Well, the marketing ploy paid off, at least in the short term. Next week will tell us if Vantage Point has what it takes to continue pulling audiences for awhile. What am I talking about? Like the title says, the carpet bombing of the trailer as perpetrated by Sony Pictures Entertainment. I am not sure quite how they did it, but the trailer for this action/thriller seemed to be attached to every movie that hit the theaters.
I am quite sure that you even saw it with the recent Veggie-Tales movie. The trailer was playing as far back as late last summer. Anyway, the constant pummeling of the release on our heads apparently worked and it was the number one movie this weekend. Yes, I was one of those who laid out the cash for it. Was it worth it? Sort of. It definitely delivered thrills, but it was somewhat lacking in a few areas.
There was only one other new release to reach the top ten this week, and it was all the way down at number nine. It is Michel Gondry's latest creation, Be Kind, Rewind, a heartfelt comedy that really works. It may not be quite as good as it could be, but it is far from bad. It stars Mos Def and Jack Black, who play best friends who have to make their own versions of popular films when a magnetized Black erases all the tapes in the shop Def works at. It is fun, smile-inducing, and really touches the heart. I suggest you give it a go.
As for the returning films? The Spiderwick Chronicles proved to have a strong hold, retaining its second place position and slipping a mere 30%. It deserves it, the film is better than expected. As for last week's top film, it dropped to third with a near 60% drop. Jumper is suffering from poor word of mouth and will likely drop pretty quickly over the next two weeks.
Most of the rest of the returning titles had holds in the 50% range, which seems to be the norm from week to week. However, there was one returning film that defies the odds, a small independent film (and now an Oscar winner) that continues to capture imaginations and put people in the seats. Juno slipped less than 10% and has remained in the top ten for nearly its entire 12-week run so far. It is a great little film, and if you have not yet seen it, do so.
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