This week in DVD and Blu-ray releases, we’re seeing some of the Fall’s biggest missteps starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller. The good news is one of the year’s best films hit the streets, while there’s also classics by Otto Preminger, John Ford and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Check out our new release roundup…
Adam Sandler‘s Jack and Jill features twins named after the childhood rhyme. Puss in Boots features those characters from the childhood rhyme. Both are the most likely candidates for the top slot at the box office this weekend, with The Immortals and J. Edgar also hitting theaters. Last weekend saw Boots rebound from bad weather and hold the top spot against Tower Heist – perhaps it will make it a week three. Weak three could also describe the wide releases this weekend.
Brett Ratner‘s ensemble movie was no match for the sword-fighting feline of Puss in Boots. The Shrek spinoff topped the box office for a second week, taking in $33 million, bringing its total to $75 million. Despite Tower Heist‘s promising debut on Friday, the Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy action comedy came in second place for the weekend with $25.1 million. The other comedy in theaters, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, opened with $13.1 million – thanks to the inflated ticket prices. Paranormal Activity 3 and In Time rounded out the top 5. Check out the complete numbers.
This weekend Tower Heist and A Very Harold and Kumar 3-D Christmas won’t have to face the winter storms of last weekend. That’s good for them, as this is considered the first heavy hitting weekend of the fall season. What it also means is that shortly we’re going to see a number of the bigger Oscar pictures go into limited and wide release. But – for the most part – big studios aren’t in that race any more, and so other than J. Edgar, we won’t see a big studio Oscar-bait film until around Christmas.
The weekend, the 3D Shrek spinoff Puss In Boots took the top spot earning $34 million. The DreamWorks animated movie didn’t do as well as we predicted, but that’s probably not Puss‘ fault. There was a snow storm in the northeast that could have contributed to its mediocre outcome. Despite it being Halloween appropriate, Paranormal Activity 3 suffered a huge slump following its debut weekend. The horror sequel came in at No. 2 with just $18.5 million, while Justin Timberlake‘s new sci-fi flick In Time opened with $12 million at No. 3. Rounding out the top five were Footloose with $5.4 million, and the new Johnny Depp movie, The Rum Diary with $5 million.
Check out the numbers below…
The biggest question of the weekend is this: why did Paramount, which won last weekend with Paranormal Activity 3, bump up Puss in Boots to the first week of October when the first week of November has become the official start of the fall season? It should handily win the weekend over some lesser competitors – like Anonymous, The Rum Diary, and In Time – but are they following the formula of Fast Five and getting an early jump on the competition, or do they think they have a weak sister?
The Shrek franchise drove itself into the ground after three sequels, so perhaps the only way to go forward was a spin-off. And it’s true that one of the best things about Puss in Boots – the fifth film in the franchise – is that it never feels like a Shrek movie. The film follows the feline character (voiced by Antonio Banderas) in a stand-alone adventure. But even though it’s not beating you over the head with pop-culture references, it does feel like is something that was originally meant to be a direct to video title.
DreamWorks Animation has released the first trailer for the Shrek spin-off Puss in Boots. Just when you thought you were rid of the characters from that world, Antonio Banderas reprises his role as the feline fighter. To be fair, we’ve known for years that Puss in Boots was in the works, we just had no idea how soon it would hit theaters. Check out the teaser trailer below…
DreamWorks may have put the final nail in Shrek’s coffin with last May’s Shrek Forever After, but the rest of the series characters are alive and kicking. Over a year ago it was announced that a Puss in Boots spin-off was in the works and we’ve got the first photo of the debonair cat alongside his new companion Kitty (voiced by Salma Hayek). Take a look…
