By Chris Kavan - 08/05/11 at 10:17 AM CT
Enough of the monkey business people! Hey, I'm not here to monkey around! Stop aping me like that - what, do think I'm working for bananas? (horrible puns stop here). The box office will probably be conquered by some simian overlords this weekend, well a group of them and James Franco too.
1) Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set as a prequel to the events of the 1968 classic. How much continuity they're going to throw out the door remains to be seen. I, for one, will watch it just to see what it's like. The trailers make it seem like some huge, action-packed angry apes but with a bit of heart and drama thrown in as well. Critical reception is leaning towards the more positive side of things, so at least that's a plus as well. Don't know how well it will open, but I predict it will be #1
2) Another R-rated comedy looks to prove itself worthy this year and join the ranks of Hangover Part 2 and Bridesmaids as certified hits. The Change-Up sees family man Jason Bateman switching bodies with bachelor and certified player Ryan Reynolds. Female support comes in the always reliable Leslie Mann and smoking hot Olivia Wilde. While the reviews aren't as positive this time around, these kind of comedies tend toward the lower side (see also, Hangover: Part 2). If audiences haven't had their fill yet, it will probably do well enough. I predict somewhere in the top 5 at least.
I'm falling behind, so it's Captain America this weekend for me (Apes is next Friday). We'll see how much of an audience Cowboys & Aliens drops and if Rise of the Planet of the Apes can rise to the challenge. See you back on Sunday will the full report.
