Big movie weekend: "Seabiscuit", "Spy Kids 3D", "Lara Croft", etc.

Seems like the final wave of big Summer releases is on the way this weekend.

The hype is pretty heavy for "Seabiscuit", which looks promising and has about 73% fresh rating at rottentomatoes.com.

"Spy Kids 3D: Game Over" looks like it'll be wretched. Such a shame since the first "Spy Kids" was so refreshing. The second was just above OK. Time for Robert Rodriquez to come up with new ideas. Such a talented director with a frustrating track record!

Personally I have no interest in the latest Lara Croft flick.

Looks like we'll be buying tickets for "Seabiscuit". Both of my daughters have a huge crush on Toby "Spiderman" Maguire so I don't have much say in the matter. It should be an interesting story at least.

Dan C

 

He's got sort of a geeky charm about him. Strong kind type for the girls, nice guy non-threatening chap for us fathers. I'd rather they have a "crush" on Toby than, say, Vin Diesel.

Dan C

 

Hopefully the movie "Seabiscuit" will re-energize the parimutuel wagering industry. Seeing how it is that I work for a company that provides computerized wagering system to horsie tracks and doggie tracks around Canada and the U.S.A, I have vested interest in this.

 

Ahem! I am in one of the crowd scenes in "Seabiscuit".

mud-

 

Steve, tell your dog I intend to get into another line of work when the economy shows signs of life. Until then, I'll keep praying for the animals.

The first thing I did when I got out of the U.S. Army in the late 80's was send a $50 donation to Greenpeace. Does that make me a Government Issue Tree Hugger?

 

I thought I recognized you!

Seriously, I saw the film the other night and it's not bad. Flawed in ways I don't want to get into now (I'm more interested in other forum members' opinions anyway), but it was much better than the last couple of summer films that I saw (such as the godawful LXG).

 

Thanks, Ray! Payment is on the way.

mud-

 

Well, with a horse loving wife, guess what I'll be going to see!
Looks like a nice little movie.....a breath of fresh air in this year of sequels! At least there won't be a Seabiscuit II !!!! Unless they make a horror film...

SEABISCUIT II !!!
RISEN FROM THE GLUE FACTORY!

 

I just read a review for Lara Croft's latest.

It had the lowest rating ever on said site (I can't remember which one it was, but it had a nuke in it).

 

I had no idea this kid was liked by so many younger women, until my niece and her friend (both 14) came over and watched Spider-man a couple months ago. It was almost like I put a Brad Pitt movie on!

 

I saw Spy Kids 3 with my daughter yesterday. I wanted to see how 3-d was doing in 2003.

It doesn't work very well.

The movie itself is a little bit below "Plan Nine From Outer Space", but without the unintentional humor. No plot, no acting, too many special effects. I was dying for the thing to end quickly.

I wish they had spent the millions on the public school system in the US instead. We could have used it at my school to rehire some of the teachers we laid off this year.

 

Spy Kids 3D #1 at box office

It doesn't tank. Instead it easily beat the competition and hit #1 it's opening weekend. This despite pretty dreadful reviews. It's made on the cheap so I wouldn't be surprised if it already made back it's own cost.

Dan C

http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/weekendboxofficer.html




'Spy Kids 3D' Tops North American Box Office
Sunday July 27 3:54 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Spy Kids 3D: Game Over" beat "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" in a weekend box office derby that pitted the two sequels against each other and the potentially Oscar-bound "Seabiscuit."

According to studio estimates released on Sunday, "Spy Kids," the final case of the sleuthing Cortez family, raked in $32.5 million in North American ticket sales in the three days beginning July 25.

The three-film franchise has generated $230.8 million since 2001 for Dimension Films, a division of Miramax Films. In the latest saga, the two Cortez kids travel inside a 3-D video game to capture a world-destroying villain played by Sylvester Stallone.

Miramax co-chairman Bob Weinstein credited the new sequel's strong finish in a summer movie season that has been rough on sequels to goodwill earned by the first two films.

"When you get the franchise right and (audiences) have such an enjoyable experience, you build a brand name," Weinstein told Reuters. "The 3-D was something fresh. Parents hadn't seen that in a long time and wanted to turn their kids on to it."

Walt Disney Co.'s . "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," a swashbuckling adventure starring Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, hung onto the No. 2 slot with $22.4 million. Last weekend's winner, "Bad Boys II," Martin Lawrence's action-packed buddy comedy, fell to third with $22 million in its second weekend in release by Sony Pictures.

Paramount Pictures' "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life" opened in fourth place with $21.7 million, well below the $47 million debut of the 2001 film that introduced moviegoers to the voluptuous British archeologist made popular in video games.

Wayne Lewellen, Paramount's president of distribution, said stiff box office competition and weaker sales of the new Lara Croft video game may have eroded the film's core fan base.

"We didn't anticipate that the competition level would be quite where it's at." Lewellen said. "This is the first time ever that we've had five movies gross over $20 million on a three-day weekend."

Fifth-place finisher, "Seabiscuit," took in $21.5 million in the most limited release of the weekend's top 10 films, fewer than 2,000 theaters.

The film's distributors at Universal Pictures hope to sustain demand for the true story of a 1930s-era misfit racehorse and the men who made him a champion in theaters through fall to heighten its chances of winning Oscar gold.

A Universal spokesman said exit polling showed "Seabiscuit" was on track to enjoy strong word of mouth recommendation.

Over the weekend, moviegoers shelled out $145.6 million on the top-grossing 12 films, a nearly 10 percent increase over last year's box office totals, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. of Encino, California.

Sony Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. and Miramax is a unit of Walt Disney Co. Universal Pictures is a unit of Vivendi Universal SA

Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc.