Ten Worst Films of 2009

Yes, the year 2009 is history, so it's time for me to pick the films I hated most. Unfortunately, I've seen many terrible films this year, which makes it all too easy to find the 10 flicks I couldn't stand at all in '09.

It is a sad truth, but the quantity of lame movies always overpowers the selection of good films each year, and 2009 was no different. Hence, I found myself thinking about leaving the theater more than once.

Films such as "Bride Wars," "Shorts," "Whiteout" and "New in Town" were really painful to watch, yes, but to be honest, I encountered a whole bunch of flicks that were far worse. Enjoy the selection below.

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Five films that absolutely sucked this year

5. FIRED UP!
Yes, this is that lame movie about two guys going to cheer camp to hook up with chicks, and yes, it is as terrible as it sounds. Stupid characters, painful dialogue and jokes that simply don't work are all over this flick, which is pretty much as absurd as filmmaking can get. Wait, calling it filmmaking is a mistake in the first place. I'm just going to call it big-screen trash. Yes, that sounds about right. More about this one here.

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Box Office: Pixar's 'Up' catches solid $68M

Weekend of May 29 – 31, 2009

Pixar’s “Up” safely landed at the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend with $68.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Peter Docter, the animated family adventure opened at 3,766 locations, scoring an average of $18,109 per theater. The story follows a 78-year-old widower who decides to fulfill his dream and take his entire house on a trip to South America.

Last week’s champion “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” dropped to second place, earning another $25.5 million for a domestic total of $105.2 after a strong two-week run.

Debuting at No. 3 with $16.6 million from 2,508 locations was Sam Raimi’s horror flick “Drag Me to Hell.” In the film, Alison Lohman plays an ambitious loan officer whose life turns into a living hell after she’s cursed by a creepy old lady.

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'Battle of the Smithsonian' wins box office race

Weekend of May 22 – 24, 2009

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” outran its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $53.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Shawn Levy’s sequel to the 2006 hit family adventure stars Ben Stiller as a former museum security guard who heads to the Smithsonian to rescue his pals from the hands of a ruthless Egyptian leader. The film pulled $23.1 million more during opening weekend than its predecessor.

At No. 2, McG’s “Terminator Salvation” debuted with $43 million ($56.3 million total gross). The fourth installment in the popular “Terminator” series stars Christian Bale as John Connor, who leads the human resistance in the battle against the machines in the year 2018.

Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” slipped to third place, earning $21.9 million and reaching a domestic total of $183.5 million. Following closely in fourth place was Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” which picked up $21.4 million for a cume of $81.5 million after two weeks in release.

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Box Office: 'Star Trek' safely lands at No. 1 spot

Weekend of May 8 - 10, 2009

Moviegoers beamed J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office with a solid $72.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg, among others, "Trek" lifted its early domestic total to $76.5 million (counting revenues from Thursday's evening screenings).

Last week's box office winner "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" dropped to second place, earning $27 million. Directed by Gavin Hood and starring Hugh Jackman, Danny Huston and Liev Schreiber, the film brought its total haul to $129.6 million after two weeks in theaters.

At No. 3, Mark Waters' comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" collected another $10.4 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $30.2 million. Beyonce Knowles' thriller "Obsessed" followed in fourth place with a weekend gross of $6.6 million and a cume of $56.2 million.

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'Star Trek' scores solid $24M Friday

J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" landed at the No. 1 spot at the North American box office Friday with $24 million in ticket sales. Adding the $7 million the film earned from Thursday's evening screenings, its domestic total already stands at $31 million.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg star in the sci-fi blockbuster, which opened Friday at 3,849 locations. "Trek" will easily take home the weekend box office crown.

At No. 2, last week's champion "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" collected another $8.5 million, bringing its total gross to $111.1 million after only one week in theaters. Directed by Gavin Hood, the film stars Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine, who seeks revenge against William Stryker and Victor Creed.

Meanwhile, Mark Waters' latest romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" earned $3.1 million in third place, lifting its cumulative gross to $22.9 million. Following at No. 4 was "Obsessed," which took home $2 million for a total haul of $51.6 million.

"Next Day Air," this week's second wide release, finished fifth with $1.4 million. The Benny Boom-directed action comedy stars Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

Box Office: 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' scores $87M

Weekend of May 1 – May 3, 2009

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” slashed its competition at the North American box office with a strong $87 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Released by 20th Century Fox, the Gavin Hood-directed action spectacle scored an average of $21,225 per theater at 4,099 locations.

Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, the film follows Wolverine as he seeks revenge against the evil-minded Victor Creed (Live Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston).

Debuting in second place with $15.3 million was Mark Waters’ latest romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” which stars Matthew McConaughey as a celeb photographer who’s visited by three ghosts during the weekend of his brother’s wedding.

Last week’s box office champion “Obsessed” slipped to No. 3, pulling $12.2 million and reaching a domestic total of $47 million after two weeks in release. The thriller directed by Steve Shill stars Idris Elba, Ali Larter and Beyonce Knowles.

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'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' delivers $35M debut

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" delivered a stunning debut at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $35 million in ticket sales.

Released by 20th Century Fox, the Gavin Hood-directed prequel opened at 4,099 locations, scoring an average of $8,539 per theater. Hugh Jackman returns to reprise his role as Wolverine, who seeks revenge against Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston).

Debuting in second place with a daily gross of $5.8 million was Mark Waters' latest comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," which stars Matthew McConaughey as a celeb photographer who's visited by three ghosts while attending his brother's wedding.

Last week's winner "Obsessed" dropped to No. 3, scoring another $4.1 million for a total of $38.9 million after one week in release. Following in fourth place with $1.9 million was Zac Efron's comedy "17 Again," which brought its domestic total to $44.1 million.

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Movie Review: “Obsessed”

Seen on: April 25, 2009

The players: Director: Steve Shill, Writer: David Loughery, Cast: Beyonce Knowles, Idris Elba, Ali Larter, Jerry O'Connell, Christine Lahti

Facts of interest: None at all.

The plot: A successful asset manager gets into a bunch of trouble when his temp start to stalk him.

Our thoughts: “Obsessed” is one of the worst thrillers I’ve seen in a very long time, but it certainly passes as a great comedy. To be honest, the utter ridiculousness of this mess of a movie really amused me, and I caught myself laughing quite often during the dreadful 105 minutes.

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Box Office: ‘Obsessed’ delivers $28M opening

Weekend of April 24 – 26, 2009

Beyoncé Knowles' thriller "Obsessed" defeated its competition at the North American box office with $28.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

In the film directed by Steve Shill, Idris Elba co-stars as a successful asset manager who gets into trouble with his wife (Knowles) when his new temp (Ali Larter) starts stalking him.

At No. 2, last week’s box office winner “17 Again” collected another $11.6 million, lifting its domestic total to $39.9 million. Starring Zac Efron, the comedy follows a 37-year-old who gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old.

New release “Fighting” debuted in third place with $11.4 million. Directed by Dito Montiel, the drama follows Channing Tatum in the role of a poor chap trying to score big in the world of underground street fighting.

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