'Rise of the Guardians' and 'Life of Pi' centerpieces of holiday movie feast

Three wide releases open today in anticipation of the long weekend after Thanksgiving tomorrow. With many generations coming together, this is the time for family-friendly movies to shine.

Rise of the Guardians (3,653 theatres) will be the leading pick for families with the youngest members. A kind of Avengers for childhood characters, the movie groups together Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny on the same mission. Critic Frank Lovece was disappointed. "I
want to love this
film," he laments, but it "just misses being magical." Although he predicts kids will "take to this like a toy on Christmas morning," Lovece is "left with the feeling that my own inner child would rather play
with the box it came in." Rise of the Guardians will have a tough time competing with the second weekend of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, which could earn $50 million even if it drops by two-thirds. Last year, The Muppets opened to $41 million over the five-day period, and Rise of the Guardians should be near that target. The opening may not matter quite as much, because the presence of the bearded man in the red suit should have this movie playing strong until Christmas morning.

The PG-rated Life of Pi (2,902 theatres) will be a great choice for families with older kids,
parents, and grandparents. The story of a boy floating on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger is a "superb, visually enthralling technical achievement," according to critic David Noh, but it doesn't quite overcome the "monotony" of having the characters be adrift for a long period of time. Fox is also betting that the spirituality of the work will bring together both coastal and Heartland audiences. Its opening should be half that of Rise of the Guardians, somewhere in the $20 million range. Along with Rise of the Guardians, Pi will release in the new sound format Dolby Atmos in select theatres.

Instead of Russians, North Koreans invade the U.S. in the remake of Red Dawn (2,679 theatres). The action flick is something of an individualists' dream: a high schooler, his Marine older brother, and his father help stave off the invaders from a rural outpost in Washington state. In contrast to the 1984 movie, the new one is "polished to a high
Hollywood gloss and stripped of nuance and moral ambiguity," says our critic Maitland McDonagh. Red Dawn and Life of Pi will both be landing in the $20 million range, though Life of Pi is likely to have a much more profitable run in weeks to come.

On Friday, Hitchcock (17 theatres) will makes its debut. Anthony Hopkins stars as Alfred Hitchcock in "a diverting movie nostalgia trip full of Hollywood period
atmosphere," which centers
on the director's making of Psycho. Although Hitchcock had some well-known flaws, this portrait is "more mischievous than accusatory, allowing audiences to
overlook the director’s many peccadillos and still relish this
larger-than-life figure," observes critic Kevin Lally. It also highlights the role his wife, Alma Reville, played in his success. Hitchcock will go up against a number of specialty pictures already in release, including Silver Linings Playbook, which is making an expansion to 367 theatres.

Also releasing on Friday is Rust and Bone, a melancholy French romance that does the impossible, turning the "unlikeliest of wormy subjects, characters and milieus into cinematic silk," praises critic Doris Toumarkine. A documentary sure to provoke outrage, The Central Park Five (3 theatres), will also roll out in theatres. The Ken Burns-led tale reveals the story of the five teens who were wrongly imprisoned for the rape of the Central Park jogger, a crime that turned into a lightning rod for a host of other issues plaguing New York City at the time.

On Monday, we'll see which of the movies paired best with Thanksgiving leftovers, and which releases have the strongest prospects during the frenetic period from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

DOC NYC panel 'Meet Your Distributors' shines a light on indie distribution

Everyone bemoans how Hollywood is always chasing the proven moneymakers--comic book adaptations, the Bridesmaids bandwagon, and sequels to sequels. But as it turns out, the same thing holds true for indie documentaries. At the "Meet the Distributors" panel last Thursday on the final day of New York City's DOC NYC festival, the panelists bemoaned the crush of "competition docs" that flooded the marketplace after the success of 2002's Spellbound. Docs that followed included such random topics as board game competitions and grocery store bagging, which simply copied the movie's structure with a different subject matter. "You could anticipate the beats," noted Magnolia Pictures' Eamonn Bowles with a shake of the head. The panel, moderated by Eugene Hernandez of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, featured the perspectives of Bowles, Ryan Werner (IFC Films), Nancy
Gerstman (Zeitgeist Films), Richard Lorber (Kino Lorber), Ryan Krivoshey
(Cinema Guild), and Paul Marchant (First Run Features).

Although the competition trend has mostly died out, there's a new buzzword for documentaries seeking success in the theatrical market. "Comfort food," Bowles quipped. Difficult topics may do well on cable, but when people go out to the theatre, they want escapism. Recent disappointments that can be attributed to this trend include How to Survive a Plague, an AIDS documentary that got great reviews but had trouble passing the leave-the-couch test, according to Werner. Dinner and a movie about an epidemic is not many people's idea of a fun night out. Content that appeals to activists, or ignites controversy, no longer draws people the way it used to.

Bowles, one of the more vocal members on the panel, also discussed the nuances of "unlocking the audience." For the documentary Food Inc., Magnolia gave it a "foodie spin," targeting people who cared about food and good eating, as opposed to an activist audience of environmentalists and animal rights proponents, which may have made it more difficult for the doc to break out to a wider group of people. The audience that is turning out to theatres isn't just craving comfort food, they tend to be older. The success of the fictional comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel this year is just one example. Older people tend to have the time and money to go to the movies. Expect more content geared to baby boomers in years to come.

When it comes to topical documentaries, the best ones don't have an expiration date. Richard Lorber pointed out Kino Lorber's release 5 Broken Cameras as an example of a documentary that is "not just topical, but re-engages and gains resonance." On the day of the panel, there were reports of violence in Israel, making the story of a Palestinian farmer and his interactions with Israeli soldiers that much more impactful.

When it comes to day-and-date releases in theatres and on-demand, it's not an equal playing field, as Lorber pointed out. Magnolia and IFC are each part of companies that have stakes in both distribution and exhibition. That means that they don't have to deal with the objections of exhibitors when they want to release a movie day-and-date with on-demand. On-demand can be great for certain documentaries. Something like First Run's Pink Ribbons Inc., which appeals to a niche of people, breast cancer patients or survivors, benefits from being able to reach people all around the country, not just in the big cities. IFC Film's Buck, a successful doc about the "horse whisperer," benefited from VOD's ability to reach rural audiences in areas too isolated to have access to a theatre. However, the panelists agreed VOD is not a "panacea." With hundreds of movies in on-demand menus to choose from, differentiating from the bunch is still a challenge. When slicing the pie, "VOD is becoming significant," Gerstman notes, though DVDs still do a lot to help out a movie post-theatrical release.

The panelists noted that the rise of DIY releasing has made the relationship between distributors and filmmakers more collaborative. As a whole, documentary filmmakers are more involved in promotion than fiction filmmakers. And it can have measurable results. Bess Kargman, the director of the ballet doc First Position (which does fall into the competition genre, for what it's worth) greeted people buying tickets at Lincoln Center and was a constant presence at the theatre, according to Hernandez. Werner gave her a lot of credit for the success of the release, which earned $1.1 million, saying it would not have crossed the seven-figure mark without her help. Turns out showmanship is still an important part of the puzzle, even in the days where posters, interviews, and movie trailers take precedence.

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'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 2' tallies a $141 million opening.

With an opening several times larger than most films can dream of, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 2 celebrated its finale with an estimated $141.3 million haul for the weekend. That may be $2 million under the debut for The Twilight Saga: New Moon, but I doubt
anyone at Summit is complaining. What started out as the final book in the trilogy has been turned into two movies, each with an opening in the six figures. With the Twilight franchise drawing to a close, it's time to look at the heirs. The Hunger Games, which has three movies to go and opened over $150 million? Next year's The Host, which was written by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer? Or the fantastical romance Warm Bodies, which is also releasing early next year? Moving into Thanksgiving, Breaking Dawn--Part 2 may boast a below-average series drop thanks to the influx of holiday audiences, but there are a lot of other films competing for entertainment-seekers during a very busy moviegoing period.

Lincoln rallied audiences in its second-week expansion to over 1,700 theatres. The story of the 16th president's struggle to pass the 13th amendment outlawing slavery earned $21 million with a per-screen average of $11,800, indicating there were packed theatres. Moving into next weekend, there is still plenty of demand left for the movie to tap. Many worried the talky picture, with just one battle scene, would remain in the arthouse, but it appears that savvy marketing and Steven Spielberg's reputation as a director persuaded audiences to attend.

Positioning itself for a prime spot in the Oscar race, Silver Linings Playbook opened to a $28,600 per-screen average in sixteen locations, giving it a total near a half million dollars.
That put the dark romantic comedy ahead of the debut of Anna Karenina. The Keira Knightley-led picture, which opened in the same number of theatres, averaged $19,700 per location. That figure is still strong and both awards hopefuls should play well in weeks to come. For Silver Linings Playbook, the test comes this Wednesday, when it expands to 420 locations. Placing above the openings of Silver Linings Playbook and Anna Karenina, The Sessions earned $900,000 in its fifth week as it expanded to 516 locations. However, that left the gentle romance-drama with a thin $1,700 per-screen average, likely lower than distributor Fox Searchlight would like.

On Wednesday, three films will get a head start on Turkey Day: family-friendly animated feature Rise of the Guardians, the (mostly) all-ages literary adaptation Life of Pi, and the remake of Red Dawn.

'The Twilight: Breaking Dawn--Part 2' prepares for record weekend

The romantic saga of Bella, Edward, and Jacob concludes with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 2 (4,070 theatres). Because fans know this will be the last movie, turnout should be particularly high. Many expect an opening of $150 million, higher than New Moon ($142 million opening) or Breaking Dawn--Part 1 ($138 million). Also, Summit scheduled screenings not only on
midnight Thursday, but also at 10pm, which should bring in additional early viewers. For a series like Twilight, fans want to see the movie right away, so the opening weekend will end up being around half of the total, making that time frame's results an important figure to track. Our thoughts go out to the theatre managers who will be dealing with long lines and crazed fans this weekend.

After posting a near-record per-screen average last week, Lincoln will expand to 1,775 theatres. The adult-leaning historical biopic will have some competition from Skyfall, which has also been drawing in an adult male audience. However, the James Bond film has already been out for two weeks, so at least some portion of potential moviegoers will have already seen Skyfall, making the "which-movie-do-we-see" decision at the box office a default one for Lincoln.

With Thanksgiving on Thursday, this weekend is popular for specialty releases to get a head start
on the holiday crowd. The Toronto Film Festival Audience Award winner Silver Linings Playbook will open in 16 theatres before expanding into 420 theatres next Friday. Two recent Audience Award winners, Slumdog Millionaire and The King's Speech, also went on to win the Best Picture Oscar, so hopes are high for the love story between two crazy, lost souls. Star Jennifer Lawrence's increased prominence in the wake of her starring role in The Hunger Games, as well as Bradley Cooper's roles in the Hangover comedies may give the "delightful romantic comedy with unusually dark underpinnings," as described by critic Kevin Lally, a broader appeal and awareness level. "The prospects couldn’t be
brighter for this immensely satisfying and surprising comedy," he predicts. A dance competition finale reminiscent of the one that was so crowd-pleasing in Little Miss Sunshine, as well as a football plotline, make this a comedy that should catch on beyond the arthouse crowd.

Much of the action in Anna Karenina (16 theatres) is set on a stage, "a statement on the highly artificial
world that the Russian aristocracy had entrapped itself in, circa
1874," and also "a device heightening the novel’s already potent
melodrama," muses critic Chris Barsanti. The unusual artistic choice may have some detractors, as indicated by the 64% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but others will be drawn in by director Joe Wright's bold choice. Keira Knightley shines in yet another costume drama, which will be angling for Oscar nominations.

On Monday, we'll see which of the 16-screen specialty releases posted the higher per-screen average, if Lincoln was able to get audiences to secede from Skyfall, and if The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 posts the highest opening for the franchise yet.

Will 'The Host' inherit the 'Twilight' audience?

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 comes out this Friday in over 4,000 theatres. Before the movie, audiences will see a trailer for The Host, which recently surfaced on the Internet. Like the Twilight series, the movie is based on a romance novel by Stephenie Meyer. Unlike Twilight, the book is not part of a franchise. The release date has been pushed back a few times, and distributor Open Road now plans to open the film March 29th. I think it's a smart decision to wait until the Twilight series has concluded to release the movie. Fans may not have prioritized seeing The Host just before or after a Breaking Dawn, but come March, they will be in Twilight withdrawal and welcome another adaptation of Meyer's work.

 

 

The sci-fi romance takes place in a future where alien parasites have taken over the bodies of all humans, turning the irises of their eyes bright blue. One girl, Melanie, (Saoirse Ronan of The Lovely Bones) manages to escape implantation, falling in love with a fellow human rebel (Max Irons, the son of Jeremy Irons). However, the girl is finally taken and the soul of an alien or "Wanderer" is put into her body. It doesn't take. Both souls are still alive in the body, and there ends up being a love triangle, as both Melanie and the Wanderer share the same love for the boy.

The trailer shows off some great special effects, especially the technology that "heals" an injured Melanie. While a lot of the narrative in The Host takes place inside the head of Melanie/Wanderer, the trailer, at least, fills in the gaps with voiceover and excerpted monologues. Will aliens have the same pull as vampires? Moreover, will Open Road successfully market the film and mobilize the Twilight audience?

 

'Skyfall' posts best James Bond opening ever

Skyfall handily beat its franchise predecessors to post the highest opening for a James Bond film ever. Pent-up demand from the four-year wait, along with great reviews, brought the movie to an $87.8 million weekend. That's $20 million more than Quantum of Solace, which opened in 2008
to $67 million. The crowd skewed male and older, indicating that Bond's core fanbase turned out. IMAX screens did well, contributing 15% to the weekend total. With an "A" CinemaScore rating, Skyfall will do well in coming weeks, especially because the only competition this Friday could not be more different: the final Twilight, which will draw predominantly younger females.

Flight suffered in its second weekend, droping 39% to $15.1 million. The Denzel Washington drama competed with the older males that also wanted to see Skyfall. Argo also dropped more than usual, posting a 34% dip to $6.7 million.

Lincoln opened in eleven theatres and was rewarded with the second-highest per-screen average for an opening over ten screens. The $81,800 per screen was right below the opening of Precious and above Moonlight Kingdom.  It was also enough for the Steven Spielberg-directed picture to
earn nearly a million dollars even with such a small release. The audience skewed unusually old for Hollywood, with 67% over the age of 35. Next week, Lincoln expands and the biopic may be able to coast on the momentum of the recent presidential election. Gathering support from the general populace, however, will be an uphill battle.

Among specialty releases, the foreign costume drama A Royal Affair had a strong opening, averaging $5,700 per screen in five locations. Startlet, which stars literary spawn Dree Hemingway, also performed fairly well, averaging $2,600 per screen in six locations.

This Friday, Bella and her vampire husband continue their romance in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, the fourth and final film in the blockbuster series. Lincoln will expand into a small wide release. Awards hopefuls Anna Karenina and The Silver Linings Playbook will also make their debut in select theatres.

Bond lands in the U.S. with 'Skyfall'

When FJI critic Frank Lovece calls Skyfall (3,505 theatres) "the best Bond film since the ’60s. Period," you know it will be a success. 92% of Rotten Tomatoes critics have also given a thumbs-up to the latest installment in the franchise. The years of waiting while MGM sorted out its bankruptcy paid off, giving those involved more time to polish the script and bring the series back to what it
used to be. The twenty-third Bond film has already earned $321 million overseas, so it's virtually guaranteed that Skyfall will have similar results at home. This is a "must see" feature that draws in people who rarely attend their local theatre. Expectations are cautious, and some predict that the latest Bond may not exceed the $67 million opening of 2008's Quantum of Solace. However, even if Skyfall does not open that high--but I think it will--it's already pretty clear that Bond's capers are so compelling, word-of-mouth will make this a strong player in the weeks to come. Besides the always-compelling performances of Daniel Craig as Bond and Judi Dench as M, Javier Bardem is the best Bond villain I've ever encountered. I can't think of many other actors who can play Julia Robert's love interest in Eat Pray Love, and then turn around and be an utterly creepy villain, as he has previously done in No Country for Old Men. Maybe Bardem can pull a Heath Ledger and snag an Oscar nomination for his role as the villain.

As a counterpoint to Skyfall, Steven Spielberg-directed Lincoln begins a limited release in 11 theatres. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as the sixteenth president in what's more of a political
procedural, a "handsomely mounted civics lesson" that gives audiences a "snapshot of a turbulent point in American politics," as described by FJI critic Daniel Eagan. The historical biopic has a scene-stealing supporting character, Tommy Lee Jones as the quick-witted Thaddeus Stevens, a powerful Senate member whose belief in equality for all races is considered too extreme by most other lawmakers. Lincoln will likely open extremely high because of Spielberg's pedigree, so the real test will be next week, when the Civil War-set tale expands to 1,500 theatres and must seek approval from a more general audience.

Rounding out the specialty offerings is A Royal Affair, a Danish-language love triangle between the king, the queen, and the royal physician. Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswalt star in Nature Calls, a "good-natured send-up of the Boy Scouts," according to THR's John DeFore. Detroit's fire epidemic is highlighted in the documentary Burn: One Year on the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit, which is opening in NYC.

On Monday, we'll see just how high Skyfall soared, and if its adult competitors Argo and Flight suffered from the release of the action and martini-fueled tentpole.