We’re not sure who to feel sorrier for: the guys that got dragged along to estrogen-injected marshmallow “Valentine’s Day,” or the women who endured the horrible horror movie “The Wolfman.” Either way, a lot of people deserve medals this weekend, with the February 14th fluff-fest taking first place and a stomach-churning $52.4 million. Apparently, moviegoers are all far better significant others than we are (and far worse cinephiles).
In our in-theaters preview, we predicted a hefty take for “Valentine’s Day,” followed by a swift drop-off. Reviews have been unsurprisingly bad, and people should expect at least a 60% dip for this film next week, especially with the specter of “Shutter Island” on the horizon. It’s not a surprise that this movie did well; between the presence of every A-lister imaginable (plus Eric Dane) and the absence of any other recent romantic comedies, it’s inevitable that couples and singles alike would flock to the film this weekend. But seriously, people: if it’s movie love you want, translate your romantic advice to your film choices and don’t settle. “Valentine’s Day” is the cinematic equivalent of a douchebag who looks good from far away, even though you know you’d be far better off with Prince Charmings such as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Secretary,” or a classic like “Charade.” We’d even recommend “Love Actually” over this.
“Percy Jackson: & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” stole second place from “The Wolfman” with $31.1 million, which isn’t too bad a take for a fantasy film without “The Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter” in the title. Director Chris Columbus brought a blah sensibility to the first two Harry Potter films, and the middling reviews for this adaptation prove that he probably didn’t learn from the experience. We suppose not everyone can be Peter Jackson or Alfonso Cuaron. We’re hoping for a quick exit from the top ten for this one; not out of malice, but just because we’re tired of typing out its interminably long title.
After being pushed back multiple times, “The Wolfman” should probably be happy with a bronze medal and $30.6 million at the box office, but its reported $150 million budget makes celebration impossible. We’re not sure why the usually awesome cast (Benecio del Toro, Emily Blunt, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugo Weaving) took the jobs, and we’re guessing at this point, neither are they. Reviews haven’t been great, and the film’s prospects at making money are looking, umm, hairy.
Meanwhile, “Avatar” only dropped 3.7% to take the fourth spot with $22 million, which is especially impressive when you take into account that its theater count dropped about 10%. Its domestic haul stands at almost $660 million and it should take in a bit more cash with the Oscars fast approaching. We’d say something funny here, but we’ve run out of wit after the film’s nine-week run in the top five.
The rest of the top ten unfolds predictably, with “Dear John,” “Tooth Fairy,” and “From Paris with Love” faring most respectably. We’re most happy to report that not only did The Playlist favorite “Crazy Heart” maintain a spot in the top ten, but it even gained a bit and made $4 million. On the other hand, the finely scripted “An Education” earned less than half a million and appeared to be slowly drifting away. But since the film has been out since October, this isn’t bad news for it, especially since it’s garned more than $10 million in receipts.
However, the biggest gainer this week was “New Moon,” which had over a 100% improvement over last week as it continues to crawl. The “Romeo and Juliet” rip-off certainly got a bump from this weekend’s holiday because nothing says romance like bad dialogue and suicide attempts.
In the world of limited releases, Bollywood film “My Name is Khan” did good business with the week’s top per-screen average of $15,500 at 120 locations. The post-9/11 drama stars Shah Rukh Khan, one of India’s best-known actors, and it even received U.S. distribution from Fox Searchlight (Bollywood companies such as Eros and UTV frequently handle American roll-outs of Hindi-language films). Number weren’t yet available for the weekend’s other small openers “American Radical: The Trials of Norman Finkelstein” and “Videocracy.”
1. Valentine’s Day – $52.4 million ($52.4 mil.).
2. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – $31.1 million ($31.1 mil.)
3. The Wolfman – $30.6 million ($30.6 mil.)
4. Avatar – $22 million ($660 mil.)
5. Dear John – $15.3 million ($53.2 mil.)
6. Tooth Fairy – $5.6 million ($41.5 mil.)
7. From Paris with Love – $4.7 million ($15.9 mil.)
8. Edge of Darkness – $4.6 million ($36.1 mil.)
9. Crazy Heart – $4 million ($16.5 mil.)
10. When in Rome – $3.4 million ($26 mil.)