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On the plus side, we never really need to see those areyouobsessed.com ads anymore.

Kim Hollis: Obsessed, a Fatal Attraction Clone from Screen Gems, won the weekend with $28.6 million. Please explain this.

Josh Spiegel: Though I'm grabbing at straws here, I'd attribute most of this film's success to marketing. Even though I had absolutely no interest in Obsessed, I couldn't go very far without seeing ads on TV and online. Having Beyonce Knowles in the mix is a big boost, and movies like Fatal Attraction can do well (obviously, if it's been 20+ years since that film and we're looking at one of its many clones). Overall, though, with the choices this weekend offered, people flocked to a movie that gives them a more visceral reaction (presumably). Or....well, I'm stumped otherwise. This one did baffle me a bit.

Pete Kilmer: Right weekend, solid cast with Beyone, Stringer Bell and Nikki from Heroes in it. I think it was just the right time and placement for a solid little thriller.





Reagen Sulewski: I definitely didn't expect it to break out to this margin, but overall I'm not actually all that shocked - I think it's a clever marriage of actress and subject. The (largely) female audience gets to do some wish fulfillment by putting themselves in Beyonce's shoes, and vicariously experience some revenge. I sort of touched on this in the forecast as well, but I think the fact that it crosses color lines with the two lead actresses is a big deal as well - it didn't have to be Ali Larter, but another black actress would not have made as big an impact for audiences in the role.

Jason Lee: I would have never expected this film to break the $25 mil mark on opening weekend so color me shocked. In retrospect, though, I have to credit the strong trailer and well-edited commercials which teed up a premise that audiences ALWAYS love to see: two hot women in a bruising catfight. Movies like Obsessed and the Kill Bill series (to a lesser extent) bring out the voyeurs in all of us.

Brandon Scott: It's definitely a high figure but there is no question that the dual race fatal attraction theme worked. I am siding with Josh that the trailer was a good one and intriguing. I am kind of into it. I am happy for Idris Elba and Larter as well, while undoubtedly most of the credit will go to Beyonce, and perhaps that is deserved from a marketing standpoint. Some have ripped on the title, but I think it is both simple and effective...and so, the box office stays hot.

Kim Hollis: I just have no idea why this broke out the way it did. A few weeks ago, when I saw some tracking that indicated this might be in the high $20 millions, I laughed. I thought they had confused it with another movie. I'm starting to feel like Grampa Simpson with regards to how out of touch I am.

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