Box Office: Familiar Spectrals
Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 3:45PM Proving once again that Paranormal Activity is the new Saw (i.e. the same movie over and over again as Halloween ritual) the third outing did better than anyone expected. I saw and sort-of enjoyed the first but figured that was enough since faux found-footage / surveillance type of movies tend to wear out their welcome (for me at least) by the end of the movie, let alone for sequel after sequel! I recently saw Trollhunter, the Norwegian "documentary" about, well, troll hunting. And it was clever, well made and definitely fun... but even then I was like 'Please End!'
Still, I would pay lots of money to see a Paranormal Activity 4: The Haunting of The Haunts in which famous ghosts from the movies are scared to undeath in their own homes by other famous ghosts from the movies!
Then at least it would be believable that the residents don't leave once the shit starts going down; they can't!
Box Office (U.S.) Top Ten -Estimates
01 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 newish $54
02 REAL STEEL $11.3 (cum. $67.2)
03 FOOTLOOSE $10.8 (cum. $30.8)
04 THE THREE MUSKETEERS newish $8.8
05 IDES OF MARCH [capsule] $4.9 (cum. $29.1)
06 DOLPHIN TALE $4.2 (cum. $64.3)
07 MONEYBALL [review] $4.0 (cum $63.7)
08 JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN newish $3.8
09 THE THING $3.1 (cum. $14.1)
10 50/50 [review] $2.8 (cum $28.8)
Talking Points
• It says quite a lot about the viability of The Three Musketeers 3D! that i hear more talk about Milla Jovovich's complaints about the lack of studio promotion than I did about the movie itself.
• In limited release world -- or what we call "major markets" -- spooky Martha Marcy May Marlene was the top draw. Next weekend it expands to 10 more cities so go see it. Fantastic movie. The other high profile limited release, the financial thriller Margin Call also fared well.
What did you see this weekend?
I meant to opt for a whole day of movie-going but checked the box beside "pathetic shut-in" instead. Good times.
Reader Comments (27)
I finally watched Drive and loved it as expected xD
anthony -- yay!
Speaking of box office, I was quite surprised to find out that "Oranges and Sunshine", which I saw yesterday, is the second biggest box office hit in Australia this year. It's an engagingly understated film with terrific performances from "The Triple W" (Watson, Weaving, Wenham). I think Watson has a decent chance at both Australia's AACTA Awards and Britain's BAFTA awards, but I especially hope Wenham's complex portrayal can get some awards traction in US.
I've just seen Melancholia. I'm soooo disappointed and irritated by its pretentiousness. But Kiki Dunst is absolutely gorgeous: she's the only reason to watch the movie till the end.
I finally saw Moneyball yesterday. I really, really liked it - bar maybe Bridesmaids, it's the best mainstream Hollywood movie I've seen this year (I tend to judge comedies based on how well they hold up on repeat viewings). But what really surprised me was the audience: The movie has been open for (over?) a month now, and the theater was practically full, with audience members of all shapes and sizes - literally, in front of me were two young teenaged boys, next to me were middle-aged couples (one wife would NOT STOP asking her husband what the outcomes were for the climactic games), and behind me were two older women.
Even more interesting were the reactions to the trailers beforehand:
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - no one could care less; some laughter when it was over (!?!?!)
The Iron Lady - "I LOVE HER!" said women all around me the second Meryl came on screen; light applause (!?!?!)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - "EW!" the second Tom Cruise came into full view. I had to laugh at that.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - stunned everyone into silence; it started with recognition of what it was, which ranged from "that book" to "that Swedish film with that girl" (I kid you not!) and then less than a minute in anyone who was still talking had shut up.
Saw Three Musketeers. Don't judge. Huge Orlando Bloom fan here (seriously, don't judge!) and it was my birthday this weekend and I needed a fun light movie to drag all my friends to see. In retrospect we probably should've just gone to see Footloose, but what is done is done. Plus Bloom was seriously the best part of the movie. Make of that what you will.
POLISSE /THE ARTIST
I saw MMMM. There was a pretty huge line to see it, and at one point a theater worker was trying to herd the crowd into a coherent structure and shouted "everyone for Martha May here! I mean, for Marcy Martha! Martha Marcy?" Poor dude, I guess it really is confusing a lot of people. As for myself, I really enjoyed the movie, but I think I would have liked it more if so many of its plot details hadn't already been spoiled for me. Also, I thought John Hawkes' character could have used some more sceentime, and Olsen filled her role aptly, but not Oscar-nom-worthy as far as I could tell.
Finally saw Midnight in Paris. Wasn't that great, but certainly Woody's best in a loooooooong time. Marion Cotillard was a revelation, as per usual. Seriously, she should have three Oscar nominations already, with another one coming this year. At least she won for La Vie en Rose.
Days of Heaven on a big screen! Loved it!
2001 on a big screen at the Fox Theater in downtown Tucson. Movie bliss for me, though as soon as the movie was over, and my friend and I were kind of enjoying our cinematic afterglow, I heard a young woman (girl?) say, "Okay, Dad, that's the last time you ever get to pick the movie." My heart broke a little.
"Take Shelter" finally opened here in Montréal, so I saw that, I was more impressed than I thought I might be, particularly since the trailer didn't interest me that much.
Michael Shannon was particularly good, and I thought that this was the best acting I've seen from Jessica Chastain this year.
Still, the ending (i.e. the last scent in Myrtle Beach) was really crappy.
I also decided to finally catch "Crazy, Stupid, Love," which I'd been avoiding since it opened in July...and I should have continued to avoid it! Honestly...the main cast members (Carrell/Moore"Gosling/Stone) are pretty good, but the result was much less than the some of the parts. There were far too many "icky" plot lines, not enough humour, and a general malaise taht was overwhelming.
Saw MMMM on Friday - Very well-done. Second favorite film of the year - and re-watched Green Lantern on Amazon.com yesterday (Umm... It was slightly better than I remembered but still not very good) .
Nathaniel - I could do without Casper but Grace from the Others? Oh dear god YES. That photo reminds me that I haven't seen it in a while and I need to revisit it RIGHT NOW. Speaking of which, did that 10-year anniversary tribute to the Others happen here and I missed it, or was it just impossible to ever arrange?
Denny - thank you for the the trailer report. I'm amused by the reaction to the MI film - or rather to Tom Cruise. (Is his career finally FINALLY over? Or is he just gearing up for some incredible late-career oscar-winning comeback period?)
Peggy Sue - what universe do you live in? I want to live in your world. Seriously.
I saw Martha Marcy May Marlene at a theater where an employees comes out and announces the movie before it starts. Apropos to nothing, he messed up the title, then after his spiel said "enjoy tonight's screening of...'M to the fourth power.'"
That being said...whoa. Such a clear, unique and well-executed vision from a freshman director. It didn't feel obviously or cheaply derivative. I was physically uncomfortable during that entire movie. The sound design, the cinematography, it was all very good at evoking a feeling of dread and impending doom. I particularly found the last shot (and the thirty or so seconds leading up to it) to be absolutely terrifying. Loved it. If you're looking for genuine, get under-your-skin and mess with your head scares (so much so that you're afraid to walk to your car in the parking garage after the movie), go with MMMM and skip Paranormal Activity 3.
Elizabeth Olsen was great and would totally get my vote in Best Actress as of now. I know a lot of people wonder if there will be room for her to get in, but I think there will be. Michelle Williams performance is getting good reviews, but feelings on the movie itself are mixed enough that I could easily see it not happening. Davis is in it to win it (I'll concede that). Everyone assumes that Streep is locked up for a movie that no one has even seen. Call me crazy, but I think this is going to be one of those rare years where Meryl's in contention and doesn't get nominated (a la Marvin's Room). No matter how good Tilda Swinton is (and I can't wait to see that movie) there are so many hurdles to overcome where that's concerned. Ditto Olivia Colman and Kirsten Dunst. Rooney Mara and Charlize Theron are in wait-and-see territory. And re: Theron, isn't Jason Reitman about due to make a movie that (quality aside) doesn't quite hit with the Academy? They're not all home-runs and he's bound to strike out with them eventually. And, having seen Like Crazy...Felicity Jones is NOT happening. The movie was fine. I have NO idea where the buzz for her came from.
From where I'm sitting, all of that leaves enough room for Olsen to get in if they campaign her properly. This might be a case of a deserving performer getting in for all the wrong reasons. The "lost Olsen sister" angle, the nudity, her beauty and how well she interviews...all things extrinsic to her commanding and excellent work. If that's what it takes to make it happen, I'll take it.
Finally saw The Tree of Life (I know, I'm really late but it was just released here in Mexico). I'm still digesting it, but I think I can safely say that I loved every minute of it. It's just one of those movies where you can't take your eye off the beauty on the screen for one minute, and it leaves you with plenty of questions. And, I must say, I would give Brad Pitt an Oscar this year either for this or Moneyball (which I saw last week and also loved, thenagain I love almost everything written (or co-written) by Aaron Sorkin). Pitt has never been an actor I've been very impressed by. I always found him very entertaining in his more manic roles (such as Burn After Reading or 12 Monkeys or Inglorious Basterds) but usually kind of boring in most other roles (I did think he was pretty good in Babel though). But with these two performances, he has earned my respect time and time again with two very different characters (as well as types of direction and dialogue).
Anyway, next week Contagion is finally coming out in Mexico, but we're also getting a one week showing of some films that screened at the Morelia Film Fest, among them we're getting The Guard, Take Shelter, Trust, We Need to Talk About Kevin, La Piel Que Habito (that's The Skin I Live In, I hate calling Spanish-titled films by their English titles, it's a pet peeve of mine) and a few others, so I'm hoping to catch quite a few of those next weekend. Nat, do you recommend any of those particularly (as in, can't miss them)?
I had a pretty big movie week. The Red Shoes at the art house, The Fighter on DVD and Moneyball; all pretty great.
It was fun to see Shoes to see what all the Black Swan comparisons were about and see how funny old Hollywood dramas can be. I thought a similar thing when I saw The Third Man a little while ago. Those old movies are so quotable!
The Fighter held up really strongly, and it made me really glad about Melissa Leo's Oscar. She does really great work in it.
Comparing it to Moneyball, I noticed how much more invested I was in the boxing in The Fighter than I was in the baseball in Moneyball, but it was well written and acted. I surprised myself by really liked Jonah Hill. And I think the daughter was well cast. (And I love her song.)
Joy,
Saying "Oranges and Sunshine" is "second biggest box office hit in Australia"
is misleading. The highest place it had in Australian weekly box office was 6th. It is about 75th in total bo results for the year so far.
It might be claiming 2nd highest box office for an Australian film so far this year.
This indicates a weak year for Australian films so far with the exception of Red Dog. (Although some would like to count The Kings Speech or Sanctum as Australian to make the numbers look better.)
I didn't see any movies this weekend. I was thinking of Three Musketeers. Mainly due to fond memories of the 1973 version and how wrong could they really go given the source material. But some of the reviews are so bad,
I really like the "Paranormal Activity" movies, but damn that sequel would be incredible!
I saw "Weekend" and I really enjoyed it.
But HOTness.
I saw "Paranormal Activity 3" and must say that I found it very effective, especially considering that I couldn't make it past the first forty, laborious minutes of the original. This week I'm going to try to get to "Drive," "Moneyball," and "The Ides of March" and maybe "Midnight in Paris."
Ryan T -- i won't judge. I love Orlando Bloom too and I don't care who knows it.
Troy -- my god. you have a great week ahead of you!
I saw "Take Shelter" - what a strange, unique experience, and I mean that in a good way. I thought Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain were great, the hallucinations were creepy and scary and well-done, and my god, that scene in the shelter really did mess with my conception of time like it did for the characters. But I agree with Bill the Bear - not a fan of the very last scene. It could have worked...maybe...but it just didn't.
I also finally saw Silkwood (reading this website has gotten me to add a lot of old Meryl movies to my Netflix queue - I finally saw Sophie's Choice for the first time this summer) and while she was great, Cher was a natural and Kurt Russell was incredibly sexy, the movie itself was just...meh. Boring except for a few scenes here and there, and it just strangely refused to build to anything. It just ended.
Saw Paranormal Activity 3 and I must say it was pretty effective for me too. I hated the 2nd one. I loved Take Shelter, I think the ending was pretty ambigous.
To DJDEEJAY ... you've got to be kidding about the buildup and the end of Silkwood???!!!!
I re-watched Dogma this weekend. I didn't love it as much as I did when I saw it a few years ago, but it still had a lot of funny scenes and good writing.
Rick - I know, I know. It's hard to explain (sometimes it takes me a few days to figure out how I feel about a movie). What I mean is, the story obviously built to something (her situation got worse and worse), but the film (by that I mean the filmmakers or storytellers or whatnot) didn't. It just presented each scene as is and then...ended. There was nothing especially artful or anything to it (although I did appreciate the sparse use of music). Maybe by the time shit really started to go down I was already bored so I didn't get into it as much as others did? I don't know. I know I didn't explain that very well but oh well.
And then to top it off they did that cheesy slow-motion shot of her at the end getting into the car, which didn't help.