by Shannon Hood, Feb 1 2010 // 10:00 AM
Avatar only dropped 14% from last weekend, and is still putting up huge numbers after seven weeks in release. Once again, it maintained the top spot at the box office with $30 Million. Only six million to go before it breaks $600 Million domestically. At this rate it will hit that number this week for sure.
Mel Gibson’s revenge thriller Edge of Darkness managed a lukewarm $17 Million on just over 3,000 screens, which was a little lower than expectations. Kristen Bell’s romantic comedy When in Rome placed third, with $12 Million. The Tooth Fairy only dropped 29% for fourth place with an additional $10 Million.
The Book of Eli came in at number 5 with $8.7 Million. It has almost earned back its $80 Million budget. Outside of the top five, things were not so rosy. In its second week in release, Harrison Ford’s Extraordinary Measures tumbled completely out of the top ten into 13th place for the weekend.
That’s gotta be painful for Ford, and for the fledgling CBS films. Legion also dove about 60%, but a low budget probably ensures that it will still be profitable.
Posted in: Box Office · Movies · News
Tagged: "Edge of Darkness, Avatar, Book of Eli, CBS Films, Extraordinary Measures, Harrison Ford, James Cameron, Mel Gibson, Movies, The Tooth Fairy, When in Rome
by Shannon Hood, Jan 29 2010 // 2:00 PM

Just because I am a chick, it doesn’t mean I am a champion of the romantic comedy. It’s quite the opposite as you’d be hard pressed to find many I care to crow about. I prefer horror and gore to a rom-com romp. There is so much drivel that tries to pass itself off as entertainment (I’m looking at YOU, Leap Year, and YOU, The Proposal), but I found this movie to be a real breath of fresh air in a genre that has long since gone stagnant.
Kristen Bell plays Beth, an art curator, who is in the middle of planning a large benefit gala. After she experiences a humiliating evening at the hands of her ex, Beth’s little sister shows up, squealing that she is engaged to be married to a man from Italy whom she has only known for two weeks. They are getting married immediately, and Beth must fly to Italy to be the maid of honor. She manages to clear a few days to attend, no thanks to her over-bearing boss played by Anjelica Huston.
During the dress rehearsal, a dashing groomsman (Nick, played by Josh Duhamel) catches her eye. The two flirt the night away, and Beth is obviously being swept off her feet. However, a misunderstanding about another woman derails her magical night, and she ends up having an impromptu pity party in a fountain with a bottle of champagne. Before she leaves, she snags a few coins from the “fountain of love,” just for spite.
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Posted in: Comedy · Movies · Reviews · Romance · Touchstone Pictures
Tagged: Comedy, Danny DeVito, Dax Shepard, Jon Heder, Josh Duhamel, Kristen Bell, When in Rome, Will Arnett