Blog
Weekend Box-Office: Thor Hammers the Top Spot
If I said Hobo with a Shotgun was the #1 box-office winner this weekend, would you believe me? Well, sometimes it’s good to be skeptical; it was actually the big-budget super hero flick Thor that topped the box office with $66 million in its opening weekend, and making nearly three times that much overseas so far. Fast Five dropped off quickly from its brilliant opening last weekend, pulling in on...[Read More]
Midnight Madness Returns to Detroit at Landmark’s Main Art Theatre
Landmark Theatres are bringing the extremely popular Midnight Madness back to the Detroit area this summer. The film series, that features such classic films as Jaws, Robocop, and Die Hard, returns to Landmark’s Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan on Friday, May 13. The series kicks off with Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws and then runs through Halloween 2011. Films featured in the Midnight Ma...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Fast Five Blows Past Competition!
It’s one thing to have a slightly down weekend; it’s another to be blown so far out of the water to not even be funny. Rio slipped to second place this week with $14.4 million, not bad for a third week. Shame it can’t even begin to compare to the fantastic weekend debut of Fast Five. The action blockbuster with Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, and Paul Walker made an astounding $83.6 million, and nearl...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Rio Still High atop Its Perch; Madea Big & Happy at #2
Apparently it pays to not only be 3D and kid-friendly, but have three letters in your title. Just as Hop did not too long ago, Rio holds the top spot for a second week in a row. Its take isn’t as big as last week’s (only a “paltry” $26.8 million), but it was enough to keep it solidly in its top spot, above newcomers Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family ($25.8 million) and Water for Elephants ($1...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Rio Soars and Silences Scream 4
After two weeks on top, Hop finds itself lagging behind another family friendly CG film, and one decidedly much less friendly. Rio, the story of a macaw from Minnesota who finds himself in hot water when he visits Rio de Janeiro, made it to the top spot with $40 million. Not doing so well? The #2 spot, the debut of Scream 4 (or Scre4m, depending on your tolerance for numbers in titles), which didn...[Read More]
The Legacy of the Scream Films: A Fan’s Opinion
When Wes Craven’s original Scream motion picture was released in the winter of 1996, I was still too young to see the film in theaters unaccompanied by an adult. In fact, this was still true in 1997 for Scream 2, and also for the release of Scream 3 in 2000. However, despite the ardent efforts of my parents, the Motion Picture Association of America, and several very strict ushers, I still managed...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Hop Still On Top!
The Easter season is still a good time to be a bunny … the family romp Hop remained at #1 for the second week in a row, making $21.7 million and making a profit domestically. But the top ten has been a mixed bag all around, with half of the titles being winners in the eyes of the critics and half losers. Hop, despite its numbers, hasn’t wowed critics, and neither did the 2nd place finisher, Arthur...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Hop on Top!
Three new movies, three top takers; and on two of them, the majority of audiences and critics can agree. Hop was the big winner of the weekend; while not a critical darling, it more than made up for that with a take of $38.1 million, almost $15 million more than last week’s top film. Hop is the CG tale of the Easter Bunny’s son, who must figure out how to recover the family business after it’s tak...[Read More]
Interview with Thomas McCarthy, director of Win Win
It’s a movie that’s “hard not to enjoy on some level.” That’s how director Thomas McCarthy describes his latest film, Win Win. After seeing it, it’s hard to disagree with that statement. This writer is in full agreement. Win Win tells the story of a struggling small town lawyer and moonlighting high school wrestling coach, Mike Flaherty (played by Paul Giamatti), who stumbles upon a runaway teen w...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Rodrick Rules Over Sucker Punch
The top ten welcomed two new films this weekend, both of them debuting in the two top spots, though if you were to ask the critics, you wouldn’t have been missing much. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules took the #1 spot, earning $24.4 million, placing it solidly ahead of Sucker Punch which took in $19 million. Rodrick is the sequel to last year’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid and continues the story of G...[Read More]