Weekend Box Office Preview: Dec. 18 and Dec. 25
The Weekend Box Office Preview features movies with teen and tween appeal opening in the next two weeks. For the most part I won’t feature R-rated films, but occasionally there will be R-rated movies on teens’ radar and the rating will be noted. Limited release movies will be featured the week they get a wide release.
December 18
James Cameron’s first feature film since 1997’s Titanic, Avatar, finally hits the screens this weekend after months of buzz. Set in the future, the movie tells the story of paralyzed Marine, Jake Sully, who inhabits the body of a genetically-bred Avatar to infiltrate the ranks of the native Na’vi on the planet Pandora. Falling for one of the Na’vi and integrating into their society, he finds himself caught between the miliary-industrial humans and the nature-loving Na’vi in a battle for the planet’s resources. It doesn’t have any major film stars, but this ambitious, epic, sci-fi adventure movie is garnering excellent reviews and looks to be a blockbuster in the making.
Did You Hear About the Morgans? has a terrible title, but stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant, so it’s bound to attract romantic comedy fans. Despite seeing lots of commercials for this movie, I had no idea what it was about until I looked it up. Apparently, it’s about a successful New York couple on the verge of divorce who witness a murder and are whisked away to Wyoming for some witness protection. Not entirely relatable to teens, but could be an option for those not interested in Avatar.
The Young Victoria only opens in limited release this weekend, but this film should appeal to fans of historical romance. Emily Blunt has been getting a lot of recognition for her performance as Queen Victoria in her early reign and romance with Prince Albert.
December 25
Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones gets a wider release this week, but won’t open everywhere until January 15. The film, like the novel, opens with the murder of teenaged Susie Salmon, who observes the fallout after the event from the in-between, a Heaven-like place. Jackson actually toned down the opening scene in order to secure a PG-13 rating and ensure that teenagers could see the movie. Unfortunately, the combination of a best-selling book and an award-winning director don’t seem to add up to success in this case — the movie’s been getting poor to mediocre reviews so far.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, actually opening on Wednesday, Dec. 23, is the only kid’s movie opening in the latter half of December, which basically guarantees it box office success despite a questionable premise. In this incarnation, the chipmunks get into all kinds of trouble while Dave Seville is in the hospital, including butting heads with the newly-introduced Chipettes.
Guy Ritchie brings a little gritty action to the Sherlock Holmes story, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams. In this original story, Holmes and Watson attempt to thwart the evil Lord Blackwood’s plan to destroy Britain. The official summary says Holmes will display “fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect” in this new adaptation. It looks to be a fun, rollicking film, and early reviews look positive.
Nine, the movie version of a musical based on the classic Fellini film 8 1/2, premieres this weekend. It tells the story of an aging film director struggling to complete his latest film and to balance the many women in his life. The movie is packed with accomplished actors — Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Fergie round out the ensemble cast. Despite its early recognition in the awards race, the film has been getting poor reviews and doesn’t seem to be generating much buzz amongst moviegoers.
Best bets: Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, The Young Victoria
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