'Despicable Me' and 'Predators' seek opposite audiences

By Sarah Sluis

Despicable Me, the first animated movie released by the new kid on the

animation block, Illumination Entertainment, will open in 3,474

theatres, including 1,551 3D theatres. Releasing a tight three weeks

afterToy Story 3, Despicable Me will have the advantage of being the

fresh offering. Among infrequent moviegoers, however, the

highly-lauded Pixar sequel may hold more sway than an unknown offering

(though those minion characters are pretty big draw). Despicable Me is expected to bow similarly to How to Train Your Dragon, a similarly unknown property that opened at $43 million but eventually accrued an outsize $216 million over its run. Critic Rex Roberts praised the minions, calling the movie a "cleverly formulaic cartoon that is, by turns, caustic and charming, gross and poignant, silly and sophisticated."

Believe it or not, Predators, the latest movie in the long-running Predator franchise, offers the "creatures

their best showcase since the original Predator," enthuses critic Ethan Alter. Not only that, the "meat-and-potatoes action movie" is "solidly entertaining" and the action set-pieces "are crisply shot and genuinely fun." That is, if you get your kicks out of "a Predator ripping out the spine of his unfortunate victim Mortal Kombat-style." Opening in 2,669 theatres, its man-creature combat is expected to offer particular allure to males under twenty-five.

On the specialty front, Sundance favorite The Kids Are All Right opens in seven theatres. The comedy centers on a lesbian couple (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore) whose children decide to seek out their sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo). His presence ends up ruffling up the family feathers,

resulting in a "smart, humane, hilarious and poignant tale," according to critic Kevin Lally. While the movie has a thoroughly modern American plotline, "the laughs arise from recognizable, truthful human behavior."

The second installment in author Stieg Larson's trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire, opens in 85 theatres. According to critic Doris Toumarkine, the Swedish-language movie is "every bit as entertaining as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," which earned $11 million this March. However, could the movies be released too close together? Even the second and thirdTwilight movies were eight months apart, and some have called Eclipse's first-week performance disappointing. Conversely, the books' popularity, as well as holdover awareness from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, could boost the second movie even higher. The final movie, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, will open in late November, so hopefully distributor Music Box's tight release strategy works...or they figure it out before the third movie hits.

On Monday, we'll reconvene for the outcome of Despicable Me vs. Predators, and weigh in on the second week of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which could drop heavily. We'll also take a look at the holding power of The Last Airbender and Toy Story 3, both of which will be threatened by the competing family release,Despicable Me.