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Your Weekly Guide to
New Movies for June 2, 2006
By Edward Douglas -
Greetings and welcome back to the Weekend
Warrior, your weekly guide to the weekend’s new movies. Tune
in every Tuesday for the latest look at the upcoming weekend,
and then check
back on Friday for final projections based on actual theatre counts.
THE BATTLE CRY!
(If you have anything to say about this or anything else written in the column, feedback and Email is always welcome, and almost always responded to.)
Boy, I’m really sucking
wind this summer. It’s hard enough to try to predict box office in
normal circumstances, but this year is proving to be more unpredictable
then the past few years, and it’s becoming harder to determine buzz,
hype and those other X-factor type things that define whether a movie
is a blockbuster or a bomb, because that stuff is changing from day-to-day
up to the release of a movie.
In my Summer Box Office Preview, I thought Da Vinci Code was going to be coming close to $300 million, but after a decent opening weekend, it looks like it might struggle to hit the $200 million mark. Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible III crossed the $100 million mark, but it’s doubtful it will even get to $150 million. X-Men: The Last Stand made more than half my projected $212 million in its first four days. We won’t even mention Poseidon, which will be lucky to end up grossing half of my $140 million projection in the United States.
It’s just amazing how much things change in a matter of weeks. Who knew that Da Vinci Code would be getting terrible reviews and a lot of bad word-of-mouth up until the last few days, when people finally had a chance to see it, and then it would still earn $77 million its opening weekend?
It’s not like X-Men: The Last Stand got great or terrible reviews, but it certainly avoided the threequel jinx that hurt movies like Jurassic Park III and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, when the tentpole franchises were taken over by new directors. Like X2, it also made more than half the gross of its predecessor its opening weekend, which is an amazing phenomenon that we’ve only seen a few times before—The Matrix Reloaded comes to mind—which shows how much more of an audience the franchise built up since leaving theatres in 2003 with barely over $200 million.
As mentioned a few weeks ago, M:i:III and Da Vinci Code had almost no online coverage, while X-Men: The Last Stand had tons, although in the latter case, it was probably preaching to the converted who were planning on seeing the movie anyway. All of the advance negative buzz online meant bupkiss, because fans of the characters were so happy to see them return.
Maybe 20th Century Fox made the smartest move by not putting a “3” anywhere in the title, that is if you don’t include Wolverine’s claws on all the posters. Maybe that’s why sequels like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and yes, even Superman Returns are avoiding the numbering to try to be seen as movies that stand up on their own rather than just being another sequel. (Note: The lack of a number didn’t help XXX: State of the Union, which replaced the director and lead actor of the popular original movie.)
Well, here’s hoping that June is a bit more predictable, or I may be looking for a new job… or I’ll just stick to the previews and leave the numbers to those who don’t mind being chronically wrong.
THE CHOSEN ONE:
THE WAR TAPES (SenArt
Films)
Starring Sgt. Zack Bazzi, Sgt. Mike Moriarty, Sgt. Steve Pink
Directed by Deborah Scranton
Genre: Documentary
Rated: Unrated?
Story: Three very different National Guard soldiers were given video cameras to document their year spent in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Their footage was compiled by director Deborah Scranton to give one of the most fascinating looks at life during wartime of any other movie, documentary or otherwise.
REVIEW
See what I meant last week about political movies? This one is maybe slightly more politically bent than last week’s An Inconvenient Truth, but not in the way you might think. It’s not an indictment on the current war in Iraq, as much as a true document of three volunteers’ year spent there. What makes this film so much better than last year’s Gunner Palace and other Iraq War docs is that it’s taken from the viewpoint of the soldiers themselves. The three subjects filmed everything themselves, sending director Deborah Scranton QuickTime clips over the internet and then working with her on the editing. Although you might expect this to be another anti-war movie, these guys take their tour of duty very seriously, even if their mission, to act as bodyguards to Haliburton convoys, is not particularly appealing. The three men are very different, one being a family man, another being a typical red-blooded male. The most interesting case is that of Sgt. Zack Bazzi, a Lebanese-born American citizen who often finds himself being used as a translator despite not being happy about what he’s forced to do as part of his job.
The film also follows these soldiers home after their tour of duty to see how being in Iraq has affected their demeanor and how their friends and families react to them once they get back. It’s far more effective than previous war films, whether they be docs or dramas, and it’s sure to affect anyone who sees it, particularly seeing what a war zone is really like. It opens at New York’s Landmark Sunshine Theatre on Friday with screenings elsewhere over the summer, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
NEW THIS WEEK:
THE BREAK-UP (Universal
Pictures)
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Judy Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau, Cole Hauser, John Michael Higgins, Justin Long
Directed by Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Down With Love); Written by Jeremy Garelick (Joel Schumacher’s personal assistant), Jay Lavender
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rated PG-13 (for sexual content, some nudity and language)
Tagline: “…pick a side.”
Story: After a petty argument, Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) breaks up with Gary (Vince Vaughn), but since neither of them wants to give up their luxurious condo, they’re forced to live as hostile roommates, each one doing anything they can to get the other one out.
After a string of big budget, high profile action and effects movies, it’s time for the box office to settle down a bit with the first romantic comedy of the season. The Break-Up uses a premise that has been very popular among moviegoers, dating all the way back to the comedies of the ‘50s, that of the “Battle of the Sexes”! In this case, it pits two big name stars, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, who have found a lot of success in past movies but could be even stronger when brought together.
And that’s also where it gets sticky, because ever since the movie started shooting, the tabloids have had a field day wondering whether Aniston and Vaughn were an item, since they were seen a lot together off set, yet neither of them will confirm or deny anything. Of course, it could all be a big scam to drive up interest in the movie, though it’s a risky move. Many movies starring off-screen couples have done dismally at the box office—classic examples being Madonna and Sean Penn’s Shanghai Surprise, the drama Proof of Life and the Bennifer disaster Gigli. Times are certainly changing as seen last year when Jennifer Aniston’s ex-husband Brad Pitt starred with the ultra-sexy Angelina Jolie in the action-comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Despite them spending most of their time onscreen fighting, it began tabloids questioning whether their time spent together might have had something to do with Aniston and Pitt’s separation earlier that year. Ironically, Vince Vaughn also had a prominent role in that movie, which just makes the rumors of his relationship with the recently divorced Aniston even more surreal.
Regardless of that, Aniston certainly isn’t the draw of her ex, and it really might take her pairing with Vaughn, an actor who has stolen so many movies with his comic timing, to help make this movie as successful as some of her past pairings. It doesn’t hurt that Vaughn is coming off one of his biggest hits, last year’s Wedding Crashers, either. (You can read more about both stars in this week’s Star Spotlight.)
Fans of Vaughn’s early movie Swingers should be delighted to see him reunited with that movie’s writer and co-star, Jon Favreau, for the first time since the 2001 sequel Made. They also might enjoy seeing Joey Lauren Adams, star of Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy and Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy, and Jon Michael Higgins, a mainstay of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. Former Vaughn costars like Vincent D’Onofrio (Thumbsucker and The Cell) and Justin Long (Dodgeball) also have parts in the movie.
Although the romantic comedy genre tends to appeal more towards women and teen girls, there’s something about this one that seems like it might get in the guys, too, whether it be the presence of Vaughn or the universal humor of the battle of the sexes. It certainly has the potential to be a bit dark like Danny DeVito’s 1989 comedy War of the Roses, which pitted Michael Douglas against his frequent leading lady Kathleen Turner in their third movie together. Break-Up director Peyton Reed also has experience with this type of comedy from his last movie, Down with Love, which pitted Ewan McGregor against Renee Zellwegger in a ‘50s style comedy. It failed to find much of an audience as it tried to offer counter-programming to The Matrix Reloaded. More recently, movies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Failure to Launch pitted Matthew McConaughey against a female co-star, Kate Hudson in the first one and Sarah Jessica Parker in the latter, although the humor was certainly tamer and geared towards mainstream women. How to Lose a Guy grossed over $100 million in 2003 and the latter grossed over $87 million this past spring, making it one of the most successful films of the season.
Early reviews have been fairly negative, mostly criticizing that the movie is a dramatic film disguised as a comedy, but the curiosity factor among women and girls interested in deciphering “Da Tabloid Code” of whether Vaughn and Aniston are a couple or not will probably go to see it opening weekend. Since it’s the only new wide release opening in over 3,000 theatres, The Break-Up stands a very good chance at finding its audience, especially women over 30 will be less interested in last week’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
Why I Should See It: Vince Vaughn has reached the pinnacle as a comic actor, just in time to be paired with an actress who has already been there.
Why Not: The whole battle of the sexes has already been done so many times, maybe because it works so well… given the right chemistry.
Projection: $29 to 32 million opening weekend on its way to just under $90 million.
DISTRICT B13 (Magnolia
Pictures)
Starring Cyril Raffaeli, David Belle, Tony D’Amario. Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo, François Chattot, Nicolas Woiron
Directed by Pierre Morel (debut); Written by Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Unleashed, The Professional, The Fifth Element, The Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon),
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rated R (for strong violence, some drug content and language)
Story: In the crime-ridden Paris ghetto of District B13, a loner named Leito (David Belle) takes on the local mob boss, but when he gets thrown in jail by the corrupt police, he must team up with an undercover cop (Cyril Raffaeli), not only to rescue his sister, but also to recover a nuclear weapon that has been hijacked in the area.
REVIEW
France’s premiere action filmmaker Luc Besson (The Professional, The Transporter and way too many others to mention) has written another action-thriller, this one based around the relatively new sport and lifestyle of Parkour, getting from Point A to Point B in as fast a time as possible, which usually means climbing and leaping over any obstacle that gets in your way. The film stars Parkour inventor David Belle and stuntman Cyril Raffaeli, both in their first starring roles, and it’s directed by Besson’s frequent cinematographer and protégé Pierre Morel. The movie actually came in France a few years ago as Banlieu 13, but it’s finally being released here in hopes of bringing in the action fans who have flocked to the movies of Jet Li and Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak: Thai Warrior.
Why I Should See It: It introduces the amazing acrobatics of Parkour to the world of martial arts
Why Not: Like most Luc Besson action movies, the writing and acting probably aren’t up to snuff with the stunts.
STAR SPOTLIGHT: Jennifer Aniston vs. Vince Vaughn
They fight each other onscreen, there’s a slim chance that they’re a
couple off-screen, but there’s no question that there’s some serious
star power involved in their new movie, The Break-Up, which will
try to capitalize on the success of each individual star’s box office
draw.
Before appearing on the NBC sitcom “Friends,” Jennifer Aniston barely was memorable in the movies and television shows she appeared on, but the hit television series’ debut in ’94 forever changed her life, as it catapulted her to the top of stardom. That didn’t do much for her movie career, though, as she continued to appear in movies that didn’t do very much business like the cult classic Office Space and Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg.
That changed in 2002, when she starred in Mike White’s The Good Girl, an indie drama that played down her “good girl” nature by having her committing adultery with Jake Gyllenhaal. She received an Indie Spirit nomination, which upped her credibility with the serious moviegoing audience. Then, in the summer of 2003, she was paired with Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty, which became his biggest hit to date, earning over $240 million after an $86 million Memorial Day weekend opening. This was followed the next year with another holiday weekend hit, Along Came Polly, a romantic comedy with Ben Stiller.
In early 2005, Aniston separated from her husband, actor Brad Pitt, but unlike Nicole Kidman, it didn’t have a particularly positive effect on her Q-rating, because let’s face it, what kind of woman loses her man to Angelina Jolie? (Oh, yeah… any woman.)
Still, she had been working steadily since the end of “Friends” in 2004, and the movies she has made have been popping up over the last few months, though none of them have achieved the success of Along Came Polly, not even last December’s Rumor Has It…, which teamed her with Kevin Costner and Rob Reiner, both strong draws in the realms of romantic comedy. Her most recent movie was Nicole Holefcener’s indie dramedy Friends with Money, which was more along the lines of The Good Girl, and will probably end up making about as much money.
Vince Vaughn first got attention when he teamed with Jon Favreau for the latter’s indie movie Swingers in 1996 and next thing you know, no less than Steven Spielberg is casting him in one of the biggest sequels of the late ‘90s, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. After that, it would seem like Vaughn was suddenly the hot actor of the moment, and sure enough, he was cast by Gus Van Sant as the Norman Bates role for his frame-by-frame remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho. That got Vaughn away from the world of comedy, as he appeared in the forgettable thrillers The Cell and Domestic Disturbance, before reteaming with Favreau for the Swingers sequel Made in 2001.
With his return to comedy in 2003’s Old School, Vaughn joined a very elite group of comics that included Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and Luke and Owen Wilson, who each appeared in each other’s movies. The following year, he played the bad guy in Stiller and Wilson’s remake of Starsky and Hutch and then played the protagonist in the sports comedy Dodgeball. The following year he had a sidesplitting role in the crime comedy sequel Be Cool before taking on a scene-stealing role in the action-comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Jennifer Aniston’s ex-husband and her primary competition. As well as that did, Vaughn then teamed with Owen Wilson for what would become Vaughn’s second biggest hit after The Lost World, the R-rated breakout Wedding Crashers. Obviously, Vaughn’s strengths lie in comedy, and he’s teamed with actress Jennifer Aniston in a “battle of the sexes” romantic comedy that will probably do more for Vaughn’s career, as far as showing his range and building his audience, as it will for Aniston.
In my Summer Box Office Preview, I thought Da Vinci Code was going to be coming close to $300 million, but after a decent opening weekend, it looks like it might struggle to hit the $200 million mark. Tom Cruise and Mission: Impossible III crossed the $100 million mark, but it’s doubtful it will even get to $150 million. X-Men: The Last Stand made more than half my projected $212 million in its first four days. We won’t even mention Poseidon, which will be lucky to end up grossing half of my $140 million projection in the United States.
It’s just amazing how much things change in a matter of weeks. Who knew that Da Vinci Code would be getting terrible reviews and a lot of bad word-of-mouth up until the last few days, when people finally had a chance to see it, and then it would still earn $77 million its opening weekend?
It’s not like X-Men: The Last Stand got great or terrible reviews, but it certainly avoided the threequel jinx that hurt movies like Jurassic Park III and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, when the tentpole franchises were taken over by new directors. Like X2, it also made more than half the gross of its predecessor its opening weekend, which is an amazing phenomenon that we’ve only seen a few times before—The Matrix Reloaded comes to mind—which shows how much more of an audience the franchise built up since leaving theatres in 2003 with barely over $200 million.
As mentioned a few weeks ago, M:i:III and Da Vinci Code had almost no online coverage, while X-Men: The Last Stand had tons, although in the latter case, it was probably preaching to the converted who were planning on seeing the movie anyway. All of the advance negative buzz online meant bupkiss, because fans of the characters were so happy to see them return.
Maybe 20th Century Fox made the smartest move by not putting a “3” anywhere in the title, that is if you don’t include Wolverine’s claws on all the posters. Maybe that’s why sequels like Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and yes, even Superman Returns are avoiding the numbering to try to be seen as movies that stand up on their own rather than just being another sequel. (Note: The lack of a number didn’t help XXX: State of the Union, which replaced the director and lead actor of the popular original movie.)
Well, here’s hoping that June is a bit more predictable, or I may be looking for a new job… or I’ll just stick to the previews and leave the numbers to those who don’t mind being chronically wrong.
THE CHOSEN ONE:
THE WAR TAPES (SenArt
Films)Starring Sgt. Zack Bazzi, Sgt. Mike Moriarty, Sgt. Steve Pink
Directed by Deborah Scranton
Genre: Documentary
Rated: Unrated?
Story: Three very different National Guard soldiers were given video cameras to document their year spent in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Their footage was compiled by director Deborah Scranton to give one of the most fascinating looks at life during wartime of any other movie, documentary or otherwise.
REVIEW
See what I meant last week about political movies? This one is maybe slightly more politically bent than last week’s An Inconvenient Truth, but not in the way you might think. It’s not an indictment on the current war in Iraq, as much as a true document of three volunteers’ year spent there. What makes this film so much better than last year’s Gunner Palace and other Iraq War docs is that it’s taken from the viewpoint of the soldiers themselves. The three subjects filmed everything themselves, sending director Deborah Scranton QuickTime clips over the internet and then working with her on the editing. Although you might expect this to be another anti-war movie, these guys take their tour of duty very seriously, even if their mission, to act as bodyguards to Haliburton convoys, is not particularly appealing. The three men are very different, one being a family man, another being a typical red-blooded male. The most interesting case is that of Sgt. Zack Bazzi, a Lebanese-born American citizen who often finds himself being used as a translator despite not being happy about what he’s forced to do as part of his job.
The film also follows these soldiers home after their tour of duty to see how being in Iraq has affected their demeanor and how their friends and families react to them once they get back. It’s far more effective than previous war films, whether they be docs or dramas, and it’s sure to affect anyone who sees it, particularly seeing what a war zone is really like. It opens at New York’s Landmark Sunshine Theatre on Friday with screenings elsewhere over the summer, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
NEW THIS WEEK:
THE BREAK-UP (Universal
Pictures)Starring Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Judy Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau, Cole Hauser, John Michael Higgins, Justin Long
Directed by Peyton Reed (Bring It On, Down With Love); Written by Jeremy Garelick (Joel Schumacher’s personal assistant), Jay Lavender
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rated PG-13 (for sexual content, some nudity and language)
Tagline: “…pick a side.”
Story: After a petty argument, Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) breaks up with Gary (Vince Vaughn), but since neither of them wants to give up their luxurious condo, they’re forced to live as hostile roommates, each one doing anything they can to get the other one out.
After a string of big budget, high profile action and effects movies, it’s time for the box office to settle down a bit with the first romantic comedy of the season. The Break-Up uses a premise that has been very popular among moviegoers, dating all the way back to the comedies of the ‘50s, that of the “Battle of the Sexes”! In this case, it pits two big name stars, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, who have found a lot of success in past movies but could be even stronger when brought together.
And that’s also where it gets sticky, because ever since the movie started shooting, the tabloids have had a field day wondering whether Aniston and Vaughn were an item, since they were seen a lot together off set, yet neither of them will confirm or deny anything. Of course, it could all be a big scam to drive up interest in the movie, though it’s a risky move. Many movies starring off-screen couples have done dismally at the box office—classic examples being Madonna and Sean Penn’s Shanghai Surprise, the drama Proof of Life and the Bennifer disaster Gigli. Times are certainly changing as seen last year when Jennifer Aniston’s ex-husband Brad Pitt starred with the ultra-sexy Angelina Jolie in the action-comedy Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Despite them spending most of their time onscreen fighting, it began tabloids questioning whether their time spent together might have had something to do with Aniston and Pitt’s separation earlier that year. Ironically, Vince Vaughn also had a prominent role in that movie, which just makes the rumors of his relationship with the recently divorced Aniston even more surreal.
Regardless of that, Aniston certainly isn’t the draw of her ex, and it really might take her pairing with Vaughn, an actor who has stolen so many movies with his comic timing, to help make this movie as successful as some of her past pairings. It doesn’t hurt that Vaughn is coming off one of his biggest hits, last year’s Wedding Crashers, either. (You can read more about both stars in this week’s Star Spotlight.)
Fans of Vaughn’s early movie Swingers should be delighted to see him reunited with that movie’s writer and co-star, Jon Favreau, for the first time since the 2001 sequel Made. They also might enjoy seeing Joey Lauren Adams, star of Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy and Adam Sandler’s Big Daddy, and Jon Michael Higgins, a mainstay of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. Former Vaughn costars like Vincent D’Onofrio (Thumbsucker and The Cell) and Justin Long (Dodgeball) also have parts in the movie.
Although the romantic comedy genre tends to appeal more towards women and teen girls, there’s something about this one that seems like it might get in the guys, too, whether it be the presence of Vaughn or the universal humor of the battle of the sexes. It certainly has the potential to be a bit dark like Danny DeVito’s 1989 comedy War of the Roses, which pitted Michael Douglas against his frequent leading lady Kathleen Turner in their third movie together. Break-Up director Peyton Reed also has experience with this type of comedy from his last movie, Down with Love, which pitted Ewan McGregor against Renee Zellwegger in a ‘50s style comedy. It failed to find much of an audience as it tried to offer counter-programming to The Matrix Reloaded. More recently, movies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Failure to Launch pitted Matthew McConaughey against a female co-star, Kate Hudson in the first one and Sarah Jessica Parker in the latter, although the humor was certainly tamer and geared towards mainstream women. How to Lose a Guy grossed over $100 million in 2003 and the latter grossed over $87 million this past spring, making it one of the most successful films of the season.
Early reviews have been fairly negative, mostly criticizing that the movie is a dramatic film disguised as a comedy, but the curiosity factor among women and girls interested in deciphering “Da Tabloid Code” of whether Vaughn and Aniston are a couple or not will probably go to see it opening weekend. Since it’s the only new wide release opening in over 3,000 theatres, The Break-Up stands a very good chance at finding its audience, especially women over 30 will be less interested in last week’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
Why I Should See It: Vince Vaughn has reached the pinnacle as a comic actor, just in time to be paired with an actress who has already been there.
Why Not: The whole battle of the sexes has already been done so many times, maybe because it works so well… given the right chemistry.
Projection: $29 to 32 million opening weekend on its way to just under $90 million.
DISTRICT B13 (Magnolia
Pictures)Starring Cyril Raffaeli, David Belle, Tony D’Amario. Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo, François Chattot, Nicolas Woiron
Directed by Pierre Morel (debut); Written by Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Unleashed, The Professional, The Fifth Element, The Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon),
Genre: Action, Thriller
Rated R (for strong violence, some drug content and language)
Story: In the crime-ridden Paris ghetto of District B13, a loner named Leito (David Belle) takes on the local mob boss, but when he gets thrown in jail by the corrupt police, he must team up with an undercover cop (Cyril Raffaeli), not only to rescue his sister, but also to recover a nuclear weapon that has been hijacked in the area.
REVIEW
France’s premiere action filmmaker Luc Besson (The Professional, The Transporter and way too many others to mention) has written another action-thriller, this one based around the relatively new sport and lifestyle of Parkour, getting from Point A to Point B in as fast a time as possible, which usually means climbing and leaping over any obstacle that gets in your way. The film stars Parkour inventor David Belle and stuntman Cyril Raffaeli, both in their first starring roles, and it’s directed by Besson’s frequent cinematographer and protégé Pierre Morel. The movie actually came in France a few years ago as Banlieu 13, but it’s finally being released here in hopes of bringing in the action fans who have flocked to the movies of Jet Li and Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak: Thai Warrior.
Why I Should See It: It introduces the amazing acrobatics of Parkour to the world of martial arts
Why Not: Like most Luc Besson action movies, the writing and acting probably aren’t up to snuff with the stunts.
STAR SPOTLIGHT: Jennifer Aniston vs. Vince Vaughn
They fight each other onscreen, there’s a slim chance that they’re a
couple off-screen, but there’s no question that there’s some serious
star power involved in their new movie, The Break-Up, which will
try to capitalize on the success of each individual star’s box office
draw. Before appearing on the NBC sitcom “Friends,” Jennifer Aniston barely was memorable in the movies and television shows she appeared on, but the hit television series’ debut in ’94 forever changed her life, as it catapulted her to the top of stardom. That didn’t do much for her movie career, though, as she continued to appear in movies that didn’t do very much business like the cult classic Office Space and Rock Star with Mark Wahlberg.
That changed in 2002, when she starred in Mike White’s The Good Girl, an indie drama that played down her “good girl” nature by having her committing adultery with Jake Gyllenhaal. She received an Indie Spirit nomination, which upped her credibility with the serious moviegoing audience. Then, in the summer of 2003, she was paired with Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty, which became his biggest hit to date, earning over $240 million after an $86 million Memorial Day weekend opening. This was followed the next year with another holiday weekend hit, Along Came Polly, a romantic comedy with Ben Stiller.
In early 2005, Aniston separated from her husband, actor Brad Pitt, but unlike Nicole Kidman, it didn’t have a particularly positive effect on her Q-rating, because let’s face it, what kind of woman loses her man to Angelina Jolie? (Oh, yeah… any woman.)
Still, she had been working steadily since the end of “Friends” in 2004, and the movies she has made have been popping up over the last few months, though none of them have achieved the success of Along Came Polly, not even last December’s Rumor Has It…, which teamed her with Kevin Costner and Rob Reiner, both strong draws in the realms of romantic comedy. Her most recent movie was Nicole Holefcener’s indie dramedy Friends with Money, which was more along the lines of The Good Girl, and will probably end up making about as much money.
|
Title |
Release Date |
Theater Count |
Previous Box Office (in millions) |
Weekend Box Office (in millions) |
Average |
Total Box Office |
|
Friends with Money |
4/7/06 |
991 |
$1.78 |
$3.20 |
$3,208 |
$11.82 |
|
Rumor Has It... |
12/23/05 |
2,815 |
$7.52 |
$2,670 |
$40.06 |
|
|
Derailed |
11/11/05 |
2,443 |
$12.21 |
$4,999 |
$35.75 |
|
|
Along Came Polly |
1/16/04 |
2,984 |
$27.21 |
$9,290 |
$87.86 |
|
|
Bruce Almighty |
5/23/03 |
3,483 |
$85.73 |
$24,614 |
$242.60 |
|
|
The Good Girl |
8/30/02 |
667 |
$3.74 |
$3.80 |
$5,704 |
$13.89 |
|
Rock Star |
9/7/01 |
2,525 |
$6.02 |
$2,384 |
$16.99 |
|
|
Office Space |
2/19/99 |
1,740 |
$4.23 |
$2,431 |
$10.82 |
|
|
Picture Perfect |
8/1/97 |
1,707 |
$7.81 |
$4,575 |
$31.07 |
Vince Vaughn first got attention when he teamed with Jon Favreau for the latter’s indie movie Swingers in 1996 and next thing you know, no less than Steven Spielberg is casting him in one of the biggest sequels of the late ‘90s, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. After that, it would seem like Vaughn was suddenly the hot actor of the moment, and sure enough, he was cast by Gus Van Sant as the Norman Bates role for his frame-by-frame remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho. That got Vaughn away from the world of comedy, as he appeared in the forgettable thrillers The Cell and Domestic Disturbance, before reteaming with Favreau for the Swingers sequel Made in 2001.
With his return to comedy in 2003’s Old School, Vaughn joined a very elite group of comics that included Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and Luke and Owen Wilson, who each appeared in each other’s movies. The following year, he played the bad guy in Stiller and Wilson’s remake of Starsky and Hutch and then played the protagonist in the sports comedy Dodgeball. The following year he had a sidesplitting role in the crime comedy sequel Be Cool before taking on a scene-stealing role in the action-comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Jennifer Aniston’s ex-husband and her primary competition. As well as that did, Vaughn then teamed with Owen Wilson for what would become Vaughn’s second biggest hit after The Lost World, the R-rated breakout Wedding Crashers. Obviously, Vaughn’s strengths lie in comedy, and he’s teamed with actress Jennifer Aniston in a “battle of the sexes” romantic comedy that will probably do more for Vaughn’s career, as far as showing his range and building his audience, as it will for Aniston.
|
Title |
Release Date |
Theater Count |
Previous Box Office (in millions) |
Weekend Box Office (in millions) |
Average |
Total Box Office |
|
Wedding Crashers |
7/15/05 |
2,925 |
$33.90 |
$11,590 |
$206.46 |
|
|
Mr. & Mrs. Smith |
6/10/05 |
3,424 |
$50.34 |
$14,703 |
$186.66 |
|
|
Be Cool |
3/4/05 |
3,216 |
$23.45 |
$7,292 |
$55.81 |
|
|
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story |
6/18/04 |
2,694 |
$30.07 |
$11,162 |
$114.06 |
|
|
Starsky and Hutch |
3/5/04 |
3,185 |
$28.10 |
$8,824 |
$88.20 |
|
|
Old School |
2/21/03 |
2,689 |
$17.45 |
$6,491 |
$75.16 |
|
|
Made |
7/27/01 |
105 |
$0.66 |
$0.66 |
$6,307 |
$5.31 |
|
The Cell |
8/18/00 |
2,411 |
$17.52 |
$7,267 |
$60.79 |
|
|
Psycho |
12/4/98 |
2,477 |
$10.03 |
$4,049 |
$21.51 |
|
|
The Lost World |
5/23/97 |
3,281 |
$2.57 |
$72.13 |
$21,984 |
$229.09 |
ALSO IN LIMITED RELEASE:
Director Victor Salva (Jeepers Creepers) returns with the sports drama PEACEFUL WARRIOR (Lionsgate), based on the book “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman. It stars Eurotrip’s Scott Mechlowicz as a young gymnast on the road to the Olympics, whose life is changed when he meets a stranger at a gas station, played by Nick Nolte. It opens in select cities on the West Coast.
The Korean spy-thriller TYPHOON (Magnolia Pictures) is about a vessel containing nuclear weapons attacked by pirates off the coast of Korea, forcing the National Intelligence Service to send in a secret agent to try to stop it. This director’s cut of the movie opens in select cities including New York, L.A., San Fran, San Diego and others. REVIEW
Opening at the IFC Center in New York on Wednesday is COASTLINES from filmmaker Victor Nunez (Ulee’s Gold), starring Timothy Olyphant as an ex-convict returning to his Florida home after getting out of jail to find the woman he loves married to the local sherrif.
The Laemmle Sunset in West Hollywood gets THE CONRAD BOYS (Newport Films), written, directed and starring newcomer Justin Lo as a 19-year-old who needs to take care of his younger brother Ben, only finding freedom when he begins a romance with a drifter. Things intensify when his father returns to town wanting to take his younger brother away from him.
After debuting at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival and on CineMax last week, the documentary FAVELA RISING (THINKFilm) is about a music group formed by a drug-trafficker from the crime-ridden slums of Rio De Janeiro, who is trying to get kids away from the world of drugs by getting them interested in music. It opens in New York.
THE PUFFY CHAIR (Roadside
Attractions) is Jay and Mark Duplass’ romantic comedy about a chronic
loser who decides to buy a vintage Lazy Boy on eBay and drive it across
country to his father as a surprise present, but ends up having to
bring his girlfriend and brother along for the cramped ride. It opens
in various cities including Austin, Portland and San Fran.
Olive Films and New York’s Quad Cinema have
teamed up for the release of five films, two of them being 50 WAYS TO SAY FABULOUS (Olive
Films), adapted from the coming-of-age novel about a 12-year-old
boy growing up in New Zealand during the ‘60s and ‘70s, while Florian Habicht’s WOODENHEAD (Olive
Films) is a perverse look at the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.
THIS WEEKEND IN BOX OFFICE HISTORY:
The first weekend in June, often the first weekend after Memorial Day, is mostly notable for the fact that very few movies that opened that weekend were able to take over the #1 spot from the returning Memorial Day holdovers. One of the rare exceptions was the movie based on J.K. Rowling’s third fantasy novel, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which currently holds the June opening record at $93.7 million and probably will continue to hold it for a few more years.
Another sequel, 2 Fast 2 Furious, lost both the director and star Vin Diesel from the original, yet it did decently its opening weekend, taking the top spot with $50.5 million, though in all fairness, it actually opened two weekends after Memorial Day and only barely squeezed past Disney/Pixar’s Finding Nemo in its second weekend.
Two movies that opened in early June became breakout hits for their comic stars, Big Momma’s House starring Martin Lawrence in 2000 and The Animal with Rob Schneider the following year, although only the former had any sort of legs, setting itself up for this year’s nearly as successful sequel. Lawrence didn’t have nearly as much success with his 2001 follow-up What’s the Worst That Can Happen?, which was trounced when it opened against The Animal. Chris Rock also didn’t have much luck when paired with Anthony Hopkins for the action-comedy Bad Company, directed by Joel Schumacher.
Last year saw the release of three new movies, the Ron Howard-Russell Crowe biodrama Cinderella Man, the teen girl movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and the skateboard drama Lords of Dogtown. None of them were able to make more than $20 million, as the box office was still dominated by Madagascar, The Longest Yard and Star Wars: Episode III for the second weekend in a row.
This week’s new movie, The Break-Up, has the benefits of targeting a female audience, something that helped 2002’s The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, based on the popular women’s novel.
|
Title |
Release Date |
Theater Count |
Weekend Box Office (in millions) |
Average |
Total Box Office |
|
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
6/4/04 |
3,855 |
$93.69 |
$24,303 |
$249.51 |
|
2 Fast 2 Furious |
6/6/03 |
3,408 |
$50.47 |
$14,810 |
$127.08 |
|
Big Momma's House |
6/2/00 |
2,802 |
$25.66 |
$9,158 |
$117.48 |
|
The Animal |
6/1/01 |
2,788 |
$19.61 |
$7,033 |
$55.76 |
|
Cinderella Man |
6/3/05 |
2,812 |
$18.32 |
$6,515 |
$61.65 |
|
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood |
6/7/02 |
2,507 |
$16.17 |
$6,449 |
$69.59 |
|
Hope Floats |
5/29/98 |
2,367 |
$14.21 |
$6,003 |
$60.11 |
|
Moulin Rouge |
6/1/01 |
2,279 |
$13.72 |
$6,019 |
$57.22 |
|
What's the Worst That Could Happen? |
6/1/01 |
2,675 |
$13.05 |
$4,878 |
$32.10 |
|
Bad Company |
6/7/02 |
2,944 |
$11.01 |
$3,739 |
$30.16 |
|
Instinct |
6/4/99 |
2,059 |
$10.39 |
$5,046 |
$34.10 |
LET’S LOOK AT THE NUMBERS: (final update 6.1.06)
For the second weekend in a row, there’s only one new movie in wide release, but the “romantic” comedy The Break-Up, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, is going to have an almost impossible time trying to top last weekend’s record-breaking champion X-Men: The Last Stand, which should see a huge drop from its opening weekend and yet still stay on top by a wide margin. With no other new movies opening in wide release, it may mean that for a second weekend in a row, we may see more than one movie in the Top 10 making less than a million, creating the perfect opportunity for a platform release like Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth to find its way into the Top 10. Last year, the Top 10 grossed over $125 million, which will only be possible to match or beat if X-Men: The Last Stand holds up well in its second weekend and The Break-Up does better than expected.
|
TW |
LW |
Title |
Weekend (in millions) |
Change |
# Of Theaters |
Average |
Week |
|
1 |
1 |
X-Men: The Last Stand |
$41.8 |
-59% |
3,714 |
$11,255 |
2 |
|
2 |
New |
The Break-Up |
$30.3 |
N/A |
3,065 |
$9,886 |
1 |
|
3 |
2 |
The Da Vinci Code |
$17.9 |
-47% |
3,757 |
$4,764 |
3 |
|
4 |
3 |
Over the Hedge |
$16.8 |
-38% |
3,993 |
$4,200 |
3 |
|
5 |
4 |
Mission Impossible III |
$3.9 |
-45% |
2,667 |
$1,462 |
5 |
|
6 |
5 |
Poseidon |
$3.1 |
-45% |
2,720 |
$1,140 |
4 |
|
7 |
6 |
RV |
$2.4 |
-41% |
2,181 |
$1,100 |
6 |
|
8 |
7 |
See No Evil |
$1.4 |
-48% |
1,270 |
$1,102 |
3 |
|
9 |
15 |
An Inconvenient Truth |
$1.3 |
428% |
77 |
$16,883 |
2 |
|
10 |
8 |
Just My Luck |
$1.0 |
-50% |
958 |
$1,002 |
4 |
|
11 |
10 |
United 93 |
$0.4 |
-45% |
645 |
$682 |
6 |
|
Est. Weekend Total |
Est. Avg. Drop-Off |
Est. Average PTA |
Next week, Pixar Animation Studios returns with Cars, and on Tuesday, the fateful 6/6/06, Fox offers their remake of The Omen, starring Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles. Also, Robert Altman returns with a movie version of Garrison Keiller’s popular public radio show, A Prairie Home Companion with Meryl Streep and Lindsay Lohan.
Copyright 2006 Edward Douglas
Take on The Weekend Warrior in the box-office related movie games at:
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