Fans of The Spanish Prisoner should flock to this newest thriller from writer/director David Mamet. Unfortunately, fans of The Spanish Prisoner aren't many. What viewers can expect is a tense film full of twists and turns and witty dialogue. Should make a great rental.
Opening: $6 million
Total: $20 million
11. Never Die Alone
Too bad it will.
Opening: $7 million
Total: $15 million
10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
"Unique" and "box office success" almost never go hand in hand. Throw in "Jim Carrey" and you can guarantee…well, nothing. Eternal Sunshine might be a bit too quirky for its own good and if Jim Carrey has proven anything, it's that it's the film that sells tickets and not the star. This might be a great film, but it'll have trouble at the box office.
Opening: $9 million
Total: $40 million
9. Taking Lives
Angelina Jolie is a strange character, and I'm not talking about her vial of blood or the fact that she married Billy Bob Thornton. If you mention Angelina Jolie signed up for a new project, it's easy to jump to the conclusion that the film will be a small yet powerful film with some strong performances. Instead, she has one of the worst track records of any "name" actress in Hollywood when it come to making quality films. Gems such as Original Sin, Life or Something Like It, Beyond Borders and the Lara Croft films should have killed anyone's career, yet she still gets work. How is she still being cast in primo roles? Anyway, this film should add to the trash heap, not helped by the fact that the ads give away the identity of the serial killer in the film. The only saving grace would be if Jolie gets naked in the movie.
Opening: $9 million
Total: $28 million
8. Jersey Girl
You might love Kevin Smith and you might hate Kevin Smith but you cannot deny that he is a solid writer with an ear for witty, and mostly funny, dialogue. Unfortunately he's at his best when he does comedies and Jersey Girl looks like a somber and more mature film. Now that Jennifer Lopez has been distanced from it, it will likely not get any of the negative backlash that was directed towards Bennifer. Unfortunately, Jersey Girl is still a Kevin Smith film and, like all his films, will have a hard time at the box office. When does Green Hornet come out?
Opening: $10 million
Total: $35 million
7. The Ladykillers
As soon as Tom Hanks signed on to star in Coens brothers film, he automatically guaranteed that he would break his streak of $100 million movies. At least he's doing it for a good cause. This remake should do well but should come up short of the numbers posted by Intolerable Cruelty. Ladykillers looks a bit more offbeat than Cruelty did so don't expect it to do boffo box office right off the bat. The hope is that it's a better film than the Coens' last effort.
Opening: $10 million
Total: $40 million
6. Dawn of the Dead
First Texas Chainsaw Massacre gets made, now Dawn of the Dead is being remade. The next frightening movie to be remade will be Ishtar but in the meantime, we have to put up with a remake of one of the original zombie movies. Horror films are still big and are still relatively cheap to make so they can turn a profit with one hand tied behind their back. This film will be no different. I'd just rather have my brain eaten than watch others doing it.
Opening: $13 million
Total: $30 million
5. Hidalgo
Remember in the first Lord of the Rings film, when the hobbits were in a bar in a strange town and they're taken aside by a guy who turns out to be a good guy even though he seemed a bad guy, and he turned out to be the rightful heir to the kingdom of Gondor? Yeah, that actor's in this film and he brought along the cheesy CGI Tiger used in Gladiator. Speaking of which, since when are there Tigers in the desert? Seriously? Regardless, this is the only action movie of significance being released this month so it should therefore fill a void and do decent box office. Though one has to be disillusioned when an ad states that the film is based on a true story and then immediately shows a horse and its rider outrunning a sand storm that would bury the pyramids.
Opening: $14 million
Total: $47 million
4. Agent Cody Banks 2
More kid Bond antics from Malcolm in the Middle star, Frankie Muniz. This time around, instead of disturbing scenes featuring Angie Harmon in a young boy's locker room, we have Cody in Anthony Anderson's bed fighting over a blankie. The film should do very good box office numbers as a sequel to a successful film. The question is, where the hell is child services?
Opening: $16 million
Total: $70 million
3. Secret Window
Johnny Depp's first film since becoming an Oscar nominee is a Stephen King thriller. The film has been getting pushed hard for the last three weeks now and is being released with high awareness. These creepy suspense thrillers tend to do well at the box office and this one should be no different. Who would have guessed that Johnny Depp would ever be a big box office star?
Opening: $17 million
Total: $55 million
2. Starsky & Hutch
It's breaking my heart that the early buzz around this film is that it is not very good as I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, it looks like it's too much of everything. However, the box office shouldn't be hurt at all. Stiller and Wilson are a killer combo and the timing for the film is right. Now if only we can press rewind and have them make it better.
Opening: $20 million
Total: $50 million
1. Scooby Doo 2
I'm one of those nuts that liked the first film. Yes, it was extremely stupid and Scooby looks, well, not so good, but who cares? It's a talking dog, people. It's based on a cartoon too, so it's supposed to be silly. The entire cast is back and it looks like it's more of the same. The kiddies should love it, including this big kid right here.
