'Beverly Hills Chihuahua' engulfs 'Body of Lies'

By Sarah Sluis

As predicted, all four of the new releases made it into the top ten. Weakest link City of Ember ($3.2

million) just barely squeaked into the top ten, no doubt due
to the competition from competing family release and the number one film for the second week in a row,
Beverly Hills Chihuahua ($17.5 million).

Seemingly coming out of nowhere, this family film has benefited from two additional demographics: the Latino market, which sees movies at higher rates than Caucasians and African-Americans, and dog owners.  Not falling into any one of those categories myself, I only heard of this film weeks before its release--and then only through its utterly
befuddling trailer featuring no plot whatsoever, just a dog dance
revue.  However, in the grand tradition of Homeward Bound and
upcoming release Bolt, lost dog films are a surefire plot winner.

In a big hit to the star power of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, and Ridley Scott, Body of Lies ($13.1 million) came in below Chihuahua and Quarantine ($14.2 million).  Both Quarantine and Body of Lies address government conspiracy.  Funny, the LAPD's cover-up of a secret
zombie infestation was a bigger draw than the lies, deceit, and
bluffing of the CIA.

Appaloosa ($3.34 million) and The Duchess ($3.32 million) have also successfully expanded from limited to wide release.  Both
premiered four weeks ago, but Appaloosa went into wide release a week earlier, making its cumulative gross of $10.8 million double The Duchess' $5.6 million total.

The Express opened to a modest $4.7 million, in line with expectations.  Returning release Eagle Eye came it at #4 with $11 million, bringing its cumulative total up to $70.5 million, a boon for an action film release outside of summer--will it be able to hit the $100 million mark before it's pulled from the theatres? 

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist ($6.5 million) finished at #5, below Eagle Eye, and included a $12.50 contribution from the ticket I bought to see this short and sweet film.  It's a must-see for anyone young and living in New York, filming in all the go-to places, which were even more recognizable to me than that other big New York-centric movie, Sex and the City.  One late night scene took place in the deli up the street from our office (which makes great sandwiches), and others took place in Arlene's Grocery, Mercury Lounge, the Hudson River Park, Papaya King, and Veselka.  One of the film's big "stars" is a yellow Yugo, which made me realize I had even walked by the set of the film months ago and marveled at the weird, beat-up car.

The last mention on the top ten is Nights of Rodanthe ($4.6 million), which has quietly racked up a substantial $32.3 million in three weeks by below-average drops in its audience, down 37% this week.  While falling out of the top ten, Fireproof only dropped 20% this week to $3.1 million, and has made $16.9 million on a $.5 million budget.

Next week brings another four wide releases, so look for the box office preview on Friday.

Full box office results available here.

Four wide releases set sail for Columbus Day bounty

By Sarah Sluis

After weeks of overstuffed, competitive lineups that left many new films stranded outside of the top ten, this week has a mere four wide releases.  All of them stand a chance to debut in the top ten.

Star-studded Body of Lies (2,710 theatres), a Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio spy thriller, opens to
high marks for its highly plausible terrorism premise that almost seems like a dramatization of actual events.  Critics, however, have taken shots at the affectations of Crowe and DiCaprio, noting that despite its physical authenticity, Crowe's girth seem strapped on, and both Crowe and DiCaprio's accents seem misplaced and create ill-fitting characterizations.

With most schools closed for the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, two PG-rated releases hope to capture the kid and teen audience, City of Ember and The Express.

City of Ember (2,022 theatres) follows two kids trying to solve a puzzle to free them from their underground city, whose generator has expired after 200 years. Atonement's Saoirse Ronan and Harry Treadaway star as the city-saving duo, and Bill Murray and Tim Robbins support in roles as the mayor and father.  The film boasts gorgeous production design, and the NY Times remarked on its "whiz-bang...neat gadgets and sound effects."  According to our critic, who also remarked on the production design, "if the first thing you compliment is the set (or the music or costumes), the movie is in trouble."   Still, this film looks like the kind I would love if I were a kid: two independent children saving the day in a world with just the right amount of creepiness and darkness.

A.O. Scott sums up The Express' (2,808 theatres) appeal rather wryly.  "Aimed at a presumably large
cross-section of the moviegoing public: people who love football and hate racism," The Express tells the affirming story of Ernie Davis, the first black football player to win the Heisman trophy.  The game sequences give the audience plenty of opportunities to boo racism and root for the champ, but those expecting a spot-on historical account should be warned: FJI critic Frank Lovece noted that the film "plays fast and loose with the historical record," inflating racist incidents and changing the location of a key game to Southern West Virginia.

For high schoolers enjoying the three-day weekend, horror picture Quarantine (2,461 theatres) releases.  Shot from a first-person point of view, Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield-style, the film claims to be footage shot by a television crew trapped in a building ravaged by zombies.

On the specialty side, Happy-Go-Lucky (4 theatres) has drawn much acclaim (and Oscar buzz) for Sally Hawkins' performance as an unflappably happy person.  Apparently, her happy demeanor is contagious, leaving a number of critics smiling well after the credits.

Indie's beloved director, Wong Kar-Wai, re-releases his film Ashes in Time Redux (5 theatres).  Slightly shorter than the original, the film has drawn the most note for its its impressionistic fight sequences, as well as  Wong's signature attention to time and use of a circular plot structure.

Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla opens in limited release (7 theatres) this week.  The fast-talking comedic crime caper (if you can decipher the British accents in time to get the jokes) promises to reprise some of the fun of Lock, Stock & two Smoking Barrels.  Film Journal found RocknRolla "a middle-class fantasy of thug life," but "so relentlessly kinetic, rudely funny and visually flamboyantly that it doesn't matter."

Expect these films to join Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Eagle Eye as the major players this holiday weekend, and I'll see you on Monday for the Weekend Roundup.  Next week is ShowEast in Orlando, Florida, so Executive Editor Kevin Lally will also be posting news from the convention.