Roland Emmerich's big disaster film made a killing this weekend. Sixty-five million in its opening weekend is a pretty nice open. When you factor in the $170 million it took in internationally, 2012 has already made back its production budget and is headed on its way to a healthy take at the box office. As for the film itself? Well, let's just say it has the sizzle but it lacks the steak. That is, the effects are phenomenal, I can't think of a slicker looking disaster flick. The problem lies with the story and the characters — there is nothing you haven't seen before. A little tweaking could have made this a tight disaster flick for the ages rather than a bloated special effects reel.
Coming in a distant second, but still well ahead of the rest of the field is last week's top winner, A Christmas Carol 3D. Here is a film that probably would have benefited from an opening closer to Christmas, but that's what happens when you go 3D and December is already locked up by a highly anticipated blockbuster. That said, the reception has been lukewarm compared to expectations. I suspect it will make a good chunk of its production budget back little by little over the next few years in home video sales. That said, I enjoyed the film. I liked that it did not try to dumb things down, that it used the old English manner of speaking, that Robert Zemeckis continues to experiment with motion capture, and that Jim Carrey remained in control of himself for the most part. It is an enjoyable holiday film that deserves to be seen.
Third place finds an upstart in our midst. Precious has jumped from twelfth to third while only playing at 174 screens. Its opening is reminiscent of Paranormal Activity. I have not yet seen the film, but it looks like a powerful and moving experience. It has been gathering quite a buzz around it and seems poised to become this year's Slumdog Millionaire.
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