We have an exciting Valentine's Day weekend ahead with four wide releases hitting theaters! Three of these are actually opening today to rack up some of those date sales, while the fourth will be opening on Friday as per usual. Personally, I'm not overly excited for anything in the bunch, but there is definitely a wide splay of genres hitting so almost anyone can walk into the theater a happy camper! The four movies hitting our theaters are: "A Good Day to Die Hard", "Beautiful Creatures", "Safe Haven", and "Escape From Planet Earth".
Hit the jump for further details on each!
Lets start our rundown on "A Good Day to Die Hard", where we pick up with our fearless police officer friend who has a real serious knack for knowing exactly where trouble is going down anywhere in the world. This will be the fifth installment in the series as we delve, this time, into Russia where he and his son take down some Russian terrorists of some sort. I would say I probably enjoyed the fourth movie a bit more than most people but if I'm being honest (and I most certainly am), I don't expect much of anything from this movie. I'm sure there will be some decent one-liners and he will drop an F-bomb a time or two, but at this point it seems so far-fetched that some beat cop roaming the streets of New York will have taken down FIVE worldwide threats to national security just because he happened to be in the area...also, I apologize, only four of them were because he happened to be in the area; Jeremy Irons actually sought him out for killing his brosif.
The film is hitting pretty terrible with early critics as it has naught but an 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is actually a huge step up from its debut yesterday (and even earlier today), when it was at a pathetic 6%. This is far and away the worst reviewed film of the series, where even the last PG-13 entry, "Live Free of Die Hard" managed an 81%. So..take that as you will.
Next we have "Beautiful Creatures". I have no flipping clue what this movie is about other than some sort of witchy like thing? I think there is a love story in there somewhere and also Jeremy Irons is in it. That's honestly about all I have for you on this one. If you happen to see the movie, maybe make a stop by over here to let us know what it's about and what you thought.
It currently holds a 45% on RT, which is better than I anticipated for this movie - but I suppose those tweeny movies are the bees knees these days!
"Safe Haven" is this year's Nicholas Sparks movie (for the gamers out there, it's just like Call of Duty - there's a new one every year). Do I really need to go into what its going to be about? I'm not saying it's going to be terribly crafted or anything, I am simply saying that these movies are not known worldwide for their in deep plot details and character studies. They're simply meant to elicit emotion. People are going to fall in love, then be sad, then find a happy balance. That can sum up everything you need to know about the film, I'm calling it now!
Just to keep it consistent, I'll hit you with the RT score, which is which is currently at 13%... I guess this movie is to women what the new Die Hard is to men?
Lastly, we have "Escape From Planet Earth". A nice little addition to our weekly lineup for the kiddos to enjoy. There currently isn't a score for this film on Rotten Tomatoes, and honestly I haven't heard or seen much for this. It generally isn't a good sign when Brendan Fraser is headlining your film either, but I like the guy just fine. Plus, the rest of the cast seems solid. As this is another animated feature that involves aliens and monsters, I'm sure it will appeal well to the youngsters in the audience.
Normally you'd expect a children's animated film to top a box office chart, but in this instance, I'm not sold. I know I'm still going to put my money on it. More likely, due to its familiarity with audiences and its high production values, "A Good Day to Die Hard" will probably come close to replicating what "Live Free of Die Hard" opened with six years ago - $33MM. I think that number is a little high, but even with it being Valentine's Day weekend, I still think this movie takes the top spot. As for "Beautiful Creatures" and "Save Haven", both will surely get at least a small bump due to the holiday, but I don't know what the real buzz is around these films. I bet they'll both make somewhere in the $15MM-$20MM range though.
There we have it, a fun filled weekend to spend with your loved one(s)! I hope everyone enjoys themselves! Remember to show up early this weekend as many, many people will be cramming themselves into those theaters to watch some movies for the holiday. If you wanna show your significant other how cool you are, make sure you don't have to sit in the front row!