Drive-in movie theatres let 'John Carter' ride on the coattails of 'The Avengers'

Last weekend, The Avengers earned $207 million. John Carter earned $1.4 million. The Avengers broke the record for highest opening weekend, and John Carter went up 1,223% from last week. It turns out the two Disney releases--one a hit, the other a flop--have something in common. They were paired together for drive-in movie theatres' double features.

Over the weekend, John Carter increased from 180 theatres to 349 theatres. Most of those additional locations were drive-ins, where the average ticket goes for just $8. I suspect Disney requested that John Carter be paired with The Avengers--why not promote another one of your releases? Plus, it added $1 million to John Carter's bottom line. That may be only one-two hundredths of what The Avengers earned, but it is something.

Drive-in movies may have long passed their heyday, but they're a fun, low-tech, and cheap way to experience movies. I'm sure the multitude of special effects in The Avengers are better viewed on the most up-to-date screen and in 3D, but drive-in theatres offer the kind of intangibles that make people actually pay money for a ticket instead of catching it later at home. Something fun to do with friends. Cheap child care, or a family night out. Low-priced concessions. Even now that drive-ins have been relegated to a nostalgic rarity, they can impart important lessons about why people go to the movies.

'Zombieland' to take over theatres

By Sarah Sluis

Zombieland (3,036 theatres) is the top pick for #1 this weekend, since its blanket release puts it in nearly twice as many theatres as the other wide releases. The horror comedy "has its tongue planted

firmly in its rancid cheek while still delivering the visceral

goodies," and its twist on the horror genre should attract die-hard and sometimes horror fans alike.

The other three wide releases of the week are each opening in around 1,700 theatres, smaller-scale releases that match each of the movie's strategies.

Roller derby tale Whip It, which is already benefiting from positive word-of-mouth, will open in 1,720 theatres after sneaking in half that number last week. Women seem to love the movie, and opening smaller will put emphasis on its subsequent weekends rather than its opening weekend. Those that love the film (myself included) are struck by how it breathes life into the familiar coming-of-age genre. Critic Peter Brunette called it "familiar yet simultaneously different...loaded with clichs...but somehow writer Shauna Cross...manages to continually inflect the story with fresh twists."

Prepping for the release of Toy Story 3 in June, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will be released as a 3D double feature in 1,745 theatres. The run is planned for two weeks, but will be extended based on performance. Industry insiders are pegging the film's opening in the $10 million range, but a re-release like this is so rare I wouldn't be surprised if normal tracking measures fail. The movie's biggest competitor is 3D animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which is going into its third week. The re-release will undoubtedly bump Cloudy from some of its 3D venues, which could affect both of the films' standing.

Ricky Gervais-Jennifer Garner comedy The Invention of Lying is also opening small (1,707 theatres), but perhaps that's indicative of its quality: low. Critic Rex Roberts called it a "self-indulgent, ultimately unsatisfying skit-that-won't-quit." Ouch.

On the specialty circuit, Capitalism: A Love Story expands to 962 theatres, its first wide expansion. LeBron James documentary More Than a Game, a "superb, slam-dunk documentary " that follows a quartet of talented basketball players, including James, through high school and beyond will also open in New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.

The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man, sure to appeal fans of the writer/director/producers, opens in New York, Los Angeles, and Minneapolis this weekend. Our critic Ethan Alter praised the "subtle, humorous way the film tackles such complex subjects as morality, faith and family," calling this personal, "darkly comic" film one of the Coens' best.

On Monday, we'll circle back to see how many viewers Zombieland infected, if audience members took the bait for The Invention of Lying, and how well word-of-mouth was built up for Whip It.