The top two movies this week showed a huge disconnect between critical reviews and audience satisfaction.  Case in point, Hop. The Easter tale about an adorable rabbit who is the heir to the Easter Bunny empire was soundly denounced by most critics, earning a measly 24% on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, that didn’t scare audiences away from the film, which handily won the weekend box office, earning about $38.1 million.  Considering the fact that Easter is still several weeks away, and audiences loved the film (those polled by Cinemascore gave it an A-), this film could end up earning quite a bit of money. This is the second film from new studio Illumination Entertainment. They released Despicable Me in 2010.

The feat is also impressive because there is not a lot of star power behind the film, which is a mix of live action and animation.  James Marsden is not exactly a household name, and kids don’t know or care who Russell Brand is.

A big surprise to a lot of box office prognosticators was the under-performance of Source Code. Many of us thought it was a shoo-in for first place, particularly since it is one of the most well-reviewed films of the year. However, audiences didn’t agree, and gave the film a B on Cinemascore. When it was all said and done, Source Code made about $15.1 million, just under half the cost of its budget.

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As much as people still refuse to admit it, Despicable Me was one of the highest grossing films (prior to Potter) of 2010. Since it’s July release date, the film has grossed over $500 million worldwide. That’s not much to scoff at, and now the studio is having at it again with a brand new film called Hop.

The movie is an interesting spin on growing up, told with the help of a cocky Easter bunny, played by Russell Brand. Here’s the official synopsis.

Blending state-of-the-art animation with live action, Hop tells the comic tale of Fred (James Marsden), an out-of-work slacker who accidentally injures the Easter Bunny (voiced by Russell Brand) and must take him in as he recovers.  As Fred struggles with the world’s worst houseguest, both will learn what it takes to finally grow up.

Though the blending of CGI and live action has left a bad taste in our mouthes in the past, (looking at you, Garfield 2: Tale of Two Kitties), this could prove to be a change in pace, as Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind Despicible Me is taking the reins from here.

Check out the very first trailer after the jump and catch Hop in theaters on April 1st.

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This week sees more new film and TV releases on Blu-ray and DVD. Among the ones we’re more interested in this week are Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Dead Snow, The Box, Season One of Nurse Jackie and Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (pictured above with John C. Reilly and Chris Massoglia).

Check out all the new releases below.

Movies

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant ~ John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek (Blu-ray and DVD)

Dead Snow ~ Vegar Hoel (Blu-ray and DVD)

Dirty Harry/Magnum Force ~ Clint Eastwood (Blu-ray)

Everybody’s Fine ~ Robert De Niro, Drew Darrymore (Blu-ray and DVD)

Grumpy Old Men/Grumpier Old Men ~ Walter Matthau, Jack Lemon (Blu-ray)

Howards End (Criterion Collection) ~ Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter (Blu-ray and DVD)

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths ~ Mark Harmon, Alyssa Milano, William Baldwin (Blu-ray and DVD)

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About a week ago a colleague of mine asked why in the world I wanted to go see The Box. I explained that I found the premise fascinating. What if you were told that if you pushed a certain button, you would get a million dollars, but there is a catch. When you push the button, somebody you do not know will die. What would you do?

Therein lies the premise of The Box. This is the third film by Richard Kelly, who garnered cult-like status with Donnie Darko (2001), then wide ridicule for his follow up Southland Tales (2006). Lots of movie types were looking toward this movie to determine whether Kelly is a gifted director, or a one hit wonder. I’m sorry to tell you after viewing this convoluted mess, it seems like a case of the director having no clothes. It’s one thing to be a little avant-garde  with your vision, another entirely to just throw weird crap in your movie and hope that it sticks.

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Writer/Director Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko is one of our favorite movies here at The Flickcast. Its mix of humor, sci-fi, horror, a six foot time travelling rabbit named Frank and Patrick Swayze make it a great movie to watch and ponder. Now, Kelly is back with a new film called The Box, based on the Richard Matheson short story Button, Button.

In case you’re not familier, The Box concerns a couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) visited by a stranger (Frank Langela) with a question for them. Will they take a million dollars to press a button? What’s the catch? If they press the button, they get the money but someone they don’t know will die.

The question and what follows causes the couple to come to terms with their own lives, morals and the very fabric of society. Its a great concept that should be, at the very least, interesting when filtered through the prism of Kelly’s vision.

Check out the first trailer for the film after the jump. The Box opens October 30.

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