'Sucker Punch' dukes it out with 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' sequel

By Sarah Sluis

Leading the pack this weekend is writer/director Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch (3,033 theatres), which could top $20 million. The "visually stylized" film centers on a girl (Emily Browning) thrown into a mental hospital and scheduled for a lobotomy. Accompanied by a bevy of beautiful young women, she enters alternate realities in order to plan her escape. The setup allows for a lot of action sequences, but critic Ethan Alter found them tiring. For such a credibility-straining plotline, the movie "commits the fatal error of taking itself much too seriously." In a critique that brings to mind Snyder's other films (Watchmen, Legend of the Guardians), Alter complains that instead of drama, Snyder "settles for lots of sound and fury masquerading as drama." The eye candy look of the female stars has attracted the greatest interest among males under 25, followed by older males. Last in tracking projections are women, who seem to have honed in on the fact that this isn't really a "girl power" picture.

For pre-teen boys from 7-12 years old, a safe bet will be Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (3,167 theatres), the sequel to last year's surprise success. Critic David Noh, however, was unimpressed. He complains that the filmmakers try "too hard" to make the film "family entertainment," with moments that make sitcoms seem subtle. Director David Bowers, who did not direct the first film, gets too "fancy" by "littering the film with elaborate fantasy scenes." Still, this PG-rated outing could earn in the teen millions, especially since its release coincides with some school breaks. There's also not much else at the box office for families--only the critical flop Mars Needs Moms, which will likely exit the top ten this weekend.

Also entering the mix is Miral (4 theatres), a "plodding, earnest historical epic" about the Palestinian plight, as described by critic Jon Frosch. In an unusual casting decision, Indian actress Freida Pinto stars as a Palestinian woman. The lovely Catherine Deneuve plays a trophy wife who escapes her boring existence in the French comedy Potiche (7 theatres). Finally, a dysfunctional family gathers in Peep World (3 theatres). As the movie "degenerate[d] into flailing, repetitive obviousness and mean-spirited pointlessness," Noh pined for "Arrested Development," a superior comedic rendition of the messed-up family.

On Monday, we'll see if Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules outperforms expectations and beats Sucker Punch.