After its record-setting opening weekend, Paramount’s rampaging monster movie, Cloverfield, faces some strong competition for young male viewers as it struggles to hold onto the top spot for a second week. Sylvester Stallone makes a long-awaited return to the John Rambo character today with the release of Lionsgate’s Rambo, while 300, Transformers and a lot of other movies and TV shows get spoofed in the 20th Century Fox comedy Meet the Spartans. Also opening in wide release is the Sony/Screen Gems cyber thriller Untraceable, starring Diane Lane, and Paramount Vantage’s urban step-dancing flick, How She Move.
Last week’s impressive debut for Cloverfield can be attributed largely to the mystery surrounding the film and the design of it’s CG-animated monster, which was created by Tippett Studio. Though the film maintains the highest theater count, domestic returns are expected to begin trailing off this week as overseas business gets cooking. It should do particularly well in Japan, which has a rich history of huge monsters attacking major cities on film. Moviegoers in South Korea should also eat it up, considering the phenomenal success of recent creature features Dragon Wars and The Host.
Stallone surprised critics and moviegoers by successfully reviving a worn-out franchise with last year’s Rocky Balboa. Now he’s hoping to keep his comeback going with Rambo, a bloody action flick that debuts in about 2,751 theaters. The movie has been getting a lot of attention from various fanboy sites, and is also spoofed in Meet the Spartans, which is being released in about 150 fewer venues.
With all the testosterone floating around, a gripping crime thriller with a strong female lead could do well this weekend, but Sony is giving Untraceable a conservative rollout in just 2,368 theaters. Still, the Diane Lane vehicle may manage in luring female audiences away from 20th Century Fox’s romantic comedy 27 Dresses, which maintains the weekend’s second highest screen count.
All newcomers and holdovers have to watch out for pics getting their second wind from Tuesday’s announcement of Academy Award nominations. Focus Features’ Atonement, Miramax’s No Country for Old Men, Warner Bros.’ Michael Clayton and Paramount Vantage’s There Will Be Blood are all expected to get a boost, though they’re more scarcely distributed.
