'Hangover Part II' set to flykick over 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

By Sarah Sluis

If the midnight screenings are any indication, The Hangover Part II (3,615 theatres) is going to bring in at least $100 million over the four-day Memorial Day Weekend. Late night patrons gave the comedy a $10.4 million head start, with an additional $30 million projected for Friday screenings. Critic Kevin Lally summed up the film as "less a sequel than a remake," but predicted that the R-rated flick will "[deliver] enough outrageousness to satisfy summer audiences who don't mind some dj vu in their debauchery." Like the original, The Hangover Part II has laugh-out-loud moments and its mysterious plotline helps preserve the sense of surprise that worked so well for the first movie.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (3,925 theatres) is the first 3D, CG animated movie since Rio came out six weeks ago. The long weekend should bring extra eyes to the movie, which critic Frank Lovece called "truly beautiful to behold." Lovece remarks that "each successive DreamWorks animated feature looks more beautiful than the one before," and Kung Fu Panda 2 is no exception, showing incredible range in its "watercolor-like landscapes, shadow puppet-inspired flashbacks, and jangly, hard-edged anime." That kind of attention to artistry is enough to please both kids and adults. Panda earned $6 million from screenings yesterday, and the animated sequel is expected to top out below $100 million.

While director Terrence Malick's films have always had a cinephile following, The Tree of Life (4 theatres) is truly an art film, valuing poetic images and meditations over an actual plotline. Critic A.O. Scott of The New York Times gave an optimistic, fitting description of the film, positioning Malick among the "visionary company of homegrown romantics like Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Hart Crane and James Agee. The definitive writings of these authors did not sit comfortably or find universal favor in their own time...This is precisely what makes them alive and exciting." Brad Pitt and Sean Penn add their star power to the film, but I remarked most upon Jessica Chastain's screen charisma. She is that newcomer who will make a smashing impact when all her films over the past few years, some delayed, will release in quick succession. This summer we'll also see her in The Debt and The Help. I find her to be a less annoying Bryce Dallas Howard (sorry, fans), and look forward to seeing more of her performances this year.

On Tuesday, we'll tally up The Hangover Part II's weekend spoils and see if Kung Fu Panda 2 brought in families and matinee crowds in force, and if audiences are willing to venture to see Malick's oddest film yet.