Pages

Friday, April 13, 2007

Teen Beat

A six pack of new releases are looking to go the distance, with one of them hoping to unseat 2-time box office topper Blades of Glory:

Taking a page from the late Alfred Hitchcock is Disturbia (reviews); Halle Berry and Bruce Willis team up for the thriller Perfect Stranger (reviews); The actioner Pathfinder (reviews) starring Karl Urban; You'll feel the need for speed if you see Redline (reviews); Ray Liotta returns in Slow Burn (reviews); And finally Cartoon Network "Adult Swim" favorite Aqua Teen Hunger Force (reviews) hits the big screen...

Shia LaBeouf Is Spying On His Neighbors In His New Film "Disturbia"

Ian Mohr of Variety:

Six new wide releases will careen into multiplexes this weekend, making for an uncharacteristically crowded mid-April frame as companies try to avoid competing with the blockbuster summer sequels ahead.

Four R-rated pics vying for similar demos make the movie race even tighter.

Of the new crop, Paramount's "Disturbia," starring Shia LaBeouf in a sort of "Rear Window" twist for teens, could come out on top.

Thriller is tracking well with both male and female demos, and its PG-13 rating should help draw young folks to the 2,925 theaters in which pic will play.

Among other new openers, Sony's "Perfect Stranger," a racy, R-rated thriller starring Halle Berry and Bruce Willis, should also make a run for the top of the charts. It rolls into 2,661 theaters over the weekend.

Fox is taking "Pathfinder," a fantasy battle pic pitting Vikings vs. Native Americans, into under 1,800 runs. Movie could conceivably pick up biz on the heels of another battle epic that's wooed auds, Warner Bros.' "300," which remains a player over the weekend as a holdover.

Away from the major studio pics, Lions gate will roll out its acquisition "Slow Burn," with an ensemble featuring Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Taye Diggs and
Mekhi Phifer.

Gunning for a similar crowd will be actioner "Redline," which is aimed at urban gearheads. Upstart indie banner Chicago Pictures will open the movie in about 1,600 theaters. Release is the first for the company, headed by real estate investor Daniel Sadek, who produced and, in a novel twist, cast his personal collection of luxury cars in the pic.

One wild card in the mix will be the animated "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" movie based on the Cartoon Network [show], from beleaguered indie distrib First Look.

Pic, booked in 877 theaters, is the first to roll out from the banner since it recently announced its acquisition last month by Avi Lerner's Nu Image/
Millennium Films.

Millennium's "Lonely Hearts," starring Salma Hayek, John Travolta and James Gandolfini will hit 23 screens this weekend through
Samuel Goldwyn Films.

And making the market even more crowded, Miramax moves its Richard Gere vehicle "The Hoax" to more than 400 screens from its roughly 200-screen launch.

Paramount Vantage platforms its Mike White-directed comedy "Year of the Dog," starring Molly Shannon.

Concentration of pics playing could spell bad news for any holdovers that haven't popped yet, including the Weinstein Co.'s "Grindhouse."

Par's "Blades of Glory," a No. 1 for two frames straight, should continue to move ducats....

Click here for the entire story...

Joshua Rich of Entertainment Weekly says:

Many new movies are vying to debut at No. 1 -- but only one has Halle Berry and Bruce Willis, and that may be enough...

No comments:

Post a Comment