Commentary: February '09 a weak movie month

January '09 was a pretty disappointing month as far as new movie releases were concerned, but February wasn't that brilliant either. On the contrary: the number (and quality) of wide releases dropped sharply compared to last year.

Let's take a brief look at what ruled and what really sucked in February 2009:

THE BAD

February didn't start well this year. One of the first films I saw was the totally unnecessary "The Pink Panther 2," an atrocity of a movie. After seeing the first one, I really hoped they wouldn't go there again, but that's exactly what happened, and the result is cheap, lousy and plain embarrassing.

On that same weekend I also saw Ken Kwapis' comedy "He's Just Not That Into You," a film I looked forward too because I really liked what I saw in the trailer and TV spots.

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Box Office: 'Watchmen' easily wins race with $55.6M

Weekend of March 6 – 8, 2009

Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen” stormed the North American box office this weekend with $55.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The big-screen adaptation of the celebrated graphic novel scored the widest release ever for an R-rated film, opening at 3,611 locations. The film also collected $4.5 million from midnight screenings early Friday.

Still, “Watchmen” failed to beat Snyder’s last film “300,” which debuted at 3,280 locations two years ago and delivered a $70.8 million opening weekend gross.

At No. 2, Tyler Perry’s “Madea Goes to Jail” collected another $8.8 million, reaching a domestic total of $76.5 million after three weeks in release. The film already passed the $63.2 million total gross of its predecessor, “Madea’s Family Reunion.”

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'Benjamin Button' wins international box office race

Oscar-winning drama remains on top overseas

David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" dominated the international box office for the fourth consecutive weekend with an estimated $13.4 million in ticket sales. The film's current total stands at $176.2 million.

At No. 2, Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" pulled in $8.3 million, reaching an overseas total of $17.3 million. Following in third place was Tom Cruise's WWII thriller "Valkyrie," which collected $7.6 million for a cumulative gross of $93.2 million.

Meanwhile, Walt Disney's "Bolt" picked up another $7.2 million, lifting its international total to $166.5 million. Steve Martin's latest comedy "The Pink Panther 2" finished fifth with a weekend gross of $6.8 million and a total haul of $22.7 million.

Other results from the overseas box office: "Confessions of a Shopaholic" brought in $4.9 million for a total of $17.6 million; "The International" collected $4.4 million for a cume of $10.8 million; "Slumdog Millionaire" reached a total gross of $10.5 million; and "The Reader" lifted its cume to $15.5 million.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

'Benjamin Button' rules overseas b.o.

Oscar-nominated film wins top spot for third consecutive week

David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" continued its overseas box office dominance this weekend with an estimated $19.6 million in ticket sales. The film's total gross currently stands at $152 million.

Still going strong at No. 2 was Disney's "Bolt," which collected $12.1 million in 40 markets for an international cumulative gross of $155.2 million. Following in third place with $7.5 million was Bryan Singer's WWII "Valkyrie," which brought its total gross to $83 million.

Meanwhile, Ken Kwapis' comedy He's Just Not That Into You" picked up $7.2 million in fourth place, lifting its overseas total to $32 million.

At No. 5, P.J. Hogan's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" pulled in $6.4 million in 10 territories, reaching a cume of $10.3 million after a little more than one week in release.

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Box Office: 'Friday the 13th' reigns with $42M

Weekend of February 13 – 15, 2009

“Friday the 13th” slashed its competition at the top of the North American box office with a whopping $42.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Marcus Nispel’s remake of the 1980 horror flick follows Jason Voorhees as he brutally murders everyone daring to enter his territory at Camp Crystal Lake. The film was produced on a $19 million budget.

Things didn’t look that great for this weekend’s two other wide releases. P.J. Hogan’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic” debuted only at No. 4, pulling in $15.4 million. Based on the books by Sophie Kinsella, the film follows Isla Fisher as a journalist struggling to get control of her debt.

Meanwhile, Tom Tykwer’s thriller “The International” finished in seventh place, collecting only $10 million. Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, the movie focuses on an Interpol agent and a NY district attorney trying to bring down a corrupt bank.

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Movie Review: “Confessions of a Shopaholic”

Seen on: February 13, 2009

The players: Director: P.J. Hogan, Writers: Kayla Alpert, Tracey Jackson, Tim Firth, Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow

Facts of interest: Based on the novels by Sophie Kinsella.

The plot: Rebecca Bloomwood has plenty of debt, and she needs to do something about it. Her first step: pad her resume and apply for a job at a popular fashion magazine.

Our thoughts: In “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” Isla Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood, an attractive, energetic New York City shopaholic who’s drowning in credit card debt and really struggles to turn her life around. But here’s Rebecca’s biggest problem: she’s quite simply not funny enough.

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'Confessions of a Shopaholic' web reviews

Based on the novels by Sophie Kinsella, P.J. Hogan's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" stars Isla Fisher as Rebecca Bloomwood, a New York City girl who decides to change her life and face her huge debt. I hear the books are funny, but what do the Web's critics have to say about the film?

• Katey Rich at CinemaBlend: "There's lots to look at, between Patricia Field's gonzo costumes and Dancy's sparkling blue eyes, but nothing to feel in Shopaholic, other than a deep regret that we ever thought this kind of lifestyle was funny, much less admirable."

• Brad Brevet at RopeOfSilicon: "The film gets a "D-" because I had maybe one or two chuckles and I felt like being kind, but don't take that slight bump to mean anything more."

• Ron Henriques at LatinoReview: "Director P.J. Hogan who made such a remarkable breakthrough with the lovely 'Muriel's Wedding' seems to have sold his soul to the devil himself, producer Jerry Bruckheimer."

• Kevin Carr at FilmSchoolRejetcs: "Fisher makes this movie work, and she’s proving herself as an adorable screen presence, likely to be the next Reese Witherspoon. Fisher’s goofy attitude makes the fluffy story bearable, and her knack for comedy works, at least in the first part of the film."

• Collider's Matt Goldberg: "The film's other weakness is the runtime. There's just no reason for the film to be almost two hours long and there are some scenes that aren't bad but could easily have found the cutting room floor without weakening the rest of the picture."

This week's new movie releases - Feb. 13, 2009

We're only looking at three wide releases this week: "Confessions of a Shopaholic" with Isla Fisher, Marcus Nispel's horror remake "Friday the 13th" and Tom Tykwer's thriller "The International" with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. Let's take a closer look:

CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC

Synopsis: Rebecca Bloomwood is a sweet and charming New York City girl who has a tiny, little problem that is rapidly turning into a big problem: she's hopelessly addicted to shopping and drowning in a sea of debt. While Rebecca has dreams of working for a top fashion magazine, she can't quite get her foot in the door -- that is, until she snags a job as an advice columnist for a new financial magazine published by the same company.

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First 'Prince of Persia' poster to show up in 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'

If you want to be among the first to see the very first poster for the upcoming action flick "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," you'll have to go see "Confessions of a Shopaholic," which opens Feb. 13, 2009.

No, I'm not kidding. According to MTV, producer Jerry Bruckheimer deliberately put a "Persia" poster somewhere in "Confessions," his next project to open in theaters. Apparently, it will appear as a Time Square ad about halfway into the flick.

Bruckheimer sure knows how to promote his flicks, and while this type of advertising is not exactly new, it is the first time we get to see an official poster in a movie before anywhere else.

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" is directed by Mike Newell and stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Kingsley. The film is set for release May 28, 2010.

International 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' trailer!

Shopaholics, rejoice! Here is the brand-new international trailer for the upcoming big-screen adaptation of "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

based on the novels by Sophie Kinsella, the film focuses on Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), a charming New York City girl who's addicted to shopping. Only problem: she's facing a huge debt.

But when Rebecca lands a job as an advice columnist for a new financial magazine, she hopes to finally be able to make her payments and somehow get control of her chaotic lifestyle.

The trailer you can check out after the jump is a little different from the domestic one, but the footage is more or less the same. Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, Kristin Scott Thomas and Leslie Bibb star.

The film is directed by P.J. Hogan ("My Best Friend's Wedding") and will open everywhere Feb. 13, 2009. I haven't read the books, but I've heard they are great. That said, the trailer looks highly enjoyable.

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