Halloween proved to be a rather tepid weekend at the box office, crowds stayed away, choosing to hit the streets for free treats rather than to sit in a theater for cinematic sweets. Too much? I know, can't blame me for trying! Anyway, this week looks to bounce back behind the strength of a single film. An animated sequel enters a staggering 3900 theaters and seems poised to reinvigorate last weekend's weak returns. The other new releases should get off to respectable starts but do not seem positioned to have any extraordinary effect on receipts.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. (2008, 89 minutes, PG, animated comedy, trailer) The first Madagascar film was pretty fun. It featured a quartet of New York Zoo animals who get out of the zoo, get caught, and are crated and put on a ship bound for an African wildlife refuge. However, some escape-minded penguins are also on board and that results in the lot being swept overboard and ending up in Madagascar. This sequel finds the lion (Ben Stiller), zebra (Chris Rock), giraffe (David Schwimmer), and hippo (Jada Pinkett-Smith) on a penguin-repaired airplane that makes it as far as the African mainland. Much comedy and adventure ensures.
Role Models. (2008, 95 minutes, R, comedy, trailer) Here is a movie that looks like it will have some funny moments, but I hesitate to believe it will be good. Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott team up to play a couple of friends who hawk an energy drink, accidentally cause a lot of damage, and get sentenced to a Big Brother-Little Brother-type group where they must actually try to help a couple of troubled youths. I like the leading duo, hopefully this won't be a waste of time.
Soul Men. (2008, 103 minutes, R, comedy, trailer) The last film from the late Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes looks pretty funny. Mac teams with Samuel L. Jackson as a singing duo on a reunion tour. The reunion results in the reigniting of old issues between the two. Now, this looks funny, but it also does not look particularly special. That said, I am looking forward to checking it out.
Article comments