There’s no point in expressing how impressed we are when a film is able to stay at the #1 spot for over 3 weeks in a row, but we’re too busy trying to figure out what it is about Buena Vista’s The Help that has netted the film over $100 million since its release 4 weeks ago.

Following the film’s meager $19 million weekend pull, the weekend’s three new releases were not too far behind. It would be good to note that The Help has made just over $125 million worldwide, which is nearly $100 million over the film’s production budget. (Sequel?)

Coming in at the #2 spot, the beginning of our political thriller season starts with The Debt, which opened at $12.5 million. Meanwhile, the two horror films of the weekend, Apollo 18 and Shark Night 3D were within pennies of each other, with Apollo opening at #3 with $10.7 million and Shark Night opening at $10.3 million.

Sadly, last weekend’s releases, Columbiana, Our Idiot Brother, and Don’t be Afraid of the Dark all had over a 22% drop and came in under the top 5.

Next weekend, expect a good show from Soderbergh’s Contagion, which is opening in over 3,000 screens. Also, you can see Lionsgate’s Warrior to be a fan favorite, while Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star will open to murmurs.

When does a film not need a trailer to get you excited to see it?  While most people need to see what the film is about before deciding whether it is worth their time, I can sometimes be satisfied knowing that there is strong  talent that going into making the film.  If a film has a talented director with a reliable track record, or has managed to pull together a unique cast, that should be reason enough to want to go and see that movie.

Each of the trailers this week has an element that alone should get you intrigued enough to watch it.  We have a couple independent films with strong casts, a sequel to the great animation, and a fun 3D experience.

50/50

Click to see the trailer

Right off the bat this film feels like a great feel-good indie with strong characters and honest performances.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Hesher, 500 Days of Summer, Inception) alone is one of the most talented young actors working today.  And Seth Rogan (who is also producing), while fresh and talented in everything he does, could use this type of role to break out of this Apatow comedy type-casting.

Additionally we have the under-appreciated Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), who is simply enjoyable in everything she does, as well as Bryce Dallas Howard (Hearafter) in some strange Twilight reunion.  Not to mention the incomparable Anjelica Huston (The Royal Tenenbaums) rounding out the supporting cast.

I get a strange feeling that this could be a strange mixture of 500 Days of Summer and Up in the Air.

Who needs piranhas when you’ve got the mother of all predators…sharks? That’s the question the upcoming Relativity Media film Shark Night 3D is going to answer this September when it hits theaters and 3D theaters everywhere.

The film comes from Snakes on a Plane director David R. Ellis and stars some of our favorite character actors such as Sara Paxton, Joel David Moore, and Katharine McPhee. Here’s the massive synopsis.

Arriving by boat at her family’s Louisiana lake island cabin, Sara (Sara Paxton) and her friends quickly strip down to their swimsuits for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when star football player Malik (Sinqua Walls) stumbles from the salt-water lake with his arm torn off, the party mood quickly evaporates. Assuming the injury was caused by a freak wake-boarding accident, the group realizes they have to get Malik to a hospital on the other side of the lake, and fast. But as they set out in a tiny speedboat, the college friends discover the lake has been stocked with hundreds of massive, flesh-eating sharks! As they face one grisly death after another, Sara and the others struggle desperately to fend off the sharks, get help and stay alive long enough to reach the safety of dry land.

Movies like this are the reason why 3D should be enticing to audience members, this is what looks to be a fun experience, not a cheap grab at more money in the box office. Check out the full trailer after the jump and see Shark Night 3D in theaters on September 2nd.

3D is obviously taking over Hollywood right now. So rather than kick and scream because a film like Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods is sitting in production hell due to the 3D conversion, we might as well sit and enjoy some of the more lowbrow 3D films that are hitting the screen this year.

One of those very films is Relativity Media’s upcoming Shark Night 3D, directed by Snakes on a Plane helmer David R. Ellis, and starring some of Hollywood’s younger all-stars like Sarah Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack, and Joel David Moore.

The film is a tongue-in-cheek thriller in the vain of Snakes or more recently Piranha 3D which, if you remember correctly, had a piranha chomping on a man’s severed genitals.

We’ve got a brand new look at the film in the form of a horrifying picture for you to feast your eyes on after the jump. Check it out, and join us on the media journey as we welcome Shark Night 3D to theaters on September 2.