The final weekend of April turned out to be stronger than I thought it would. It was no blockbuster/record breaker, mind you, but it is a strong statement to close out the spring session. Leading the charge is Obsessed, the Fatal Attraction-lite appearing film that features Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter, and Idris Elba. Frankly, the trailer told me everything I needed to know about the film and chose to go elsewhere, so I cannot speak about the quality of the box office winner, much like I could not speak on last week's winner, 17 Again.
Speaking of the Zac Efron flick, it came in second place this weekend. It fell a little more than I expected, but was still strong enough to hold onto the number two spot, despite strong competition from the number 3 finisher. I am sure people like the film, but when I look at those two films at the top of the chart, I just feel terribly indifferent. They strike me as films made to just make money, more business decision than artistic endeavor.
Coming in third is a film that plays a bit like a grittier version of Never Back Down, what with the street fights and the awkward romance. Unfortunately, neither film is all that good. Fighting stars Channing Tatum as a young man hustling on the streets of New York when he is discovered by a hustler/promoter who gets him involved in an underground fighting ring. Surprisingly, I found it rather boring.
Fourth place is another new film, The Soloist. The drama, based on a true story, centers on a reporter and a homeless musician. The pairing of Downey and Foxx is a good one, and their strength carries the film to be as likable as it is. The problem lies with the screenplay, which is not as rounded as it could have been.
Disney's new Disneynature imprint gets off to a nice start with earth. It opened with over $8 million in its opening weekend, not bad for a nature documentary. I have not yet seen it, but it looks to contain some breathtaking footage.
Moving on down the list we begin to see more holdovers from last week. They are led by Monsters vs. Aliens, which is enjoying a pretty good run for being a film that I did not enjoy as much as I had hoped. Not that my enjoyment has any bearing on box office.
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