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Entries in Punisher: War Zone (4)

Sunday

07Dec2008

Box Office: 'Four Christmases' reigns supreme

Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 5:19PM | By

By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of December 5 – 7, 2008

“Four Christmases” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $18.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Seth Gordon’s holiday comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon easily dominated its competition, lifting its domestic total to $70.8 million. In the film, a San Francisco couple pays a visit to all four of their divorced parents.

This week’s new releases weren’t that lucky, with Lexi Alexander’s “Punisher: War Zone” delivering the best result at No. 8 with $4 million. New entry “Cadillac Records” closely followed in ninth place with only $3.5 million.

As for “Nobel Son,” the third wide release this weekend, it only finished at No. 15 with a disappointing $371,000. Directed by Randall Miller, the film focuses on a student (Bryan Greenberg) who’s kidnapped on the eve of his father (Alan Rickman) receiving the Nobel Prize.

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'Four Christmases' wins Friday box office race

Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 5:08PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Seth Gordon's "Four Christmases" held on to the No. 1 spot Friday at the North American box office with $5.8 million in ticket sales. The holiday comedy's domestic total currently stands at $58.4 million.

At No. 2, Catherine Hardwicke's vampire romance "Twilight" pulled in $4.5 million, reaching a total haul of $129.9 million. Following in third place was Walt Disney's "Bolt," which took home $2.4 million for a $72 million cumulative gross.

Meanwhile, Baz Luhrmann's epic adventure "Australia" collected another $2.2 million. The film starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman brought its total haul to $26 million after a little more than one week in release.

Marc Forster's 007 adventure "Quantum of Solace" finished fifth Friday, picking up $2.1 million and lifting its domestic total to $147 million. "Punisher: War Zone," the weekend's widest new release, only made it to No. 6 with a daily gross of $1.6 million.

Things didn't go well for new entries "Cadillac Records" and "Nobel Son," which earned $1.2 million and $120,000 respectively.

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

'Punisher: War Zone' web reviews

Friday, December 5, 2008 at 6:24PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Marvel Entertainment returns with "Punisher: War Zone," the big-screen reboot of the comic book anti-hero Frank Castle. This time, the Punisher (Ray Stevenson) goes after Jigsaw, a disfigured criminal who seeks revenge against those who stand in his way. Here's what the Web's critics have to say about it:

• Eric D. Snider at Cinematical: "It's War Zone's laughable desire to be taken seriously that makes it enjoyable to watch but a failure at what it was trying to do."

• CinemaBlend's Josh Tyler: "I know Punisher fans don’t want to hear it, but I think it’s time we all step up and accept that this particular hero simply wasn’t meant for Hollywood."

• Joblo's JimmyO: "My biggest problem is the absolute lack of seriousness here."

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Review: "Punisher: War Zone"

Friday, December 5, 2008 at 5:02PM | By

Franck Tabouring

Seen on: December 5, 2008

The players: Director: Lexi Alexander, Writers: Nick Santora, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Cast: Dominic West, Doug Hutchison, Ray Stevenson, Wayne Knight, Julie Benz

Facts of interest: Lexi Alexander also directed "Hooligans."

The plot: Frank Castle returns as the Punisher, a merciless vigilante who tries to hunt down and eliminate the ruthless Jigsaw (Dominic West).

Our thoughts: What did we do to deserve this punishment? Lexi Alexander’s “Punisher: War Zone” marks the third time Marvel’s merciless vigilante makes an appearance on the screen, and while I have nothing against reboots (I enjoyed “The Incredible Hulk”), I do expect them to at least head into a new, and maybe even improved direction.

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