Box Office: Audiences Love 'The LEGO Movie' and 'About Last Night' on Valentine's Day

1. The LEGO Movie- $48.8M/$129.1M
Nostalgia was always going to win out in a week dominated by '80s remakes, but it was The LEGO Movie that held on to the top spot for the second weekend in a row. Dropping a miniscule 29%, the Warner Bros. animated adventure hasn't slowed down much. even with a devastating winter snow shutting down much of the east coast. The plan all along was for the film to coast through the first weekend, then power through the holiday in week two, and that is how things are shaping out.
2. About Last Night- $27M
In case you missed the memo: Kevin Hart is a star. Not only is he a star, but he's quickly become one of the most bankable actors around. Look at what he was able to do with About Last Night, a remake of a 1986 Brat Pack film that nobody was clamoring to see redone, and yet he helped boost it to a debut that's more than double the $12M budget. As one of two clear romance movies arriving on Valentine's Day it opened strong with $13M on Friday, earning an 'A-' Cinemascore in the process. Hart now sits with two movies in the top 10, with Ride Along still chugging along well over the $100M mark.
3. Robocop- $21.5M/$26.4M
Getting a couple of days jump on the rest didn't help out the Robocop remake too much, booting up in third place and $26.4M total. That's not too far from the $25.4M opening of the Total Recall remake just a couple of years ago.  The $100M effort probably wasn't helped much by The LEGO Movie's staying power, and a glut of more romantic films opening on Valentine's Day. But there is a clear cut silver lining, and it's that foreign grosses have been high, leading to a worldwide total of $96.3M. Sony is going to clear some cash off this one, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if we see a Robocop 2 somewhere down the line.
4. The Monuments Men- $15M/$43.6M
As expected, George Clooney's The Monuments Men held strong to its older-skewing audience. Dropping only 31%, the WWII drama is performing well as an early season prestige film. Not too many of those around, really.
5. Endless Love- $13.3M
It was a smart move dropping the Alex Pettyfer/Gabriella Wilde romance Endless Love on Valentine's Day. The remake of the terrible mushy '80s film debuted to a healthy $7M on Friday as couples sought out a date night flick, only to have it peter out the rest of the weekend. This still doesn't do anything to save Pettyfer's flagging career, and it certainly doesn't do squat for Wilde, although both should remain relatively unscathed.
6. Ride Along- $8.7M/$116.1M
7. Winter's Tale- $7.7M
Quick, tell me what Winter's Tale is about. Impossible, right? Well, that's the same trouble trailers and TV spots had in selling this mythical religious romance flying horse manure thing. And so they settled simply on pushing the cast of Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, and Jennifer Connelly, while keeping Will Smith's cameo as a surprise for appalled audiences.  Critics razed this thing to the ground (including yours truly), but audiences mostly took to it, enough to earn a 'B' Cinemascore. 
8. Frozen- $5.8M/$376M
9. Lone Survivor- $4M/$118.4M
10. That Awkward Moment- $3.3M/$21.4M

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Box Office: 'Ride Along' Tops 'That Awkward Moment' and 'Labor Day'

1. Ride Along- $12.3M/$92.9M
Super Bowl weekend is usually pretty soft by box office standards, and this one is no different. Ride Along held on to the top spot with only $12.3M, fending off the resurgent Frozen and beating back a pair of weak new releases.
2. Frozen- $9.3M/$360M
Disney's Frozen didn't just leap back up the charts in its 11th week of release, it actually gained audience as the Mouse House unveiled a new "Sing-A-Long" version of the film. With time running out before The Lego Movie asserts its family-friendly dominance it was a case of perfect timing.
3. That Awkward Moment- $9M
The names Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller hold a lot of weight with critics, but as a collective it wasn't enough to lift That Awkward Moment to a decent opening weekend. At a cost of only $8M, the poorly-received romantic comedy has already earned back its money and should scrounge up a little more before vanishing into the early-season scrap heap. Efron is entering into a weird transition area where most of his fans are still too young to check out his R-rated stuff like this, and it could be an issue in a few months when he teams with Seth Rogen for Neighbors.
4. The Nut Job- $7.6M/$50.2M
5. Lone Survivor- $7.1M/$104.8M
6. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit- $5.4M/$38.9M
7. Labor Day- $5.3M
And the continued marginalization of Jason Reitman films continues, but unlike 2011's Young Adult it's richly deserved in the case of Labor Day. Originally meant to be released over Christmas, with a lot of early Oscar buzz backing it, all of that disappeared once people actually starting watching it. And thus it was dumped on this weekend to die a quiet death, which is exactly what is happening. Not even Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin could power Labor Day to a decent debut, and with crushing reviews and no Oscar aspirations there's nowhere for it to go but down.
8. American Hustle- $4.3M/$132.1M
9. The Wolf of Wall Street- $3.5M/$104M
10. I, Frankenstein- $3.5M/$14.4M

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Cinema Royale #48- Miles Teller and the Cast of 'Whiplash'

Freshly returned from the snowy locale of the Sundance Film Festival, Cinema Royale host Travis Hopson sits down with Miles Teller, Paul Reiser, and the director of Whiplash. The Audience and Grand Jury prize-winner co-stars J.K. Simmons and centers on a jazz drumming protegee and his drill sergeant instructor. We'll also be joined by Joblo.com's Christopher Bumbray to take one final look at the festival's highs and lows!

Plus, it's a Miles Teller kind of show as we'll review his latest film, That Awkward Moment, co-starring Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan. Then we'll take a look at the anticipated drama, Labor Day, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.

You can find Cinema Royale every single week on Blogtalkradio, Itunes, Libsyn, Stitcher, Podomatic, and as part of the Hashtag Studios Broadcast Network.  Listen to the latest episode below...

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Review: 'That Awkward Moment' Starring Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller

Nothing good comes after the word "so", especially when it's a woman saying it. That seems to be the entire premise behind That Awkward Moment, a relationship comedy about dudes who, you'll be surprised to learn, have serious commitment issues. Pausing here to let the shock wash over you. So even though the film isn't telling us anything new in its rather juvenile outlook on the way men and women relate it's fortunate enough to be led by the trio of Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller, who go a long way in making it watchable and at times even enjoyable.

Jason (Efron) and Daniel (Teller) are a pair of lovable, womanizing jerks living a life of one-night-stands and booty calls in Manhattan, until their best bud Mike (Jordan) is suddenly thrust back into the dating scene when his wife (Jessica Lucas) reveals she's been cheating on him with a guy who looks like Morris Chestnut. Why Morris Chestnut? Because all the ladies love him, and so does writer/director Tom Gormican who labors to turn his name into one of the film's many attempted catch phrases. With all three back out there, they make a promise to stay single and enjoy just being dudes and building their "roster" of women to score with until the inevitable question "So...what are we doing here?" comes up. Then it's time to kick them to the curb and move on. Chivalrous gentlemen they aren't; underneath their fashion mag outfits and breezy responsibility-free existence is a bunch of sexist pigs.

Of course, it's just as they make this pact of bachelorhood that that the perfect women enter their lives. For Jason it's Ellie (Imogen Poots) who puts the hooks into him, although things get off to a rocky start. After making her another notch on his bedpost, Jason suspects she's a high-class hooker and bails, only to have her show up at the publishing house he (barely) works at. Oops. Daniel falls for Chelsea (Breathe In's talented Mackenzie Davis, kind of wasted here), his best girl friend who often plays his wingman...wingwoman (?) when on the prowl. And Mikey soon falls back into bed with his wife in an attempt to patch things up. Not that any of these women are worth revealing their true feelings and breaking the pact. Not only does that show how little value placed on the ladies, but it takes the "guy code" to levels only seen in movies just like this.

But for all of the wrong messages sent and obvious plotting, That Awkward Moment does have a solid ear for funny dialogue and features a trio of easy lead performances. Teller, Jordan, and Efron are immensely likable on their own and they are downright potent as a trio, capable of making you forget every other problem the film has. The best moments come when they are all together, just hanging out in what appear to be ad-libbed riffs on Chestnut, orange penises, and taking a dump in a friend's house. One memorable scene has the guys, after downing some Viagra, being forced to go horizontal in order to pee in a toilet. Efron and Poots share little in the way of chemistry, and she seems especially out of place here. The film requires Ellie to be more quirky, but Poots is too refined of an actress for that and so she's just sort of unimpressive. Jordan gets the meatiest role of all, and the Fruitvale Stationbreakout finds something true in the emotional limbo Mike is trapped in. Teller is the jokester of the group and his presence comes naturally. He shares some nice moments with Davis, pulling from his romantic experience in a deeper relationship film like The Spectacular Now.

Of course the stakes are mighty low here, lower than the film's ambitions. When Jason screws up mightily and hurts Ellie in a way few women would easily forgive, there's never any doubt how things will turn out, or how simply everything will be resolved. Much like its leading guys, That Awkward Momentisn't built to commit to that level of emotional attachment. Consider it a date movie guys can attend without wanting to scream bloody murder.

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New Posters for '300: Rise of an Empire', 'Sabotage', 'Need for Speed', 'I, Frankenstein', and More

 
We haven't rounded up any posters of late, so let's just take a look at some of the latest one-sheets, shall we?

All week Warner Bros. has been releasing new character posters for 300: Rise of an Empire, which opens March 7th 2014 and stars Sullivan Stapleton, Jack O'Connell, Eva Green, and Lena Headey.

PLOT: Based on Frank Miller’s latest graphic novel Xerxes, and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster “300,” this new chapter of the epic saga takes the action to a fresh battlefield—on the sea—as Greek general Themistokles attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war.

“300: Rise of an Empire” pits Themistokles against the massive invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes, and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy. 

Here's the latest poster for David Ayer's ensemble action-thriller, Sabotage, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Terrence Howard, and a cast of thousands. Opens April 11th 2014.

PLOT: In SABOTAGE Arnold Schwarzengger leads an elite DEA task force that takes on the world’s deadliest drug cartels. When the team successfully executes a high-stakes raid on a cartel safe house, they think their work is done – until, one-by-one, the ten members mysteriously start to be eliminated.

Aaron Paul straps in for high-speed action in Need for Speed, opening March 14th and co-starring Dominic Cooper, Michael Keaton, and Imogen Poots.

PLOT: The film centers around Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), a blue-collar mechanic who races muscle cars on the side in an unsanctioned street-racing circuit. Struggling to keep his family-owned garage afloat, he reluctantly partners with the wealthy and arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). But just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet (Imogen Poots) looks like it will save Tobey’s shop, a disastrous race allows Dino to frame Tobey for a crime he didn’t commit, and sending Tobey to prison while Dino expands his business out west.

Two years later, Tobey is released and set on revenge — but he knows his only chance to take down his rival Dino is to defeat him in the high-stakes race known as De Leon — the Super Bowl of underground racing. However to get there in time, Tobey will have to run a high-octane, action-packed gauntlet that includes dodging pursuing cops coast-to-coast as well as contending with a dangerous bounty Dino has put out on his car. With the help of his loyal crew and the surprisingly resourceful Julia, Tobey defies odds at every turn and proves that even in the flashy world of exotic supercars, the underdog can still finish first.
 

Aaron Eckhart brings back the classic movie monster in Stuart Beattie's I, Frankenstein, an epic fantasy starring Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney, and opening January 24th.

PLOT: 200 years after his shocking creation, Dr. Frankenstein’s creature, Adam, still walks the earth. But when he finds himself in the middle of a war over the fate of humanity, Adam discovers he holds the key that could destroy humankind. From the co-writer of the hit supernatural saga, UNDERWORLD, comes the action thriller I, FRANKENSTEIN, written for the screen and directed by Stuart Beattie, screen story by Kevin Grevioux and Stuart Beattie, based on the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel “I, Frankenstein” created by Kevin Grevioux. The story is brought to life by a cast that includes Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney, and Aden Young as Victor Frankenstein. 

Everybody's got issues on the new character posters for R-rated romantic comedy That Awkward Moment, which stars Zac Efron, Imogen Poots, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller. The film opens January 31st.


PLOT: Zac Efron, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan star in the R-rated comedy, THAT AWKWARD MOMENT, about three best friends who find themselves where we’ve all been– at that confusing “moment” in every dating relationship when you have to decide “So…where is this going?”

Written and Directed by Tom Gormican, THAT AWKWARD MOMENT co-stars Imogen Poots and Jessica Lucas. Scott Aversano is producing via his Aversano Pictures banner along with Andrew O’Connor, and Justin Nappi and Kevin Turen via the Treehouse Pictures Banner.  The film is executive produced by Manu Gargi, Zac Efron, Jason Barrett, Michael Simkin, John Friedberg, and Peter Schlessel and Lia Buman. The film is scheduled for release January 31, 2014.

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Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller in Red Band Trailer for 'That Awkward Moment'

You'll be hard-pressed to find three more likable dudes on screen than Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, and Zac Efron, and for the ladies they make pretty good eye candy. But do we buy them as best friends trying to match the "hug it out, bro" vibe of Entourage or last summer's This is the End? The producers behind That Awkward Moment (formerly Are We Officially Dating?) certainly hope so, and they've just released a red band trailer to try and convince you these guys are the best of buds.

While there isn't much here worthy of the mature rating, the film does show Teller, Jordan, and Efron as three relationship-hating guys in New York City who make a vow to stay single. But all of that gets tossed out the window when they start meeting the perfect women. It looks like a more generic, lesser take on a similar story idea explored in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Don Jon, and what's more it doesn't provide much in the way of laughs outside of a bad Viagra joke and a worse dildo joke.

Despite the cool cast, this is clearly just another romantic comedy, in case that happy pop music score didn't clue you in. Directed by Tom Gormican and co-starring Jessica Lucas, Josh Pais, and Emily Meade, That Awkward Moment opens January 31st 2014, which sounds just about right.

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