'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' heads off against 'The Change-Up'

By Sarah Sluis

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (3,648 theatres) bills itself as an origin tale. The "primate revolution" alluded to in the 1968 film gets the full treatment here. Unfortunately, the unraveling of this mystery is a hollow experience, says our critic. "Whereas the first films...[held] a mirror up to human society's failings like slavery, war-mongering and intolerance, this one reflects nothing but a failure of the imagination," Chris Barsanti concludes, calling it a "by-the-numbers prequel" with James Franco's performance limited to a furrowing of the brow and occasional confused looks. Older males are showing the most interest in the film, which should earn in the $20 millions. You can count me out. I don't want to ruin the feeling of the 1968 original's spectacular ending, one of the best, most satisfying conclusions of all time.

I'm pretty sure the pitch for The Change-Up (2,913 theatres) went something like this: Let's do Freaky Friday, but R-rated! With guys! Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman play two guys, one a single player, the other married with kids, who switch bodies. Critic Marsha McCreadie rejoiced in the "somewhat sadistic fun [watching] guys obsessing over stuff that used to worry cinematic women," like "parenting, how to treat women, handle sex, fulfill career commitments and keep it all in balance." The Change-Up may not be too original, but there are "amusing bits" amidst the "gross-out humor."

Starring Rachel Weisz as a "a working-class Nebraska cop turned U.N. law-enforcement monitor in Bosnia," The Whistleblower "eschews light escapist touches to deliver a hard-hitting message of man's inhumanity writ large." That inhumanity involves Weisz's character's discovery of sex slave trafficking, with young women tricked into thinking they will find work in such innocent occupations as waitressing.

Magic Trip (4 theatres), from prolific documentarian Alex Gibney (who co-directed with Alison Ellwood), covers Ken Kesey's famous 1964 road trip on a bus loaded with LSD and the very first hippies. The footage, culled from their amateur efforts, didn't have sync sound and "shots are blurry, shaky, often poorly exposed, and almost never long enough to understand what is going on." That didn't stop critic Daniel Eagan from declaring that "Kesey may have had some wrong-headed notions, but in Magic Trip at least he comes off as a true adventurer with noble goals."

On Monday, we'll see if The Change-Up continues the trend of overperforming R-rated comedies, and if Rise of the Planet of the Apes attracted a $20+ million opening.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' maps out a first-place weekend

By Sarah Sluis

It's been eight years since Johnny Depp first donned black eyeliner in his memorable portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. Now, the fourth film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, will splash into 4,155 theatres. 65% of the theatres will show the film in 3D, along with a record-breaking 257 IMAX screens. The past two Pirates movies have debuted well over $100 million, but a softer $90-100 million opening is expected for the latest installment, which "confirms that the series' charm has worn off," according to FJI critic Ethan Alter. The film's action sequences lack that trademark mix of "combination of thrills and laughs" that initially won over audiences," he says, and in general the movie is "plodding and heavy-handed when it should be breezy and light."

Bridesmaids (2,937 theatres) has been ahead of Thor (3,924 theatres) since Monday, due to its strong word-of-mouth endorsements. On Monday, the female-driven comedy earned just 5% more than Thor, but by Wednesday Bridesmaids pulled in 28% more than the comic book film. Based on these results, Bridesmaids should be a shoo-in for second place.

The specialty film to watch this week is Midnight in Paris (6 theatres). Woody Allen's "Parisian fantasia" has won over critics, which have given the time-travel movie a 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some have called it his best film in years. Owen Wilson stars as a writer entranced by the city of light, and the film is studded with well-known faces like Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, French First Lady Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Sheen. These reviews should give the movie a lifetime gross closer to Vicky Cristina Barcelona's $23.2 million than You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger's $3.2 million.

On Monday, we'll see if the performance of Pirates ensures a fifth installment, and if Bridesmaids maintains its audience in its second outing.