'Kick-Ass' ready to do just that this weekend

By Sarah Sluis

"Hi-yaaa" ing into 3,065 theatres this weekend, Kick-Ass is the strongest release and will likely grab upwards of $25 million. The comic-book adaptation follows a boy who decides to become a superhero. Once he has his modified wetsuit on, however, he ends up getting involved with some real bad guys and real-life vigilante superheroes, requiring him to step up or get snuffed out. The movie has been heavily advertised on cable channels like MTV, though a younger-skewing audience could prove a liability due to its R-rating. While the movie already has the stamp of approval from fanboys, girls should be drawn in by Hit-Girl, a powerful and violent 11-year-old girl who uses salty language. Chlo Moretz does a spectacular job with the character, and shows signs of being an actress who will be around for a long, long time.

A remake of a 2007 British film, now with a predominantly black cast, Death at a Funeral (2,459 theatres) will probably rack up ticket sales this weekend before falling off quickly. Stars like Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan should draw in a wide age demographic, but FJI critic Rex Roberts lamented that the remake "sometimes feels like an overproduced sitcom, the humor predicated on insult and injury."

Dark comedy The Joneses will make its way into 192 theatres. The movie has a strong, creepy concept: a fake family pushes luxury brands on a community. Though the movie is opening as we're coming out (hopefully) of a recession, meaning a lot of people aren't running to the stores to buy things, its anti-consumption message could resonate with viewers. If this movie had been released pre-recession, it would have felt like a cautionary tale. But because it's being released mid-recession, it seems to be looking back to a time when everyone was flying high before the fall--which can make the economic failures of its protagonists that much more painful.

Banksy, the clever and elusive street artist, stars in documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop (NY/LA/SF), which critic Kevin Lally found "provocative and entertaining." If you need any more reason to see the documentary, check out some of his outdoor work.

Finally, the winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, The Secret of Their Eyes, will debut in two theatres. The psychological thriller centers on a retired court investigator writing a novel about a 25-year-old rape and murder case, with some romantic subplots thrown in for good measure.

On Monday we'll see if Kick-Ass walked as well as it talked, if Death at a Funeral will compare to Tyler Perry's latest success, and if The Joneses was able to catch on with a recession-minded audience.