Crowded box office with 'Valentine's Day,' 'Wolfman' and 'Percy Jackson'

By Sarah Sluis

The leader of the pack this weekend is Valentine's Day (3,665 theatres), which shares its name with the holiday this Sunday. With the added bonus of the Monday President's Day holiday, when schools and many workplaces are closed, the movie is poised to take advantage of couples and singles mooning over the lovey-dovey storyline. Plus, Valentine's Day is a kind of informal sequel along the lines of Love Actually and, to a greater extent, He's Just Not That Into You. The success of those ensemble-style romantic comedies, now a budding genre, will give people an idea of what to expect and encourage fans of the previous movies to catch this one. Variety predicts Valentine's Day will open to $45 million, measurably more than He's Just Not That Into You's $27 million gross over a normal three-day weekend. Reviews, however, have not been kind. But for people in search of a topical diversion, this sup-par box of chocolates may be the best story out there.

A Harry Potter wannabe, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (3,356 theatres) has the ingredients to be "a modest hit with the eight to 12-year-old set," according to critic Ethan Alter, but not the crossover success of Harry Potter. Packed with characters from Greek mythology and Homer's tales, the movie has some modern updates Alter liked, including an iPod screen to reflect the image of Medusa and placing the Lotus Eaters inside a Las Vegas pleasure den. With only two-week-old Tooth Fairy as competition, Percy Jackson is in an envious position to scoop up the family crowd.

The Wolfman (3,222 theatres) has been delayed numerous times, giving off a decaying aroma easily detected by wolfhound critics. Alter notes that "the finished product feels less like a complete feature film than a series of compromises between Universal and the filmmakers." Despite a star cast featuring Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, and Emily Blunt, the performers are either unable to rise to the material or the material does not rise to them. With strong interest among males, however, the movie will probably finish in the top three.

On Tuesday, I'll recap the long weekend and find out if Valentine's Day wooed enough moviegoers, and if Percy Jackson and The Wolfman were able to entice their respective audiences.