WEEKLY CineBUZZ - 13 December 2011

BOX TOP

I know I said box office action tends to slow the weeks before Santa arrives but last week was a total box office bust - and I remain somewhat skeptical about this week's.  Hopefully, new releases: Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Warners) will provide the elixir to get ornery moviegoers out of their lackadaisical, no mas movies, state of mind.

At numbero uno was star-studded (really ?) New Year's Eve (Warners) which struggled mightily to get into the teens ($s millions) as box office attendants sat lonely and dreamily at their talk-thrus.  New Year's take was just $13 million and richly received an instantaneous Twitter "no go" from under-struck viewers.

Number 2 was The Sitter (Fox) which garnered a measly $9.8 million (production cost: $55 mil.). Jonah Hill isn't funny - period!  The Sitter is a sea-of-sameness and now that Hill has lost a ton a weight (needs more loss) are we destined to see him in romantic roles?  Please Hollywood, for all that is holy, say NO!

At 3rd was deep-keeled Twilight (Summit) which is the gift that keeps on giving - totaling a domestic b.o. of $260 mil. and a jaw-dropping $633 mil. worldwide.  Without Twilight Nov./Dec. b.o. would have been a no-show and we need a replacement(s) for it.

In 4th was The Muppets (Disney) which came in just a tad under $7 mil.  Although grossing over $66 mil. thus far (grossing next to nothing in the overseas markets) and a production cost of $80 mil. - Disney is counting on strong DVD/VOD sales.   In 5th came Arthur Christmas (Sony) at $6.5 mil.

Lately a trip to the cinema has become much like a visit to a rummage sale. Picking through the junk in the hopes of finding a treasure (or just a nice memento).

Margin-to-Mainstream
Unless you're taking survival lessons from Ted (Uni-bomber) Kazinski, you are probably aware of .xxx - the new Internet designation to be used by porn sites.  Well, doesn't this monumental development - the removal of the last fig leaf (digitally and figuratively) - beg the question (which is at the top of all movie lovers' minds): is .xxx good or bad for the cinema? 

Who Knows? Anyone for Saketinis?

Cheers and Happy Movie Going!
Jim Lavorato