Weekend Box Office #66

A trio of unexciting new releases, though that's not unexpected -- it's January, when Oscar-bait holdovers still rule the box office.

Though I have a feeling that when CLOVERFIELD comes out next week, it'll do a lot to reverse the expectations of how well a solid new movie released in January can do.

This week's wide openers:

FIRST SUNDAY (2213 theaters). Actually, this looks like it could be funny, and the cast (Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan) should bring in a decent crowd. $10.1 million for the weekend.

IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE (1605 theaters). Uwe Boll is one of the worst directors ever, having done such forgettable films as HOUSE OF THE DEAD, ALONE IN THE DARK and BLOODRAYNE, and yet they keep letting him make more videogame movies (and according to imdb, he's got 6 more in the pipeline). It's hard to believe this one will do all that well. $5.5 million.

THE PIRATES WHO DON'T DO ANYTHING (1336 theaters). This must be one of the worst titles ever; talk about your passive characters. I can just imagine the pitch: "They're pirates. But they don't do anything". "Nothing?" "Nothing at all". Yeah, it's a Veggietales movie, and aimed firmly at little kids, but don't they want their pirates to swash, or at least buckle? And is anyone really going to see this in a theater when it'll probably be available for $4 at Walmart in 10 weeks? Probably a couple. $2.5 million.

THE BUCKET LIST expands from 16 theaters to 2911; look for it to do better than any of the new releases, with about $13.1 million or so.

JUNO adds another 523 theaters, to 2448, and may be the number one movie this weekend; it has led for the past 4 days, and the buzz is building. Look for it to do about $16 million, and edge out NATIONAL TREASURE 2.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD expands to 129 theaters, and is currently atop my list of things to see. Maybe tonight.

On a side note, there has been no sign of ants for two days; apparently the Raid terrified them. The parakeets seem fine.