Category: Announcement

#1 Prisoners from Warner Bros. opened at #1 with a gross of $20.8 million in 3,260 theaters.  Budget was $46 million.

#2 Insidious Chapter 2 from FilmDistrict fell from #1 to #2 with a gross of $13.8 million (-65.7%) in 3,155 theaters (+106).  Total gross to date is $60.2 million.  Budget was $5 million.

#3 The Family from Relativity fell from #2 to #3 with a gross of $7 million (-50.1%) in 3,091 theaters.  Total gross to date is $25.6 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#4 Instructions Not Included from Lionsgate rose from #6 to #4 with a gross of $5.4 million (+11%) in 978 theaters (+45).  Total gross to date is $34 million.  Budget was unknown.

#5 Battle of the Year from Sony/Screen Gems opened at #5 with a gross of $4.6 million in 2,008 theaters.  Budget was $20 million.

#6 We’re The Millers from Warner Bros. fell from #5 to #6 with a gross of $4.56 million (-15.7%) in 3,003 theaters (-235).  Total gross to date is $138.1 million.  Budget was $37 million.

#7 Lee Daniels’ The Butler from Weinstein Company fell from #4 to #7 with a gross of $4.2 million (-24.4%) in 2,931 theaters (-308).  Total gross to date is $106.3 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#8 Riddick from Universal fell from #3 to #8 with a gross of $3.7 million (-46.6%) in 3,022 theaters (-95).  Total gross to date is $37.2 million.  Budget was $38 million.

#9 The Wizard of Oz (3D/IMAX) from Warner Bros. opened at #9 with a gross of $3.1 million in 318 theaters.  Budget was unknown.

#10 Planes from Buena Vista fell from #7 to #10 with a gross of $2.7 million (-12.9%) in 2,446 theaters (-293).  Total gross to date is $86.4 million.  Budget was $50 million.

#11 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters from 20^th Century Fox fell from #10 to #11 with a gross of $1.8 million (-5.7%) in 1,473 theaters (-165).  Total gross to date is $64.2 million.  Budget was $90 million.

#12 Elysium from TriStar fell from #9 to #12 with a gross of $1.5 million (-30.4%) in 1,392 theaters (-328).  Total gross to date is $90.8 million.  Budget was $115 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $73.1 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

#1 Insidious Chapter 2 from FilmDistrict opened at #1 with a gross of $40.3 million in 3,049 theaters.  Budget was $5 million.

#2 The Family from Relativity opened at #2 with a gross of $14 million in 3,091 theaters.  Budget was $30 million.

#3 Riddick from Universal fell from #1 to #3 with a gross of $6.8 million (-64%) in 3,117 theaters (+10).  Total gross to date is $31.1 million.  Budget was $38 million.

#4 Lee Daniels’ The Butler from Weinstein Company fell from #2 to #4 with a gross of $5.5 million (-34%) in 3,239 theaters (-91).  Total gross to date is $100 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#5 We’re The Millers from Warner Bros. fell from #4 to #5 with a gross of $5.4 million (-29.8%) in 3,238 theaters (-207).  Total gross to date is $131.6 million.  Budget was $37 million.

#6 Instructions Not Included from Lionsgate fell from #3 to #6 with a gross of $4.9 million (-40.3%) in 933 theaters (+216).  Total gross to date is $27.2 million.  Budget was unknown.

#7 Planes from Buena Vista fell from #5 to #7 with a gross of $3.1 million (-24.5%) in 2,739 theaters (-294).  Total gross to date is $83 million.  Budget was $50 million.

#8 One Direction: This is Us from TriStar fell from #6 to #8 with a gross of $2.5 million (-39%) in 2,300 theaters (-435).  Total gross to date is $27 million.  Budget was $10 million.

#9 Elysium from TriStar fell from #7 to #8 with a gross of $2.1 million (-32.9%) in 1,720 theaters (-521).  Total gross to date is $88.4 million.  Budget was $115 million.

#10 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters from 20^th Century Fox fell from #8 to #10 with a gross of $1.9 million (-22.4%) in 1,638 theaters (-407).  Total gross to date is $62.1 million.  Budget was $90 million.

#11 Blue Jasmine from 20^th Century Fox fell from #9 to #11 with a gross of $1.6 million (-31.2%) in 993 theaters (-76).  Total gross to date is $27.7 million.  Budget was unknown.

#12 The World’s End from Focus Features fell from #10 to #12 with a gross of $1.3 million (-43.5%) in 1,243 theaters (-277).  Total gross to date is $24 million.  Budget was $20 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $89.5 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Giovanni Manzoni is a former Mafia boss who has snitched on the mob and now has a 20 million dollar price on his head. He and his family have been placed in a witness protection program that has had them move around the world a few times. Now, Giovanni, with the new name given to him of Fred Blake, his wife Maggie, daughter Belle and son Warren have been moved to Normandy, France. They try to fit in, but old habits die hard and even with protection from the CIA, they soon find themselves about to be tracked down by their former Mafia associates. Hijinks, of course, ensues…

This is the broad premise of The Family, a dark comedy from visionary French director Luc Besson and producer Martin Scorsese. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I can’t necessarily say that I was thrilled by it as I was expecting it to be an overly broad comedy, but hearing that Besson was directing it made me take notice. Besson has previously directed movies like La Femme Nikita, Leon (know here as The Professional) and The Fifth Element, all big favorites of mine. Still, my expectations were somewhat low for the film, but I was pleasantly surprised by it’s end.

Besson has built his own little world here that uses the flavor of Scorsese’s GoodFellas as it’s source. Manzoni has done some horrible things for the mob, but still considers himself a good man, a good father and all he really wants to do is tell his true story. He starts to do that by writing his own memoirs, much to the dismay of his CIA handler. Besson tells this story with a very relaxed pace allowing us to get to know the Manzonis and how they exist in this little world that’s seems stuck in the heyday of the mob from the 70s. It’s not meant to be taken seriously, though at the same time it’s not an uproarious comedy by any means. This is presented in an almost episodic manner with each member of Manzoni’s family having their individual arcs and yet it’s all still tied to gather in such a way that I thought was satisfying. The pace of the film changes considerably during the final quarter of the film as the Manzonis are discovered by the mob and now have to use their own methods to get away again. I’ve seen some look at this as a film that’s trying to find an identity just because of some of the tonal shifts that happen when telling these stories, but for me, I looked at it all as world-building on Besson’s part and these shifts just seemed to make sense in this little microcosmos.

The biggest strength that the film has though is it’s cast and with high-powered names like Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, you’d certainly expect some good work. Now I’ll tell you right up front, this isn’t the high-point of any of their careers, but it’s still sold work and their solid work helps add credibility to Besson’s world. When I was first seeing the trailers for this, I thought it was going to be another one of these comedies in which DeNiro does some overly broad mugging for the camera, but it’s not the case at all. Even with his violent past, DeNiro’s Manzoni is actually a measured character that genuinely feels like he’s trying to change his ways, though he has moments where he imagines what he would do to people if he was his old self. He and Pfeiffer have some really good chemistry together that’s well demonstrated in one very nice little romantic scene between the two. While Pfeiffer’s good to watch with her family, she actually has better scenes when she’s with two CIA agents who are constantly watching the family. Here she gets a chance to let her hair down a bit and not constantly be the rock for the family. Tommy Lee Jones plays Robert Stansfield, Manzoni’s handler and this is the type of thing that you’ve seen Jones do again and again, so he’s certainly solid in the part and excels when he has scenes with DeNiro. Now, I liked all of the leads quite a bit, but I was even more impressed by Dianna Agron (from Glee) and John D’Leo who play the Manzoni kids, Belle and Warren respectively. There’s a lot of strength and confidence to both of their performances and at least to me they both hold their own with DeNiro and Pfeiffer and further help build credibility for this as a family unit in this whacked-out little world.

I was really surprised at just how much I enjoyed The Family, though I suspect that I’ll be a bit of a minority when it comes to that. I think we had a total of maybe 8 people in out theatre to see this and midway through, two of them actually walked out. I do get that, they were might’ve been expecting this to be something that had far bigger laughs than what it did or just thought it meandered a little too much in building it’s world, I don’t know. For me though, I appreciated it’s mixture of both the low-key and the over-the-top, it’s salute by Luc Besson to American Gangster films (in particular Scorsese’s GoodFellas) and it’s rock-solid cast and certainly thought it was more than a good diversion.

In the movie Insidious, the Lambert family is terrorized by spirits in another dimension called The Further. Josh and Renai Lambert’s son, Dalton suffers an accident that puts him into a coma and turns him into a bizarre conduit with this world. Josh’s mother, brings in her old friend Elise, a medium, and her assistants, Specs and Tucker, to help the family find the answers that they need and in the process they also discover that Josh has the same gifts as his son. By the end, Josh has made his own journey into The Further to bring back his son, but with a great cost, as Elise is murdered by the spirits in the real world.

Insidious: Chapter 2 takes place almost immediately after the events of the first film. We start with a flashback to Josh’s childhood and soon discover that he had a greater connection to the Further than what was revealed in the first movie. A younger Elise hypnotizes Josh into forgetting about this chapter in his life, but due to the events of the first movie, Josh’s own connection has now opened back up. Back in the present day, Elise’s murder is being investigated by the authorities with Josh being seen as a prime suspect. The Lambert family vacates their home to go stay with Josh’s mother and soon Josh is cleared of being a suspect. With this greater connection now being opened up more, the family soon finds out that their terror is far from over.

That’s the base premise to Insidious: Chapter 2 and without a doubt, you will need to have seen the first movie in order to keep up with what’s going on with the second. Insidious: Chapter 2 comes to us from director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell who are no strangers to the horror genre having given us both the first Insidious as well as the first of the Saw movies. This is Wan’s second horror movie for the year, with his first being The Conjuring, which at least to me, is also one of the best movies of the year. I had a pretty good time with Insidious: Chapter 2 though not in the same league as The Conjuring.

One of the criticisms that I saw with the first movie was the whole idea of The Further and if you had any sort of problems with that, then this sequel may not fly to far with you as it’s firmly centered around The Further for the whole movie. For me, this other dimension brings to mind Don Coscarelli’s classic Phantasm series and I very much like how this went further in-depth with the concept especially using it well to find out the origins of the spirit that possesses Josh, a mysterious serial killer called The Bride in Black. By it’s end, they’ve now set up this series so that the world of The Further takes the front seat for any future films and of course the possibility of another sequel certainly exists.

Insidious: Chapter 2 movies at a pretty brisk pace that I think works especially well by the film’s end as it’s jumping between both the real world and The Further. It’s scares are mostly of the jump variety that are punctuated by the film’s score (terrific work from composer Joseph Bishara who also worked with Wan on The Conjuring). Where the film really excels for me though is just in it’s presentation of these new spirits and the very over-the-top way in which they are presented. For some, this might seem a little too cartoonish, but I like the fact that Wan and Whannell went that far especially with a character who’s the mother of the spirit that possesses Josh Lambert (played by actress Danielle Bisutti). I think it goes a little too far with the humor provided by the characters of Specs (Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson) with just a few of the jokes seeming a little out of place, but it’s not a dealbreaker by any means.

Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, and Barbara Hershey all return from the first movie along with the above-mention Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson and for the most part, it’s a good turn by the cast. I mentioned in my review of The Conjuring that Patrick Wilson is one of my favorite actors to watch at work these days and he doesn’t disappoint in the slightest here, especially after his character of Josh is possessed. Wilson really turns on the crazy at that point and for me anyway brought to mind Jack Nicholson’s work in The Shining. New to this cast is veteran character actor Steve Coulter who plays Carl, another associate of Elise’s and Tom Fitzpatrick who plays The Bride in Black. Good work from both actors, but big props to Fitzpatrick and just how far he was willing to go in his portrayal of The Bride.

Insidious: Chapter 2 was a lot of fun that for me was only slightly spoiled by a… let’s say “rambunctious” audience of kids who were happy to get into a horror movie that’s rated PG-13. It’s an absolute necessity to have seen the first film in order to appreciate what goes on here, but if you’re a die-hard fan of the first (and there’s many out there) then you’ll no doubt have a good time with Insidious: Chapter 2.

#1 Riddick from Universal opened at #1 with a gross of $19 million in 3,107 theaters.  Budget was $38 million.

#2 Lee Daniels’ The Butler from Weinstein Company held at #2 with a gross of $8.4 million (-43.5%) in 3,330 theaters.  Total gross to date is $91.4 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#3 Instructions Not Included from Lionsgate rose from #4 to #3 with a gross of $8.1 million (+3.9%) in 717 theaters (+369).  Total gross to date is $20.4 million.  Budget was unknown.

#4 We’re The Millers from Warner Bros. fell from #3 to #4 with a gross of $7.7 million (-39.5%) in 3,445 theaters.  Total gross to date is $123.6 million.  Budget was $37 million.

#5 Planes from Buena Vista held at #5 with a gross of $4.1 million (-46.8%) in 3,033 theaters (-226).  Total gross to date is $79.1 million.  Budget was $50 million.

#6 One Direction: This is Us from TriStar fell from #1 to #6 with a gross of $4 million (-74.4%) in 2,735 theaters.  Total gross to date is $23.9 million.  Budget was $10 million.

#7 Elysium from TriStar fell from #6 to #7 with a gross of $3.1 million (-51.2%) in 2,241 theaters (-298).  Total gross to date is $85.1 million.  Budget was $115 million.

#8 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters from 20^th Century Fox rose from #10 to #8 with a gross of $2.4 million (-45.9%) in 2,045 theaters (-348).  Total gross to date is $59.8 million.  Budget was $90 million.

#9 Blue Jasmine from 20^th Century Fox rose from #12 to #9 with a gross of $2.34 million (-41.1%) in 1,069 theaters (-110).  Total gross to date is $25.1 million.  Budget was unknown.

#10 The World’s End from Focus Features fell from #8 to #10 with a gross of $2.31 million (-45.9%) in 1,520 theaters (-33).  Total gross to date is $21.8 million.  Budget was $20 million.

#11 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones from Sony/ScreenGems fell from #7 to #11 with a gross of $2.2 million (-59.7%) in 2,519 theaters (-599).  Total gross to date is $27.9 million.  Budget was $60 million.

#12 Getaway from Warner Bros. fell from #9 to #12 with a gross of $2.19 million (-51.3%) in 2,135 theaters (+5).  Total gross to date is $8.8 million.  Budget was $18 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $66.1 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

After being betrayed by the Necromongers, Richard Riddick has been left for dead on a desolate, sun-scorched world surrounded by various alien predators. Riddick looks at this as an opportunity to rebuild himself and soon manages to conquer his surroundings. After exploring the world further, he discovers an outpost that’s exclusively for use for bounty hunters and once he’s found that, he knows that his days for staying on this world are now numbered, being one of the most sought after criminals across space. Riddick devises a plan to get himself off world, and with the arrival of two different sets of mercenaries, his plan is about to take shape. But a literal storm is coming and with it a menace that no one will be able to stop.

That’s the broad premise to Riddick the latest film from writer/director and Riddick creator David Twohy and star Vin Diesel who plays the titular role. I’m a huge fan of their first movie, Pitch Black and while I thought there were some interesting aspects to it’s sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick, for the most part, I thought it was an unsatisfying experience. Riddick takes a very “back to basics” approach with it’s main character and the series itself, and at least to me, this is a very entertaining pulpy science fiction film.

The story is very episodic in nature, broken down into three acts with their own points, yet still with a nice flow. The first act is a pure tale of survival in a hostile environment and in some ways reminds of the classic science fiction movie Robinson Crusoe on Mars. The second act introduces the two sets of mercenaries and has a terrific Western feel to it (as well as little parts of it that reminded me of the sci-fi classic Forbidden Planet). The final act puts everything together and certainly harkens back to Pitch Black in a lot of ways, but also, at least to me adding some growth to the Riddick character. Even though this is a “back to basics” approach, it’s still a true sequel to the prior two movies as events from both are very much referred to, especially with one character from the first film. Basically, while I think that if you haven’t seen the first two movies, you still might enjoy this, you’ll enjoy it even more if you’ve seen both Pitch Black and Chronicles.

Two points that I really liked that I’ve seen others criticize are with the pacing of the film and it’s visual effects. Riddick does have a leisurely drawn-out pace that I think works for it’s episodic nature and is particularly effective in the first third of the movie. I think the look of the movie and it’s visual effects are absolutely fantastic. This has a much more theatrical look to it’s visuals rather than one that looks totally real and the same is true with it’s creature design. For me, there are some scenes here that put me right in the mind of classic science fiction paperback book covers and for the overall pulpy feel of the film, I don’t think it hurts it in the slightest.

As mentioned above, Vin Diesel returns to the part of Richard Riddick and it’s pretty obvious to me by his work on screen just how special this character is to him. In particular watching Diesel during the first third of this is especially fun as he gets introspective about what led him to this situation and as he develops his own relationship with a dog-like creature native to this world. For the most part, the mercenaries are all run-of-the-mill characters, but the actors playing them look like they’re having quite a bit of fun and there are a few standouts. Jordi Molla and Dave Bautista play Santana and Diaz respectively from the first group of mercenaries Santana is the leader of the group and Molla plays it with the right amount of smarm. Bautista’s Diaz, is the heavy duty enforcer who actually gets a lot of the good lines and has more clarity about their situation than the other members of his group do. Matt Nable and Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff play Johns and Dahl from the other group of mercenaries. I’m a fan of Sackhoff’s and just really enjoyed seeing her here, but between the two Nable is the real standout. His character actually has a personal reason for pursuing Riddick and yet the way it’s written and the way Nable plays it, it’s not just one note and the character, at least to me has more to exist for than just revenge.

I had a terrific time with Riddick. It certainly made up for the disappointment that I had in the prior film and it’s “back-to-basics” approach was quite appealing and certainly leaves the character in a better place than where he was at the end of the prior movie. I love the film’s look, it’s relaxed pace and it’s melding of sci-fi and western genres. I hope this isn’t the last we see of Richard Riddick, but only as long as David Twohy and Vin Diesel are there to guide the character.

#1 One Direction: This is Us from TriStar opened at #1 with a gross of $15.8 million in 2,735 theaters.  Budget was $10 million.

#2 Lee Daniels’ The Butler from Weinstein Company fell from #1 to #2 with a gross of $14.9 million (-9.8%) in 3,330 theaters (+220).  Total gross to date is $74.1 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#3 We’re The Millers from Warner Bros. fell from #2 to #3 with a gross of $12.7 million (-2.5%) in 3,445 theaters.  Total gross to date is $109.7 million.  Budget was $37 million.

#4 Instructions Not Included from Lionsgate opened at #4 with a gross of $7.8 million in 348 theaters.  Budget was unknown.

#5 Planes from Buena Vista held at #5 with a gross of $7.75 million (-9.6%) in 3,259 theaters (-119).  Total gross to date is $70.8 million.  Budget was $50 million.

#6 Elysium from TriStar rose from #7 to #6 with a gross of $6.4 million (-7%) in 2,539 theaters (-374).  Total gross to date is $78.5 million.  Budget was $115 million.

#7 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones from Sony/ScreenGems fell from #3 to #7 with a gross of $5.5 million (-41.1%) in 3,118 theaters.  Total gross to date is $22.9 million.  Budget was $60 million.

#8 The World’s End from Focus Features fell from #4 to #8 with a gross of $5 million (-42.8%) in 1,553 theaters (+2).  Total gross to date is $16.8 million.  Budget was $20 million.

#9 Getaway from Warner Bros. opened at #9 with a gross of $4.5 million in 2,130 theaters.  Budget was $18 million.

#10 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters from 20^th Century Fox fell from #8 to #10 with a gross of $4.48 million (-15%) in 2,393 theaters (-337).  Total gross to date is $55 million.  Budget was $90 million.

#11 You’re Next from Lionsgate fell from #6 to #11 with a gross of $4.1 million (-41.7%) in 2,437 theaters.  Total gross to date is $13.4 million.  Budget was unknown.

#12 Blue Jasmine from 20^th Century Fox fell from #10 to #12 with a gross of $4 million (+1.2%) in 1,179 theaters (-104).  Total gross to date is $20.5 million.  Budget was unknown.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $93.1 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Former race-car driver Brent Magna has returned home to find that it’s been ransacked and his wife is now missing. Soon, Magna receives instructions from a mystery man to steal a car and be ready to perform all sorts of tasks for him or else his wife will be killed. The car that Magna has been told to steal is a highly customized Shelby Super Snake Mustang that’s been structurally reinforced and fitted with cameras and microphones so that the mystery man can see and hear everything that Magna does. In the midst of the chaos that Magna is causing (on the streets of Sofia, Bulgaria), He’s tracked down by a young woman known here as The Kid who pulls a gun on Magna and claims the car as her own, Magna is forced to bring the girl along with him and soon finds out that both are part of the plans of the mystery man. Now they must endure a race against time in order to save themselves and Magna’s wife.

That’s the premise to Getaway an action thriller from Dark Castle Entertainment, a production company that has specialized in lower-budget genre films that have included movies like Whiteout, Thir13en Ghosts, Ghost Ship, RocknRolla and a couple of favorites of mine like Ninja Assassin and Splice. Getaway is directed by Courtney Solomon who prior to this has directed An American Haunting (which I’ve not seen) and Dungeons & Dragons (which I saw when it came out and at least remember being entertained by it at the time). Getaway certainly feels like it’s the sort of project that I’d expect to see from Dark Castle and it certainly seems to me like it’s designed to appeal to the same audience that likes the Fast & Furious movies. I thought the trailer to the movie looked fun, but unfortunately the movie is more a noisy endurance run more than anything else. This thing is a mess.

This 90-minute car chase is so convoluted that it feels like you’re watching an overly scripted video game that has to have certain things happen in the right moment for it to progress and of course all of these things do happen. It’s cliche-ridden abound with the biggest offender being the character of The Kid who’s not only extremely unlikeable but also serves as the deus ex machina of the movie; the computer hacker who can perform magic with the touch of a few buttons- maybe one of the biggest character cliches that you see in movies today. There’s absolutely no humor to be found in the movie whatsoever and the chases themselves are shot in such a staccato manner that they’re just not exciting at all to watch. Now this chase part does get a little bit better by the film’s end with a pretty cool nearly two-minute long single shot from the hood of the Mustang as it’s in pursuit of the villain of the film, but by then it’s too little too late, because really you just don’t care.

As I said at the top, when I saw the trailer, I thought it looked fun and another part of the appeal to me was that this starred Ethan Hawke (playing Brent Magna). Hawke’s certainly done a lot of very good work in the past and has played in several recent genre films (including The Purge from earlier this year. When it comes to his genre roles, I tend to think that Hawke has chosen to do them because there is just a little bit of a twist to the parts, but unfortunately, that’s not the case with Getaway Brent Magna is a by-the-numbers lead that you’ve seen time and again in film, though to Hawke’s credit, he plays it well and with conviction. He doesn’t elevate the material here, but at least he doesn’t embarrass himself either, though I doubt this movie will be one that he puts on the top of his resume. Selena Gomez plays The Kid (no name is given to her throughout the film) and five minutes into her scenes in the film, I’d pretty much had enough. She looks like she’s about 13 years old here and doesn’t for a moment seem like she’d have the wherewithal to sell the idea that she’s an expert hacker who could break into complex computer systems let alone have a license to drive and own a car. She’s just annoying as can be though I can’t lay the blame entirely at her as the script just doesn’t do her any favors. When she first encounters Magna, she’s told right up front what’s going on and yet repeatedly through the film she questions why Magna is doing what’s he’s doing and calls him an ‘asshole” for doing it. That really doesn’t do much to endear her to the audience. I have to give further kudos to Ethan Hawke just for being a pro and putting up with this.

Further, we do actually have a name actor in the part of the mystery man (known in the credit listings as The Voice) but before you get to him, you go through two substitutes (played by Bruce Payne and Paul Freeman) before we get the big reveal and then it just doesn’t matter in the slightest, because really nothing else further is told about this character other than he was a big fan of Magna’s while Magna was on the racing circuit. I won’t reveal who this actor is just in case any who are reading this are still planning to see the movie, but still the final revelation is underwhelming to say the least.

Coming into this, I really wanted to like Getaway, I really did. I think it’s totally possible to make a 90-minute car chase movie and make it with some wit and charm, but that’s just not the case here. Ethan Hawke is certainly solid in his part and there’s one good car chase bit in the film (the above-mentioned single shot scene), but a convoluted and clunky script and an overly annoying performance from Selena Gomez squashes that. Steer far away from Getaway.

#1 Lee Daniels’ The Butler from Weinstein Company held at #1 with a gross of $16.5 million (-33%) in 3,110 theaters (+177).  Total gross to date is $51.8 million.  Budget was $30 million.

#2 We’re The Millers from Warner Bros. held at #2 with a gross of $13 million (-27.4%) in 3,445 theaters (+120).  Total gross to date is $91.3 million.  Budget was $37 million.

#3 The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones from Sony/ScreenGems opened at #3 with a gross of $9.3 million in 3,118 theaters.  Total gross to date is $14.1 million.  Budget was $60 million.

#4 The World’s End from Focus Features opened at #4 with a gross of $8.8 million in 1,551 theaters.  Budget was $20 million.

#5 Planes from Buena Vista fell from #4 to #5 with a gross of $8.6 million (-36%) in 3,378 theaters (-338).  Total gross to date is $59.6 million.  Budget was $50 million.

#6 You’re Next from Lionsgate opened at #6 with a gross of $7 million in 2,437 theaters.  Budget was unknown.

#7 Elysium from TriStar fell from #3 to #7 with a gross of $6.9 million (-49.4%) in 2,913 theaters (-371).  Total gross to date is $68.9 million.  Budget was $115 million.

#8 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters from 20^th Century Fox fell from #6 to #8 with a gross of $5.3 million (-39.7%) in 2,730 theaters (-350).  Total gross to date is $48.4 million.  Budget was $90 million.

#9 Kick-Ass 2 from Universal fell from #5 to #9 with a gross of $4.4 million (-67.2%) in 2,945 theaters (+5).  Total gross to date is $22.5 million.  Budget was $28 million.

#10 Blue Jasmine from 20^th Century Fox rose from #14 to #10 with a gross of $4 million (+73.4%) in 1,283 theaters (+1,054).  Total gross to date is $14.5 million.  Budget was unknown.

#11 2 Guns from Universal fell from #8 to #11 with a gross of $3.4 million (-42.1%) in 1,841 theaters (-630).  Total gross to date is $65.4 million.  Budget was $61 million.

#12 Jobs from Open Road Films fell from #7 to #12 with a gross of $2.9 million (-57.3%) in 2,381 theaters.  Total gross to date is $12 million.  Budget was $12 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $90 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

Paul and Aubrey Davison are getting ready to celebrate the wedding anniversary and have retreated to their secluded country house. Their three sons and one daughter are also on the way there with their significant others. First to arrive is their son Crispian with his girlfriend Erin, and almost right on cue as the parents believe that someone else is in the house. After the house has been given the “all clear,” the rest of the family arrives little knowing the night of terror that awaits them from out in the woods.

That’s a loose version of the premise to You’re Next, from director Adam Wingard who’s part of a new breed of horror filmmakers that includes from the cast of You’re Next, Joe Swanberg and Ti West. Both West and Wingard have been part of the film The A, B, C’s of Death (which I still have yet to see, but will soon) and all three were part of the found footage horror anthology, V/H/S which I enjoyed a great deal. Like horror directors Rob Zombie and James Wan (who earlier this year gave us The Lords of Salem and The Conjuring respectively), these guys ear their influences on their sleeves and it’s certainly evident in You’re Next which is a nice little throwback to 80s horror and revenge films, but still feels fresh and fun (fun if you’re horror movie fan that is).

You’re Next brought to mind for me 80s slasher movies along with a little touch of Italian Giallo movies and with it’s heroine, Erin (played by Step Up 3D’s Sharni Vinson) it brought to mind for me movies like the exceptional 80s horror film, The Stepfather and the Linda Blair revenge movie, Savage Streets. This starts with a bit of a slow build, letting us get to know the Davison family and their guests a little bit before all hell breaks loose as they’re attacked from forces outside the house. Once that happens, it’s a real roller-coaster ride right up to the film’s bloody climax.

Wingard has a real nice eye for setting up his scenes and his animal mask-wearing antagonists are a nice little visual in and of themselves. Some of Wingard’s compositions bring to mind Kubrick’s work on The Shining which is also very much an influence on the whole movie. It’s all pretty nicely punctuated with a terrific score from Mads Heltberg, Jasper Justice Lee and Kyle McKinnon, that fluctuates between some violent stings to 80s type of electronic music (used particularly well during the back end of the movie).

As the terror escalates, the situations and murders get far more over-the-top and almost to the point of parody, but they felt right to me anyway. There are certainly explanations abound for why this is happening to the Davisons and why Erin is as resourceful as she is, and again, some of this will seem pretty outlandish, but it all does make sense in the end, in particular Erin’s backstory.

I really enjoyed Sharni Vinson in Step Up 3D and this is about as broad a departure from that part as it gets, but Vinson is certainly up to the task and certainly excels as the empowered heroine of the film. The rest of the cast is certainly serviceable to what’s being done here with the one standout being Joe Swanberg, the smart-ass Davison sibling who just doesn’t know when to die. I also thought it was very cool to see iconic horror actress Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond) here as Aubrey the matriarch of the Davison family.

I had a pretty darn good time with You’re Next. It’s not quite in the same league as The Conjuring (which for me anyway is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year so far), but it’s still a good time at the theatre and an even better one if you’re a fan of 70s and 80s horror movies. Some of this will certainly seem pretty outlandish at times, but in the end, it does come together and makes for a nice little horror ride.