'Contraband' hijacks first place over MLK Day weekend

The long Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend was a boon to studios and exhibitors, with 2012 totals up an estimated 2-4% from last year. On Sunday, the Golden Globes provided publicity to awards darlings like The Iron Lady, The Artist, and The Descendents, all of which should see bumps next week as audiences put these films on their must-see lists.

Opening nearly as well as surprise hit Taken, Contraband earned $28.8 million over four days. The slightly male-skewing, older audience turned out for the remake of Icelandic hit Reykjavik-Rotterdam. The action pic drew praise in exit polls, with most rating the movie an A-.

In second place, the re-release of Beauty and the Beast in 3D conjured up $23.5 million in four days. The animated classic did especially well on the Monday school holiday, which was the second-highest grossing day of the weekend. Unsurprisingly, audiences rated the 1991 movie an A+.

In fourth place, Joyful Noise called out to females over 30. The Dolly Parton-Queen Latifah gospel dramedy earned a praiseful $13.7 million. That's better than the opening of Country Strong last year and on par with Queen Latifah's previous openings.

Word got out about The Devil Inside, and the horror stinker plummeted 76% over the three-day period. Since the movie cost less than $1 million, even this weekend's $9.1 million total is all gravy to the folks at Paramount.

Moving into 800 theatres, The Iron Lady skyrocketed 3,571% to $6.4 million. Meryl Streep's win for Best Actress at the Golden Globes should make this biopic rise even further next week.

Golden Globes Best Drama winner The Descendants dipped 18% to earn another $2.5 million. The Hawaii-set tale has been shedding theatres over the past several weeks (from 878 to 660), perhaps part of a more long-range distribution plan? With its second win by George Clooney for Best Actor, this Alexander Payne-directed film seems like a prime target for further expansion.

The Artist, winner of Best Comedy on Sunday night, was directly behind The Descendants with a total of $1.4 million, a slight increase from last week. This silent, black-and-white tale has done surprisingly well given the hesitations most people usually have with watching movies in such an antiquated mode.

This Friday will be a busy one. Director Steven Soderbergh's action pic Haywire will debut, along with Red Tails, which chronicles the missions of black pilots during WWII.  Underworld Awakening, the fourth in the series, will also open. Finally, 9/11 drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close will go from six theatres to over 2,000.

'Beauty and the Beast 3D,' 'Contraband,' and 'Joyful Noise' vie for MLK Day audiences

91% of students have Monday off for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and Hollywood wants everyone to go to the movies. Following up its successful release of The Lion King in 3D this fall, Disney will open Beauty and the Beast 3D in 2,625 theatres. "Princess" movies are seen as a harder sell, since boys aren't as interested, so that could dampen the gross of the classic animated film. With an opening in the $20 million range, Beauty and the Beast should beat out the re-release of Toy Story in 3D but fall short of The Lion King's surprise success.

Action audiences in need of an "efficient" fix can seek out Contraband (2,863 theatres). Based on an Icelandic hit, the thriller stars Mark Wahlberg as a reformed smuggler. He has to go on one last job in order to help his brother. The "fairly effective thriller," according to critic Daniel Eagan, has a "by-the-numbers plot," but "builds up just enough suspense to tide over hungry action fans until something better comes along." Forecasters predict up to $20 million for the picture.

Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah team up for Joyful Noise (2,735 theatres), which should land somewhere over or under $10 million if it effectively pulls in the country and urban followers associated with its two stars. Though it's rife with "commercial clichés," critic David Noh still couldn't help but find the gospel music-filled movie "rousing fun," helped in part by the enthusiastic writer/director Todd Graff. He reveals "a deep-grained love of music and performance." The moms in Joyful Noise's female demographic, however, may find themselves buying tickets to see Belle, Gaston, and the Beast instead.

Meryl Streep's spot-on impression of Margaret Thatcher will be seen in more theatres this weekend, as Oscar hopeful The Iron Lady expands into 802 theatres. Man on a Mission, which details Richard Garriot's $30 million trip into space, will open in one theatre. In my review, I praised the interesting story, but was frustrated with the many missed opportunities that would have made the documentary more captivating and emotionally resonant.

On Tuesday, we'll see if the four-day weekend helped attract family audiences to Beauty and the Beast 3D, and if the holiday helps pull the U.S. box office out of its slump.

'The Iron Lady' finishes 2011 with a punch

By Sarah Sluis

Now that Christmas is over, most of the big releases are coasting through the New Year. Just a few more movies will hit the screen this weekend, most of them indies.

The Iron Lady (4 theatres) will lead the pack. This portrait of controversial British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher will surely attract fans of what critc Rex Roberts describes as the "peerless actress,"
Meryl Streep. I found Streep to be the most enjoyable part of the whole film, which spends a little too much time with the dementia-ridden older Thatcher. Roberts seconds his approval of Streep, who he predicts will win an Oscar for her performance. He also came out in favor of the "imaginative, entertaining biopic" as a whole. One thing we both agree on: It's definitely better than J. Edgar.

The small-but-worthy Pariah opened on Wednesday in four theatres. The "funny, deep, and tender film," as described by David Noh, "delves into the largely unfamiliar world of black lesbians living their lives in New York City in the 21st century." The "unerring incisiveness" makes the drama feel like an "anthropological exploration," and director Dee Rees (profiled here) is a Hollywood up-and-comer.

Finally, A Separation (3 theatres) joins the fray of well-regarded indies. The "legal procedural" fascinated Ethan Alter not only because it was a "damn fine movie," but also because its insights into everyday life in Iran serve as a "cultural-exchange tool." The drama is Iran's selection for `the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Language film, and it's definitely a contender.

The adult blockbusters Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mission: Impossible--Ghost Protocol, and The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo should continue to make strong showings, and I have particular hope that the third popcorn pic will show holding power. All of these movies have the added bonus of playing just 30% off their peak during the weekdays, since so many people have vacation. For families, it appears that Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked will lead, followed by The Adventures of Tintin, We Bought a Zoo, and Hugo.

On Tuesday, Screener will be back from the holiday and reporting on which films brought in 2012 with a bang.