BOX OFFICE: ‘Night’ Basks In No. 1 Glow

CAST FROM THE PAST: Ivan the Terrible, Al Capone, and Napoleon size up the situation in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, which plays at the Regal Eagle Ridge 12 and at the Carmike.

PHOTO COURTESY OF 20th CENTURY FOX

SEBRING, May 25, 2009 – With screens in 7,000 theaters across North America, Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian took the No. 1 spot at the box office with a $70 million four-day Memorial Day weekend (May 22-25).

Nipping at its heels was Terminator: Salvation, which hauled in $53.8 million at 600 fewer screens and $67.2 million if one includes the proceeds from its Thursday release.

The numbers were good for both franchises, though they benefitted from attendance by core audiences. The second weekend will tell much about each film’s staying power. Night 2 has no new hook to pin audience expectations on. Terminator offers new material and angles but without a major role by its chief villain/protagonist, Arnold.

Can Christian Bale and Sam Worthington carry the franchise? We rate the movie at Four Reels – good. Audiences have given it solid reviews; the critics less so.

The real winner in all this is Star Trek. Despite the plethora of box office blockbusters and openings, and Night 2 giving it the boot at the IMAX theaters, its audience dropped only 47 percent from its second to thirds weekend. It still made $29.7  million to finish at No. 3, and it is closing in on the $200 million mark.

In fourth place is Angels and Demons, which lost more than half its audience as it pulled in $27.7 million. If not for its play overseas, Angels and Demons would be a bust.

Dance Flick twisted into the No. 5 spot with a $13 million take. This R-rated spoof of dance films is a low for the Wayans brothers and will appeal to a select audience only. If you are in to a lot of silly, profane humor and goofy pratfalls, this may be your movie.

Three of the Top Five and six of the Top Ten national box office films played at the Fairmount Cinema 6, giving it yet another weekend win over its rival, corporate giant Carmike.

BOX OFFICE: ‘Angels and Demons’ Battles to No. 1

SEBRING, May 18, 2009 – In a vitual photo finish, Angels and DemonsStar Trek edged out to claim the No. 1 spot at the North American box office for the weekend of May 15-17.

Angels and Demons finished with an estimated $48 million take – about $30 million less than its predecessor, The Da Vinci Code. It foists the conspiracy theory on viewers that the Catholic Church opposed and brutally repressed scientific inquiry.

In fact, history has shown just the opposite. Take away the Catholic Church and science likely dies a slow death. But that facts gets in the way of Dan Brown’s anti-Catholic and anti-Christian imagination!

Meanwhile, Star Trek pushed the engine of its popularity to the limits, warping to a $43 million take and second place at the box office. Its popularity has exceeded expectations, and its 10-day cume is $151 million, second among all movies released this year. Only Monsters vs. Aliens sits in front of it, and that is likely to end in a few weeks.

The rest of the Top Five for the weekend are far behind: X-Men Origins: Wolverine at No. 3 with $14.8 million, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past with $6.9 million at No. 4, and Obsessed with $4.5 million at No. 5.

Four of the Top Five movies play at the Fairmount Cinema 6, with only Angels and Demons giving the Carmike a foothold. The Fairmount will likely keep its grip on the Top Five next weekend, despite the debut of Night at the Museum 2. Terminator: Salvation opens as well, and the Fairmount is hosting it. We had high hopes for Night at the Museum 2, but it appears to be overwritten, overacted, and overpopulated with characters and name stars, and that usually spells disappointment.

The battle between Terminator and Night will fascinate.Our expectation: Night at the Museum 2 will win the opening weekend battle but Terminator: Salvation will perform better over the long haul.

Wherever you go, whatever you see, have a great time at the movies!

BOX OFFICE: ‘Star Trek’ Warps To No. 1

PHOTON FINISH: The U.S.S. Kelvin takes several hits from a Romulan ship in the opening sequence of the new Star Trek movie.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

SEBRING, May 10, 2009 – Moviegoers beamed the new Star Trek to the top of the box office for the weekend of May 8-10.

Star Trek bumped Wolverine from the No. 1 spot with an estimated $72.5 million gross and a per theater average of more thna $18,000.

Those figures fell short of Wolverine’s opening weekend grosses but were impressive.

Wolverine dropped by 68 % to No. 2 with a $27 million haul. The drop can be explained in part by overlapping audiences. Wolverine has still learned over $129 million in just a little over a week of release.

Every other movie in the Top Five retained its successive ranking, with Ghosts of Girlfriends Past earning over $10 million to finish at No. 3. Though we consider this a weak movie, its appeal to women is tangible. It dropped by only 32%.

Obsessed and 17 Again finished at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

That means that the Fairmount Cinema 6 hosted the Top Four films in the country (with only 17 Again at the Carmike), another coup for Sebring’s hometown theater.

That string of successes will likely end next weekend when Angels and Demons arrives at the Regal Eagle Ridge and the Carmike. We offer a cautionary note, however, that this sequel will not be as well received as the original Da Vince Code. We’ll see what happens.

Whevever you go, whatever you see, have a great time at the movies!

BOX OFFICE: Wolverine Claws To The Top

SEBRING – May 4, 2009 – Looks like the Mutants have it!

In its first weekend of release, Wolverine: X-Men Origins, starring hunky Hugh Jackman, pretty much annihilated the competition (including co-hunk Matthew McConaughey) a tthe box office.

With an $87 million take the weekend of May 1-3 and a per theater average of over $21,000, Wolverine claimed the undisputed No. 1.

McConaughey’s Ghosts of Girlfriends Past followed – at a considerable distance – with a $15.3 million haul to land at No. 2. However, the No. 3 film, Obsessed (last week’s champ) finished with a slight per theater average edge, $4,853 to $4,827.

The top three films pay at the Fairmount. Nos. 4 and 5, 17 Again and Monsters vs. Aliens, play at the Carmike.

Our sense is the Wolverine story is strong and well-made, so it will be itnteresting to see what happens when Stark Trek, which will also show at the Fairmount beginning this Friday, collides with Marvel’s hunky hero. Star Trek films have traditionally performed solidly, but not spectacularly, at the box office. We will see whether J. J. Abrams (Lost, Cloverfield) can add new fans to the base.

BOX OFFICE: Fans Obsessed With Obsessed

BAD GIRL: Lisa Sheridan (Ali Larter) thrusts herself at Derek Charles (Idris Elba) in the hope of creating a poignant moment with him in Obsessed, playing at the Fairmount Cinema 6.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCREEN GEMS

SEBRING, April 28, 2009 – Obsessed became the national obsession for moviegoers and closed out the weekend of April 24-26 as the No. 1 film at the box office.

The Idris Elba-Ali Larter-Beyonce thriller of alleged adultery finished with a gross of $28.6 million and a per theater average of more than $11,000.

Obsessed’s success once again made the Fairmount Cinema 6 the host of the No. 1 movie in Highlands County.

And with the Fairmount Cinema 6 set to open the summer season with Wolverine and Star Trek on successive weekends beginning May 1, only a monopoly on 3D releases might be helping to keep the Carmike out of a second bankruptcy, in spite of its high ticket and concession prices.

In terms of value, especially for families and dates, we belive the Fairmount Cinema 6 remains – by far – the best value for Highlands County moviegoers. We have seen that in recent weeks as families and couples crowded into the Fairmount for movies from Hannah Montana to Fast & Furious.

Among seniors, too, the Fairmount Cinema 6 seems to be the preferred venue, offering lower prices and better, more palatable movies that resonate with them, such as Gran Torino, Doubt and Last Chance Harvey.

The difference between the two theaters is most notable with customer service. The atmosphere is friendly and easygoing at the Fairmount. If a patron drops his bag of popcorn or spills his drink by accident, the Fairmount will replace it. It is not so with the Carmike.

In fact, the Carmike has gone backward since the heyday of Manager Chuck, who straightened out so many issues, from the smelly carpet to the snail-like serive in Mugs N Movies to alleged corruption in the box office and moneykeeping. Chuck made customer relations a top priority,  but since his time, a string of surly, Scroogian managers have failed to realize that an ounce of sugar always goes farther than a gallon of vinegar.

Thankfully, the Regal Eagle Ridge is a viable alternative to anything that plays at the Carmike, in particular for moviegoers at the north end of the county in Avon Park, Avon Park Lakes, and River Greens.

Our hope, though, is that the Carmike can make the necessary changes that will make them moviegoer-friendly.

Whatever you see, and wherever you go, we hope you have a great time and a good experience at the movies!

BOX OFFICE: Zac Efron Tops Cinema

SEBRING, April 21, 2009 – High School Musical star Zac Efron pushed 17 Again to the top of the box office for the weekend of April 17-19, 2009.

17 Again grossed $24 million.

State of Play, Monsters vs. Aliens, Hannah Montana: The Moive, Fast & Furious, and Crank: High Voltage rounded out the Top Six.

The Fairmount Cinema 6 split the Top Six with the Carmike but had six of the Top Ten box office hits to make it, once again, the No. 1 theater in Highlands County.

The Fairmount Cinema 6 owned the No. 1 slot the previous two weekends with Hannah Montana and Fast & Furious. For the weekend of April 10-12, the Fairmount owned 4 of the Top Five movies; for April 3-5, 3 of the Top Five.

BOX OFFICE: Fast & Furious Drives To Top!

RACE TO THE TOP: The streets are hot again as Dom (Vin Diesel) is behind the wheel to fend(er) off the comptetition in Fast & Furious, playing exclusively at the Fairmount Cinema 6.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

SEBRING, April 6, 2009 – Vin, Paul, Michelle, and Jordana blew everyone’s gaskets and shot Fast & Furious to the top of the movie pile in sixth gear the weekend of April 3-5.

Drawn by Latino-Afro rhythms, blazingly fast cars in torrid races, stupendous stunts, beautiful bodies, and a rock solid plot, moviegoers around North America plunked down more than $70 million, a whopping $20,000 per theater average.

In Sebring, Fast & Furious blew the doors off the competition. The Fairmount’s first Friday evening show sold out more than an hour in advance. In fact, F & F sold out evening shows at the Fairmount Cinema 6 all weekend.

Coming in at No. 2 was last week’s champ, Monsters vs. Aliens, a terrific kid movie. It grossed more than $32 million.

The Haunting in Connecticut spooked its producers with a dismal, nearly 60 % drop from week One. Still, it grossed $9 million plus to finish at No. 3.

The apocalyptic religio-physioscientific extravaganza Knowing came in at No. 4 with an $8.1 million pull. This movie is underperforming. I find it provocative and intelligent, but the mixed message may be alienating both sides of the Religion vs. Physical Sciences debate instead of uniting them.

The comedy I Love You, Man pulled up the rear in the Top Five with a gross of $7.7 million.

The Fairmount Cinema 6 has owned the top theater title in Highlands County most of 2009 and had had it for several weeks before relinquishing it last week on the strength of Monsters vs. Aliens. However, after that one week hiatus, the Fairmount is back on top with 3 of the Top 5 movies.

Wherever you go, whatever you see, have a great time at the movies!

BOX OFFICE: ‘Knowing,’ ‘Man,’ Propel Fairmount to Top

PLANE PROPHECY: A commuter jet crashes before the runway at a Boston airport, just like a child’s numbered paper pulled from a time capsule said it would. It’s part of the creepiness of Knowing, the No. 1 film in the nation, which plays exclusively at the Fairmount Cinema 6 in Sebring.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

SEBRING, March 22, 2009 – The Fairmount’s run at the top as Highlands County’s most popular movie theater continues, if the national box office is the measuring stick.

The top two movies at the box office for the weekend of March 20-22 both played at the Fairmount Cinema 6: Knowing and I Love You, Man. The former was king with projected earnings of $24.8 million, while the latter was No. 2 with earnings of $18 million.

No. 3 was Duplicity, with $14.4 million. The only other film that grossed in double digits was Race to Witch Mountain, which earned $13 million.

Watchmen continues its plummet toward watchlessness. This perverse film that features male frontal nudity lost another 64 % in ticket sales. One hundred theaters dumped the bomb in just its third week. It continues to play at the Carmike.

Every movie at the Fairmount placed in the Top Ten except for Doubt, which was released last year and has just come to Highlands County. It is an excellently acted film worthy of your viewing. It stars Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.

BOX OFFICE: Can You Smell What ‘The Rock’ Cooked?

SEBRING, March 16, 2009 – Once he was the biggest name in pro wrestling. And he began his career on a musclebound, action note.

Since his thespian infancy, however, Dwayne Johnson, affectoinately known as ‘The Rock,” has enjoyed more success in kid flicks. That’s not bad, though I hope to see him resurrect his action hero career (did he move over to make room for John Cena?). After all, his latest venture, Race to Witch Mountain, is the No. 1 film at the box office.

Race to Witch Mountain cashed in an even $25 million the weekend of March 13-15 to lead a modest pack of films. Watchmen very much appears to be getting nuked at the box office. Its revenues fell 67.3 % to just over $18 million. Horror thriller Last House on the Left finished at No. 3 with $14.66 million.

However, Last House on the Left finished second in per theater average, above Watchmen and just behind Race to Witch Mountain.

That says much about Watchmen’s fall from moviegoer grace.

Taken continues its strong, consistent run, scoring $6.65 million for the weekend, while Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail rounded out the Top Five with $5.13 million.

Once again in Highlands County, the Fairmount Cinema 6 hosted 3 of the Top 5 films, and 4 of the top 6 if one includes the No. 6 film, Oscar-winner Slumdog Millionaire.

WHEREVER YOU GO, WHATEVER YOU SEE, HAVE A GREAT TIME AT THE MOVIES!

BOX OFFICE: ‘Madea’ Rules From Jail!’

COURTING DISASTER: Madea makes a stand in court, but audiences know they will be sentenced to 90 minutes of laughter in Madea Goes To Jail.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIONSGATE

SEBRING, Feb. 24, 2009 – What a difference one week makes!

We at Sebring Cinema and Sports know a stinker when we see one, and we correctly identified Friday the 13th as just that: a smelly film that used the series’ reputation to lure in unsuspecting moviegoers.

Once they found the real horror was the film itself, they got spooked and stayed away!

Attendance at Friday the 13th dropped by a whoppping, unheard of 80.4 %. Its take the weekend of Feb. 20-22 fell to $7.9 million, and understandably so (see our review of the stinker in an earlier post).

Replacing it at the top was the latest entry in the Tyler Perry series, Madea Goes To Jail. Perry hit the jackpot as Madea posted a $41 million weekend with a huge $20,192 per theater average.

The success of Madea in her latest hilarious adventure is a sweet upturn from Perry’s previous entry, Meet The Browns, and demonstrates the deepening inroads he has made in pop culture across ethnic lines.

In Highlands County, Madea has been playing  exclusively to packed houses at the Fairmount Cinema 6.

No other film came close to Madea Goes To Jail. The closest two, Coralie and Taken, had a bit more than a quarter of the box office receipts that Madea had. Still, both of those films continue to impress, and Taken will cross the $100 million mark no later than at the end of next weekend. The story of a secret agent dad looking for his kidnaped daughter in Europe has struck a chord with audiences across the country and locally.

Once again, three of the top five films played at the Fairmount Cinema 6, He’s Just Not That Into You being the other.

Have a great time at the movies!!!