By Chris Kavan - 08/29/13 at 08:11 AM CT
With The Butler taking the top spot two weeks in a row now, what are the chances of a threepeat? I think there is still a pretty good chance considering we've entered the no-man's-movie land of late August - September - often considered a dumping ground for mediocre-caliber movies. This week has three new entries coming out, though not a one of them holds much interest for me. I would maybe rent a couple of these but if I watch anything in theaters, it will be to catch up on some films that have been out for awhile rather than seeing any new faces up on screen.
CLOSED CIRCUIT Although it deals with an interesting concept - the Big Brother-like technology prevalent in Britain where your every move can be watched - I still don't think there's enough going on in Closed Circuit to warrant a theater experience. Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall take the reigns - with the likes of Julia Stiles, Ciarán Hinds and Jim Broadbent along for the ride as well. But it remains to be seen if a film that is billed as an edge-of-your seat conspiracy thriller can muster up enough interest to make a dent at the box office. It might do well in the UK (seeing as that's where the story takes place) but I can't imagine it will do more than middling numbers when it opens here.
GETAWAY Ethan Hawke must save his kidnapped wife from a nefarious villain, so he steals the most outrageous ride he can find (and Selena Gomez too) and races against the clock to save her. As outlandish a sentence as I have written, Getaway is just the kind of leftover action movie that wasn't good enough for the summer blockbuster season you see tossed out around this time. I have a feeling it will be in and out of theaters quickly, though I think it would make for an excellent rental on a day when you just need to switch your mind off for awhile. Reminds me a bit of Faster mixed in with Drive Angry (without the whole escaping from hell thing thrown in). Mindless entertainment - but probably won't make too many waves.
ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US Concert movies are either a bang of a bust. Popularity does not equal ticket sales (just ask the Jonas Brothers or Katy Perry) so just because you have five lads who happen to be incredibly popular with young ladies doesn't mean they're going to show up to watch a movie about them. I have to give credit to the people behind the film - at least they have a credible director in Morgan Spurlock to helm the documentary. I have no idea if he's going to take it in a more interesting direction, but his name alone makes me hopeful. Still - concert movies are a tough sell most of the time and even the best can't compete with big name pictures. But if the kids are antsy following school - this could make some decent money... or it could just as easy fall flat on its perfect British face.
It's not the most exciting of weekends for releases at least from my perspective. Still, we'll see on Sunday if The Butler can maintain its grip on first place or if a newcomer can pull off the upset and take the top spot.
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