Box Office - 'Tropic Thunder' Repeats, 'House Bunny' Outmuscles 'Death Race'

We thought it would be a pretty good race for the top spot at the U.S. box office this weekend, but we didn't expect The House Bunny to crash the party. As it is, the new comedy nearly overtook Tropic Thunder for the crown but wound up in second place overall. The big disappointments this weekend were clearly Death Race, the Jason Statham vehicle that was a fairly distant third place, and The Rocker, the new comedy starring Rainn Wilson that finished out of the top ten and wouldn't have made that list even if you counted its totals from Wednesday and Thursday. Tropic Thunder only slipped 37%, according to Box Office Mojo, which means in all likelihood that it was competition with The Olympics last weekend and not widespread disinterest in the movie that reduced its debut audience. The film will most likely make its money back, but you won't be able to call it a hit because of its near-$100 million price tag. On the other side of the ledger, Star Wars: The Clone Wars took a massive tumble, dropping nearly 70% of its audience in its second weekend. As of Sunday, the animated spin-off has only made $26 million, which looks like it'll be about 65% of the film's domestic total. You'd have to think Lucas and Fox aren't too pleased with a total gross in the $42 - $45 million range, but that's the way it's shaping up. In Dark Knight Watch 2008, the second-biggest movie ever took in another $10 million in its sixth weekend, for a U.S. total of $489 million. The worldwide total now sits at $870 million. The record-breaker is still three million bucks ahead of the $535 million pace we predicted by late October. It should enjoy a very strong Labor Day weekend, too, since there won't really be any movies - new releases or carryovers - generating a lot of interest. In fact, I'd be surprised if it finished outside the top five next weekend, and I don't anticipate its gross over the holiday weekend to slip much, if at all. The Top Five: 1 - Tropic Thunder ($16.1 million) 2 - The House Bunny ($15.1 million) 3 - Death Race ($12.3 million) 4 - The Dark Knight ($10.3 million) 5 - Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($5.6 million)

Box Office - 'Dark Knight' Second All-Time, Second This Weekend

The 31-day stranglehold on number one is over. The Dark Knight has finally surrendered the top spot at the U.S. box office, but it did not go quietly. In fact, while most every analyst predicted a drop to third place, the Batman sequel stood its ground and only slipped to second place, passing Star Wars on the all-time list of top-grossing movies in the process; it now only trails Titanic.

The new champeen is Tropic Thunder, which did not put up great numbers over its first five days. As a matter of fact, Pineapple Express, last week's number two film, opened more strongly over the same number of days. But the Ben Stiller comedy did outperform the rest of the field each day, so it sits with $37 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo, about five million less than I would have expected. The Dark Knight wound up in second place for two reasons: The new Star Wars movie, The Clone Wars, opened very soft, generating only $15 million, and The Dark Knight only lost 35% of its audience from the previous weekend. That number is significant because it represents the second-smallest drop in the top ten - for the movie that's been in the top then the longest - and that means, of course, that the Batman sequel is getting a lot of return business. The weekend's third new release, Mirrors with Kiefer Sutherland, opened in fourth place, ahead of Pineapple Express, which had a 57% freefall compared to last week.

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Box Office - 'Tropic Thunder' Suffering Olympic Fever?

We scoffed at last week's run-and-hide approach employed by Pineapple Express and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, hoping to avoid Olympic Fever by opening on Wednesday. It's hard to say whether or not the Olympics really would have caused a lot of damage to a traditional weekend, but we're not laughing this week. Michael Phelps has been in the water.

Yes, the swimmer's assault on history may come at the expense of Tropic Thunder. The new Ben Stiller-directed comedy co-starring Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. has not exploded the way a movie of its caliber normally would. There are really only two logical explanations: Michael Phelps and the Stiller Backlash that also sunk (pardon the pun) The Heartbreak Kid last fall. Tropic Thunder will most likely still be a big hit, but its numbers since Wednesday are nowhere near what I would've thought. According to Box Office Mojo, we're looking at $8.2 million on Friday and a three-day total of right around $20 million. The five-day weekend is below $40 million for the new comedy, which I predicted would beat the $41 million performance last weekend by Pineapple Express. It's still possible, because these numbers are just estimates, but if the prospective audience stayed home to watch Michael Phelps win gold medal number seven on Friday, why would they run out and watch a movie on Saturday when he's bucking for his eighth? The Olympic storyline has some teeth across the board this weekend, as nothing has done overwhelmingly strong business, and no, the teeth reference has nothing to do with our Olympic hero's constantly agape mouth. Star Wars: The Clone Wars opened in second place with an estimated $6.2 million, which would give it an opening weekend number in the $20 million range; Mirrors opened with $4.2 million, and is on pace to barely crack the top five horror movie openings in 2008; even The Dark Knight showed some vulnerability, although its $5 million Friday will still guarantee at worst a third-place weekend finish.

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What's New in Theaters - August 15, 2008

It's a very busy weekend at the movies, with three movies in wide release, and several more hoping to grab your dollars on a more limited basis. This is one of the last hurrahs for summer, and certainly, in terms of movies with tremendous financial potential, it's the last big weekend for at least a month.

Probably the most notable new release is Tropic Thunder, the new comedy co-written and directed by Ben Stiller, who also stars opposite Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. They play three of Hollywood's biggest actors whose war movie comes apart at the seams when the fake war they're fighting becomes a real war they don't know they're fighting.

(Check out the official Tropic Thunder site)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a little complicated. There was an animated series called The Clone Wars five years ago, which made sense because we were between Episode II and Episode III in the second trilogy, and that's when the Clone Wars take place. In 2008, we have another animated series about the same thing, and this movie is kind of a preamble to that. Why doesn't George Lucas just do the last trilogy? You got me.

(Check out the official Star Wars: The Clone Wars site)

The third major release of the weekend is Mirrors. It's another Asian horror movie remake from a very talented member of the Splat Pack named Alexandre Aja. When the material catches up to his eye, look out. He's already made some good horror movies, but his ceiling is incredibly high. Mirrors stars Kiefer Sutherland as a security guard who believes the mirrors in the abandoned building he patrols are haunted. And evil. That's never a good combination.

(Check out the official Mirrors site)

The latest film from Woody Allen is the sultry romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Contrary to what you may think because of the high profile of its stars, Vicky is neither Penelope Cruz nor Scarlett Johansson. Scarlett is Cristina, all right, but Cruz plays a character named Maria Elena. Then who the hell is Vicky? That'd be British actress Rebecca Hall, one of the many women in this film who find themselves unable to deter or handle the desires of Javier Bardem.

(Check out the official Vicky Cristina Barcelona site)

Back in the 1970s, it was not uncommon to have a negative impression of California wines. After all, the French made the best wine, like the Swiss made fine timepieces, and Americans made the best Chinese food. But that impression changed after a Paris wine tasting in 1976. Armed with a really good cast that's anchored by Alan Rickman, Bottle Shock recounts the events leading up to one of the most significant days ever for people who tie sweaters around their necks and day trip into the Napa Valley wineries.

(Check out the official Bottle Shock site)

Luke Wilson hasn't played it safe over the past few years, branching out into independent territory both as an actor and even as a director. He seems comfortable in roles and films with lower expectations, whatever that means. Luke plays the title role in Henry Poole is Here, a man with not much going on in his world until his neighbors believe they see the impression of Jesus in the exterior wall of his house.

(Check out the official Henry Poole is Here site)

In the 1970s, it was believed that the French made the best wine. Now, they're gaining a reputation for making the best erotically-charged nouveau Hitchcock mysteries. I've already seen two this year, Roman de Gare and Tell No One (although there's not much sensuality in Tell No One). Now a French filmmaker who studied and later befriended Hitch as a writer for the influential French film journal Cahiers du Cinema has released A Girl Cut in Two. It's a great title, stars the electric and alluring Ludivine Sagnier, and comes to us from legendary French director Claude Chabrol.

(Check out the official Girl Cut in Two site)

That's a look at what's in theaters this weekend; choose wisely.

Movie Review - 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Featuring the voices of Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, and Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by Dave Filoni
Rated PG

Although it sports crystal clear digital animation and some of the imagination that powered the franchise in its first two films, there are elements of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that casual fans might not warm up to. To a die hard Lucasian – the sort of devotee who will see this on opening night with light sabers on his utility belt – this could be a vital and vibrant new beginning. However, a lot of those fans have already seen an animated Clone Wars, so they, too, may be wondering what the score is here. In terms of chronology, The Clone Wars falls between Episode II and Episode III in the saga. Jedi masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are assisting the Galactic Republic in its battle against the seceding star systems, and the war is being waged by an army of clones against evil battle droids. During one such battle Skywalker is assigned a new Padawan, or apprentice, a spirited teenager named Ashoka Tano. Purists may resent the inclusion of a new character, but she is one of the film’s most refreshing new developments, along with the distinctive animation style that gives new character to old characters. The details of the story aren’t of much consequence; Star Wars: The Clone Wars is merely an appetizer for the animated series that debuts this fall with plans of launching about 100 episodes. This is just another adventure somewhere in the middle of the Wars. We see an extended Hutt family, which I’m not sure was demanding a greater thrust. Jabba and two relatives figure prominently in the plot, perhaps even more than Obi-Wan and Yoda. Hardcore fans won’t care, and ultimately, they’ll decide whether this movie is successful by choosing or not choosing to watch the series this 100-minute commercial promotes. The pristine quality of the digital animation, even if you disagree with the exaggerated features it gives certain faces, is a refreshing change. I like the appearance of a new central heroine, too. The overwhelmingly youth-oriented dialogue could siren that Star Wars is counting on a new generation of fans to carry the series forward from here. That remains to be seen, although the banter between Ashoka and Skywalker (whom she calls “Sky Guy”) feels more appropriate for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie than it does for Star Wars. For the casual viewer, however, the new additions may make this movie feel longer than the Kessel Run.