For a movie that everybody hated, The Last Airbender had a helluva opening weekend, especially with Twilight sucking up plenty of oxygen.
7/9
Wide
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Bad guy gets a family.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. Looks like animated fare may be the one sure bet this summer (or this year).
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Sorcerer’s Apprentice may be a bit of an issue the following week, but Toy Story 3 has had enough time to cool off. $167mil.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Predators hunt criminals on some random planet.
WILL IT SUCK?
Director Nimrod Antal’s American work (Vacancy, Armored) hasn’t quite lived up to his Hungarian debut, Kontroll, but it hasn’t sucked, either. Cast is decent: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Danny “How Has He Not Been In One of These Already?” Trejo.
Early buzz is of the not-as-good-as-the-original-but-Lord-is-it-better-than-the-others variety.
By the way, according to IMDB, there’s a character in here named “Black Super Predator”. If they had named the movie that, I would’ve been there in a second.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The box office history for this franchise is kind of all over the place, but I predict this will fall on the upper end. $70mil.
Limited
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Guess Which Sperm Donor Is Coming to Dinner?
WILL IT SUCK?
You can’t argue with the cast. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play the lesbian parents of two kids, one of whom is the son of sperm donor Mark Ruffalo. Won a Teddy (no, I’m not sure what that is) at the Berlin Film Festival and seemed to make a splash at Sundance. From writer/director Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon, High Art). Early buzz is good.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Recognizable cast, engaging trailer, good buzz. Indie gold. $14mil.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Remember that girl with the dragon tattoo? Well, now she’s playing with fire.
WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good, though not quite as good as for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Maybe that’s because they went with a different writer/director for the last two adaptations in the series. By the way, though I’m not one to do anything but lament American remakes of foreign films, the Tattoo remake is looking pretty hot with Carey Mulligan and Daneil Craig in the leads and Fincher directing a Steve Zaillian script.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The Millennium Trilogy, as it is called, is catching fire here as well. $10mil.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Sequel to that movie that was turned into Quarantine.
WILL IT SUCK?
Same filmmakers, so if you liked [REC], you’ll probably like this, too. (And [REC] Genesis and [REC] Apocalypse, which are in the works.) Early buzz is good if not quite as good as for the original.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With no Quarantine 2 in the works, wondering if fans will turn to this instead. $1mil.
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Documentary about that guy. You know, the one on the Interwebs with that winnebago commercial? Yeah, I haven’t heard of him, either.
WILL IT SUCK?
Great trailer. Early buzz is excellent.
HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Outmatched. $250,000.
Next Week: Be psyched. Be very psyched.
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