it sailing past those two monoliths (Spider-Man and Shrek 2).

-Wesley Lovell (July 25, 2006)

New Reviews Posted

It’s been too long since I last updated my 2006 reviews. So, here’s a batch of six films from 2006. Check on the 2006 page for new reviews of Cars, The Da Vinci Code, Doogal, The Lake House, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Superman Returns.

-Wesley Lovell (July 25, 2006)

July 28-30, 2006

1. Miami Vice $25.7M (Total: $25.7M)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $20.6M (Total: $358.5M)
3. John Tucker Must Die $14.3M (Total: $14.3M)
4. Monster House $11.7M (Total: $44.0M)
5. The Ant Bully $8.4M (Total: $8.4M)
6. Lady in the Water $7.1M (Total: $32.2M)
7. You, Me and Dupree $7.1M (Total: $59.1M)
8. Little Man $5.1M (Total: $50.2M)
9. The Devil Wears Prada $4.7M (Total: $106.6M)
10. My Super Ex-Girlfriend $4.1M (Total: $16.8M)

And the mighty have fallen. Miami Vice proved to be the only film in four weeks to topple Pirates 2 from the top spot but with a far less impressive debut than expected. The most surprising, howver, is The Ant Bully as the first animated film not to top a previously-released animated film in its debut this year.

-Wesley Lovell (August 1, 2006)

August 4-6, 2006

1. Talladega Nights $47.0M (Total: $47.0M)
2. Barnyard $15.8M (Total: $15.8M)
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $11.0M (Total: $379.7M)
4. Miami Vice $10.2M (Total: $46.3M)
5. The Descent $8.9M (Total: $8.9M)
6. John Tucker Must Die $6.2M (Total: $28.7M)
7. Monster House $6.1M (Total: $57.0M)
8. The Ant Bully $3.9M (Total: $18.2M)
9. You, Me and Dupree $3.64M (Total: $66.8M)
10. The Night Listener $3.55M (Total: $3.5M)

Talladega Nights debuted strongly at number 1, no surprise at all. Barnyard however ended up in second place. Surprising with a spate of horrendous critical evaluations. However, the big news is the 60%+ drop of Miami Vice, which after toppling Pirates falls below it and may end up being the summer’s biggest flop (no…wait…Lady in the Water wins that title having fallen out of the Top 10 in a 62% drop.

-Wesley Lovell (August 8, 2006)

August 11-13, 2006

1. Talladega Nights $22.13M (Total: $90.34M)
2. Step Up $20.66M (Total: $20.66M)
3. World Trade Center $18.7M (Total: $26.53M)
4. Barnyard $9.70M (Total: $33.72M)
5. Pulse $8.20M (Total: $8.20M)
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $7.24M (Total: $392.4M)
7. Miami Vice $4.71M (Total: $55.27M)
8. The Descent $4.62M (Total: $17.54M)
9. Zoom $4.51M (Total: $4.51M)
10. Monster House $3.29M (Total: $63.66M)

Talladega Nights maintained its grip on the #1 spot for the second, and likely final, week. World Trade Center failed to catch on with critics pointing out its complete lack of controversy, thus diminising curiosity-seekers. Meanwhile, Step Up made an impressive debut in the second spot. Meanwhile, horror film Pulse came in fifth and Sky High knock off Zoom failed to ignite coming in at #10.

-Wesley Lovell (August 15, 2006)

August 18-20, 2006

1. Snakes on a Plane $13.81M (Total: $15.21M)
2. Talladega Nights $13.76M (Total: $114.34M)
3. World Trade Center $10.90M (Total: $45.11M)
4. Step Up $10.16M (Total: $39.74M)
5. Accepted $10.02M (Total: $10.02M)
6. Barnyard $7.58M (Total: $46.09M)
7. Little Miss Sunshine $5.61M (Total: $12.69M)
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $5.21M (Total: $401.25M)
9. Material Girls $4.60M (Total: $4.60M)
10. Pulse $3.52M (Total: $14.69M)

Snakes on a Plane barely captured the #1 spot form Talladega Nights. Despite being a perceived slam dunk for tops this weekend, Snakes failed to meet expectations and proved it’s hiss was worse than its bite. The rest of the Top 10 featured the college comedy Accepted debut at number 5 and girl comedy Material Girls came in at a weak 9th. Meanwhile, the story of the week is the impressive expanded release of Little Miss Sunshine which made more than $8,000 per theater, more than doubling every individual per-theater gross of the entire Top 18.

-Wesley Lovell (August 22, 2006)

August 25-27, 2006

1. Invincible $17.03M (Total: $17.03M)
2. Talladega Nights $8.12M (Total: $127.81M)
3. Little Miss Sunshine $7.37M (Total: $22.89M)
4. Beerfest $7.03M (Total: $7.03M)
5. World Trade Center $6.47M (Total: $55.64M)
6. Accepted $6.34M (Total: $20.99M)
7. Snakes on a Plane $6.17M (Total: $26.32M)
8. Step Up $6.16M (Total: $50.39M)
9. Idlewild $5.75M (Total: $5.75M)
10. Barnyard $5.65M (Total: $54.93M)

Invincible debuts in the top spot with more than twice its nearest competitor (over-performing Talladega Nights). Meanwhile, Little Miss Sunshine opened wider and took in enough to rank third, an impressive feat for a Sundance entry. Beerfest didn’t appeal as broadly as expected and How to Eat Fried Worms, despite a relentless, untantalizing marketing campaign, failed to breach the top 10 settling for 11th place, just one ahead of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 which left the top 10 after 7 weeks there. Snakes on a Planelost more than half its audience making it one of the most disappointing faux-grass-roots campaigns in history.

-Wesley Lovell (August 29, 2006)

September 1-3, 2006

1. Invincible $12.15M (Total: $34.79M)
2. Crank $10.46M (Total: $10.46M)
3. The Wicker Man $9.61M (Total: $9.61M)
4. Little Miss Sunshine $7.62M (Total: $33.73M)
5. The Illusionist $6.31M (Total: $10.37M)
6. Talladega Nights $6.10M (Total: $136.77M)
7. Barnyard $4.89M (Total: $62.08M)
8. World Trade Center $4.61M (Total: $62.49M)
9. Accepted $4.59M (Total: $28.11M)
10. Step Up $4.50M (Total: $57.38M)

Invincible remained such, holding onto the top spot against Transporter 3…I mean Crank and Nic Cage starrer The Wicker Man. Little Miss Sunshine continued to make boatloads of indie money while The Illusionist started doing the same thing. With no film in the top 10 dropping more than 29%, it was a good sign for next week’s big debut of The Covenant. Pirates of the Caribbean remains out of the top 10 but fell only 4.9%, making it increasingly likely to pass Shrek 2 on the all-tiem Box Office chart. Snakes on a Plane continued its decent leaving the Top 10 in its 3rd week losing over 60% over last week’s revenues.

-Wesley Lovell (September 5, 2006)

September 8-10, 2006

1. The Covenant $8.85M (Total: $8.85M)
2. Hollywoodland $5.93M (Total: $5.93M)
3. Invincible $5.63M (Total: $45.50M)
4. The Protector $5.03M (Total: $5.03M)
5. Crank $4.90M (Total: $19.96M)
6. The Illusionist $4.51M (Total: $17.96M)
7. Little Miss Sunshine $4.27M (Total: $41.49M)
8. The Wicker Man $4.06M (Total: $17.43M)
9. Talladega Nights $3.01M (Total: $142.19M)
10. Barnyard $2.71M (Total: $67.01M)

The Covenant had a terribly weak debut, the weakest in almost three years. Debuting with less than $9 M, the male magician film didn’t turn many heads. Meanwhile, whodunnit Hollywoodland managed an equally unimpressive $5.93 M but pulled far enough ahead to finish second for the week.

-Wesley Lovell (September 12, 2006)

September 15-17, 2006

1. Gridiron Gang $14.41M (Total: $14.41M)
2. The Black Dahlia $10.01M (Total: $10.01M)
3. Everyone’s Hero $6.06M (Total: $6.06M)
4. The Covenant $4.78M (Total: $15.79M)
5. The Last Kiss $4.63M (Total: $4.63M)
6. Invincible $4.11M (Total: $51.12M)
7. The Illusionist $3.62M (Total: $23.13M)
8. Little Miss Sunshine $3.32M (Total: $46.36M)
9. Hollywoodland $2.72M (Total: $10.52M)
10. Crank $2.68M (Total: $24.39M)

Gridiron Gang didn’t have too disappointing a debut, even with box office receipts well off last year’s abysmal performance. The Black Dahlia still managed to do better business than its kin Hollywoodland last week. However, animated Everyone’s Hero should have done better, a poor year (and a heavy year) of animtaed pictures may have spelled its disaster The Illusionist and Little Miss Sunshine continued to perform box office miracles as they continued their slow climb in box office totals. Next week won’t be much better as Jackass: Number Two, while with a built-in audience won’t likely top Gridiron‘s total this week.

-Wesley Lovell (September 19, 2006)

Plenty of New Updates

As I am wont to do, I have updated still more of my website. I have added six new reviews to both 2005 and 2006. For the year 2005, I’ve added my review of Good Night, and Good Luck. For 2006, reviews for Hollywoodland, Hostel, Little Miss Sunshine, Over the Hedge and X-Men 3: The Last Stand have been added.

Also in need of updates are several of the annual pages (a task that fell by the wayside while I was updating my Site History section). Below is a brief summary of all pages that have seen an update of some kind.

Reviews: 2006 – Data updated, five new reviews.
Reviews: 2005 – Data updated, one new review.
Reviews: 1940 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1941 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1942 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1943 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1944 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1945 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1946 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1947 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1948 – Data updated, no new reviews.
Reviews: 1949 – Data updated, no new reviews.

-Wesley Lovell (September 26, 2006)

September 22-24, 2006

1. Jackass: Number Two $29.00M (Total: $29.00M)
2. Jet Li’s Fearless $10.59M (Total: $10.59M)
3. Gridiron Gang $9.46M (Total: $26.96M)
4. Flyboys $6.00M (Total: $6.00M)
5. Everyone’s Hero $4.69M (Total: $11.53M)
6. The Black Dahlia $4.45M (Total: $17.27M)
7. All the King’s Men $3.67M (Total: $3.67M)
8. The Illusionist $3.33M (Total: $27.59M)
9. The Covenant $3.18M (Total: $20.18M)
10. Little Miss Sunshine $2.82M (Total: $50.29M)

Proving that no one can predict a hit, Jakass: Number Two outperformed expectations and came in with $29 M, an impressive amount. Jet Li’s Fearless managed to finish second with just over $10 M. Flyboys finished 4th with the other new entry All the King’s Men failing to ignite premiering at 7.

-Wesley Lovell (September 26, 2006)

September 29-October 1, 2006

1. Open Season $23.62M (Total: $23.62M)
2. The Guardian $18.01M (Total: $18.01M)
3. Jackass: Number Two $14.61M (Total: $52.07M)
4. School for Scoundrels $8.60M (Total: $8.60M)
5. Jet Li’s Fearless $4.98M (Total: $18.07M)
6. Gridiron Gang $4.58M (Total: $33.26M)
7. The Illusionist $2.74M (Total: $31.38M)
8. Flyboys $2.35M (Total: $9.95M)
9. The Black Dahlia $2.13M (Total: $20.74M)
10. Little Miss Sunshine $1.99M (Total: $53.13M)

Open Season proved to be a draw for children at the box office. While off from last week’s $29 M top spot debut, the top 3 films easily out performed last week’s top four. The Guardian posted less than stellar numbers considering the hype and advertising campaign. Jackass 2 slid to 3rd while the week’s other debut, School for Scoundrels, pulled in a slight $8.6 M to come in fourth. Little Miss Sunshine and The Illusionist continue to perform welll in the weak month of September. Next weekend, October pulls into full view with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel, Employee of the Month and The Departed all poised to post high Top 10 debuts likely knocking at least Flyboys, Black Dahlia and Sunshine out of the Top 10.

-Wesley Lovell (October 3, 2006)

October 6-8, 2006

1. The Departed $26.89M (Total: $26.89M)
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning $18.51M (Total: $18.51M)
3. Open Season $15.63M (Total: $43.75M)
4. Employee of the Month $11.41M (Total: $11.41M)
5. The Guardian $9.57M (Total: $32.32M)
6. Jackass: Number Two $6.52M (Total: $62.81M)
7. School for Scoundrels $3.43M (Total: $13.99M)
8. Jet Li’s Fearless $2.29M (Total: $21.75M)
9. Gridiron Gang $2.24M (Total: $36.56M)
10. The Illusionist $1.89M (Total: $34.13M)

As expected, The Departed debuted at the top spot of the box office becoming Martin Scorsese’s first number one opening after a series of platform releases. Not only did it top the chart but it beat out its nearest competition by more than $8 M. Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel The Beginning came in second while the week’s other debut Employee of the Month registered $11.41 M to come in fourth. Computer animated pic Open Season remained strong with a third place finish of $15.63 M. The rest of the top 10 was relatively unimpressive. Next week, the top spot will undoubtedly go to horror sequel The Grudge 2. However, Grudge may fail to surprass Robin Williams comedy Man of the Year while the other big debut will be The Marine which won’t debut as high as it might have with less stiff competition for its anticipated audience.

-Wesley Lovell (October 10, 2006)

October 13-15, 2006

1. The Grudge 2 $20.83M (Total: $20.83M)
2. The Departed $19.03M (Total: $56.99M)
3. Man of the Year $12.30M (Total: $12.30M)
4. Open Season $11.11M (Total: $59.27M)
5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning $7.49M (Total: $30.19M)
6. The Marine $7.14M (Total: $7.14M)
7. The Guardian $5.87M (Total: $41.13M)
8. Employee of the Month $5.27M (Total: $19.58M)
9. One Night with the King $4.11M (Total: $4.11M)
10. Jackass: Number Two $3.33M (Total: $68.38M)

The surprise of the weak wasn’t that The Grudge 2 may so little money to take the top spot but that Man of the Year couldn’t surpass a surprisingly strong second weekend for The Departed. The week’s other major debut, The Marine, was a supreme dud ranking no higher than the nearly 60% fall of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.Next week, Clint Eastwood’s war drama Flags of our Fathers will compete against Flicka, The Prestige and Marie Antoinette. Flags should come out on top with The Prestige a likely second-place finisher with Flicka competitive for third. Marie Antoinette should finish in the Top 10 but where isn’t clear.

-Wesley Lovell (October 17, 2006)

October 20-22, 2006

1. The Prestige $14.80M (Total: $14.80M)
2. The Departed $13.46M (Total: $76.94M)
3. Flags of Our Fathers $10.25M (Total: $10.25M)
4. Open Season $8.16M (Total: $69.77M)
5. Flicka $7.70M (Total: $7.70M)
6. The Grudge 2 $7.65M (Total: $31.33M)
7. Man of the Year $6.94M (Total: $22.42M)
8. Marie Antoinette $5.36M (Total: $5.36M)
9. The Marine $3.79M (Total: $12.62M)
10. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning $3.78M (Total: $35.89M)

As Oscar season rolls around, box office numbers are important. The Departed continues a stellar run at the box office, which could be an indication of its popularity when it comes to nomination time. Debuting this week, below a fellow competitor, Flags of Our Fathers attempts to make a solid debut to make its contention apparent. $10.25 M isn’t a bad debut but depending on its second week, we could see the first of the year’s big contenders fail to catch on with the general public.

The Prestige debuted at number one with nearly $15 million. It’s the lowest debut since mid-September, which doesn’t bode well for the fall season but it is nonetheless impressive for a genre pic about stage magicians. If it continues to perform well, it could become a key contender in the tech categories at the Oscars. Marie Antoinnette‘s lackluster debut is proof the film doesn’t have a broad demographic. It’s previews turned off most period enthusiasts while many punk fans may have been turned off by the costumes.

-Wesley Lovell (October 24, 2006)

October 27-29, 2006

1. Saw III $33.61M (Total: $33.61M)
2. The Departed $9.85M (Total: $91.10M)
3. The Prestige $9.57M (Total: $28.78M)
4. Flags of Our Fathers $6.35M (Total: $19.92M)
5. Open Season $5.86M (Total: $77.12M)
6. Flicka $4.73M (Total: $13.89M)
7. Man of the Year $4.73M (Total: $28.88M)
8. The Grudge 2 $3.26M (Total: $35.98M)
9. Marie Antoinette $2.85M (Total: $9.75M)
10. Running with Scissors $2.53M (Total: $2.87M)

Saw III set a milestone this weekend becoming the highest grossing Halloween weekened opener ever surmounting its predecessor Saw II. Virtually alone in its debut weekend, Saw took in more than $33 million at the box office. In second place for the third week in a row, The Departed showed amazing stamina and is set to become Martin Scrosese’s best box office performance ever. If it remains on this pace, within two weeks, the film will pass the $100 million mark.

-Wesley Lovell (October 31, 2006)

November 3-5, 2006

1. Borat $26.46M (Total: $26.46M)
2. The Santa Clause 3 $19.50M (Total: $19.50M)
3. Flushed Away $18.81M (Total: $18.81M)
4. Saw III $14.81M (Total: $59.38M)
5. The Departed $7.72M (Total: $102.00M)
6. The Prestige $7.51M (Total: $39.14M)
7. Flags of Our Fathers $4.42M (Total: $26.55M)
8. Man of the Year $3.67M (Total: $33.85M)
9. Open Season $2.97M (Total: $81.25M)
10. The Queen $2.91M (Total: $9.99M)

This week’s big surprise is that Borat performed incredibly well in less than one thousand theaters and pulled in more than $31,000 per theater. That’s an astounding total and was enough to land the film in the top spot. The Santa Clause 3 under performed and came in at position 2 while Flushed Away did what was expected and debuted under Clause. The Departed finally crossed the $100 million mark positioning it as the real Best Picture nominee contender that the disappointing returns of Flags of Our Fathers slowed for that film.

-Wesley Lovell (November 7, 2006)

November 10-12, 2006

1. Borat $28.27M (Total: $67.11M)
2. The Santa Clause 3 $16.93M (Total: $41.09M)
3. Flushed Away $16.61M (Total: $39.83M)
4. Stranger Than Fiction $13.41M (Total: $13.41M)
5. Saw III $6.98M (Total: $70.26M)
6. Babel $5.56M (Total: $7.39M)
7. The Departed $5.16M (Total: $109.70M)
8. The Prestige $4.78M (Total: $46.19M)
9. The Return $4.48M (Total: $4.48M)
10. A Good Year $3.72M (Total: $3.72M)

This weekend’s box office holds only one major surprise: Stranger Than Fiction didn’t top the box office and didn’t even rank higher than fourth. Some might say Borat‘s second week showing was surprising but considering how popular it was the first week and how many theaters it was expanded into, it’s not surprising at all. Santa Clause 3 and Flushed Away dipped only slightly in their second weeks.

-Wesley Lovell (November 14, 2006)

November 17-19, 2006

1. Happy Feet $41.53M (Total: $41.53M)
2. Casino Royale $40.83M (Total: $40.83M)
3. Borat $14.60M (Total: $90.76M)
4. The Santa Clause 3 $8.30M (Total: $51.07M)
5. Stranger Than Fiction $6.60M (Total: $22.91M)
6. Flushed Away $6.59M (Total: $48.59M)
7. Saw III $2.92M (Total: $74.97M)
8. Babel $2.90M (Total: $12.02M)
9. The Departed $2.59M (Total: $113.84M)
10. After Dark’s Horror Fest: 8 Films to Die For $2.31M (Total: $2.31M)

Though the difference was $700 thousand, that’s a drop in the bucket in a $82M opening for the top two films. Happy Feet finished slightly ahead of Casino Royale based on a wider screen release. The per theater averages favored Royale. Next week, it is highly likely these films will retain their positions at the box office with a boost from the Thanksgiving holiday.

-Wesley Lovell (November 21, 2006)

November 24-26, 2006

1. Happy Feet $37.038M (Total: $99.256M)
2. Casino Royale $30.785M (Total: $94.053M)
3. Deja Vu $20.574M (Total: $28.649M)
4. Deck the Halls $12.001M (Total: $16.916M)
5. Borat $10.301M (Total: $109.136M)
6. The Santa Clause 3 $9.929M (Total: $67.073M)
7. Flushed Away $5.756M (Total: $57.266M)
8. Stranger Than Fiction $5.726M (Total: $32.504M)
9. Bobby $4.858M (Total: $6.100M)
10. The Fountain $3.768M (Total: $5.456M)

Happy Feet appears to be winning the longevity game making roughly $7M more than Casino Royale at the Thanksgiving weekend box office. Both films held their top two positions against new debuts Deja Vu and Deck the Halls. These latter two films performed well under expectations and Deck the Halls was a considerable bomb with a mere $12M opening weekend. The Fountain looks like a non-starter with audiences despite its intriguing premise. The true test of the box office of Feet and Royale will be next weekend when they compete with church audiences for the top spot with the film The Nativity Story.

-Wesley Lovell (November 28, 2006)

December 1-3, 2006

1. Happy Feet $17.545M (Total: $121.501M)
2. Casino Royale $15.112M (Total: $115.876M)
3. Deja Vu $10.947M (Total: $44.007M)
4. The Nativity Story $7.849M (Total: $7.849M)
5. Deck the Halls $6.676M (Total: $25.017M)
6. The Santa Clause 3 $4.893M (Total: $73.039M)
7. Borat $4.746M (Total: $116.241M)
8. Turistas $3.582M (Total: $3.582M)
9. Stranger Than Fiction $3.356M (Total: $36.911M)
10. National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj $2.313M (Total: $2.313M)

For three weeks now, the top two films have remained as they were. That’s a phenomenal showing considering Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was the last pic to hold the top spot itself for three weekends. The combintaion of Apocalypto, The Holiday and Blood Diamond next weekend, should see a change in the top spot. The Nativity Story proved to be less popular than expected thanks to a less aggressive ad campaign than The Passion of the Christ and not to mention the lack of controversy.

-Wesley Lovell (December 5, 2006)

December 8-10, 2006

1. Apocalypto $15.005M (Total: $15.005M)
2. Happy Feet $12.904M (Total: $137.932M)
3. The Holiday $12.778M (Total: $12.778M)
4. Casino Royale $8.926M (Total: $129.020M)
5. Blood Diamond $8.648M (Total: $8.648M)
6. Deja Vu $6.019M (Total: $52.995M)
7. Unaccompanied Minors $5.815M (Total: $5.815M)
8. The Nativity Story $5.713M (Total: $15.907M)
9. Deck the Halls $3.993M (Total: $30.144M)
10. The Santa Clause 3 $3.254M (Total: $77.184M)

As expected, Apocalypto debuted atop the weekend box office chart. However, it’s unimpressive total of $15 M is the lowest debut in two months when The Prestige debuted lower. The Holiday couldn’t top Happy Feet, though it did come a very close third. Blood Diamond wasn’t a smash with audiences proving that Leonardo DiCaprio can’t carry a message movie to the general public.

-Wesley Lovell (December 12, 2006)

December 15-17, 2006

1. The Pursuit of Happyness $26.5M (Total: $26.5M)
2. Eragon $23.2M (Total: $23.2M)
3. Charlotte’s Web $11.5M (Total: $11.5M)
4. Happy Feet $8.4M (Total: $149.2M)
5. The Holiday $8.014M (Total: $25.1M)
6. Apocalypto $8.008M (Total: $28.2M)
7. Blood Diamond $6.5M (Total: $18.6M)
8. Casino Royale $5.6M (Total: $137.5M)
9. The Nativity Story $4.7M (Total: $23.0M)
10. Unaccompanied Minors $3.5M (Total: $10.1M)

It was expected that Eragon would top Charlotte’s Web at the box office. The surprise this week was The Pursuit of Happyness doing boffo box office to come in at the top of the heat rallying a slumping box office. It’s the biggest weekend since the post-Thanksgiving non-holiday weekend. Apocalypto dropped more than 50% as the curiosity of audiences wore off and return business fell.

-Wesley Lovell (December 19, 2006)

December 22-24, 2006

1. Night at the Museum $30.4M (Total: $30.4M)
2. The Pursuit of Happyness $15.0M (Total: $53.3M)
3. Rocky Balboa $12.2M (Total: $21.9M)
4. The Good Shepherd $9.9M (Total: $9.9M)
5. Charlotte’s Web $7.6M (Total: $26.4M)
6. Eragon $7.0M (Total: $37.5M)
7. We Are Marshall $6.1M (Total: $7.2M)
8. Happy Feet $5.6M (Total: $159.6M)
9. The Holiday $4.9M (Total: $34.993M)
10. The Nativity Story $4.7M (Total: $31.3M)

Night at the Museum easily out-distanced its competition for the Christmas Eve weekend. These numbers do not include Christmas day where Dreamgirls made an impressive debut with $8.7 M making it second only to Museum for that day. In addition, though it only had one day on 852 screens in the 4-day weekend total, it managed to finish 7th ahead of the debuting We Are Marshall which had a significantly disappointing opening. Rocky Balboa did amazingly well 30 years after the original film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It came in 3rd place behind last week’s number one The Pursuit of Happiness which held on strong. The weeks’ other new film was the CIA drama The Good Shepherd. The film opened in fourth with a round $10 M figure. Next weekend, no new releases show up, but we’ll see how well Dreamgirls does as it opens wider.

-Wesley Lovell (December 26, 2006)

December 29-31, 2006

1. Night at the Museum $36.8M (Total: $115.8M)
2. The Pursuit of Happyness $19.4M (Total: $98.4M)
3. Dreamgirls $14.1M (Total: $37.1M)
4. Charlotte’s Web $11.7M (Total: $52.5M)
5. The Good Shepherd $11.0M (Total: $35.1M)
6. Rocky Balboa $10.6M (Total: $47.9M)
7. Eragon $8.2M (Total: $56.4M)
8. We Are Marshall $8.1M (Total: $25.1M)
9. Happy Feet $7.7M (Total: $175.9M)
10. The Holiday $6.72M (Total: $50.0M)

Night at the Museum hangs on to the top spot for the second straight weekend whild The Pursuit of Happyness continues to perform above expectations. However, the story of this week’s chart is the $16,549 per screen average of Dreamgirls. The film took in more than $14 M in just three days, a terrific feat considering it shows in fewer than 9 theaters.

-Wesley Lovell (January 2, 2006)

2007

January 5-7, 2007

1. Night at the Museum $23.7M (Total: $163.8M)
2. The Pursuit of Happyness $12.9M (Total: $124.0M)
3. Children of Men $10.2M (Total: $11.8M)
4. Freedom Writers $9.4M (Total: $9.4M)
5. Dreamgirls $8.7M (Total: $54.3M)
6. Happily N’Ever After $6.6M (Total: $6.6M)
7. Charlotte’s Web $6.6M (Total: $66.9M)
8. The Good Shepherd $6.4M (Total: $48.3M)
9. Rocky Balboa $6.0M (Total: $60.6M)
10. We Are Marshall $4.9M (Total: $35.2M)

Three weeks at numbers one and two have brought The Pursuit of Happyness and Night at the Museum loads of money. With totals like these, it is highly unlikely that either film will be knocked down next week, though Pursuit is the most vulnerable. Childre of Men came blazing into the top 10 at number after weeks in limited release. This kind of platform release used to work wonders at Oscar time but so far Children has been too quiet. Dreamgirls continues to pull in the top per screen average in the top 10. It was released in no new theaters and is not in a full wide release yet. With a total of $54.3 M to date, it is likely that with a wide release, the film could easily top $100 M.

-Wesley Lovell (January 9, 2007)

January 12-14, 2007

1. Stomp the Yard $21.8M (Total: $21.8M)
2. Night at the Museum $17.2M (Total: $185.8M)
3. The Pursuit of Happyness $8.9M (Total: $136.3M)
4. Dreamgirls $8.4M (Total: $65.2M)
5. Freedom Writers $7.3M (Total: $18.6M)
6. Alpha Dog $6.4M (Total: $6.4M)
7. Children of Men $6.4M (Total: $21.3M)
8. Primeval $6.0M (Total: $6.0M)
9. Arthur and the Invisibles $4.3M (Total: $4.3M)
10. Charlotte’s Web $3.8M (Total: $72.2M)

No commentary due to power outage at time of issuance.

-Wesley Lovell (January 16, 2007)

January 19-21, 2007

1. Stomp the Yard $12.3M (Total: $40.6M)
2. Night at the Museum $12.0M (Total: $204.9M)
3. Dreamgirls $8.0M (Total: $77.4M)
4. The Hitcher $7.8M (Total: $7.8M)
5. The Pursuit of Happyness $6.3M (Total: $146.1M)
6. Freedom Writers $5.2M (Total: $26.5M)
7. Pan’s Labyrinth $4.5M (Total: $9.9M)
8. Children of Men $3.7M (Total: $27.5M)
9. The Queen $3.4M (Total: $35.6M)
10. Arthur and the Invisibles $3.1M (Total: $9.3M)

No commentary due to power outage at time of issuance.

-Wesley Lovell (January 23, 2007)

January 26-28, 2007

1. Epic Movie $18.6M (Total: $18.6M)
2. Smokin’ Aces $14.6M (Total: $14.6M)
3. Night at the Museum $9.6M (Total: $216.8M)
4. Stomp the Yard $7.7M (Total: $50.5M)
5. Catch and Release $7.7M (Total: $7.7M)
6. Dreamgirls $7.7M (Total: $86.8M)
7. The Pursuit of Happyness $4.9M (Total: $152.9M)
8. Pan’s Labyrinth $4.8M (Total: $16.5M)
9. The Queen $4.0M (Total: $41.3M)
10. The Hitcher $3.6M (Total: $13.4M)

Though it debuted just below the $19 M Date Movie opened with, Epic Movie still managed to eke out a top spot finish over the “hit” film Smokin’ Aces. Night at the Museum chugs along past the $200 M mark while Dreamgirls continues its slow fall towards $100 M.

-Wesley Lovell (January 30, 2007)

February 2-4, 2007

1. The Messengers $14.7M (Total: $14.7M)
2. Because I Said So $13.1M (Total: $13.1M)
3. Epic Movie $8.4M (Total: $29.6M)
4. Night at the Museum $6.4M (Total: $225.0M)
5. Smokin’ Aces $6.1M (Total: $24.7M)
6. Stomp the Yard $4.1M (Total: $55.9M)
7. Dreamgirls $4.0M (Total: $92.7M)
8. Pan’s Labyrinth $3.7M (Total: $21.7M)
9. The Pursuit of Happyness $2.9M (Total: $157.2M)
10. The Queen $2.7M (Total: $45.5M)

In a weak, Superbowl weekend, The Messengers debuted atop the weekend box office charts with a paltry $14.7 M, well below the $21.6 M debut of When a Stranger Calls over the same weekend last year and marking a 6-year low in opening weekends on Superbowl weekend. Coming in second is Diane Keaton comedy Because I Said So with a weak $13.1 M. Epic Movie plummets 54% to $8.4 M, likely putting an end to the Scary Movie-style spinoffs (too bad, it would have been interesting to see Western Movie, Musical Movie or Sci-Fi movie).

-Wesley Lovell (February 6, 2007)

February 9-11, 2007

1. Norbit $34.2M (Total: $34.2M)
2. Hannibal Rising $13.1M (Total: $13.1M)
3. Because I Said So $9.2M (Total: $25.8M)
4. The Messengers $7.2M (Total: $24.7M)
5. Night at the Museum $5.8M (Total: $232.2M)
6. Epic Movie $4.6M (Total: $35.6M)
7. Smokin’ Aces $4.1M (Total: $31.2M)
8. Pan’s Labyrinth $3.6M (Total: $26.6M)
9. Dreamgirls $2.9M (Total: $97.0M)
10. The Queen $2.4M (Total: $48.9M)

Surprising no one, Norbit took the top spot at this weekend’s box office bringing in more than double last week’s top film and putting to an end a major lull at the box office. Much of the rest of this week’s top 10 saw relatively small drops in profits.

-Wesley Lovell (February 13, 2007)

February 16-18, 2007

1. Ghost Rider $45.4M (Total: $45.4M)
2. Bridge to Terabithia $22.6M (Total: $22.6M)
3. Norbit $16.8M (Total: $58.9M)
4. Music and Lyrics $13.6M (Total: $19.2M)
5. Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls $11.2M (Total: $16.9M)
6. Breach $10.5M (Total: $10.5M)
7. Hannibal Rising $5.4M (Total: $22.1M)
8. Because I Said So $5.1M (Total: $33.4M)
9. The Messengers $3.8M (Total: $30.5M)
10. Night at the Museum $3.7M (Total: $237.3M)

As expected, Ghost Rider took the top spot at the box office. Despite being critically ravaged (and easily a contender for worst film of the year), Nic Cage appears to have box office magic we haven’t seen in years. Bridge to Terabithia debuted well against the super hero behemoth whereas other new films didn’t fare so well. Music and Lyrics and Daddy’s Little Girls opened two days early so their totals might have been more impressive with a Friday debut but nevertheless, they debuted with below $15 M, not a good sign for their future viability.

-Wesley Lovell (February 20, 2007)

February 23-25, 2007

1. Ghost Rider $20.1M (Total: $79.0M)
2. The Number 23 $14.6M (Total: $14.6M)
3. Bridge to Terabithia $14.2M (Total: $46.8M)
4. Reno 911!: Miami $10.3M (Total: $10.3M)
5. Norbit $9.8M (Total: $74.8M)
6. Music and Lyrics $7.7M (Total: $31.7M)
7. Breach $5.9M (Total: $20.3M)
8. Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls $4.8M (Total: $25.1M)
9. The Astronaut Farmer $4.5M (Total: $4.5M)
10. Amazing Grace $4.1M (Total: $4.1M)

Ghost Rider picked up a second week at the top of the box office chart, the second film this year to do so. It will end up as the first film of 2007 to cross the now-unimpressive $100 M mark despite critical lashings. Jim Carrey drama The Number 23 proved no match for Nic Cage as Carrey shows his box office muscles don’t stretch to hard-sell thrillers. Reno 911 the movie makes a satisfactory debut but unimpressive considering its moderate popularity on television.

-Wesley Lovell (February 27, 2007)

March 2-4, 2007

1. Wild Hogs $39.7M (Total: $39.7M)
2. Zodiac $13.4M (Total: $13.4M)
3. Ghost Rider $11.6M (Total: $94.8M)
4. Bridge to Terabithia $8.9M (Total: $58.2M)
5. The Number 23 $6.5M (Total: $24.1M)
6. Norbit $6.4M (Total: $82.9M)
7. Music and Lyrics $4.9M (Total: $38.7M)
8. Black Snake Moan $4.1M (Total: $4.1M)
9. Reno 911!: Miami $3.9M (Total: $16.6M)
10. Breach $3.6M (Total: $25.6M)

The WIld Hogs take the top spot from two-weeker Ghost Rider. While they won’t remain at the top, 300 certailny promises to surpass it, it suggests that choppers are the new thing at the box office. For three weeks, the motorcycle pics have dominated the chart. While this won’t last to a fourth, it’s quite telling. The sad part is that Ghost Rider will be the first film to pass the $100 M mark this year. What a terrible film to gain that distinction and quite possibly one of the worst to do so.

-Wesley Lovell (March 6, 2007)

March 9-11, 2007

1. 300 $70.9M (Total: $70.9M)
2. Wild Hogs $27.6M (Total: $77.0M)
3. Bridge to Terabithia $6.8M (Total: $66.9M)
4. Ghost Rider $6.7M (Total: $104.0M)
5. Zodiac $6.6M (Total: $23.6M)
6. Norbit $4.3M (Total: $88.3M)
7. The Number 23 $4.1M (Total: $30.2M)
8. Music and Lyrics $3.7M (Total: $43.8M)
9. Breach $2.5M (Total: $29.0M)
10. Amazing Grace $2.5M (Total: $11.4M)

The triumph of 300 at the box office was complete, nearly doubling last week’s Wild Hogs debut and trippling its second week’s numbers. The rest of the Top 10 seemed rather quiet with Bridge to Terabithia holding on amazingly strong while period piece Amazing Grace edged into the Top 10. Premonitiion promises big numbers next week but will it be enough to toppel 300?

-Wesley Lovell (March 13, 2007)

March 16-18, 2007

1. 300 $32.9M (Total: $129.2M)
2. Wild Hogs $19.1M (Total: $104.2M)
3. Premonition $17.6M (Total: $17.6M)
4. Dead Silence $7.8M (Total: $7.8M)
5. I Think I Love My Wife $5.7M (Total: $5.7M)
6. Bridge to Terabithia $5.2M (Total: $74.9M)
7. Ghost Rider $4.2M (Total: $110.4M)
8. Zodiac $3.3M (Total: $29.1M)
9. Norbit $2.8M (Total: $92.4M)
10. Music and Lyrics $2.3M (Total: $47.4M)

As I expected, 300 remained the top film over the strong, but unimpressive debut of Premonition. Wild Hogs managed to keep its second-place spot while the remainder of the top 5 was new films including the aforementioned Premonition at three, horror reject Dead Silence bowed at fourth but with a paltry $7.8 M while the far worse finisher I Think I Love My Wife finished fifth. The rest of the top 10 pretty much shifted down one position.

-Wesley Lovell (March 20, 2007)

March 23-25, 2007

1. TMNT $24.3M (Total: $24.3M)
2. 300 $19.9M (Total: $161.7M)
3. Shooter $14.5M (Total: $14.5M)
4. Wild Hogs $13.9M (Total: $123.3M)
5. The Last Mimzy $10.0M (Total: $10.0M)
6. The Hills Have Eyes 2 $9.7M (Total: $9.7M)
7. Premonition $9.6M (Total: $31.7M)
8. Reign Over Me $7.5M (Total: $7.5M)
9. Pride $3.5M (Total: $3.5M)
10. Dead Silence $3.4M (Total: $13.2M)

Showing staying power, 300 manages to fall only slightly to position two and brings its total closer to the $200 M mark that it is very likely to pass. Although TMNT topped the chart, it had the weakest debut since the first week of February when The Messengers debuted with under $20 M. Next week’s results will better tell us how TMNT will fare in box office history.

-Wesley Lovell (March 27, 2007)

March 30-April 1, 2007

1. Blades of Glory $33.0M (Total: $33.0M)
2. Meet the Robinsons $25.1M (Total: $25.1M)
3. 300 $11.4M (Total: $179.9M)
4. TMNT $9.2M (Total: $38.5M)
5. Wild Hogs $8.7M (Total: $135.6M)
6. Shooter $8.4M (Total: $27.6M)
7. Premonition $5.2M (Total: $39.5M)
8. The Hills Have Eyes 2 $4.2M (Total: $16.1M)
9. Reign Over Me $3.8M (Total: $13.5M)
10. The Last Mimzy $3.8M (Total: $16.0M)

As expected, Blades of Glory topped the weekend box office chart with a solid, but still unimpressive $33 M opening. Meet the Robinsons came in a surprisingly distant second with $25 M while 300 slides only slightly to third. TMNT dropped more than 60% to land in fourth.

-Wesley Lovell (April 3, 2007)

April 6-8, 2007

1. Blades of Glory $22.5M (Total: $67.9M)
2. Meet the Robinsons $16.7M (Total: $51.9M)
3. Are We Done Yet? $14.3M (Total: $18.5M)
4. Grindhouse $11.6M (Total: $11.6M)
5. The Reaping $10.0M (Total: $11.9M)
6. 300 $8.4M (Total: $193.4M)
7. Wild Hogs $6.6M (Total: $145.3M)
8. Shooter $5.9M (Total: $36.7M)
9. TMNT $4.8M (Total: $46.6M)
10. Firehouse Dog $3.8M (Total: $5.1M)

Horror, even stylized horror, continues to find no love at the box office. Despite amazingly cheesy previews, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s ’70s homage Grindhouse didn’t manage to pique curiosity over the religious holiday weekend, possibly attributing to its failure. It was even beaten by the niche comedy Are We Done Yet? which still managed to come in below last wek’s top two films.

-Wesley Lovell (April 10, 2007)

April 13-15, 2007

1. Disturbia $22.2M (Total: $22.2M)
2. Blades of Glory $13.8M (Total: $89.9M)
3. Meet the Robinsons $12.5M (Total: $72.4M)
4. Perfect Stranger $11.2M (Total: $11.2M)
5. Are We Done Yet? $8.9M (Total: $32.8M)
6. Pathfinder $5.0M (Total: $5.0M)
7. Wild Hogs $4.7M (Total: $152.3M)
8. The Reaping $4.6M (Total: $19.8M)
9. 300 $4.5M (Total: $200.9M)
10. Grindhouse $4.3M (Total: $19.8M)

Disturbia takes this week’s top spot preventing Blades of Glory from taking a third pirouette at the top of the chart. Disturbia‘s total is still weak considering its first week was worse than Blades‘ second week. Grindhouse plummets to number 10 and will likely disappear after only two weeks. 300 finally hits the $200 M mark.

-Wesley Lovell (April 17, 2007)

April 20-22, 2007

1. Disturbia $13.0M (Total: $40.2M)
2. Fracture $11.0M (Total: $11.0M)
3. Blades of Glory $7.7M (Total: $100.9M)
4. Vacancy $7.6M (Total: $7.6M)
5. Meet the Robinsons $6.9M (Total: $82.1M)
6. Hot Fuzz $5.8M (Total: $5.8M)
7. Are We Done Yet? $5.2M (Total: $39.6M)
8. In the Land of Women $4.7M (Total: $4.7M)
9. Perfect Stranger $4.1M (Total: $18.1M)
10. Wild Hogs $2.8M (Total: $156.2M)

Without strong competition, Disturbia managed a second surprising week at the top of the box office with the weakest top spot finish since Stomp the Yard took its second week at the top. Fracture w as the top new film over the weekend with a paltry $11 M over Vacancy‘s even less impressive $7.6 M and Hot Fuzz with $5.8 M.

-Wesley Lovell (April 24, 2007)

April 27-29, 2007

1. Disturbia $9.0M (Total: $52.1M)
2. The Invisible $7.7M (Total: $7.7M)
3. Next $7.1M (Total: $7.1M)
4. Fracture $6.8M (Total: $21.1M)
5. Blades of Glory $5.2M (Total: $108.1M)
6. Hot Fuzz $4.9M (Total: $5.8M)
7. Meet the Robinsons $4.8M (Total: $88.4M)
8. Vacancy $4.1M (Total: $13.8M)
9. The Condemned $3.8M (Total: $3.8M)
10. Are We Done Yet? $3.5M (Total: $43.9M)

Who would have thought that the uber-hyped films Next and The Invisible would fail to register at the box office? Next performed surprisingly poorly considering how well Nic Cage’s Ghost Rider performed. However, Rider had a built-in comic audience. Philip K. Dick doesn’t really have much of an audience and many may be tiring of Cage’s actioner antics. He’ll resurrect that performance when the National Treasure sequel comes out later this year. Disturbia takes its third week at number one. It was the lowest #1 finish since last year’s The Covenant but it was the worst finish for a third week at the top spot for a film since The Whole Nine Yards spent a third week at the top with a paltry $7.1 M back in 2000. It’s also the worst number one finish in history for the month of April.

-Wesley Lovell (May 1, 2007)

May 4-6, 2007

1. Spider-Man 3 $151.1M (Total: $151.1M)
2. Disturbia $5.8M (Total: $60.0M)
3. Fracture $3.7M (Total: $26.7M)
4. The Invisible $3.3M (Total: $12.5M)
5. Next $2.9M (Total: $11.9M)
6. Lucky You $2.7M (Total: $2.7M)
7. Meet the Robinsons $2.6M (Total: $91.9M)
8. Blades of Glory $2.4M (Total: $111.7M)
9. Hot Fuzz $2.2M (Total: $16.3M)
10. Are We Done Yet? $1.7M (Total: $46.2M)

More than $140 M separated first-place finisher Spider-Man 3 and the previous three weeks’ winner Disturbia. Spider-Man 3 set all sorts of records for opening weekends, single days for each of its days and a record international opening. It’ll top the chart again next weekend, but how much can it pick up before Shrek the Third opens in two weeks?

-Wesley Lovell (May 8, 2007)

May 11-13, 2007

1. Spider-Man 3 $58.2M (Total: $240.2M)
2. 28 Weeks Later $9.8M (Total: $9.8M)
3. Georgia Rule $6.8M (Total: $6.8M)
4. Disturbia $4.7M (Total: $66.2M)
5. Delta Farce $3.4M (Total: $3.4M)
6. Fracture $2.9M (Total: $31.0M)
7. The Invisible $2.3M (Total: $15.7M)
8. Meet the Robinsons $1.8M (Total: $94.3M)
9. Next $1.7M (Total: $14.7M)
10. Hot Fuzz $1.7M (Total: $18.9M)

Spider-Man 3 clings to the top spot despite a 61.5% drop, a horrendous feat. It’s total soared past $200 M on Saturday, it’s 9th day in release and its prospects for $300 M are slimming, though still likely. A lot will depend on how well it does this coming weekend against stiff family-oriented competition with Shrek the Third. Disturbia‘s still chugging along as is Meet the Robinsons which is edging closer to a final tally just slightly north of the $100 M mark.

-Wesley Lovell (May 15, 2007)

May 18-20, 2007

1. Shrek the Third $121.6M (Total: $122.5M)
2. Spider-Man 3 $29.0M (Total: $282.4M)
3. 28 Weeks Later $5.5M (Total: $18.9M)
4. Georgia Rule $3.7M (Total: $12.9M)
5. Disturbia $3.7M (Total: $71.4M)
6. Fracture $2.3M (Total: $34.5M)
7. Delta Farce $1.9M (Total: $6.1M)
8. The Invisible $1.3M (Total: $17.7M)
9. Hot Fuzz $1.3M (Total: $21.1M)
10. Blades of Glory $1.1M (Total: $115.4M)

As was expected, Shrek the Third topped Spider-Man 3 at the box office marking the second trilogy ending so far this month. Next weekend, the third will open when Pirates of the Caribbean 3 tries to break Spider-Man 3‘s opening weekend record over the long-haul Memorial Day weekend. Disturbia continues to hold on strong as do Fracture and Hot Fuzz. All three films managed to tumble less than 30% in their most recent weeks’ performances.

-Wesley Lovell (May 22, 2007)

May 25-27, 2007

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $114.7M (Total: $127.9M)
2. Shrek the Third $53.0M (Total: $203.4M)
3. Spider-Man 3 $14.3M (Total: $303.9M)
4. Bug $3.2M (Total: $3.2M)
5. Waitress $3.1M (Total: $5.6M)
6. 28 Weeks Later $2.5M (Total: $23.7M)
7. Disturbia $1.9M (Total: $74.4M)
8. Georgia Rule $1.9M (Total: $16.3M)
9. Wild Hogs $1.4M (Total: $163.3M)
10. Fracture $1.3M (Total: $36.8M)

What’s not shocking is the $100+ M opening. What is shocking is that not only did Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End not top Spider-Man 3‘s record opening, it’s weekend haul didn’t even surpass that of SHrek the Third. The disappointing take was less than the original Spider-Man‘s opening by very little, but it’s 6th place all-time finish suggests the franchise may be running out of steam. Or it could be the fact that there was a lot to choose from and families went to Shrek instead. It did manage to take the Memorial Day opening record and the widest screen release, but it failed to earn any other record titles at the U.S. Box office.

-Wesley Lovell (May 29, 2007)

June 1-3, 2007

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $44.2M (Total: $217.5M)
2. Knocked Up $30.7M (Total: $30.7M)
3. Shrek the Third $28.0M (Total: $255.9M)
4. Mr. Brooks $10.0M (Total: $10.0M)
5. Spider-Man 3 $7.6M (Total: $318.3M)
6. Waitress $2.0M (Total: $9.4M)
7. Gracie $1.3M (Total: $1.4M)
8. Bug $1.3M (Total: $6.2M)
9. 28 Weeks Later $1.2M (Total: $26.6M)
10. Disturbia $1.1M (Total: $76.7M)

It’s not at all shocking that Pirates against not-so-stiff competition remained the box office champ. That it dropped nearly 62% is the real news. Not only did it fail to finish solidly, after two weeks it’s already over $40 M behind its predecessor’s tally at this point. LIkely to finish far south of the $400 M mark, Pirates 3 may finish even worse if its third week numbers don’t improve. The big news, though not to me, is that Knocked Up managed to finish with $30.7 M for the weekend and had a higher per theater average than did Pirates. Although many were touting it as the sleeper hit of the Summer, it cannot fill that title because it was very well hyped before its release. When you’re getting the free promo service from Entertainment Tonight, you haven’t come from nowhere to be a hit.

-Wesley Lovell (June 5, 2007)

June 8-10, 2007

1. Ocean’s Thirteen $36.1M (Total: $36.1M)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $21.1M (Total: $253.4M)
3. Knocked Up $19.6M (Total: $65.9M)
4. Surf’s Up $17.6M (Total: $17.6M)
5. Shrek the Third $15.3M (Total: $281.5M)
6. Hostel Part II $8.2M (Total: $8.2M)
7. Mr. Brooks $4.9M (Total: $18.6M)
8. Spider-Man 3 $4.3M (Total: $325.6M)
9. Waitress $1.6M (Total: $11.9M)
10. Disturbia $.5M (Total: $77.8M)

As expected, Ocean’s Thirteen took this week’s top spot from the fading Pirates 3. Surf’s Up was a surprising dud, unable to capitalize on the immense popularity of penguins. Knocked Up continued with a strong second week and Hostel Part II was disappointing. Further disappointing is that the 10th place finisher Disturbia took tenth place with the lowest total in more than five years.

-Wesley Lovell (June 12, 2007)

June 15-17, 2007

1. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer $58.1M (Total: $58.1M)
2. Ocean’s Thirteen $19.7M (Total: $70.4M)
3. Knocked Up $14.1M (Total: $90.0M)
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $14.1M (Total: $274.1M)
5. Surf’s Up $9.3M (Total: $34.6M)
6. Shrek the Third $9.0M (Total: $297.2M)
7. Nancy Drew $6.8M (Total: $6.8M)
8. Hostel Part II $3.0M (Total: $14.2M)
9. Mr. Brooks $2.9M (Total: $23.5M)
10. Spider-Man 3 $2.5M (Total: $330.0M)

The Fantastic Four sequel only slightly pulled ahead of its original at the box office, but $2 M is not the margin you would expect from a decently successful original. Knocked Up continues to perform well as it edges slowly towards $100 M.

-Wesley Lovell (June 19, 2007)

June 22-24, 2007

1. Evan Almighty $31.2M (Total: $31.2M)
2. 1408 $20.6M (Total: $20.6M)
3. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer $20.0M (Total: $97.5M)
4. Ocean’s Thirteen $11.4M (Total: $91.1M)
5. Knocked Up $10.9M (Total: $109.3M)
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $7.2M (Total: $287.0M)
7. Surf’s Up $6.6M (Total: $47.2M)
8. Shrek the Third $5.7M (Total: $307.8M)
9. Nancy Drew $4.4M (Total: $16.1M)
10. A Mighty Heart $3.9M (Total: $3.9M)

The big surprise of the week was not the number one finish for Evan Almighty but that it took in only $31.2 M at the box office, well less than half of Bruce Almighty‘s $68 M opening. Another surprise was the strong finish of 1408 marking the highest opening weekend of a film based on a Stephen King story. Its PG-13 rating may have helped, but there’s no question the result was unusual. Fantastic Four dropped more than 65% in its second weekend, marking the second biggest drop ever for a blockbuster. With so many major releases flopping, Ratatouille and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix remain the only two films that could resurrect the year’s box office.

-Wesley Lovell (June 26, 2007)

June 29 – July 1, 2007

1. Ratatouille $47.0M (Total: $47.0M)
2. Live Free or Die Hard $33.4M (Total: $48.4M)
3. Evan Almighty $15.1M (Total: $60.7M)
4. 1408 $10.7M (Total: $40.4M)
5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer $9.1M (Total: $114.9M)
6. Knocked Up $7.3M (Total: $122.3M)
7. Ocean’s Thirteen $6.1M (Total: $102.1M)
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End $4.9M (Total: $295.7M)
9. Sicko $4.5M (Total: $4.6M)
10. Evening $3.5M (Total: $3.5M)

Ratatouille won the weekend’s box office competition, but only by $14 M. The solid opening, second highest this year for an animated film, was well below previous Pixar efforts, but its subject was a tough sell, Disney admits. The critically-lavished film may play well in repeat business, but against competition from Transformers next weekend, it won’t likely place higher than second place. Live Free or Die Hard, the fourth film in the Die Hard series, managed to perform well above expectations despite the twelve years its been since the last entry in the series. Michael Moore’s latest docu Sicko entered the top 10 appearing on only 441 screens with the second highest per screen total of the weekend behind Ratatouille.

-Wesley Lovell (July 3, 2007)

July 6-8, 2007

1. Transformers $70.5M (Total: $155.4M)
2. Ratatouille $29.0M (Total: $109.5M)
3. Live Free or Die Hard $17.7M (Total: $84.4M)
4. License to Wed $10.4M (Total: $17.8M)
5. Evan Almighty $8.7M (Total: $78.7M)
6. 1408 $7.1M (Total: $53.7M)
7. Knocked Up $5.2M (Total: $132.1M)
8. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer $4.2M (Total: $123.9M)
9. Sicko $3.6M (Total: $11.5M)
10. Ocean’s Thirteen $3.5M (Total: $109.1M)

Transformers topped the box office, but as expected its Monday sneak and Tuesday release hurt the film’s weekend total, though not its cume. Ratatouille dropped well for the critical smash, but audiences have not flocked to repeat viewings as was expected, which might make this one an underperformer like Cars but hope still persists as its first true test of audience retention comes against another family film this weekend: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

-Wesley Lovell (July 10, 2007)

July 13-15, 2007

1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $77.1M (Total: $139.7M)
2. Transformers $37.0M (Total: $224.0M)
3. Ratatouille $18.0M (Total: $142.9M)
4. Live Free or Die Hard $11.3M (Total: $103.3M)
5. License to Wed $7.3M (Total: $30.4M)
6. 1408 $4.9M (Total: $62.1M)
7. Evan Almighty $4.9M (Total: $87.8M)
8. Knocked Up $3.7M (Total: $138.2M)
9. Sicko $2.6M (Total: $15.8M)
10. Ocean’s Thirteen $1.9M (Total: $112.5M)

Harry Potter took the top spot at the box office pushing last week’s number one film Transformers which dropped less than 50% of its previous’ weekend total. Will Order of the Phoenix be as lucky when it competes with its own franchise as the seventh book in the series releases at midnight at Friday/Saturday.

-Wesley Lovell (July 17, 2007)

July 20-22, 2007

1. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry $34.2M (Total: $34.2M)
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $32.5M (Total: $207.9M)
3. Hairspray $27.5M (Total: $27.5M)
4. Transformers $20.5M (Total: $262.9M)
5. Ratatouille $10.9M (Total: $165.5M)
6. Live Free or Die Hard $7.1M (Total: $116.3M)
7. License to Wed $3.6M (Total: $38.5M)
8. 1408 $2.6M (Total: $67.5M)
9. Evan Almighty $2.6M (Total: $93.6M)
10. Knocked Up $2.3M (Total: $142.7M)

Only barely surpassing the second weekend of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry proved that Adam Sandler still has the power to bring people to the box office. Hairspray had the top opening of a musical in history with $27.5 M at the weekend box office. Potter passed $200 M while Transformers continued its trek towards $300 M.

-Wesley Lovell (July 24, 2007)

July 27-29, 2007

1. The Simpsons Movie $74.0M (Total: $74.0M)
2. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry $19.1M (Total: $71.7M)
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $17.7M (Total: $242.4M)
4. Hairspray $15.9M (Total: $59.7M)
5. No Reservations $11.7M (Total: $11.7M)
6. Transformers $11.6M (Total: $284.7M)
7. Ratatouille $7.5M (Total: $179.9M)
8. Live Free or Die Hard $5.6M (Total: $125.4M)
9. I Know Who Killed Me $3.5M (Total: $3.5M)
10. Who’s Your Caddy? $2.8M (Total: $2.8M)

The Simpsons Movie topped the box office as expected and managd the highest weekend debut of a non-sequel animated feature. The rest of the Top 10 dropped less than 50%, which is a sign of a tapering out of the year’s summer releases against new releases.

-Wesley Lovell (July 31, 2007)

August 3-5, 2007

1. The Bourne Ultimatum $69.3M (Total: $69.3M)
2. The Simpsons Movie $25.1M (Total: $128.1M)
3. Underdog $11.6M (Total: $11.6M)
4. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry $10.6M (Total: $91.8M)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $9.5M (Total: $261.0M)
6. Hairspray $9.2M (Total: $78.9M)
7. No Reservations $6.6M (Total: $24.2M)
8. Transformers $6.0M (Total: $296.4M)
9. Hot Rod $5.3M (Total: $5.3M)
10. Bratz $4.2M (Total: $4.2M)

Bourne Ultimatum easily topped the box office this week marking the series’ best opening yet. The Simpsons Movie came in second, but lost more than 60% of its previous weekend total. The much advertised live action version of Underdog barely made a dent in the box office with a paltry $11.6 M. Two other new entries proved worse debuts: Hot Rod made $5.3 M and Bratz $4.2 M.

-Wesley Lovell (August 7, 2007)

August 10-12, 2007

1. Rush Hour 3 $49.1M (Total: $49.1M)
2. The Bourne Ultimatum $32.9M (Total: $131.6M)
3. The Simpsons Movie $11.3M (Total: $152.4M)
4. Stardust $9.2M (Total: $9.2M)
5. Hairspray $6.4M (Total: $92.1M)
6. Underdog $6.4M (Total: $24.6M)
7. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry $5.9M (Total: $103.8M)
8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $5.4M (Total: $272.0M)
9. No Reservations $3.9M (Total: $32.0M)
10. Daddy Day Camp $3.4M (Total: $4.9M)

Rush Hour 3 debuted at just south of $50 M, which was a far cry from the $67.4 M opening of its predecessor. Meanwhile, the fantasy Stardust failed to impress with a $9.2 M and even worse the opening of $3.4 M for sequel Daddy Day Camp less than 10% of what Daddy Day Care made in its opening. It also proves that Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. has had the worst post-win career of any modern winner. Hairspray continues to make a name for itself edging its way to a $100 M total becoming only the fifth musical in history to cross that legendary threshhold.

-Wesley Lovell (August 14, 2007)

August 17-19, 2007

1. Superbad $33.1M (Total: $33.1M)
2. Rush Hour 3 $21.4M (Total: $87.7M)
3. The Bourne Ultimatum $19.9M (Total: $164.7M)
4. The Simpsons Movie $6.8M (Total: $165.3M)
5. The Invasion $5.9M (Total: $5.9M)
6. Stardust $5.7M (Total: $19.5M)
7. Hairspray $4.5M (Total: $100.8M)
8. Underdog $3.8M (Total: $31.9M)
9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $3.7M (Total: $278.8M)
10. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry $3.6M (Total: $110.5M)

Another Judd Apatow film took the top spot at the box office with a huge debut. Knocking Knocked Up‘s opening out of the water, Superbad managed an impressive $33.1 M in its opening weekend, a debut that had even analysts surprised. The Invasion wasn’t even a blip with a horrendous $5.9 M.

-Wesley Lovell (August 21, 2007)

August 24-26, 2007

1. Superbad $18.0M (Total: $68.6M)
2. The Bourne Ultimatum $12.5M (Total: $185.3M)
3. Rush Hour 3 $11.7M (Total: $108.5M)
4. Mr. Bean’s Holiday $9.9M (Total: $9.9M)
5. WAR $9.8M (Total: $9.8M)
6. The Nanny Diaries $7.5M (Total: $7.5M)
7. The Simpsons Movie $4.3M (Total: $173.4M)
8. Stardust $3.9M (Total: $26.4M)
9. Hairspray $3.3M (Total: $107.3M)
10. The Invasion $3.1M (Total: $11.5M)

Not only did Nanny Diaries fail to perform well, WAR failed to perform well which left Mr. Bean’s Holiday as the spoiler and the week’s top debut. All that and the Top 3 continued as the top 3 with the four-week-old Bourne Ultimatum continuing as the surprise juggernaut of the season.

-Wesley Lovell (August 28, 2007)

August 31-September 2, 2007

1. Halloween (Remake) $26.4M (Total: $26.4M)
2. Superbad $12.5M (Total: $89.3M)
3. Balls of Fury $11.4M (Total: $14.3M)
4. The Bourne Ultimatum $10.4M (Total: $199.8M)
5. Rush Hour 3 $8.6M (Total: $120.4M)
6. Mr. Bean’s Holiday $5.9M (Total: $18.9M)
7. The Nanny Diaries $5.1M (Total: $15.3M)
8. Death Sentence $4.2M (Total: $4.2M)
9. WAR $4.2M (Total: $17.0M)
10. Stardust $3.1M (Total: $31.1M)

After a long-running downturn in horror box office, it took the remake of the classic John Carpenter film Halloween to reignite the flame. Unfortunately, this just means a glut of other such remakes and we all wonder how long it will be until we see “re-imagined” versions of Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm Street. They’re coming, whether we want them or not. Balls of Fury managed to eek out a meager opening despite a massive advertising campaign. WAR plummeted down the weekend, one of the few films not to benefit from the holiday weekend, which allowed many others to float in the top 10 with better numbers than a non-holiday frame.

-Wesley Lovell (September 4, 2007)

New Reviews, September 8, 2007

Today, you’ll find two new Film Reviews posted. The Bourne Ultimatum starring Matt Damon, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Albert Finney and Julia Stiles. It’s the third film in the series and Paul Green Grass returns to the helm for the second time.

Also posting is Stardust which features Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller and Claire Danes in a fantasy adventure film.

Reviews: Reviews by Year
Reviews: The Bourne Ultimatum
Reviews: Stardust

-Wesley Lovell (September 8, 2007)

September 7-9, 2007

1. 3:10 to Yuma $14.0M (Total: $14.0M)
2. Halloween (Remake) $9.5M (Total: $43.7M)
3. Superbad $7.6M (Total: $103.2M)
4. The Bourne Ultimatum $5.7M (Total: $210.3M)
5. Balls of Fury $5.7M (Total: $24.2M)
6. Shoot ‘Em Up $5.5M (Total: $5.5M)
7. Rush Hour 3 $5.3M (Total: $129.2M)
8. Mr. Bean’s Holiday $3.4M (Total: $25.1M)
9. The Nanny Diaries $3.2M (Total: $20.9M)
10. Hairspray $1.9M (Total: $114.9M)

This week could be summed up much like another western film The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. The good was that 3:10 to Yuma opened stronger than many films in its genre and entered a pretty strong September showing at a time when the box office is the major doldrums. The bad was that Shoot ‘Em Up failed to even compete taking in a paltry $5.5 M. The ugly comes in the form of a major 63.9% loss for Halloween. Not that this is a bad thing, but it’s just another nail in the horror coffin as its biggest debut in some time can’t keep things going and will likely end up far south of the $100 M mark unless it turns around quickly.

-Wesley Lovell (September 11, 2007)

New Reviews, September 15, 2007

Although I would like to be posting two new reviews today, I just haven’t had the time to work on another. I also haven’t been to the theater in several weeks and the films I have been watching, I’m reserving for a special series I plan for late this year or early-to-mid 2008. The other thing that’s been keeping me busy is the finalization work I’ve been doing on this site. This means that the Oscars section, which has been underpopulated since the new site went up, has seem some new additions today and should be fully functional in time for Oscar season in November/December.

Until then, enjoy this review for the mostly-forgettable, but sometimes engaging The Nanny Diaries.

Reviews: Reviews by Year
Reviews: The Nanny Diaries

-Wesley Lovell (September 15, 2007)

September 14-16, 2007

1. The Brave One $13.5M (Total: $13.5M)
2. 3:10 to Yuma $8.9M (Total: $28.3M)
3. Mr. Woodcock $8.8M (Total: $8.8M)
4. Superbad $5.1M (Total: $111.2M)
5. Dragon Wars $5.0M (Total: $5.0M)
6. Halloween (Remake) $4.9M (Total: $51.1M)
7. The Bourne Ultimatum $4.1M (Total: $216.2M)
8. Balls of Fury $3.3M (Total: $28.9M)
9. Rush Hour 3 $3.3M (Total: $133.2M)
10. Mr. Bean’s Holiday $2.7M (Total: $28.5M)

Never underestimate the power of Jodie Foster in distress as revenge drama The Brave One takes a solid first weekend at the box office. Mr. Woodcock couldn’t even topple last week’s 3:10 to Yuma and Dragon Wars managed to pull far better business than I think anyone could have expected. Tops in the per-theater debut arena were David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe and Paul Haggis’ In the Valley of Elah.

-Wesley Lovell (September 18, 2007)

September 21-23, 2007

1. Resident Evil: Extinction $23.7M (Total: $23.7M)
2. Good Luck Chuck $13.7M (Total: $13.7M)
3. The Brave One $7.3M (Total: $25.0M)
4. 3:10 to Yuma $6.2M (Total: $37.7M)
5. Eastern Promises $5.6M (Total: $6.4M)
6. Sydney White $5.2M (Total: $5.2M)
7. Mr. Woodcock $4.9M (Total: $15.6M)
8. Superbad $3.1M (Total: $116.2M)
9. The Bourne Ultimatum $2.9M (Total: $220.2M)
10. Dragon Wars $2.6M (Total: $8.7M)

Not only did the third film in the Resident Evil series launch to the top with an impressive September opening but Good Luck Chuck opened far better than expected in second place with a total just barely higher than last week’s number one. Less than impressive was Amanda Bynes’ Sydney White which barely registered with audiences and placed just out of the top 5 thanks to David Cronenberg’s much-hyped Eastern Promises which continued to under-perform when compared to his previous A History of Violence which benefited from grapic novel caché.

-Wesley Lovell (September 25, 2007)

September 28-30, 2007

1. The Game Plan $22.9M (Total: $22.9M)
2. The Kingdom $17.1M (Total: $17.1M)
3. Resident Evil: Extinction $8.0M (Total: $36.8M)
4. Good Luck Chuck $6.2M (Total: $23.5M)
5. 3:10 to Yuma $4.2M (Total: $43.9M)
6. The Brave One $3.7M (Total: $30.8M)
7. Mr. Woodcock $2.9M (Total: $19.6M)
8. Eastern Promises $2.9M (Total: $11.3M)
9. Sydney White $2.6M (Total: $8.4M)
10. Across the Universe $2.0M (Total: $5.5M)

As expected, The Rock topped the weekend box office. This stymied some analysts who had anticipated The Kingdom to top the list, but I saw the possibilities of the sports comedy topping and finally I managed to out-think the analysts. Both managed hefty totals for the month of August. Meanwhile, Resident Evil plummeted more than 66%, proving the series has stiff opening weekend muscles, but very weak legs. Across the Universe managed to enter the top 10 in its third week continuing a successful platform release.

-Wesley Lovell (October 2, 2007)

October 5-7, 2007

1. The Game Plan $16.6M (Total: $43.2M)
2. The Heartbreak Kid $14.0M (Total: $14.0M)
3. The Kingdom $9.7M (Total: $31.7M)
4. Resident Evil: Extinction $4.5M (Total: $43.7M)
5. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising $3.7M (Total: $3.7M)
6. Good Luck Chuck $3.7M (Total: $29.3M)
7. 3:10 to Yuma $3.2M (Total: $48.7M)
8. Feel the Noise $3.2M (Total: $3.2M)
9. Mr. Woodcock $2.3M (Total: $22.6M)
10. The Brave One $2.3M (Total: $34.4M)

While The Heartbreak Kid did emerge as the week’s top new release, it failed to take The Game Plan out of the top spot, where it remained for a surprise second week. It’s surprising strength at the box office certainly goes to show the fall season is not getting off to a strong start. The Seeker had an even more abysmal opening with a pathetic per screen average under $1,200, just under the fourth week average of box office dud Mr. Woodcock. Feel the Noise failed to cash in on the trend of hip-hop music screen presentations and finished 8th.

-Wesley Lovell (October 9, 2007)

October 12-14, 2007

1. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? $21.4M (Total: $21.4M)
2. The Game Plan $11.0M (Total: $58.9M)
3. We Own the Night $10.8M (Total: $10.8M)
4. Michael Clayton $10.4M (Total: $11.5M)
5. The Heartbreak Kid $7.3M (Total: $25.9M)
6. Elizabeth: The Golden Age $6.2M (Total: $6.2M)
7. The Kingdom $4.6M (Total: $39.9M)
8. Across the Universe $3.8M (Total: $12.7M)
9. Resident Evil: Extinction $2.6M (Total: $48.1M)
10. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising $2.2M (Total: $7.2M)

In a move that hardly anyone expected, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? skyrocketed to the number one spot with more than $10 M over the nearest competitor, which happened to be last week’s two-week-number-one film The Game Plan. Across the Universe continued to play well in limited release while Elizabeth: The Golden Age could have probably used a good platform release.

-Wesley Lovell (October 16, 2007)

October 19-21, 2007

1. 30 Days of Night $15.9M (Total: $15.9M)
2. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? $12.2M (Total: $38.9M)
3. The Game Plan $8.2M (Total: $69.2M)
4. Michael Clayton $6.7M (Total: $21.6M)
5. The Comebacks $5.6M (Total: $5.6M)
6. Gone Baby Gone $5.5M (Total: $5.5M)
7. We Own the Night $5.4M (Total: $19.7M)
8. Nightmare Before Christmas (3-D) $5.3M (Total: $5.3M)
9. Rendition $4.1M (Total: $4.1M)
10. The Heartbreak Kid $3.8M (Total: $32.0M)

The Comebacks weren’t as popular as I expected and 30 Days of Night was more popular. Of course, $15.9 M isn’t a great debut, but it’s enough to make it the number one film. Michael Clayton and Why Did I Get Married? hung on strong in their second weeks in the top 10. We Own the Night dropped quickly and the debuts of Gone Baby Gone and Rendition were hardly noteworthy. The lackluster box office performance is exemplified by the fact that a re-issue of Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D cracked the top 10.

-Wesley Lovell (October 23, 2007)

October 26-28, 2007

1. Saw IV $31.8M (Total: $31.8M)
2. Dan in Real Life $11.8M (Total: $11.8M)
3. 30 Days of Night $6.9M (Total: $27.5M)
4. The Game Plan $6.1M (Total: $76.9M)
5. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? $5.6M (Total: $47.2M)
6. Michael Clayton $4.9M (Total: $28.7M)
7. Gone Baby Gone $3.8M (Total: $11.2M)
8. Nightmare Before Christmas (3-D) $3.4M (Total: $10.1M)
9. We Own the Night $3.4M (Total: $25.1M)
10. The Comebacks $3.4M (Total: $9.9M)

The Halloween tradition continues as Saw IV dominated the weekend box office with nearly three times more money than the weakly-debuting Dan in Real Life. Dan proved as I expected that Steve Carell is not quite the box office draw that Jim Carrey is. His film also suffered from severe mis-marketing, making it seem more like a lame, overplayed family dramedy than what some critics have described as a heartwarming pic.

-Wesley Lovell (October 30, 2007)

A Nightmare on Elm Street: My Halloween Review Special

The A Nightmare on Elm Street series has had its ups and downs, but one thing remains constant: it is one of the most consistently inventive and entertaining horror film series in history. For Halloween, I’ve decided to take a look back at the eight films that have featured the nightmre killer Freddy Krueger. From the 1984 original through the 1994 New Nightmare and including the psycho-killer slash-off Freddy vs. Jason.

Just click on the links below to go to the individual pages and read my thoughts on the best and worst of the franchise.

Reviews: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Reviews: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
Reviews: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
Reviews: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Reviews: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Reviews: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
Reviews: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
Reviews: Freddy vs. Jason

-Wesley Lovell (October 31, 2007)

November 2-4, 2007

1. American Gangster $43.6M (Total: $43.6M)
2. Bee Movie $38.0M (Total: $38.0M)
3. Saw IV $10.3M (Total: $50.4M)
4. Dan in Real Life $7.9M (Total: $22.7M)
5. The Game Plan $3.9M (Total: $82.0M)
6. 30 Days of Night $3.7M (Total: $33.9M)
7. Martian Child $3.4M (Total: $3.4M)
8. Michael Clayton $2.8M (Total: $33.1M)
9. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? $2.6M (Total: $51.1M)
10. Gone Baby Gone $2.2M (Total: $14.8M)

American Gangster swept into theaters over the weekend to a $15k per screen average and ended up making $43.6 M. It was a rather impressive debut. The film had cross-over appeal to a number of audience members that wouldn’t typically attend this kind of film. Bee Movie had a solid opening, but fell well short of the Pixar success stories and even some of the more lackluster films like Flushed Away.

-Wesley Lovell (November 6, 2007)

November 9-11, 2007

1. Bee Movie $25.6M (Total: $71.8M)
2. American Gangster $24.0M (Total: $80.4M)
3. Fred Claus $18.5M (Total: $18.5M)
4. Lions for Lambs $6.7M (Total: $6.7M)
5. Dan in Real Life $6.0M (Total: $30.8M)
6. Saw IV $4.9M (Total: $58.0M)
7. The Game Plan $2.5M (Total: $85.5M)
8. 30 Days of Night $2.2M (Total: $37.4M)
9. P2 $2.1M (Total: $2.1M)
10. Martian Child $1.8M (Total: $6.1M)

My Bee Movie at number 1 prediction appears to have been a week off as the animated film pulls to the top of the box office in its second week thanks to a smaller decline than last week’s respectable fade for American Gangster. Fred Claus wasn’t as appealing as I was expecting as it finished a disappointing thir. Lions for Lambs may end up being the big winner of the Iraq War-themed films despite a more impressive debut than I would have expected. P2 was a non-starter, finishing with less than $1,000 average. No Country for Old Men proved the Coens can still draw an audience in limited release with a spectacular $43,797 average.

-Wesley Lovell (November 13, 2007)

November 16-18, 2007

1. Beowulf $27.5M (Total: $27.5M)
2. Bee Movie $14.0M (Total: $93.6M)
3. American Gangster $12.9M (Total: $100.7M)
4. Fred Claus $11.9M (Total: $35.7M)
5. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium $9.6M (Total: $9.6M)
6. Dan in Real Life $4.3M (Total: $36.9M)
7. No Country for Old Men $3.1M (Total: $4.9M)
8. Lions for Lambs $2.9M (Total: $11.6M)
9. Saw IV $2.2M (Total: $61.8M)
10. Love in the Time of Cholera $1.9M (Total: $1.9M)

Beowulf was the undisputed king of this weekend’s box office, though the $27.5 M debut was at the low end of analyst’s projections. Many tout the draw of 3-D but, fantansy fans made up a large part of the audience. The true test will be how well it holds up next week. Magorium had a weak debut for a children’s film likely because most kids aren’t out of school and Dustin Hoffman doesn’t make for the most appealing box office draw for them.

-Wesley Lovell (November 20, 2007)

November 23-25, 2007

1. Enchanted $34.4M (Total: $49.1M)
2. This Christmas $17.9M (Total: $26.3M)
3. Beowulf $16.5M (Total: $56.6M)
4. Hitman $13.2M (Total: $21.1M)
5. Bee Movie $11.8M (Total: $111.9M)
6. Fred Claus $10.6M (Total: $52.9M)
7. August Rush $9.4M (Total: $13.2M)
8. American Gangster $9.2M (Total: $115.6M)
9. The Mist $8.9M (Total: $12.9M)
10. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium $7.9M (Total: $22.2M)

Enchanted topped the box office as expected but with one of the weaker Thanksgiving openings. It debuted in more than 3,700 theaters for a per screen average of $13,418. That total was well below other films that grossed less over the five day period. And though it made just under $50 M, This Christmas proved the bigger success story. It opened on less than half the screens as Enchanted, but managed a higher per screen of $14,586 for the five days.

-Wesley Lovell (November 27, 2007)

November 30-December 2, 2007

1. Enchanted $16.4M (Total: $70.0M)
2. Beowulf $8.2M (Total: $68.9M)
3. This Christmas $7.9M (Total: $36.4M)
4. Hitman $6.0M (Total: $30.4M)
5. Awake $5.9M (Total: $5.9M)
6. Fred Claus $5.5M (Total: $59.8M)
7. August Rush $5.0M (Total: $20.2M)
8. The Mist $4.6M (Total: $19.6M)
9. Bee Movie $4.4M (Total: $117.6M)
10. No Country for Old Men $4.4M (Total: $22.9M)

No surprise that Enchanted finished at number 1. Awake just barely made the top 5 over Fred Claus. Beowulf slipped up one and This Christmas down. The rest of the top 10 bounced around with No Country for Old Men returning to the top 10.

-Wesley Lovell (December 4, 2007)

New Reviews, December 8, 2007

I’m about to shock you all and post two, count ’em, TWO new reviews. I have over a dozen I’ve watched and am working my way through now to post reviews, so you should be expecting one or two new reviews each week through Oscar time…I have that many to catalog. Today, we look at two disappointments. Enchanted was poised to be a self-effacing movie for Disney, but turned out to be nothing more than the traditional reverential pulp. Reservation Road sank in its promise of an involving story and we were left with a ho-hum one instead.

Reviews: Reviews by Year
Reviews: Enchanted
Reviews: Reservation Road

-Wesley Lovell (December 8, 2007)

December 7-9, 2007

1. The Golden Compass $25.8M (Total: $25.8M)
2. Enchanted $10.7M (Total: $88.9M)
3. This Christmas $5.0M (Total: $42.7M)
4. Fred Claus $4.6M (Total: $63.5M)
5. Beowulf $4.5M (Total: $76.1M)
6. No Country for Old Men $4.1M (Total: $28.7M)
7. August Rush $3.5M (Total: $25.1M)
8. Hitman $3.5M (Total: $35.8M)
9. Awake $3.3M (Total: $10.7M)
10. The Mist $2.6M (Total: $23.5M)

Finishing $5 M under analyst (and my own) expectations, The Golden Compass needs to hold on long and strong to the box office to recoup its budget and marketing. Enchanted inches its way towards $100 M, which it will likely obtain, but once the holiday seasons over, it should disappear relatively quickly. There really aren’t any box office juggernauts. Beowulf contnues to fade with only $76.1 M in 4 weeks, which is good, but not impressive. No Country for Old Men keeps adding theaters, thus exposing it to more Coens fans and keeping it in the Top 10 far longer than an immediate wide release would have.

-Wesley Lovell (December 11, 2007)

New Reviews, December 15, 2007

As I promised, we have more new reviews this week. Although I should have plenty to update two per week until Oscar, I will caution you that some weeks may be slow or non-existent still dependent on mood. However, for the time being, here are reviews of two of this year’s best films (so far). Atonement is a surprisingly minimal period romance starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in what could easily be considered supporting roles. I’m also posting my thoughts on the latest Ang Lee picture Lust, Caution a beautiful story of a spy who must reconcile her feelings for the man she’s destined to watch die. Both are flawed flms, but each feature wonderful performances, beautiful musical scores and vivid photography.

Reviews: Reviews by Year
Reviews: Atonement
Reviews: Lust, Caution

-Wesley Lovell (December 15, 2007)

December 14-16, 2007

1. I Am Legend $77.2M (Total: $77.2M)
2. Alvin and the Chipmunks $44.3M (Total: $44.3M)
3. The Golden Compass $8.8M (Total: $40.8M)
4. Enchanted $5.5M (Total: $91.8M)
5. No Country for Old Men $2.8M (Total: $33.4M)
6. The Perfect Holiday $2.3M (Total: $2.9M)
7. This Christmas $2.3M (Total: $46.0M)
8. Fred Claus $2.2M (Total: $68.9M)
9. Atonement $1.8M (Total: $2.9M)
10. August Rush $1.8M (Total: $28.0M)

How embarrassing must it be to have a much-hyped opening, fall flat and then have a film with a very secretive advertising campaign come up behind and post December’s biggest opening. Will Smith proved he is the new box office king, a title once held by funy men the likes of Burt Reynolds and Jim Carrey. Alvin and the Chipmunks posted excellent first week numbers, impressive for a normal weekend, better yet a runner-up to I Am Legend which may become a legend in its own right.

-Wesley Lovell (December 18, 2007)

December 21-23, 2007

1. National Treasure: Book of Secrets $44.8M (Total: $44.8M)
2. I Am Legend $33.5M (Total: $136.8M)
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks $28.2M (Total: $84.0M)
4. Charlie Wilson’s War $9.7M (Total: $9.7M)
5. Sweeney Todd $9.3M (Total: $9.3M)
6. P.S. I Love You $6.5M (Total: $6.5M)
7. Enchanted $4.2M (Total: $98.4M)
8. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story $4.2M (Total: $4.2M)
9. The Golden Compass $3.9M (Total: $48.4M)
10. Juno $3.4M (Total: $6.4M)

The National Treasure sequel, Book of Secrets, topped the weekend box office despite blistering reviews and limitedly-positive fan response. I Am Legend dropped more than 55% its opening weekend while Alvin and the Chipmunks dropped just over 35%. Of the other new entries, Charlie Wilson’s War edged out Sweeney Todd by about $300k. P.S. I Love You was almost as dead as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story opening at 6 and 8 respectively with $2.6k and $1.6k per theater averages respectively.

-Wesley Lovell (December 25, 2007)

December 28-30, 2007

1. National Treasure: Book of Secrets $35.7M (Total: $124.1M)
2. Alvin and the Chipmunks $29.0M (Total: $141.4M)
3. I Am Legend $27.4M (Total: $194.5M)
4. Charlie Wilson’s War $12.0M (Total: $34.8M)
5. Juno $10.6M (Total: $26.0M)
6. Aliens vs. Predator – Requiem $10.1M (Total: $26.9M)
7. P.S. I Love You $9.3M (Total: $23.6M)
8. The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep $9.2M (Total: $16.8M)
9. Sweeney Todd $8.2M (Total: $26.9M)
10. Enchanted $6.4M (Total: $110.6M)

Three new films top the $100 M mark as 2007 wraps up. National Treasure had an good weekend, but it was Alvin and the Chipmunks that picked up ticket sales instead of drop like the other top 3 films. Juno leapt into 5th place with an impressive $10,436 average in wide release. But the real story of the weekend was There Will Be Blood bowing in just two theaters and managing an exceptional $95,369 average for the weekend. It’s the second highest per screen open for an R-rated film in history, second only to Brokeback Mountain, and well above its 2007 rivals.

-Wesley Lovell (January 1, 2007)

2008

January 4-6, 2008

1. National Treasure: Book of SecretsM (Total: $20.1 M (Total: $170.9M)

2. JunoM (Total: $15.9 M (Total: $51.7M)

3. I Am LegendM (Total: $15.7 M (Total: $228.1M)

4. Alvin and the ChipmunksM (Total: $15.5 M (Total: $176.3M)

5. One Missed CallM (Total: $12.5 M (Total: $12.5M)

6. Charlie Wilson’s WarM (Total: $8.1 M (Total: $52.6M)

7. P.S. I Love YouM (Total: $7.8 M (Total: $39.2M)

8. The Water Horse: Legend of the DeepM (Total: $6.2 M (Total: $30.8M)

9. Sweeney ToddM (Total: $5.5 M (Total: $38.6M)

10. AtonementM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $19.2M)

Three weeks at the top of the box office chart is a rarity these days as Hollywood tries to move blockbuster into position after other blockbusters to steal away their business. However, a new release of a horror film didn’t topple even the top 3 which remained there. It was the well-performing indie Juno that cracked the ranks, pulling into the number two spot (one space higher than estimates releaesd over the weekend).

-Wesley Lovell (January 8, 2008)

January 11-13, 2008

1. The Bucket ListM (Total: $19.4 M (Total: $20.8M)

2. First SundayM (Total: $17.7 M (Total: $17.7M)

3. JunoM (Total: $13.6 M (Total: $70.9M)

4. National Treasure: Book of SecretsM (Total: $11.3 M (Total: $187.1M)

5. Alvin and the ChipmunksM (Total: $9.3 M (Total: $187.9M)

6. I Am LegendM (Total: $8.2 M (Total: $240.3M)

7. One Missed CallM (Total: $5.9 M (Total: $20.5M)

8. P.S. I Love YouM (Total: $4.8 M (Total: $46.8M)

9. The Pirates Who Don’t Do AnythingM (Total: $4.3 M (Total: $4.3M)

10. AtonementM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $25.1M)

The Bucket List launches into the number one spot after opening in limited release. The Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman buddy comedy took in nearly $2 M more than the weekend’s top new release First Sunday. The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything even managed to crack the top ten while the box office dud In The Name of the King premiered abysmally at 14. There Will Be Blood remained the top limited release for the third straight week at only 129 theaters. Atonement barely held its top 10 berth for the second week with a very modest 16.6% drop. Other Oscar contenders fared well and poorly depending on which. Juno picked up a 3rd-place finish and made it very clear that it was going to stick around to cross $100 M before the Oscars while hopefuls Sweeney Todd and Charlie Wilson’s War began slipping away into obscurity. No Country for Old Men seems to be losing steam, but is likely to revive when the Oscar nods are released next week.

-Wesley Lovell (January 15, 2008)

January 18-20, 2008

1. CloverfieldM (Total: $40.1 M (Total: $40.1M)

2. 27 DressesM (Total: $23.0 M (Total: $23.0M)

3. The Bucket ListM (Total: $14.1 M (Total: $41.6M)

4. JunoM (Total: $9.9 M (Total: $85.1M)

5. First SundayM (Total: $7.8 M (Total: $28.5M)

6. Mad MoneyM (Total: $7.7 M (Total: $7.7M)

7. National Treasure: Book of SecretsM (Total: $7.6 M (Total: $197.4M)

8. Alvin and the ChipmunksM (Total: $6.9 M (Total: $196.3M)

9. I Am LegendM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $247.5M)

10. AtonementM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $31.7M)

As expected, Cloverfield topped the weekend box office with a record-shattering debut. With just over $40 M for the three day period, it is the top debut in January history. Following behind was the Katherine Heigl comedy 27 Dresses which managed a respectable $23.0 M. The week’s other new film, Mad Money, opened with only $7.7 M, placing 6th for the weekend. Atonement held on to the #10 spot for the third consecutive weekend while it quietly amassed a sizable $31.7 M total. Also doing well, but still in limited release, is There Will Be Blood which continues to post good per theater averages (this weekend only Cloverfield beat it).

-Wesley Lovell (January 22, 2008)

New Reviews, January 27, 2008

This week, we have three new reviews. I’m trying to get things updated so I can put up my Top Ten list of 2007. I’m hoping to have it done before the Academy Awards, but I have several films left to put on paper before I can post it. This week, we have There Will Be Blood, Juno and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Reviews: Juno

Reviews: There Will Be Blood

-Wesley Lovell (January 26, 2008)

January 25-27, 2008

1. Meet the SpartansM (Total: $18.5 M (Total: $18.5M)

2. RamboM (Total: $18.2 M (Total: $18.2M)

3. 27 DressesM (Total: $13.4 M (Total: $45.1M)

4. CloverfieldM (Total: $12.7 M (Total: $64.3M)

5. UntraceableM (Total: $11.4 M (Total: $11.4M)

6. The Bucket ListM (Total: $10.5 M (Total: $58.0M)

7. JunoM (Total: $10.2 M (Total: $100.0M)

8. National Treasure: Book of SecretsM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $205.7M)

9. There Will Be BloodM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $14.7M)

10. Mad MoneyM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $15.3M)

The weekend finished off with Sylvester Stallone’s second attempt to resurrect his career finishing behind a loose, teen spoof comedy. Rambo failed to top the box office, succumbing to the might of Meet the Spartans, a film that few saw as having the potential for this amount of success. Cloverfield dropped precipitously this week, more than 68%, landing below the film it beat last week, 27 Dresses. The Oscar nominations did boost all of the Best Picture nominees, but not by as much as some might have hoped. Juno continued to perform well becoming the first, and so far only, Best Picture nominee to cross the $100 M mark. It continued to fade down the charts, but still eked out a solid $10 M. Not to be outdone, There Will Be Blood made its first major wide expansion and benefited well from it, taking in $4.9 M to land in the Top 10 while pulling the third highest per screen average in the Top 10.

-Wesley Lovell (January 29, 2008)

New Reviews, 2007 Year End

After much toil and hard work, pushing myself to this end, I present my Top Ten of 2007 along with reviews for all films detailed in the list. You can also look at individual categories on the 2007 Annual Page. In the article, I discuss the year’s best and worst films as well as the best performances and design work for the year. Below are links to all of this week’s new reviews.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: 2007 Year in Review

Reviews: Away from Her

Reviews: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Reviews: Eastern Promises

Reviews: The Golden Compass

Reviews: Gone Baby Gone

Reviews: Hairspray

Reviews: The Lookout

Reviews: Margot at the Wedding

Reviews: National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Reviews: Once

Reviews: The Orphanage

Reviews: Sweeney Todd

Reviews: Waitress

Reviews: Zodiac

-Wesley Lovell (February 2, 2008)

February 1-3, 2008

1. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert TourM (Total: $31.1 M (Total: $31.1M)

2. The EyeM (Total: $12.4 M (Total: $12.4M)

3. 27 DressesM (Total: $8.5 M (Total: $57.2M)

4. Meet the SpartansM (Total: $7.3 M (Total: $28.5M)

5. RamboM (Total: $7.1 M (Total: $29.9M)

6. JunoM (Total: $7.0 M (Total: $109.8M)

7. The Bucket ListM (Total: $6.7 M (Total: $67.5M)

8. UntraceableM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $19.1M)

9. CloverfieldM (Total: $4.8 M (Total: $71.9M)

10. There Will Be BloodM (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $21.0M)

The Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert topped the box office with more than double its nearest competitor. Of course, with about double the ticket cost, that isn’t at all surprising. The Eye was the top traditional new release of the week. None of the others even cracked the top 10. There Will Be Blood continued to perform well, dropping less than 5% in its 6th week and managed the top per screen average outside of the top two.

-Wesley Lovell (February 5, 2008)

February 8-10, 2008

1. Fool’s GoldM (Total: $21.6 M (Total: $21.6M)

2. Welcome Home Roscoe JenkinsM (Total: $16.2 M (Total: $16.2M)

3. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert TourM (Total: $10.3 M (Total: $53.2M)

4. The EyeM (Total: $6.5 M (Total: $21.4M)

5. JunoM (Total: $5.6 M (Total: $117.5M)

6. 27 DressesM (Total: $5.4 M (Total: $65.1M)

7. The Bucket ListM (Total: $5.3 M (Total: $74.9M)

8. RamboM (Total: $4.5 M (Total: $36.9M)

9. Meet the SpartansM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $33.9M)

10. There Will Be BloodM (Total: $3.9 M (Total: $26.7M)

Fool’s Gold topped the box office as I expected, but it passed its nearest competitor, the strong finishing Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins by more than $5 M. Hannah Montana performed significantly weaker in its 2nd week despite a healthy $14.9k average. Juno and There Will Be Blood continue to burn up the post-Oscar nom charts maintaing their Top 10 positions.

-Wesley Lovell (February 12, 2008)

February 15-17, 2008

1. JumperM (Total: $27.4 M (Total: $33.9M)

2. The Spiderwick ChroniclesM (Total: $19.0 M (Total: $21.4M)

3. Step Up 2 the StreetsM (Total: $18.9 M (Total: $25.5M)

4. Fool’s GoldM (Total: $12.9 M (Total: $41.9M)

5. Definitely, MaybeM (Total: $9.8 M (Total: $12.9M)

6. Welcome Home Roscoe JenkinsM (Total: $8.5 M (Total: $28.7M)

7. JunoM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $124.1M)

8. The Bucket ListM (Total: $3.9 M (Total: $80.9M)

9. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert TourM (Total: $3.3 M (Total: $58.4M)

10. 27 DressesM (Total: $3.2 M (Total: $69.9M)

The Hayden Christensen sci-fi flick Jumper topped the box office as expected, but with a significantly lower total than other blockbusters. Over the weekend, estimates put Step Up 2 the Streets, sequel to the popular steppin’ film at number two, but when the actual numbers came out, it slipped slightly to third behind the otherwise poorly-performing children’s fantasy flick The Spiderwick Chronicles. It’s pretty evident the film is not as a big a hit as the studio was expecting.

-Wesley Lovell (February 19, 2008)

February 22-24, 2008

1. Vantage PointM (Total: $22.9 M (Total: $22.9M)

2. The Spiderwick ChroniclesM (Total: $13.1 M (Total: $44.1M)

3. JumperM (Total: $12.7 M (Total: $56.3M)

4. Step Up 2 the StreetsM (Total: $9.6 M (Total: $41.2M)

5. Fool’s GoldM (Total: $6.6 M (Total: $52.7M)

6. Definitely, MaybeM (Total: $5.2 M (Total: $21.8M)

7. Welcome Home Roscoe JenkinsM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $35.7M)

8. JunoM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $130.4M)

9. Be Kind, RewindM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $4.1M)

10. There Will Be BloodM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $35.1M)

In a surprise turnout, Be Kind, Rewind failed to perform well at the box office coming up 9th. Instead, Vantage Point took the top spot of the box office with $22.9 M. There Will Be Blood re-entered the Top 10 after a one-week absence, but it’s performance is slowly dwindling.

-Wesley Lovell (February 26, 2008)

February 29-March 2, 2008

1. Semi-ProM (Total: $15.1 M (Total: $15.1M)

2. Vantage PointM (Total: $12.8 M (Total: $40.8M)

3. The Spiderwick ChroniclesM (Total: $8.7 M (Total: $55.0M)

4. The Other Boleyn GirlM (Total: $8.2 M (Total: $8.2M)

5. JumperM (Total: $7.6 M (Total: $66.8M)

6. Step Up 2 the StreetsM (Total: $5.7 M (Total: $48.6M)

7. Fool’s GoldM (Total: $4.4 M (Total: $58.8M)

8. No Country for Old MenM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $69.7M)

9. PenelopeM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $3.8M)

10. Definitely, MaybeM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $26.7M)

With the debuts becoming weaker and weaker, the question is how low can it go. Normally a solid box office performer, Will Ferrell’s latest film, Semi-Pro debuted at the top of the box office with a paltry $15.1 M less than $3 M more than last week’s number one Vantage Point which slid a respectable 44%.

-Wesley Lovell (March 4, 2008)

March 7-9, 2008

1. 10,000 B.C.M (Total: $35.9 M (Total: $35.9M)

2. College Road TripM (Total: $13.6 M (Total: $13.6M)

3. Vantage PointM (Total: $7.4 M (Total: $51.5M)

4. The Bank JobM (Total: $5.9 M (Total: $5.9M)

5. Semi-ProM (Total: $5.8 M (Total: $24.7M)

6. The Spiderwick ChroniclesM (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $61.6M)

7. The Other Boleyn GirlM (Total: $4.0 M (Total: $14.7M)

8. JumperM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $72.4M)

9. Step Up 2 the StreetsM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $53.0M)

10. Fool’s GoldM (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $62.8M)

With some analysts suggesting 10,000 B.C. could pull in record box office numbers in the wake of teenage fantasy flick 300 which opened on the same frame one year ago, its numbers could be considered disappointing. It is the year’s second highest debut behind Cloverfield, which is saying a decent amount, but with the box office back in a slump, it’s not good news. The two biggest droppers from last week are Semi-Pro which fell 61.6%, a serious blow after the film’s considerably weak debut. And Best Picture winner No Country for Old Men enjoyed a week in the top 10 post-Oscar before falling a disappointing 61.1% back out. The failure of B.C. to bring in big business is a source of pride for critics that have dismembered the film in their reviews. It should prove interesting in the coming weeks if it should even pass $100 M, making Roland Emmerich’s latest film a major disappointment.

-Wesley Lovell (March 11, 2008)

March 14-16, 2008

1. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $45.0 M (Total: $45.0M)

2. 10,000 B.C.M (Total: $16.8 M (Total: $61.6M)

3. Never Back DownM (Total: $8.6 M (Total: $8.6M)

4. College Road TripM (Total: $7.8 M (Total: $24.2M)

5. Vantage PointM (Total: $5.5 M (Total: $59.3M)

6. The Bank JobM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $13.3M)

7. DoomsdayM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $4.9M)

8. Semi-ProM (Total: $3.0 M (Total: $29.8M)

9. The Other Boleyn GirlM (Total: $2.9 M (Total: $19.2M)

10. The Spiderwick ChroniclesM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $65.4M)

Horton Hears a Who was number one and no one was surprised with its total. It’s too bad that Jim Carrey’s streak continues. I only wish he’d get back to making serious movies.

-Wesley Lovell (March 18, 2008)

March 21-23, 2008

1. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $24.6 M (Total: $86.0M)

2. Tyler Perry’s Meet the BrownsM (Total: $20.1 M (Total: $20.1M)

3. ShutterM (Total: $10.4 M (Total: $10.4M)

4. Drillbit TaylorM (Total: $10.3 M (Total: $10.3M)

5. 10,000 B.C.M (Total: $8.9 M (Total: $76.4M)

6. Never Back DownM (Total: $4.8 M (Total: $16.8M)

7. College Road TripM (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $32.1M)

8. The Bank JobM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $19.5M)

9. Vantage PointM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $65.3M)

10. Under the Same MoonM (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $3.5M)

Another week at the top of the heap for Horton Hears a Who. Not even Tyler Perry’s slavishly devoted following couldn’t puncture the film’s second week at the box office. Next week should be different as even a small drop would put it out of competition for the top spot.

-Wesley Lovell (March 25, 2008)

March 28-30, 2008

1. 21M (Total: $24.1 M (Total: $24.1M)

2. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $17.7 M (Total: $117.6M)

3. Superhero MovieM (Total: $9.5 M (Total: $9.5M)

4. Tyler Perry’s Meet the BrownsM (Total: $7.5 M (Total: $32.5M)

6. ShutterM (Total: $5.2 M (Total: $20.5M)

5. Drillbit TaylorM (Total: $5.7 M (Total: $18.9M)

7. 10,000 B.C.M (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $84.9M)

8. Stop-LossM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $4.6M)

9. College Road TripM (Total: $3.5 M (Total: $38.3M)

10. The Bank JobM (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $24.1M)

The big news is the better-than-expected debut of blackjack film 21. It performed well above expectations landing the top spot at the weekend box office. Horton Hears a Who continued its progression past $100 M, becoming the year’s first, and (of the previous releases) only, to do so in the first quarter of 2008. Superhero Movie performed around where other past spoofs have, which isn’t terribly spectacular. This may well spell the end of any speculation that there might one day be Musical Movie.

-Wesley Lovell (April 1, 2008)

April 4-6, 2008

1. 21M (Total: $15.3 M (Total: $46.8M)

2. Nim’s IslandM (Total: $13.2 M (Total: $13.2M)

3. LeatherheadsM (Total: $12.7 M (Total: $12.7M)

4. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $9.1 M (Total: $131.1M)

5. The RuinsM (Total: $8.0 M (Total: $8.0M)

6. Superhero MovieM (Total: $5.4 M (Total: $16.9M)

7. Tyler Perry’s Meet the BrownsM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $37.7M)

8. Drillbit TaylorM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $25.5M)

9. ShutterM (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $23.1M)

10. 10,000 B.C.M (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $89.3M)

Not only did Leatherheads fail to topple the teen-friendly 21, it came in third for the week behind children’s fantasy Nim’s Island. Horton Hears a Who continued to perform well and 10,000 B.C. continued its slip to the bottom of the TOp 10 on its way towards a near-$100 M take, a paltry sum considering its pedigree.

-Wesley Lovell (April 8, 2008)

April 11-13, 2008

1. Prom NightM (Total: $20.8 M (Total: $20.8M)

2. Street KingsM (Total: $12.5 M (Total: $12.5M)

3. 21M (Total: $10.5 M (Total: $61.7M)

4. Nim’s IslandM (Total: $9.1 M (Total: $25.4M)

5. LeatherheadsM (Total: $6.3 M (Total: $21.9M)

6. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $5.9 M (Total: $139.5M)

7. Smart PeopleM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $4.1M)

8. The RuinsM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $13.5M)

9. Superhero MovieM (Total: $3.2 M (Total: $21.3M)

10. Drillbit TaylorM (Total: $2.0 M (Total: $28.4M)

There’s something inherently depressing that a horror remake dominated the Box Office this weekend. The depressing part is that it means more films are going to be greenlighted that torture and trash our favorite guilty pleasures of the ’80s. We already know Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street are getting the “recharge”. I guess the ultimate demise of April Fool’s Day to DVD without theatrical release was only a roadbump.

-Wesley Lovell (April 15, 2008)

April 18-20, 2008

1. The Forbidden KingdomM (Total: $21.4 M (Total: $21.4M)

2. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $17.7 M (Total: $17.7M)

3. Prom NightM (Total: $8.7 M (Total: $32.1M)

4. 88 MinutesM (Total: $6.9 M (Total: $6.9M)

5. Nim’s IslandM (Total: $5.7 M (Total: $32.9M)

6. 21M (Total: $5.5 M (Total: $70.0M)

7. Street KingsM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $20.1M)

8. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $3.5 M (Total: $144.4M)

9. LeatherheadsM (Total: $3.0 M (Total: $26.6M)

10. Expelled: No Intelligence AllowedM (Total: $2.9 M (Total: $2.9M)

Not only did The Forbidden Kingdom top the box office, it did so by a wider-than-expected margin. The rest of the top ten seemed to fluctuate greatly with Nim’s Island holding on more strongly than last week’s top box office winner Prom Night.

-Wesley Lovell (April 22, 2008)

April 25-27, 2008

1. Baby MamaM (Total: $17.4 M (Total: $17.4M)

2. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo BayM (Total: $14.9 M (Total: $14.9M)

3. The Forbidden KingdomM (Total: $11.2 M (Total: $38.2M)

4. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $11.0 M (Total: $35.1M)

5. Nim’s IslandM (Total: $4.5 M (Total: $38.9M)

6. Prom NightM (Total: $4.5 M (Total: $38.2M)

7. 21M (Total: $4.0 M (Total: $75.8M)

8. 88 MinutesM (Total: $3.6 M (Total: $12.6M)

9. Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a WhoM (Total: $2.5 M (Total: $147.9M)

10. DeceptionM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $2.3M)

Not only was Baby Mama number one at the box office, it pulled in a sizable $17.4 M. That’s one of the biggest debuts ever for a film that has no male lead. Harold and Kumar‘s sequel did surprisingly well, falling into second place with $14.9 M while the poorly-advertised Deception barely cracked the Top 10.

-Wesley Lovell (April 29, 2008)

May 2-4, 2008

1. Iron ManM (Total: $98.6 M (Total: $102.1M)

2. Made of HonorM (Total: $14.8 M (Total: $14.8M)

3. Baby MamaM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $32.1M)

4. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo BayM (Total: $6.1 M (Total: $25.4M)

5. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $6.1 M (Total: $44.7M)

6. The Forbidden KingdomM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $45.1M)

7. Nim’s IslandM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $42.5M)

8. Prom NightM (Total: $2.4 M (Total: $41.4M)

9. 21M (Total: $2.0 M (Total: $78.9M)

10. 88 MinutesM (Total: $1.5 M (Total: $15.4M)

Not only did Iron Man top the box office, it did so well above analysts’ expectations. Taking in just under $100 M in its opening weekend, totalling $102.1 M since its Thursday debut, Iron Man posted the third-best Summer opening of all-time and one of the best debuts of a non-sequel comic film in history.

-Wesley Lovell (May 6, 2008)

May 9-11, 2008

1. Iron ManM (Total: $51.2 M (Total: $177.8M)

2. What Happens in VegasM (Total: $20.2 M (Total: $20.2M)

3. Speed RacerM (Total: $18.6 M (Total: $18.6M)

4. Made of HonorM (Total: $8.1 M (Total: $26.8M)

5. Baby MamaM (Total: $8.1 M (Total: $40.8M)

6. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $50.8M)

7. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo BayM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $20.2M)

8. The Forbidden KingdomM (Total: $2.2 M (Total: $48.5M)

9. Nim’s IslandM (Total: $1.5 M (Total: $44.4M)

10. Prom NightM (Total: $1.0 M (Total: $42.8M)

Not only did Speed Racer fail to top the box office or even come in second, it came in third with a pathetic $18.6 M, well below the $30 M analyst prediction and a significant deficit considering the rumored $300 M budget. It looks like the Wachowski’s may be finished, at least when it comes to commanding top dollars to make tentpoles as their work post-Matrix has been questionable.

-Wesley Lovell (May 13, 2008)

May 16-18, 2008

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianM (Total: $55.0 M (Total: $55.0M)

2. Iron ManM (Total: $31.8 M (Total: $223.1M)

3. What Happens in VegasM (Total: $13.9 M (Total: $40.3M)

4. Speed RacerM (Total: $8.1 M (Total: $30.3M)

5. Made of HonorM (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $33.9M)

6. Baby MamaM (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $47.3M)

7. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $55.3M)

8. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo BayM (Total: $2.0 M (Total: $34.1M)

9. The Forbidden KingdomM (Total: $1.1 M (Total: $50.4M)

10. The VisitorM (Total: $0.7 M (Total: $3.3M)

As expected, Prince Caspian topped the box office, knocking the year’s first $200 M grosser from the top spot, but its take was less than analyst predictions. Speed Racer continued its descent into oblivion bringing its two-week cumulative to $30.3 M.

-Wesley Lovell (May 20, 2008)

May 23-25, 2008

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $100.1 M (Total: $125.2M)

2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianM (Total: $22.8 M (Total: $90.8M)

3. Iron ManM (Total: $20.4 M (Total: $252.6M)

4. What Happens in VegasM (Total: $9.1 M (Total: $54.4M)

5. Speed RacerM (Total: $3.9 M (Total: $36.2M)

6. Baby MamaM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $52.2M)

7. Made of HonorM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $39.0M)

8. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $1.8 M (Total: $58.3M)

9. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo BayM (Total: $0.9 M (Total: $35.9M)

10. The VisitorM (Total: $0.7 M (Total: $4.4M)

The big winner for the weekend, topping $100 M barely for the three-day weekend, was Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Second, fading a larger-than-usual amount for a holiday weekend, Narnia didn’t finish about $100 M in its second weekend. On the other hand, Iron Man continued to perform well, topping $250 M and likely to be the first, and maybe only, film to top $300 M this year. That’s a significant milestone for a non-sequel.

-Wesley Lovell (May 27, 2008)

May 30-June 1, 2008

1. Sex and the CityM (Total: $56.8 M (Total: $56.8M)

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $44.8 M (Total: $215.6M)

3. The StrangersM (Total: $20.9 M (Total: $20.9M)

4. Iron ManM (Total: $13.5 M (Total: $276.2M)

5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianM (Total: $12.7 M (Total: $115.4M)

6. What Happens in VegasM (Total: $6.7 M (Total: $65.9M)

7. Speed RacerM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $40.7M)

8. Baby MamaM (Total: $2.2 M (Total: $56.1M)

9. Made of HonorM (Total: $1.9 M (Total: $42.9M)

10. Forgetting Sarah MarshallM (Total: $1.1 M (Total: $60.5M)

When I first looked at numbers for Friday, I was shocked to see Sex and the City pullin $26 M. Then the Saturday and Sunday numbers rolled in and it would finish with a still-astonishing, but more expected $56.8 M. Indiana Jones had a sizable dip, but still managed to pass $200 M. The Strangers opened strong with just over $20 M and Iron Man kept chugging toward an impressive $300 M total.

-Wesley Lovell (June 3, 2008)

June 6-8, 2008

1. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $60.2 M (Total: $60.2M)

2. You Don’t Mess with the ZohanM (Total: $38.5 M (Total: $38.5M)

3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $22.8 M (Total: $253.0M)

4. Sex and the CityM (Total: $21.2 M (Total: $99.2M)

5. The StrangersM (Total: $8.9 M (Total: $37.3M)

6. Iron ManM (Total: $7.5 M (Total: $288.8M)

7. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianM (Total: $5.7 M (Total: $125.9M)

8. What Happens in VegasM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $72.3M)

9. Baby MamaM (Total: $0.8 M (Total: $57.9M)

10. Made of HonorM (Total: $0.8 M (Total: $44.7M)

It’s always great to see another film trounce an Adam Sandler flick. By the estimates, the spread between Kung Fu Panda and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan was $20 M. After the final results came through, only Zohan was over-estimated to the tune of $1.5 M. Indy isn’t fading nearly as fast as those who were disappointed in it would have liked. Sex and the City is fading quickly, but The Strangers is holding stronger than most horror flicks while Iron Man makes it feasible to hit $300 M within the next couple of weeks.

-Wesley Lovell (June 10, 2008)

June 13-15, 2008

1. The Incredible HulkM (Total: $55.4 M (Total: $55.4M)

2. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $33.6 M (Total: $117.3M)

3. The HappeningM (Total: $30.5 M (Total: $30.5M)

4. You Don’t Mess with the ZohanM (Total: $16.4 M (Total: $68.8M)

5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $14.7 M (Total: $276.5M)

6. Sex and the CityM (Total: $9.8 M (Total: $119.5M)

7. Iron ManM (Total: $5.6 M (Total: $297.9M)

8. The StrangersM (Total: $4.0 M (Total: $45.3M)

9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianM (Total: $3.2 M (Total: $131.9M)

10. What Happens in VegasM (Total: $1.7 M (Total: $75.8M)

The #1 spot went, as expected, to The Incredible Hulk. Many were joyous at its $55.4 M take, but if you look at how Fantastic Four, its sequel and the Ang Lee film Hulk, it was a rather disappointing result as it finished below all three, not to mention its companion Marvel film Iron Man. Whether it has similar legs is yet to be seen, but if it tops $180 M at the box office, I’d be surprised.

-Wesley Lovell (June 17, 2008)

June 20-22, 2008

1. Get SmartM (Total: $38.7 M (Total: $38.7M)

2. The Incredible HulkM (Total: $22.1 M (Total: $97.1M)

3. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $21.9 M (Total: $155.8M)

4. The Love GuruM (Total: $13.9 M (Total: $13.9M)

5. The HappeningM (Total: $10.5 M (Total: $50.7M)

6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $8.5 M (Total: $290.9M)

7. You Don’t Mess with the ZohanM (Total: $7.5 M (Total: $84.3M)

8. Sex and the CityM (Total: $6.5 M (Total: $132.5M)

9. Iron ManM (Total: $4.0 M (Total: $304.8M)

10. The StrangersM (Total: $2.1 M (Total: $49.8M)

While Get Smart easily won the weekend, it was not by the spectacular margins it needed to in order to become a franchise. The Love Guru performed embarrassingly poorly considering the mega-hype the film received. Hulk dropped heavily in its second week, Kung Fu Panda fell only slightly in its third.

-Wesley Lovell (June 24, 2008)

June 27-29, 2008

1. Wall-EM (Total: $63.1 M (Total: $63.1M)

2. WantedM (Total: $50.9 M (Total: $50.9M)

3. Get SmartM (Total: $20.2 M (Total: $77.5M)

4. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $11.7 M (Total: $179.3M)

5. The Incredible HulkM (Total: $9.6 M (Total: $115.9M)

6. The Love GuruM (Total: $5.3 M (Total: $25.2M)

7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $5.2 M (Total: $300.1M)

8. The HappeningM (Total: $3.9 M (Total: $59.1M)

9. Sex and the CityM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $140.2M)

10. You Don’t Mess with the ZohanM (Total: $3.2 M (Total: $91.2M)

Not only did Wall-E post the top opening of the weekend, it also went on to rank third in Pixar’s oeuvre of top openings behind The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Wanted also opened strongly with $50.9 M, making a potent one-two punch at the top of the box office. Indiana Jones swept past the $300 M mark over the weekend while Kung Fu Panda dipped ever so slightly in its second week well on its way to the $200 M mark.

-Wesley Lovell (July 1, 2008)

July 4-6, 2008

1. HancockM (Total: $62.6 M (Total: $103.9M)

2. Wall-EM (Total: $32.5 M (Total: $127.2M)

3. WantedM (Total: $20.1 M (Total: $90.2M)

4. Get SmartM (Total: $11.1 M (Total: $98.1M)

5. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $7.3 M (Total: $193.2M)

6. The Incredible HulkM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $124.8M)

7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal SkullM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $306.4M)

8. Kit Kittredge: An American GirlM (Total: $3.3 M (Total: $5.8M)

9. Sex and the CityM (Total: $2.4 M (Total: $144.9M)

10. You Don’t Mess with the ZohanM (Total: $1.9 M (Total: $94.8M)

Everyone’s talking about the almost-$100 M five-day opening of Hancock. But when you put that into perspective, it is the 26th biggest 5-day opening in history, which falls well below the totals of this year’s Iron Man and Indiana Jones. It’s weekend total is only the 9th best 3-day haul for July and ranks between Wall-E (higher) and Kung Fu Panda (lower) in that market, making only the 42nd best weekend haul in history. It’s not terribly great and despite making $100 M fast, it becomes one of several films to do so. In all respects, it seems to be a disappointment.

-Wesley Lovell (July 8, 2008)

New Reviews, July 13, 2008

In an effort to get back into the full swing of things, I’m posting several reviews I’ve just completed. Because I go to the movies weekly, I hope to have at least one new review posted a week. Now, things always get in the way and I’m sure I’ll miss a few, but I’ll certainly do my best to keep up. This week’s update features two reviews I wrote about a month ago that I didn’t get around to posting. Superhero Movie and La Vie en Rose are the two films. Hancock represents the one film I saw this past week and the rest is every film I saw that was released in May. Next week, I should have a new review for Hellboy II and hopefully every review for films I’ve seen in June or at least catching up with No Country for Old Men and the January release Meet the Spartans.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Reviews: Hancock

Reviews: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Reviews: Iron Man

Reviews: Speed Racer

Reviews: Superhero Movie

Reviews: La Vie en Rose

-Wesley Lovell (July 13, 2008)

July 11-13, 2008

1. Hellboy II: The Golden ArmyM (Total: $34.5 M (Total: $34.5M)

2. HancockM (Total: $32.1 M (Total: $164.1M)

3. Journey to the Center of the EarthM (Total: $21.0 M (Total: $21.0M)

4. Wall-EM (Total: $18.8 M (Total: $163.1M)

5. WantedM (Total: $11.9 M (Total: $112.5M)

6. Get SmartM (Total: $7.2 M (Total: $111.6M)

7. Meet DaveM (Total: $5.3 M (Total: $5.3M)

8. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $4.4 M (Total: $202.2M)

9. The Incredible HulkM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $129.9M)

10. Kit Kittredge: An American GirlM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $10.9M)

Guillermo Del Toro’s follow-up to his cult hit comic book adaptation Hellboy II: The Golden Army topped the box office for the weekend pushing Hancock down to second place. Only about $2 M separated the two films and the Will Smith starrer managed not to slough off more than 50% of its sales, making it a very likely $200 M+ film. Journey to the Center of the Earth did solid, but not impressive business while Eddie Murphy’s latest flick Meet Dave crashed with only $5.3 M, a near record low for one of his openings.

-Wesley Lovell (July 15, 2008)

New Reviews, July 22, 2008

While I don’t have a lot of new reviews to post today, I am covering the last two weekends’ worth of new releases and a sequels original story. The Dark Knight was the film I saw this past weekend while Hellboy II: The Golden Army was last weekend. I also reviewed Hellboy to catch myself up with the story for Hellboy II, so both films get a review here. I will attempt to get my new weekend’s review up as soon after the weekend as possible, thus why this update has moved to Tuesday from Sunday.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: The Dark Knight

Reviews: Hellboy

Reviews: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

-Wesley Lovell (July 22, 2008)

July 18-20, 2008

1. The Dark KnightM (Total: $158.4 M (Total: $158.4M)

2. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $27.8 M (Total: $27.8M)

3. HancockM (Total: $14.0 M (Total: $191.5M)

4. Journey to the Center of the EarthM (Total: $12.3 M (Total: $43.5M)

5. Hellboy II: The Golden ArmyM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $56.5M)

6. Wall-EM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $182.7M)

7. Space ChimpsM (Total: $7.2 M (Total: $7.2M)

8. WantedM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $123.3M)

9. Get SmartM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $119.6M)

10. Kung Fu PandaM (Total: $1.9 M (Total: $206.6M)

As the weekend came to a close, The Dark Knight surpassed Spider-Man 3 as the biggest opening in history. A number of other records fell as well, but much of the box office success may be attributed to Heath Ledger’s untimely death. It created a rather morbid fixation that brought legions to the box office. Since the film isn’t your traditional bit of pop entertainment, it otherwise doesn’t seem feasible that the film would perform so exceedingly well. Mamma Mia! had a strong opening weekend barely surpassing Hairspray‘s opening weekend by less than $300,000. Space Chimps proved not to be the strong box office pull that its makers likely hoped.

-Wesley Lovell (July 22, 2008)

July 25-27, 2008

1. The Dark KnightM (Total: $75.2 M (Total: $313.8M)

2. Step BrothersM (Total: $30.9 M (Total: $30.9M)

3. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $17.7 M (Total: $62.6M)

4. The X-Files: I Want to BelieveM (Total: $10.0 M (Total: $10.0M)

5. Journey to the Center of the EarthM (Total: $9.7 M (Total: $60.5M)

6. HancockM (Total: $8.3 M (Total: $206.5M)

7. Wall-EM (Total: $6.4 M (Total: $195.3M)

8. Hellboy II: The Golden ArmyM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $66.1M)

9. Space ChimpsM (Total: $4.5 M (Total: $16.2M)

10. WantedM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $128.6M)

The Dark Knight continued its powerful run at the top of the box office pulling in another $75.2 M (which, numerically puts it as the biggest second weekend in history, but in reality is lower in ticket sales for the second weekend than Shrek 2, the previous record holder, had in its second weekend). Step Brothers had a solid debut while The X-Files wheeled its 10-year hiatus into the emergency room with a pale $10 M opening.

-Wesley Lovell (July 29, 2008)

August 1-3, 2008

1. The Dark KnightM (Total: $42.7 M (Total: $393.8M)

2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorM (Total: $40.5 M (Total: $40.5M)

3. Step BrothersM (Total: $16.5 M (Total: $63.2M)

4. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $12.6 M (Total: $87.5M)

5. Journey to the Center of the EarthM (Total: $6.7 M (Total: $72.9M)

6. Swing VoteM (Total: $6.2 M (Total: $6.2M)

7. HancockM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $215.9M)

8. Wall-EM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $204.1M)

9. The X-Files: I Want to BelieveM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $17.0M)

10. Space ChimpsM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $21.9M)

It was a close, hard-fought race and while the third Mummy movie pulled in a higher per screen average, The Dark Knight retained control of the number 1 spot on this week’s list. Mamma Mia! and Journey to the Center of the Earth have enjoyed far more staying power than would have been expected some time ago. The X-Files proved to be a failure, dropping dramatically in its second week proving that the X-Files fans have moved on and so should the creators.

-Wesley Lovell (August 5, 2008)

New Reviews, August 10, 2008

I finally found the time to write some reviews, so I present to you four new articles. Starting things off, I finally got to my review for last year’s Best Picture winner, the overrated, but solid No Country for Old Men, following that up are three films with July releases (still working on the last of them for Kung Fu Panda) with spy comedy Get Smart, comic adaptation The Incredible Hulk and Pixar instant classic Wall-E.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: No Country for Old Men

Reviews: Get Smart

Reviews: The Incredible Hulk

Reviews: Wall-E

-Wesley Lovell (August 10, 2008)

August 8-10, 2008

1. The Dark KnightM (Total: $26.1 M (Total: $441.6M)

2. Pineapple ExpressM (Total: $23.2 M (Total: $41.3M)

3. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorM (Total: $16.5 M (Total: $71.0M)

4. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2M (Total: $10.7 M (Total: $19.6M)

5. Step BrothersM (Total: $9.1 M (Total: $81.1M)

6. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $8.2 M (Total: $104.1M)

7. Journey to the Center of the EarthM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $81.8M)

8. HancockM (Total: $3.3 M (Total: $221.7M)

9. Wall-EM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $210.2M)

10. Swing VoteM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $12.0M)

Surprising a few, Pineapple Express didn’t do nearly as well as expected after another strong Friday opening followed by a weak Saturday follow-up. However, having debuted two days earlier on a Wednesday, may have hampered its potential intake for the week. That didn’t stop The Dark Knight which pulled in atop the box office for a fourth consecutive week.

-Wesley Lovell (August 12, 2008)

New Reviews, August 19, 2008

This week, my update is the Jack Black Pack, two films featuring the portly actor in primary roles. The first is DreamWorks’ June animation entry Kung Fu Panda. The second is the film I saw this past Sunday, the deconstructionist examination of Hollywood in the form of strong parody: Tropic Thunder. All the remains of this year for me to write (2008 films specifically), is a film that will work as a perfect companion for Disaster Movie in two weeks: Meet the Spartans. So, you shouldn’t expect a new update until then, but who knows…I may just surprise you.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Tropic Thunder

Reviews: Kung Fu Panda

-Wesley Lovell (August 19, 2008)

August 15-17, 2008

1. Tropic ThunderM (Total: $25.8 M (Total: $36.8M)

2. The Dark KnightM (Total: $16.4 M (Total: $471.1M)

3. Star Wars: The Clone WarsM (Total: $14.6 M (Total: $14.6M)

4. MirrorsM (Total: $11.2 M (Total: $11.2M)

5. Pineapple ExpressM (Total: $9.8 M (Total: $62.7M)

6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorM (Total: $8.2 M (Total: $86.2M)

7. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $6.1 M (Total: $116.0M)

8. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2M (Total: $5.8 M (Total: $32.0M)

9. Step BrothersM (Total: $4.8 M (Total: $90.7M)

10. Vicky Cristina BarcelonaM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $3.8M)

The reign of The Dark Knight has finally come to an end. That reign was ended by the less-than-spectacular debut of Ben Stiller-directed comedy Tropic Thunder. Star Wars opened as it was expected to, but it’s clear that not everything Star Wars is golden.

-Wesley Lovell (August 19, 2008)

August 22-24, 2008

1. Tropic ThunderM (Total: $16.3 M (Total: $65.8M)

2. The House BunnyM (Total: $14.5 M (Total: $14.5M)

3. Death RaceM (Total: $12.6 M (Total: $12.6M)

4. The Dark KnightM (Total: $10.5 M (Total: $489.4M)

5. Star Wars: The Clone WarsM (Total: $5.7 M (Total: $24.9M)

6. Pineapple ExpressM (Total: $5.5 M (Total: $73.8M)

7. MirrorsM (Total: $5.0 M (Total: $20.2M)

8. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $4.3 M (Total: $124.5M)

9. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon EmperorM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $93.9M)

10. The LongshotsM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $4.1M)

After the weaker-than-expected opening last week, a second week in the top spot was an unexpected outcome for Tropic Thunder. However, looking at what was released, it isn’t much of a surprise.

-Wesley Lovell (August 26, 2008)

August 29-31, 2008

1. Tropic ThunderM (Total: $11.5 M (Total: $83.9M)

2. Babylon A.D.M (Total: $9.5 M (Total: $9.5M)

3. The Dark KnightM (Total: $8.6 M (Total: $502.3M)

4. The House BunnyM (Total: $8.3 M (Total: $27.9M)

5. TraitorM (Total: $7.9 M (Total: $9.4M)

6. Death RaceM (Total: $6.3 M (Total: $23.2M)

7. Disaster MovieM (Total: $5.8 M (Total: $5.8M)

8. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $131.3M)

9. Pineapple ExpressM (Total: $3.5 M (Total: $79.9M)

10. Vicky Cristina BarcelonaM (Total: $2.8 M (Total: $12.6M)

Three weeks at the top of the box office charts. While it isn’t the numbers of The Dark Knight, it’s still rather impressive considering how slowly the film is dropping. Meanwhile, there wasn’t a non-disappointment in the bunch of new releases, including Disaster Movie which opened to numbers the franchise isn’t used to, probably due to its opening in the late Summer and not early in the year like all the previous films.

-Wesley Lovell (September 2, 2008)

New Reviews, September 3, 2008

Two new reviews up this week and like my last update, I have a bit of a theme. This past weekend, I saw the latest in the “X” Movie franchise. It also happens to coincide with the last review I thought I had for 2008. Meet the Spartans and Disaster Movie are both written and directed by the same pair: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. But, as I was writing Disaster Movie‘s review this afternoon, I realized that I had neglected one other film: Cloverfield. Suffice it to say, I’ll be posting a review for that film in the future. In the meantime, here are reviews of this year’s two most outlandish parodies.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Disaster Movie

Reviews: Meet the Spartans

-Wesley Lovell (September 3, 2008)

September 5-7, 2008

1. Bangkok DangerousM (Total: $7.8 M (Total: $7.8M)

2. Tropic ThunderM (Total: $7.2 M (Total: $96.5M)

3. The Dark KnightM (Total: $5.5 M (Total: $511.9M)

4. The House BunnyM (Total: $5.5 M (Total: $36.6M)

5. TraitorM (Total: $4.3 M (Total: $17.3M)

6. Babylon A.D.M (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $17.4M)

7. Death RaceM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $29.9M)

8. Disaster MovieM (Total: $3.0 M (Total: $10.6M)

9. Mamma Mia!M (Total: $2.9 M (Total: $136.4M)

10. Pineapple ExpressM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $84.0M)

I guess my worries that Nic Cage would have another unwarranted blockbuster were unfounded. Bangkok wasn’t so Dangerous after all pulling in the lowest #1 opening in 5 years. And of the 8 films with lower #1 finishes, 4 of them were in their first weekend and 2 of those were on this exact same weekend, making this the third lowest opening on the Sept 5-7 weekend in history.

-Wesley Lovell (September 9, 2008)

September 12-14, 2008

1. Burn After ReadingM (Total: $19.1 M (Total: $19.1M)

2. The Family That PreysM (Total: $17.4 M (Total: $17.4M)

3. Righteous KillM (Total: $16.3 M (Total: $16.3M)

4. The WomenM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $10.1M)

5. Tropic ThunderM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $102.9M)

6. The House BunnyM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $42.0M)

7. The Dark KnightM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $517.8M)

8. Bangkok DangerousM (Total: $2.6 M (Total: $12.7M)

9. TraitorM (Total: $2.1 M (Total: $20.7M)

10. Death RaceM (Total: $2.1 M (Total: $33.2M)

In a surprise that can only explained by a proliferation of stars, the Coens’ Burn After Reading stop Tyler Perry from earning another number one hit with The Family That Preys. All four of the week’s new releases earned more than $10 M at the box office and they took the top 4 spots at the box office.

-Wesley Lovell (September 16, 2008)

September 19-21, 2008

1. Lakeview TerraceM (Total: $15.0 M (Total: $15.0M)

2. Burn After ReadingM (Total: $11.0 M (Total: $36.1M)

3. My Best Friend’s GirlM (Total: $8.3 M (Total: $8.3M)

4. IgorM (Total: $7.8 M (Total: $7.8M)

5. Righteous KillM (Total: $7.4 M (Total: $28.5M)

6. The Family That PreysM (Total: $7.3 M (Total: $28.1M)

7. The WomenM (Total: $5.4 M (Total: $19.3M)

8. Ghost TownM (Total: $5.0 M (Total: $5.0M)

9. The Dark KnightM (Total: $2.9 M (Total: $521.9M)

10. The House BunnyM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $45.6M)

Proof that audiences are looking for suspense more than they are looking for humor or light entertainment, Lakeview Terrace, the critically maligned potboiler took the top spot at the box office with $15 M while comedy My Best Friend’s Girl and animated flick Igor came in third and fourth respectively.

-Wesley Lovell (September 23, 2008)

New Reviews, September 30, 2008

Today’s update features several new reviews including two from 2008, including this past weekend’s Eagle Eye. The remaining reviews are from 2007 and finish up the reviews for films I’ve seen from that year.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Across the Universe

Reviews: Cloverfield

Reviews: Eagle Eye

Reviews: Knocked Up

Reviews: Into the Wild

Reviews: A Mighty Heart

Reviews: The Namesake

Reviews: The Nines

Reviews: The Savages

Reviews: Starting Out in the Evening

Reviews: What Would Jesus Buy?

-Wesley Lovell (September 30, 2008)

September 26-28, 2008

1. Eagle EyeM (Total: $29.2 M (Total: $29.2M)

2. Nights in RodantheM (Total: $13.4 M (Total: $13.4M)

3. Lakeview TerraceM (Total: $6.9 M (Total: $25.7M)

4. FireproofM (Total: $6.8 M (Total: $6.8M)

5. Burn After ReadingM (Total: $6.2 M (Total: $45.6M)

6. IgorM (Total: $5.4 M (Total: $14.2M)

7. My Best Friend’s GirlM (Total: $3.9 M (Total: $14.6M)

8. Righteous KillM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $34.7M)

9. Miracle at St. AnnaM (Total: $3.5 M (Total: $3.5M)

10. The Family That PreysM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $32.8M)

Taking the top spot of the box office as expected was Eagle Eye, which gave audiences something to cling to at the box office. Performing better than expected were Nights in Rodanthe and Christian-themed Fireproof. Miracle at St. Anna wasn’t as lucky with a tepid 9th place debut.

-Wesley Lovell (September 30, 2008)

October 3-5, 2008

1. Beverly Hills ChihuahuaM (Total: $29.3 M (Total: $29.3M)

2. Eagle EyeM (Total: $17.7 M (Total: $54.6M)

3. Nick and Norah’s Infinite PlaylistM (Total: $11.3 M (Total: $11.3M)

4. Nights in RodantheM (Total: $7.4 M (Total: $25.1M)

5. AppaloosaM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $5.6M)

6. Lakeview TerraceM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $32.2M)

7. Burn After ReadingM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $51.7M)

8. FireproofM (Total: $3.9 M (Total: $12.4M)

9. An American CarolM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $3.7M)

10. ReligulousM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $3.4M)

If there were no greater surprise in the world, Beverly Hills Chihuahua would be the exact opposite. Taking the top spot without shocking anyone, the lightweight Chihuahua brought in a strong, nearly-$30 M opening. The film I saw over the weekend, Blindness was a wide-open bomb opening at #12.

-Wesley Lovell (October 7, 2008)

October 10-12, 2008

1. Beverly Hills ChihuahuaM (Total: $17.5 M (Total: $52.5M)

2. QuarantineM (Total: $14.2 M (Total: $14.2M)

3. Body of LiesM (Total: $12.9 M (Total: $12.9M)

4. Eagle EyeM (Total: $10.9 M (Total: $70.4M)

5. Nick and Norah’s Infinite PlaylistM (Total: $6.4 M (Total: $20.7M)

6. The ExpressM (Total: $4.6 M (Total: $4.6M)

7. Nights in RodantheM (Total: $4.5 M (Total: $32.3M)

8. AppaloosaM (Total: $3.3 M (Total: $10.9M)

9. The DuchessM (Total: $3.3 M (Total: $5.6M)

10. FireproofM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $16.9M)

Not only did Russell Crowe and Leondardo DiCaprio not deliver and expected number 1 debut, they allowed Quarantine, a horror film, top it for the number 2 spot, both falling to a second week of Beverly Hills Chihuahua. So much for box office drawing power.

-Wesley Lovell (October 14, 2008)

New Reviews, October 21, 2008

I have seen three movies at the theater since my last post (though, I’ve seen several more on DVD that I am not writing reviews for at this time). So, here are the three. I also don’t expect I’ll get to see too many more at the theater here soon as somewhere within the next month, I’ll be getting screeners left and right to watch, but I’ll bring you my latest reviews as I complete them.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Blindness

Reviews: City of Ember

Reviews: Max Payne

-Wesley Lovell (October 21, 2008)

October 17-19, 2008

1. Max PayneM (Total: $17.6 M (Total: $17.6M)

2. Beverly Hills ChihuahuaM (Total: $11.4 M (Total: $69.3M)

3. The Secret Life of BeesM (Total: $10.5 M (Total: $10.5M)

4. W.M (Total: $10.5 M (Total: $10.5M)

5. Eagle EyeM (Total: $7.0 M (Total: $81.0M)

6. Body of LiesM (Total: $6.8 M (Total: $24.4M)

7. QuarantineM (Total: $6.0 M (Total: $24.5M)

8. Nick and Norah’s Infinite PlaylistM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $26.5M)

9. Sex DriveM (Total: $3.6 M (Total: $3.6M)

10. Nights in RodantheM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $36.9M)

As expected, though with a debut that was much lower than I would have though, Max Payne topped the box office. Chihuahua shifted down to #2 and The Secret Life of Bees beat out W. by a mere $20,000.

-Wesley Lovell (October 21, 2008)

October 24-26, 2008

1. High School Musical 3M (Total: $42.0 M (Total: $42.0M)

2. Saw VM (Total: $30.1 M (Total: $30.1M)

3. Max PayneM (Total: $7.6 M (Total: $29.9M)

4. Beverly Hills ChihuahuaM (Total: $6.9 M (Total: $78.1M)

5. Pride & GloryM (Total: $6.3 M (Total: $6.3M)

6. The Secret Life of BeesM (Total: $6.1 M (Total: $19.3M)

7. W.M (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $18.5M)

8. Eagle EyeM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $87.9M)

9. Body of LiesM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $30.9M)

10. QuarantineM (Total: $2.6 M (Total: $28.8M)

As expected, Disney’s High School Musical 3 topped the box office, but Saw V opened almost evenly with its predecessors. Pride & Glory opened poorly, barely cracking the top 5.

-Wesley Lovell (October 28, 2008)

October 31-November 2, 2008

1. High School Musical 3M (Total: $15.3 M (Total: $62.0M)

2. Zack and Miri Make a PornoM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $10.1M)

3. Saw VM (Total: $9.7 M (Total: $45.5M)

4. ChangelingM (Total: $9.4 M (Total: $10.0M)

5. The Haunting of Molly HartleyM (Total: $5.4 M (Total: $5.4M)

6. Beverly Hills ChihuahuaM (Total: $4.9 M (Total: $84.2M)

7. The Secret Life of BeesM (Total: $4.0 M (Total: $25.3M)

8. Max PayneM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $35.5M)

9. Eagle EyeM (Total: $3.5 M (Total: $92.6M)

10. Pride & GloryM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $11.7M)

Controversy was unable to launch Porno to the top of the box office, leaving High School Musical 3 with its steep 60%+ drop in its second weekend surely to go down next week.

-Wesley Lovell (November 4, 2008)

November 7-9, 2008

1. Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaM (Total: $63.1 M (Total: $63.1M)

2. Role ModelsM (Total: $19.2 M (Total: $19.2M)

3. High School Musical 3M (Total: $9.2 M (Total: $75.6M)

4. ChangelingM (Total: $7.3 M (Total: $20.6M)

5. Zack and Miri Make a PornoM (Total: $6.3 M (Total: $20.7M)

6. Soul MenM (Total: $5.4 M (Total: $5.4M)

7. Saw VM (Total: $4.1 M (Total: $52.2M)

8. The Haunting of Molly HartleyM (Total: $3.3 M (Total: $10.1M)

9. The Secret Life of BeesM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $29.9M)

10. Eagle EyeM (Total: $2.5 M (Total: $96.3M)

It’s no surprise that Madagascar 2 topped the box office and with a healthy $63 M at that. But what was surprising was how well Role Models did. Taking in just over $19 M is a staggering feat for a film like that. We’ll see how it’s second week take is, but this could be the sleeper of November.

-Wesley Lovell (November 11, 2008)

November 14-16, 2008

1. Quantum of SolaceM (Total: $67.5 M (Total: $67.5M)

2. Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaM (Total: $35.0 M (Total: $116.9M)

3. Role ModelsM (Total: $11.2 M (Total: $37.6M)

4. High School Musical 3M (Total: $5.7 M (Total: $84.2M)

5. ChangelingM (Total: $4.3 M (Total: $27.6M)

6. Zack and Miri Make a PornoM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $26.5M)

7. Soul MenM (Total: $2.4 M (Total: $9.4M)

8. The Secret Life of BeesM (Total: $2.3 M (Total: $33.6M)

9. Saw VM (Total: $1.8 M (Total: $55.4M)

10. Beverly Hills ChihuahuaM (Total: $1.6 M (Total: $90.9M)

Breaking Madagascar 2, Quantum of Solace not only opened up top, it also opened with a larger gross than any previous Bond film, by, get this, roughly $20 M. That’s a whole lot of a record breakage.

-Wesley Lovell (November 18, 2008)

November 21-23, 2008

1. TwilightM (Total: $69.6 M (Total: $69.9M)

2. Quantum of SolaceM (Total: $26.7 M (Total: $108.8M)

3. BoltM (Total: $26.2 M (Total: $26.2M)

4. Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaM (Total: $15.7 M (Total: $137.1M)

5. Role ModelsM (Total: $7.3 M (Total: $48.1M)

6. ChangelingM (Total: $2.7 M (Total: $31.7M)

7. High School Musical 3M (Total: $2.0 M (Total: $86.9M)

8. The Boy in the Striped PajamasM (Total: $1.6 M (Total: $2.6M)

9. Zack and Miri Make a PornoM (Total: $1.6 M (Total: $29.3M)

10. The Secret Life of BeesM (Total: $1.3 M (Total: $35.6M)

While I had expected Twilight to open well, I didn’t expect it to make nearly $70 M in its opening weekend. It didn’t follow the normal trajectory, however, opening big on Friday, falling on Saturday and again on Sunday. Saturday’s are usually about the same or better, it was a dramatic drop. That means most of the tweenies who went to see it on Friday didn’t go back on Saturday or Sunday, which means the Thanksgiving holiday may not be good for the film, though it will surely cross $100 M eventually. Bolt opened to a disappointing number considering the advertising push for the film. Second weekend will tell us whether it’s an overall dud or a slow builder.

-Wesley Lovell (November 25, 2008)

New Reviews, November 30, 2008

In The Jazz Singer, Al Jolson tells the audience “you ain’t heard nothing yet”. It not only meant the beginning of an era, but it has become such a catchphrase that it and similar statements are used quite frequently. Today, I post three new reviews, but you ain’t seen nothing yet! I’m using it here to let you know that the latest batch of screeners are arriving and, so I’m getting to watch a lot more movies in a shorter amount of time. Now, does that mean you’ll see a bunch of reviews suddenly appear? I hope not. My desire is to get films reviewed weekly as I see them and post updates throughout the coming weeks through Christmas and the beginning of the year. We’ll see how that goes and how much time I actually have to watch and review films. But, I’ll do my best. Today, we have one screener from months ago that I only got to watch recently. Another is a movie I saw at the theater opening weekend and another is something I caught in a bored fit on Netflix online. I’ll let you figure out which is which.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Local Color

Reviews: Quantum of Solace

Reviews: Untraceable

-Wesley Lovell (November 30, 2008)

November 28-30, 2008

1. Four ChristmasesM (Total: $31.1 M (Total: $46.1M)

2. BoltM (Total: $26.6 M (Total: $66.8M)

3. TwilightM (Total: $26.3 M (Total: $119.7M)

4. Quantum of SolaceM (Total: $18.8 M (Total: $141.4M)

5. AustraliaM (Total: $14.8 M (Total: $20.0M)

6. Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaM (Total: $14.2 M (Total: $159.1M)

7. Transporter 3M (Total: $12.1 M (Total: $18.2M)

8. Role ModelsM (Total: $5.3 M (Total: $57.8M)

9. The Boy in the Striped PajamasM (Total: $1.7 M (Total: $5.2M)

10. MilkM (Total: $1.5 M (Total: $1.9M)

I guess it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that a Christmas comedy would top the Thanksgiving box office. Four Christmases just barely missed the 3-day Thanksgiving Top 10, but did manage to place 4th on the all-time 5-day Thanksgiving Top 10. Bolt continued strong, Twilight dropped dramatically, Australia had an inauspicious debut and Transporter 3 crashed and burned. Milk was probably the biggest success with a $40,000+ per screen average for the 3-day. That’s really quite impressive and bodes well for its continued box office success.

-Wesley Lovell (December 2, 2008)

New Reviews, December 9, 2008

Here we are. It’s Oscar season and today’s update happens to feature four films that either were at one point in contention or are currently strong contenders. I’ll let the individual reviews speak for themselves, but Australia‘s chances have diminished while Frost/Nixon and Slumdog Millionaire remain strong contenders with The Wrestler a dark horse that is certain to earn Mickey Rourke an Oscar nomination.

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: Australia

Reviews: Frost/Nixon

Reviews: Slumdog Millionaire

Reviews: The Wrestler

-Wesley Lovell (December 9, 2008)

December 5-7, 2008

1. Four ChristmasesM (Total: $16.8 M (Total: $69.4M)

2. TwilightM (Total: $13.0 M (Total: $138.4M)

3. BoltM (Total: $9.8 M (Total: $79.4M)

4. AustraliaM (Total: $7.1 M (Total: $30.9M)

5. Quantum of SolaceM (Total: $6.8 M (Total: $151.6M)

6. Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaM (Total: $5.1 M (Total: $165.7M)

7. Transporter 3M (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $25.5M)

8. Punisher: War ZoneM (Total: $4.3 M (Total: $4.3M)

9. Cadillac RecordsM (Total: $3.4 M (Total: $3.4M)

10. Role ModelsM (Total: $2.6 M (Total: $61.6M)

Two weeks at number one for a film like Four Christmases would normally be surprising were there any strong box office contenders. The only new wide release was Punisher: War Zone which was, as expected, a colossal dud, opening in 8th place with an awful $4.3 M almost only $900k away from limited release Cadillac Records.

-Wesley Lovell (December 9, 2008)

December 12-14, 2008

1. The Day the Earth Stood StillM (Total: $30.5 M (Total: $30.5M)

2. Four ChristmasesM (Total: $13.1 M (Total: $87.8M)

3. TwilightM (Total: $7.9 M (Total: $150.0M)

4. BoltM (Total: $7.5 M (Total: $88.8M)

5. AustraliaM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $37.8M)

6. Quantum of SolaceM (Total: $3.7 M (Total: $157.6M)

7. Nothing Like the HolidaysM (Total: $3.5 M (Total: $3.5M)

8. Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaM (Total: $3.2 M (Total: $169.9M)

9. MilkM (Total: $2.6 M (Total: $7.6M)

10. Transporter 3M (Total: $2.4 M (Total: $29.4M)

As expected, The Day the Earth Stood Still opened at #1 on the weekend chart, but Four Christmases dropped minimally, proving to be a stalwart holiday feature.

-Wesley Lovell (December 16, 2008)

December 19-21, 2008

1. Yes ManM (Total: $18.3 M (Total: $18.3M)

2. Seven PoundsM (Total: $14.9 M (Total: $14.9M)

3. The Tale of DespereauxM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $10.1M)

4. The Day the Earth Stood StillM (Total: $9.9 M (Total: $48.4M)

5. Four ChristmasesM (Total: $7.7 M (Total: $100.1M)

6. TwilightM (Total: $5.2 M (Total: $158.4M)

7. BoltM (Total: $4.2 M (Total: $94.9M)

8. Slumdog MillionaireM (Total: $3.1 M (Total: $12.0M)

9. AustraliaM (Total: $2.2 M (Total: $41.8M)

10. Quantum of SolaceM (Total: $2.1 M (Total: $161.2M)

As was expected, Yes Man took the number one spot at the box office. What wasn’t expected was the minimal opening amount, roughly $18 M, well short of the better debut of Day the Earth Stood Still last weekend. Some blamed it on the inclement weather across the country. Part of the problem could also have been that it’s not your typical zany Jim Carrey movie and is more akin to Liar Liar, which opened with a higher in March of 1997, but against weaker competition and with no holidays in sight.

-Wesley Lovell (December 23, 2008)

December 26-28, 2008

1. Marley and MeM (Total: $36.4 M (Total: $50.7M)

2. Bedtime StoriesM (Total: $27.5 M (Total: $38.0M)

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonM (Total: $26.9 M (Total: $38.7M)

4. ValkyrieM (Total: $21.0 M (Total: $29.5M)

5. Yes ManM (Total: $16.7 M (Total: $49.8M)

6. Seven PoundsM (Total: $13.2 M (Total: $38.8M)

7. The Tale of DespereauxM (Total: $8.9 M (Total: $27.4M)

8. The Day the Earth Stood StillM (Total: $7.7 M (Total: $63.5M)

9. The SpiritM (Total: $6.5 M (Total: $10.3M)

10. DoubtM (Total: $5.3 M (Total: $8.5M)

What a surprise this weekend turned out to be. Marley and Me stunned prognosticators by sailing to a first place victory. Bedtime Stories was one of Adam Sandler’s worst debuts, but Benjamin Button and Valkyrie both performed admirably over the weekend. The Spirit, however, bombed.

-Wesley Lovell (December 30, 2008)

2009

January 2-4, 2008

1. Marley and MeM (Total: $24.3 M (Total: $106.7M)

2. Bedtime StoriesM (Total: $20.5 M (Total: $85.5M)

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonM (Total: $18.7 M (Total: $79.3M)

4. ValkyrieM (Total: $14.1 M (Total: $60.7M)

5. Yes ManM (Total: $13.9 M (Total: $79.5M)

6. Seven PoundsM (Total: $10.1 M (Total: $60.1M)

7. The Tale of DespereauxM (Total: $6.9 M (Total: $43.7M)

8. The Day the Earth Stood StillM (Total: $5.0 M (Total: $74.4M)

9. DoubtM (Total: $5.0 M (Total: $18.7M)

10. Slumdog MillionaireM (Total: $4.7 M (Total: $28.7M)

The top 8 films stayed entirely unchanged. With no new releases that might have been expected, except Bedtime Stories seemed just the kind of film to falter in its second week, but none of the films in this week’s Top 10 really did that making next week a bit of a question mark.

-Wesley Lovell (January 6, 2009)

January 9-11, 2008

1. Gran TorinoM (Total: $29.5 M (Total: $40.5M)

2. Bride WarsM (Total: $21.1 M (Total: $21.1M)

3. The UnbornM (Total: $19.8 M (Total: $19.8M)

4. Marley and MeM (Total: $11.4 M (Total: $123.8M)

5. The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonM (Total: $9.2 M (Total: $94.1M)

6. Bedtime StoriesM (Total: $8.8 M (Total: $97.4M)

7. ValkyrieM (Total: $6.6 M (Total: $71.5M)

8. Yes ManM (Total: $6.0 M (Total: $89.3M)

9. Not Easily BrokenM (Total: $5.3 M (Total: $5.3M)

10. Seven PoundsM (Total: $3.8 M (Total: $66.7M)

I had not really expected Clint to top the box office with a film that hardly looked like a blockbuster, but he did it and he did it well. Bride Wars came in second with Unborn third and last week’s top three shifting down with Benjamin Button falling less quickly than Bedtime Stories.

-Wesley Lovell (January 13, 2009)

January 16-18, 2008

1. Paul Blart: Mall CopM (Total: $31.8 M (Total: $31.8M)

2. Gran TorinoM (Total: $21.9 M (Total: $72.9M)

3. My Bloody Valentine 3-DM (Total: $21.2 M (Total: $21.2M)

4. NotoriousM (Total: $20.5 M (Total: $20.5M)

5. Hotel for DogsM (Total: $17.0 M (Total: $17.0M)

6. Bride WarsM (Total: $11.7 M (Total: $37.5M)

7. The UnbornM (Total: $9.3 M (Total: $32.6M)

8. DefianceM (Total: $8.9 M (Total: $9.3M)

9. Marley and MeM (Total: $6.1 M (Total: $132.5M)

10. Slumdog MillionaireM (Total: $5.8 M (Total: $42.7M)

Over a holiday weekend, it’s not unusual for escapist features to do well; however, no one expected Paul Blart: Mall Cop, a film ravaged by critics and audiences, to take the top spot at the box office, followed by Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino, which now has a cume of nearly $73 M.

-Wesley Lovell (January 20, 2009)

January 23-25, 2008

1. Paul Blart: Mall CopM (Total: $21.6 M (Total: $64.9M)

2. Underworld: Rise of the LycansM (Total: $20.8 M (Total: $20.8M)

3. Gran TorinoM (Total: $16.2 M (Total: $97.8M)

4. Hotel for DogsM (Total: $12.9 M (Total: $37.5M)

5. Slumdog MillionaireM (Total: $10.7 M (Total: $56.1M)

6. My Bloody Valentine 3-DM (Total: $10.0 M (Total: $37.7M)

7. InkheartM (Total: $7.6 M (Total: $7.6M)

8. Bride WarsM (Total: $6.9 M (Total: $48.6M)

9. The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonM (Total: $6.1 M (Total: $111.1M)

10. NotoriousM (Total: $5.8 M (Total: $31.9M)

Paul Blart stood firm for a second weekend, proving stupid comedies will always have pull with audiences. The third film in the Underworld series pulled in a hefty $20.8 M meaning we’re likely to have to continue to endure this franchise for a little while longer. Meanwhile, two Best Picture nominees rose in the post-Oscar nominations glow with Slumdog moving into wide release and Curious Case of Benjamin Button expanding only minimally. Apparently, The Dark Knight only re-released into 344 theaters for a rather disappointing $1,907 per screen average. So much for the popular film sinking Titanic‘s box office record as most people probably just decided they didn’t want to pay the exhorbitant prices at the theater when they own or can rent the film to watch at home. It came in #26 on the weekend box office chart.

-Wesley Lovell (January 27, 2009)

January 30, 2008-February 1, 2009

1. Taken $24.7M (Total: $24.7M)

2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $13.9M (Total: $83.2M)

3. The Uninvited $10.3M (Total: $10.3M)

4. Hotel for Dogs $8.6M (Total: $48.2M)

5. Gran Torino $8.2M (Total: $110.2M)

6. Slumdog Millionaire $7.6M (Total: $67.2M)

7. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans $7.6M (Total: $33.2M)

8. New in Town $6.7M (Total: $6.7M)

9. My Bloody Valentine 3-D $4.5M (Total: $44.8M)

10. Inkheart $3.7M (Total: $12.8M)

The most unexpected occurrence this weekend is that a film like Taken, poorly advertised and on a subject that might not seem that appealing to most audiences, could take the top of the box office with a rather hefty $24.7 M. The Uninvited performed as most critic-supported horror films and failed to open spectacularly. Apparently, audiences perfer their horror to be generic, insipid and reviled. Also surprising is that New In Town was such a bomb despite frequent advertising and an interesting, if relocated, topic.

-Wesley Lovell (February 3, 2009)

February 6-8, 2009

1. He’s Just Not That Into You $27.8M (Total: $27.8M)

2. Taken $20.5M (Total: $53.6M)

3. Coraline $16.8M (Total: $16.8M)

4. Pink Panther 2 $11.6M (Total: $11.6M)

5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $10.9M (Total: $96.9M)

6. Push $10.1M (Total: $10.1M)

7. Slumdog Millionaire $7.2M (Total: $77.2M)

8. Gran Torino $7.2M (Total: $120.2M)

9. The Uninvited $6.3M (Total: $18.2M)

10. Hotel for Dogs $5.7M (Total: $55.1M)

Great rewards come in small packages. Pink Panther 2‘s opening is bomb-worthy. Expecting that the success of the original would carry over into the sequel, audiences showed great restraint in avoiding the film, obviously not enthused about the prospects of a sequel. Teen boys were not ready to head to the cineplex this week as Push also opened poorly. Even the kiddies weren’t out in force as Coraline came in an unsatsifying third, leaving the romantic comedy that seemed most likely to bomb the weekend’s big success. He’s Just Not That Into You took in a staggering $27.8 M to top this week’s box office.

-Wesley Lovell (February 10, 2009)

February 13-15, 2009

1. Friday the 13th $40.6M (Total: $40.6M)

2. He’s Just Not That Into You $19.5M (Total: $54.9M)

3. Taken $18.9M (Total: $77.7M)

4. Confessions of a Shopaholic $15.1M (Total: $15.1M)

5. Coraline $14.8M (Total: $35.0M)

6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $10.9M (Total: $109.8M)

7. The International $9.3M (Total: $9.3M)

8. Pink Panther 2 $8.5M (Total: $21.8M)

9. Slumdog Millionaire $7.3M (Total: $86.7M)

10. Push $6.9M (Total: $19.3M)

Not only did horror roar on the big scren once again, it did so with such force that it may have taken the industry by surprise. The Franchise is nearly three decades old, yet the reboot managed one of the big Valentine’s Day/President’s Day openings in history. Unfortunately, it’s success also signals to production companies that they can further destroy the great iconic films of horror history over and over with box office success.

-Wesley Lovell (February 17, 2009)

February 20-22, 2009

1. Madea Goes to Jail $41.0M (Total: $41.0M)

2. Coraline $11.4M (Total: $53.8M)

3. Taken $11.3M (Total: $95.0M)

4. He’s Just Not That Into You $8.6M (Total: $70.1M)

5. Slumdog Millionaire $8.4M (Total: $98.4M)

6. Friday the 13th $7.9M (Total: $55.1M)

7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $6.8M (Total: $121.2M)

8. Confessions of a Shopaholic $6.7M (Total: $27.4M)

9. Fired Up $5.5M (Total: $5.5M)

10. The International $4.5M (Total: $17.0M)

Well, I was partially right. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail did top the box office a second weekend, but Friday the 13th wasn’t anywhere close. Matter of fact, it fell so dramatically (more than 80% off last week’s opening numbers), that it now has one of the highest second-week drops in history. Meanwhile, Madea ended up with the year’s biggest opening so far.

-Wesley Lovell (February 24, 2009)

New Reviews, March 1, 2009

Now that the Oscars are done and I’ve had some spare time, I’m updating my reviews for 2008, including the below 11 films and my full 2008 Year in Review article

Reviews: Reviews by Year

Reviews: 2008 Year in Review

Reviews: Changeling

Reviews: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Reviews: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Reviews: Doubt

Reviews: Happy-Go-Lucky

Reviews: Let the Right One In

Reviews: Milk

Reviews: Revolutionary Road

Reviews: Valkyrie

Reviews: The Visitor

Reviews: Wendy and Lucy

-Wesley Lovell (March 1, 2009)

February 27-March 1, 2009

1. Madea Goes to Jail $16.2M (Total: $64.5M)

2. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience $12.5M (Total: $12.5M)

3. Slumdog Millionaire $12.0M (Total: $115.0M)

4. Taken $9.9M (Total: $107.8M)

5. He’s Just Not That Into You $6.0M (Total: $78.7M)

6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $5.6M (Total: $128.1M)

7. Coraline $5.3M (Total: $61.1M)

8. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li $4.7M (Total: $4.7M)

9. Confessions of a Shopaholic $4.6M (Total: $33.8M)

10. Fired Up $3.7M (Total: $10.0M)

The shocker this week is that the Jonas Brothers weren’t able to replicate the success of Hannah Montana whose 3D concert sold like gangbusters. However, these are different times. The economy may have played an effect or it could just be that we’re seeing confirmation that there is a reason why the were “fade” contains the word “fad”. Chun-Li also opened with poor showings, but advertising wasn’t as strong as one would expect for a video game-adapted movie. These types of films have performed consistently poorly, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise, though perhaps this will signal to studios to stop.

-Wesley Lovell (March 3, 2009)

March 6-8, 2009

1. Watchmen $55.2M (Total: $55.2M)

2. Madea Goes to Jail $8.5M (Total: $76.2M)

3. Taken $7.3M (Total: $117.9M)

4. Slumdog Millionaire $6.8M (Total: $125.3M)

5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $4.1M (Total: $133.6M)

6. He’s Just Not That Into You $4.0M (Total: $84.6M)

7. Coraline $3.3M (Total: $65.6M)

8. Confessions of a Shopaholic $3.1M (Total: $38.3M)

9. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience $2.8M (Total: $16.8M)

10. Fired Up $2.5M (Total: $13.2M)

So Watchmen debuted at the top of the box office. Like no one saw that coming. But what wasn’t as expected, though rumblings emerged as critics trashed the film and fans weren’t that impressed, was that the opening was going to be much lower than estimated. While $55 M is nothing to shake a stick at, the free publicity, the legendary source material, the director of the unnecessarily popular 300 and the effects-laden preview should have earned a bigger take, but it didn’t.

-Wesley Lovell (March 10, 2009)

March 13-15, 2009

1. Race to Witch Mountain $24.4M (Total: $24.4M)

2. Watchmen $17.8M (Total: $85.8M)

3. The Last House on the Left $14.1M (Total: $14.1M)

4. Taken $6.6M (Total: $126.8M)

5. Madea Goes to Jail $5.1M (Total: $83.2M)

6. Slumdog Millionaire $5.0M (Total: $132.6M)

7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop $3.1M (Total: $137.8M)

8. He’s Just Not That Into You $2.9M (Total: $89.0M)

9. Coraline $2.7M (Total: $69.2M)

10. Miss March $2.4M (Total: $2.4M)

As expected, Watchmen took a fatal blow this weekend plummeting more than 67%. It’s not the steepest drop ever, but it’s not a good sign for the long term solvency of the film. This should also put to rest rumors of a sequel and hopefully will make studio bosses question ever giving Zack Snyder money again. Race to Witch Mountain had a solid #1 opening, though certainly not as powerful as Disney would have liked, I’m sure.

-Wesley Lovell (March 17, 2009)

March 20-22, 2009

1. Knowing $24.6M (Total: $24.6M)

2. I Love You, Man $17.8M (Total: $17.8M)

3. Duplicity $13.9M (Total: $13.9M)

4. Race to Witch Mountain $12.8M (Total: $44.5M)

5. Watchmen $6.8M (Total: $98.1M)

6. The Last House on the Left $5.8M (Total: $23.9M)

7. Taken $4.1M (Total: $133.1M)

8. Slumdog Millionaire $2.7M (Total: $137.2M)

9. Madea Goes to Jail $2.6M (Total: $87.3M)

10. Coraline $2.1M (Total: $72.8M)

Taking a surprise opening at the top of the box office, Knowing defied Nicolas Cage’s recent dreadful opening streak and took in $24.6 M. I Love You, Man opened far lower than I expectd, but still took a efficient $17.8 M.

-Wesley Lovell (March 24, 2009)

March 27-29, 2009

1. Monsters vs. Aliens $59.3M (Total: $59.3M)

2. The Haunting in Connecticut $23.0M (Total: $23.0M)

3. Knowing $14.7M (Total: $46.2M)

4. I Love You, Man $12.7M (Total: $37.1M)

5. Duplicity $7.7M (Total: $25.8M)

6. Race to Witch Mountain $5.8M (Total: $53.5M)

7. 12 Rounds $5.3M (Total: $5.3M)

8. Watchmen $2.7M (Total: $103.3M)

9. Taken $2.7M (Total: $137.1M)

10. The Last House on the Left $2.6M (Total: $28.5M)

Dreamworks handily took the top 2009 opening spot from Watchmen with Monsters vs. Aliens which opened strong at $59.3 M. The Haunting in Connecticut also did well pulling in about $23 M, which is sizeable for a non-franchise horror flick. Meanwhile John Cena’s 12 Rounds bombed with $5.3 M landing at number 7.

-Wesley Lovell (March 31, 2009)

Box Office Report: April 3-5, 2009

1. Fast and Furious $70.9M (Total: $70.9M)

2. Monsters vs. Aliens $32.6M (Total: $104.8M)

3. The Haunting in Connecticut $9.5M (Total: $37.2M)

4. Knowing $8.1M (Total: $58.2)

5. I Love You, Man $7.7M (Total: $49.2M)

6. Adventureland $5.7M (Total: $5.7M)

7. Duplicity $4.2M (Total: $32.3M)

8. Race to Witch Mountain $3.2M (Total: $58.2M)

9. 12 Rounds $2.3M (Total: $8.9M)

10. Sunshine Cleaning $1.8M (Total: $4.7M)

So Watchmen debuted at the top of the box office. Like no one saw that coming. But what wasn’t as expected, though rumblings emerged as critics trashed the film and fans weren’t that impressed, was that the opening was going to be much lower than estimated. While $55 M is nothing to shake a stick at, the free publicity, the legendary source material, the director of the unnecessarily popular 300 and the effects-laden preview should have earned a bigger take, but it didn’t.

-Wesley Lovell (April 7, 2009)

New Review Posted

I have one new review posting this week (largely because I have not written anything else due to site updates), so all you get this week is Watchmen in the 2009 section.

-Wesley Lovell (April 12, 2009)

Box Office Report: April 10-12, 2009

1. Hannah Montana: The Movie $32.3M (Total: $32.3M)

2. Fast and Furious $27.2M (Total: $116.5M)

3. Monsters vs. Aliens $21.8M (Total: $140.2M)

4. Observe and Report $11.0M (Total: $11.0M)

5. Knowing $6.4M (Total: $67.8M)

6. I Love You, Man $6.3M (Total: $58.9M)

7. The Haunting in Connecticut $5.9M (Total: $46.5)

8. Dragonball Evolution $4.8M (Total: $4.8M)

9. Adventureland $3.4M (Total: $11.4M)

10. Duplicity $2.9M (Total: $36.8M)

And Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana still have some clout opening with a strong $32.3 M weekend while Fast and Furious had nowhere to go down and fast, dropping more than 60% from last weekend. Monsters vs. Aliens held steady while many other films continued their traditional drops.

-Wesley Lovell (April 14, 2009)

Box Office Report: April 17-19, 2009

1. 17 Again $23.7M (Total: $23.7M)

2. State of Play $14.1M (Total: $14.1M)

3. HannahMontana: The Movie $13.4M (Total: $56.9M)

4. Monsters vs. Aliens $13.2M (Total: $163.1M)

5. Fast and Furious $11.8M (Total: $136.2M)

6. Crank: High Voltage $6.9M (Total: $6.9M)

7. Observe and Report $4.2M (Total: $18.8M)

8. Knowing >$3.6M (Total: $73.8M)

9. I Love You, Man $3.3M (Total: $64.6M)

10. The Haunting in Connecticut $3.1M (Total: $51.9)

While 17 Again topped the box office with little effort, State of Play managed to beat out the second week of Hannah Montana with a solid $14 M. Crank opened poorly in 6th place, hopefully putting an end to yet another Jason Statham film series.

-Wesley Lovell (April 21, 2009)

Box Office Report: April 24-26, 2009

1. Obsessed $28.6M (Total: $28.6M)

2. 17 Again $11.5M (Total: $39.8M)

3. Fighting $11.0M (Total: $11.0M)

4. The Soloist $9.7M (Total: $9.7M)

5. Earth $8.8M (Total: $14.5M)

6. Monsters vs. Aliens $8.5M (Total: $174.8M)

7. State of Play $6.8M (Total: $25.1M)

8. HannahMontana: TheMovie $6.4M (Total: $65.7M)

9. Fast and Furious $6.2M (Total: $145.4M)

10. Crank: High Voltage $2.6M (Total: $11.7M)

I was entirely surprised that Obsessed opened so well. It performed better than 17 Again did last week. Fighting came in on the low end at 3rd and inspirational The Soloist, which has been advertised to death, didn’t perform that well opening at #4. Earth held its own as documentaries seldom do against regular release fare to come in at #5.

-Wesley Lovell (April 28, 2009)

Box Office Report:May 1-3, 2009

1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine $85.1M (Total: $85.1M)

2. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $15.4M (Total: $15.4M)

3. Obsessed $12.1M (Total: $46.9M)

4. 17 Again $6.4M (Total: $48.5M)

5. Monsters vs. Aliens $5.8M (Total: $182.4M)

6. The Soloist $5.7M (Total: $18.2M)

7. Earth $4.3M (Total: $22.0M)

8. HannahMontana: TheMovie $4.2M (Total: $70.9M)

9. Fighting $4.0M (Total: $17.3M)

10. State of Play $3.7M (Total: $30.9M)

The big news is not that Wolverine opened at #1, but that it didn’t open that close to $100M, opening even under my conservative estimates. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past did better than I thought it would, but overall, the weekend seemed a bit disappointing.

-Wesley Lovell (May 5, 2009)

Box Office Report:May 8-10, 2009

1. Star Trek $75.2M (Total: $79.2M)

2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine $26.4M (Total: $129.0M)

3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $10.3M (Total: $30.1M)

4. Obsessed $6.6M (Total: $56.2M)

5. 17 Again $4.2M (Total: $53.9M)

6. Next Day Air $4.1M (Total: $4.1M)

7. The Soloist $3.9M (Total: $23.8M)

8. Monsters vs. Aliens $3.3M (Total: $186.8M)

9. Earth $2.7M (Total: $26.3M)

10. HannahMontana: TheMovie $2.2M (Total: $73.9M)

Star Trek opened at the top, roughly $10M below last week’s Wolverine debut.Meanwhile, Wolverine fell a deadly 69% in its second week. Next Day Air was a near-flop opening outside of the top 5.

-Wesley Lovell (May 12, 2009)

Box Office Report:May 15-17, 2009

1. Angels & Demons $46.2M (Total: $46.2M)

2. Star Trek $43.0M (Total: $147.6M)

3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine $14.7M (Total: $150.9M)

4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $6.7M (Total: $39.9M)

5. Obsessed $4.6M (Total: $62.6M)

6. 17 Again $3.4M (Total: $58.4M)

7. Monsters vs. Aliens $3.2M (Total: $190.7M)

8. The Soloist $2.4M (Total: $27.5M)

9. Next Day Air $2.2M (Total: $7.6M)

10. Earth $1.7M (Total: $29.1M)

Well, Angels & Demons topped the box office, but only barely, keeping bove Star Trek‘s strong second-week holdover by a mere $3M. With no other new releases there isn’t much else to say about this week’s chart.

-Wesley Lovell (May 19, 2009)

New Reviews Posted

Today, I have posted five new reviews, all of films I’ve seen so far this year. You can find reviews of Angels & Demons, Earth, Monster vs. Aliens, Star Trek and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. You can find them posted in the 2009 section.

-Wesley Lovell (May 25, 2009)

Box Office Report:May 22-24, 2009

1. Night at theMuseum: Battle of the Smithsonian $54.2M (Total: $54.2M)

2. Terminator Salvation $42.6M (Total: $55.9M)

3. Star Trek $22.9M (Total: $184.5M)

4. Angels & Demons $21.7M (Total: $81.8M)

5. Dance Flick $10.6M (Total: $10.6M)

6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine $8.1M (Total: $163.3M)

7. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $3.8M (Total: $45.9M)

8. Obsessed $1.9M (Total: $65.9M)

9. Monsters vs. Aliens $1.5M (Total: $193.1M)

10. 17 Again $1.0M (Total: $60.3M)

In a surprise twist, the battle of the built-in audiences resolved with Night at theMuseum 2 topping Terminator Salvation by more than $10M. It’s a significant result despite the perception that Terminator would easily win the day based on its history as a strong-performing franchise. No such luck.

-Wesley Lovell (May 26, 2009)

Box Office Report:May 29-31, 2009

1. Up $68.1M (Total: $68.1M)

2. Night at theMuseum: Battle of the Smithsonian $24.4M (Total: $104.2M)

3. Terminator Salvation $16.4M (Total: $90.9M)

4. DragMe to Hell $15.8M (Total: $15.8M)

5. Star Trek $12.6M (Total: $209.3M)

6. Angels & Demons $11.4M (Total: $104.9M)

7. Dance Flick $4.7M (Total: $19.1)

8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine $3.9M (Total: $170.8M)

9. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $1.9M (Total: $50.0M)

10. Obsessed $.7M (Total: $67.5M)

As expected, Pixar’s latest sailed Up up up to the top of the chart. It was a strong debut, the third largest in Pixar’s history.

-Wesley Lovell (June 2, 2009)

Box Office Report: June 5-7, 2009

1. The Hangover $44.9M (Total: $44.9M)

2. Up $44.1M (Total: $137.2M)

3. Land of the Lost $18.8M (Total: $18.8M)

4. Night at theMuseum: Battle of the Smithsonian $14.6M (Total: $127.3M)

5. Star Trek $8.3M (Total: $222.7M)

6. Terminator Salvation $8.2M (Total: $105.6M)

7. DragMe to Hell $7.0M (Total: $28.2M)

8. Angels & Demons $6.6M (Total: $116.2M)

9. My Life in Ruins $3.2M (Total: $3.2M)

10. Dance Flick $1.9M (Total: $22.6M)

And here I thought Land of the Lost would perform well. It didn’t. It came in far below the top two films to land in third place. The real fight over the weekend was beween Hangover and Up with the former barely squeaking out a victory.

-Wesley Lovell (June 9, 2009)

Box Office Report: June 12-14, 2009

1. The Hangover $32.8M (Total: $104.8M)

2. Up $30.8M (Total: $187.4M)

3. The Taking of Pelham 123 $23.4M (Total: $23.4M)

4. Night at theMuseum: Battle of the Smithsonian $9.6M (Total: $143.5M)

5. Land of the Lost $34.8M (Total: $34.8M)

6. Imagine That $5.5M (Total: $5.5M)

7. Star Trek $5.5M (Total: $231.9M)

8. Terminator Salvation $4.8M (Total: $113.9M)

9. Angels & Demons $4.1M (Total: $123.2M)

10. DragMe to Hell $3.9M (Total: $35.2M)

Hanging on for a second week at the top, The Hangover showed strong staying power dropping just over 27%. The same could be said for Up, which only fell another 30%, and with its current totals, it’s possible that, if Transformers 2 doesn’t perform as well as the original and Up stays on its current trajectory and becomes Pixar’s biggest film ever (topping Finding Nemo), Up could not only be the top film of the year at the box office, but it could be Pixar’s first number 1 finish since Toy Story.Meanwhile, the week’s two biggest releases each failed to impress with Pelham 123 opening at a subservient 3rd and Imagine That virtually destroying EddieMurphy’s career as a box office draw coming in a distant sixth.

-Wesley Lovell (June 16, 2009)

Box Office Report: June 19-21, 2009

1. The Proposal $33.6M (Total: $33.6M)

2. The Hangover $26.8M (Total: $152.8M)

3. Up $23.5M (Total: $226.3M)

4. Year One $19.6M (Total: $19.6M)

5. The Taking of Pelham 123 $12.0M (Total: $44.1M)

6. Night at theMuseum 2 $7.8M (Total: $156.5M)

7. Star Trek $5.5M (Total: $240.3M)

8. Land of the Lost $4.4M (Total: $44.1M)

9. Imagine That $3.3M (Total: $11.5M)

10. Terminator Salvation $3.3M (Total: $119.7M)

Some were saying that The Proposal would fail, but it not only succeeded, it did so with high marks. But was it Sandra Bullock selling tickets or Ryan Reynolds’ abs? The world may never know.Mean while, Year One, although doing better than EddieMurphy’s latest, still didn’t stand up well failing to topple either Bullock/Reynolds or the fourth-week holdover Up or the third week of The Hangover. That’s not particularly good news.

-Wesley Lovell (June 23, 2009)

Box Office Report: June 26-28, 2009

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $108.9M (Total: $200.1M)

2. The Proposal $18.6M (Total: $69.2M)

3. The Hangover $17.0M (Total: $183.1M)

4. Up $13.1M (Total: $250.2M)

5. My Sister’s Keeper $12.4M (Total: $12.4M)

6. Year One $6.0M (Total: $32.5M)

7. The Taking of Pelham 123 $5.5M (Total: $53.5M)

8. Star Trek $3.7M (Total: $246.3M)

9. Night at theMuseum 2 $3.6M (Total: $163.4M)

10. Away We Go $1.7M (Total: $4.1M)

I don’t think anyone is shocked that Transformers 2 topped the box office and while its 5-day cume is the second best in history, its weekend total is a bit weaker than expected largely because its Wednesday totals were front-loading the overall total. My Sister’s Keeper did ok business, but wasn’t a sleeper opening.

-Wesley Lovell (June 30, 2009)

New Reviews Posted

I have two new reviews to post today (though you may have noticed them uloaded already). Pixar’s latest computer animated classic, Up, and the pleasant time wasting super power flick Push. You can find them posted in the 2009 section.

-Wesley Lovell (June 27, 2009)

Box Office Report: July 3-5, 2009

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $42.3M (Total: $293.4M)

2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $41.7M (Total: $66.7M)

3. Public Enemies $25.3M (Total: $40.1M)

4. The Proposal $12.9M (Total: $94.3M)

5. The Hangover $11.3M (Total: $205.0M)

6. Up $6.5M (Total: $264.8M)

7. My Sister’s Keeper $5.8M (Total: $26.5M)

8. The Taking of Pelham 123 $2.5M (Total: $58.5M)

9. Year One $2.3M (Total: $38.3M)

10. Night at theMuseum 2 $2.0M (Total: $167.7M)

In a very close race that was only decided when the actuals were released yesterday, Transformers hangs on for a second week fending off strong competition from Ice Age 3 and not-so-strong offense by Public Enemies. The film, however, did drop some 61.2% of its first weekend total, which isn’t a good sign for continued box office triumph. The same could be said for the weak debut of Ice Age 3 which didn’t stand up to its previous sequel’s track record and could signal the end of the Ice Age series…as if the discovery of dinosaurs didn’t already end it.

-Wesley Lovell (July 7, 2009)

Box Office Report: July 10-12, 2009

1. Brüno $30.6M (Total: $30.6M)

2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $27.6M (Total: $119.7M)

3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $24.2M (Total: $339.2M)

4. Public Enemies $13.8M (Total: $66.2M)

5. The Proposal $10.6M (Total: $113.9M)

6. The Hangover $9.9M (Total: $222.4M)

7. I Love You, Beth Cooper $4.9M (Total: $4.9M)

8. Up $4.7M (Total: $273.8M)

9. My Sister’s Keeper $4.3M (Total: $35.9M)

10. The Taking of Pelham 123 $1.5M (Total: $61.4M)

Sacha Baren Cohen has another decent-sized hit on his hands. While not as big as I might have expected, it still had a decent opening.

-Wesley Lovell (July 14, 2009)

Box Office Report: July 17-19, 2009

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $77.8M (Total: $158.0M)

2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $17.6M (Total: $151.9M)

3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $13.7M (Total: $363.8M)

4. Brüno $8.3M (Total: $49.5M)

5. The Proposal $8.3M (Total: $128.1M)

6. The Hangover $8.2M (Total: $235.7M)

7. Public Enemies $7.7M (Total: $79.6M)

8. Up $3.2M (Total: $279.6M)

9. My Sister’s Keeper $2.8M (Total: $41.5M)

10. I Love You, Beth Cooper $2.8M (Total: $10.4M)

Like the swallows returning to Capestrano, Harry Potter once again dominates the top of the chart, taking in more than the rest of the top 10 combined. While its numbers are lower than the film currently at #3 (Transformers 2), it did well enough to surpass the last film’s opening weekend total…barely. Though, opening on a Wednesday hurt its weekend numbers (it’s the second lowest opening weekend of the franchise), it still managed to cross the $100M mark in 3 days and should easily pass $200 on its way to finishing near, or perhaps over, $300M.

-Wesley Lovell (July 21, 2009)

Box Office Report: July 24-26, 2009

1. G-Force $31.7M (Total: $31.7M)

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $29.5M (Total: $221.3M)

3. The Ugly Truth $27.6M (Total: $27.6M)

4. Orphan $12.9M (Total: $12.9M)

5. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $8.4M (Total: $171.5M)

6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $8.1M (Total: $379.2M)

7. The Hangover $6.5M (Total: $247.1M)

8. The Proposal $6.4M (Total: $140.0M)

9. Public Enemies $4.4M (Total: $88.3M)

10. Brüno $2.8M (Total: $56.6M)

Harry Potter takes a nose dive in its second week falling more than 60%, a rough way to go for a kids film as much of its audience is sucked away to the poorly reviewed G-Force.Meanwhile, romcom The Ugly Truth came in third and horror flick Orphan arrived at fourth.

-Wesley Lovell (July 28, 2009)

Box Office Report: July 31-August 2, 2009

1. Funny People $22.7M (Total: $22.7M)

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $17.9M (Total: $255.7M)

3. G-Force $17.5M (Total: $66.9M)

4. The Ugly Truth $13.2M (Total: $54.7M)

5. Aliens in the Attic $8.0M (Total: $8.0M)

6. Orphan $7.5M (Total: $27.1M)

7. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $5.5M (Total: $182.1M)

8. The Hangover $5.2M (Total: $255.9M)

9. The Proposal $4.9M (Total: $148.9M)

10. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $4.7M (Total: $388.2M)

Adam Sandler doesn’t have the draw he used to. After the relatively poor performance of Bedtime Stories last Christmas, his latest film, which should have opened well with the cast and director, managed to eke out only a measley $22.7M, shows that his star may finally be fading, much like the career of EddieMurphy.

-Wesley Lovell (August 4, 2009)

Box Office Report: August 7-9, 2009

1. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $54.7M (Total: $54.7M)

2. Julie & Julia $20.0M (Total: $20.0M)

3. G-Force $9.9M (Total: $86.2M)

4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $8.9M (Total: $273.8M)

5. Funny People $7.9M (Total: $40.5M)

6. The Ugly Truth $6.8M (Total: $68.8M)

7. A Perfect Getaway $5.9M (Total: $5.9M)

8. Aliens in the Attic $4.0M (Total: $16.3M)

9. 500 Days of Summer $3.7M (Total: $12.1M)

10. Orphan $3.7M (Total: $34.8M)

Without surprise, the explosive teen-oriented G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra took the top spot over the weekend with a solid $54.7M. Its future success depends a lot on repeat business, which may not materialize. Which is what happened with Funny People which fell more than 60% from the previous weekend. Julie & Julia opened fairly well against the testosterone-driven action film. And the horror flick A Perfect Getaway seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle.

-Wesley Lovell (August 11, 2009)

Box Office Report: August 14-16, 2009

1. District 9 $37.4M (Total: $37.4M)

2. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $22.3M (Total: $98.6M)

3. The Time Traveler’s Wife $18.6M (Total: $18.6M)

4. Julie & Julia $12.1M (Total: $43.3M)

5. G-Force $6.9M (Total: $99.1M)

6. The Goods $5.6M (Total: $5.6M)

7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $5.1M (Total: $283.9M)

8. The Ugly Truth $4.4M (Total: $77.5M)

9. Ponyo $3.6M (Total: $3.6M)

10. Funny People $3.0M (Total: $47.9M)

While the opening isn’t as big as the front-loaded blockbusters, $37.4M is nothing to sneeze at. The Time Traveler’s Wife came in a distant 3r while the other two new entries, The Goods and Ponyo opened lower. Despite it’s 9th place finish, Ponyo was HayaoMiyazaki’s biggest opening to date, passing the full-run grosses of most of his films in one weekend.

-Wesley Lovell (August 18, 2009)

Box Office Report: August 21-23, 2009

1. Inglourious Basterds $38.1M (Total: $38.1M)

2. District 9 $18.2M (Total: $72.8M)

3. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $12.2M (Total: $120.2M)

4. The Time Traveler’s Wife $9.7M (Total: $37.2M)

5. Julie & Julia $8.8M (Total: $59.1M)

6. Shorts $6.4M (Total: $6.4M)

7. G-Force $4.1M (Total: $107.2M)

8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $3.5M (Total: $290.2M)

9. The Ugly Truth $2.8M (Total: $82.8M)

10. The Goods $2.7M (Total: $11.2M)

Tarantino finally has a hit. It’s been a few years, but he can finally claim to be at the top of his game (even if critics can’t agree that he is). And with this, the Weinstein Company has banked on its gambit and won and may be around for a couple more years at this rate.

-Wesley Lovell (August 25, 2009)

Box Office Report: August 28-30, 2009

1. The Final Destination $27.4M (Total: $27.4M)

2. Inglorious Basterds $19.3M (Total: $73.0M)

3. Halloween II $16.3M (Total: $16.3M)

4. District 9 $10.3M (Total: $90.4M)

5. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $7.7M (Total: $132.2M)

6. Julie & Julia $7.0M (Total: $70.6M)

7. The Time Traveler’s Wife $6.5M (Total: $47.9M)

8. Shorts $4.5M (Total: $13.2M)

9. Taking Woodstock $3.5M (Total: $3.5M)

10. G-Force $2.8M (Total: $111.8M)

The big surprise here, and perhaps it bodes well for the many remakes to come, Hallween II ended up in third place this week after the 3D horror sequel The Final Destination claimed the most horror fanatics and it was even surpassed by the second weekend of Inglourious Basterds. So, hopefully we won’t see many more of those, but sadly the damage may already have been done.

-Wesley Lovell (September 1, 2009)

Box Office Report: September 4-6, 2009

1. The Final Destination $12.4M (Total: $47.5M)

2. Inglorious Basterds $11.6M (Total: $91.8M)

3. All About Steve $11.2M (Total: $11.2M)

4. Gamer $9.2M (Total: $9.2M)

5. District 9 $7.1M (Total: $101.4M)

6. Halloween II $5.7M (Total: $25.8M)

7. Julie & Julia $5.3M (Total: $78.9M)

8. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $5.2M (Total: $139.5M)

9. Extract $4.3M (Total: $4.3M)

10. The Time Traveler’s Wife $4.3M (Total: $54.7M)

What a depressing week it must be for Sandra Bullock and Gerard Butler whose new films failed to top the second week of The Final Destination and the third week of Inglorious Basterds. and opening in the top 10 in a very weak week is Extract.

-Wesley Lovell (September 8, 2009)

Box Office Report: September 11-13, 2009

1. I Can Do Bad All ByMyself $23.4M (Total: $23.4M)

2. 9 $10.7M (Total: $15.2M)

3. Inglorious Basterds $6.1M (Total: $103.9M)

4. All About Steve $5.6M (Total: $21.7M)

5. The Final Destination $5.5M (Total: $58.3M)

6. Sorority Row $5.1M (Total: $5.1M)

7. Whiteout $4.9M (Total: $4.9M)

8. District 9 $3.5M (Total: $108.5M)

9. Gamer $3.3M (Total: $16.3M)

10. Julie & Julia $3.2M (Total: $85.2M)

Tyler Perry does it again. There is no more bankable name than his. With a $23.4M opening, you can bet that his films won’t fail for the foreseeable future.

-Wesley Lovell (September 15, 2009)

Box Office Report: September 18-20, 2009

1. Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs $30.3M (Total: $30.3M)

2. The Informant! $10.5M (Total: $10.5M)

3. I Can Do Bad All ByMyself $9.9M (Total: $37.7M)

4. Love Happens $8.1M (Total: $8.1M)

5. Jennifer’s Body $6.9M (Total: $6.9M)

6. 9 $5.6M (Total: $22.9M)

7. Inglorious Basterds $3.8M (Total: $110.1M)

8. All About Steve $3.4M (Total: $26.7M)

9. Sorority Row $2.5M (Total: $8.9M)

10. The Final Destination $2.4M (Total: $62.4M)

Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs, bolstered slightly by its 3D ticket prices, managed to top the box office with a hefty $30M, which is better than Tyler Perry’s debut and more in line with what I had expected from 9.

-Wesley Lovell (September 22, 2009)

Box Office Report: September 25-27, 2009

1. Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs $25.0M (Total: $60.5M)

2. Surrogates $14.9M (Total: $14.9M)

3. Fame $10.0M (Total: $10.0M)

4. The Informant! $6.6M (Total: $20.7M)

5. I Can Do Bad All ByMyself $4.8M (Total: $44.6M)

6. Pandorum $4.4M (Total: $4.4M)

7. Love Happens $4.3M (Total: $14.7M)

8. Jennifer’s Body $3.7M (Total: $12.5M)

9. 9 $2.9M (Total: $27.2M)

10. Inglorious Basterds $2.7M (Total: $114.4M)

Dropping less than 20%, Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs has proven to be the breakout hit of September. It’s already at $60M and while that’s only decent by animated standards, it’s immediate and lasting success is a bit of a surprise. Neither the update of Fame nor the sci-fi thriller Surrogates could top the second week of Cloudy despite being the subjects of far more hype.

-Wesley Lovell (September 29, 2009)

Box Office Report: October 2-4, 2009

1. Zombieland $24.7M (Total: $24.7M)

2. Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs $15.8M (Total: $81.5M)

3. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3D) $12.5M (Total: $12.5M)

4. Surrogates $7.2M (Total: $26.3M)

5. The Invention of Lying $7.0M (Total: $7.0M)

6. Whip It $4.6M (Total: $4.6M)

7. Fame $4.6M (Total: $16.5M)

8. Capitalism: A Love Story $4.4M (Total: $4.8M)

9. The Informant! $3.7M (Total: $26.5M)

10. Love Happens $2.7M (Total: $18.9M)

Zombieland is the number one zombie comedy in the country! It’s also the number one film, something that doesn’t happen nearly as frequently for zombie flicks as it does for standard horror flicks. Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs continued it’s slow downward fall and Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3D) came in a decently-placed third.

-Wesley Lovell (October 6, 2009)

Box Office Report: October 9-11, 2009

1. Couples Retreat $34.3M (Total: $34.3M)

2. Zombieland $14.8M (Total: $47.6M)

3. Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs $11.5M (Total: $95.8M)

4. Paranormal Activity $7.9M (Total: $9.1M)

5. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3D) $7.8M (Total: $22.8M)

6. Surrogates $4.3M (Total: $32.7M)

7. The Invention of Lying $3.3M (Total: $12.3M)

8. Whip It $2.8M (Total: $8.8M)

9. Capitalism: A Love Story $2.6M (Total: $9.0M)

10. Fame $2.5M (Total: $20.0M)

The relationship comedy Couples Retreat posted boffo opening numbers, but the real bit of news is horror flick Paranormal Activity generating more than $45,000 on a per screen average in under 200 theaters, proving how viral marketing can work wonders with the right features.

-Wesley Lovell (October 13, 2009)

Box Office Report: October 16-18, 2009

1. Where the Wild Things Are $32.7M (Total: $32.7M)

2. Law Abiding Citizen $21.0M (Total: $21.0M)

3. Paranormal Activity $19.6M (Total: $33.2M)

4. Couples Retreat $17.2M (Total: $62.6M)

5. The Stepfather $11.6M (Total: $11.6M)

6. Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs $8.0M (Total: $108.2M)

7. Zombieland $7.6M (Total: $60.6M)

8. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (3D) $3.0M (Total: $28.6M)

9. Surrogates $1.9M (Total: $36.3M)

10. The Invention of Lying $1.9M (Total: $15.5M)

Where the Wild Things Are trounced the competition at the box office landing a full third above actioner Law Abiding Citizen. Of course, it’s big news, but so is Paranormal Activity’s first wide weekend with more than $25,000 per screen. That’s a total most indie films would kill for.

-Wesley Lovell (October 20, 2009)

Box Office Report: October 23-25, 2009

1. Paranormal Activity $21.1M (Total: $61.6M)

2. Saw VI $14.1M (Total: $14.1M)

3. Where the Wild Things Are $14.0M (Total: $53.6M)

4. Law Abiding Citizen $12.4M (Total: $40.0M)

5. Couples Retreat $10.6M (Total: $77.7M)

6. Astro Boy $6.7M (Total: $6.7M)

7. The Vampire’s Assistant $6.3M (Total: $6.3M)

8. The Stepfather $6.2M (Total: $20.1M)

9. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $5.3M (Total: $114.9M)

10. Zombieland $4.2M (Total: $67.2M)

This is not a promising opening for Saw VI, the film that was once considered a Halloween juggernaut has succumbed to another horror flick, this one shifting into wide release for the second week. Whether this contributed to Saw‘s disappointing opening or if the film series may finally be winding down remains to be seen, but it’s a notable incident as is the exceptionally weak debut of purported teen franchise opportunity The Vampire’s Assistant which opened with an abysmal $6.3 M.

-Wesley Lovell (October 27, 2009)

New Reviews Posted

In honor of Halloween, I present 9 horror flick reviews including the entire Saw series through this year, the two Halloween remakes and the original flick Sorority Row. The reviews span the years 2004 through 2009 above. You can also click the individual link in the right-hand column as long as the update is posted there.

-Wesley Lovell (October 31, 2009)

Box Office Report: October 30-November 1, 2009

1. Michael Jackson’s This Is It $23.2M (Total: $34.4M)

2. Paranormal Activity $16.4M (Total: $84.6M)

3. Law Abiding Citizen $7.4M (Total: $51.5M)

4. Couples Retreat $6.5M (Total: $87.0M)

5. Where the Wild Things Are $5.9M (Total: $62.7M)

6. Saw VI $5.3M (Total: $22.5M)

7. Astro Boy $3.5M (Total: $11.3M)

8. The Stepfather $3.2M (Total: $24.6M)

9. The Vampire’s Assistant $3.1M (Total: $10.8M)

10. Amelia $3.0M (Total: $8.3M)

With a total that can only be characterized as disappointing, Michael Jackson’s final big screen appearance is a pseudo-documentary chronicling his preparations for the concerts he planned shortly before his death. Morbidity and popularity did not bring people to the box office, giving it a weak concert-style opening of $23.2 M. On other fronts, Saw VI did not pick up viewers for Halloween and continues its worst-of-the-series performance.

-Wesley Lovell (November 3, 2009)

Box Office Report: November 6-8, 2009

1. Disney’s A Christmas Carol $30.1M (Total: $30.1M)

2. Michael Jackson’s This Is It $13.2M (Total: $57.0M)

3. The Men Who Stare at Goats $12.7M (Total: $12.7M)

4. The Fourth Kind $12.2M (Total: $12.2M)

5. Paranormal Activity $8.3M (Total: $97.1M)

6. The Box $7.6M (Total: $7.6M)

7. Couples Retreat $6.1M (Total: $95.7M)

8. Law Abiding Citizen $6.0M (Total: $60.7M)

9. Where the Wild Things Are $4.2M (Total: $69.2M)

10. Astro Boy $2.6M (Total: $15.1M)

There was little joy in Disneyland this weekend. Although A Christmas Carol easily topped the box office, it wasn’t quite the debut that Jim Carrey or Disney is accustomed to with a Holiday release. Releasing at the beginning of November was probably the biggest mistake as Holiday filmgoing traffic is minimal at this time of year. $31 M isn’t anything to sneeze at, but it’s not the boffo debut it could have been.

-Wesley Lovell (November 10, 2009)

Box Office Report: November 13-15, 2009

1. 2012 $65.2 M (Total: $65.2 M)

2. A Christmas Carol $22.3 M (Total: $63.3 M)

3. Precious $5.9 M (Total: $8.7 M)

4. The Men Who Stare at Goats $5.9 M (Total: $23.0 M)

5. This Is It $5.1 M (Total: $67.2 M)

6. The Fourth Kind $4.6 M (Total: $20.4 M)

7. Couples Retreat $4.2 M (Total: $102.0 M)

8. Paranormal Activity $4.0 M (Total: $103.7 M)

9. Law Abiding Citizen $3.8 M (Total: $67.2 M)

10. The Box $3.2 M (Total: $13.2 M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 17, 2009)

Update Notification

With the new layout of the front page of this site, certain areas of this page will no longer be updated. The Box Office data that used to appear in the sidebar has been moved to the front page of the website. The rest of the information in the sidebar at the right will continue to be updated each week as usual. The Reviews sections above will still be updated. However, all “Updates” will be posted to the front page of the site and archived there. One change is that I will no longer be commenting on the box office results each week. If I do so, it will be done in a separate post on the front page of the website.

-Wesley Lovell (November 17, 2009)

Box Office Report: November 20-22, 2009

1. New Moon $142.8 M (Total: $142.8 M)

2. The Blind Side $34.1 M (Total: $34.1 M)

3. 2012 $26.4 M (Total: $108.1 M)

4. Planet 51 $12.3 M (Total: $12.3 M)

5. A Christmas Carol $12.3 M (Total: $79.8 M)

6. Precious $10.9 M (Total: $21.3 M)

7. The Men Who Stare at Goats $2.8 M (Total: $27.7 M)

8. Couples Retreat $1.9 M (Total: $104.9 M)

9. The Fourth Kind $1.7 M (Total: $23.4 M)

10. This Is It $1.6 M (Total: $70.3 M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 24, 2009)

Box Office Report: November 27-29, 2009

1. New Moon $42.9M (Total: $230.9M)

2. The Blind Side $40.1M (Total: $100.2M)

3. 2012 $17.7M (Total: $138.5M)

4. Old Dogs $16.9M (Total: $24.2M)

5. A Christmas Carol $15.6M (Total: $104.9M)

6. Ninja Assassin $13.1M (Total: $21.2M)

7. Planet 51 $10.2M (Total: $28.5M)

8. Precious $7.1M (Total: $32.4M)

9. Fantastic Mr. Fox $6.9M (Total: $10.0M)

10. The Road $1.5M (Total: $1.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 1, 2009)

Box Office Report: December 4-6, 2009

1. The Blind Side $20.0M (Total: $128.8M)

2. New Moon $15.4M (Total: $255.4M)

3. Brothers $9.5M (Total: $9.5M)

4. A Christmas Carol $7.8M (Total: $115.2M)

5. Old Dogs $6.9M (Total: $33.9M)

6. 2012 $6.8M (Total: $148.9M)

7. Armored $6.5M (Total: $6.5M)

8. Ninja Assassin $5.1M (Total: $29.8M)

9. Planet 51 $4.4M (Total: $34.1M)

10. Everybody’s Fine $3.8M (Total: $3.8M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 8, 2009)

Box Office Report: December 11-13, 2009

1. The Princess and the Frog $24.2M (Total: $27.1M)

2. The Blind Side $15.1M (Total: $149.8M)

3. Invictus $8.6M (Total: $8.6M)

4. New Moon $7.9M (Total: $267.3M)

5. A Christmas Carol $6.8M (Total: $124.4M)

6. Brothers $5.0M (Total: $17.4M)

7. Old Dogs $4.4M (Total: $39.9M)

8. 2012 $4.4M (Total: $155.3M)

9. Armored $3.5M (Total: $11.8M)

10. Ninja Assassin $2.7M (Total: $34.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 15, 2009)

Box Office Report: December 18-20, 2009

1. Avatar $77.0M (Total: $77.0M)

2. The Princess and the Frog $12.2M (Total: $44.7M)

3. The Blind Side $10.0M (Total: $164.7M)

4. Did You Hear About the Morgans? $6.6M (Total: $6.6M)

5. New Moon $4.4M (Total: $274.6M)

6. Invictus $4.2M (Total: $15.9M)

7. A Christmas Carol $3.4M (Total: $130.8M)

8. Up in the Air $3.2M (Total: $8.2M)

9. Brothers $2.9M (Total: $22.3M)

10. Old Dogs $2.3M (Total: $43.6M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 22, 2009)

Box Office Report: December 25-27, 2009

1. Avatar $75.6M (Total: $212.7M)

2. Sherlock Holmes $62.4M (Total: $62.4M)

3. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 $48.9M (Total: $75.6M)

4. It’s Complicated $22.1M (Total: $22.1M)

5. The Blind Side $11.5M (Total: $184.1M)

6. Up in the Air $11.3M (Total: $24.0M)

7. The Princess and the Frog $9.0M (Total: $63.7M)

8. Nine $5.5M (Total: $5.8M)

9. Did You Hear About the Morgans? $5.0M (Total: $15.6M)

10. Invictus $4.0M (Total: $23.0M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 29, 2009)

2010

Box Office Report: January 1-3, 2010

1. Avatar $68.5M (Total: $352.1M)

2. Sherlock Holmes $36.6M (Total: $138.7M)

3. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 $35.2M (Total: $155.9M)

4. It’s Complicated $18.8M (Total: $59.2M)

5. The Blind Side $11.9M (Total: $208.5M)

6. Up in the Air $10.7M (Total: $44.4M)

7. The Princess and the Frog $9.8M (Total: $85.9M)

8. Did You Hear About the Morgans? $4.9M (Total: $25.3M)

9. Invictus $3.9M (Total: $30.6M)

10. Nine $3.9M (Total: $13.7M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 5, 2010)

Box Office Report: January 8-10, 2010

1. Avatar $50.3M (Total: $430.8M)

2. Sherlock Holmes $16.6M (Total: $165.2M)

3. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 $16.6M (Total: $178.5M)

4. Daybreakers $15.1M (Total: $15.1M)

5. It’s Complicated $11.0M (Total: $76.4M)

6. Leap Year $9.2M (Total: $9.2M)

7. The Blind Side $7.5M (Total: $218.9M)

8. Up in the Air $7.2M (Total: $54.8M)

9. Youth in Revolt $6.9M (Total: $6.9M)

10. The Princess and the Frog $4.7M (Total: $92.5M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 12, 2010)

Box Office Report: January 15-17, 2010

1. Avatar $42.8M (Total: $493.3M)

2. The Book of Eli $32.8M (Total: $32.8M)

3. The Lovely Bones $17.0M (Total: $17.5M)

4. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 $11.6M (Total: $192.7M)

5. Sherlock Holmes $9.9M (Total: $180.1M)

6. The Spy Next Door $9.7M (Total: $9.7M)

7. It’s Complicated $8.1M (Total: $88.7M)

8. Leap Year $5.9M (Total: $17.6M)

9. The Blind Side $5.6M (Total: $226.8M)

10. Up in the Air $5.4M (Total: $62.8M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 19, 2010)

Box Office Report: January 22-24, 2010

1. Avatar $34.9M (Total: $551.7M)

2. Legion $17.5M (Total: $17.5M)

3. The Book of Eli $15.7M (Total: $60.7M)

4. The Tooth Fairy $14.0M (Total: $14.0M)

5. The Lovely Bones $8.4M (Total: $31.2M)

6. Sherlock Holmes $6.6M (Total: $191.1M)

7. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 $6.4M (Total: $204.1M)

8. Extraordinary Measures $6.0M (Total: $6.0M)

9. It’s Complicated $5.8M (Total: $98.3M)

10. The Spy Next Door $4.6M (Total: $18.5M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 26, 2010)

Box Office Report: January 29-31, 2010

1. Avatar $31.3M (Total: $595.8M)

2. Edge of Darkness $17.2M (Total: $17.2M)

3. When in Rome $12.4M (Total: $12.3M)

4. The Tooth Fairy $9.9M (Total: $26.1M)

5. The Book of Eli $8.9M (Total: $74.5M)

6. Legion $7.2M (Total: $29.0M)

7. The Lovely Bones $4.7M (Total: $38.0M)

8. Sherlock Holmes $4.5M (Total: $197.6M)

9. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 $3.9M (Total: $209.3M)

10. It’s Complicated $3.8M (Total: $104.1M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 2, 2010)

Box Office Report: February 5-7, 2010

1. Dear John $30.5M (Total: $30.5M)

2. Avatar $22.9M (Total: $629.3M)

3. From Paris with Love $8.2M (Total: $8.2M)

4. Edge of Darkness $6.9M (Total: $28.9M)

5. The Tooth Fairy $6.6M (Total: $34.5M)

6. When in Rome $5.5M (Total: $20.9M)

7. The Book of Eli $4.7M (Total: $82.0M)

8. Crazy Heart $3.6M (Total: $11.1M)

9. Legion $3.5M (Total: $34.7M)

10. Sherlock Holmes $2.5M (Total: $201.5M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 9, 2010)

Box Office Report: February 12-14, 2010

1. Valentine’s Day $56.3M (Total: $56.3M)

2. The Wolfman $31.5M (Total: $31.5M)

3. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief $31.2M (Total: $31.2M)

4. Avatar $23.6M (Total: $661.2M)

5. Dear John $16.1M (Total: $53.9M)

6. The Tooth Fairy $6.1M (Total: $41.9M)

7. From Paris with Love $5.5M (Total: $16.6M)

8. Edge of Darkness $4.8M (Total: $36.3M)

9. Crazy Heart $4.3M (Total: $16.8M)

10. When in Rome $3.7M (Total: $26.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 16, 2010)

Box Office Report: February 19-21, 2010

1. Shutter Island $41.1M (Total: $41.1M)

2. Valentine’s Day $16.7M (Total: $86.9M)

3. Avatar $16.2M (Total: $687.9M)

4. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief $15.3M (Total: $58.7M)

5. The Wolfman $9.9M (Total: $50.4M)

6. Dear John $7.1M (Total: $65.8M)

7. The Tooth Fairy $4.4M (Total: $49.7M)

8. Crazy Heart $2.9M (Total: $21.5M)

9. From Paris with Love $2.7M (Total: $21.4M)

10. Edge of Darkness $2.2M (Total: $40.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 23, 2010)

Box Office Report: February 26-28, 2010

1. Shutter Island $22.7M (Total: $75.5M)

2. Cop Out $18.2M (Total: $18.2M)

3. The Crazies $16.1M (Total: $16.1M)

4. Avatar $13.7M (Total: $706.6M)

5. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief $9.6M (Total: $70.9M)

6. Valentine’s Day $9.1M (Total: $99.9M)

7. Dear John $4.8M (Total: $72.4M)

8. The Wolfman $4.3M (Total: $57.4M)

9. The Tooth Fairy $3.4M (Total: $53.8M)

10. Crazy Heart $2.5M (Total: $25.0M)

-Wesley Lovell (March 2, 2010)

Box Office Report: March 5-7, 2010

1. Alice in Wonderland $116.1M (Total: $116.1M)

2. Brooklyn’s Finest $13.4M (Total: $13.4M)

3. Shutter Island $13.2M (Total: $95.8M)

4. Cop Out $9.3M (Total: $32.5M)

5. Avatar $8.1M (Total: $720.6M)

6. The Crazies $7.1M (Total: $27.5M)

7. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief $5.1M (Total: $78.1M)

8. Valentine’s Day $4.2M (Total: $106.3M)

9. Crazy Heart $3.3M (Total: $29.5M)

10. Dear John $2.8M (Total: $76.6M)

-Wesley Lovell (March 9, 2010)

Box Office Report: March 12-14, 2010

1. Alice in Wonderland $62.7M (Total: $70.9M)

2. Green Zone $14.3M (Total: $99.9M)

3. She’s Out of My League $9.8M (Total: $72.4M)

4. Shutter Island $8.1M (Total: $75.5M)

5. Remebmer Me $8.1M (Total: $57.4M)

6. Our Family Wedding $7.6M (Total: $53.8M)

7. Avatar $6.5M (Total: $706.6M)

8. Brooklyn’s Finest $4.5M (Total: $25.0M)

9. Cop Out $4.3M (Total: $18.2M)

10. The Crazies $3.7M (Total: $16.1M)

-Wesley Lovell (March 16, 2010)

Box Office Report: March 19-21, 2010

1. Alice in Wonderland $34.2M (Total: $265.4M)

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid $22.1M (Total: $22.1M)

3. The Bounty Hunter $20.7M (Total: $20.7M)

4. Repo Men $6.1M (Total: $6.1M)

5. Green Zone $6.1M (Total: $24.9M)

6. She’s Out of My League $5.8M (Total: $19.7M)

7. Shutter Island $4.7M (Total: $115.8M)

8. Avatar $4.0M (Total: $736.9M)

9. Our Family Wedding $3.7M (Total: $13.6M)

10. Remebmer Me $3.3M (Total: $13.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (March 23, 2010)

Box Office Report: March 26-28, 2010

1. How to Train Your Dragon $43.7M (Total: $43.7M)

2. Alice in Wonderland $17.7M (Total: $293.5M)

3. Hot Tub Time Machine $14.0M (Total: $14.0M)

4. The Bounty Hunter $12.0M (Total: $38.4M)

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid $10.1M (Total: $35.9M)

6. She’s Out of My League $3.5M (Total: $25.6M)

7. Green Zone $3.4M (Total: $30.5M)

8. Shutter Island $3.2M (Total: $120.6M)

9. Repo Men $3.0M (Total: $11.3M)

10. Our Family Wedding $2.4M (Total: $16.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (March 30, 2010)

Box Office Report: April 2-4, 2010

1. Clash of the Titans $61.2M (Total: $63.9M)

2. How Did I Get Married Too? $29.3M (Total: $29.3M)

3. How to Train Your Dragon $29.0M (Total: $92.1M)

4. The Last Song $16.0M (Total: $25.4M)

5. Alice in Wonderland $8.2M (Total: $309.7M)

6. Hot Tub Time Machine $8.1M (Total: $27.9M)

7. The Bounty Hunter $6.1M (Total: $48.9M)

8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid $5.3M (Total: $46.0M)

9. She’s Out of My League $1.5M (Total: $28.7M)

10. Shutter Island $1.5M (Total: $123.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (April 6, 2010)

Box Office Report: April 9-11, 2010

1. Clash of the Titans $26.6M (Total: $110.2M)

2. Date Night $25.2M (Total: $25.2M)

3. How to Train Your Dragon $24.9M (Total: $133.4M)

4. How Did I Get Married Too? $11.0M (Total: $48.5M)

5. The Last Song $9.8M (Total: $42.3M)

6. Hot Tub Time Machine $5.4M (Total: $36.9M)

7. Alice in Wonderland $5.3M (Total: $319.0M)

8. The Bounty Hunter $4.2M (Total: $55.9M)

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid $3.9M (Total: $53.6M)

10. Letters to God $1.1M (Total: $1.1M)

-Wesley Lovell (April 13, 2010)

Box Office Report: April 16-18, 2010

1. Kick-Ass $19.8M (Total: $19.8M)

2. How to Train Your Dragon $19.6M (Total: $158.3M)

3. Date Night $16.7M (Total: $48.7M)

4. Death at a Funeral $16.2M (Total: $16.2M)

5. Clash of the Titans $15.4M (Total: $132.6M)

6. The Last Song $5.9M (Total: $50.2M)

7. How Did I Get Married Too? $4.1M (Total: $54.8M)

8. Alice in Wonderland $3.7M (Total: $324.1M)

9. Hot Tub Time Machine $3.5M (Total: $42.4M)

10. The Bounty Hunter $3.1M (Total: $60.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (April 20, 2010)

Box Office Report: April 23-25, 2010

1. How to Train Your Dragon $19.6M (Total: $158.3M)

2. The Back-Up Plan $4.1M (Total: $54.8M)

3. Date Night $16.7M (Total: $48.7M)

4. The Losers $3.5M (Total: $42.4M)

5. Kick-Ass $19.8M (Total: $19.8M)

6. Clash of the Titans $15.4M (Total: $132.6M)

7. Death at a Funeral $16.2M (Total: $16.2M)

8. Oceans $3.1M (Total: $60.3M)

9. The Last Song $5.9M (Total: $50.2M)

10. Alice in Wonderland $3.7M (Total: $324.1M)

-Wesley Lovell (April 27, 2010)

Box Office Report: April 30-May 2, 2010

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street $32.9M (Total: $32.9M)

2. How to Train Your Dragon $10.6M (Total: $192.2M)

3. Date Night $7.6M (Total: $73.6M)

4. The Back-Up Plan $7.3M (Total: $22.9M)

5. Furry Vengeance $6.6M (Total: $6.6M)

6. The Losers $5.9M (Total: $18.0M)

7. Clash of the Titans $5.9M (Total: $153.9M)

8. Kick-Ass $4.5M (Total: $42.2M)

9. Death at a Funeral $4.1M (Total: $34.9M)

10. Oceans $2.6M (Total: $13.5M)

-Wesley Lovell (May 4, 2010)

Box Office Report: May 7-9, 2010

1. Iron Man 2 $128.1M (Total: $128.1M)

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street $9.0M (Total: $48.5M)

3. How to Train Your Dragon $6.7M (Total: $201.0M)

4. Date Night $5.4M (Total: $81.0M)

5. The Back-Up Plan $5.0M (Total: $30.1M)

6. Furry Vengeance $4.5M (Total: $12.1M)

7. Clash of the Titans $2.5M (Total: $158.0M)

8. Death at a Funeral $2.3M (Total: $38.5M)

9. Babies $2.2M (Total: $2.1M)

10. The Losers $1.8M (Total: $21.5M)

-Wesley Lovell (May 11, 2010)

Box Office Report: May 14-16, 2010

1. Iron Man 2 $52.0M (Total: $211.2M)

2. Robin Hood $36.1M (Total: $36.1M)

3. Letters to Juliet $13.5M (Total: $13.5M)

4. Just Wright $8.3M (Total: $8.3M)

5. How to Train Your Dragon $5.0M (Total: $207.6M)

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street $4.7M (Total: $56.1M)

7. Date Night $3.8M (Total: $86.5M)

8. The Back-Up Plan $2.8M (Total: $34.1M)

9. Furry Vengeance $2.2M (Total: $15.1M)

10. Clash of the Titans $1.2M (Total: $160.1M)

-Wesley Lovell (May 18, 2010)

Box Office Report: May 21-23, 2010

1. Shrek Forever After $70.8M (Total: $70.8M)

2. Iron Man 2 $26.4M (Total: $251.0M)

3. Robin Hood $18.8M (Total: $66.6M)

4. Letters to Juliet $9.0M (Total: $27.3M)

5. Just Wright $4.3M (Total: $14.7M)

6. MacGruber $4.0M (Total: $4.0M)

7. Date Night $2.9M (Total: $90.7M)

8. A Nightmare on Elm Street $2.3M (Total: $59.9M)

9. How to Train Your Dragon $1.9M (Total: $210.9M)

10. Kites $1.0M (Total: $1.0M)

-Wesley Lovell (May 25, 2010)

Box Office Report: May 28-30, 2010

1. Shrek Forever After $43.3M (Total: $133.1M)

2. Sex and the City 2 $31.0M (Total: $45.2M)

3. The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time $30.1M (Total: $30.1M)

4. Iron Man 2 $16.5M (Total: $275.0M)

5. Robin Hood $10.4M (Total: $83.1M)

6. Letters to Juliet $5.8M (Total: $36.5M)

7. Just Wright $2.2M (Total: $18.2M)

8. Date Night $1.8M (Total: $93.5M)

9. MacGruber $1.6M (Total: $7.2M)

10. How to Train Your Dragon $1.2M (Total: $212.8M)

-Wesley Lovell (June 1, 2010)

Box Office Report: June 4-6, 2010

1. Shrek Forever After $25.5M (Total: $183.2M)

2. Get Him to the Greek $17.6M (Total: $17.6M)

3. Killers $15.8M (Total: $15.8M)

4. Prince of Persia $14.0M (Total: $59.6M)

5. Sex and the City 2 $12.3M (Total: $73.1M)

6. Marmaduke $11.6M (Total: $11.6M)

7. Iron Man 2 $7.9M (Total: $291.4M)

8. Splice $7.4M (Total: $7.4M)

9. Robin Hood $5.4M (Total: $94.5M)

10. Letters to Juliet $3.0M (Total: $43.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (June 8, 2010)

Box Office Report: June 11-13, 2010

1. The Karate Kid $55.7M (Total: $94.5M)

2. The A-Team $25.7M (Total: $43.3M)

3. Shrek Forever After $15.8M (Total: $183.2M)

4. Get Him to the Greek $9.9M (Total: $17.6M)

5. Killers $8.1M (Total: $15.8M)

6. Prince of Persia $6.5M (Total: $59.6M)

7. Marmaduke $6.1M (Total: $11.6M)

8. Sex and the City 2 $6.0M (Total: $73.1M)

9. Iron Man 2 $5.4M (Total: $291.4M)

10. Splice $4.5M (Total: $7.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (June 15, 2010)

Box Office Report: June 18-20, 2010

1. Toy Story 3 $110.3M (Total: $110.3M)

2. The Karate Kid $29.9M (Total: $107.1M)

3. The A-Team $14.4M (Total: $50.4M)

4. Get Him to the Greek $6.1M (Total: $47.8M)

5. Shrek Forever After $5.6M (Total: $223.1M)

6. Prince of Persia $5.6M (Total: $80.8M)

7. Jonah Hex $5.4M (Total: $5.4M)

8. Killers $5.0M (Total: $39.3M)

9. Iron Man 2 $2.9M (Total: $304.2M)

10. Marmaduke $2.5M (Total: $27.7M)

-Wesley Lovell (June 22, 2010)

Box Office Report: June 25-27, 2010

1. Toy Story 3 $59.3M (Total: $226.9M)

2. Grown Ups $40.5M (Total: $40.5M)

3. Knight & Day $20.1M (Total: $27.4M)

4. The Karate Kid $15.5M (Total: $135.8M)

5. The A-Team $6.2M (Total: $63.0M)

6. Get Him to the Greek $3.1M (Total: $54.6M)

7. Shrek Forever After $3.1M (Total: $238.4M)

8. Prince of Persia $2.8M (Total: $86.2M)

9. Killers $1.9M (Total: $43.9M)

10. Jonah Hex $1.6M (Total: $9.2M)

-Wesley Lovell (June 29, 2010)

Box Office Report: July 2-4, 2010

1. Twilight: Eclipse $64.8M (Total: $157.6M)

2. The Last Airbender $40.3M (Total: $57.8M)

3. Toy Story 3 $30.3M (Total: $289.1M)

4. Grown Ups $19.0M (Total: $77.6M)

5. Knight & Day $10.4M (Total: $45.8M)

6. The Karate Kid $8.0M (Total: $151.5M)

7. The A-Team $3.2M (Total: $69.3M)

8. Get Him to the Greek $1.2M (Total: $57.5M)

9. Shrek Forever After $0.9M (Total: $232.3M)

10. Letters to Juliet $0.8M (Total: $50.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (July 6, 2010)

Box Office Report: July 9-11, 2010

1. Despicable Me $56.4M (Total: $56.4M)

2. Twilight: Eclipse $31.7M (Total: $235.4M)

3. Predators $24.8M (Total: $24.8M)

4. Toy Story 3 $21.0M (Total: $339.2M)

5. The Last Airbender $16.6M (Total: $99.7M)

6. Grown Ups $15.8M (Total: $110.7M)

7. Knight & Day $7.7M (Total: $61.8M)

8. The Karate Kid $5.4M (Total: $164.3M)

9. The A-Team $1.8M (Total: $73.9M)

10. Cyrus $1.3M (Total: $3.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (July 13, 2010)

Box Office Report: July 16-18, 2010

1. Inception $62.8M (Total: $62.8M)

2. Despicable Me $32.8M (Total: $118.4M)

3. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice $17.6M (Total: $24.7M)

4. Twilight: Eclipse $13.4M (Total: $264.8M)

5. Toy Story 3 $11.9M (Total: $362.9M)

6. Grown Ups $9.9M (Total: $129.2M)

7. The Last Airbender $7.8M (Total: $115.1M)

8. Predators $7.0M (Total: $40.3M)

9. Knight & Day $3.6M (Total: $69.1M)

10. The Karate Kid $2.3M (Total: $169.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (July 20, 2010)

Box Office Report: July 23-25, 2010

1. Inception $42.7M (Total: $142.9M)

2. Salt $36.0M (Total: $36.0M)

3. Despicable Me $23.7M (Total: $161.3M)

4. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice $9.7M (Total: $42.6M)

5. Toy Story 3 $8.9M (Total: $379.4M)

6. Ramona and Beezus $7.8M (Total: $7.8M)

7. Grown Ups $7.4M (Total: $142.2M)

8. Twilight: Eclipse $7.2M (Total: $279.8M)

9. The Last Airbender $4.2M (Total: $123.3M)

10. Predators $3.1M (Total: $46.8M)

-Wesley Lovell (July 27, 2010)

Box Office Report: July 30-August 1, 2010

1. Inception $27.5M (Total: $193.3M)

2. Dinner for Schmucks $23.5M (Total: $23.5M)

3. Salt $19.5M (Total: $71.0M)

4. Despicable Me $15.5M (Total: $190.3M)

5. Charlie St. Cloud $12.4M (Total: $12.4M)

6. Cats & Dogs 2 $12.3M (Total: $12.3M)

7. Toy Story 3 $5.1M (Total: $389.8M)

8. Grown Ups $4.5M (Total: $150.8M)

9. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice $4.5M (Total: $52.0M)

10. Twilight: Eclipse $4.0M (Total: $288.2M)

-Wesley Lovell (August 3, 2010)

Box Office Report: August 6-8, 2010

1. The Other Guys $35.5M (Total: $35.5M)

2. Inception $18.5M (Total: $227.6M)

3. Step Up 3D $15.8M (Total: $15.8M)

4. Salt $10.9M (Total: $91.8M)

5. Dinner for Schmucks $10.4M (Total: $46.6M)

6. Despicable Me $9.3M (Total: $209.3M)

7. Cats & Dogs 2 $6.9M (Total: $26.4M)

8. Charlie St. Cloud $4.7M (Total: $23.5M)

9. Toy Story 3 $3.1M (Total: $396.4M)

10. The Kids Are All Right $2.6M (Total: $14.0M)

-Wesley Lovell (August 10, 2010)

Box Office Report: August 13-15, 2010

1. The Expendables $34.8M (Total: $34.8M)

2. Eat Pray Love $23.1M (Total: $23.1M)

3. The Other Guys $17.4M (Total: $69.9M)

4. Inception $11.3M (Total: $248.5M)

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World $10.6M (Total: $10.6M)

6. Despicable Me $6.9M (Total: $222.2M)

7. Step Up 3D $6.9M (Total: $29.8M)

8. Dinner for Schmucks $6.3M (Total: $58.8M)

9. Salt $6.2M (Total: $103.4M)

10. Cats & Dogs 2 $4.2M (Total: $35.2M)

-Wesley Lovell (August 17, 2010)

Box Office Report: August 20-22, 2010

1. The Expendables $16.9M (Total: $65.4M)

2. Vampires Suck $12.2M (Total: $18.6M)

3. Eat Pray Love $12.1M (Total: $47.2M)

4. Lottery Ticket $10.7M (Total: $10.7M)

5. The Other Guys $10.2M (Total: $88.3M)

6. Piranha 3D $10.1M (Total: $10.1M)

7. The Switch $8.4M (Total: $8.4M)

8. Nanny McPhee Returns $8.4M (Total: $8.4M)

9. Inception $7.8M (Total: $262.0M)

10. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World $5.2M (Total: $20.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (August 24, 2010)

Box Office Report: August 27-29, 2010

1. Takers $20.5M (Total: $20.5M)

2. The Last Exorcism $20.4M (Total: $20.4M)

3. The Expendables $9.5M (Total: $82.0M)

4. Eat Pray Love $6.8M (Total: $60.5M)

5. The Other Guys $6.3M (Total: $99.0M)

6. Vampires Suck $5.2M (Total: $27.8M)

7. Inception $4.9M (Total: $270.5M)

8. Nanny McPhee Returns $4.7M (Total: $16.9M)

9. The Switch $4.6M (Total: $16.4M)

10. Piranha 3D $4.3M (Total: $18.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (August 31, 2010)

Box Office Report: September 3-5, 2010

1. The American $13.2M (Total: $16.3M)

2. Machete $11.4M (Total: $11.4M)

3. Takers $10.9M (Total: $37.3M)

4. The Last Exorcism $7.3M (Total: $32.1M)

5. Going the Distance $6.9M (Total: $6.9M)

6. The Expendables $6.6M (Total: $92.2M)

7. The Other Guys $5.3M (Total: $106.8M)

8. Eat Pray Love $4.8M (Total: $68.9M)

9. Inception $4.6M (Total: $277.1M)

10. Nanny McPhee Returns $3.5M (Total: $22.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (September 7, 2010)

Box Office Report: September 10-12, 2010

1. Resident Evil: Afterlife $26.7M (Total: $26.7M)

2. Takers $5.7M (Total: $47.7M)

3. The American $5.7M (Total: $28.1M)

4. Machete $4.3M (Total: $20.9M)

5. Going the Distance $3.8M (Total: $13.9M)

6. The Other Guys $3.3M (Total: $112.4M)

7. The Last Exorcism $3.3M (Total: $38.1M)

8. The Expendables $3.2M (Total: $98.5M)

9. Eat Pray Love $2.9M (Total: $74.7M)

10. Inception $2.8M (Total: $282.2M)

-Wesley Lovell (September 14, 2010)

Box Office Report: September 17-19, 2010

1. The Town $23.8M (Total: $23.8M)

2. Easy A $17.7M (Total: $17.7M)

3. Devil $12.3M (Total: $12.3M)

4. Resident Evil: Afterlife $10.0M (Total: $43.9M)

5. Alpha and Omega $9.1M (Total: $9.1M)

6. Takers $3.0M (Total: $52.4M)

7. The American $2.7M (Total: $32.8M)

8. The Other Guys $1.9M (Total: $115.4M)

9. Inception $1.9M (Total: $285.1M)

10. Machete $1.8M (Total: $24.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (September 21, 2010)

Box Office Report: September 24-26, 2010

1. Wall Street 2 $19.0M (Total: $19.0M)

2. Legend of the Guardians $16.1M (Total: $16.1M)

3. The Town $15.6M (Total: $48.7M)

4. Easy A $10.6M (Total: $32.7M)

5. You Again $8.4M (Total: $8.4M)

6. Devil $6.6M (Total: $21.9M)

7. Resident Evil: Afterlife $4.9M (Total: $52.1M)

8. Alpha and Omega $4.7M (Total: $15.2M)

9. Takers $1.6M (Total: $54.9M)

10. Inception $1.2M (Total: $287.1M)

-Wesley Lovell (September 28, 2010)

Box Office Report: October 1-3, 2010

1. The Social Network $22.4M (Total: $22.4M)

2. Legend of the Guardians $10.9M (Total: $30.1M)

3. Wall Street 2 $10.0M (Total: $35.8M)

4. The Town $9.7M (Total: $64.1M)

5. Easy A $6.7M (Total: $42.2M)

6. You Again $5.7M (Total: $16.6M)

7. Case 39 $5.4M (Total: $5.4M)

8. Let Me In $5.1M (Total: $5.1M)

9. Devil $3.6M (Total: $27.3M)

10. Alpha and Omega $2.9M (Total: $18.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (October 5, 2010)

Box Office Report: October 8-10, 2010

1. The Social Network $15.5 M (Total: $46.0 M)

2. Life As We Know It $14.5 M (Total: $14.5 M)

3. Secretariat $12.7 M (Total: $12.7 M)

4. Legend of the Guardians $6.9 M (Total: $39.3 M)

5. My Soul to Take $6.8 M (Total: $6.8 M)

6. The Town $6.4 M (Total: $73.8 M)

7. Wall Street 2 $4.6 M (Total: $43.6 M)

8. Easy A $4.3 M (Total: $48.2 M)

9. Case 39 $2.7 M (Total: $9.7 M)

10. You Again $2.5 M (Total: $20.8 M)

-Wesley Lovell (October 12, 2010)

Box Office Report: October 15-17, 2010

1. Jackass 3D $50.4M (Total: $50.4M)

2. RED $21.8M (Total: $21.8M)

3. The Social Network $10.3M (Total: $62.4M)

4. Secretariat $9.3M (Total: $27.3M)

5. Life As We Know It $8.9M (Total: $28.6M)

6. Legend of the Guardians $4.2M (Total: $45.9M)

7. The Town $3.9M (Total: $80.5M)

8. My Soul to Take $3.2M (Total: $11.9M)

9. Easy A $2.6M (Total: $52.3M)

10. Wall Street 2 $2.4M (Total: $47.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (October 19, 2010)

Box Office Report: October 22-24, 2010

1. Paranormal Activity 2 $40.7M (Total: $40.7M)

2. Jackass 3D $21.3M (Total: $86.9M)

3. RED $15.0M (Total: $43.5M)

4. Hereafter $12.0M (Total: $12.3M)

5. The Social Network $7.3M (Total: $72.9M)

6. Secretariat $7.0M (Total: $37.4M)

7. Life As We Know It $6.1M (Total: $37.6M)

8. Legend of the Guardians $3.2M (Total: $50.2M)

9. The Town $2.7M (Total: $84.7M)

10. Easy A $1.7M (Total: $54.8M)

-Wesley Lovell (October 26, 2010)

Box Office Report: October 29-31, 2010

1. Saw 3D $22.5M (Total: $24.2M)

2. Paranormal Activity 2 $16.5M (Total: $65.7M)

3. RED $10.7M (Total: $58.8M)

4. Jackass 3D $8.5M (Total: $101.7M)

5. Hereafter $6.4M (Total: $22.4M)

6. Secretariat $5.0M (Total: $44.7M)

7. The Social Network $4.5M (Total: $79.5M)

8. Life As We Know It $4.1M (Total: $43.5M)

9. The Town $1.9M (Total: $87.6M)

10. Conviction $1.8M (Total: $2.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 2, 2010)

Box Office Report: November 5-7, 2010

1. Megamind $46.0M (Total: $46.0M)

2. Due Date $32.7M (Total: $32.7M)

3. For Colored Girls $19.5M (Total: $19.5M)

4. RED $8.7M (Total: $71.7M)

5. Saw 3D $7.7M (Total: $38.3M)

6. Paranormal Activity 2 $7.1M (Total: $76.9M)

7. Jackass 3D $4.9M (Total: $110.7M)

8. Secretariat $4.1M (Total: $51.0M)

9. Hereafter $4.0M (Total: $28.7M)

10. The Social Network $3.4M (Total: $84.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 9, 2010)

Box Office Report: November 12-14, 2010

1. Megamind $29.1M (Total: $88.8M)

2. Unstoppable $22.7M (Total: $22.7M)

3. Due Date $15.4M (Total: $58.9M)

4. Skyline $11.7M (Total: $11.7M)

5. Morning Glory $9.2M (Total: $11.8M)

6. For Colored Girls $6.5M (Total: $30.7M)

7. RED $4.9M (Total: $79.7M)

8. Paranormal Activity 2 $2.9M (Total: $81.9M)

9. Saw 3D $2.9M (Total: $43.6M)

10. Jackass 3D $2.2M (Total: $114.6M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 16, 2010)

Box Office Report: November 19-21, 2010

1. Harry Potter VII, Part I $125.0M (Total: $125.0M)

2. Megamind $16.0M (Total: $109.3M)

3. Unstoppable $13.0M (Total: $41.9M)

4. Due Date $8.9M (Total: $72.4M)

5. The Next Three Days $6.5M (Total: $6.5M)

6. Morning Glory $5.2M (Total: $19.8M)

7. Skyline $3.6M (Total: $17.8M)

8. RED $2.5M (Total: $83.6M)

9. For Colored Girls $2.3M (Total: $34.4M)

10. Fair Game $1.5M (Total: $3.7M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 23, 2010)

Box Office Report: November 26-28, 2010

1. Harry Potter VII, Part I $49.1M (Total: $219.1M)

2. Tangled $48.8M (Total: $68.7M)

3. Megamind $12.6M (Total: $130.2M)

4. Burlesque $11.9M (Total: $17.3M)

5. Unstoppable $11.4M (Total: $60.4M)

6. Love and Other Drugs $9.7M (Total: $13.9M)

7. Faster $8.5M (Total: $12.0M)

8. Due Date $7.2M (Total: $84.9M)

9. The Next Three Days $4.7M (Total: $14.4M)

10. Morning Glory $3.9M (Total: $26.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (November 30, 2010)

Box Office Report: December 3-5, 2010

1. Tangled $21.6M (Total: $96.6M)

2. Harry Potter VII, Part I $17.0M (Total: $244.5M)

3. Burlesque $6.1M (Total: $26.9M)

4. Unstoppable $5.9M (Total: $68.8M)

5. Love and Other Drugs $5.7M (Total: $22.6M)

6. Megamind $4.9M (Total: $136.6M)

7. Due Date $4.1M (Total: $90.9M)

8. Faster $3.9M (Total: $18.2M)

9. The Warrior’s Way $3.0M (Total: $3.0M)

10. The Next Three Days $2.6M (Total: $18.3M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 7, 2010)

Box Office Report: December 10-12, 2010

1. The Chronicles of Narnia $24.0M (Total: $24.0M)

2. The Tourist $16.5M (Total: $16.5M)

3. Tangled $14.3M (Total: $115.4M)

4. Harry Potter VII, Part I $8.5M (Total: $257.7M)

5. Unstoppable $3.7M (Total: $74.2M)

6. Black Swan $3.3M (Total: $5.6M)

7. Burlesque $3.2M (Total: $32.5M)

8. Love and Other Drugs $2.9M (Total: $27.6M)

9. Due Date $2.6M (Total: $94.9M)

10. Megamind $2.5M (Total: $140.2M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 14, 2010)

Box Office Report: December 17-19, 2010

1. TRON Legacy $44.0M (Total: $44.0M)

2. Yogi Bear $16.4M (Total: $16.4M)

3. The Chronicles of Narnia $12.4M (Total: $42.8M)

4. The Fighter $12.1M (Total: $12.6M)

5. Tangled $8.8M (Total: $127.9M)

6. The Tourist $8.5M (Total: $30.6M)

7. Black Swan $8.4M (Total: $15.8M)

8. How Do You Know $7.5M (Total: $7.5M)

9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 $5.0M (Total: $265.7M)

10. Unstoppable $1.8M (Total: $77.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 21, 2010)

Box Office Report: December 24-26, 2010

1. Little Fockers $30.8M (Total: $45.1M)

2. True Grit $24.9M (Total: $36.1M)

3. TRON Legacy $19.2M (Total: $87.4M)

4. The Chronicles of Narnia $9.5M (Total: $62.6M)

5. Yogi Bear $7.8M (Total: $35.8M)

6. The Fighter $7.6M (Total: $26.7M)

7. Tangled $6.4M (Total: $143.7M)

8. Gulliver’s Travels $6.3M (Total: $6.3M)

9. Black Swan $6.3M (Total: $28.7M)

10. The Tourist $5.4M (Total: $40.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (December 28, 2010)

Box Office Report: December 31, 2010-January 1, 2011

1. Little Fockers $25.8M (Total: $102.6M)

2. True Grit $24.4M (Total: $86.7M)

3. TRON Legacy $18.8M (Total: $131.3M)

4. Yogi Bear $12.4M (Total: $65.8M)

5. The Chronicles of Narnia $10.3M (Total: $86.9M)

6. The Fighter $10.0M (Total: $46.4M)

7. Tangled $9.8M (Total: $167.8M)

8. Gulliver’s Travels $9.3M (Total: $27.5M)

9. Black Swan $8.9M (Total: $47.8M)

10. The King’s Speech $7.8M (Total: $22.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 4, 2010)

2011

Box Office Report: December 31, 2010-January 1, 2011

1. Little Fockers $25.8M (Total: $102.6M)

2. True Grit $24.4M (Total: $86.7M)

3. TRON Legacy $18.8M (Total: $131.3M)

4. Yogi Bear $12.4M (Total: $65.8M)

5. The Chronicles of Narnia $10.3M (Total: $86.9M)

6. The Fighter $10.0M (Total: $46.4M)

7. Tangled $9.8M (Total: $167.8M)

8. Gulliver’s Travels $9.3M (Total: $27.5M)

9. Black Swan $8.9M (Total: $47.8M)

10. The King’s Speech $7.8M (Total: $22.9M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 4, 2011)

Box Office Report: January 7-9, 2011

1. True Grit $14.6M (Total: $110.0M)

2. Little Fockers $13.5M (Total: $123.7M)

3. Season of the Witch $10.6M (Total: $10.6M)

4. TRON Legacy $10.1M (Total: $148.2M)

5. Black Swan $8.1M (Total: $61.2M)

6. Country Strong $7.3M (Total: $7.5M)

7. The Fighter $7.0M (Total: $57.8M)

8. Yogi Bear $6.6M (Total: $75.4M)

9. The King’s Speech $6.4M (Total: $32.9M)

10. Tangled $5.1M (Total: $175.8M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 11, 2011)

Box Office Report: January 14-16, 2011

1. The Green Hornet $33.5M (Total: $7.5M)

2. The Dilemma $17.8M (Total: $175.8M)

3. True Grit $11.0M (Total: $110.0M)

4. The King’s Speech $9.2M (Total: $32.9M)

5. Black Swan $8.3M (Total: $61.2M)

6. Little Fockers $7.2M (Total: $123.7M)

7. TRON Legacy $5.7M (Total: $148.2M)

8. Yogi Bear $5.4M (Total: $75.4M)

9. The Fighter $5.1M (Total: $57.8M)

10. Season of the Witch $4.6M (Total: $10.6M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 18, 2011)

Box Office Report: January 21-23, 2011

1. No Strings Attached $19.7M (Total: $19.7M)

2. The Green Hornet $17.7M (Total: $63.0M)

3. The Dilemma $9.1M (Total: $32.7M)

4. The King’s Speech $7.9M (Total: $57.3M)

5. True Grit $7.3M (Total: $137.9M)

6. Black Swan $5.9M (Total: $83.3M)

7. Little Fockers $4.3M (Total: $141.1M)

8. The Fighter $4.2M (Total: $72.7M)

9. Yogi Bear $3.8M (Total: $88.6M)

10. TRON Legacy $3.6M (Total: $163.2M)

-Wesley Lovell (January 25, 2011)

Box Office Report: January 28-30, 2011

1. The Rite $14.8M (Total: $14.8M)

2. No Strings Attached $13.4M (Total: $39.5M)

3. The Mechanic $11.4M (Total: $11.4M)

4. The Green Hornet $11.2M (Total: $78.5M)

5. The King’s Speech $11.1M (Total: $72.2M)

6. True Grit $7.5M (Total: $148.3M)

7. The Dilemma $5.7M (Total: $40.8M)

8. Black Swan $5.1M (Total: $90.7M)

9. The Fighter $3.9M (Total: $78.3M)

10. Yogi Bear $3.2M (Total: $92.5M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 1, 2011)

Box Office Report: February 4-6, 2011

1. The Roommate $15.0M (Total: $15.0M)

2. Sanctum $9.4M (Total: $9.4M)

3. No Strings Attached $8.0M (Total: $51.4M)

4. The King’s Speech $7.7M (Total: $83.5M)

5. The Green Hornet $5.9M (Total: $87.1M)

6. The Rite $5.6M (Total: $23.7M)

7. The Mechanic $5.3M (Total: $20.0M)

8. True Grit $4.6M (Total: $154.9M)

9. Black Swan $3.4M (Total: $95.9M)

10. The Dilemma $3.3M (Total: $45.6M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 8, 2011)

Box Office Report: February 11-13, 2011

1. Just Go With It $30.5M (Total: $30.5M)

2. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never $29.5M (Total: $30.3M)

3. Gnomeo and Juliet $25.4M (Total: $25.4M)

4. The Eagle $8.7M (Total: $8.7M)

5. The Roommate $8.1M (Total: $25.8M)

6. The King’s Speech $7.2M (Total: $93.7M)

7. No Strings Attached $5.8M (Total: $60.0M)

8. Sanctum $5.7M (Total: $18.0M)

9. True Grit $3.8M (Total: $160.4M)

10. The Green Hornet $3.7M (Total: $92.4M)

-Wesley Lovell (February 15, 2011)

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