Box Office: 'Neighbors' Helps Itself to #1; 'Spider-Man' Falls to 2nd

1. Neighbors- $51MM
The powerhouse duo of Seth Rogen and Zac Efron proved to be more formidable than Spider-Man or his legion of villains as Neighbors debuted to a huge $51M. So, to put that into some perspective; it's the fourth best opening weekend for an R-rated comedy ever, and in only one week it has nearly half of the entire domestic haul of last summer's This Is the End. Not too shabby. Take out comedy sequels and the results are even better, landing in 2nd place all-time behind Seth MacFarlane's Ted, which is pretty good company to be in. This one looked like a winner all around with Rogen attracting the slacker/stoner crowd and Efron luring in the ladies. And to add to that point, the audience who turned out was 53% female. Maybe a few of those were Rose Byrne fans who remember her from Bridesmaids, but more than likely it was seeing Efron act against type that brought them in. Perhaps most surprising is the $33M it earned overseas, making Neighbors a hit no matter how you slice it. So what's next? Neighbors 2: The Revenge?
2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2- $37.2M/$147.9M
After one week at the top Spidey ran out of web fluid and tumbled down to second place, losing a steep 59% of the audience who probably went to go watch Seth Rogen sit on a whoopie cushion. These numbers certainly aren't terrible, especially when the $403M it earned internationally are factored in, but Sony has to be a little disappointed. This isn't what they were hoping for when they relaunched the franchise after Sam Raimi's third film. With the budgets on these only getting higher they are basically right back where they started.
3. The Other Woman- $9.25M/$61.7M
4. Heaven is for Real- $7M/$75.2M
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier- $5.6M/$244.9M
6. Rio 2- $5.1M/$113.1M
7. Moms' Night Out- $4.2M
The latest faith-based film hoping to be a destination for church group field trips is Moms' Night Out, which debuted decently to $4M at just over 1000 screens. That's still far from the obviously religious films like Heaven is for Real and God's Not Dead, and part of that may be that the ads looked like generic comedy fluff with Patricia Heaton and Samwise Gamgee. A heavier focus on the religious aspects may have done this film well.
8. Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return- $3.7M
At a time when animated family movies are basically non-existent, the newbie studio behind Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return managed one of the worst wide-release openings ever. Reviews were awful and there was simply no buzz for this film, which looked like it should have been a straight-to-DVD release utilizing some of the familiar characters of L. Frank Baum's famous world.
9. Divergent- $1.7M/$145M
10. Brick Mansions- $1.4M/$18.3M

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Review: 'Moms' Night Out', Starring Sarah Drew, Sean Astin, and Trace Adkins

Everyone out there can sympathize with mothers. Either you are one, know one, or have heard stories from your own mother about how difficult motherhood can be. Moms' Night Out is a film for every mother out there who's ever been stressed, worn out, or unhappy, even when you don't feel like you should be. The movie is filled with everything that could possibly go wrong and a lot of it is played for laughs, with an underlying message that is sure to reach its audience. So, you can really say that this film is ideal for a real-life version of a moms' night out. 

Allyson (Sarah Drew) is a stay-at-home mom whose dream has always been to have kids and raise a family. She has three children, tries to blog but never knows where to start, and

her husband Sean (Sean Astin) is a great husband and dad, but is sometimes away on business trips. So although she's essentially living out her dream, Allyson can't help but feel overwhelmed and unhappy about herself and her life. 

So in order to get away for a little while and take a break from the realities of raising three young children, Allyson is encouraged to have a girl's night with her friends Sondra (Patricia Heaton) and Izzy (Andrea Logan White) and leave their husbands in charge of the kids for once. Of course, chaos ensues during what's supposed to be a quiet and relaxing night. Her sister-in-law (Abbie Cobb) is in search of her baby after her ex (Harry Shum) puts him the care of another. They lose their dinner reservations, lose their car, and somewhere along the line a tattoo artist named Bones (Trace Adkins), the cops, and a cab driver (David Hunt) are involved. 

There's something about this film that's endearing. Whether it's the cast, the setup, or the clichéd everything-can-go-wrong plot, Moms' Night Out is one of those films you can't really hate on because it does try very hard to be likable. The real underlying message about knowing that you are enough and being alright with being who you are as a non-perfect parent resonate and apply to all moms (and dads) who have ever felt the way Allyson has feels. There is also a message that's based in religion and talk about god that is in there and doesn't quite fit the style of the film. It kind of feels like it's thrown in there and sneaks up on you without realization, which ends up making the sentimental moment at the end less emotionally riveting than it might have been otherwise. 

The film, however, mostly runs on its ability to poke fun at what parents go through while at the same time making the lead character's emotions very relatable. So there's lighthearted humor and a good message that's sure to hit a nerve or two with audience members who are able to echo its sentiments. The film is a bit rowdy in regards to all the things to go wrong (and everything seems to), but it doesn't ever go overboard or hits us over the head with its message. 

Moms' Night Out is a movie parents (not just moms) can relate to. It shows the good and bad of parenting. It addresses that just because you seem like you're living the ideal dream of being married and having kids, doesn't mean you're happy all the time. Sarah Drew as Allyson is able to give us an overwhelmed and on-edge mom while still showing us the more self-conscious, I'm-not-good-enough part of motherhood. Sean Astin and company provide a fun supporting cast in a film that doesn't take itself too seriously, as one shouldn't in parenthood. 

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Interview: 'Lord of the Rings' Actor Sean Astin Talks 'Moms' Night Out' and How it Reflects His Own Life

A long time ago, Sean Astin played Mikey in The Goonies and wormed his way into audiences' hearts. Astin was able to do it again when he portrayed the lovable Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy almost two decades later. He's been in dramas, done some comedy, and is currently voicing Rapheal on the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, among several other projects he's currently working on.

Astin took the time out to talk to me about his newest film Moms' Night Out, out May 9, where he discussed how he got the part of Sean, how the film mirrors his life, and whether he prefers drama over comedy. 

You can read the entire interview below! Moms' Night Out opens in theaters May 9 and also stars Sarah Drew, Trace Adkins, and Patricia Heaton.

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So how did you initially get involved with "Moms' Night Out"?

Well, my friend Kevin Downs, who produced this movie and directed me in another movie

and said, "Today, we're doing something we're really excited about, do you want to be in it?" and I said "sure," so I didn't really have to do anything about it [laughs]. Then, as it got closer and closer, he sent me the script and I read it, and it felt like I was reading a depiction of what happened in my living room the night before [laughs]. Less of a depiction and more like reality, so the fact that the character was named Sean and the father of children, and a husband and found himself in a situation where the mom was feeling a little underappreciated or at least a sense of her own identity, I kind of felt like "ooh, wow, I get it!" 

So you really connected with the script on a personal level. 

Yeah. Connected makes it sound like there was something to connect to. It almost felt like a part of me. It's a weird sensation to try and describe, but my inclination was to work with my friend., but it was like being given a suit that fit and you didn't even have to try on. 

In the movie, you're very much the doting husband and at the same time your character doesn't really have any idea of what he's doing, because he's there and he's the dad, but not as involved as the mom is and so as you were reading the script, was there something else in particular that stood out for you? 

Yeah. I think that the Erwin brothers, who wrote and directed it, were clearly writing it from their own personal experience. And I think the idea that people can be in love, they can have a family, and things can be, on paper, just great, but in some way, things aren't necessarily perfect. Them writing from the point of view of a father who loves his wife, loves his children, but doesn't always know where he is or what he's doing, or doesn't know how to offer support or to be engaged with the kids that's as good as you want. And feeling unsure of themselves is something that I think a lot of people will identify with and certainly I identified with. 

I believe I'm a loving husband and father, and that I care a lot. And I also believe that I'm often uncertain of what I'm supposed to do or where I'm supposed to go and how I'm supposed to do it. So this movie, in that sense, from the guy's point of view, just resonated as authentic. 

The film's message is about not trying to be the perfect mom, to just let things be. Do you feel like dads in the audience watching the film will relate to that message as well?

Well, I think that both moms and dads will be able to look at each other while watching this movie and go, "See? That's what I've been trying to explain!" [laughs]. One of the more powerful moments in the movie is when Sarah's [Drew] character says, "You know, I have everything I want and I'm still not happy," and the dad just looks exasperated. A dad can look at this and think that the thing to take away from this moment is how exasperated we are that we can't help more. 

And a mom can say, "I'm not alone. That's how I feel sometimes." So I feel like it's a very immediate, contemporary piece that reflects the genuine feelings that people have, and I think that fathers will be able to pick up some good tips [laughs], and everybody will be able to feel like our lives are being depicted. We're able to laugh at ourselves and at the same time, give ourselves a break. This movie basically says this is funny, silly, it's wacky. This is the kind of stuff that's going on. So hopefully this movie will give people that experience. 

 

Were there any challenges that you faced as an actor with this film? Any scenes you found more difficult to shoot than others? 

I was so comfortable inside the skin of this character because it was me that I was playing, basically. There was nothing in particular that stuck out. In fact, the whole shoot was fun. Everything that we did was fun and funny and alive. Everyone was happy to be there. This was an ideal experience. 

You've excelled doing drama and emotionally-heavy roles as well as lighter roles in the past. Is there a preference that you have? One that's easier for you to do? 

It changes over time. You develop techniques for being able to deliver any of the parts that you do. But, if you're doing a drama, and I've been drama lately, you develop a comfort level with doing them. Comedy has its own challenges, but I love it. It changes over time. It depends on how old you are, depends on what's going on in your life, but at this particular moment in my life, my preference is to be doing comedy stuff right now. And I never usually say that, but in my heart of hearts, I'd love to be doing a family comedy television show or something. I love the rhythms of it, I love laughing. I'm at this point in my life where laughter's really useful. 

You've directed in the past. Is that something you'd like to do again?

Yeah! I'm always developing, always trying to find the next thing. Been developing a movie in particular that we've been trying to make for a long time called Number the Stars, based on the Lois Lowry book. I've got my political show, and I'm pretty excited at this moment that this movie [Moms' Night Out] is coming out and I've got an FX show [The Strain] coming out in the summer time, which is based on Guillermo Del Toro's vampire books. So this is a good, exciting time for Seany boy [laughs]. A lot going on! 

Is there anything you want audiences to know before going to see this movie? 

That Moms' Night Out is a great night out! See what I did there? [laughs] It's just fun. If you're married with kids, they'll absolutely see their lives in some measure depicted onscreen in a way they might find amusing. We made it from our hearts, we made it for families. It's like a love letter to families, to husbands and wives, and hopefully that'll be clear. 

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