Box Office: "Limitless" Returns, Limited Hits

Yes, yes... we're irregular about box office reportage. It's a Battle New York staying regular-like about these things. Bear with us.  (Updated to reflect tiny adjustments of actual grosses)

WIDE TOP TEN
top hits of the 600+ screen count club.

01 Limitless $18.9 new
Most reports suggest that this is an "okay" debut in a weak frame despite hitting #1 and having a stronger per screen average by a couple thousand from its closest competitors. Does that mean that Bradley Cooper is only half-fuckable? That he's a walk-of-shame type that you'll feel guilty about afterwards? Or that there were just too many arrogant blonde leading men types fighting for your dollars (#1,#3,#4... it's a blonde multiplex invasion.)
02 Rango $15.0 (cumulative: $92.3)
This'll be the top grosser of 2011 any second now saving us the embarrassment of Just Go With It holding that honor.
03 Battle Los Angeles $14.5 (cumulative: $60.5)
04 The Lincoln Lawyer $13.2 new
05 Paul $13.0 new
06 Red Riding Hood $7.1 (cumulative: $25.8)
07 The Adjustment Bureau $5.7 (cumulative: 48.6)
08 Mars Needs Moms $5.3 (cumulative: $15.4)
09 Beastly $3.1 (cumulative: $22.1)
10 Hall Pass $2.5 (cumulative: $39.5) 

But the "Top o' the Charts" only tell such a small part of each week's stories. How about Jane Eyre and the like..

LIMITED TOP TEN
On less than 600 screens -- not including former wide releases that are on the fade. 

01. Cedar Rapids $.5 (cumulative $5.4 on 462 screens)
02. Jane Eyre $.4 (cumulative $.7 on 26 screens)
Jane and Mr. Rochester are still packing them in big city arthouses, tripling any per screen average within the actual top ten. But when you're playing at so few screens it's still hard to rack up a gross equal to your buzz. Will Focus wait a long time to expand this on lose the buzz? These things are always tricky and the men in capes and tights (i.e. summer season) are right around the corner, generally sucking up every last bit of media oxygen. If so many of last year's Oscar movies can huddle around the $100 million mark, there's no reason why this movie shouldn't be at least a minor hit. We shall see.
03. Of Gods and Men $.2 (cumulative $1.6 on 94 screens)
04. Win Win $.1 new on 5 screens
After The Station Agent and The Visitor, writer/director Thomas McCarthy may well be three for three, critically speaking. Will this drama with Paul Giamatti as a wrestling coach also be as popular as his other movies with specialty crowds. The Station Agent won $5.7 in its US run plus a SAG nomination and The Visitor managed $9.4 million and an Oscar nod for lead actor Richard Jenkins. Thomas McCarthy was Oscar-nominated for co-writing Pixar's Up, but he break out soon in a larger way with so much goodwill behind him?

poll by twiigs.com

McCarthy and Binoche in limited release

05. Barney's Version $.1 (cumulative $3.8 on 114 screens)
06. Kill the Irishman $.1 new on 21 screens 
07. Certified Copy $.1 (cumulative $.2 on 23 screens)
Abbas Kiarostami's engaging and provocative two-hander is opening and expanding like a French-language mirror of Jane Eyre though it isn't faring quite as well with only $237,000 so far. Hopefully it'll catch on with sophisticated moviegoers. Cross your fingers that this catches on at least as well as Michael Haneke's Caché which played for months in arthouses and racked up well over 3 million before hitting DVD. I bring up that film, also starring Juliette Binoche (what a filmography she's built) because though they're very very different films each is hugely rewarding: impressive filmmaking, hours of post-movie conversation fodder, and another chance to enjoy Juliette Binoche's mysterious magic and always moving tears. 
08. The Grace Card $.1 (cumulative $2.1 on 114 screens)
09. Biutiful $.09 (cumulative $4.6 on 89 screens)
10. The Music Never Stopped $.08 new on 32 screens

WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
In other words: Whose economy did you support?

I tried to give Kiarostami & Binoche some money but ended up throwing it Verbinski & Depp's way (like they needed it post Pirates) for Rango. Blame the clock.

Red Carpet: Jane Eyre... and Sebastian Stan?

Fassy, Mia and Cary Fukunaga at the NYC premiere

I MUST get to this movie this weekend. If Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester and Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre weren't enough impetus, there are the fine reviews to consider, and Cary Fukunaga in the director's chair. (About that expression: How often do directors actually sit down? I always picture them walking around shouting orders and talking with their hands.) His debut feature Sin Nombre suggested that he was one to watch and he'd also have to go on the imaginary Calendar of Hottest Movie Directors ...though that's neither here nor there.

Did you see Jane Eyre (2011) last night or do you have to wait it out a bit? If not, what did you see / are you going to see this weekend?

These celebrities were also at the premiere to soak in the 29th film version of Charlotte Brontë's classic.

I always wonder why certain celebrities show up at certain things. What's the connection here? None of these people were in Cary Fukunaga's movie or this one. But here's what we imagine as connections: Alan Cumming is also, like Fassy, an X-Man, albeit not in the same installment; Debra Winger and Glenn Close came out to present themselves as cautionary tales for Mia, saying 'Gargantuan talent isn't everything. Win your Oscar* early early early or it never comes"; Rose Byrne is Fassbender's co-star in X-Men: First Class and she goes everywhere Glenn Close goes (at least in the public imagination now thanks to Damages); Sebastian Stan just came out to confuse us since he looks like so many other people.

About Sebs, I know it's probably not the role I'm supposed to associate with him but I have fondness because of his amusing Hathaway-Hate in Rachel Getting Married (2008).

Sebastian Stan, Roslyn Ruff and Hathaway in the great "Rachel Getting Married" (2008)

"Walter" just couldn't play nice with others!

His bit in Black Swan was also incisively wrought. Loved that tetchy 'I can't be bothered to disguise my boredom. It's ballet! I'm just here to get laid' look when the ballerina's day jobs came up. Maybe he's a great actor disguised as an interchangeably good-looking up-and-comer? He is from Romania and they do make good cinema. Yeah, yeah, I know he's also on TV but I can't watch everything.

Captain America and Bucky

Is he good on his TV shows? You tell me. We'll see him next as "Bucky" Robin to Captain America: The First Avenger's Batman as it were.

*I've said this before but it's always worth repeating: The Eighties were BRUTAL for great actresses. Isn't it the single decade (post silent films obvs) with the most never-won-the-Oscar important female stars?

Link Tease

Streep Tease in which male actors do Meryl Streep monologues is back in Los Angeles every Saturday night. I must hear from you Los Angelenos if you go.
Cinephilia and Sass starts an Eyre-a-thon. Have you watched any of the movies or read the book to prep for the new Jane Eyre opening tomorrow?
Towleroad a few notes on new releases.
Blog Stage a conversation between Tony Kushner and Stephen Sondheim, two giants of American theater.
Filmdrunk a man with 82 Julia Roberts tattoos. How is there room for so many. Her mouth alone...
Vulture Chris Meloni, learns how to direct and gives acting tips.

This & That: Balloon House, Birthday Party, Bookshelf Franco

Refiner 28 James Franco's bookshelf analyzed. Hee.
Crave Pixar's Up (2009) balloon house recreated in real life!
Small World a follow up story to that bit about The King's Speech producer's daughter who dropped the Oscar. This one stars BANKSY.
Rope of Silicon Rememeber that movie that 50 Cent lost all that weight for? I had forgotten all about it, too.
Cinema Blend assembles / decodes all the news and rumors about Stoker which may star the impressive lineup of Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth
Variety on Julie Taymor's possible departure from the Spider-Man Broadway musical and a shutdown for the show itself.
Jacki Beat needs work, gurl! I love that Miz Beat is classy/funny/perverse enough to ask for work on her blog and threaten you with crimes simultaneously. The world needs more dangerous drag queens. I also need work but I have no funny jokes about it. Times is tough.
Movie|Line talks to Jane Eyre star Mia Wasikowska about the book and working with both Michael Fassbender and Jamie Bell.

M|L: In terms of your other love interest, you got to reunite with your Defiance co-star Jamie Bell, which was fun for me as a viewer, thinking “Forest wife!” to myself in the theater.
Mia Wasikowska: I know! We’ve already been married in a previous film! It was so much fun — Jamie is one of my favorite people to work with. We had a blast.

Also, I'm not sure how I missed this but here's Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds at La Liz's birthday party last week (you'll remember her actual birthday was Oscar day).

This casts a whole new light on that bit in Carrie's stage show mapping the complex tabloid-ready relationships of Elizabeth Taylor to her parents Eddie and Debbie.

Before They Were Mutants

As much as we may lament the all superheroes all the time movie culture (variety is the key to life) this June offering, X-Men First Class, as you know, we're looking forward to. Blame X-fandom and (hopefully) strong casting. So here's McAvoy & Fassy as Professor X and Magn sorry as Charles and Erik.

The New Teaaer Posters

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender both have movies coming out prior to this one though: McAvoy stars in The Conspirator (April 15th) about the Lincoln Assassination and Fassy stars in Jane Eyre (March 11th) with Mia Wasikowska so perhaps they'll own the spring/early summer.

Before they are mutants. they'll be...

Which incarnation of each of them are you most looking forward to? And which are you previous favorite incarnations?