Reviews and More

Will Smith has become a Fourth of July staple at the box office, so it’s no surprise that his new action film Hancock debuted as the No. 1 movie in America this weekend. Audiences coughed up $66 million to see Smith. Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman in Hancock, bringing its 5-day total to $107 million and proving once again that Smith is a solid box office bet.

The Pixar animated family movie WALL-E dropped to second place with a solid $33.4 million showing, while Wanted held steady with a $20.6 million take.

The only other new entry on the list was Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. This Abigail Breslin vehicle earned $3.6 million, good enough for eighth place.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending July 6, 2008:

1. Hancock, $66 million
2. WALL-E, $33.4 million
3. Wanted, $20.6 million
4. Get Smart, $11.1 million
5. Kung Fu Panda, $7.5 million
6. The Incredible Hulk, $4.98 million
7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $3.94 million
8. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, $3.6 million
9. Sex and the City, $2.35 million
10. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, $2 million

The newest Pixar animated film WALL-E earned $62.5 million at the box office over the weekend en route to becoming the No. 1 movie in America. This latest Pixar effort continues the studio’s astounding success: all nine of their films have done well with critics and moviegoers alike.

Wanted, an action flick starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy as super assassins, performed remarkably well in its own right, earning a whopping $51.1 million. This far surpassed initial industry estimates of a $30 million take.

Last week’s box office champ, Get Smart, did $20 million worth of business to take the No. 3 spot, while Kung Fu Panda continued drawing in audiences to the tune of $11.7 million in ticket sales, pushing its overall total to $179 million.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending 6/29/08:

1. WALL-E, $62.5 million
2. Wanted, $51.1 million
3. Get Smart, $20 million
4. Kung Fu Panda, $11.7 million
5. The Incredible Hulk, $9.23 million
6. The Love Guru, $5.44 million
7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $5.03 million
8. The Happening, $3.85 million
9. Sex and the City, $3.77 million
10. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, $3.2 million

Steve Carrell’s new comedy Get Smart, based on the 1960’s television show of the same name, raked in $39.2 million at the box office this weekend to topple previous No. 1 The Incredible Hulk as the most popular movie in the country. Despite tepid reviews, audiences flocked to see Carrell (from television’s The Office) as agent Maxwell Smart, along with Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 and Dwayne Johnson as Agent 23.

The Incredible Hulk slipped two spots to No. 3 with $21.6 million in ticket sales. The Edward Norton-Liv Tyler adventure was edged out by Kung Fu Panda, an animated feature boasting the voice talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, and Angelina Jolie among others. Kung Fu Panda earned $21.7 million, boosting its total revenues to a whopping $156 million.

The only other nationwide new release this week was The Love Guru, a comedy from Mike Meyers. The film took in a disappointing $14 million for fourth place.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending 6/22/08:

1. Get Smart, $39.2 million
2. Kung Fu Panda, $$21.7 million
3. The Incredible Hulk, $21.6 million
4. The Love Guru, $14 million
5. The Happening, $10 million
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $8.41 million
7. You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, $7.2 million
8. Sex and the City, $6.46 million
9. Iron Man, $4 million
10. The Strangers, $1.95 million

The Incredible Hulk trounced the competition at the box office this Father’s Day weekend en route to a sizable $54.5 million opening. Starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, the second comic book-based release of the summer has received generally good reviews from critics and viewers.

Last week’s top movie, Kung Fu Panda, slipped to the No. 2 spot while generating $34.3 million in revenue. The animated film’s two-week gross now stands at $118 million.

The other highly anticipated new release of the week was M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening. This film earned a solid $30.5 million at the box office, but bad reviews and terrible word of mouth will likely lead to a major dropoff next weekend.

I’ve got to say that I don’t know what’s going ton with Shyamalan. Did he peak with The Sixth Sense? Because most of his films after that have been heavily panned and ridiculed by nearly everyone — myself included. I guess it’s safe to say I’ll be waiting for The Happening to come out on DVD.

At any rate, here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending 6/15/08:

1. The Incredible Hulk, $54.5 milliion
2. Kung Fu Panda, $34.3 million
3. The Happening, $30.5 million
4. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, $16.4 million
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $13.5 million
6. Sex and the City, $10.2 million
7. Iron Man, $5.13 million
8. The Strangers, $4.1 million
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $3 million
10. What Happens in Vegas…, $1.7 million

I’ve been reading news stories about the way Entertainment Tonight ran a story about Angelina Jolie giving birth to twins despite allegedly knowing that their “source” was a fake. According to various AP reports out there, ET supposedly got news of the “birth” from someone posing as Jolie’s assistant Holly Goline, and then refused to retract the story even after Brad Pitt’s manager specifically denied that Jolie had given birth.

Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is here. Entertainment Tonight isn’t exactly a hard-hitting news program, is it? It’s like an on-air tabloid. Think of all the rumors and stuff floating around in the average tabloid…. how much of that stuff is fake or inaccurate? Probably a higher percentage than editors would care to admit. So to hear that the ET report was wrong was not that surprising to me. Given all the furor surrounding this, however, I guess it’s safe to say that I’m in the minority opinion here.

At any rate, can you imagine the stress celebs must go through trying to figure out which of their “friends” is actually a source for a tabloid? Jolie is probably sitting in her new mansion in the south of France, going through her list of all the people she sent baby shower invitations to, and internally debating whether or not those people might have talked to ET. How do celebs ever figure out whom to trust?

There’s a new box office champion this week, as last week’s No. 1 film Sex and the City tumbled three spots down to No. 4 with earnings of $21.3 million — a more than 50 percent drop from its debut.

Instead, Kung Fu Panda, the highly anticipated and heavily promoted Dreamworks animated film starring the voice talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu attracted families in droves. This picture generated an estimated $60 million in its opening weekend.

Third place went to another new entry, the Adam Sandler comedy You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. Despite the mostly negative reviews, hardcore Sandler fans showed up in droves — to the tune of $40 million — to see their favorite comedian.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending 6/8/08:

1. Kung Fu Panda, $60 million
2. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, $40 million
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $22.8 million
4. Sex and the City, $21.3 million
5. The Strangers, $9.29 million
6. Iron Man, $7.52 million
7. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $5.53 million
8. What Happens in Vegas…, $3.4 million
9. Baby Mama, $779k
10. Made of Honor, $775k

I have to admit that I was surprised when I looked at this weekend’s box office returns and saw which movie stood at the top. I fully expected Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls to retain its hold as the No. 1 movie in America for the second straight week, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, it was dethroned by Sex and the City, a feature film based on the highly popular HBO series that last aired in February of 2004.

Apparently, women (come on, it’s a chick flick, right?) have missed the adventures of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha to the extent that they spent $55.7 million to see the gang back in action, making this film the clear-cut box office champ despite mostly negative reviews from critics.

Indiana Jones slipped to second place with $46 million in tickets sold, while The Strangers, a new horror film starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, debuted in third with a strong $20.7 million showing.

Iron Man showed little sign of letting up, as it did another $14 million in business, putting it just ahead of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which was fifth with $13 million worth of tickets sold.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending 6/1/08:

1. Sex and the City, $55.7 million
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $46 million
3. The Strangers, $20.7 million
4. Iron Man, $14 million
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $13 million
6. What Happens in Vegas…, $6.85 million
7. Baby Mama, $2.2 million
8. Speed Racer, $2.14 million
9. Made of Honor, $2 million
10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $1.04 million

I just got done reading an article about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s latest purchase: a $70 million estate in the south of France. The place is called Chateau Miraval, and features a 35-room mansion, a 3-mile long driveway, a forest, a moat, and a private lake — all nestled on 1,000 acres of land.

As if that weren’t lavish enough, the article pointed out that Pitt and Jolie own several other properties around the world, including a $3.75 million home in New Orleans, a $9 million oceanfront property in Malibu, another home in Santa Barbara, a multi-million dollar home in Berlin, and a $4 million “converted farmhouse” in Buckinghamshire, England.

Now come on, how many homes do these two really need? I can understand having a couple in the U.S. and maybe another getaway spot in Europe, but six multi-million dollar spreads? That just seems so wasteful to me. I mean, obviously they’ve earned their money and are free to spend it any way they please, but still… this seems a bit overboard, doesn’t it?

You know how they say you should always carry good term insurance so your family can pay off the mortgage in the event of the main breadwinner’s untimely death? Well, I can’t even imagine what kind of insurance it would take to make sure the property taxes on these estates get paid regularly!

Was there ever a doubt that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would debut as the No. 1 movie in America when it opened on last Friday? The only question everyone in the industry had was how much would the much-anticipated fourth movie of the series rake in. The answer turned out to be $101 million domestically and worldwide cumulative total of $126 million.

Crystal Skull has received somewhat lukewarm reviews from critics and audiences alike, as many feel that while the movie is entertaining enough, it’s not quite on par with previous installments in the series.

Last week’s box office champ, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, dropped to No. 2 with $23 million in tickets sold, while viewership for Iron Man remained strong as well. That film earned $20 million in its fourth week of wide release.

No other new films cracked the top 10 — not surprising, given the competition!

Here’s the complete Top 10 for Memorial Day weekend 2008:

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $101 million
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $23 million
3. Iron Man, $20.1 million
4. What Happens in Vegas, $9 million
5. Speed Racer, $4 million
6. Made of Honor, $3.4 million
7. Baby Mama, $3.3 million
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $1.6 million
9. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $915k
10. The Visitor, $781k

After holding on to the top spot at the box office for two consecutive weeks, Iron Man has been dethroned by Prince Caspian, the second film in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Prince Caspian opened with a $56.6 million weekend gross, which was about $9 million less than its predecessor, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe did in 2005. Iron Man dropped to second with $31.2 million in ticket sales, and has now grossed $222 million in just three weeks.

The only other new entry in the Top 10 list was the indie film The Visitor, which earned $687k. That should be enough to buy the writer/director a new house — or at least some new furniture and a mattress topper or two. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie crack the top 10 with just a six-figure weekend, but I guess I could be mistaken. This is actually the fifth week of The Visitor’s theater run, but it has just broken into the Top 10 now.

At any rate, here’s the complete list for the weekend ending 5/18/08 — and remember, Indiana Jones opens next week!

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $56.6 million
2. Iron Man, $31.2 million
3. What Happens in Vegas…, $13.8 million
4. Speed Racer, $7.64 million
5. Baby Mama, $4.59 million
6. Made of Honor, $4.5 million
7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $2.54 million
8. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $1.8 million
9. The Forbidden Kingdom, $1 million
10. The Visitor, $687k

Michael Ausiello over at TVGuide.com reported a couple days ago that CBS has renewed sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine and How I Met Your Mother for at least one more season. These two shows seem to be perpetually on the bubble, so I’m sure fans will be relieved to hear that they’ll get another year’s worth of their favorite characters.

I used to watch Christine because I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but I found the show to be completely unfunny this year, so I gave up after watching about 4 episodes of Season 3. Now that it has been renewed, however, I might catch up on reruns over the summer.

I love How I Met Your Mother, and am truly happy that the gang will be sticking around for another year. Please, please, please develop the Robin/Barney relationship during that time! Those two are a great couple!

Iron Man was once again the top movie at the box office, even though its gross receipts dropped by about 50 percent domestically. After opening with a huge $100 million weekend last week, the Marvel Enterprises production held on to its title as the No. 1 movie in America with $50.5 million in ticket sales this week despite strong competition from a couple of new films.

One was the highly anticipated Speed Racer from the Wachowski brothers, a movie that was blasted by critics and viewers alike as it sputtered to a $20.2 million opening — good enough for second place.

The other was What Happens in Vegas…, a comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. This movie was similarly panned by critics and audiences, but still managed to sell $20 million worth of tickets.

Last week’s No. 2 film, Made of Honor, dropped a couple places to No. 4 with just $7.6 million in sales. The only other new entry on the list was Redbelt, which slipped into the tenth spot at $1.14 million.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the week ending 5/11/08:

1. Iron Man, $50.5 million
2. Speed Racer, $20.2 million
3. What Happens in Vegas…, $20 million
4. Made of Honor, $7.6 million
5. Baby Mama, $5.77 million
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $3.78 million
7. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $3.15 million
8. The Forbidden Kingdom, $1.9 million
9. Nim’s Island, $1.32 million
10. Redbelt, $1.14 million

I try to remain unspoiled about the television shows that I watch, but some rumors are so big that they reach me despite my best efforts to plug my ears and cover my eyes. One of the most intriguing ones I’ve come across recently is that Desperate Housewives is going to undergo a major transformation — in the form of a time jump!

Producer Marc Cherry has confirmed that there will be a time jump at the end of this season, but hasn’t said whether the jump will go forward or backwards. Either way, though, there will be significant changes to the cast and storylines once this occurs. No, the action won’t shift to a different location like Chicago or New York City; things will still happen on Wisteria Lane in fictional Fairview. But a couple of characters could be gone, with Edie Britt being the forerunner in that department.

Personally, I’m looking forward to a shakeup on Desperate Housewives. That show has been stale for quite a while now, so changes are definitely in order. I hope they go back in time because I would rather just learn more about the characters I’ve already grown accustomed to in the last four years. Plus, they could undo some mistakes, like making Carlos blind and killing off Rex.

I mean, wouldn’t it be great to see Gabby during the height of her modeling career? She’d be worrying about buying designer duds and cheap Phentermine instead of renting out rooms to drug dealers. Oh, and they could bring Mary Alice in as a new main character instead of just having her do the voice-over narrations. And how awesome would it be to see Bree and Rex together again, not to mention Karl and Susan? I can’t wait for the finale!

Iron Man blew away the competition at the box office this week, with huge domestic and worldwide debuts. The superhero flick starring Robert Downey, Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges opened on Wednesday in many countries in South America, Europe, and Asia before premiering in the U.S. on Thursday night. Thanks to great reviews, a tremendous performance by Downey, Jr., and excellent CGI, Iron Man grossed $100.7 million in the U.S. and about $96.7 million worldwide, ensuring that Marvel Entertainment’s first production effort will be a financial success.

Way, way, way behind in second place was the Patrick Dempsey romantic comedy Made of Honor, which sold $15.5 million in tickets. Last week’s box office champ, Baby Mama, slid down to No. 3 after doing $10.3 million in business, while Forgetting Sarah Marshall held on to the fourth spot with $6.1 million tickets sold.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the week ending 5/4/08:

1. Iron Man, $100.7 million
2. Made of Honor, $15.5 million
3. Baby Mama, $10.3 million
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $6.1 million
5. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $6 million
6. The Forbidden Kingdom, $4.2 million
7. Nim’s Island, $2.8 million
8. Prom Night, $2.5 million
9. 21, $2.1 million
10. 88 Minutes, $1.6 million

Comedies ruled the box office once again this week, with new entry Baby Mama starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler taking the top spot with a healthy haul of $18.3 million. The film, about a single woman’s experiences with a polar opposite surrogate, received mixed reviews from critics, but scored an aggregate positive rating of 60% over at RottenTomatoes.com.

Second place went to another comedy in its first week of nationwide release. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, a sequel to the surprise 2004 hit about two stoner friends trying to find White Castle, grossed $14.6 million. I didn’t like the first movie all that much, so will probably stay away from this one — at least until it comes out on DVD.

Last week’s box office winner, The Forbidden Kingdom, slipped two places to No. 3, while the comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall likewise dropped two spots to No. 4. The only other new release to crack the Top 10 was Deception, a thriller starring Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, and Maggie Q. The film was panned by critics, and will have a hard time recouping its $25 million budget.

Here’s the complete Top 10 for the weekend ending 4/27/08:

1. Baby Mama, $18.3 million
2. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $14.6 million
3. The Forbidden Kingdom, $11.2 million
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $11 million
5. Nim’s Island, $4.53 million
6. Prom Night, $4.4 million
7. 21, $4 million
8. 88 Minutes, $3.6 million
9. Horton Hears a Who!, $2.41 million
10. Deception, $2.23 million

Two new releases took over the top spots at the box office this weekend, as last week’s champ Prom Night slipped to No.3 in the country with $9.1 million in sales — less than 50% of what the film did in its opening.

The new champ is the pre-teen adventure romp The Forbidden Kingdom starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li. About a kung fu-obsessed 12-year-old American boy who suddenly finds himself on a mission in China, The Forbidden Kingdom earned $20.9 million for the weekend.

Second place went to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a raunchy comedy written by and starring Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother fame (among other television and film credits. This movie was produced by Judd Apatow and features a few other faces that you’d expect from one of his efforts (including Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd), and actually received some very positive reviews from critics. It earned $17.3 million.

Last week’s second-place film, the cop drama Street Kings, plunged all the way to No.7 with just $4 million in revenue. I wanted to see this one because of Hugh Laurie, but now I don’t know. Maybe I’ll wait for the DVD!

Anyway, here’s the complete Top 10 at the box office for the weekend of 4/20/08:

1. The Forbidden Kingdom, $20.9 million
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $17.3 million
3. Prom Night, $9.1 million
4. 88 Minutes, $6.8 million
5. Nim’s Island, $5.65 million
6. 21, $5.5 million
7. Street Kings, $4 million
8. Horton Hears a Who!, $3.5 million
9. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, $3.15 million
10. Leatherheads, $3.02 million

After a two-week reign as box office champ, the gambling drama 21 tumbled two spots to No. 3 with a weekend haul of $11 million, bringing its three-week total up to $62.3 million. That drop cleared the way for a new No.1, the teen horror flick Prom Night. Starring Brittany Snow and Idris Elba, Prom Night generated $22.7 million in ticket sales despite being widely panned by critics.

The No.2 film in the country was new cop drama Street Kings. Based on a novel by James Ellroy, this film has plenty in the way of star power with Keanu Reeves, Forest Whittaker, and television’s Hugh Laurie all taking on big roles. This is the only movie currently in the top 10 that I want to see, but I’m a bit worried by all the bad reviews it has received.

The only other new flick to debut in the top 10 was Smart People, a comedy starring Dennis Quaid. Thomas Haden Church, and Sarah Jessica Parker. I don’t know anything about this film (other than the fact that it earned $4.2 million over the weekend), but it did remind me to check for the release date of the upcoming Sex and the City movie. IMDb says May 30, so I can’t wait for that!

Anyway, here’s the complete Top 10 at the box office for the weekend of 4/13/08:

1. Prom Night, $22.7 million
2. Street Kings, $12 million
3. 21, $11 million
4. Nim’s Island, $9 million
5. Leatherheads, $6.21 million
6. Horton Hears a Who!, $6 million
7. Smart People, $4.2 million
8. The Ruins, $3.25 million
9. Superhero Movie, $3.11 million
10. Drillbit Taylor, $2.7 million

I usually don’t pay much attention to celebrity baby pics because I think it’s kind of creepy that the paparazzi fall all over themselves to try to get these types of shots. But this morning I was looking through a bunch of different gossip sites and I came across several photos of the most sought-after celebrity babies, including Suri Cruise, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, Violet Affleck, Apple Martin, and others.

I couldn’t help but noticing that nearly every one of these tots was sporting designer duds that regular moms would never be able to afford. That just seems like such a waste to me, since the kids will outgrow their clothing in no time. It doesn’t matter that all of these parents can afford it; it’s still a waste.

If you ask me, I’d much rather dress my kid up in personalized baby clothes like the custom football jersey that Britney Spears’ son Sean Preston is wearing in the photo above. That kind of thing is cool and is much more practical than, say, Katie Holmes buying Christian Louboutin shoes for Suri!

The gambling drama 21 was once again the box office champ, generating $15.1 million in ticket sales during its second week in release. The Kevin Spacey vehicle has now earned a cumulative total of $45.53 million domestically.

Second place went to newcomer Leatherheads, a romantic comedy about pro football in the 1920s that stars George Clooney and Renée Zellweger. The film earned a disappointing $13.4 million to barely edge out fellow newcomer Nim’s Island.

The only other new release to debut in the top 10 was the Carter Smith horror/thriller The Ruins, which sold $7.8 million in tickets — good enough for fifth place this week.

Here’s the complete top 10 at the box office for 4/6/08

1. 21, $15.1 million
2. Leatherheads, $13.4 million
3. Nim’s Island, $13.3 million
4. Horton Hears a Who!, $9.1 million
5. The Ruins, $7.8 million
6. Superhero Movie, $5.4 million
7. Meet the Browns, $3.5 million
8. Drillbit Taylor, $3.4 million
9. Shutter, $2.8 million
10. 10,000 B.C., $2.7 million

The blackjack card-counting drama 21 scored big with viewers this weekend, earning a solid $23.7 million en route to dethroning previous two-time box office champ Horton Hears a Who. 21, which stars Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Jim Sturgess, is loosely based on the true story of six MIT students who took on the Vegas casinos armed with a complex card-counting system — and walked away with millions. This is the only current release that I want to see right now.

Horton Hears a Who slipped to second place with a $17.4 million haul, bringing its three-week total to an amazing $117 million. With both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell on board, that film could hardly lose.

Superhero Movie, a comedic sendup of, well, superhero movies, did well in its debut with a $9.5 million take. The week’s other new entry, war drama Stop-Loss, also placed in the top 10. Starring Ryan Phillippe and Timothy Olyphant, the film earned $4.5 million — good enough for eighth place.

Here’s the complete Top 10 at the box office for 3/30/08:

1. 21, $23.7 million
2. Horton Hears a Who, $17.4 million
3. Superhero Movie, $9.5 million
4. Meet the Browns, $7.7 million
5. Drillbit Taylor, $5.8 million
6. Shutter, $5.3 million
7. 10,000 B.C., $4.8 million
8. Stop-Loss, $4.5 million
9. College Road Trip, $3.5 million
10. The Bank Job, $2.8 million