Back Seat Producers

#1 Monsters University from Buena Vista held at #1 with a gross of $45.6 million (-44.7%) in 4,004 theaters.  Total gross to date is $170.4 million.  Budget was unknown.

#2 The Heat from 20^th Century Fox opened at #2 with a gross of $39.1 million in 3,181 theaters.  Budget was $43 million.

#3 World War Z from Paramount fell from #2 to #3 with a gross of $29.8 million (-55.2%) in 3,607 theaters.  Total gross to date is $123.7 million.  Budget was $190 million.

#4 White House Down from Sony/Columbia opened at #4 with a gross of $24.9 million in 3,222 theaters.  Budget was $150 million.

#5 Man of Steel from Warner Bros. fell from #3 to #5 with a gross of $20.7 million (-49.8%) in 4,131 theaters (-76).  Total gross to date is $248.6 million.  Budget was $225 million.

#6 This is the End from Sony/Columbia fell from #4 to #6 with a gross of $8.7 million (-34.5%) in 2,710 theaters (-345).  Total gross to date is $74.7 million.  Budget was $32 million.

#7 Now You See Me from Lionsgate fell from #5 to #7 with a gross of $5.6 million (-28.7%) in 2,564 theaters (-259).  Total gross to date is $104.8 million.  Budget was $75 million.

#8 Fast & Furious 6 from Universal fell from #6 to #8 with a gross of $2.4 million (-50.3%) in 1,580 theaters (-867).  Total gross to date is $233.4 million.  Budget was $160 million.

#9 Star Trek Into Darkness from Paramount held at #9 with a gross of $2.1 million (-33.7%) in 1,035 theaters (-530).  Total gross to date is $220.6 million.  Budget was $190 million.

#10 The Internship from 20^th Century Fox fell from #8 to #10 with a gross of $1.4 million (-57.9%) in 1,008 theaters (-908).  Total gross to date is $41.7 million.  Budget was $58 million.

#11 Iron Man 3 from Buena Vista fell from #10 to #11 with a gross of $1.36 million (-38.5%) in 540 theaters (-384).  Total gross to date is $405.4 million.  Budget was $200 million.

#12 The Purge from Universal fell from #7 to #12 with a gross of $1.2 million (-65.8%) in 1,122 theaters (-1,079).  Total gross to date is $62.8 million.  Budget was $3 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $183 million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

#1 Monsters University from Buena Vista opened at #1 with a gross of $82.4 million in 4,004 theaters.  Budget was unknown.

#2 World War Z from Paramount opened at #2 with a gross of $66.4 million in 3,607 theaters.  Budget was $190 million.

#3 Man of Steel from Warner Bros. fell from #1 to #3 with a gross of $41.3 million (-64.6%) in 4,207 theaters.  Total gross to date is $210.1 million.  Budget was $225 million.

#4 This is the End from Sony/Columbia fell from #2 to #4 with a gross of $13.3 million (-35.9%) in 3,055 theaters.  Total gross to date is $58.1 million.  Budget was $32 million.

#5 Now You See Me from Lionsgate fell from #3 to #5 with a gross of $7.9 million (-28.5%) in 2,823 theaters (-259).  Total gross to date is $94.5 million.  Budget was $75 million.

#6 Fast & Furious 6 from Universal fell from #4 to #6 with a gross of $4.9 million (-48.5%) in 2,417 theaters (-958).  Total gross to date is $228.6 million.  Budget was $160 million.

#7 The Purge from Universal fell from #5 to #7 with a gross of $3.6 million (-56.9%) in 2,201 theaters (-390).  Total gross to date is $59.6 million.  Budget was $3 million.

#8 The Internship from 20^th Century Fox fell from #6 to #8 with a gross of $3.4 million (-52.4%) in 1,916 theaters (-1,483).  Total gross to date is $38.3 million.  Budget was $58 million.

#9 Star Trek Into Darkness from Paramount fell from #8 to #9 with a gross of $3.2 million (-49.4%) in 1,565 theaters (-766).  Total gross to date is $216.8 million.  Budget was $190 million.

#10 Iron Man 3 from Buena Vista fell held at #10 with a gross of $2.2 million (-25.5%) in 924 theaters (-725).  Total gross to date is $403.2 million.  Budget was $200 million.

#11 The Bling Ring from A24 rose from #21 to #11 with a gross of $2 million (+833.7%) in 650 theaters (+645).  Total gross to date is $2.3 million.  Budget was unknown.

#12 Epic from 20^th Century Fox fell from #7 to #12 with a gross of $1.8 million (-71.5%) in 1,994 theaters (-1,157).  Total gross to date is $101 million.  Budget was $100 million.

The combined gross of the top 12 movies this weekend was $232.4million.

Sources:
Box Office Mojo

A global pandemic has just started to spread worldwide at an incredible rate turning any human who is stuck by it into a mindless flesh-eating zombie. Former UN investigator, Gerry Lane is with his family on the streets of Philadelphia when he first comes into contact and soon, Gerry is drafted back into action by those who now run the government. Gerry’s task; find the root of the problem and bring something back that can be used as a possible vaccine or cure.

That’s the premise of World War Z the latest movie from uber-star and producer Brad Pitt adapted from the best-selling novel from writer Max Brooks. Well, let’s say the term “adapted” isn’t exactly right here. Now I haven’t read Brooks’ book, by I certainly know it by reputation and know a few things about how he tells his story. If you’re coming into this and hoping that you’re going to see some sort of adaptation, you’d be better off to look at another movie that more faithfully adapted it’s source. From everything that I’ve gathered, this movie basically uses the title and some general ideas and then flies off in it’s own direction, all to really become an action movie franchise for Pitt.

The production of World War Z has been wrought with problems and I think it shows on the screen. Most of the problems have been around the script and it’s lack of a resolution that would be satisfying, but it’s also run into production overruns as well as reported disagreements between Pitt and director Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace). The movie was originally supposed to come out at Christmas of 2012, but got pushed back to hopefully solve it’s problems and unfortunately, from my point of view, it didn’t. Writer Damon Lindelof was brought in to craft a whole new back third of the film and give it some resolution of sorts of getting Gerry Lane back with his family, which in turn caused the production to scrap an entire battle sequence with Gerry leading forces into Russia to stop the zombie horde. This resolution is certainly there, but it feels abrupt and entirely out of place with the rest of the film as it’s been set up. What you get through the first two thirds are these extravagantly large action scenes that almost cry for more of the same in it’s resolution but you get something that’s much more smaller and actually more fitting to a movie like say, 28 Days Later. It doesn’t just stop there though, because, at least to me, it felt like there were other parts missing from this, including some scenes that I’ve seen in the trailer that didn’t make it into the final cut.

And speaking of the trailers, if you’ve seen them, you’ve already seen some of the film’s biggest moments and in most cases in a condensed form that already lays out the first two thirds of the film, there’s really nothing there for you to see further, though I do admit that a sequence that takes place entirely aboard an airplane does get better filled out, but that’s about it. They look great, I’ll certainly give the movie that, but there’s very little in the way of suspense. And if you’re a fan of classic zombie movies and are hoping to at least get some sort of horror element here, well it’s been very much soft-pedaled all to make this more appealing to a wider audience with a PG-13 rating.

If you’re going to see this, it’s more than likely for at least one of two things; Brad Pitt and the Zombies. Well, it already is softened with it’s zombies and so that leaves us with Pitt. Pitt does a good job with what he has here and certainly can play the role of action hero convincingly, I just wish he’d had something better to work with. I’ve heard some remark about actress Mireille Enos (who plays Lane’s wife, Karin) as being somewhat plain in comparison to her leading man. I tend to think this is entirely by design and made to make PItt seem more attainable to the female audience. The overall support in the movie is certainly serviceable, but there’s nothing that will really stand out.

To say World War Z was a disappointment is an understatement. Pitt’s certainly fine in the part, and action scenes aren’t bad, but you’ve seen them all in the trailers and there’s not much more to add to them. It’s troubled production leaves the film with a back third that feels like it’s for an entirely different movie and there’s little to no suspense at all in the movie until that back third and by then, I at least just didn’t care. If you’re wanting to see a good zombie thriller, bypass World War Z and watch George Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead or Dawn of the Dead again- or even watch Zack Snyder’s re-make of Dawn or Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later or AMC’s The Walking Dead, any of them will give you a far more satisfying experience.