'Salt' spices up the box office, but will it overtake 'Inception'?

By Sarah Sluis

This week pits second-weeker Inception against the debut weekend of Salt (3,612 theatres). Starring Angelina Jolie, Salt has received marks of "high popcorn" from critics like our executive editor Kevin Lally,

who dubbed the action-packed espionage romp "an entertaining but preposterous summer popcorn movie." Over at the The New York Times, A.O. Scott praised Jolie's performance, calling her "the prime special effect, and a reminder that even in an era of technological overkill, movie stars matter." That Jolie's casting is seen as so perfect is underscored by the fact that the role was written for a man--Tom Cruise. Though not many women are seen as capable of carrying movies without damsel-in-distress moments, she has consistently placed herself in roles with enviously powerful women. Here's to Jolie!

Because Salt will have the advantage of both good reviews and novelty, I think it has a strong chance of grabbing the top spot, with Inception close behind. However, Salt will have to open over $30 million, because there's little chance that Inception will drop more than 50%. If the Christopher Nolan movie falls 30-40%, earning between $43 million and $37 million, it will be more likely to edge out Salt.

New, non-animated kid fare in the form of Ramona and Beezus (2,719 theatres) will provide an alternative for young audiences. This is the kind of movie that is made for kids, with subject matter so innocuous a parent can sit back and nod

approvingly. Though the mildly comedic movie will see the most action on home DVD players, I found the film to be coherent, well-paced, and "a chance [for parents and daughters] to bond over seeing bits of their life reflected onscreen." Even with out-of-school kids, many forecasters feel this movie will have a hard time breaking $10 million, though its true worth will probably be reflected in its performance during weekdays and in coming weekends.

For indie audiences, star director Todd Solondz offers a follow-up to his characters in Happiness with Life During Wartime (NYC). The revisiting failed to charm our critic David Noh, who summed up his feelings up by saying "what once seemed provocative and challenging now comes across as bratty, aimless and predictable." In a dramatic expansion, The Kids Are All Right will go from 38 to 201 theatres, building on its successful run that has already earned the movie $2.2 million.

On Monday, results will be in for the battle of Evelyn Salt vs. Dominic Cobb.

Do online games sell audiences on movies?

By Sarah Sluis

The marketing team behind the summer spy movie Salt, starring Angelina Jolie, created an elaborate, interactive online game to fill in viewers on the story and ultimately drive them into the theatres. But does it work?

I recently played "Episode 1" of the game on http://www.dayxexists.com to test the claims made by the marketers profiled in the New York Times article about the game.

Claim #1: "It's a supersophisticated game, but done in a way that a casual player can understand," said Marc Weinstock, Sony's marketing president.

Results: Agree. Most of the first episode is a video clip with occasional first-person point-of-views, kind of like the introduction to a video game where they set you up to play a level. The game part involves guessing when to tell the truth or bluff, a pretty simple and engaging form of choose-your-own adventure. It looked like there were more complicated ways to get involved, like registering and tracking scores, etc., but I didn't bother with that to start, being a "casual player."

Claim #2: Sony hopes to mimic the viral success of Facebook games like Mafia Wars, which is played by tens of millions of people.

Results: Mixed. While playing the game, it asked me three times it I wanted to link to my Facebook account. I declined each time. But yes, it would be easy to link this to your Facebook account. Which brings me to the next point...why didn't I?

Claim #3: Traditional marketing pushes a message over and over. If people instead pull bits of information into their lives through a game, they are more likely to feel a sense of ownership..."That makes them talk about it, share it, evangelize it," said Elan Lee, a co-founder of Fourth Wall Studios, a pioneer in the games-

as-marketing field that has worked with Paramount Pictures.

Results: I wasn't ready to be an evangelist for a program I hadn't played all the way through. I also didn't want to clutter my Facebook profile with a game, and I generally despise Facebook Connect and all the random apps and games on Facebook. If you do get a link from me, the endorsement is that much more valuable because I am really picky. Maybe someone that played Farmville (or Mafia Wars) would feel differently. On the other hand, if I saw a so-called "Alpha gamer" in my friends that had linked to the game, I would think much higher of it, because I view that friend as an authority on that topic. So just because I wouldn't personally link to the game doesn't mean I wouldn't value the opinion of someone who was willing to put themselves out there.

Claim #4: Women in particular are a focus.
Results:Depending on how you define "casual gamer," I could be one of the 65 million women who play games (does online tetris count?). I liked that the game wasn't a blow-'em-up but involved strategy and figuring out when to lie and when to tell the truth. These are the games that traditionally attract female gamers, though I think the players are a mix of male and female.

And the final test? Did it make me want to see the movie?
Results:Yes. Unlike other online games, this one looked slick and high-budget. The game had a fun spy feel and reminded me that I do like movies with intrigue. I haven't really known what to think about Salt, and this helped cement my interest in checking out the movie. Online games win this round.