The Weekend Report: February 12, 2012

Not unexpected was the 72% female demos for The Vow (Safe House attracted 50%) but while it was anticipated to attract an older crowd, exit polls indicated an audience that was 55% aged 25 years old and younger. Conversely Safe House drew a 62% crowd aged 30 years and older. It also skewed African American with 38% of viewers compared with 31% identified as Caucasian and 23% Hispanic.

Friday Estimates: February 10, 2012

It looks like a trio of $20m+ openings, two of which are looking at $30m+. The newcomers balance between four demographics, though the Star Wars 3D re-release is likely siphoning ticket sales from two of the other new films. This will be the second time in movie history with five $20m+ openings in February with Ghost Rider 2 due next weekend to, perhaps, set a new Feb record with six $20m+ openings.

Wilmington on Movies. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Along the way to the credits, The Artist Formerly Known as the Rock treats us to a performance of the Louis Armstrong favorite “What a Wonderful World,” with his own ukulele accompaniment; advises Sean on his love life, smiles constantly, and tops it off by bouncing berries off his popping pectorals, making for an unprecedented 3D experience.

Wilmington on DVDs. The Rest: The Rum Diary, Harold & Kumar Christmas

This sort-of cinematic roman a clef, changed by writer-director Bruce Robinson—considerably, but that’s all right—is a good nasty show pulsing and snapping and exploding with the witty chaos, counter-culture venom and inspired invective that were the Good Doctor’s mock-shock-and-awe stock in trade. Second-hand Gonzo, it’s true, but even diluted Thompson packs a wallop, since the raw unfiltered original blows the back of your head off.

Critics Roundup — February 9

Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace 3D |||Red||Green Journey 2: The Mysterious Island |||||Red The Vow |Red|||| Safe House |Yellow|Green|||Yellow The Turin Horse (NY) |Green||Green|Green|Green Rampart (limited) |Yellow|Green|Green|Green|Green In Darkness (NY, LA) |Yellow|Green|Yellow|Yellow|Green Perfect Sense ||||Green| The Oscar-Nominated Short Films 2012 |Green|Green|Green|| Chico and Rita (NY) |Yellow|Green|Green||

Box Office Hell — February 9

Our Players|Coming Soon|Box Office Prophets|Box Office Guru|EW|Box Office . com The Vow |33.1|35.2|23.0|31.0|38.0 Safe House|26.2|26.3|24.0|24.0|30.0 Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3-D |21.5|20.8|21.0|22.0|19.0 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island|17.8|14.3|17.0|16.0|18.0 Chronicle|11.5|12.2|11.0|11.0|11.0 The Woman in Black|10.0|10.0|11.3|n/a|9.7

My DVD Wrapup: A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, Lady and the Tramp, Downton Abbey, more…

If I were younger and had been far more stoned than I’ve been in years, I probably would have enjoyed “A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas” quite a bit more than I did. Apparently, too, if I were rich enough to afford a Blu-ray 3D television, the experience would have been enhanced exponentially. Nothing freaks out stoners faster than images flying off a screen and landing in their laps.

Wilmington on DVDs. Pick of the Week: New. Project Nim

Oh Nim. Humans sorry. Forgive us.

DVD Geek: Godzilla

No other land or people have suffered from the effects of manmade atomic destruction as Japan has, and the monster, Godzilla, is a metaphor of that destruction that has proven to be as far reaching and enduring in its truthfulness as the creature itself has been in popularity. Even America, which is as symbiotically entwined with Japan’s nuclear catastrophes as the American version of the film is with the Japanese version, has embraced the subliminal power that is conveyed by the rubber-suited monster, and its later, upgraded special effect iterations, raging across the captivating miniature landscapes and cityscapes.

Wilmington on Movies: The Woman in Black: Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens

So, at least we can go to a horror movie where we don’t have to watch more mock home movie or surveillance camera photography of monstrous stuff, or kibitz on teen/20 actors being slaughtered in another artificial holocaust for sale.

The Weekend Report, February 5, 2012

With the industry girding for Super Bowl, the opening movie going salvo was heartening. Weekend revenues were off 8% from seven days earlier but a hearty 35% improved from 2011 when debuts of The Roommate and Sanctum topped the charts with respective box office of $15 million and $9.4 million.

Neither Chronicle nor The Woman in Black was expected to open as well as last weekend’s leader The Grey that bowed to $19.7 million. Pundits have largely readjusted estimates to reflect the growing influence of older viewers and the new entries weren’t targeted to plus 25s. However, while the former skewed 55% male and the latter 59% female, they also drew in 61% younger than 25% for Chronicle and 57% in the same demo for Woman in Black.

Len’s Weekend Report to come…

Friday Estimates: February 4, 2012

Two studios had strong starts with genre product, The Grey has a solid Friday-to-Friday hold, and saving sea creatures is no big miracle on this day.

Wilmington on DVDs: The Big Year; Winged Migration; Life of Birds, Transformers and more

Bay and his crew (and a lot of the actors and voice actors) are still able to pump enough wild invention, heavy film technique, weirdo energy and Wowie-Kazowie-Blam-Blam-Blam-Kaboom-Vavoom-Wacka-Wacka-Wacka-Kerboom!!!!!!! into the show to impress the hell out of you at times.

Box Office Hell — February 2

Our Players|Coming Soon|Box Office Prophets|Box Office Guru|EW|Box Office . com Chronicle |17.3|16.5|15.0|19.0|14.0 The Woman in Black|13.4|12.4|13.0|13.5|16.0 The Grey |10.5|12.0|11.0|10.0|10.0 Big Miracle|7.7|5.7|7.0|8.0|8.0 One for the Money|6.5|5.1|6.0|n/a|5.5 Underworld Awakening|5.7|6.1|6.0|6.0|5.8

Wilmington on DVD. Pick of the Week: New. Drive

Neo-noir is this picture’s middle name, and its forebears are The Driver (of course) and John Boorman’s Point Blank, with Lee Marvin, and Peter Yates’ Bullitt, with Steve McQueen, and William Friedkin’s The French Connection and Michael Mann‘s outlaw movies Thief and Heat—and even perhaps Jean-Pierre Melville‘s Le Samourai, which has a hero hit man (played by Alain Delon) who’s just as cool, just as silent, murderous and secretly romantic as Gosling’s Driver is here.

Critics Roundup — February 2

Big Miracle ||||| Chronicle ||||| The Innkeepers ||||| Kill List (NY, LA) ||||| Splinters (NY) ||||| W. E. (limited) |||Red||

The DVD Wrapup: Transformers 3D, In Time, Dead Hooker In A Trunk…

“Dead Hooker in a Trunk” is the title of a do-it-yourself horror flick by Jen and Sylvia Soska, who not only co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred, but also are credited as co-producers, set decorators and assistants to the editor and cinematographer. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made PB&J sandwiches for the cast and crew, as well. Unlike the great headlines and titles that point to lousy stories and movies, however, “Dead Hooker in a Trunk” is both a madly inventive parody of slasher flicks and a deliciously dark comedy.