G.I Joe: The Ugly Truth
In the US: G.I JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA takes #1, despite negative buzz, but bad word-of-mouth is likely to see a huge fall next week. It made $54m, which wasn't that great for a movie that cost $170m. In second place was JULIE & JULIA, which contrarily earned half its $40m budget back in one week.
Elsewhere, David Twohy's A PERFECT GETAWAY was the week's turkey, earning just shy of $6m to debut at #7 – although it only cost $14m to make, so it's not disastrous. And independent romcom (500) DAYS OF SUMMER eges into the chart #9 with £3m after a week on wide release after a limited run in July, which is nice.
US TOP 10
(-) 1. G.I Joe: The Rise Of Cobra $54.7m
(-) 2. Julie & Julia $20m
(3) 3. G-Force $9.87m
(2) 4. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince $8.93m
(1) 5. Funny People $7.99m
(4) 6. The Ugly Truth $6.75m
(-) 7. A Perfect Getaway $5.95m
(5) 8. Aliens In The Attic $4.02m
(-) 9. (500) Days Of Summer $3.74m
(6) 10. Orphan $2.67m
In the UK: The surprising news is that romcom THE UGLY TRUTH fought off competition from G.I JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, to take #1 with £1.9m to Joe's £1.7m. Indeed, Joe's first week haul makes it the summer's lowest-performing summer blockbuster in the UK. So what happened? Did unfamiliarity with the toy-line have an impact? Were people put off by the negative buzz? Were people just more in the mood to see Katherine Heigl snog Gerard Butler? But actually, Joe fans can take solace in the fact that, if you erase the box-office for Ugly Truth's two "preview days" before its nationwide release, it would actually have come in at #2...
Elsewhere, horror movie ORPHAN opened to a dismal £570k to scrape into the chart at #8, which is very disappointing. Oh, and here's an amusing addendum: Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus had a one-screen theatrical release in the UK and made £433,000 – which isn't far behind Land Of The Lost's £552,000 take, despite the fact Will Ferrell's movie was released on 338 screens!
UK TOP 10
(-) 1. The Ugly Truth £1.9m
(-) 2. G.I Joe: The Rise Of Cobra £1.7m
(1) 3. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince £1.3m
(2) 4. G-Force £1.2m
(4) 5. The Proposal £755k
(3) 6. The Taking Of Pelham 1 2 3 £661k
(5) 7. Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs £612k
(-) 8. Orphan £570k
(8) 9. The Hangover £279k
(9) 10. Coco avant Chanel £249k
UK RELEASES THIS WEEK
BANDSLAM
Comedy-drama. A new kid in town assembles a fledgling rock band -- together, they achieve their dreams and compete against the best in the biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands.
Director: Todd Graff Starring: Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Scott Porter & Ryan Donowho
Tomatometer: 76% (Fresh; based on 54 reviews) "Bandslam is an intelligent teen film that avoids teen film cliches, in an entertaining package of music and coming-of-age drama."
IMAGINE THAT
Fantasy comedy. A financial executive who can't stop his career downspiral is invited into his daughter's imaginary world, where solutions to his problems await.
Director: Karey Kirkpatrick Starring: Eddie Murphy, Thomas Haden Church, Yara Shahidi, Ronny Cox, Stephen Rannazzisi, Martin Sheen & Vanessa Williams
Tomatometer: 38% (Rotten; based on 94 reviews) "Despite a promising turn by newcomer Yara Shahidi, Imagine That is another pedestrian family comedy that squanders Eddie Murphy's comedic talents."
A PERFECT GETAWAY
Horror thriller. Two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands.
Director: David Twohy Starring: Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez & Marley Shelton
Tomatometer: 58% (Fresh; based on 103 reviews) "While smarter than the average slasher film, A Perfect Getaway eventually devolves into a standard, predictable, excessively violent thriller."
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
Sci-fi romantic drama. A Chicago librarian with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel falls in love a woman who first met him when she was six years old...
Director: Robert Schwentke Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Michelle Nolden, Arliss Howard, Ron Livingtston & Jane McLean
Tomatometer: 45% (Rotten; based on 65 reviews) "Though it may satisfy fans of the novel, The Time Traveler's Wife's plot contrivances and illogical narrative hamper its big screen effectiveness."
