In the weakest weekend in months, Superbad succeeded in retaining the number one slot in its second week of release. This may just be the funniest film of the summer, in my humble opinion. None of this week's four wide releases made much of a dent in the box office. The decline can most likely be attributed to the fast approaching new school year. Many college students are heading back to class this week with high schools and grade schools following close behind.
Back to Superbad — I never would have figured this would do as well as it has. When I first saw the teaser trailer, it looked like a goofy teen comedy. Then the full trailer came out, and the potential started to jump out at me. It looks as if audiences had similar reactions. The movie is funny, surprisingly smart in its crassness, and just a flat out surprise.
Three of the four wide release films made it to the top ten in their opening frames. The trio appear bunched up in the middle of the list. Leading the charge is the latest Rowan Atkinson outing as Mr. Bean in Mr. Bean's Holiday placing fourth, a frightfully dull movie. I suspect it will fade rather quickly. Close on its heels is the Jet Li/Jason Statham actioner, WAR. I have not yet seen this one, but it looks like an adrenaline-filled blast of action. I am surprised that this did not do better than it did. Finally, The Nanny Diaries placed sixth. This Scarlet Johansson vehicle has been accused of being The Devil Wears Prada redux. I cannot answer to that, not having seen it yet, but I think it looks a bit more interesting than that.
There were two other notable releases this week, one wide and one a bit less so. First up is Resurrecting the Champ. It is an interesting look at ethics in journalism, but is only worth watching for the incredible performance of Samuel L. Jackson as a homeless former boxer called Champ. The other film is the Puerto Rican gangsta film Illegal Tender, an overblown B-movie that I found to be very entertaining and well worth checking out. It is likely to find a larger audience once it hits DVD.
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