'Act of Valor' aims its sights at first place

FJI critic Daniel Eagan opens his review of Act of Valor (3,039 theatres) by calling it a "feature-length recruiting ad masquerading as a movie." In fact, the movie did start out as a recruiting tool. It's widely expected that this military picture with a multicultural cast will play strongly in the heartland. It's also been advertised widely among those in the military. I saw some New York City firefighters show up to a screening (They parked their work vehicle right in front. Jealous.). Still, learning that the movie began as a recruitment tool reminded me of the protests over the military's use of video game centers to recruit soldiers. Eagan himself sees a similarity between the two, finding the war pic "works best if you think of it as a prototype for a shooter video game." An opening weekend in the teen millions and perhaps above $20 million is expected for the "ugly action outing."

Tyler Perry is one of the most prolific and profitable multi-hyphenates out there. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds (2,132 theatres) is his latest. It focuses on a businessman who helps out a cleaning woman, only to fall for her, even though he already has a fiancée. Fewer viewers than normal rate this Perry picture as a must-see, so it may underperform. Perry's films without his Madea character tend to earn less money, and competition from Denzel Washington starrer Safe House could siphon away some of the black audience. It should finish behind Act of Valor with a teen-million sum.

Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston play a high-strung couple who end up in a hippie commune in Wanderlust (2,001 theatres). The comedy isn't expected to top $10 million. Still, about half of critics have given the movie a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, our David Noh among them. The "genially satiric take on yuppies thrown into the scarily holistic, vegan universe is determined to give the audience a good time and largely delivers," he declares.

Summit is betting teen girls will turn out to see Amanda Seyfried in Gone (2,186 theatres). She plays a young woman whose sister is kidnapped. She suspects her sister has been taken by the same serial killer who attacked her years earlier. Like Wanderlust, the thriller will probably struggle to reach $10 million.

The Oscars are on Sunday, so films like The Descendants and The Artist may see a pre-ceremony boost. Still, the biggest rises will probably occur after the statues are handed out. On Monday I'll recap this weekend's winners and losers.