By Chris Kavan - 08/01/12 at 09:35 PM CT
Blame it on the Olympics, blame it on nerves still being rattled, but last week was lackluster to say the least at the box office. The comedy of The Watch nor the dancing of Step Up: Revolution could spark audiences. Hopefully the pair of newcomers coming this weekend can have better luck as The Dark Knight Rises (having recently passed the $300 mark) tries to recover from its opening day shooting.
1) It seems that every time a remake or reboot rears its head, people cry foul and bemoan the lack of creativity and originality in Hollywood. Usually, I'm right up there with them. However, I have to admit that ever since I saw the first trailer for this new Total Recall, with Colin Farrell filling the large shoes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, I think this looks like one of the better-looking ones to come along in awhile. It surely helps you have the delectable Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel along for the ride. And hey, they even managed to shoe-horn in the classic three-breasted woman (warning - provocative photo included!) - so its got that going for it. What makes me happy is they're trying to do something different here - they don't even get to Mars at all this time. I'm not expecting this to be outstanding, but I am looking forward to seeing how they differentiate this from the original.
2) For families, there is finally a non-animated film to look forward to. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is the third film in this family series, adapted from the popular set of books written by Jeff Kinney.. This film actually encompasses two of the books: Dog Days and The Last Straw. This series has been surprisingly strong - the original beat both The Bounty Hunter and Repo Men in its opening weekend and grossed just over $64 million while the sequel, Rodrick Rules, opened #1 at $23.75 million, topping the much more high-profile film Sucker Punch. It went on to gross nearly $52.7 million. Dog Days looks to continue the trend, though it's facing much stiffer competition: The Dark Knight Rises is still going strong, Total Recall is opening and animated films Ice Age: Continental Drift and Brave are still in the top 10. Aiming for that $50 million mark may be the mark to hit and considering there are still books left, if it stays strong, there could be more forthcoming.
I still think The Dark Knight Rises will win the weekend, but the big question is where Total Recall with wind up. If audiences are still ambivalent about going to the theater, it could spell yet another disappointing weekend, but I have a feeling the box office will look a bit better this time around.
