WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Pineapples and Pants

I thought for sure this would be the week. It was pretty amazing last weekend when a franchise as big as THE MUMMY 3 couldn’t beat it but you’ve got to fall sometime. With two brand new, anticipated films debuting in wide release, I figured THE DARK KNIGHT was a goner but I was mistaken. Despite grossing ahead of the bat on Friday, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS was unable to keep its hold throughout the weekend, allowing THE DARK KNIGHT to pull in another $26 million and remain the king of the box office for a fourth weekend in a row.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS debuted Wednesday to the biggest August Wednesday opening of all time. This might sound impressive but really, we’re talking about $12 million here. THE DARK KNIGHT made $18 million in its first Wednesday, five days after its initial release. Still, it isn’t fair to compare any film to THE DARK KNIGHT. In total, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS has earned just over $40 million in five days. Compared to past Apatow productions, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS has earned more in five days than all but SUPERBAD, including the $200+ million grossing KNOCKED UP and this year’s FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. This proves it; audiences love schleppy guys who sit around talking smack. When will the Apatow tide turn?


This week’s other major release is the sequel, THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2. Now I am not a teenage girl so this movie has zero appeal for me but though the girls didn’t come out in HANNAH MONTANA numbers, the film still built on its predecessor. The film is tracking about $4 million ahead of the last film’s 5-day take and will likely top out at about $50 million if all holds well. Given the first film’s modest take and the equally modest take of the sequel, I’m still not sure why these pants are seeing more of the world than I am.

There are two films outside the Top 10 that pulled in higher averages than any film in the Top 10. The first is the Ben Kingsley/Penelope Cruz spring/fall romance, ELEGY Debuting on six screens, the film pulled in a per screen average of $17K. The second is the Patti Smith documentary, DREAM OF LIFE. The film is playing on just one little screen and pulled in over $8K on average. I guess Patti would appreciate the smaller platform. Also making an impression on people’s taste buds is the winemaking ensemble piece, BOTTLE SHOCK. Bowing on 48 screens and featuring a cast as diverse as Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman, the film pulled in over $6K per screen and will be expanding its tasting next week.


Meanwhile, on the expansion front, a couple of promising possibilities seem to be stalling. While both BRIDESHEAD REVISITED and AMERICAN TEEN saw their grosses blow up over 200% last week, this week, they each saw declines as they continued to expand. Then there’s MAN ON WIRE. This documentary about tightrope walker, Philippe Petit, is treading very slowly across its own wire, expanding by 55 screens this week and subsequently posting an increase of over 450%. Distributor Magnolia best not get too aggressive; it’s a long way to fall.

NEXT WEEK: TROPIC THUNDER, the APOCALYPSE NOW style, comedic spoof starring and directed by Ben Stiller looks like it will finally take down the bat as it opens early on Wednesday. Keifer Sutherland is back in theatres in the horror, MIRRORS. George Lucas continues to squeeze every last drop of Star Wars gold with the animated CLONE WARS. More importantly though, Woody Allen is back with VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. Let’s see if great buzz and a much talked about kiss between Penelope Cruz and Scarlet Johansson can help it beat the big guys despite opening on a fraction of the screens.

Source: Box Office Mojo

AMERICAN TEEN

Written and Directed by Nanette Burstein


Jake Tusing: My life sucks right now but what if it’s even worse after high school? I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to me.

I always just assume, as I’m dragging my tired ass out of bed, into the shower, out the door, into the subway and up the 22 flights of stairs to my tiny box my boss calls a cubicle that any teenager I pass has no clue about anything at all. I know I’m selling them short but I always see them just standing there, talking about nothing at all and making sure everyone around them can hear what they have to say. They’re texting each other and shoving each other and making out obnoxiously up against me on the bus. They annoy me but this is primarily because I wish I had it as easy as they do. The irony is that they do have it so easy but they think they’re going through the hardest part of their lives, that once they get out of high school, everything will work out in their favour. There’s a reason people are always urging young people not to grow up too soon, y’know.


I expected terror. I expected anxiety. I didn’t expect these things from the kids in Nanette Burstein’s documentary, AMERICAN TEEN, but rather from myself while having to sit through an in-depth exploration of what it means to be a teenager in middle America these days. I got neither. Instead, I felt sympathy, connection and nostalgia. The promotional material for this Sundance winner for Best Direction in a Documentary suggests that the five teenagers who make up the main subjects follow in the stereotypical footsteps of THE BREAKFAST CLUB. There’s Hannah, the rebel (who is really more of an artist than a rebel), Colin, the jock (who defies all preconceived notions of what it means to be a jock), Megan, the princess (who delights in drama and the suffering of others), Jake, the geek (who naturally plays video games and is in the school band) and Mitch, the heartthrob (who barely leaves an impression on the viewer like the others). The reality is that AMERICAN TEEN is actually a much more tender and understanding exploration of the insecurities that lie behind the images. All five of these kids turned into characters grow more into themselves before our eyes.


Burstein followed these five kids and a good number of their friends for the entire 2006 scholastic year at Warsaw Community High School. They had troubles with their parents, with their friends, with where they would go to college and with what the prom theme would be, to name but a few of the daily dramas in their lives. As one would expect from a teenager, they believe the world revolves around them and that their problems are monumental in comparison with anyone else’s. What struck me most though is that their problems are not really that different than my problems or those of my friends. Now I haven’t been a teenager for many a year but I still struggle with finding a partner, with finding myself. I still wonder where my life will lead, where I fit in. With responsibilities like bills, rent, a job, staying fit and keeping up with Jones’, I don’t have time to let the drama consume me. These five and the millions of others just like them define themselves by their dramas as they don’t know the fragility of life yet. Still, their subtle self-questioning, their longing to belong and their hope for their futures gives me a whole other kind of hope for the future of humanity.


AMERICAN TEEN is an enjoyable, refreshing documentary that will inevitably play differently to all who see it, as everyone had a different adolescent experience. Some have moved on while others still hear the echoes of torment or thrill in their minds. I know I was just as lost as they were at their age but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t as loud or vindictive - and, yes, I am aware of how simply making this statement ages me more than is necessary. Thanks to Burstein’s finely balanced exposition though, when I see a bunch of kids loitering outside my local corner store, I won’t focus solely on the loudness with which they ponder which Jonas brother is the hottest but rather remember the confusion that lives inside them and still lives somewhere within me.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Fraser's Fanaticism

Who cares about opening at the top of the box office when you can have two titles in the Top 5? Right? How cool is that? Ok, fine. I’m sure THE DARK KNIGHT folks are tickled purple that they narrowly held off the competition to secure a rare three consecutive weekends at the top of the heap. But, I’ll tell you who doesn’t care … Brandon Fraser, that’s who. This guy puts out one mind numbing, crowd-pleasing hit after another and consistently delivers the cash. And now, with the number two debut of THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR and the slight 29% drop for JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D, Fraser finds himself headlining two big hits at the same time.

Meanwhile, THE DARK KNIGHT camp continues to command the attention of every man, woman and child on the planet (not surprisingly, the Batman sequel is doing boffo business overseas as well). It drops off a very respectful 42% in its third week and is will close in on $400 million before Monday is up.


THE MUMMY (above) people should be happy they managed as well as they did. This may not be the kind of movie that people read reviews for but this is by far one of the worst reviewed films of the year. It’s supposed to be worst than THE LOVE GURU people! (I cannot back this up as I have carefully avoided both titles.) The $42 million take is a far cry from the $65+ million take of the last mummy movie from seven years ago. In fact, this debut marks the worst for the series, which falls perfectly in line with the critical consensus.

The only other debut the Top 10 saw this weekend is barely worth mentioning. Opening in sixth place and soon to be forgotten in the Kevin Costner starring, SWING VOTE. There, that’s about as much attention as it deserves.

Moving on, the Top 10 saw very strong holds for a number of its titles. This might mean that summer is slowing down and some might be finally catching up with the titles they missed or perhaps just that these films are that good. Who knows? Still, the numbers don’t lie and five titles in this week’s Top 10 saw drops below 40%. The aforementioned JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, WALL-E and MAMMA MIA! saw drops even lower, under 30%. Meanwhile, THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE must have found its few scant believers last weekend as the film, which only made $10 million last weekend, fell off over 65% this weekend. Maybe Mulder & Scully could investigate the unsolved case of why no one cared about their movie. They aren't doing anything else anyway.


Below the Top 10, the art house scene is finally alive and well after being overshadowed by the summer blockbusters. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (above) continues its successful, aggressive expansion. Adding over 150 screens pushed its business nearly 250% and it might even find itself sitting comfortably in the Top 10 next weekend when it adds another chunk of screens across the country. If you thought an increase of 250% was impressive, how about 280%. This is a feat boasted by Sundance favorite, AMERICAN TEEN. The documentary about today’s teens added 34 screens and will continue to roll out in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, the highest per screen average of any film playing belongs to TRANSSIBERIAN, a Brad Anderson thriller starring Woody Harrelson. In its third week, the film pulled in an average of $15K per screen on just two screens.

NEXT WEEK: Opening early on Wednesday, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS looks to hit the young, both the stoned and the sober but they best be quick because the “highly anticipated” THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 is opening two short days later. All the girls from the original have returned but unfortunately, the jeans have been worn out.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Dark Knight Holds Court

The truth is out there and it can be found in THE DARK KNIGHT apparently. The geeks have spoken and they have shunned THE X-FILES in favour of their new leader, Batman. It half pains me to see how dismal the returns for THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE actually were. On the one hand, I wonder where all the X-philes were but on the other hand, I guess they were just avoiding this incredibly disappointing return. Even the musical and stupid comedy followers were more loyal than the X-philes. The film will go on to recoup its $30 million budget but a $10 million take essentially ensures that this is the last we will see of Mulder & Scully. I for one will miss you.

THE DARK KNIGHT continues to shatter records as it pulls in another $75 million. It is now just shy of IRON MAN’s $315 million to take the title of 2008’s biggest film. No other film came close to matching Batman’s success and there is now even talk that THE DARK KNIGHT could go on to become the greatest domestic blockbuster of all time. It would have to beat TITANIC’s $600 million take to do so but as it only took 10 days to pass the $300 million mark, it is certainly the first film in years to pose a viable threat. At the very least, it should go on to take the runner up spot, ahead of the original STAR WARS.


Opening in second place is the new Will Ferrell pic, STEP BROTHERS. Ferrell has reclaimed his king of comedy crown after it was in jeopardy of being taken from him after this spring’s disappointing SEMI-PRO. The $30 million take doesn’t match the previous opening weekends for summer comedies like GET SMART or YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN but it surpassed negative reviews to take the number two spot, which is the best anyone could have hoped for.

Many titles in the Top 10 held on strongly while a number of art house films opened to promising titles. MAMMA MIA! saw a minimal decline, putting in a position to best last year’s HAIRSPRAY. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D continues to benefit from strong word of mouth and should help usher in next week’s other Brandon Fraser movie, THE MUMMY 3. And Pixar’s WALL-E may no longer be on course to be one of the top three Pixar successes but as it rounds the $200 million mark, it should definitely surpass last year’s RATATOUILLE.


On the art house front, the steamy BRIDESHEAD REVISITED debuted on 33 screens to a per screen average of $10K. The film is expanding aggressively in the next couple of weeks. The critically acclaimed documentary, MAN ON WIRE, opened on a mere 2 screens and took in $24K per screen. And French import, TELL NO ONE, continues to expand strongly, taking in almost $6K per screen in its fourth week. Last but not least, this year’s documentary winner at Sundance, AMERICAN TEEN, pulled in $8.5K per screen but it remains to be seen whether the apathetic teens the film portrays will overcome their apathy to make their way to the theatres as it expands.

NEXT WEEK: THE MUMMY 3 is the first reasonable challenge to THE DARK KNIGHT. Mind you, I guess Kevin Costner could swing the vote his way with his election comedy, SWING VOTE.

Source: Box Office Mojo