New Movies and Box Office Predictions for 1/29

This week's wide releases -
Edge of Darkness
When in Rome

Last weekend proved to be rather uninspiring, what with Dwayne Johnson's latest family film and the supremely lackluster Legion. Hopefully this week will prove to be a little better. I suspect it will, but it does not come without its question marks. One of those questions is wondering if the new releases have the muscle to overtake the Avatar behemoth. It will be intersting to see what happens.

Edge of Darkness. (2010, 108 minutes, R, thriller) Based on a BBC series of the same name, this movie tells the story of a man whose daughter is murdered and he is left to pick up the pieces. These pieces include uncovering her murderer and discovering what it was that she was doing. Sadly, the trailer for this movie seems to give away all of its secrets, so if you haven't already seen the trailr, I do not recommend watching it. What makes this movie interesting is it being Mel Gibson's first starring role in years, how will he be received? This is also Martin Campbell's first big movie since Casino Royale. It looks like a classic Gibson role, so I hope that it delivers.



When in Rome. (2010, 91 minutes, PG-13, romantic comedy) This romcom has arrived seemingly with a target on its back as it is taking a savage beating from critics. I guess I shoudn't be surprised, it does not look all that great. Still, I do like Kristen Bell and the cast does include Will Arnett and the surprisingly funny Dax Shepard. This supernaturally tinged comedy has Bell traveling to Rome to attend a wedding. The ambitious yet romantically disillusioned young woman plucks some coins from the fountain of love and is now must cope with oddball suitors come out of the woodwork. Meanwhile, she just may have found the one. I am not expecting much, but I still want to see it.



Also opening this week, but not near me:

• Falling Awake
• Off and Running
• St. John of Las Vegad
• The Weather Underground

Box Office Predictions
Will this week finally see the fall of Avatar? Something tells me it has one more week in it. The R-rated Gibson film will likely do pretty good, but I do not think it can overtake the Cameron monster. As for the romantic comedy with the bad reviews? Eh. It will do all right, but will not challenge for the top spot. So, the blue people of Pandora (not the online radio program) survive to win another day and continue their historic run.

Here is how I think it could play out:

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Avatar	$28 million
2	Edge of Darkness	$23 million
3	When in Rome	$13 million
4	The Book of Eli	$9 million
5	Legion	$7.5 million
6	The Tooth Fairy	$6.5 million
7	The Lovely Bones	$5 million
8	Sherlock Holmes	$4 million
9	Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel	$3.5 million
10	It's Complicated	$3 million