Wow, a top ten list that doesn't have The Dark Knight on it. It's been awhile since that has happened, since it originally arrived on the big screen back in July. In the time since its release, it has shattered nearly every record the box office has to offer. Among its most prestigious records are Biggest Opening Day, Weekend, and Week, plus the fastest to $100, $200, $300, $400, and $500 million. The superhero film also stands as the biggest film of 2008 and the second largest box office gross (not adjusted for inflation) of all time. On top of all those records, it also happens to be a pretty darn good film.
This week's top film features the star of one of 2007's biggest hits, Transformers. Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan star in Eagle Eye, an action thriller that has the two being threatened with personal harm, plus harm to their families, as they are directed by an unseen person into increasingly dangerous situations. I have not yet seen the film, but it hasn't fared well on the critical front. Time will tell if I agree with them, or if I enjoy the action-filled flick.
Following from a safe distance is the second place finisher, and new release, Nights in Rodanthe. Rather than offer up visceral excitement, this film offers up a romance that is doomed from the start. Richard Gere and Diane Lane star in the Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook) adaptation. The film survives purely on the strength of the leads. If you stop and try to look beyond the surface you will discover a rather shallow excursion into weepy-land. You would be better off revisiting The Notebook.
Two other new releases graced the top ten chart this week. First up is the number four film, Fireproof. The low budget film stars former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron as a firefighter with family problems. The spiritually themed film performed extraordinarily well as it opened on less than 1,000 screens and had a per theater average of more than $8,000, making it the second best of the top ten.
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