Box Office: Movies No One Wants That People Apparently Want

1. Fast Five - $60m / $60m / $150m
2. Rio - $17m / $106m / $160m
3. Prom - $13m / $13m / $45m
4. Madea's Big Happy Family - $11m / $42.5m / $65m
5. Water for Elephants - $10m / $33.5m / $60m
6. Hoodwinked Too - $8m / $8m / $26m
7. Hop - $5.5m / $108.5m / $120m
8. Soul Surfer - $3.5m / $34m / $42m
9. Insidious - $3.5m / $49m / $58m
10. Scream 4 - $3m / $36.5m / $44m
11. African Cats - $3m / $11m / $18m
12. Hanna - $3m / $36.5m / $44m
13. Source Code - $3m / $49m / $55m
***Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - $1m / $1m / $2m

I went on the lower end for Fast Five. I just hate the fact that this movie will be credited with saving us from the slump? No matter how high it does go, Thor will probably open with less. Meaning what we've been saying for years: the last weekend in April is the new start of the summer box office season. The nice thing, though, about most of the movies in the top 10 are how leggy they are getting. Despite mostly middling reviews, audiences seem to enjoy them.

Box Office: Reeses Pieces For Easter

1. Madea's Big Happy Family - $30m / $30m / $68m
2. Rio - $24m / $79m / $156m
3. Water For Elephants - $16m / $16m / $50m
4. Hop - $9m / $97m / $122m
5. Scream 4 - $8.5m / $32.5m / $49m
6. Soul Surfer - $5m / $27.5m / $40m
7. Insidious - $4.5m / $44m / $56m
8. Hanna - $4m / $30.5m / $40m
9. Source Code - $4m / $43.5m / $52m
10. African Cats - $3.5m / $3.5m / $10m

I'm really not that mad Scream 4 underperformed, as that ensures no Scream 5 for at least 10 more years probably. As for the rest, if Madea and Fast Five underperform, then I think we're in for a miserable summer. It seems there's another trend of modestly reviewed, circa $30 million budgeted movies to overperform (Limitless, Soul Surfer, Source Code, Insidious, Lincoln Lawyer) and that adult-aimed movies are actually thriving. All this could bode well for Water For Elephants, but we'll see. Only sure thing for this week: Hop has the smallest drop of the week before that jelly bean turd vanishes from theatres. Why! Oh Why!

Scream 4 Random Thoughts - YES I'VE FUCKING SEEN IT!

Ok, I'll be back tomorrow or Friday with complete thoughts (LOL - with me is there such a thing?) as most of the people reading this are my friends and you probably already know if you're going to see this or not?

THIS IS MOSTLY SPOILER FREE!!!! I'M NOT GIVING ANYTHING MAJOR AWAY JUST YET.

+First and foremost, I have a huge crush on Hayden Panettiere now. Never really a fan more because I've not seen most of her stuff than because of her actual talent, but she fucking ruled here. Like a cross between Tatum and Randy. She was hot as fuck and working that short hair.

+Now that I've got my girl crush out of the way, let me focus on my boy crush - Nico Tortorella. Very hot in an old school way.

As for the movie...

I thought it was a ton of fun, fast paced, funny, adrenaline pumping, bloody good show.

+There's a problem inherent to the way the opening is laid out (three duos back to back to back/movies within movies within movies) and I didn't think it was as great as what people are saying. That aside, the Paquin-Bell (is that a phone company?) bit is going to KILL - really hilarious. Honestly though, and I'm surprised I'm saying this, I kinda wished they had switched Hale/Grimes and Teegarden/Robertson. For some reason, I liked the first duo more.

+The original trio are given equal screentime with the new blood, Dewey probably has the least to do. Gale was back to her old bitchy self (TEAM GALE 4 LIFE!) and Sidney is probably the most involved given the character link. Neve is even better looking now than she was in the first. So pretty! She was great, it was exactly like Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween: H20. I was kinda bummed we really didn't find out anything about where exactly she is in life. There's no mention of a man/where she lives - and I don't think it was mentioned - maybe it was since I already knew it cuz Craven said it but - her father died and this was the first time she had been to Woodsboro since his death?

+New cast...
-Fucking loved Hayden. Great character.
-Loved Erik Knudsen as Robbie - I'm still unsure about his last lines if he was serious or not? Like, I hope he was cuz I thought it was cute.
-EMMA ROBERTS - really impressed with her. She is a tad uneven, but this is a pretty good showcase. She has the perfect slasher movie heroine look.
-Nico Tortorella and Rory Culkin - both decent.
-Marielle Jaffe - hot, bitchy, okay. She's not really meant to do anything.
-Alison Brie - fun, bitchy, you know what happens to her. Love her.
-Adam Brody and Anthony Anderson - LOL they were barely in this? And their last scene is kinda dumb and abrupt. Probably my least fave thing in the movie.
-Marley Shelton - loved her. I FUCKING LOVED CRAVEN'S FRAMING OF HER STANDING IN THE SHADOWS WHEN NEVE FIRST SEES HER. ONE OF THE BEST SHOTS IN THE FILM. And her last bit was hilarious.
-Mary McDonnell - has like three lines? I can see why Lauren Graham left.

+I loved how everyone at the Stabathon repeated all the lines. And were dressed as Dewey, Gale, Casey and Steve.

+Peter Deming's photography is gorgeous, right up there with Scream 2. I love the distinct look he gave these films. Fave shot was Marley in the shadows, probably.

+Bloodiest entry yet. Brutal stabbings, some deaths are a little too drawn out, people would probably die a lot faster. There's some entrails for the gore hounds.

+Kirby rattling off all the remakes in the trailer plays a lot more emotionally in the actual movie, she names a lot more and really sells the shit out of that scene.

+In the way it looks back on the past films - there are references here and there that diehards will pick up on - sorta reminded me a lot of Halloween: H20. That's a good comparion.

+The final moments of the film are terrific, and I didn't expect such a perfect, kinda nasty message to this film. It probably in some ways is the darkest ending of the series. Its pretty subversive and I think will in many ways allow this one to stand out from the others and make it last. It really pumped me up as the credits began. Some are complaining saying its too drawn out and unrealistic. I don't have a problem with the latter cuz its a horror movie and that's somewhat expected. And I think the pacing of the film is perfect.

+PICTURE CREDITS - Why were people not listed correct. I thought it was three tiered. First - Original trio + Hayden and Emma. Second - Rest of cast alphabetically. Third - Opening Girls. No, its not like that. I don't know why this made me mad - LOL?

So if I were to rank...

1. Scream 2
2. Scream
3. Scream 4
4. Scream 3

Box Office: Box Office Superstar Neve Campbell!

1. Rio - $42m / $42m / $180m
2. Scream 4 - $40m / $40m / $92m
3. Hop - $12m / $83.5m / $128m
4. Hanna - $7m / $23m / $40m
5. Arthur - $6.5m / $22m / $38m
6. Soul Surfer - $6.5m / $19m / $38m
7. Insidious - $5.5m / $34.5m / $46m
8. Source Code - $5m / $35.5m / $48m
9. Your Highness - $4m / $16.5m / $24m
10. Limitless - $3m / $69m / $75m
**The Conspirator - $2.5m / $2.5m / $7.5m

How much Rio and Scream 4 will make is anyone's guess! Expect the former to have legs and the latter to freefall in the coming weeks, as always given the genres. Scream 4, as of last week, was tracking in the low 50's for an opening. That still seems attainable, but of the two film gross tracking firms, one has it at low 40's, the other high 20's. That big of a difference usually means it will go even higher than the high number. Personal bias aside, I have to wonder how the film will play in today's torture porn gore-obsessed horror culture. Either way, the studio will be happy that by Sunday it should have eclipsed or come close to its $40 million budget.

Scream 4 Premiere Pics

Held Monday night in Hollywood - All major cast members in attendance except Mary McDonnell and Britt Robertson. Previous Screamers included Matthew Lillard and Jamie Kennedy.

Best dressed: Emma and Neve. Nico looked SO hot but none of the pictures I could find did him justice. I watched the live steam of the cast arriving and those interviewers were so awful. The woman almost elbowed Emma Roberts in the face. Nice.

I'll just post pictures of the SCREAM 4 cast.

EMMA ROBERTS AND NICO TORTORELLA:


SHENAE GRIMES:


MARIELLE JAFFE:


ERIK KNUDSEN:


ANTHONY ANDERSON:


ADAM BRODY:


AIMEE TEEGARDEN, ALISON BRIE AND MARLEY SHELTON:


HAYDEN PANETTIERE:


ANNA PAQUIN:


RORY CULKIN:


LUCY HALE:


KRISTEN BELL:


NEVE CAMPBELL:


Producer IYA LABUNKA, WES CRAVEN, EMMA ROBERTS:


EMMA ROBERTS AND HAYDEN PANETTIERE:


COURTENEY COX AND DAVID ARQUETTE:


DAVID ARQUETTE:


WES CRAVEN:


NEVE CAMPBELL AND COURTENEY COX:


COURTENEY COX, WES CRAVEN, NEVE CAMPBELL AND IYA LABUNKA


NEVE CAMPBELL, COURTENEY COX AND DAVID ARQUETTE

I read my Entertainment Weekly. I know my shit.

The article sheds some light on the script issues as well as a really nice retrospective on the success of the original film. Included are new interviews with Neve, Courteney, David, Wes, Kevin, Rose, Drew, Jamie and Matthew. The only person missing is Skeet. Pick it up, it hits newsstands today.

Box: Now With Oscar Winners Helen Mirren, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett and Helen Hunt!

1. Hop - $24m / $71m / $140m
2. Arthur - $15m / $15m / $42m
3. Your Highness - $14m / $14m / $36m
4. Hanna - $9m / $9m / $28m
5. Source Code - $8m / $28m / $46m
6. Insidious - $7m / $24.5m / $40m
7. Wimpy Kid - $6.5m / $47m / $62m
8. Soul Surfer - $6m / $6m / $16m
9. Limitless - $5m / $64m / $76m
10. Lincoln Lawyer - $4m / $46m / $55m

This is one of those weekends where the openers could make just about anything. Your Highness seemed like the biggest opener about a month ago, but it has very little buzz (ahem) and once April 20th passes, it should be out of theatres. Arthur will depend on the appeal of Russell Brand, and Soul Surfer looks absolutely awful but is targeting Christian audiences. Lastly, Hanna is getting stellar reviews and I'll say it does the typical amount a Focus wide release usually pulls: around $10m opening, $30m finish. I'm curious about Insidious's drop. It seems to be getting positive word of mouth, and it has this weekend to show what it can do before Scream 4 steals its audience next week. Oh, and Hop - wow! Not that much of a surprise given its from the same people that did those shitfests Chipmunk movies, but I suppose I can support James Marsden having a hit movie.