New Movies and Box Office Predictions: 4/16

This week's wide releases -
Death at a Funeral
Kick-Ass
The Joneses

Last weekend's box office was a three horse race with incumbent Clash of the Titans narrowly eeking out a victory over challenger Date Night. Will this week feature a pair of new releases hitting theaters nationwide alongside another one coming to town on a smaller scale. The question is, do they have the power to climb to the top? There is definitely one movie I am hoping to see succeed during this upcoming frame, while another I cannot say I have strong desires to see, although I do suspect a certain degree of fun in it. The question now becomes what will be getting your cinematic money?

Death at a Funeral. (2010, 90 minutes, R, comedy) This is the movie that I suspect will have a good helping of humor but have little interest in seeing. The main reason for my disinterest is that this is a remake of a film that is only a few years old that I saw and enjoyed on the big screen. If you are interested in this, by all means see it, just allow me to recommend checking out the Frank Oz directed original, which also features Peter Dinklage in the same role. The movie centers on a family that is coming together to celebrate the life of the family patriarch. This leads to resurfacing resentments, revelations, illicit drugs, nudity, and comedy. To bring the whole thing home, it has quite a cast that includes Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Tracy Morgan, Loretta Devine, Danny Glover, Zoe Saldanna, and James Marsden.



Kick-Ass. (2010, 117 minutes, R, superhero action) I have been looking forward to this ever since I saw the first clip so many months ago. It feels like a fresh concept, and the execution looks to be high energy and exciting, sort of like crossing Spider-Man with Watchmen while subtracting the superpowers. Think about t, what if someone put on a costume and began fighting crime like a superhero. How would you react? Frankly, I have no idea, I suspect that there would be a lot of laughter accompanying it. Everything I have heard about this one just excites me more. Bloody, violent action combined with a comedic spirit is right up my alley. Here's to hoping that the movie pays off! Matthew Vaughn is at the helm, having proven himself with Layer Cake and Stardust, not to mention very nearly directing X-Men 3.



The Joneses. (2010, 96 minutes, R, comedy) I only recently became aware of this film, but I must say that I am intrigued. The movie appears to be all about personal marketing. You see, the Jones family are not really a family but a collection of employees engaged in stealth marketing. They are the perfect product placement, you like them so you will want what they have. In this age of subliminal product placement and a desire for material goods makes this seem to be pretty interesting. I think I may have to go check it out. The cast includes David Duchovny, Demi Moore, and Amber Heard.



Also opening this week, but not near me:

• The City of Your Final Destination
• Exit Through the Gift Shop
• Handsome Harry
• No One Knows About Persian Cats
• The Perfect Game
• The Secret in the Eyes

Box Office Predictions
After two weekends at the top, I think it is about time for Clash of the Titans to take a tumble. I am betting it is going to take a pretty good dip this week. I also have a feeling that Kick-Ass is going to surprise a lot of people and have a strong opening, I think a sustained run may be a little less likely (although I can hope!). The Chris Rock film should also have a pretty good opening and How to Train Your Dragon is having a very good run and I think it will continue to pull good numbers.

Here is how I think it could play out:

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Kick-Ass	$28 million
2	Death at a Funeral (2010)	$21 million
3	How to Train Your Dragon	$18 million
4	Date Night	$15 million
5	Clash of the Titans (2010)	$14 million
6	The Last Song	$6 million
7	Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too	$5 million
8	Hot Tub Time Machine	$3.5 million
9	Alice in Wonderland (2010)	$3 million
10	The Bounty Hunter	$2.5 million