The summer movie season is in full swing, but it doesn’t look like the Box Office is delivering the numbers the studios hoped for. Super 8 led this past weekend, and while $37 million is nothing to scoff at, it is surprisingly low for the summer opening weekend of a J.J. Abrams/Stephen Spielberg film. X-Men: First Class finished second with $25 million, and The Hangover Part II held strong in third with $18 million. The real surprise box office story right now is Bridesmaids, and while it finished in sixth place for the weekend, it hasn’t really lost steam in its fifth week of release. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was only in its third week of release and it barely beat out Bridesmaids ($10.8 million to Bridesmaids’ $10.2 million). So, the huge blockbusters aren’t really paying off the way that the studios anticipated. This does not bode well for the big release this week either:
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Peter Sarsgaard, Blake Lively, Geoffrey Rush
Director: Martin Campbell
Synopsis from IMDB: A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: Green Lantern is a series I’m only mildly familiar with. I read some of the comic books when I was younger, but not enough to grasp the full scope of the comic. The closest I’ve come to The Green Lantern after th comic was beating the crap out of some Mortal Kombat characters with him in Mortal Kombat vs. D.C. Universe. While I think that the film looks overly-CGIed, I’ll probably see it for the sake of seeing a comic book character come to life. RT doesn’t have any early reviews, so it is hard to gauge how good it might be. I’ll just have to tell you on Monday.
Rated: PG
Starring: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury
Director: Mark Waters
Synopsis from IMDB: The life of a businessman begins to change after he inherits six penguins, and as he transforms his apartment into a winter wonderland, his professional side starts to unravel.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: ” Oh, Jim Carrey…what the heck are you doing?” There used to be a good way to phrase that question, but I found myself asking it with very negative connotations while I watched this preview. The preview looks almost on par with Kevin James’ new project The Zookeeper, which you can see parodied perfectly in this video:
Anyway, while it is unfair to judge a movie based off its trailer, I can’t see a way that this can be good. The book itself was rather cheesy and forgettable. This film will most likely not be enjoyed by anyone over the age of 10.
Limited Releases
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Elisabeth Reaser, Michael Angarano
Director: Gavin Wiesen
Synopsis from IMDB: George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who’s made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Trailer:
Chris’ Take: This arthouse project has a lot of young talent, and certainly a cinematic eye, but the early reviews have been a little rough (29% on RT). So, while this may be something that could pay off for the patient, it probably is something that requires a Netflix viewing to save money.
Brian Pac Sostak
Chris Petersen
Sarah Higgins
stjerome03
Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood 