'Couples Retreat' finds love at the box office

By Sarah Sluis

Couples Retreat opened well above expectations, earning $35.3 million. Attendance was strong among women and a thirty-plus crowd more likely to be married and appreciate the relationship humor. I think ensemble romantic comedies will (and should) become more popular, since they help avoid the repetitiveness of the genre and showcase supporting characters. Without being saddled with going through all the hoops of the genre, characters with more fleeting storylines often create the most memorable, and humorous, parts of the movie.

The other big success in the top ten is Paranormal Activity, with went from twentieth to fifth this week and racked up an astonishing $44,163 per theatre at 160 locations--enough to earn $7 million despite its minuscule amount of locations. When our executive editor Kevin Lally reviewed the film, he noted that

"its achingly slow buildup is a test not just of an audience's patience

but the power of hype surrounding the latest alternative scary movie." Well, it appears the movie has harnessed the power of hype. Since most horror movies

are more about imagination and mystery than actual scares, what initial

audiences view as banal becomes tauntingly suspenseful for those coming

because of word-of-mouth. The tagline, "the first-ever major release decided by you,"

encapsulates the movie's success: a participatory horror experience

with most of the scares determined by you. Made for just $16,000, the horror movie gained traction thanks to a successful marketing campaign, which limited screenings to college towns at midnight, while those in other communities could "demand" the movie online.

Critical darling An Education brought in $40,500 per screen at its four locations, an auspicious start for the platform release. Chris Rock's Good Hair earned $1.1 million at its 186 locations. Its $6,000 per screen was better than most of the wide releases, but low considering the amount of publicity generated by Chris Rock's television appearances.

The Toy Story/Toy Story 2 release earned another $7.6 million it its second week, and many suspect Disney will extend its run for another week. The re-release has racked up $22.6 million in two weeks, and because of the Columbus Day school holiday, it will likely have another weekend-level gross today.

Among returning films, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs held on the strongest, falling just 25% to bring in another $12 million. With a total gross of $96 million, it should cross the $100 million mark this week. In its second week, Zombieland brought in another $15 million with a 40% drop, which is on the small side for a horror film. Whip It failed to catch on in its second weekend, a tragedy in my opinion, though it dropped 40% to Invention of Lying's 52%.

This Friday, children's book adaptation Where the Wild Things Are will open along with Law Abiding Citizen, a thriller about a serial killer.

'Couples Retreat' has no company at the box office

By Sarah Sluis

Couples Retreat (3,000 theatres) has the benefit of being the only wide release of the weekend. Date-night audiences are expected to bring the weekend total to $20 million. Because it's applying the ensemble premise that worked so well for He's Just Not That Into You, I think the movie could go over that number, especially since those that are "kinda" interested in seeing the movie will have no other material to choose from. On the other hand, Universal just replaced its chairmen, so maybe it's another film on their slate that hasn't been tracking so well. Critic Kirk Honeycutt lamented that "the script...gets pulled in opposite directions" by trying to cover the gamut from potty to sexual humor. He also noted that "the best sections of the film deal with [Vince] Vaughn and [Malin] Akerman, since they represent a critique of the relationship industry that is determined to justify its existence in finding problems even if none exists. The most problematic in comedic terms involves [Jon] Favreau and [Kristin] Davis. No week at a couples retreat is going to solve their myriad problems." The latter observation, according to speculation by Movieline, must have been echoed by focus groups. Favreau and Davis' acts of adultery depicted in the trailer are absent from the film--and Favreau was pulled away from Iron Man 2 for reshoots.

Among returning films, Zombieland is considered a top choice for #2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs has been beating Toy Story/Toy Story 2 during the weekdays, but perhaps audiences with more time will seek out the double feature for a matinee this weekend. Whip It had a disappointing opening weekend despite positive word-of-mouth. I saw a TV spot last night that de-emphasized the roller derby aspect (apparently a tough sell), so perhaps Fox Searchlight will be able to re-position the movie to take only a small drop this weekend.

On the specialty front, the much-lauded An Education releases. Our critic Rex Roberts found the film "comes close to perfection: inspired casting and performances, exquisite design and photography, witty and well-crafted script, empathic yet nuanced direction." Carey Mulligan has turned more critics' heads than I can count, and Roberts dubbed her "the most interesting ingnue to grace the screen since Audrey Tautou delighted audiences in Amlie." The film will release in 4 theatres in New York and Los Angeles.

Also opening this weekend is The Damned United (6 theatres), a soccer drama that, according to critic Daniel Eagan, "almost brings to life a feud 35 years ago between two notable British sports figures," but is "ultimately too insular to attract many stateside viewers."

After making appearances on all the morning and female-skewing talk shows, including "Oprah" and "The View," Chris Rock releases the documentary Good Hair (185 theatres)--but did he give away all of the best parts already on the television shows? Frank Scheck found it "entertaining and substantive enough to be interesting even for those completely unfamiliar with weaves and relaxers." While Rock is best known as a comedian, his documentary achieves a "pointed sociological examination of its heretofore cinematically unexplored subject"

On Monday, we'll see how successful Couples Retreat was at the box office, which returning films held on, and mull over the opening weekend of An Education.

Three more sign up for 'Couples Retreat'

By Sarah Sluis

Ensemble comedy Couples Retreat found three additional mates in  Kristin Bell ("Veronica Mars"), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), and Malin Akerman (upcoming Watchmen).  The character-packed premise has four couples (one with real relationship problems) roped into a tropical vacation with a side helping of couples therapy.  Jason Bateman ("Arrested Development") plays Bell's love interest, Jon Favreau will pair with Davis, and Vince Vaughn will couple with Akerman.  Faizon Love is currently mateless.

Jon Favreau has existed below my radar until now, but he has an impressive bio on IMDb, including directorial credits for Iron Man and Elf, and an diverse array of acting, writing, and production credits.  He wrote Couples Retreat based on an idea of Vaughn's.  The two are currently starring in another quad-coupled pic, this winter's Four Christmases, so I wonder if they drew any inspiration from that project.

Steve Carrell, another one of comedy's it-boys, has attached himself to yet another project, Brigadier Gerard, about a French soldier convinced of his swashbuckling status despite an utter lack of skill or bravery.  With the ability to shoot just one film on his spring hiatus from "The Office," he now must choose between Brigadier Gerard, Get Smart 2, or Date Night, which has Tina Fey attached.  Personally, I am rooting Carrell to choose Date Night--in-demand Tina Fey has no other live action deals on the table, and has never done a romantic comedy before, and the two of them together would be dynamic.  Sure, Brigadier Gerard will be set in France, a long time ago, which is somewhat of a twist of Carrell's star image, but with "King of the Hill" writers adapting a work by Arthur Conan Doyle, I see the well-trod territory of horse-riding and Monty Python jokes.

Already being floated as an Oscar contender, Weinstein Company's The Road, set to release this November, may be pushed back to December--or later.  The executives and producers plan to meet tomorrow to discuss the fate of the film.  The switcheroo comes in light of Weinstein Company's decision to push The Reader this winter.  Also, for what seems like the hundredth story in a row, Weinstein Company takes on questions about the company's financial situation--and yes, they say they are doing fine.