Box Office - 'Final Destination' Wins Again

If you go back a few days, we put forth a lot of options for this weekend's box office race but eventually settled on The Final Destination winning for a second straight week. The reason for all the possible storylines is that Labor Day blows. You never see a sure thing hit theaters this weekend, and if there is one it's only because the previous weeks were also so bad and a specific movie is opening unopposed.

In this case, we have two strong former number ones in Final Destination and Inglourious Basterds going up against Gamer, which probably wouldn't do well any other time than Labor Day. All could win a weekend like this, but Final Destination did. Barely. With a $15 million four-day take (and $12.4 million on the tradition three-day weekend), the 3-D horror movie is not only a repeat winner but it's also the biggest entry in the decade-old franchise. It turns out that was enough to hold off a movie we didn't expect to be in the running, the Sandra BUllock comedy All About Steve. That film will probably early about $13 million through Labor Day, and came up about a million bucks short during the Friday - Sunday campaign.

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Box Office - 'All About Steve' Leads Slow Friday

I say it every year: If a studio released a high profile movie on Labor Day, it would not only completely enslave the rest of the films that weekend, but it would also have a pretty good run through September, which is not the strongest month of the year because Hollywood doesn't want to program against the Toronto Film Festival, and those early fall weekends are dominated by football viewing.

So here again, we have three new releases, none of which have massive appeal: Gamer, Extract, and All About Steve. It was expected that the first of those would probably gut out a win over The Final Destination and Inglourious Basterds, but instead, it's All About Steve that took the Friday night box office, such as it was, with about $3.5 million. We're only looking at a four-day holiday weekend total of maybe $14 - $15 million, though, so you can see how barren the landscape is on Labor Day.

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Movie Review - 'Extract'

Extract Starring Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, and Kristen Wiig Directed by Mike Judge Rated R

It's a strange feeling rooting for a movie you want to be better than it is but that never really gets there. Mike Judge has had a big impact on the world of comedy in the past 20 years, thanks to Beavis and Butt-Head, Office Space, and King of the Hill, but he isn't given as much credit for those distinct creations as he should. His new film Extract finds Judge showing off some of the best of his abilities, returning him to a comedy about life of a job as in Office Space while adding the worn-in hometown vibe of King of the Hill. And the movie is funny and pleasant. But that's about all it musters. Much of why the film is a bit milquetoast is thanks to Joel Reynolds (Jason Bateman), who as a leading character is probably too nice, too straightlaced, too warm, and too easy to walk over. Extract reflects who he is - as it should - but it keeps the movie from really crackling the way it should. And in a lot of ways, Joel is a bit of an observer in his own story. Now, to the degree that Extract follows that map, it's a pretty good flick. It's never bland, the laughs never have to wait very long for the story to find them, and Judge - as he always does - creates a strange little universe of supporting characters, from Joel's wife (Kristen Wiig), who only has time for the advances of the poolboy, to the irascible J.K. Simmons as the irascible J.K. Simmons.

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Fearless Forecast: 'Final Destination' Wins Again

About a week ago, I wasn't sure whether or not The Final Destination would win one weekend at the box office, and now it looks like it might win two in a row. Much like last weekend, it should be a close race between three films, but I'm going to give the 3-D horror movie the edge.

The new competition that will contend for the prize is Gamer, the only new release in over 2,500 theaters. It has a shot, and would easily win with another 500 houses, but welcome to Labor Day weekend. Until the studios are damn sure this is a great time to release a big film, it won't happen. One other possibility at number one is Inglourious Basterds, which should enjoy less of a third weekend drop than Final Destination will encounter in its second weekend. Remember, Basterds almost made $20 million last weekend and Labor Day weekend has the extra day, so that could play to this film's advantage. I doubt it will happen, but I think it should be within three million bucks of the eventual winner, whatever that is.

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Beavis and Butt-Head Discuss the Merits of 'Extract'

Oh, how I have missed Beavis and Butt-Head. Mike Judge hasn't avoided talk of another movie featuring the greatest animated team since...I dunno, Tom and Jerry? And Judge has brought them back to help promote his new film, Extract.

Before you watch it, there are spoilers ahead. I guess I don't care so much, but you might not want to hear what's what. Having said that, we also get a new clip from the film, one that does require a bit of setting up, so just to provide some context, Judge, Beavis, and Butt-Head have to fill in some of the blanks. And if nothing else, it's always good to see these guys.

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