Five Worst Films of 2010 so far

The first four months of 2010 are almost over, so why not take a moment and look at the five worst films I've seen so far this year. It hasn't exactly been a fantastic movie year in terms of quality so far, so picking the worst of the worst was pretty easy for me. Check out the selection below, and share yours as well. I will also post the five best films of '10 so far, and believe it or not, that list was harder to put together than this.

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Box Office: 'Dear John' wins race with $32M

Weekend of February 5 – 7, 2010: 'Avatar' reign ends; 'Dear John' prevails

Screen Gems’ romance drama “Dear John” dethroned James Cameron’s “Avatar” at the North American box office this weekend with a surprisingly solid $32.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Lasse Hallstrom’s big-screen adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel scored an average of  $10,913 per theater at 2,969 locations, enough to end the impressive winning streak of Cameron’s hit epic “Avatar.”

At No. 2, “Avatar” bagged another $23.6 million from ticket sales at 3,000 locations, a solid weekend gross after eight weeks in release. Domestically, Fox’s sci-fi hit flick has reached a cumulative gross of $630 million.

New entry “From Paris with Love” generated $8.1 million in third place. Pierre Morel’s thriller with John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is playing at 2,722 locations and scored a mediocre average of  $2,983 per theater.

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'Dear John' dethrones 'Avatar' Friday!

Could the box office reign of "Avatar" come to an end this weekend? Looking at the estimated numbers for Friday, it sure could, because "Dear John" opened with a surprisingly strong $13.8 million in first place.

Lasse Hallström's big-screen adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel scored a solid average of $4,648 per theater at 2,969 locations. The romance drama stars Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum.

James Cameron's "Avatar" took a dive and landed at No. 2 Friday, earning $6.2 million ($612 million total). Considering it's half of what "Dear John" made, it will be hard for the sci-fi flick to regain momentum.

Also opening Friday was Pierre Morel's thriller "From Paris with Love," which scored $3 million from ticket sales at 2,722 locations. Lionsgate's flick stars John Travolta as an agent trying to stop a terrorist attack.

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Box Office: 'Avatar' holds on, beats 'Darkness'

Weekend of January 29 – 31, 2010: 'Avatar' STILL on top; new releases doing so-so...

James Cameron’s sci-fi epic “Avatar” got one step closer to beating the domestic gross of “Titanic” this weekend by collecting another $30 million at the North American box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Avatar” easily beat its competition by scoring an average of $9,759 per theater at 3,074 locations. The film’s total gross now stands at an impressive $594.4 million. Worldwide, Fox’s hit movie has generated 2.039 billion ever since its release.

At No. 2, Martin Campbell’s thriller “Edge of Darkness” bagged $17.1 million. Starring Mel Gibson, the film based on a BBC mini-series follows a detective who embarks on a perilous investigation into his daughter’s brutal murder.

Following in third place this weekend was new entry “When in Rome,” a disastrous romantic comedy that managed to grab $12 million from ticket sales at 2,456 locations. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson, the film stars Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.

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'Avatar' wins Friday box office race with $7M

Cameron's 'Avatar' is still the dominant force at the box office; new releases still no real threat...

James Cameron's "Avatar" held on to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office Friday with a solid $7.3 million in ticket sales, beating all new releases while reaching a domestic total gross of $571.7 million.

Mel Gibson's new thriller "Edge of Darkness" came close to defeating "Avatar," but Cameron's sci-fi flick prevailed, heading for yet another weekend win. "Darkness" grabbed $5.6 million from 3,066 locations. The film is based on a popular BBC TV mini-series.

In the thriller directed by Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale"), Gibson plays a tough Boston detective who penetrates a dark and dangerous world after his daughter is brutally murdered on his doorsteps.

Debuting in third place Friday was Mark Steven Johnson's comedy "When in Rome," which generated $4.4 million from ticket sales at 2,456 locations. The film stars Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.

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Review: “When in Rome”

Seen on: January 27, 2010

The players: Director: Mark Steven Johnson, Writers:David Diamond, David Weissman, Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Jon Heder. Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito, Will Arnett

Facts of interest: Johnson also helmed "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider."

The plot: A woman who doesn't believe she can fall in love actually falls in love when she takes a trip to Rome. That's pretty much it.

Our thoughts: Mark Steven Johnson’s “When in Rome” is one of the lamest romantic comedies I have ever seen. Trust me, it is really that bad. It is also yet another great example of how incapable Hollywood is to produce funny films, and even though that’s certainly no breaking news, it still occasionally shocks me to see so much money being wasted on disasters like this one.

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This week's new movie releases - Jan. 29, 2010

Opening this week are Martin Campbell's action thriller "Edge of Darkness" with Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone, and Mark Steven Johnson's "When in Rome" with Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel.

EDGE OF DARKNESS (by Martin Campbell, with Mel Gibson)

Synopsis: Thomas Craven is a veteran homicide detective for the Boston Police Department and a single father. When his only child, 24-year-old Emma, is murdered on the steps of his home, everyone assumes that he was the target. But he soon suspects otherwise, and embarks on a mission to find out about his daughter's secret life and her killing.

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Watch Kristen Bell in new 'When in Rome' trailer

Mark Steven Johnson, director of "Daredevil" and "Ghost Rider," turns to comedy with "When in Rome," a film starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, among others. A new trailer for the upcoming flick has just popped up online, and you can give it a shot after the jump.

An ambitious young New Yorker (Bell), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a "foolish" fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of an odd group of suitors: But when a charming reporter (Duhamel) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?

This trailer is longer than most, and it looks quite ridiculous to say the least. Sure, watching Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, Jon Heder and Dax Shepard running after a chick could be funny in theory, but judging by this footage, their obsession with Kristen Bell doesn't look all that refreshing.

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Check out Kristen Bell in two new stills from 'When in Rome'

Disney today released two brand-new stills from Mark Steven Johnson's upcoming romantic comedy "When in Rome," which follows the story of a young American woman who's suddenly pursued by a bunch of admirers after stealing coins from a fountain in Rome.

As you can see, both stills feature leads Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. Also starring are Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Don Johnson, Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston. No release date has been set yet, but expect "When in Rome" to open some time late next year.

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