Hit the jump for a quick rundown on each film opening this weekend!
"The Croods" gives us a taste of what it would have been like for prehistoric man on vacation, just slightly exaggerated. The voice talent for the movie is quite appealing actually, as Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds are fronting the brood. Rotten Tomatoes holds the movie at an 81% which isn't that surprising for an animated family film, but refreshing nonetheless with the toilet water we have had to wade through in theaters recently. If you want to avoid that nasty FREEZING SPRING WEATHER then this might not be a bad way to waste some time. I imagine, if nothing else, the kids will love it and adults shouldn't have many troubles, either.
"Olympus has Fallen" gives us our weekly dose of pre-summer blockbuster action. I can't promise it will be great, but it has a cast that at least gets me intrigued. While only holding a 47% on RT, it gives me hope seeing that the studio has at least allowed reviews this early - usually if the movie isn't at all worth your time they keep an embargo on the reviews until its actual release (I suppose this is probably to try and steal a few "caught unaware" Friday nighters). I think the action will be fun - Antoine Fuqua directs ("Training Day", "Shooter"), so I'm confident he knows what he's doing on that front. And if nothing else, I am glad Gerard Butler is doing an action movie again. It's what he should be doing!
"Admission"...this film I know nothing about.
I'm not actually leaving it there, I just like causing a quick panic (also I like thinking that readers would be panicking because I didn't preview one of the three movies this weekend). While the movie is starring some great comedic talent, it may serve you best to hold off, at least momentarily, before deciding whether or not to test these waters. It is shark season and their main move is biting when you never even knew they were there. It holds a mighty 40% for RT...which is not good, but we've also seen plenty a comedy review much worse. I am definitely going to wait a bit longer before opting to check this one out. It is true that I rarely see comedies in theaters as it is, but this one is causing me to hesitate even more, which is not a good sign. I do like Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, but I just get an inkling that, similar to, say, "Identity Thief", there are two strong comedic performers appearing in a subject that's probably a little beneath where we expect both of them right now. I'm sure it won't be the worst watch out there, but probably not what you'd hope for from either of these stars.
On the box office end of things, I don't see a scenario in which "The Croods" doesn't come out on top. We're finally starting to get into a stronger box office season (as we've seen recently with "Oz the Great and Powerful"), and I think "The Croods" will continue that. It's probably not going to make $70MM, but something in the $40MM-$50MM range seems likely. With a strong cast and quality-looking animation, I expect this to appeal to all age groups. "Olympus Has Fallen" has a chance to make a little money too. People love a
The exciting movies are just around the corner, I promise, so just sit tight and try to bide your time a little while longer. Some of the titles starting to hit aren't so bad - and even may be a bit good! Just watch out and remember to take my advice! I'll try not to steer you wrong. As always, I would appreciate comments below if anyone happens to see any of the selections presented above.