Weekend Box Office Preview: Jan. 8 and Jan. 15

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.

January 8

Michael Cera stars as teenaged virgin Nick Twisp in the adaptation of the novel Youth in Revolt (Rated R). Nick creates an alter-ego, Francois, to seduce the beautiful and mysterious Sheeni Saunders. Francois is rebellious to Nick’s predictable and gets him and Sheeni into a host of wacky predicaments as the summer progresses. Michael Cera continues to play his signature lovable geek, but this time a bit of a twist might provide a welcome shake-up to the status-quo. I’m still not entirely sold on the film, but it looks unique and has been getting favorable reviews since its festival debut last year.

Leap Year stars Amy Adams as a woman tired of waiting for a marriage proposal from her boyfriend. She takes matters into her own hands and decides to surprise him in Dublin on Leap Day, a traditional day when women can propose to men. But her plane gets diverted and she must enlist the help of an Irishman to get her to Dublin in time. Amy Adams is adorable, but this movie looks predictable as all get out.

Capitalizing on the vampire trend, Daybreakers (Rated R) is a sci-fi movie in which a virus has turned the majority of the population into vampires. With a dwindling supply of human blood, the vampires have started to farm the humans, causing a battle between the two factions. This has a unique premise and reviews look positive, especially for an early January release, but with little starpower, it may fall through the cracks.

January 15

Jackie Chan stars as Bob Ho in the family comedy The Spy Next Door. Bob, a former CIA agent, gets roped back into the business when the kids he’s babysitting accidentally downloads a secret document. As the only family film since Alvin and the Chipmunks, this one will be sure to find an audience.

The Book of Eli (Rated R) stars Denzel Washington as the title character in a post-apocalyptic America. For 30 years, Eli has guarded a book that may contain the secret to humanity’s survival and fought against those who would use it for evil. Denzel will be the main draw for this movie, but it will also appeal to those looking for a gritty action flick.

Best bets: Youth in Revolt

Coming up: Tooth Fairy, a family film with The Rock, Legion (Rated R), angel-centered action flick, Extraordinary Measures, a drama with Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, and When In Rome, Kristen Bell fronted romantic comedy.

January 7th, 2010  ♥  Box Office Preview, Movies  ♥  No Comments »