Five new movies enter the fight this weekend. They are all of the late summer, sleeper variety. I cannot say that any of them jump out as a surefire hit, although the mostly have the potential to be popular. Modest films expecting modest returns. Of the five, I am only interested in a pair. It will be interesting to see how they do, although I am completely expecting this to be the slowest weekend we've seen since before summer started. So, do any of these titles tickle your fancy?Vampires Suck. (2010, 88 minutes, PG-13, comedy) Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer strike again. How do these guys keep getting projects green lit? Wait, I know. They are cheap and ultimately turn a profit. I was fooled a couple of times but will not again. Their spoofs are unfunny, annoying, and a pox upon the cinematic landscape. I am certain that Vampires Suck will be no different than any of their other outings. This time the main target is the Twilight franchise and while it is certainly ripe for ridicule, this cannot be the best that can be done, can it? I like comedy, I like stupid comedy, but there is a line that you can't cross and these guys make movies that fall on the other side of that line.
Lottery Ticket. (2010, 99 minutes, PG-13, comedy) This doesn't look all that bad, I just don't have a lot of interest in actually seeing it. The story is a simple one that appears to go a little over the top despite being completely believable. A young man and his mother who live in the projects win a huge lottery. Now they just have to make it through the holiday weekend to cash it in while avoiding their greedy neighbors. It has a good cast that includes Terry Crews, Ice Cube, Keith David and Loretta Devine. The film stars Bow Wow.
Nanny McPhee Returns. (2010, 109 minutes, PG, family/fantasy) This does not interest me one bit. It looks like a new take on Mary Poppins and I would rather Poppins any day. This film is set in the country where a couple of country kids must co-exist with their city-bred cousins with the single mom (Maggie Gyllenhaal). To help reign them in she enlists Nanny McPhee (Nanny McPhee). Magic, mayhem, and flying pigs ensue. Definitely looks for the younger set.
Piranha 3D. (2010, 89 minutes, R, horror/comedy) I have been looking forward to this for a long time. I cannot believe it is going to be a good one, but I suspect it will be a a good, fun, campy, bloody time. Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors) it the man behind the camera for this remake of the campy classic. The story has spring break going strong in a lake that is about to become overrun with bloodthirsty fish. What else do you need to know? How about plentiful blood, skimpily clad young women, Ving Rhames, and Jerry O'Connell? This is going to be a blast.
The Switch. (2010, 101 minutes, PG-13, comedy) This relationship comedy looks entertaining enough. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston are good friends. Bateman really likes her and is disappointing when she chooses to be artificially inseminated by someone else. A series of accidents later and the samples may just have been switched. Jump forward to years later and it looks like Bateman has a son. I hope this isn't terrible like it could potentially be. I like the cast, the trailer looks funny, and I am looking forward to seeing it.
Also opening this week, but not near me:
- Altiplano
- Down Terrace
- Hiding Divya
- Mao's Last Dancer
- Soul Kitchen
- The Tillman Story
- What If...
I look at this week's release slate and despite there being five new films in the fray, I do not see any of them being a big hit. By that token, I am not thinking this is going to be a big weekend. I don't believe any of these movies will cross the $20 million mark. It will be interesting to see how they all perform. I expect The Expendables to repeat at the top while Scott Pilgrim will falter following its weak open (although I would love to see it do better). I would also like to see a good open for Piranha 3D and a complete and utter failure for Vampires Suck. We shall see.
Here is how I think it could play out:
| Rank | Title | Box Office |
| 1 | The Expendables | $18 million |
| 2 | Piranha 3D | $15 million |
| 3 | Eat Pray Love | $13 million |
| 4 | Nanny McPhee Returns | $11.5 million |
| 5 | The Switch | $9.5 million |
| 6 | The Other Guys | $8.5 million |
| 7 | Lottery Ticket | $8 million |
| 8 | Vampires Suck | $6.5 million |
| 9 | Inception | $6 million |
| 10 | Scott Pilgrim vs. The World | $5 million |
Article first published as New Movies and Box Office Predictions: Vampires Suck, Lottery Ticket, Nanny McPhee Returns, Piranha 3D, The Switch on Blogcritics.
0 comments:
Post a Comment