Leftovers rule as 'Breaking Dawn,' 'Skyfall' and 'Lincoln' lead Thanksgiving box office

Despite three new wide releases, it was the returning films that led the Thanksgiving box office. The long holiday period still gave plenty of extra cushion to all the movies in theatres, which enjoyed five days of weekend-level returns. A thin offering  of new movies this coming weekend will allow the current releases plenty of time to run through their potential viewers.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 2 led for a second week with $43 million Friday to Sunday, giving it a total to date of $226 million. The event picture, which was the finale for the franchise, plummeted 70% from its first-week total. It will likely continue its decline next week.

In second place, Skyfall leveled its descent with $36 million, just a 12% decrease from last week. Over the five-day period, its receipts totaled $51 million. The James Bond film's three-week total is
$221 million, just behind Twilight. By next week, Bond will rise above the vampire romance and stay there. It's also the best-performing Bond movie of all time, well ahead of Quantum of Solace's $164 million total. Time to shake up a martini for Daniel Craig and director Sam Mendes.

Lincoln went up 19% from the previous week to post a $25 million weekend. Continued strength in its week-to-week performance should bring this historical picture above $100 million. That's great for a talky movie many considered a tough sell.

Rise of the Guardians had the best opening of any of the new releases, earning $24 million over the weekend and a five-day total of $32.6 million. That's on the low side of projections for
the CG-animated release. In comparison, Disney's Wreck-It Ralph earned $16.9 million while falling just 9% from the previous week. Wreck-It Ralph has much better reviews, and comes from a trusted brand name. That definitely hurt the debut of Guardians.

Life of Pi opened to $22 million, right on target for the Ang Lee-directed picture. Audiences turned out to see it in 3D, too, with two-thirds of ticket sales for glasses-wearing audiences. While the literary adaptation has received mixed reviews from critics, audiences gave it an "A-" in exit polls, a sign that the mildly spiritual picture will do well in word-of-mouth.

Red Dawn rallied from the three-year delay in its release to gross $14.6 million, a number that
rose to $22 million over the five-day period. FilmDistrict reported the South and military areas had the best turnout for the invasion-themed picture. However, with many other offerings in weeks to come, Red Dawn will have a quick sunset.

Specialty pictures big and small did well over the holiday. Silver Linings Playbook, expanding into 367 locations, earned a spot in the top ten, posting a $4.6 million weekend and an applause-worthy per-screen average of $12,500. Hitchcock, which centers on the making of Psycho, debuted to $301,000, and had an even higher per-screen average of $17,700. The awards hopeful Rust and Bone averaged $15,000 per screen at two
locations. The documentary The Central Park Five had a lower per-screen
average but a higher total, earning $11,300 per screen at three
locations.

This Friday, violence rules at the box office. The horror movie The Collection will go up against Killing Them Softly, which stars Brad Pitt as an enforcer tracking down a trio who robbed a Mafia-run card game.

'Resident Evil: Retribution' and 'Finding Nemo 3D' should boost theatre traffic

After a dismal weekend, the box office is ready for a rebound with wide releases Resident Evil: Retribution and Finding Nemo 3D hitting screens.

Finding Nemo 3D (2,904 theatres) has a lot in its favor. The original was the most attended Pixar movie ever, and it's considered a modern animated classic. However, the animated feature released just nine years ago. Many families likely already own a DVD copy, making it difficult for
parents to justify the price of tickets, popcorn, and soda to see a movie all over again. The Lion King 3D did exceptionally well last September, opening to $30.2 million, but that film originally released in 1994, not 2003. Those two decades make a big difference. The 3D re-release should end up somewhere between The Lion King 3D and February's Beauty and the Beast 3D, which opened to $17.8 million.

The fifth installment in the sci-fi action franchise, Resident Evil: Retribution (3,012 theatres)
should easily top $20 million. The last installment in the franchise
was a global hit, largely because it released in 3D,
which has had more
success abroad than at home.

Targeting heartland audiences, Last Ounce of Courage (1,407 theatres) mixes patriotism and Christianity in a dose designed for social conservatives. I can't quite figure out what the plot is about, but from the trailer there appears to be something about a small-town man who tries to un-separate church and state and bring God back into his town? It also includes some great shots of a dude with a giant American flag on the back of his motorcycle, but that's about as high-budget as this movie gets. Rocky Mountain Pictures, the distributor, has skillfully released such pictures in years past, so a $1-2 million weekend wouldn't be unusual.

Leading the specialty releases is director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master (5 theatres). FJI critic Chris Barsanti praises Anderson's "psychologically astute scripting" and "ability to coax nakedly revelatory performances from actors." Joaquin Phoenix plays a drifter who ends up a
sidekick of an L. Ron Hubbard-like character, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. At film festivals, this highly anticipated movie left some people feeling like it didn't quite live up to the hype, but Barsanti is not among them, though he notes the movie "lacks some of the director’s characteristically thunderous panache."

Also in the mix is Liberal Arts (4 theatres) a romance between a 30-something man (writer/director/producer Josh Radnor) and a student (Elizabeth Olsen) he meets while back on campus for an event. Critic Shirley Sealy enjoyed the "wonderful and gently entertaining" movie, whose theme, "acting like a grown-up," she really got behind.

Finally, the "juicy, smart, engrossing financial thriller" Arbitrage (197 theatres), starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, will release in theatres and on cable VOD. With the economy still big in the news, this hedge fund-centered movie will be more than topical.

On Monday, we'll see if Resident Evil and Nemo revived the box office, if Last Ounce of Courage was embraced by the Heartland, and if The Master has the record-level per-screen average many are predicting.

'Bourne Legacy' and 'Campaign' take lead from 'Dark Knight Rises'

Arriving a month after The Dark Knight Rises, The Bourne Legacy relieved the Batman film of its number one spot with a $40.2 million opening. That's off 42% from the Matt Damon-starring Bourne Ultimatum. Hollywood so frequently relaunches franchises, it's easy to put that figure in context. X-Men: First Class suffered a 53% loss when it revved up again, while The Amazing Spider-Man had better luck, performing 30% off the previous incarnation of the franchise. That means The Bourne Legacy is right in the middle. Attendees gave the movie a so-so B rating in exit polls, which is partly attributed to the abrupt ending. I was one of the people who turned to my guest and said, "That's it?" in confusion, too, so I'm actually glad that other viewers didn't buy into the sudden ride off into the sunset either. I suspect this Bourne film will yield a sequel, but I think the production team will need to work a bit harder to close up those gaps in believability.

The Campaign overperformed to place second with $27.4 million. The Will Ferrell-Zach Galifianakis political comedy earned a 67% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is on the high side for Ferrell's comedies. His best-rated movies top out in the 70-80% range, and he's no stranger to the other side of the ratings spectrum either. THR reports that the comedy broadened its base beyond the typical under-25s that go for R-rated laughs. In Boston (Mitt Romney's home base) and Washington D.C., the feature performed well on Saturday, a time that usually sees drop-offs for this genre. The North Carolina-set comedy also played well in the South and the Midwest.

Hope Springs finished fourth with $15.6 million over the weekend, for a five-day total of $20 million. That's actually the same figure earned by Meryl Streep's 2009 feature Julie & Julia, which ended up earning just under $100 million. The audience was two-thirds female, with 69% of ticket buyers over the age of forty. Because Hope Springs isn't bringing in as broad of an audience, most doubt it will reach the same total as Julia & Julia, but the older moviegoers should ensure the film plays over a long period, since this demographic doesn't focus as much on seeing movies opening day.

Star/writer/director Julie Delpy's follow up to 2 Days in Paris, 2 Days in New York, averaged $13,500 per screen in two locations. Fantasy romance Ruby Sparks passed the $1 million mark by earning $453,000 in 261 locations.

Nitro Circus: The Movie totaled $1.1 million over the weekend and $2.1 million since it opened on Wednesday. At $1,100 per screen, the average theatre totals aren't so high. Could the movie have done better on fewer screens?

With just two weekends before Labor Day, when the box office takes a dive, studios are throwing in all their final summer films. On Wednesday, Disney releases the sentimental pic The Odd Life of Timothy Green. On Friday, The Expendables 2 will vie for the action-focused male audience, stop-motion animated Paranorman will attempt to scare adults and kids alike, and the late Whitney Houston will make her final cinematic appearance in Sparkle.

'Total Recall' takes second place to 'Dark Knight Rises'

As predicted, Total Recall placed second to The Dark Knight Rises this weekend, earning $26 million to the final Batman film's $36.4 million. Total Recall is a remake of the 1990 film starring California's former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. My expectations for a remake of such a well-known original weren't that high, but other remakes/relaunches have had impressive debuts. Think of the remake of The Karate Kid, which debuted to $55 million and totaled $176 million. Or last year's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which had a near-identical performance, opening to $54 million and finishing with $176 million (but earning twice as much abroad, over $300 million). Sony is probably less focused on domestic totals and more on international ones. This is the kind of project that translates well internationally, so the distributor should expect to see even stronger returns abroad as it starts to roll out in more foreign markets.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days of Summer, the third in the adaptation of kid's books, opened to a less-than-stellar $14.7 million. This entry opened in August in order to match up with the movie's summer setting, but that may have hurt the movie's opening. The first two film chose a March "Spring Break" timeslot, opening to $22 and $24 million. Star Zachary Gordon filmed both Dog Days and the prior movie back to back last year in a battle to outrun puberty, so even without these box office results, this may be the final entry in the series.

Within the top ten, Ted posted the strongest hold, dipping just 26% to finish with $5.4 million in its fifth week. That was enough to tip the R-rated comedy past the $200 million mark. Beasts of the Southern Wild rose from thirteenth to twelfth place, posting a 26% gain as it added 110 theatres for a total of 318 locations. It was one of thirteen specialty releases to post gains this weekend. The highest-earning of the bunch included Versailles-set Farewell My Queen, which went up 40% for a total of $186,000, and Killer Joe, which expanded from three to fourteen locations and brought home $163,000 in the process, a 330% increase from its debut.

Un-rom-com Celeste and Jesse Forever averaged $28,000 per screen in its opening in four locations. That puts the Rashida Jones-Andy Samberg picture in a strong position for expansion. Magnolia's 360 had a softer opening, averaging $6,300 per screen in two locations. That release is also opening on-demand so it's likely the use of multiple platforms will bolster returns.

This Wednesday, the empty nester sex-and-relationship comedy Hope Springs will get a head start on the weekend. On Friday, the Will Ferrell-Zach Galifianakis political comedy The Campaign will open opposite The Bourne Legacy, the first of the franchise without Matt Damon in a starring role.

Batman predicted to fly above 'Total Recall'

2012's Total Recall (3,601 theatres) is a remake of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Remakes always have a tough time going up against the original, but reviews haven't been too unkind in their comparisons--it appears to be partly a matter of preference. Schwarzenegger's one-liners or Colin Farrell's superior acting? "In the rare moments when [Farrell]'s not parkouring his way through would-be assassins, he imbues Quaid with a touch of genuine humanity," Maitland McDonagh says of the lead. Since The Dark Knight Rises is expected to earn around $35 million this weekend, Total Recall will end up in second if it stays within industry expectations of $25-30 million.

"Not so wimpy after all," according to THR's Michael Rechtshaffen, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (3,392 theatres) is on track to earn in the teen millions this weekend. The lead character is "closer to those wimpier roots" after he "came across as a little too mean-spirited the last time out." Parents may be twiddling their thumbs a bit if they tag along, but the "harmless" and "pleasant" comedy gets points from me for being one of the few kid movies about real-life kids, not animated creatures.

A couple learns to be friends after their divorce in Celeste and Jesse Forever, which received accolades on the festival circuit. Rashida Jones stars opposite Andy Samberg in a romance/comedy she co-wrote along with her own ex Will McCormack, reportedly using notes from their own romance-turned- friendship. The "juicy, self-referential part," as described by Marsha McCreadie, includes plenty of self-deprecating pratfalls, including a "comic bit where Jones floats by, passed out on a pool float." Also debuting on the specialty circuit is 360 (2 theatres), a tale of interconnected, round-the-world stories linked by each character's romantic connection. With "life practically bursting out of every pristinely shot scene," FJI critic Chris Barsanti feels "it's more than enough" to make it worth audiences' time.

On Monday, we'll see if Total Recall ends up close to or above The Dark Knight Rises, and if kids convinced their parents to take them to a Wimpy Kid screening during these last Dog Days of Summer.

'Dark Knight Rises' spends a second weekend at number one

The Dark Knight Rises led the box office this weekend, dropping 60% to finish with $64 million. Overall, the box office was 25% off from the same weekend last year, though the difference comes down to many factors, including different movies, the opening of the Olympics, and the shootings at the midnight screening of the final Batman movie last Friday. The Dark Knight fell 53% its second weekend compared to the finale's 60% drop, but that can't solely be explained by the aftereffects of last week's tragedy. Internationally, The Dark Knight Rises has earned $248 million, compared to $287 million at home. That's a half-billion dollars in just two weeks.

The Ben Stiller-led comedy The Watch stumbled with a $13 million opening. Stiller's Tower Heist also underperformed earlier this year, leading some to downgrade the actor's star rating. The

'The Watch'

tale of dudes who create a neighborhood watch group that uncovers an alien invasion drew mainly males, and primarily older ones.

Attracting the exact opposite demographic--mainly females and audiences under 24--Step Up Revolution also finished with a middling result, $11.8 million. I suspect the opening of the dance film will put this franchise to bed (or turn it into a straight-to-DVD one), though the four-film run is impressive. If there's another one, it's because these movies don't cost too much, the main special effect being unknown

'Step Up Revolution'

(and modestly paid) young dancers.

Fox Searchlight's indie fantasy-romance Ruby Sparks had a solid debut in thirteen theatres, with a per-screen average of $11,700. The NC-17, violent Killer Joe averaged $12,600 per screen in three locations. Meanwhile, documentary Searching for Sugar Man debuted to $9,500 per screen in three locations, a less promising debut--though I certainly expect strong word-of-mouth for this astonishing true story.

Further up in the rankings, in tenth, twelfth, and thirteenth place, are this summer's indie successes. Moonrise Kingdom placed tenth in its tenth week, earning $1.3 million and holding strong to its placement at the bottom of the top ten. It's been ninth or tenth for six of its ten weeks. In twelfth is Woody Allen's To Rome with Love, accruing another $1 million in its sixth week. Southern-set Beasts of the Southern Wild, the newbie of the bunch, grabbed $914,000 in its fifth week. It went up 19% from last week, while the other two films posted small decreases around 25%  less than last week.

This Friday, kid-friendly Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 will go up against the remake of 1990 sci-fi favorite Total Recall.

'Brave' soars to $67 million, with audiences opting for 2D

Pixar continues its strong box office record with Brave, which debuted to $66.7 million. That's slightly more than the $66.1 million debut of Cars 2 last year. 66% of revenue came from 2D screenings. Since 2D has lower ticket prices, that means an even greater percentage of audiences opted for 2D. I've heard a few anecdotes from people who planned to see a movie in 2D but ended up paying extra to see the 3D version only because the 2D screening was sold out. The true amount of audiences who prefer 2D may even be higher. However, since audiences abroad opt for 3D, it's likely to continue to be an option for big-budget tentpoles.

Even with competition from Brave, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted only dipped 40% to $20.2 million.  It appears audiences are hungry for animated options, but they won't have another one until Ice Age 3 opens July 13.

Debuting in third place, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter netted $16.5 million. 45% of revenue for the horror-action-alternative history hybrid came from 3D, indicating that a male, fanboy audience is more keen on the format. The release earned a dismal C+ rating on CinemaScore, indicating this the flick already has a stake through its heart.

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley didn't entice audiences to check out Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which averaged a low $2,300 per screen for a total of $3.8 million. Perhaps the apocalyptic romantic comedy should have been even more limited to ensure a higher opening per-screen average, but calls like that are difficult to make. In comparison, Moonrise Kingdom occupied the spot below with $3.4 million in its fifth week, while still playing on only a quarter of the screens.

Woody Allen films typically open big, so it's no surprise that a five-screen release of To Rome, With Love netted $75,000 per screen, the second-highest of the year. However, middling reviews should ensure this won't be another breakout hit like last year's Midnight in Paris.

This Friday, Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" voices a raunchy bear in Ted, long lost siblings reunite in People Like Us, Channing Tatum plays a male stripper in Magic Mike, and Tyler Perry returns with Madea's Witness Protection.

 

Memorial Day weekend puts 'Men in Black 3' on top

In Hollywood, you can't win everything. Men in Black 3, the first new installment of the sci-fi comedy franchise in a decade, earned $55 million over the three-day weekend and $70 million including Monday. Still, the return fell short of some predictions, which had the Will Smith/Tommy Lee Jones/Josh Brolin picture earning at least $80 million. Smith's star power is considered untouchable, but the less-than-thrilling opening has slightly diminished his reputation, at least in the opinion of some in the industry. Smith hasn't even been in a movie since 2008's Seven Pounds, though he's currently filming the sci-fi picture After Earth with his son Jaden.

Low-budget horror film Chernobyl Diaries made a disappointing $7.9 million over the weekend, which rose to just $9.3 million including Monday. At one point, it seemed like making a horror movie guaranteed a return on investment, but for every hit like Paranormal Activity or Insidious there are also flops like Apollo 18 and The Darkest Hour. Chernobyl Diaries falls into the latter category.

Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom broke the record for per-location average (for a non-animated film), finishing with $130,000 per screen. The film played in two theatres in NYC and two in LA. Judging by the hourly showtimes, the nostalgic story of young love was playing in more than one theatre in each location. Anderson's reputation undoubtedly assured a high opening weekend, but the record-breaking numbers mean this film has already been drawing in less committed Anderson fans. The release will expand into hundreds of theatres by June, but I wonder if the exceptional opening weekend will change Focus' distribution plan.

Weinstein Co.'s The Intouchables had a strong $25,000 per-screen average over the three-day weekend. The French-language, uplifting story of two friends hits straight at many indie film sensibilities, but there are already a couple of films angling to be the "indie hit of the summer," and that list won't include The Intouchables. Bernie (which averaged $85,000 per screen its opening weekend) topped $1 million for the first time this weekend, playing in 194 theatres and averaging over $5,000 per screen. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which expanded into over 1,200 theatres over the holiday weekend, did even better. The retirement-age comedy earned $6.3 million.

This Friday, Snow White and the Huntsman will attempt to unseat MIB3, and a few smaller films will aim for niche audiences.

'Think Like a Man' stays ahead of four new releases

Four new wide releases opened this weekend, but all of them underwhelmed. The winners were holdovers, especially Think Like a Man. The ensemble romantic comedy, which features a primarily black cast, dropped by half to earn $18.8 million, making it the most successful movie to open this April. Audiences' foreknowledge of comedian/author Steve Harvey probably helped distinguish this feature from similar offerings, and the thumbs-ups from audiences in exit polls last week likely drove their friends to the box office this week.

British animation company Aardman Entertainment has never opened a film above $20 million in the U.S. However, since it's been two months since a new animated film graced the screen, many were hoping Pirates! The Band of Misfits could open above $11.4 million. It didn't, and audiences gave the stop-motion animated 3D film a so-so "B" rating in exit polls. Still, the family-friendly feature has earned over $60 million overseas, so the totals stateside are just one piece of the pie.

The Five-Year Engagement was trounced by the holdover romantic comedy Think Like a Man, debuting to just $11.1 million. Universal expected the Jason Segel-Emily Blunt vehicle to open close to 50% higher. While there are a lot of reasons flying around for this discrepancy, age and exit polls are the biggies. 57% of viewers were over thirty, while younger people are more avid moviegoers, indicating the plot may have turned off younger audiences. Exit polls gave the movie a "B-" rating, not surprising since it was billed as "from the producer of Bridesmaids" while being quite a bit different from that raunchy comedy.

Safe opened on the low end even for a Jason Statham movie, finishing with $7.7 million. Core Statham fans, older-skewing males, did turn out, but they were lukewarm on the action outing, giving it a "B+" CinemaScore.

The Raven, which finished with $7.2 million, generated some of the most creative critical put-downs I've seen in some time. My favorite was this Gawker headline, "I Fell Asleep 17 Times During The Raven." The only people who seemed to think this Edgar Allan Poe-tracks-down-a-serial-killer-who-quoth-his-stories tale was cool were under the age of 25. I think it’s fair to say that audiences still showing their IDs for R-rated movies are more easily wowed.

Bernie, a dark comedy starring Jack Black, opened amazingly well with a $30,000 per-screen average on three screens. Despite a lot of indie street cred, Sound of My Voice had a more tepid debut, averaging $8,000 per screen in five locations.

The Avengers will kick off the "summer" movie season this Friday. No other studio dares open a film against this superhero extravaganza, which will set the tone for summer 2012.

'Five-Year Engagement' aims for date-night audiences

By heavily marketing The Five-Year Engagement (2,936 theatres) as "from the producer of Bridesmaids," Universal hopes to draw in audiences looking for raunchy, original humor as well as traditional rom-com viewers. Writers Jason Segel (who stars) and Nicholas Stoller (who directs) guarantee at least some appeal to the male crowd, especially those who took a shine to the duo after Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which shares many similarities with the current project. In my review, I call it a "notch above," but it's nothing more than a reasonably fun way to spend a Friday night. Plus, unlike many more stereotypical romantic comedies, you won't leave with a bad taste in your mouth. Prognosticators expect an opening at least in the teen millions.

The first animated offering in two months, The Pirates! Band of Misfits (3,358 theatres) will release in 3D. The "inspired nonsense" of a story makes for "endearing drollery," according to FJI critic Rex Roberts. The Aardman Entertainment production is filled with typical British humor, which could dampen grosses a bit, but the feature should still land somewhere at least in the teen millions.

A kind of mix of the revisionist fantasy The Grimm Brothers and From Hell, The Raven (2,203 theatres) follows Edgar Allan Poe as he tries to track down a murderer who is using Poe's books for inspiration. The "lamebrain concept" failed to entice critic David Noh, who described the suspenser as an "endless, tireless cartoon." An opening somewhere north of $10 million is in the forecast.

"The best Jason Statham outing in some time," according to critic Daniel Eagan, Safe (2,266 theatres) promises to "[hurtle] viewers along its twisting, sordid storyline." Despite this rave from Eagan, the action thriller is expected to earn just below $10 million, though Eagan feels it could "grab a wider audience through word of mouth."

On the specialty front, indie darling Brit Marling plays a cult leader in the "taut and unnerving" Sound of My Voice (5 theatres), which critic Erica Abeel gave a thumbs-up. Jack Black is the highlight of Bernie (3 theatres), a black comedy about a man who murders an elderly woman, and is based on a true story. Finally, Elles, a sex-filled French tale about a journalist who investigates college students moonlighting as prostitutes, should excite stateside audiences, though male viewers may "[leave] the theatre disappointed that Freud’s famous question, 'What does a woman want?' remains profoundly unanswered," Roberts reflects.

On Monday, come back to see if audiences bought the "Bridesmaids spinoff" pitch and if families turned out for a fresh animated offering.

'American Reunion' and 'Titanic 3D' bring audiences back to the '90s

This weekend is full of throwbacks. American Reunion, the fourth film in the '90s franchise to have a theatrical release, will open in 3,191 theatres. The comedy's "main sentiment is that it’s tough to recapture your youthful abandon when you’re thirty-something, no matter how immature you might be," critic Kevin Lally reports, unimpressed with the movie as a whole. Because this weekend has Easter, Passover, and the beginning or end of Spring Break for many of those in school, an opening of $20-30 million is expected.

Fifteen years ago, Titanic was a megahit. Director James Cameron's movie returns in 3D with a 2,717-screen release, including at least some theatres showing the epic in its original 2D. The critical response to the 3D version has been generally positive. New York magazine film critic David Edelstein offers detailed analysis of the use of 3D, noting that "Cameron’s foregrounds are strong, his compositions multi-tiered, Russell Carpenter’s camerawork limpid." Certain scenes are transformed by the use of 3D. The movie released on Wednesday, and has earned $4.7 million to date. Over the weekend, it could pocket another $20 million or so as nostalgia-seekers and young audiences seek out the classic historical romance, which is something like the Gone with the Wind of our era.

If The Hunger Games drops by half, it will still end up with just under $30 million, so there is a chance the futuristic picture will top the box office, depending on the performance of Titanic 3D and American Reunion. PG-rated Mirror Mirror should hold strong given its family-friendly subject matter.

We the Party, a high school comedy with a "welter of clichés," according to FJI critic David Noh, and a predominantly black cast, will release in 59 theatres. Whit Stillman's latest, Damsels in Distress, a "droll, sophisticated take on the dopey college-comedy genre," according to our Doris Toumarkine, will also hit theatres.

On Monday, we'll see if audiences went back to Titanic and caught the 3D version, if American Reunion did as well as similar reunion comedy Grown Ups and captured a nostalgic, raunch-seeking audience, and if The Hunger Games continues to reign at the top of the box office.

Sequels falter during disappointing holiday weekend

By Sarah Sluis

Although the December box office picked up this weekend, it wasn't nearly as good as last year, with totals 14% behind 2010. Competition has been blamed for hurting individual films, but that doesn't explain why the box office as a whole is down.

Easily landing in first place with$40 million,Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadowsfell short of the $50 million figure many had predicted for the detective actioner. The first Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. earned $62 million. However, audiences gave high ratings in exit polls, and there's still plenty of time in December for the tentpole to approach its $200+ million domestic total.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, the third installment in the live-action/CG hybrid franchise, finished with a slightly underwhelming$23.5 million. The 2009 sequel opened to $48 million over Christmas weekend, but it appears audiences may have tired slightly of the antics of the chipmunks and chipettes. Hugo, The Muppets, and Arthur Christmas are all competing against Chipwrecked, and this Wednesday The Adventures of Tintin will join the competition for family audiences.

Mission: Impossibe--Ghost Protocol sneaked into just over 500 theatres this weekend, most of which were IMAX. Posting a stunning $30,500 per-screen average for a total of $13 million, Paramount hopes the early release unleashed a torrent of buzz from the franchise's committed fanboys.

Specialty release Carnage failed to generate the kind of opening per-screen average that will make the play adapation a mover-and-shaker. With a $17,000 per-screen average in five locations, the Roman Polanski-directed film is definitely one of the weaker specialty releases this season. The Artist posted a per-screen average nearly as high--$16,900 per screen--in seventeen locations its fourth week of release. Carnage can't compete with that.

Young Adult expanded into nearly 1,000 screens its second week, landing a spot in the top ten with a $3.6 million total. That's good news, but it also shows it's not as strong asThe Descendants, which was able to earn twice as much on one-third the screens when it made its first expansion (admittedly over the Thanksgiving weekend). The Hawaii-set dramedy starring George Clooney added another $3.3 million to its coffers this week while still playing in only 878 theatres.

Showing stamina in its second week,Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spywent up 48% as it expanded from 4 to 16 theatres. Its $28,000 per-screen average made for a total of $452,000, a good sign for the spy film, which is rated 84% positive on Rotten Tomatoes.

This Wednesday, The Adventures of Tintin and The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo will open, followed by a wide release of We Bought a Zooon Friday. War Horse, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and The Darkest Hour will follow on Sunday, Christmas Day.

'New Year's Eve' and 'The Sitter' offer alternative to glut of family films

By Sarah Sluis

There's only three more weekends until Christmas, so it's fitting that New Year's Eve (3,505 theatres) is jumping the gun. The romantic comedy may not be getting the best reviews (only 6% of critics gave it a "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes), but it's the only offering in this genre to come out in the next month, so it will have a captive audience. Unlike the $56 million opening weekend of Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve is expected to come in around the teen millions, and then hit close to that number until we ring in 2012.

The Sitter (2,479 theatres) isn't faring much better in the critics department (only 20% positive) but the young males the movie is targeting tend not to pay much attention to reviews. Our critic Marsha McCreadie is one of the comedy's defenders, calling it "sincere and heartwarming," with star Jonah Hill "[delivering] some complicated and tender moments." Plenty of bawdy and law-breaking episodes temper the emotional punch of the movie, which is essentially an R-rated Adventures in Babysitting.

The adaptation of John le Carr's novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (4 theatres) also makes its debut. Viewers unfamiliar with the book "should pay attention," critic Rex Roberts warns. Even James Bond spy movies have viewers scratching their heads at times, but Tinker, Tailor takes confusion to a whole other level. I found individual parts of the movie more fulfilling than the whole. Roberts points out that director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) "has a knack for finding the telling detail�a drop of sweat from a waiter's brow�that evokes the essence of a scene." Indeed, it's moments like these that make the thriller most satisfying.

Charlize Theron stars as Mavis, a more seasoned variation on the evil prom queen, in Young Adult (8 theatres). She goes back to her hometown of Mercury, Minnesota, to steal back her high school boyfriend, now married and father to a newborn. The comedy-drama "walks a tricky line between cynicism and compassion, laughter and tragedy," critic Kevin Lally notes, "letting us both revel in and gasp at Mavis' wildly inappropriate behavior but ultimately generating a modicum of sympathy." I particularly enjoyed the characterization of Mavis as a junk-food eating, Kardashian-obsessed, toy dog owner, Juicy sweats-wearing adult. Screenwriter Diablo Cody makes sure that Mavis' brand of pathetic is both dark and laugh-out-loud funny.

Ever wonder how a truly evil person comes to be? We Need to Talk About Kevin (2 theatres) stars Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly as the parents of a demonic child who later carries out a school shooting. Although many critics have praised the drama, David Noh resented director Lynne Ramsay's "promiscuous auteur-ism." Many have already mentioned Swinton's name as a possible nominee for Best Actress during the Academy Awards.

On Monday, we'll see if New Year's Eve and The Sitter were able to lift the mid-December box office blues. With half of the top ten films targeting family audiences, these movies should help bring in younger and unattached audiences.

'Tower Heist' and 'Harold & Kumar Christmas' bring comedy front-and-center

By Sarah Sluis

A comedy about huckstered ninety-nine percenters taking revenge on the one-percenter in their building? With Occupy Wall Street bringing income inequality back into the headlines, Tower Heist (3,367 theatres) appears perfectly poised to take advantage of its topicality. Some estimate the movie could pull in $30 million this weekend. Reviews have not been entirely unkind. Critic Daniel Eagan echoes the sentiments of many other critics when he calls it a "broad" comedy with "crowd-pleasing" elements. It's ultimately "undemanding," but that's the definition of escapist entertainment. The unlikely group of cast members includes Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe. However, they don't gel together: "No one character truly takes control," Eagan complains, making the comedy a "downscale Ocean's Eleven."

Ring the sleigh bells! A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2,875 theatres) has found a positive perch with many critics, who as a rule are unlikely to root for a stoner comedy directed at teen boys. Critic Doris Toumarkine sparked to the comedy's liberal politics, which she says will appeal to anti-tea partiers. The 3D, too, features "clouds of pot smoke billowing towards audiences," which may be enough to fill the 2,943 3D screens and ensure the 1,000 midnight showings are packed. Toumarkine predicts this "comedy gift...assures more life for the franchise."

The Son of No One (10 theatres) is one of those movies with an all-star cast that ended up being not very good. Anchor Bay will give it just a blip release theatrically, then thousands of people will assume the "policier" with the cast list of "Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Channing Tatum..." is a big-name movie they just haven't heard about when they hit "play" on Netflix. How wrong they will be, especially given critic David Noh's negative review, which calls the movie "obvious and wholly unconvincing" as well as "an unintentional spoof of Reservoir Dogs."

Aging punk rockers discuss the difficulties of explaining their R-rated tattoos to their kids in The Other F Word (NYC), which Noh calls a "hilarious investigation" into punk dads. Another documentary, Charlotte Rampling: The Look (2 theatres), offers an "admiring" peek into the life of the legendary actress with plenty of "movie talk" for cinephiles, according to Noh.

On Monday, we'll see if Tower Heist enticed the ninety-nine percenters to the box office and if young male viewers were enticed to leave their couches and have some early Christmas cheer for Harold & Kumar.

'Footloose' outstepped by 'Real Steel'

By Sarah Sluis

Despite three new wide releases this weekend, last week's Real Steel narrowly won the first place spot by dipping just 40% to $16.3 million. While the robot-centered picture didn't overwhelm in its first outing, its second round has brought the expensive production to a more respectable $51 million cumulative total.

In second place, the reboot of Footloose debuted to $16.1 million. The inexpensive movie drew the greatest support from older females. 75% of all viewers were women, and 73% were over 18. The movie, which is set in a small town, drew the greatest support from Heartland locales, with Salt Lake City and Oklahoma City receiving the honors of being the dance film's top two markets. Former "Dancing with the Stars" regular Julianne Hough stars, so she undoubtedly helped the movie appeal to the show's older female viewers.

The sci-fi/horror remake The Thing underperformed, earning just $8.7 million. The movie joins other scary offerings that have failed to connect with viewers, including Apollo 18 and Dream House. Horror movies are supposed to be low-budget sure things, but the misfire of The Thing shows there are more factors at work. As Halloween approaches, it will be interesting to see if Paranormal Activity 3 helps reverse this trend.

The Big Year was a big bust. The salaries of Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson were probably barely covered by the comedy's paltry $3.3 million opening. I thought making fun of but also celebrating bird watching sounded like a hoot, but audiences didn't agree and critics warned that the feature was not particularly funny.

Director Pedro Almodvar is something of a brand name on the indie circuit, so it's no surprise his latest, The Skin I Live In, earned $38,500 per screen in six locations. The movie ran in the New York Film Festival, giving the Spanish-language genre hybrid additional advance publicity for city dwellers. Such a strong per-screen average sustained over six screens (as opposed to the two often reserved for opening weekend) bodes well for the unusual drama's future.

The generic cop vs. serial killer picture Texas Killing Fields had a rote performance at the box office, averaging $3,000 per screen at three locations. Take Shelter, one of my indie favorites this year, boosted its per-screen average by $500 from last week, even as it doubled the number of theatres in its release. In 24 locations, the drama had a mean of $5,300 per location.

This Friday, Paranormal Activity 3 starts the Halloween horror deluge, Johnny English Reborn offers up British spy humor, and the swashbuckling The Three Musketeers draws its sword.

'The Help' steps up to first place

By Sarah Sluis

In a late summer coup, The Help rose a spot to first place in its second week, taking home $20.4 million. The Civil Rights era drama with a touch of comedy lost just 21.4% of its audience. Earlier this summer, Bridesmaids managed the same feat, dipping just 20.4% its second outing. Other female-driven summer releases of years past, like Julie & Julia and Eat Pray Love, fell 35-50% their sophomore sessions, proving that a strong hold takes not only a female-driven audience but extraordinarily positive word-of-mouth. Though the end of the summer is approaching, The Help should continue to make waves at the box office. While New York and Los Angeles typically have the highest-grossing theatres in the nation, The Help has drawn support from theatres in Jackson, Mississippi, where the film is set, and Southern audiences in Memphis, Tennessee.

The four new releases this week couldn't summon audiences. The highest-grossing of the bunch, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, finished third with $12 million. As kids go back to school, Spy Kids won't be able to count on the high weekday grosses that made earlier youth-targeted pics so profitable. With poor reviews and box-office performance, this may be the end of the Spy Kids franchise.

Conan the Barbarian, considered one of the frontrunners, landed fourth with $10 million. Audiences over 25 were the main attendees of the movie, when really a younger audience would have sparked to the content. A lack of awareness of the first film probably turned off younger audiences, as well as the casting of Jason Momoa, a relative unknown.

Ending up a disappointing sixth, Fright Night debuted to just $7.9 million. Again, the majority of the audience was comprised of viewers over 25 who may have been aware of the first film, which came out in the 1980s. Critics liked the movie, but attendees weren't as excited. Those polled gave it a B- score overall.

The romantic, occasionally a wee melodramatic One Day failed to lure away female audiences from The Help. The Anne Hathaway-Jim Sturgess romance earned $5.1 million, though its sub-2,000 screens meant its $2,900 per-screen average was higher than films further up in the top ten.

On the specialty circuit, historical war film Amigo earned $4,000 per screen on ten screens. Mozart's Sister, which had charming reviews, averaged $4,700 per screen on seven screens.

This Friday, horror flick Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, actioner Colombiana and comedy Our Idiot Brother will provide a mix of genre and adult-skewing fare to audiences in search of some air-conditioned entertainment.