Many people believe Channing Tatum is a one-trick pony. To the contrary, the man has plenty of range. We’ve seen him as a soldier leading the fight against villainous terrorists, a soldier who carries his love through letters with Amanda Seyfried and a relieved soldier who is sent back into duty. Now, we’re getting something totally different as Tatum stars as a soldier on a mission to fight his father….in Ancient Rome.

A story like this is pretty epic, so we won’t take anything away from the official synopsis.

In 140 AD, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…The Roman epic adventure THE EAGLE stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell and is directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald. 20 years earlier, Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius Aquila, marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem.

They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Flavius’ son Marcus (Tatum), determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca (Bell), Marcus sets out into the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland – to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the hallowed Eagle.

Along the way Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father’s disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave’s identity and loyalty – a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).

Plus side? Donald Sutherland. Check out the full trailer for the film after the jump and catch The Eagle in theaters on February 5.

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Director Martin Scorsese and frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio proved to be a lethal combination at the box office this weekend, as Shutter Island sold the most tickets. The psychological thriller scared up a healthy $40 Million during its first weekend in release, buoyed by mostly favorable reviews. The film piqued the interest of horror fans, DiCaprio fans, and  Scorsese loyalists.

Despite tumbling a massive 69% from its opening weekend, Valentine’s Day still managed to snag an additional $17 Million. Avatar is still comfortably hanging out in the top five, and added $16m to its staggering totals. Ten weeks, people. Unbelievable.

Number four Percy Jackson dropped about 50% for $15 Million. Universal’s worst fears about The Wolfman have come true. The film dropped 68% from last weekend, and made a measly $9.8 Million.  That $150 Million budget looks impossible to make back at this time.

You can’t blame it strictly on bad word of mouth-I have yet to hear of one single person who actually enjoyed Valentine’s Day, yet people still flocked to see the film. Quite frankly, I am scratching my head over this turn of events. There’s a reason I don’t write box office predictions.

Outside of the top five, Dear John is shaping up to be a nice hit for Sony. After 3 weeks in release, the film has more than doubled its budget of $25 Million, and has made a solid $65.9 Million.

Doh! Women flexed their box office muscles once again and helped boost the bland Valentines Day to a record breaking weekend.  Silly Hollywood, when will you learn?

First we had New Moon, then last weekend Dear John, and now Valentine’s Day. Each time a movie that has a largely female demographic wins the weekend, all the trades are SHOCKED to find out that women go to the movies.

Each time, I read that there will be a onslaught of female centric movies green lit by the studios.  And, it never happens.  I must say I am not completely proud of what my sisters choose to spend their box office dollars on (before you boys snicker, might I remind you of G.I. Joe, and Transformers), but it is interesting to note  this possible shift in marketing.

Three day totals for Valentine’s Day are around $52 Million, making it the highest grossing movie ever for a President’s Day weekend. Women weren’t the only ones in the mood for movies this weekend. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief made a very respectable $31 Million over the weekend, and Benicio Del Toro’s The Wolfman took a bite out of the box office to the tune of $30 Million (sorry, that was a terrible pun.)

Avatar took a tumble to the number four position this weekend, but a $22 Million gross is still quite astonishing for its ninth week in release.  Dear John dropped about 50% from its opening weekend, which is average, and earned an additional $15 Million.

The action movies Edge of Darkness, and From Paris, With Love both are shaping up to be box office disappointments.  Edge of Darkness has only made $36 Million in three weeks (with a budget of $80 Million), and From Paris now stands at $15 Million after two weeks.

I swear I heard my keyboard purr when I typed that headline. Those of us who cover weekly box office totals have been in a rut for seven weeks, and like it or loathe it, Dear John gives us something new to talk about.

Despite tepid reviews, Dear John shocked prognosticators by soundly beating Avatar this weekend. Dear John hauled in $32 Million to win the weekend over Avatar, which made an additional $23.6 Million.

I didn’t see Dear John, but I do find it interesting that everyone continues to underestimate the female ticket draw. The book by Nicholas Sparks was very popular, and currently boasts a 4.5 reader’s rating on Barnes and Noble’s web site. Didn’t Hollywood learn anything from New Moon? Rabid female book fans = box office gold.

Side note, I was shocked to receive an email from my very own parents, who have not seen a movie in the theater in over 5 years, sharing that they saw a matinee of Avatar in 3D and loved it. I quote, “We both wanted to live in that forest.”  Um, what?

This coming from a couple who still enjoys dial-up internet. They voluntarily donned 3D glasses because they felt that this movie just had to be seen. I only mention this because this is precisely why the movie has made so much money.  There are people going to see it that don’t ever go to movies, and that is quite a feat.

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