In absentia of our diligent box office reporter Shannon Hood I’m stepping in to bring you up to speed this week. The top three spots were taken by two remakes and one sequel, the former making me feel like I’d gone through a time warp back to the ’80′s.  It was exciting and a little disconcerting all at the same time.

Taking the top spot was the remake of the 1984 classic The Karate Kid.  For the purists out there you can rest easy knowing the producers did not use the same characters from the original.  While the premise is basically the same Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) have been replaced by Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) and Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Personally, I thought Jaden Smith was too young to portray the character properly but the audience seemed to disagree with me.

The Karate Kidwent onto make $56 million in its opening weekend.  Given that the budget was $40 million this is certainly decent returns and I have no doubt will lead to a sequel, if not a trilogy.  Way to go Jaden!  Your superstar dad, Will Smith, must be very proud.

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Entertainment Tonight took a trip to the set of  The A-Team and got some behind the scenes footage. While they primarily speak to Bradley Cooper (Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck) and Jessica Biel (as yet unnamed former love interest of “Faceman”) there is a brief meeting with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (Sgt. “B.A.” Baracus) and his iconic mohawk.

I wish I could say the clip gives us riveting information about the upcoming film. Unfortunately, ET decided to delve into “the big question”, “Is there an A-Team love story?”  Seriously, ET? Show me one person who actually asked that question.

Anyway, ET went there and in return we get to see some of the most inane banter between Jessica Biel and an ET reporter ever. In other farthest-thing-from-spoiler-news we also find out Cooper’s dietary habits to get in shape for the role. Way to go ET! You truly know how to bring the fans what they want (please note sarcasm).

Alright, complaining aside it’s finally good to see some video of these actors as their respective characters.The A-Team comes to theaters June 11, 2010.  Check out the clip after the jump.

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The A-Team cast continues to grow with the addition of Patrick Wilson who will play a CIA operative in the new film. Wilson joins the star lineup of Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley and Jessica Biel.  If you don’t recognize Wilson’s name you’ll probably remember him best for his role as Night Owl II in Watchmen.

Wilson delivered a great performance as the second Night Owl. Not only did he convey a sense of mundane self-deprecation but in complete contrast brought some serious action scenes to the film as well. All that and he still found the time for a pretty good love scene with Silk Spectre II (Malin Ackerman). That range of acting should help Wilson craft a worth ally, or adversary, for The A-Team.

The A-Team rides into theaters June 11, 2010.

Typically film remakes come with a lot of changes. As new creators step into production roles they have their own vision for the content and make full use of their creative license. This being the case, it’s a refreshing change to see something stay the same. Case in point, the van in the upcoming The A-Team movie.

Photos of the van were taken on set in British Columbia, Canada and it looks great. That is to say, the “new” van is nearly identical to the old van. Even down to the red racing stripe. This gives me hope that director Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces) is preserving at least some of the essence of the original series, while bringing a more mature tone to the once campy show.

I’m taking this a good thing considering some other directors (I could cite names but will refrain) would have certainly changed the iconic van. Fortunately, Carnahan didn’t, which means we’re spared from seeing a pimped out black Hummer with gatling guns and rocket launchers on it. Now that I mention it, that sounds kind of cool but it just isn’t The A-Team. Getting ready to see the van in action next June when The A-Team comes to theaters.