Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Armored - A newbie guard for an armored truck company is coerced by his veteran coworkers to steal a truck containing $42 million. But a wrinkle in their supposedly foolproof plan divides the group, leading to a potentially deadly resolution.

Brothers - Sam Cahill (Maguire) returns from being held as a prisoner-of-war in Afghanistan to find that his ex-con brother (Gyllenhaal) has become the man, of sorts, of the household where Sam's wife, Grace (Portman) had been living under the assumption that she was a widow.

Everybody's Fine - A widower (De Niro) takes an impromptu road trip in order to reconnect with his grown children, only to discover that his family members are living far from perfect lives.

Transylmania - A horror comedy that follows a group of college kids who travel to Transylvania for a semester at Razvan University, which isn't as picturesque (or safe) as it appeared on its brochure.

Movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray!

Terminator Salvation
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
A Christmas Tale
Paper Heart

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 The Twilight Saga: New Moon$42.5 M

2 The Blind Side$40.1 M

3 2012 $18.0 M

4 Old Dogs$16.8 M

5 Disney's A Christmas Carol $16.0 M

6 Ninja Assassin $13.1 M

7 Planet 51 $10.2 M

8 Precious $7.0 M

9 The Fantastic Mr. Fox $7.0 M

10 The Men Who Stare at Goats $1.5 M

"New Moon" almost lost the holiday weekend as "The Blind Side" hit from...well...the blind side. But the vampire/werewolf romance flick stayed on top, but ended up falling over 70 percent from last weekend. Still, it is just under $475 million worldwide on a projected budget of only $50 million.

"The Blind Side" improved its numbers from last weekend, as did "A Christmas Carol." But "Old Dogs" and "Ninja Assassin" fell through the ranks. Heck, "The Road" didn't even make it on the Top 10 list.

Can "New Moon" stay on top for three weekends in a row or will another film take its place? If it does fall, what film do you think will win the weekend?

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Movie Review: Night at the Museum 2

In "Night at the Museum," Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) begins work as a night guard at the Museum of Natural History where everything comes to life due to a magical tablet. While the movie earned big bucks at the box office, it received poor reviews. I thought it was an okay endeavor thought the first 30 minutes were extremely slow since it set-up the life of Daley (when every one just wanted to see stuff come to life).

"Night at the Museum 2" does away with all the boring parts of the first film and sticks to what kids like, the exhibits at the museum coming to life.

Larry is no longer a night guard, having made a successful go at marketing insanely ridiculous products like the glow-in-the-dark flashlight. He's become a king of infomercials (even starring in one with George Foreman) and his new company "Daley Designs" is a smash success. Larry discovers that several of his magically reanimated friends from the Museum of History will be relocated to the Smithsonian in favor of state-of-the-art exhibits. Sadly the mystical tablet of Ahkmerah will not be relocating with them, effectively ending their reanimated lives after dark. When he gets a frantic call from miniature cowboy Jedediah (Owen Wilson) that the gang is under attack, Larry quikcly infiltrates the museum by means of an interesting encounter with another guard named Brandon (pronounced Brundon and played by Jonah Hill). Dexter the monkey stole the tablet in New York and when they arrived at the Smithsonian in D.C., it's star attraction Kahmurah (Hank Azaria) was brought back to life and now he wants to use the tablet to bring forth an army to rule the world.

What makes this film decent is that it is better than the first. The film takes place in one entire night, getting rid of all the boring parts of the previous film when Larry interacted with his family (though his son does return from the first movie for a minor role). All the previous characters that came to life also return and the new characters are also entertaining. Hank Azaria steals the film as the weird Kahmurah (whenever he talks with his lisp it is just fun to watch and listen).

Amy Adams seems very very perky in her role (she never stops smiling) and the romantic subplot is nice, but never found any footing due to her not being real. Bill Hader plays General Custer and he is funny to watch in any role he plays.

A vast improvement on the original, this film will most likely be remember for beating out "Terminator Salvation" at the box office and nothing more.

One last thing, if you are a fan of "300" like I am, there is an almost perfect spoof of a fight scene from that movie played out by Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan (Octavius)when they are in a battle at the end of the film. Funniest part of the movie to me...that and Darth Vader trying to use force choke.
7.1/10

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Land of the Lost - On his latest expedition, Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) is sucked into a space-time vortex alongside his research assistant (Friel) and a redneck survivalist (McBride). In this alternate universe, the trio make friends with a primate named Chaka (Taccone), their only ally in a world full of dinosaurs and other fantastic creatures. Can they all make it back to our world alive, and if so: Will Dr. Marshall can go from zero to hero with his discoveries?

The Hangover - In Las Vegas, three groomsmen lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, forcing them to retrace their steps in order to find him before the church bells ring.

My Life in Ruins - A travel guide (Vardalos) rediscovers her romantic side, with a very unlikely match, as she whisks a group of tourists around Greece.

Movies coming out on DVD!

Revolutionary Road
Defiance
He's Just Not That Into You

Box Office results for the weekend!

1. "Up" $68.2 million.

2. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" $25.5 million.

3. "Drag Me to Hell" $16.6 million.

4. "Terminator Salvation" $16.1 million.

5. "Star Trek" $12.8 million.

6. "Angels & Demons" $11.2 million.

7. "Dance Flick" $4.9 million.

8. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" $3.9 million.

9. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" $1.9 million.

10. "Obsessed" $665,000.

"Up" is another commercial success for Pixar. "Up" had the third-best opening for a film from Disney-owned Pixar, just behind the $70 million debuts for "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles." Last summer's Disney-Pixar release, "WALL-E," debuted with $63.1 million.

"Up" took over the No. 1 spot from 20th Century Fox's "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," which slipped to second-place with $25.5 million. "Night at the Museum 2" does have the same box office profile as the first film. "Night at the Museum" opened to $42.2 million and when on to make $48.2 million over its second weekend. That is a 14 percent increase instead of "Night at the Museum 2's" 53 percent decrease.

Paramount Pictures'"Star Trek" steered a strong course, coming in at No. 5 with $12.8 million and passing the computer-animated "Monsters vs. Aliens" as the year's top-grossing movie so far. "Star Trek" raised its domestic total to $209.5 million, becoming the first 2009 release to cross the $200 million mark.

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Up - By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

Drag Me to Hell - A loan officer (Lohman) ordered to evict an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse which turns her life into a living nightmare. Desperate, she turns to a seer for help, and learns she only has a short period of time before she is literally ushered into Hell.

Movies coming out on DVD!

New in Town
Powder Blue
Killshot

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian $53.5M

2 Terminator Salvation $43M

3 Star Trek $22M

4 Angels & Demons $21.4M

5 Dance Flick $11.1M

6 X-Men Origins: Wolverine $7.8M

7 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $3.72M

8 Obsessed $2M

9 Monsters vs Aliens $1.34M

10 17 Again $1M

"Night at the Museum 2" did 63 percent better on its opening weekend than its predecessor. That is a big improvement, but will it stay at the night for very long?

The budget for "Terminator Salvation" is listed at $200 million. It needs to start making some money fast to have "Terminator 5" greenlit. Maybe in the international market?

Other films are again petering out, but "Star Trek" is still living up to all the hype and buzz it has been generating. This was also the best weekend of the year (the top twelve films made $168 million).

Next week family friendly movies will again take the top spot as "Up" will take the lead and "Night at the Museum 2" will probably still dominate.

Box Office Results and Weekly Movie News

Movies coming out this week!

Terminator Salvation - John Connor (Bale) is joined in his attempt to defeat Skynet and its army of Terminators by Marcus Wright (Worthington), a man who apparently has been rescued from the past, though Connor wonders if instead he's been sent from the future as a foil to his plan. As Connor and Wright push deep into the heart of Skynet, they get closer and closer to learning the secret behind the organization's mission to wipe humankind off the planet.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - Security guard Larry Daley (Stiller) infiltrates the Smithsonian Institute in order to rescue Jedediah (Wilson) and Octavius (Coogan), who have been shipped to the museum by mistake.

Dance Flick - Street dancer Thomas Uncles (Damon Wayans, Jr.) is from the wrong side of the tracks, but his bond with the beautiful Megan White (Shoshana Bush) might help the duo realize their dreams as the enter in the mother of all dance battles.

Movies coming out on DVD!

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Valkyrie
My Bloody Valentine
Fanboys

Box Office results for the weekend!

1 Angels & Demons$48.0 M

2 Star Trek $43.0 M

3X-men Origins: Wolverine$14.8 M

4 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past $6.8 M

5Obsessed $4.5 M

6 17 Again$3.4 M

7 Monsters vs. Aliens $3.0 M

8The Soloist $2.4 M

9Next Day Air $2.2 M

10Earth (2009) $1.6 M

"Angels and Demons" won out the battle for the weekend but "Star Trek" comes in at a really close second. "Wolverine" just keeps dropping (probably because of the poor reviews) and will most likely cash in on DVD money now.

Other films continue to fall down the ladder, but next this week we have two big contenders. I predict "Terminator" to win out the weekend with "Night at the Museum" to come in second. "Star Trek" might stay up and wind up being higher than "Angels and Demons" unless positive word of mouth helps out the new Tom Hanks movie.

Night at the Museum 2 Trailer

Check out this trailer for "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian."

Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes clips for "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Monsters vs. Aliens."

Night at the Museum 2

USA Today got a first look at the new Ben Stiller movie, "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian." Check it out!

"After 2006's 'Night at the Museum' pulled in nearly $575 million worldwide, director Shawn Levy wanted the inevitable sequel to step up the action.

He's more than pleased with the result: "Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian," out May 22. 'This movie has one of the best comedic casts ever assembled, the visual effects are mind-blowing, and the story is more emotional,' he says.

Once again, museum exhibits come to life, but this time at the Smithsonian in Washington, where filming included scenes shot at the National Air and Space Museum. The D.C. setting also filmed at the Lincoln Memorial — where Honest Abe will come to 'life.'

So will General Custer, Albert Einstein and a giant squid that befuddles Ben Stiller's Larry Daley as he searches for his pal museum pieces Octavius and Jedediah, who have been shipped there.

Daley, the former night museum security guard, has become a successful gadget company CEO. But he has lost his joy and wonderment at the world. 'He's' sort of lost his way,' Levy says. 'This movie is about reclaiming himself.'"

Stiller himself said how glad he was to be back for a second movie.
"I really had such a good time, and I liked this script — it's better than the first film. It's not just the comedy. It's the fantasy element," Stiller said.

Also returning for the sequel: Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, Owen Wilson and Ricky Gervais. Newcomers include Christopher Guest, Hank Azaria, Eugene Levy, Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader and Enchanted's Amy Adams, who plays famed aviator Amelia Earhart.

In this sequel, Adams (who plays Earhart) will be Stiller's (Daley) romance. Don't know how that will work since she isn't real...and what happened to the girl from the last movie who wanted to talk to Sacajawea? And will his son be back in this too?
We will have to see the movie and find out.

The big question is will there be a third "Night at the Museum?"

"There are rumblings of another installment," Levy says. "We would love to take this premise (further). But even to say there's a likely third film is premature. We're not going to jinx things."

More news to come! Catch ya' later!

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2009

"In a survey conducted between August 8 and October 5, nearly 4,000 movie fans who had just purchased tickets at MovieTickets.com weighed in with their picks for the "most anticipated" films over the next 12 months.

MovieTickets.com consumers were asked to rank a list of upcoming films slated for release within the next year on a scale of 1-to-5, with 1 signifying they had little-to-no interest in seeing the film and a 5 meaning they had significant interest in seeing the film.

The Top 10 was: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Public Enemies
Angels & Demons
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
The Informant
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Taking of Pelham 123.

Among the key findings of the 'most anticipated' poll were that respondents ages 24 and under indicated that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was the film they were most interested in seeing; among 25 to 39-year-olds, X-Men Origins: Wolverine topped the list; and in the 40- to 59 and the 60-and-over category, Angels & Demons was No 1.

The top three films among males were X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. Among females, the top three was: Angels & Demons, Public Enemies and Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Gary Hiller, president of MovieTickets.com's Research and Analytics Division said: 'These polling results provide very early, valuable insight into comparative long-lead moviegoer awareness and interest levels.

'Marketing professionals, in particular, may find this data quite useful as it relates to the competitive release landscape over the next 12 months.'

In a 2007 MovieTickets.com poll on the same topic, consumers indicated their top-three most anticipated films to be: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Dark Knight and National Treasure: Book of Secrets."

Source: The Geek Files

What I have to say on this matter.
First of all, The Day the Earth Stood Still comes out in 2008 (and National Treasure 2 came out in 2007, not 2008). So I think there was a mix-up in the polling somewhere...
Next....Night at the Museum 2 and Ice Age 3? People...come on....do you know that Terminator Salvation, Watchmen, Star Trek, and Sherlock Holmes come out next year? I mean....Watchmen should at least be in that list. For crying out loud.
And to tell you the truth, three of those movies I haven't even heard of until right now. Now I need to go find out what Public Enemies, The Informant, and The Taking of Pelham 123 are.