'The Lego Movie' assembles boffo weekend figures

The Lego Movie enjoyed a stellar four days this President’s Day weekend. The animated film that’s a hit with both kids and adults earned a pretty darn awesome $63.5 million Friday-Monday. It grossed $50 million from the weekend alone, which tallies out to a slight 28 percent drop from last weekend. To compare, similar title The Lorax dipped 45 percent its second weekend in theatres.  The Lego Movie has earned $143.8 million to date.

The rest of the weekend’s titles more or less stacked up as expected.  About Last Night landed just behind Lego with $25.7 million. This second consecutive hit (after Ride Along) for comedian Kevin Hart had the best opening for a rom-com since another Hart title, Think Like a Man, debuted to $33.6 million in 2012. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the film’s viewers were female (63 percent) and skewed older (57 percent were over the age of 30).

RoboCop failed to meet Sony’s initial projection of $35 million for the four-day spread. Instead, the sci-fi remake earned a slightly disappointing if still solid $21.7 million. Audiences were 62 percent male and 64 percent over the age of 25, and awarded the movie a CinemaScore rating of a B+. Odds are RoboCop will eventually bow out to the tune of $60 or $70 million.

The Monuments Men made the Top 5 as predicted, though it took the No. 4 and not the No. 5 slot as many had expected. Men is now George Clooney’s most successful outing as a director, and it grossed $15.5 million over the past four days. The weekend’s earnings have bumped The Monuments Men’s cume to $44.2 million.

It was Endless Love that took the weekend’s No. 5 spot, earning $13.2 million. The vast majority of that four-day gross – over 56 percent of it – came from Valentine’s Day ticket sales, which means Love can now boast one of the most front-loaded openings over. Eighty percent of viewers who paid good money to watch pretty young things love, lust and, well, look pretty, were female, and 76 percent were under the age of 25. They generally liked what they saw, awarding the movie an A- CinemaScore grade. Endless Love’s heavily front-loaded debut, however, portends a steep drop in the weeks ahead.

But at least Love can say it enjoyed one good weekend, which is one more than fellow romance Winter’s Tale. The adaptation of Mark Helprin’s beloved and perhaps too sprawling novel was a categorical bomb with its $7.3 million debut. That figure landed Tale at No. 7, plunking it down behind enduring success Ride Along. Writer-producer-director Akiva Goldsman’s misfire will likely fade out within the next few weeks or so.

'The Lorax' bests Disney behemoth 'John Carter'

With a reported $250 million production budget, John Carter needed to hit it big in order for Disney's investment to pay off. At least in the U.S., Disney won't be making back much of its money. The sci-fi epic opened to just $30.6 million, $5 million of which came from IMAX screens--the hangout of fanboys who may have been familiar with the source material, a 1912 serial by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Overseas, John Carter came up with $70 million, still not enough to make the movie an initial success. Disney's current business strategy involves focusing on projects with franchise potential that can create value across Disney's many platforms. These type of films often cost a great deal of money, and John Carter shows what happens when such would-be franchises don't resonate with audiences.

The Lorax, which won the weekend with $39.1 million, did not come from the traditional champion of animation, Disney, but Illumination Entertainment, which releases its films through Universal. The Dr. Seuss adaptation has charmed moviegoers but not jaded critics. Its 44% drop from opening weekend should level off in coming weeks. After earning $120 million in just ten days, it won't be long before the movie reaches $200 million and probably a spot in 2012's top ten.

A horror movie that appears to be shot in one long take, Silent House, came up with a middling $7 million. Scary pictures often open big, so it's surprising that this one didn't attract a larger audience. Young females are often the biggest demographic for horror titles, yet Elizabeth Olsen didn't appear to draw these women in.

Friends with Kids opened strongly, boding well for its expansion next week. The comedy's per-screen average of $5,800 was higher than most films in the top ten. Packed theatres = more laughter = positive word-of-mouth. With $2.7 million earned from its 374-theatre run, this comedy could end up being a modest success.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen did exceptionally well with older audiences, averaging $13,000 per screen in 18 locations. 70% of attendees were over the age of fifty. This demographic tends to be more discerning about the films they see, and word-of-mouth could bring this movie strong business in coming weeks.

Eddie Murphy's A Thousand Words was a flop, but it was actually one of Murphy's more successful flops. Instead of the $5 million opening typical of Murphy's recent films, this family-friendly comedy earned a whopping $6.3 million, not so bad for a movie that's been shelved for four years.

On Friday, it's all about comedy. Goofy cop movie 21 Jump Street will hit theatres, along with Will Ferrell's Spanish-language Case de Mi Padre and the indie laffer Jeff Who Lives at Home.

'John Carter' faces uphill battle against 'The Lorax'

Disney may have a flop on its hands. John Carter (3,749 theatres, including 3D and IMAX screens), is a "big-budget adaptation [that] delivers epic scale and effects" but has some major flaws, according to FJI critic Daniel Eagan. "Too reminiscent of previous films to impress older viewers, and too lightweight to dazzle fantasy fans," the CG/live-action mix is on par to deliver $30 million this weekend, when $50 million would be more likely to help Disney recoup its reported $250 million budget. Many have faulted Disney's marketing campaign. One, the title originally was more revealing, John Carter of Mars, but was reportedly shortened after Mars Needs Moms bombed. I was confused by a giant billboard that only showed the CG alien. Was this a CG movie? The coolest part for me is that the movie centers on a Civil War soldier who's transported to Mars, yet I've seen no antiquated military garb or battles in the trailer. There's a strong possibility that The Lorax may beat John Carter this weekend. John Carter is exactly the kind of movie that does well overseas, but audiences at home may give this film a pass.

If you're interested in time travel, check out A Thousand Words (1,890 theatres). The Eddie Murphy movie has been shelved for the past four years. Murphy plays a man who finds out he only has a thousand words left to speak. High concept, and most likely low on anything else. This would-be family comedy should earn somewhere slightly north of $5 million.

Indie darling Elizabeth Olsen stars in Silent House (2,124 theatres), a haunted house movie with the "gimmick" of being filmed in one continuous take. Our critic Maitland McDonagh panned the "derivative thriller." In particular, the "big twist" will be evident to horror fans "long before it arrives."

Friends with Kids (374 theatres) is rather "studied and forced" compared to Bridesmaids. The two comedies share a number of cast numbers, but unfortunately the "funny lines" are accompanied by an "awful lot of unoriginal, would-be side-splitters," according to critic David Noh. Many are expecting the comedy, which centers on two friends who decide to raise a child together, to be popular among the date-night crowd.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (18 theatres) starts out as an "appealing" romantic comedy before changing "midstream."  According to critic Kevin Lally, it's a "promising replica of the golden era of screen comedy that becomes mired in increasingly unwelcome narrative muck," a real "missed opportunity." Still, CBS Films hopes positive word-of-mouth will give momentum to their planned platform release.

Anyone who identifies as a "foodie" should check out Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The documentary about a famous Japanese sushi chef is the "Planet Earth" of sushi, and it will also make you feel more thoughtful about what you consume, though the chef's philosophy far predates the local, slow-food movement.

On Monday, we'll see if John Carter will be sunk by its high budget or if overseas returns keep it afloat.

Audiences flock to 'The Lorax,' giving it a record weekend

Apparently, estimates that put The Lorax at $50 million this weekend were woefully inadequate. The CG-animated Dr. Seuss adaptation earned $70.7 million its opening weekend, the highest yet recorded in 2012. Since no big-budget animated titles have released since December, many families were eager to check out the picture, which comes with an environmental message. People in Hollywood seem to find a way to be number one in any way they can. In the case of The Lorax, it felled the record for "non-sequel animated title," unseating 2004's The Incredibles. The Dr. Seuss fable received an extra boost from 3D and IMAX, which contributed half of the weekend take. Although critics lambasted the movie, audiences gave it an "A" rating in exit polls. Since family movies tend to perform strongly for multiple weeks, The Lorax will likely cross the $100 million mark by next weekend and set its sights on a loftier goal--like $200 million.

The tale of a teen's party that spirals out of control, Project X performed on the high side of expectations, earning $20.7 million. Since the low-budget project cost just $12 million, Warner Bros. will be in the green with this picture. I give it points for innovation, since it adapted the found-footage technique to what is for adults a pretty familiar movie topic.

The recipient of the Best Picture Oscar, The Artist, ascended to tenth place post-win. Going up 34% from last week, it earned $3.9 million, its biggest weekend to date. Still, its $2,200 per-screen average indicates the critical darling didn't scale particularly well and is better suited for the arthouse crowd.

Being Flynn failed to ignite. The adaptation of Another Bull***t Night in Suck City, starring Robert De Niro, earned just $11,000 per screen in four locations. A figure three times that would have shown that the movie was generating strong interest.

The Oscar winner for Best Documentary, also a Weinstein Co. release, showed more traction after its win. Undefeated, an inspiring tale of football players in a poor town who are changed by their involvement in the sport, went up 337%. Moving from seven to twelve theatres, it averaged $7,000 per screen for a total of $84,000.

This Friday, sci-fi adventure John Carter will open, the indie-esque horror picture Silent House will introduce more audiences to the "third Olsen sister," and Eddie Murphy will appear in A Thousand Words.

'The Lorax' poised for a sensational weekend

After two months without a big-budget, 3D, CG-animated movie, The Lorax (3,728 theatres, including 269 IMAX screens) should be a sensation. Unlike The Adventures of Tintin, which featured a character better-known in Europe than the U.S., Dr. Seuss is a homegrown creation. The Lorax is expected to easily top the $38 million debut of last year's Rango, and some are predicting the animated feature could reach $50 million. While this movie looks poised to be a box-office success, critics have been less kind. New York Magainze's David Edelstein titles his review "The Badness of 'The Lorax' Is a Shock." He points out that the movie makes fun of the Seussisms instead of taking them seriously, which rang alarm bells with me. FJI critic Daniel Eagan felt the movie was "message-heavy" but also disingenuous regarding that same environmental message. Seventy product tie-ins are promoting the very story that would consider a lot of these things "thneeds," examples of wasteful consumerism.

The found-footage format started out in horror, but Fox's superhero tale Chronicle and now Warner Bros.' party comedy Project X (3,055 theatres) have adopted the same style to tell their stories. Featuring unknown actors, Project X centers on a birthday party that becomes out-of-control thanks to an invite that's spread on social networks. Apparently this isn't one of those parties where the night ends with drunkenness, puking, and sexual advances. Instead, a flame thrower is involved, and the night turns into a "veritable orgy of destruction and explosions," according to critic David Noh. He saw it with a young audience that seemed to respond to the "lamely obscene lines," and fires, which puzzles him. "Who knows? Maybe this is what really does pass for an enjoyable movie experience these days," he muses. If Project X tops $20 million, it will be considered a big success.

Being Flynn, an adaptation of the book Another Bull***t Night in Suck City, will have a limited release in four theatres. Robert De Niro stars as a contestant for the most "repulsive, unrepentant train wreck of a mortal" that has ever graced the screen, according to critic Doris Toumarkine. De Niro plays a father, and Paul Dano his son, who seeks out his absent parent. Toumarkine feels this "bleak sonata...won’t be worth a detour for most audiences." Still, Focus may be able to market this film well enough for it to pack four theatres, especially with a big name like De Niro.

The winner of the Best Picture Oscar, The Artist, will run a victory lap this weekend as it expands from 966 to 1,756 locations. The homage to classic silent movies is estimated to bring in around $5 million with the extra screens.

On Monday, we'll return to see if families make The Lorax the immense success everyone is predicting, and if Project X enticed enough teens to give it an opening rivaling Superbad.

Where are the Dr. Seuss-isms in the 'Lorax' trailer?

By Sarah Sluis

Dr. Seuss may be known for his whimsical wordplay and kindergarten rhyming patterns, but my favorite books by the author were always the ones that tackled the metaphorical. The Butter Battle Book is a metaphor for the U.S./Soviet Cold War arms race, of all things. His 1971 The Lorax tackles another topic of the age: environmentalism. In the book, colorful, poofy trees are brought to extinction by careless deforestation. I'm pretty sure we watched the 1972 video adaptation in my high school biology class.

Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio behind last year's hit Despicable Me, adapted Dr. Seuss' classic book, which will release in March next year. Universal just debuted the trailer. The animation is colorful and delightfully non-realistic. But the Dr. Seuss-isms? Gone. In the trailer the young boy refers to the missing trees, not the "Truffula Trees" as they're referred to in the book. It doesn't even make sense, since the set design has normal, green trees in the neighborhood surrounding the boy. Are those supposed to be fake trees? Nor is there mention of the Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, Humming-Fishes, the Thneeds, or even the Once-ler. I understand that the characters can't talk in rhyme for ninety minutes, but I thought they would keep in more of the silly language Dr. Seuss uses.

The Lorax has another challenge on its hands. Though the trailer doesn't really hint at it, the book's plot is short and sweet. Subplots will have to be added in to bring the movie to feature-length. At least one subplot will be a teenybopper romance between the boy (voiced by Zac Efron) and a red-headed girl (voiced by Taylor Swift). March has become a popular time to release animated movies, bringing Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and Rango (2011) to decent tallies for early spring titles. The Lorax could be next. Even forty years after The Lorax was initially published, the need to protect our environment has not diminished.