'Transformers' revving for a blockbuster weekend

By Sarah Sluis

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (4,234 theatres) earned $60.2 million in its opening day (including $16 million from midnight screenings the night before), and an additional $28.6 million on Thursday. It's set for a $160-$180 million five-day total, which would put it behind The Dark Knight but among films from an elite group of franchises, like Star Wars and Spider-Man. Still, as someone who squirmed through the entire film and found it to be a CGI version of six-year-old children playing with their transformers, I'm at a loss. There's no way this can be a "four-quadrant" film, the kind that's supposed to cross over to all audiences. Judging from its PG-13 rating, and the lines I saw outside AMC Empire 42 in New York City on Tuesday night for late-night showings, pre-teens to early teens seem to be the biggest fans of the film. While its opening weekend should be stellar, it should expect to drop at least in the mid-40%'s each week, consistent with the first Transformers.

When women drop off their kids at the movie theatre, perhaps they'll catch My Sister's Keeper, which opens in 2,606 theatres. I reviewed the film, and found it to be a surefire way to have a good cry. While the sick child premise isn't as big of a draw as director Nick Cassavetes' romantic tearjerker The Notebook, the film celebrates life and family, and is quite satisfying despite being repetitious at times. However, the film will face competition from the more upbeat The Proposal, which won the box office last week.

A more adult action film than Transformers, The Hurt Locker (4 theatres) centers on a group of bomb diffusers in Iraq. The film has received a sensational response among critics, who have praised the film for its realism and for its unusual choice to be a war film, without coming out pro-war or anti-war. The New York Times' A.O. Scott made the advertising-ready pronouncement "If The Hurt Locker is not the best action movie of the summer, I'll blow up my car," which sounds like a pretty strong endorsement to me.

Presciently topical, The Stoning of Soraya M. (27 theatres) will likely pick up audiences due to its Iranian setting, as well as its politically aware message. Based on a true story, the film follows a woman whose husband accuses her of adultery in order to get rid of her and marry someone younger. For her punishment, she is stoned to death.

Also opening today is Cheri (76 theaters), a costume romance starring Michele Pfeiffer. Directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen), who Kirk Honeycutt praised for "simply [bringing] out the best in his collaborators," and based on two novels by French writer Colette, the film's exceptional pedigree produced a romance just as rewarding to watch.

On Monday, we'll circle back to see how Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen fared through the weekend, whether My Sister's Keeper will beat The Proposal, and which specialty releases packed the most seats.