Three sequels face off: 'Chipwrecked,' 'Game of Shadows,' and 'Ghost Protocol'

By Sarah Sluis

Alvin, Simon, Theodore, and the Chipettes return for Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (3,723 theatres), one of three sequels hitting theatres today. Though the CG-animated feature is expected to earn north of $25 million this weekend, it isn't because of quality. "C'mon, you can do better," Frank Lovece admonishes in his review. He acknowledges there's "no incentive" for the filmmakers to try, as evidenced by their sloppy work "that shows no feeling for the material, no affection for the characters, and no concern for any long-term legacy." Just call Alvin and the Chipmunks the anti-Pixar movie.

The leader this weekend is expected to be Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (3,703 theatres), which should rack up $50 million. The "bigger, louder, more expensive sequel...stays true to the Holmes canon" and won over critic
Daniel Eagan. Since the first installment earned over $500 million, hopes are high for the "hyperkinetic sequel."

Withholding its wide 3,000-screen release until next Wednesday, Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol will open in a select 425 theatres, all of which will project in IMAX or another large-screen experience. Viewers won't be disappointed, according to Eagan. The actioner offers "cutting-edge escapism that's almost guilt-free." Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt goes traipsing around the globe, including a memorable sequence in Dubai. Even with so few screens, the sequel should earn around $15 million, and I'm sure the combination of packed theatres and a big-screen experience will ensure positive word-of-mouth.

Despite having the actors "lustily go at it," Carnage (5 theatres) works from a script that sounds like "an ultra-slick TV-sitcom episode gone horribly wrong and combative," according to David Noh. In my opinion, the play adaptation still feels very stagey, one of my pet peeves. That kind of artifice doesn't fly on the silver screen. Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster both received acting nominations for the Golden Globes, but Noh's opinion must have been echoed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which failed to nominate the film for anything else.

On Monday, we'll see if these three sequels were able to spike the December box office as people move from shopping for the holidays to celebrating the holidays.