Several top titles arrive at box office
A fairy tale reboot (“Mirror Mirror”) and an action fantasy follow-up (“Wrath of the Titans”) are the top titles arriving on this final Friday of March.
“Crazy Horse,” with Frederick Wiseman directing an unrated documentary about Paris’ Crazy Horse, a cabaret that was founded in 1951 by Alain Bernardin and houses the world’s most famous nude dance show. The filmmaker looks at the grueling schedule of the dancers. They perform in two shows a night and three on Saturdays seven days a week. He also captures rehearsals for “Desir,” a new show created by European choreographer Philippe Decoufle. It will be shown in French with subtitles.
“Footnote,” with Joseph Cedar writing and directing a PG-rated drama about a father and son who have dedicated their lives to Talmudic studies. Their relationship weakens after the son is recognized for his work and the father is ignored. The Israeli import, which received an Oscar nomination as best foreign-language film, will be shown with subtitles.
“Goon,” with Seann William Scott in a raunchy R-rated sports comedy about a slacker who decides to use his brawling skills on the ice by joining a minor league hockey team in need of a hard-hitting player. Liev Schreiber and Jay Baruchel co-star in the “Slap Shot”-inspired romp, and Michael Dowse (“It’s All Gone Pete Tong”) wrote and directed.
“Mirror Mirror,” with Julia Roberts in a PG-rated fantasy that retells the fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In this version, the wicked queen steals control of a kingdom and then battles Snow White (Lily Collins) and her seven loyal helpers. Armie Hammer co-stars as Prince Alcott. Tarsem Singh (“Immortals”) directed.
“Wrath of the Titans,” with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as Perseus, Zeus and Hades, respectively, in a PG-13 sequel to the hit “Clash of the Titans.” In this follow-up, the half-human/half-god Perseus must save his father, Zeus, and prevent the ancient Titans from being unleashed on the world. It will also be available in 3-D. Jonathan Liebesman (“Battle Los Angeles”) directed.
At the Buck$ Office
To the surprise of no one, “The Hunger Games” took a huge bite out of the box office last weekend.
The highly anticipated PG-13 title opened with a whopping $155 million. “The Hunger Games,” which is the first in a three-part franchise, stars Jennifer Lawrence and is based on the book series by Suzanne Collins.
That marks the third-biggest opening in Hollywood history. The only films to top it are “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” and “The Dark Knight,” with $169.1 million and $158.4 million, respectively.
According to Box Office Mojo, the top 10 films last weekend were:
1. “The Hunger Games” ($155 million)
2. “21 Jump Street” ($21.3 million)
3. “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” ($13.1 million)
4. “John Carter” ($5 million)
5. “Act of Valor” ($2 million)
6. “Project X” ($1.950 million)
7. “A Thousand Words” ($1.925 million)
8. “October Baby” ($1.7 million)
9. “Safe House” ($1.4 million)
10. “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” ($1.373 million)