Can Blu fly past the Captain?

Rio 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier will both vie for the top slot at the box office this Friday-Sunday. The former is one of the weekend’s new major releases and the follow-up to the popular Rio, an animated kids’ film about a pair of endangered macaws (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway).  When it opened in spring of 2011, Rio grossed almost $40 million. Its successor is currently tracking in the high-$30-to-low-$40-millions range, prompting many pundits to speculate it should match, possibly even better, the original. If either proves to be the case, Rio 2 will give holdover Captain America: The Winter Soldier a run for its sky-high pile of dough. Given positive critical reviews and smiling word-of-mouth, The Winter Soldier is expected to hold well. However, comic book movies often plummet their second weekend in theatres – Iron Man 3 dipped 58 percent, for example – so the title of Weekend’s Top Earner is really up for grabs.

Beginning today and with a slightly smaller platform than Rio 2, which opens in 3,948 locations, the latest sports film to star Kevin Costner, Draft Day, will screen in 2,781 theatres. The movie gives a fictionalized behind-the-scenes look at the unpublicized maneuvering that takes place in the lead-up to the NFL draft. Costner is firmly ensconced in familiar territory here, playing the American underdog everyman fighting for good amidst the corrupt milieu of an American sports industry. Field of Dreams, Bull Durham and Tin Cup are among Costner’s best-loved movies, and Draft Day looks to repeat the old-fashioned though nonetheless satisfying story arc characteristic of those films. Will audiences go for Costner’s brand of comfort? Reviews for Draft Day aren’t great, and recent sports movies haven’t opened very strong: Moneyball, which is basically the baseball version of Day, had great buzz going for it and still only managed to rake in $19.5 million over its opening weekend. Distributor Lionsgate believes Draft Day will gross in the low teens.

The last new major release to open this weekend is also the first horror offering since January’s Devil’s Due. Oculus will screen in 2,648 theatres. The flick has producer Jason Blum (the Paranormal Activity movies) behind it, and has been pretty well reviewed, though box-office expectations are modest. Returns around $11 or $12 million would be considered solid.

Finally, the specialty realm has two new offerings of its own in Joe, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by cult favorite David Gordon Green, and Cuban Fury, a salsa comedy starring Nick Frost and Rashida Jones. The latter is playing in 79 theatres while the former will start off its B.O. run in 48 locations.

‘Ride Along’ to pull up ahead of ‘Jack Ryan’

Buddy cop comedy Ride Along, starring Ice Cube and comedian Kevin Hart, whose documentary Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain was one of the most successful docs of 2013, is poised to cut in front of the other guys and finish first this weekend. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will likely be Ride’s fiercest competitor, although the spy reboot isn’t expected to put up much of a fight.

Ride Along follows a seasoned cop who tries to scare away his sister’s boyfriend by taking the wannabe policeman on a faux ride-along – which soon turns very and hilariously real. Pundits believe the film’s dual plots involving a romantic relationship and a budding bromance should appeal to audiences of both genders and help the film score big at the box-office. Expectations are hovering about $30 million for the long weekend. Interestingly, if Ride Along does earn the most money, this will be the third consecutive year a Universal film has come out on top over the MLK holiday.

Chris Pine is now the fourth actor to tackle the popular Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan. Alec Baldwin played him once and Harrison Ford played him twice in the ‘90s, while Ben Affleck made the most recent attempt to establish a Jack Ryan franchise with 2002’s The Sum of All Fears. Is Chris Pine finally the guy to make a Bourne-like success of Ryan? Unclear. The film has gotten mixed though not terrible reviews, with many critics adopting an ambivalent attitude: Competent enough, but we’ve seen it before. Shadow Recruit opens in 3,387 theatres to Ride Along’s 2,662, but even with a potentially larger audience base, the movie is only expected to gross somewhere in the high-teens.

2013 saw a number of high returns for horror films, and Devil’s Due may be looking to continue that momentum. Unfortunately, the movie’s found-footage conceit, once a popular device, seems to be wearing thin with viewers. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones also featured spooky video and yet it failed to match the figures of past Paranormal Activity movies, opening to just $18 million, a new franchise low. Devil’s Due doesn’t have a similarly recognizable name, or cast (although fans of TV show “Friday Night Lights” will be excited to see Matt Saracen up on the big screen), in which case, the film will likely clock in between $10 and $15 million.

Animated kids’ comedy The Nut Job is the last new release opening wide this weekend. Comparisons to Disney’s winter behemoth Frozen are inevitable, although the latter continues to hold remarkably strong. The nutty squirrel caper may have novelty on its side, but Frozen has the enduring appeal of Idina Menzel. The princess musical will likely out-earn Job, which isn’t expected to gross more than $20 million or so.

Lastly, several Academy Award nominees are getting their pre-Oscars re-release this weekend, to the delight of those intent on seeing each of the nine Best Picture contenders before the March 2 telecast. Technically, Captain Phillips is already two days into its theatrical return, having opened in 903 theatres on Wednesday. Favorites Gravity and 12 Years a Slave will screen in 944 and 761 locations, respectively.

‘Frozen’ fells latest from ‘Paranormal Activity’ franchise

It might be time for the guys behind Paranormal Activity to switch off the camera and call it a day. The Marked Ones, the fifth installment in the found-footage horror series, had the franchise’s softest opening this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The weekend’s only new release grossed $18.2 million, which is over $10 million less than its predecessor, Paranormal Activity 4 (itself a disappointment when compared with its predecessor, Paranormal Activity 3, and that film’s $52.7 million opening). With a low Cinemascore rating of a “C-,” The Marked Ones isn’t expected to remain in theatres for long and will most likely top out at around $35 million. Luckily for Paramount, however, the film cost just $5 million to make.  Even with a weak box-office performance, the movie should still turn a small profit.

There’s nothing small about the kind of numbers Disney’s Frozen continues to pull in. Once again, the princess musical earned the weekend’s highest gross. Frozen is the first movie since Avatar to take the No. 1 slot its sixth weekend in theatres. It raked in $20.7 million domestically and officially crossed the $600 million mark internationally. But how does the movie’s theatrical endurance compare with other, past offerings from The Mouse House? It is now Disney Animation Studio’s second most successful film of all time, just behind The Lion King, and the fourth most successful original animated film. In other words, like its two female leads, Frozen holds its own.

 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug failed to hold onto its standing as one of the weekend’s top two earners. The second Lord of the Rings prequel grossed $16.3 million to clock in at No. 3, just behind Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. So far, Smaug has taken in almost $229.6 million domestically and over $500 million internationally, boasting a total worldwide cume of $756.6 million.

Surprising several pundits, and to the great dismay of those who believe the film glorifies the excesses of its frat-boy financiers, The Wolf of Wall Street took the No. 4 spot, earning $13.4 million. Wolf’s domestic finances now stand at $63.3 million. If the 3-hour movie continues to reap the benefits of the press attention lavished on its detractors, and if it does manage to pull in a few Oscar nominations, the film is looking at a total gross of $100 million by the time it leaves theatres.

 

One ‘70's-themed ensemble edged out another for the weekend’s No. 5 spot, with American Hustle taking the prize. The David O. Russell dramedy out-grossed Anchorman 2 to earn $13.2 million, bumping its domestic total to a figure just shy of $90 million. Ron Burgundy and his comedic cohorts drew enough viewers to earn $11.1 million. The successful sequel has now earned a (would you expect anything less?) classy $109.2 million.

‘Paranormal Activity’ to scare up weekend business

Though 2013 ended on a high note earlier this week – domestic sales tallied out at almost $11 billion for the year – the first weekend of 2014 will likely be a quiet one.  The Marked Ones, the fifth installment in the popular Paranormal Activity horror franchise, is the only new release opening today. The first PA film was a surprise hit and a testament to the power of word-of-mouth buzz. The micro-budgeted flick, released in 2007, earned $107.9 million and is still the series’ most successful movie. Paranormal Activity 2 grossed $84.8 million in 2010, while Paranormal 3 has come the closest yet to matching the first film’s haul, raking in $104 million in 2011. Paranormal Activity 4, however, which opened in 2012, took in roughly half its predecessor’s total, earning just $53.9 million.

This time around, the filmmakers are hoping to utilize the power of demographics. The lead actors in The Marked Ones are Latino, perhaps a direct casting nod to the series’ fans: Latinos tend to make up a large percentage of horror-movie audiences. Not to mention, with the success of recent films targeted toward Latino viewers, such as Instructions Not Included, Hollywood in general seems to be wising up to the power (i.e. the willingness to spend) of this previously underserved group. Besides a shift in players, though, it’s supernatural business as usual, with previews emphasizing unsettling video footage, the franchise’s hallmark.

Pundits are predicting a haul of just under $25 million for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. Expectations have been softened by the weekend’s Northeastern snowstorm, which many believe will keep viewers inside, where their VOD, DVDs and Netflix are more readily accessible.

A good portion of those who are brave enough to weather the elements in search of off-the-couch entertainment, though, will in all likelihood opt for Disney’s grand success story, Frozen. This weekend will mark the animated musical’s sixth in theatres, and it’s still going strong. Strong enough to win the No. 2 slot just beneath The Marked Ones, according to those in the know. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will probably clock in at No. 3, followed by Oscar and fan favorite American Hustle, with Anchorman 2 rounding out the top 5. Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street may be able to leverage recent controversy and prurient interest in its subject matter to sneak its way into the No. 5 slot, just ahead of Burgundy and his much more harmless coterie of buffoons, but given Street’s low Cinemascore rating  of a “C”, that seems unlikely.

 

Insurge Pictures brings sub-$100,000 movies to Paramount

By Sarah Sluis

Was Paranormal Activity's huge success last year a fluke or a new business model? Using a viral campaign, slow expansion and a geographical emphasis on college towns, the $10,000 horror movie became last year's $100 million surprise hit. Now Paramount's created Insurge Pictures to create more movies using the same techniques that made Paranormal successful.

Whatever the outcome, Paramount doesn't have much to lose. With a planned $1 million budget for ten films made for $100,000 each, the investment is a drop in the bucket. Insurge plans to release the finished products theatrically or use them as templates to create higher-budget, more polished features (the original plan for Paranormal Activity). There isn't a planned focus on acquisitions--my guess is that not many good finished films can be sold for that amount.

This model will attract young, hungry filmmakers willing to work for almost nothing for the potential of hitting it big and launching a career. With a planned audience of 13-24's, Insurge will be creating films made by people within--or not much older--than that age bracket.

Filmmaking has become increasingly low-cost and democratic in recent years. Channels like YouTube show clips made by thirteen-year-olds and watched by thirteen-year-olds. Insurge seems like an attempt to scale up this viewing behavior by releasing these movies theatrically.

Nevertheless, the venture might fail as easily as it might succeed. Was Paranormal a one in a thousand movie, or a one in ten movie? One thing I am sure of: more low-budget movies will find ways to be distributed and make money, whether it's on the internet, at the local theatre, or through a major studio like Paramount.

Note: While IndieWire broke the story on March 11, supposedly pending an official announcement, we're still waiting for it a week later. The website and Facebook page mentioned in the article couldn't be readily found, and the Twitter account had protected tweets, leading me to believe they've been pulled until the studio is ready for a full-on launch.

Michael Jackson's 'This Is It' beats the competition to the top

By Sarah Sluis

The documentary of a concert that never was, This Is It, easily found its place at #1 this weekend, bringing in $21.3 million. Michael Jackson's songs have spent plenty of time at #1 on the Billboard charts, but now the late music icon can add #1at the box office to his list of accomplishments. Globally, the movie was even more of a success, passing the $100 million mark in its first weekend. Sony paid $60 million for the movie (not including marketing), so the doc will turn a healthy profit. The fact that Sony holds rights to Jackson's music will also help the parent company's bottom line.

In second place, Paranormal Activity dropped just 21% to gross another $16.5 million. The movie is on track to pass $100 million in the next couple of weeks. Despite many viewers who have faulted the movie for being too slow or boring 90% of the time (see the semi-literate comments below the Paranormal Activity review), it appears the horror flick has become one of those films you need to see just to weigh in on, especially if you're a teenager.

Three spots lower, Saw VI dropped 61% to $5.6 million. While the original Saw possessed the robust word-of-mouth that has helped Paranormal Activity, the jig may be up. Currently, Saw VII (in 3D) is slated to begin production in January 2010 for a release next Halloween, but the lackluster box office may change plans. Whether or not this series is declared dead, with horror franchises it's only a matter of time before they're resurrected.

Amelia rose two spots to #9 this weekend, adding 250 theatres and only dropping 23%. While these are strong second-week results, the cumulative gross for the film is just $8 million, a disappointing sum.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day had a per-screen average of $6,700 for a $462,000 total. Gentlemen Broncos, a Fox Searchlight release that seems to have been recalibrated for a small theatrical release, probably to platform for the DVD, made $5,000 per screen. While these are the kind of averages that work better on 3,000-screen releases, these movies will likely see more traction in their DVD windows.

This week will see a return to wide releases. A Christmas Carol will open in theatres just as stores are taking their Halloween decorations down, and The Men Who Stare at Goats will provide some indie-tinged comedy. The Box and The Fourth Kind will compete for thriller audiences. Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire will also debut in a limited amount of theatres, giving us a taste of its box-office prospects, so check back on Friday for the full roundup.

'Paranormal Activity' climbs to number one in its fifth week

By Sarah Sluis

Most horror movies open huge and drop precipitously, at least 50%, in their second week. Not Paranormal Activity. In a rare case of the tortoise beating the hare, the minuscule-budget movie rose to number one in its fifth week and usurped the Saw franchise, which consistently had been opening in the $30 million range. As I predicted, Paranormal Activity's per-screen average dropped about 50% from last week, but since the movie more than doubled the its total screens, its gross shot up 12% to $22 million.

Below Paranormal Activity, Saw VI opened at $14.8 million, despite receiving positive reviews for its jibes at health care and insurance. Critic Frank Scheck wrote that "[i]f this is torture porn, it's as if it was designed to be enjoyed by Michael Moore."

Four family titles were in the top ten, making for a crowded market. Summit's Astro Boy opened at number six with $7 million. Most critics had at least something good to say about the movie (it's tracking at 49% on Rotten Tomatoes), so perhaps the property was just too obscure to connect with audiences. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant opened two spots lower, at $6.3 million, but received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with reports that the movie went all over the place. At number nine, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs dropped 30% in its sixth week to take in $5.6 million, making it the strongest family movie of the fall. Up at number three, Where the Wild Things Are dropped 55% in its second week to $14.4 million. While it's certainly not the flop some were predicting, its second-week drop is precipitious

Fox Searchlight's Amelia opened just outside of the top ten with $4.9 million. Because it was released in just 818 theatres, its per-screen average was better than all the films in the top ten. While reviews faulted its by-the-book storytelling, which may move it out of awards consideration, the PG-rated flick with a historical heroine could make it the perfect matinee for a young girl and her parents or older audiences in search of tamer subject matter.

Among specialty releases, An Education had the best per-screen average of the week, earning $13,000 per screen and approaching the $1 million mark in its third week. Antichrist debuted with a $12,200 per screen at six theatres.

This Wednesday, the Michael Jackson concert film This Is It will release, followed by a weekend devoid of major openings because of the Saturday night Halloween holiday.

'Saw VI' and 'Paranormal Activity' battle for scares

By Sarah Sluis

This week's extra-scary throwdown features horror titles Saw VI, opening in 3,036 theatres, and Paranormal Activity, which is expanding to 1,945 theatres. All five Saw movies opened above $30 million, but competition from Paranormal could cut that figure. If Paranormal's per-screen average drops another 50%, it will come in at $24 million. Saw VI is tracking best among young males (perhaps the horror fans who have already seen Paranormal), while Paranormal Activity has broader appeal that extends to women and older males. If teens are going in big groups to see the movie, will the crowd-pleaser prevail, or will they go for something all of them haven't seen?

Amelia opens in 818 theatres, the kind of small-scale distribution that characterizes many Fox Searchlight releases. Critic Ray Bennett praised the "classically structured bio," but other reviewers have been less kind to the traditional approach, which seemed antiseptic to some. "Bathed in golden light, Amelia and G. P. [her husband] are as pretty as a framed picture and as inert," lamented New York Times critic Manohla Dargis.

Animated Astro Boy (3,014 theatres) will compete with last week's box-office winner, Where the Wild Things Are. "Visually dynamic if overly eager-to-please," according to critic Michael Rechtshaffen, the family-oriented movie is based on a manga originally published in Japan in 1951, and also draws from its numerous adaptations.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant opens on 2,754 screens, but appears too bloodless to cash in on current vamp chic. Critic Kirk Honeycutt called director Paul Weitz "miscast." It's also a PG-13 movie that skews younger, not older, fracturing its audience. "Miscalculation runs through the entire movie," which is destined for a lackluster open.

Among specialty releases, Antichrist, a film that is "in no danger of jeopardizing [Lars von Trier's] reign as the most controversial major filmmaker working today," according to critic Peter Brunette, will open on six screens. Uma Thurman's Motherhood, small in scope but well-rendered, will open on 46 screens. Coming in below the radar, a 3D re-release of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will be shown on 105 screens, unlike the recent release of Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D, which opened on many more screens with greater marketing support.

On Monday, we'll circle back to see if fresh horror or viral buzz won over the box office, if Amelia soared above its reviews, and if Astro Boy could woo families away from Where the Wild Things Are and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Unconventional titles and releases populate box office

By Sarah Sluis

Where the Wild Things Are opened this weekend to the tune of $32.5 million, on the high side of projections. However, the movie is rumored to cost around $100 million. Once you add in the marketing budget, it could be awhile before the film breaks even. After taking the Twitter pulse of the people, it appears that some found the movie to be slow and squirm-inducing, but others were pleased to see something so unconventional at the box office. While I enjoyed the movie, I think the budget was way too big. The production notes mention expensive choices like clearing a beach full of kelp and helicoptering the footprints out of a desert between takes--things a filmmaker with a smaller budget would be forced to work around. By comparison, its competitor, Fox's upcoming adaptation of the children's book Fantastic Mr. Fox, was made on a "medium-sized" budget, and also boasts a rollout distribution. It will release in New York and Los Angeles for two weeks before expanding (oddly, on the same weekend Disney's The Princess and the Frog opens wide). Their respective directors, Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson, can each be characterized as indie-crossover successes, and I suspect that Fox's release strategy will better serve their film.

The other unconventional release of the week was Paranormal Activity, which expanded its release to 760 theatres and racked up $20.1 million at the #3 spot. Its per-screen average was $26,530, down 50% from last week's $49,379. If the per-screen average drops another 50% next week, when it expands to about 1,800 screens, the movie will still gross about $23 million. Not so bad for a movie that cost around $10,000 with a reported marketing budget of $10 million. Next week it will contend with Saw VI, but it's worth noting that it didn't seem to have any problem with the competing horror title The Stepfather, which debuted this weekend to $12.3 million.

Going back up the list to #2, Law Abiding Citizen earned $21.2 million, a big win for its distributor, Overture. With a diverse cast and its appeal to adult males, the movie helped fill a neglected niche.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs brought in another $8.1 million to bring its box-office total to $108.2 million. Even with Where the Wild Things Are and Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D, it dropped just 29%, yet another week with an extremely strong holdover. Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D, however, a week past its advertised two-week engagement, dropped 61% to bring in $3 million. While a $28.5 million gross for a re-release is quite healthy, Disney spent an unknown but sizable amount remastering the movie in 3D, paying for prints, and marketing. Last week, it pushed back its re-release of Beauty and the Beast in 3D from February 12, 2010 to 2011, perhaps a sign it is rethinking its 3D re-release strategy.

Among specialty releases, The Maid had the highest per-screen, $18,000. New York, I Love You did light business, $3,000 per screen, but by opening at 119 locations it netted a third of a million dollars. A Serious Man, in its third week of release, added 60 locations for a total of 82, with a strong $10,400 per screen. An Education, in its second week, went from 4 to 19 locations, and drummed up $14,000 per screen.

A 'Wild' weekend at the box office awaits

By Sarah Sluis

Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's children's movie that's much different from what we've come to expect from children's movies, will open today in a huge 3,735 screen release. Besides kids, the movie has a huge fan base of 20 and 30-somethings who grew up with the Maurice Sendak book. The fact that Jonze's adaptation is regarded as "adult" could help bring in those crowds. Critical reception has been mixed, and it's uncertain whether theatregoers will relay the good or bad parts of the film to their friends. This weekend, projections are putting the film's weekend take at $25 million, and its release in IMAX should help bring it to that number.

Law Abiding Citizen (2,899 theatres) may have a mere 16% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but according to critic Kirk Honeycutt, the thriller "create[s] sufficient tension and intrigue to hook viewers along with a photogenic, hard-working cast," making it a likely candidate for a solid, if unimpressive box-office performance.

Starring teen heartthrob Penn Badgely from "Gossip Girl," The Stepfather (2,734 theatres) is wish fulfillment for children of divorced parents. Because when your stepfather yells "Your Mother said 'Turn that down,' son," it really means he's a psycho serial killer who marries divorced women then kills off their families.

The teen horror movie could have some competition from Paranormal Activity, which is expanding to 760 theatres this week. If it were to replicate its $49,000 per screen from last week, it would bring in $37 million. While it's unlikely to maintain that per-screen level when it expands, I wouldn't be surprised if it creeps much closer to Where the Wild Things Are than expected.

On the specialty front, New York, I Love You releases in 119 theatres. Our critic Erica Abeel found it to be better than Paris, Je T'Aime, noting that "most of these linked 'shorts' succeed remarkably in nailing the serendipitous flavor of love, New York-style." Newbie distributor Apparition will release blaxploitation parody Black Dynamite in 70 theatres. Critic James Greenberg appraised that "even if it's a one-joke movie that runs out of steam, director Scott Sanders manages to keep the gag going for 90 minutes," though he wondered if younger audiences who didn't grow up with blaxploitation would get the joke.

On Monday we'll see if Where the Wild Things Are made audiences roar as loudly as predicted, if Paranormal Activity's screams died down or amped up, and whether Law Abiding Citizen and The Stepfather were able to entice those interested in a run-of-the-mill thriller or horror movie.

The journey of a scare: 'Paranormal Activity'

By Sarah Sluis

There are a couple of interviews of Oren Peli, who went from being a software programmer to the director of Paranormal Activity, circulating the blogosphere. The movie has taken a non-traditional path to the theatres, from production, to distribution, to exhibition, and Peli helps fill in the blanks.

According to his interview with Cinematical, DreamWorks bought the project after Slamdance 2008 with the intent of having him remake it on a bigger budget--because you can't release a film that was made in seven days for $14,000--or could you?

The studio scheduled screenings for potential screenwriters, but the overwhelmingly positive reception led them to decide to release the movie nearly as is. Pacing and editing were changed to make it more fast-paced--though some reviews have still faulted the film for being too slow. The ending, which apparently "makes" the film, was also changed based on the input of none other than Steven Spielberg (DreamWorks and Paramount had ownership of the project before their split).

Peli sounds like a very organized, analytical person. He planned the production for a year, sprucing up his house to prepare for the shoot, and looked at hundreds of people before finding his two actors (how many low-budget films would look at that many people for their casting calls?). He spent ten months editing, and thanks to his technical background, he did the visual effects and audio mixing himself. His hours of work was probably worth several times more than the film's budget.

Oren Peli already has his next project lined up, Area 51, which will use the same home-video camera techniques to document a group of teenagers who decide to poke around the famed UFO grounds.

Now that the studio knows it has a hit on its hands, Paramount has announced plans to expand the release to 2,000 theatres two Fridays from now, putting it head to head with Saw VI. While there are certainly many horror fans who will have already seen Paranormal Activity (at least $8 million worth), its positive word-of-mouth could encourage more casual viewers to put the movie on their must-see list. Last weekend, the movie ended up being more successful than early tracking figures indicated. It actually earned $7.9 million, not $7 million, bringing its per-screen total to almost $50,000 per screen, a truly astonishing number (there must be some big theatres showing this movie--and a lot of sellouts)

So why has the movie been such a big success? The "found footage" style has been used in films from The Blair Witch Project to Cloverfield, but there is something to be said for the fact that the camera is often fixed in the same spot in front of thehaunted couple's bed, giving the movie a more "security camera"-type look. Also, not many horror movies have the benefit of having Steven Spielberg come in and fix your ending, nor the dedicated marketing team at Paramount, which appears to have risen to the challenge of marketing a non-traditional film. I, for one, wouldn't have expected college towns to be the jumping-off point for a horror film, though the midnight-only screenings fit perfectly into a college student's late-night schedule. Now that Paramount has thrown down the gauntlet by pitting their film against Saw VI--a move that, at the very least, will generate publicity--we'll be waiting to see who will emerge the winner in the battle of Saw VI vs. Paranormal Activity.

Box-office leaders: 'Surrogates,' 'Fame,' and 'Cloudy'

By Sarah Sluis

The trio of wide releases this weekend has one thing in common: so-so reviews. Surrogates (2,951 theatres), a dystopian future film starring Bruce Willis, is one pick for the top spot. Critic Kirk Honeycutt

quipped that Surrogates is "a movie about human robots that appears to have actually been made by human robots." The premise, as laid out in the trailer, is a twist on The Matrix: everyone willingly hooks up to a machine and lives their life through an avatar. The problem is, turns out killing your avatar kills your real-life self. The best thing about futuristic films is their detailed, well-laid-out worlds, but unfortunately it seems Surrogates lacks the logic that would make the movie a satisfying diversion.

Teen musical remake Fame (3,096 theatres) is another contender for the top spot, along with last week's release Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. According to critic Stephen Farber, it "apes High School Musical rather than Mean Streets. Rated PG, it's almost laughably bland and

watered-down in its desire to appeal to the widest possible audience." Sadly, the best song of the production, "Fame (I'm Going to Live Forever)," is ghettoized to the closing credits.

Pandorum (2,400 theatres) also borrows from a well-known sci-fi movie, this time Aliens. Dennis Quaid plays an astronaut who wakes up in a spaceship that looks creepily old--and missing many of its 60,000 passengers. With a group of survivors, he must try to evade the aliens that have the ability to both kill and infect. It's expected to open below Surrogates and Fame.

This week also brings some high-profile small releases. Sony Pictures Classics Coco Before Chanel (6 theatres, NY/LA) is a must-see for any fashion fans, though the movie concentrates more on

biography and ambition than the fashion icon's actual designs. Chanel's very masculine, unfrivolous garments are a shock to the eye, and the manor scenes play much differently than the usual costume film stereotypes.

Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story opened on Wednesday on 4 screens, and earned $9,000 per screen on its opening day (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did $14,600 per screen in its Wednesday debut). It doesn't open wide until next Friday, so this week's returns will help portend its box-office fate. I can't wait until all the pundits start digging in, if Moore's promotional appearance on Good Morning America is any hint.

The much-reviled I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, from the book by Tucker Max, opens on 120 screens, hopefully all located, and contained to, epicenters of fratty bad behavior.

Slamdance horror movie Paranormal Activity will open in 13 campus locations, in an attempt to build word-of-mouth for the Blair Witch-type horror movie. Our critic Kevin Lally found the movie to be either stupefying or horrifying, with the wait for its "[e]ffective jolts" requiring "extraordinary patience."

Monday we'll see if audiences picked Fame, Surrogates, or the comfort choice, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. We'll also get a sneak peek of whether Michael Moore's film will be more Sicko or Fahrenheit 9/11.