BOX OFFICE: ‘UP’ OVER THE ‘HANGOVER.’ BARELY.

06.08.09 Written by Vince Mancini

UPDATE: The revised Sunday numbers are starting to favor The Hangover.  That’s good news for anyone trying to get an R-rated comedy made.

Up killed it again this week, narrowly outearning The Hangover ($44.2 mil to $43.3) and becoming the first two-week number one of 2009 (though these are still “estimated” numbers – The Hangover may still be number one when “actual” numbers are released tomorrow).   Up fell just 35% in its second week.  Oh, and expect to see a lot more Zach Galifianakis.

Land of the Lost earned almost $20 mil for third place, though people are already calling it the “first bomb of summer.”  Elsewhere, Sam Mendes/Dave Eggers/Vendela Vida’s Away We Go made $35,815 per theater in limited release, probably all from semi-employed liberal arts majors.

And finally, Angels & Demons added $6.5 mil domestically, but the big story is that it surpassed $409 million worldwide, the highest grossing film of 2009.  So next time some foreigner tries to give you crap about Americans being dumb, poke your finger in his chest and drunkenly slur something about how it’s his fault Tom Hanks turned into Nic Cage.  Full top 10 after the jump.

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WKND PREVIEW: AFTER LOST HANGOVER SEASON

06.05.09 Written by Vince Mancini

Opening this weekend:

After Last Season
This is either a prank or the future cult-hit of the decade.  If you want to see it, all you have to do is make your way to Austin, Rochester, Lancaster, or North Aurora.  First 10,000 guest receive a complimentary cardboard MRI machine.  “They’ve got, uh, printers in the basement you can use.”

The Hangover
The triumphant return of Todd Philips.  Most people are saying it’s pretty damn funny.  It’s got Zach Galifianakis, Mike Tyson, a tiger, and a baby in sunglasses. Pretty much everything you could ask for.

Land of the Lost
Man is this thing getting some terrible reviews.  But Ebert liked itMovieline calls it “a pretty good stoner comedy being mismarketed as a kids’ movie.”  Isn’t that exactly what the original show was?  Anyway, your results may vary. In related news I think a good poster would just be Will Ferrell running from a dinosaur with “LOL!” written on it.

My Life in Ruins
Nia Vardalos’ follow-up to My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the only film getting worse reviews than LOL. Hey, have I mentioned Nia Vardalos is Greek?  Because she is!  I think that’s why she’s so zany!  Hey, Nia, ethnicities are like assholes.  That’s probably why ethnic types are smelly.

Away We Go (limited release)
Sam Mendes (American Beauty) directs a script by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, a coming-of-age/non-traditional rom-dramedy.  College boner!  It’s just so hard to decide between this and grad school.

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SAM MENDES, DAVE EGGERS… COLLEGE BONER!

03.17.09 Written by Vince Mancini

I like most of Sam Mendes’ movies, though I avoided Revolutionary Road because it looks like a more boring version of American Beauty.  With fedoras.  But as luck would have it, he already has another project out. I hadn’t heard a thing about it until the trailer hit today. Away We Go stars John Krasinski (Jim from The Office) and Maya Rudolph (formerly of SNL) with a script by Dave Eggers and his wife, fellow writer Vendela Vida.  It sucks that hipsters like Dave Eggers, because now I have to defend it any time I say something good about him.  Hey, trust fund hippies, you know what’d be great?  You could hate everything I like!  Wouldn’t that be, like, so ironic?
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