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Friday, February 06, 2009

Getting Pushed Around

A quartet of new wide releases are set to go...Which of them will be number one?

Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning Push (reviews) psychic powers; Steve Martin pushes The Pink Panther 2 (reviews); The likes of Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long, Drew Barrymore and Kevin Connolly push the case for and against love in He's Just Not That Into You (reviews); And Coraline (reviews) pushes stop-motion animation--But Is Coraline Too Scary For Kids?



Pamela McClinrtock of Variety:

Warner Bros./New Line's femme pic "He's Just Not That Into You" is expected to lead the domestic box office as it opens today despite a crowded pack of new entries that includes Sony's family title "The Pink Panther 2."

"Into You" opens in 3,175 runs; other debuts are Summit Entertainment's sci-fi thriller "Push" and CGI-animated 3-D family title "Coraline," which marks Focus Features' first foray into the family and 3-D markets.

Another strong session is expected thanks to the four openers and a healthy crop of holdovers. Twentieth Century Fox's action-thriller "Taken," starring Liam Neeson, is expected to land high in its second weekend.

Based on the popular self-help book of the same name, "He's Just Not That Into You" has a clear lead over the competish and is tracking strongly with women of all ages. Female-driven pics have seen record grosses over the last year.

Pic, directed by Ken Kwapis, has a strong shot at opening north of $20 million before facing competition next weekend from "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Ensemble cast includes Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson and Drew Barrymore. The big question: Will many men go to see "Into You?"

It's likewise hard to predict where the other openers will land. "The Pink Panther 2," playing in 3,243 and returning Steve Martin in the title role, has an advantage as a known brand, plus it's family friendly, meaning it could supplant Sony's sleeper B.O. hit "Paul Blart Mall Cop" as the comedy of the hour.

"The Pink Panther" debuted to $20 million in early February 2006 on its way to cuming $82.2 million domestically. "Pink Panther 2" was directed by Harald Swart; Shawn Levy directed the 2006 film.

"Pink Panther 2" will compete with "Coraline" for kids and families; the latter pic is whipping up strong interest among young girls. Directed by Henry Selick, "Coraline" is the first stop-action film to be shot in 3-D.

Higher-priced 3-D tickets will boost "Coraline's" grosses. Film is opening in 1,004 3-D runs and 1,294 conventional theaters for a total count of 2,298. Voice cast features Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane and Teri Hatcher.

Fanning also stars in Summit's "Push," which opens in 2,313 theaters. Action-thriller is the favored pic among younger men and teen boys.

Directed by Paul McGuigan and also starring Chris Evans and Djimon Hounsou, pic revolves around a group of expats living in Hong Kong who band together because of their psychic abilities to fight a clandestine government agency.

"Push" is Summit's first release since Thanksgiving blockbuster "Twilight."...


Joshua Rich of EW:

It's a wide-open weekend at the box office, as four new movies are set to dominate...

Next Week Masked killer Jason Voorhees is resurrected in the Friday the 13th remake Hear Confessions of a Shopaholic--Clive Owen and Naomi Watts put their running shoes on for the action thriller The International....

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