'Mars Needs Moms,' 'Battle: Los Angeles' and 'Red Riding Hood' compete for moviegoers

By Sarah Sluis

This weekend's box-office leader will most likely be Battle: Los Angeles (3,417 theatres), which has the best chance of unseating last week's animated hit Rango. For some reason, this aliens-in-L.A. movie reminds me of Volcano, that late '90s film about a volcano in L.A. I take issue with these scary-thing-in-L.A. films, I feel like screenwriters write these movies for studio executives, not the 90% of America that doesn't live in Southern California. Maybe if aliens mow Los Angeles to the ground, they can rebuild with public transportation. Just saying. Critic Daniel Eagan gave the movie a shrug of approval. It's "not original," but it has "decent special effects and a satisfying story." That may help the sci-fi actioner earn $20 million plus.

If Rango skews old for animated movies, Mars Needs Moms (3,117 theatres) skews young. The "ill-conceived" adaptation of a cute children's book has such grave inconsistencies that it led critic Ethan Alter to wonder if the director was "making the movie up as he goes along." The company behind the film is being shut down after Mars Needs Moms releases, so this motion-capture movie is more of an example in "don'ts" than "dos."

Red Riding Hood (3,030 theatres) is being billed as the next best thing for those eagerly anticipating the next Twilight. Catherine Hardwicke, who helmed the original Twilight, directs the movie, which replaces the big bad wolf with a werewolf. Critic Maitland McDonagh praised the perfectly-cast Amanda Seyfried, but wished the movie explored "the discomfiting psychosexual subtexts that lurk beneath familiar childhood stories." The similar Beastly earned just shy of $10 million last week, but Red Riding Hood should pass that $10 million mark easily.

"Those hungry for a Bronte fix" will be sated by Jane Eyre (4 theatres), which includes many shots of the "undulating moors that make romantics of us all." Critic Erica Abeel was less keen on the casting of Mia Wasikowska, who just didn't have the "acting chops" needed for the role. I thought Wasikowska was fine, but I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who found the "shuffled timeline" rather "confusing," even among those familiar with the novel.

On Monday, we'll see if Rango was able to top the trio of new releases and if audiences turned out for Jane Eyre, one of the most-filmed novels.