Box Office - 'Last Exorcism' Leads Surprising 'Takers'

What? Really? Takers is on pace to generate about $20 million in business this weekend, and in fact, if it were in as many theaters as the more aggressive (and more heavily advertised and better-reviewed) The Last Exorcism, Takers might have been the number one movie this weekend. What? Really?

On Thursday, I didn't give the movie a chance in hell, and even in just over 2,000 theaters - not a huge number by any means but still technically a wide release - Takers made $7.5 million on Friday. That's a bold beginning for a film that features what could be the poorest construction ever for a major studio movie poster. As for The Last Exorcism, it started with just under $10 million, and that should taper off quickly if other horror movies are our guide. Maybe it won't, though; the reviews have been fairly solid, and if critics like a horror film, odds are audiences will, too, because critics generally hate horror for some reason. I don't think this one leapfrogs $30 million, but it should land comfortably around $25 million or so.

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Hayden Christensen's 'Vanishing on 7th Street' Trailer

Although I'm not really a huge Star Wars guy, at least not after 1980, I always dug me some Darth Vader. So over the past decade, I have thought that it's a shame George Lucas picked Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen to play the pre-Vader. What's weird about Christensen is he showed some signs early - take Shattered Glass - but generally speaking, he's just bad.

He's got a new flick that at the very least has a few good moments in the trailer. It's called The Vanishing on 7th Street and with Brad Anderson directing (he made The Machinist as well as the underappreciated Transsiberian), I've got higher hopes than normal. This film echoes the current trend of post-apocalyptic movies, but if my apocalypse included Thandie Newton, that would soften the blow somewhat. Check out the trailer:

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Ugh: A Lousy Trailer for 'Takers'

What's that old cable TV movie called, Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her? Sometimes that applies to movies in general. For example, the upcoming crime caper, Takers, does not look like it will have a major impact on the industry.

Here's why we say that: It's from Screen Gems, and expecting a great film from Screen Gems is kind of like expecting the greatest meal of your life at Carl's Jr. Then, Takers was pushed from spring into summer. Why isn't that a good move? Because Screen Gems has put it up against Robin Hood, one week after Iron Man 2. The second weekend in May is usually a graveyard for films like this. Witness Next Day Air, Delta Farce, Georgia Rule, and Just My Luck, each released in this same slot over the past few years. Then there's the cast. I like Idris Elba and Matt Dillon can be solid, although since his Oscar nomination for Crash, that hasn't been the case. But the leaders of this ensemble are Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen. I don't think we need to expound on that. But let's discuss the poster above for a second. I didn't Photoshop that image. I mean, I cropped it, but I did not put the heads of Walker, Christensen, and T.I. on other peoples' bodies, which is undeniably what happened here. That's atrocious. No joke: This is the movie poster for Takers. And more than one person thought it was good enough for you to see.

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Hayden Christensen to Star in 'Mona Lisa' Remake

Uh...what?

If you ever saw Mona Lisa, you'd be surprised to learn that it's being remade. That's not a slight against the Neil Jordan film, because it's actually pretty good - got an Oscar nomination and the whole bit - but it's not exactly one of those movies you always think they should try again. And yet, here we are, and the role of Bob Hoskins will now be played by Hayden Christensen.Huh? Screen Daily reports that the new version will be both contemporized and transplanted from England to the United States, and that HandMade Films will spend about $8 million on the project, circling March 2009 for a production date. "The original film still stands up. HandMade has a lot of little gems in its library, but not all of them will stand up for a remake," said Michael Ryan of HandMade."A lot of people do remember the original movie and it's a great story. The original film was a long time ago, and it did huge business in the UK."

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Walker, Christensen Go 'Bone Deep'

You'll never catch me wavering on my definition of what's needed for a good movie. The first thing, the most important thing, is a good screenplay. The second thing is good performances. Together, they can cover up a whole lot of problems. So when I read in The Hollywood Reporter that the crime thrilla Bone Deep will star Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen, my first thought was, "Jesus, they better have a really good script." The pair of actors, neither of whom will soon be mistaken for Olivier, join a cast that already includes Matt Dillon, playing "a hard-boiled detective" and Chris Brown, T.I. and Idris Elba. Walker will play the leader of a group bank robbers whose $20 million get-rich scheme is foiled by Dillon and a wet-behind-the-ears sleuth played by Christensen. Bone Deep was co-written by its director, John Luessenhop, and is currently in pre-production.