Hurricane Irene pummels weekend box office

By Sarah Sluis

Hurricane Irene caused millions of dollars of damage. With an estimated 1,000 theatres closed because of the storm, this weekend's box office was no exception. Receipts were down 20-25% from 2010, meaning some $25 million was lost due to decreased attendance. Even in areas where theatres were open, many chose to hunker down for the whole weekend.

The Help held on to its first-place spot by dipping just 28% to $14.3 million. Strong support from areas outside the East Coast, like the South, Los Angeles, and Chicago, kept the movie from dropping significantly. The drama should cross the $100 million mark sometime this week.

Colombiana landed on top of the new releases with a seven-digit debut of $10.3 million. The revenge-action pic, starring Zoe Saldana, drew audiences from all four demographic quadrants. Women comprised 57% of the audience, and 65% of viewers were over the age of 25.

While horror movies normally open big, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark had a more modest debut, racking up $8.6 million. In fact, only two supernatural horror movies have opened lower in the past three years. FilmDistrict had a surprise hit earlier this year with horror movie Insidious, so perhaps the spry distributor can quickly help the film back on its feet.

New York City-set comedy Our Idiot Brother, which finished with $6.5 million, was especially hard-hit by Irene. The movie tested best among East Coast viewers, who couldn't turn out due to the weather. The movie's highest-grossing location, Manhattan's Union Square theatre, was closed Sunday due to the hurricane. Next week it will be hard work to pick up the mess and try to recoup the adult audience.

Vera Farmiga's religious drama Higher Ground released in three theatres, including two in Manhattan, for a per-screen average of $7,000. Studio execs estimated the pic would have averaged $15,000 per screen in better weather.

This Wednesday, The Debt will hit theatres. On Friday, the box office will kick off the long Labor Day weekend with sci-fi thriller Apollo 18 and the sharks-eat-teens flick Shark Night 3D.

'Colombiana,' 'Idiot Brother' and 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' head off against 'Help'

By Sarah Sluis

The last weeks of the summer box office are normally dampened by kids going back to school and people trying to squeeze in some time for a final beach trip or barbecue. This weekend, the East Coast box office will be hampered by Hurricane Irene, which has put citizens from North Carolina to New York City on alert and unlikely to be thinking about catching the latest summer movie. Even for those areas without a hurricane to worry about, the trio of new releases is unlikely to unseat The Help from its first-place spot.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2,760 theatres) should grab a number in the low teen millions thanks to horror fans who prefer to see their movies opening weekend. Unlike a lot of other scary fare, the R-rated picture has little gore. This could either bring in a wider audience or alienate hard-core horror fans who like to see blood spilled along with their scares. Although the movie hews to haunted house film conventions, I wrote in my review that it will "partially satisfy those in need of simple, old-fashioned chills."

The charming Our Idiot Brother (2,555 theatres) tells the story of a "homeless hippie who disrupts the more conventional lives of his three New York City sisters," as described by critic Kevin Lally." The "first-rate cast" wields remarkable comic abilities, making Idiot Brother a "comedy of modest, genial pleasures." Like Don't Be Afraid, this comedy could open somewhere above the $10 million range. However, the New York audience is definitely a sweet spot for this comedy, which is set in the city, so the hurricane could easily blow these projections off course.

Some like revenge served cold. Others like to see their victims "shot, knifed, garroted, run over, blown up and eaten alive," which is what critic Daniel Eagan says happens to a number of supporting actors in Colombiana (2,614 theatres). Zoe Saldana stars as a contract killer out for revenge on those who murdered her parents. Eagan calls her the fantastic action star, a would-be "perfect Catwoman," who is "lithe, graceful, and eager to get dirty." While nothing here feels "remotely original," there's more than enough to satisfy genre fans.

On the specialty front, Midnight in Paris will triple the amount of locations in release for a total of 652 theatres. The Woody Allen movie has already earned $50 million, making it the indie hit of the summer. Vera Farmiga directs and stars in Higher Ground (3 theatres), which is based on a woman's memoir about her religious journey. Unlike a lot of religious movies, the subject is handled with "real intelligence and objectivity," according to David Noh. Brighton Rock (11 theatres), the adaptation of a Graham Greene novel, suffers from "wrongheaded bloat."

On Monday, we'll see what damage Irene did to the box office, and if The Help was able to maintain its spot at number one.

More details emerge about 'Cloud Atlas'

By Sarah Sluis

When I first wrote about Cloud Atlas in April, the project seemed so ambitious, I wasn't sure it could be pulled off. After all, the book the movie is based on follows six seemingly unrelated people across centuries, with each story written using different genre conventions (journal, hard-boiled thriller, sci-fi dystopia). However, the movie, which has a budget rumored to be up to $100 million, will start filming this September in Germany. The project is a collaboration between The Wachowskis (Matrix trilogy) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run). The directors plan to divide up the sequences and shoot them in parallel. Having two directors is extremely rare, and even then they tend to be sibling teams. To pair up a sibling team with a third party may be the rarest breed of them all. I'm sure the Directors Guild freaked out a bit figuring out how the credits would work. I also think that having three directors on a project is a rare show of humility. Cloud Atlas takes place over centuries, and the idea of tackling both period sequences and futuristic ones is daunting. The Hollywood Reporter suggested that Tykwerwould shoot the period sequences while the Wachowskis would take charge of the futuristic ones.

Since the casting of Tom Hanks as one of the leads, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Ben Whishaw and Jim Broadbent have joined the cast. I suspect that each of these six actors will be the lead in their story's respective era, since four of the leads are male and two are female. The cast is stellar to be sure, but only three out of these six actors have cachet among mainstream global audiences. (Berry, Sarandon, Hanks). I also don't think Hanks, who was the first to sign on, counts as A-List the same way Leonardo Di Caprio did in Inception. He's not a young dramatic star anymore, and his showing in Larry Crowne this summer really drove that home. Warner Bros., which handled Inception, will release the film stateside here. I definitely think the two movies will be compared with each other, because they both combine disparate surroundings into the same film. Cloud Atlas is planned for a summer 2012 release, and it could be the cerebral popcorn movie that draws in action lovers as well as those who like substance paired with their chase scenes.

Miramax starts streaming movies on Facebook in U.S., U.K., and Turkey

By Sarah Sluis

Facebook is the latest distribution outlet for movie studios. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. added Inception and Harry Potter to Facebook, and The Big Lebowski recently joined the Facebook fray, timed to the movie's Blu-ray release. Unlike when you rent a movie, Facebook allows for a social component. People can share comments while they watch a film, and users can post movie clips to their wall. It sounds like Facebook is trying to turn movie-watching into "Pop-Up Video."

Now Miramax is entering the game, announcing that Good Will Hunting, Spy Kids, Chicago, Cold Mountain, and No Country for Old Men will be available to rent on Facebook. Viewers now have the choice between iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Redbox, and Hulu for a number of titles. I used to think that one provider would dominate the others, but now I think that there may be room for a number of streaming providers. Facebook streaming offers a unique experience, but it's also not for everyone. Cult movies like The Big Lebowski seem tailor-made for the site, since they're all about repeating catchphrases with friends. But if you're in the mood for a movie, Facebook has no directory page that allows you to browse through titles and make a decision. Since there are so few movies on Facebook right now, a library may only reveal the site's paltry collection, but it will be a grave error if Facebook doesn't add such a page if it's really serious about getting into the movie rental game.

The other reason multiple sites will proliferate for movie rentals has to do with consumer habits. Not everyone is interested in the next big thing, so they won't be willing to watch a movie on Facebook. Some people prefer to rent, but balk at 48-hour windows in which they must see a film. Others would rent if the movie file expired in 30 days, like some sites offer. I recently joined the music streaming service Spotify, and was interested to see that Spotify and iTunes had significantly different artists and songs in their top ten. In fact, only three songs were in the top ten on both Spotify and iTunes. Clearly, people with different demographics and different tastes are using the service. Additionally, iTunes charts purchases while Spotify tracks listens. This is pretty similar to movie rental vs. movie purchase. Some songs you like to listen to, others you're willing to buy. As each of the movie streaming sites develop, they may end up succeeding not because of their mass appeal, but because they offer content that appeals to those who like it unlimited, pay-per-use, or with a strong social component.

Hear executive editor Kevin Lally talk summer movies on WNYC

By Sarah Sluis

Today on the Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC, executive editor Kevin Lally dissected this summer's pleasant surprises, the movies that disappointed, and indie films to add to your must-see list. With fellow guest Richard Corliss of Time Magazine, the two cover everything from the fate of 3D, this year's superhero movies, and the proliferation of prequels, origin tales, and remakes.

Listen to the broadcast here:

 

 

 

'The Help' steps up to first place

By Sarah Sluis

In a late summer coup, The Help rose a spot to first place in its second week, taking home $20.4 million. The Civil Rights era drama with a touch of comedy lost just 21.4% of its audience. Earlier this summer, Bridesmaids managed the same feat, dipping just 20.4% its second outing. Other female-driven summer releases of years past, like Julie & Julia and Eat Pray Love, fell 35-50% their sophomore sessions, proving that a strong hold takes not only a female-driven audience but extraordinarily positive word-of-mouth. Though the end of the summer is approaching, The Help should continue to make waves at the box office. While New York and Los Angeles typically have the highest-grossing theatres in the nation, The Help has drawn support from theatres in Jackson, Mississippi, where the film is set, and Southern audiences in Memphis, Tennessee.

The four new releases this week couldn't summon audiences. The highest-grossing of the bunch, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, finished third with $12 million. As kids go back to school, Spy Kids won't be able to count on the high weekday grosses that made earlier youth-targeted pics so profitable. With poor reviews and box-office performance, this may be the end of the Spy Kids franchise.

Conan the Barbarian, considered one of the frontrunners, landed fourth with $10 million. Audiences over 25 were the main attendees of the movie, when really a younger audience would have sparked to the content. A lack of awareness of the first film probably turned off younger audiences, as well as the casting of Jason Momoa, a relative unknown.

Ending up a disappointing sixth, Fright Night debuted to just $7.9 million. Again, the majority of the audience was comprised of viewers over 25 who may have been aware of the first film, which came out in the 1980s. Critics liked the movie, but attendees weren't as excited. Those polled gave it a B- score overall.

The romantic, occasionally a wee melodramatic One Day failed to lure away female audiences from The Help. The Anne Hathaway-Jim Sturgess romance earned $5.1 million, though its sub-2,000 screens meant its $2,900 per-screen average was higher than films further up in the top ten.

On the specialty circuit, historical war film Amigo earned $4,000 per screen on ten screens. Mozart's Sister, which had charming reviews, averaged $4,700 per screen on seven screens.

This Friday, horror flick Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, actioner Colombiana and comedy Our Idiot Brother will provide a mix of genre and adult-skewing fare to audiences in search of some air-conditioned entertainment.

Can 'The Help' stave off a quartet of wide releases?

By Sarah Sluis

As we enter the last weeks of summer, the biggest blockbusters have already made their appearances. This week brings a quartet of new releases, but with all of them expected to open under $20 million, there's a chance that a strong showing from The Help could best all the new offerings.

1980s remakes Fright Night (3,114 theatres) and Conan the Barbarian (3,015 theatres) both have projected openings in the teen millions. Fright Night stars Colin Farrell as a vampire who moves to the suburbs, prompting the suspicions of a teen boy (Anton Yelchin). The horror rehash found a fan with critic Maitland McDonagh, who proclaimed the flick a "remake that retains the best and reworks the rest with a cleverness rooted in [screenwriter] Marti Noxon's (TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") knowledge of and respect for the genre."

Conan the Barbarian stars Jason Momoa ("Game of Thrones") in the role made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger. McDonagh bemoans that the filmmakers "understand the mechanics of pulp fiction while being collectively deaf to the throbbing of its thrillingly vulgar heart." The one bright spot is Momoa's performance, which puts Schwarzenegger's "locker-room camp" acting to shame.

On one day in July each year, One Day (1,719 theatres) offers a snapshot of the (un-)relationship of the characters played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Critic Daniel Eagan qualified the movie as a "gimmicky romance with a strong emotional payoff." Although the decades-long romance has its flaws, namely Sturgess' character's unlikeable qualities, it "presents its characters' struggles with enough honesty and insight to merit its weepy ending." With a smaller, targeted release, One Day is expected to open below $10 million.

One last kid-oriented picture is slipping into the summer lineup, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (3,295 theatres). The British reviews (where it's already screened for critics) don't think highly of the movie. Now that the franchise is in its fourth installment, it's resorted to gimmickry. The kiddie caper will be presented in "4D," with audience members using 3D glasses and scratch-and-sniff cards to modify the moviegoing experience. Sounds like fun for kids, but a trial for parents.

Packed with "elegant dialogue and formidable human observation," Mozart's Sister (7 theatres) tells the story on Nannerl, a talented musician who was overshadowed by her brother Wolfgang solely because she was female. David Noh praises the performances and the movie's recreation of a period setting, which makes "you truly feel you are there." A rarely explored cinematic subject, the U.S. invasion of the Philippines, gets its due in Amigo (11 theatres), a tale with "parallels with Afghanistan and Iraq today," according to THR's Ray Bennett.

On Monday, we'll see if The Help can ascend to first place its second week, or if Fright Night or Conan the Barbarian will be able to summon enough interest in order to start out in the top spot.