With universal acclaim of 93% on RT and being a sleeper hit, I still had low expectations of Looper as it could have turned out to be over-h...
Looper (2012) Review
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B0101: 1/4.
Rotten Tomatoes: 14%.
IMDB: 5.2/10.
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TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N Hotel Transylvani...
US box office September 28-30 weekend
TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count /Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
1 | N | Hotel Transylvania | Sony | $42,522,194 | - | 3,349 | - | $12,697 | $42,522,194 | $85 | 1 |
2 | N | Looper | TriS | $20,801,522 | - | 2,992 | - | $6,952 | $20,801,552 | $30 | 1 |
3 | 1 | End of Watch | ORF | $7,812,077 | -40.6% | 2,780 | +50 | $2,810 | $25,980,710 | $7 | 2 |
4 | 3 | Trouble with the Curve | WB | $7,277,385 | -40.2% | 3,212 | - | $2,266 | $23,473,347 | - | 2 |
5 | 2 | House at the End of The Street | Rela. | $7,122,347 | -42.0% | 3,083 | - | $2,310 | $22,193,316 | $10 | 2 |
6 | N | Pitch Perfect | Uni. | $5,149,433 | - | 335 | - | $15,371 | $5,149,433 | $17 | 1 |
7 | 4 | Finding Nemo (3D) | BV | $4,035,826 | -58.1% | 2,639 | -265 | $1,529 | $36,444,806 | - | 3 |
8 | 5 | Resident Evil: Retribution | SGem | $2,986,356 | -55.4% | 2,381 | -635 | $1,254 | $38,691,289 | $65 | 3 |
9 | 7 | The Master | Wein. | $2,680,554 | -39.0% | 856 | +68 | $3,131 | $9,568,624 | - | 3 |
10 | N | Won't Back Down | Fox | $2,603,370 | - | 2,515 | - | $1,035 | $2,603,370 | - | 1 |
Genndy Tartakovsky is best-known for his association with Cartoon Network creating Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack and many popular others. In 2011, he joined Sony Pictures Animation and his directorial debut has set the record for the highest-grossing September weekend. And it's also refreshing that it grossed above $25m as this month was very slow in earnings.
Hotel Transylvania stars Adam Sandler as Dracula along with the voices of Selena Gomez, Adam Sandberg, Kevin James, etc. The latter famous for their comedy roles in film. With over $8m worldwide, its opening amounts to $51m.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a good actor if you've seen the film Killshot. He was also in Chris Nolan's Inception and The Dark Knight Rises in prominent roles. He finally had a lead role in last month's Premium Rush that flopped but with critical acclaim. His other lead movie Looper has a start-up of $20.8m in the US off a budget of $30m. It also stars my favourite Hollywood action-star Bruce Willis with actress Emily Blunt.
Looper plot synopsis: In 2027, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is set 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self.
The storyline is original and clearly sci-fi. Writer/director Rian Johnson has directed mystery flicks in the past (although without science fiction themes), and episodes of the show Breaking Bad.
With a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and with IMDB users citing it as 'best of the year', it has been certified an unofficial must-watch of 2012.
Dredd has dropped to 11 from 6 predictably and has earned a foreign $21m off $50m and this is disappointing. Still it is cited by both critics and viewers as one of the best action flicks this year, and way better than the original Judge Dredd.
Pitch Perfect, a musical comedy based on a non-fiction book, opens up at number 6 with lesser-known starrers and will wash away at the American box office by next week. It premiers wide on October 5. Won't Back Down lands at the last of the top. It stars Maggie Gylenhaal (Rachel in The Dark Knight) and is a drama film on education. It looks too typical and thus its BO beginning. The budget is estimated to be $25m with an opening IMDB score of 4.9/10.
Finding Nemo was re-releasing on September 14 in 3D and its international total is now $914m becoming the 4th highest-grossing animated feature of all time. The first being Toy Story 3. The top 4 were all originally released in the 21st Century except for the 2nd The Lion King (1994)!
That's all from me folks, check out the trailer for Looper and I'll catch you all next week:
(Chart by Box Office Mojo)
TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week # 1 N End of Watch ORF ...
Dredd delivers judgement at no. 6!
TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count /Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
1 | N | End of Watch | ORF | $13,152,683 | - | 2,730 | - | $4,818 | $13,152,683 | $7 | 1 |
2 | N | House at the End of The Street | Rela. | $12,287,234 | - | 3,083 | - | $3,985 | $12,287,234 | $10 | 1 |
3 | N | Trouble with the Curve | WB | $12,162,040 | - | 3,212 | - | $3,786 | $12,162,040 | - | 1 |
4 | 2 | Finding Nemo (3D) | BV | $9,641,474 | -42.2% | 2,904 | - | $3,320 | $30,175,449 | - | 2 |
5 | 1 | Resident Evil: Retribution | SGem | $6,701,803 | -68.2% | 3,016 | +4 | $2,222 | $33,469,530 | $65 | 2 |
6 | N | Dredd | LGF | $6,278,491 | - | 2,506 | - | $2,505 | $6,278,491 | $50 | 1 |
7 | 19 | The Master | Wein. | $4,391,092 | +496.4% | 788 | +783 | $5,572 | $5,446,975 | - | 2 |
8 | 3 | The Possession | LGF | $2,641,990 | -54.2% | 2,598 | -262 | $1,017 | $45,291,617 | $14 | 4 |
9 | 6 | ParaNorman | Focus | $2,345,630 | -24.2% | 1,617 | -709 | $1,451 | $52,582,728 | - | 6 |
10 | 4 | Lawless | Wein. | $2,286,215 | -47.4% | 2,614 | -449 | $875 | $34,477,134 | - | 4 |
I'm very disappointed. Dredd is a remake of the sci-fi action venture Judge Dredd (1995). The original starred Hollywood buff Sylvester Stallone and well-known actress Diane Lane. It grossed $113m off $90m worldwide whilst garnering several negative reviews and awards in the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally offered the role but I would've predicted it an even bigger flop if he had accepted.
But this year's Dredd is very different. It stars a lesser-known lead Karl Urban and Lena Headey from HBO's Game of Thrones as the nemesis Ma-Ma. It is also set in a futuristic dystopian world where the hero is forced to bring order to a 200-story slum and its resident drug lord.
The 012 version has been critically acclaimed in contrast to the first with 77% on Rotten Tomatoes and most critics applauding Urban's hard-boiled performance. Though pundits predicted the film would open up with $10m-$6m in the States due to the first part's poor status I still hoped it would be in the top three or at least be third.
In other news, Jake Gyllenhaal's End of Watch opens up at 1st. The crime drama surprisingly overtook House at the End of the Street by an approximate $1m. End of Watch is directed and written by David Ayer famous in the genre of these sort of films adding to his previous directed feature Street Kings and Harsh Times. The opening of $13m managed to cross its budget of just $7m.
This has been a very slow American box office weekend since August. Even Resident Evil: Retribution opened slowly last week and has fallen from the top to number 5 in just week two. Worldwide, it has done wonders adding to its foreign total of $137m off a $65m production cost. It has also beaten its predecessor's global opening but has a long way to reach Afterlife's $296m.
There was only one good Resident Evil and that was the second Apocalypse. Third was past-time but it definitely should've been the last. Afterlife showed how audiences can blindly enter the theatre for the action or the main actress Milla Jovovich.
Although the 5th introduces many new characters from the Capcom video game namely Leon, fans of the virtual franchise, like me, are still disappointed for not featuring them in the earlier four adaptions. And also basing the storylines so farther away from Capcom's universe. Even notable game reviewer site IGN gave the film a 6 out of 10. ScreenCrush screenwriter added: ''Resident Evil: Retribution might be one of the dumbest things ever crafted by human hands.''
Another irritating announcement has been made that there will be a sixth installment as the former has done well financially. This one might be the last to cast Jovovich but the director states that the series might be continued without her.
Clint Eastwood's first starring role in a film he didn't direct since 2003 lands at the third spot. Trouble with the curve has received mixed reviews and is a sports drama on an ailing baseball scout (Eastwood) and co-starring Amy Adams.
The R-rated comedy Ted has grossed $420m globally becoming the third highest grossing comedy in accordance to its +18 rating. The second being Hangover ($467m) but it will be beaten eventually at the end of Ted's theatrical run. And the first is The Hangover Part 2 ($581m).
That's all from me folks, here's the HD trailer for Dredd and by the look of its US debut, the sci-fi remake will be showcased as underrated. ''Law's not the law, I'm the law.'' - Judge Dredd (2012):
(Chart by Box Office Mojo)