Posts Tagged wall-e

Weekend Box Office Report (June 27-29, 2008): “Wall-E” Blasts Off

June 29, 2008 at 8:27 pm · Filed under Movies ·Tagged , ,

“Wall-E” reaches for the stars. Photo from Yahoo! Movies.

Well, it wasn’t a shocker, but “Wall-E” won the weekend with $62.5 million, which fell short of some prognosticators’ predictions of $70 million. It did, however, beat the $47 million debut of “Ratatouille” last year on the same weekend. The reviews have been positive from critics and the public alike, so don’t expect too much of a drop next weekend.

The big box office story this weekend actually turned out to be “Wanted.” All signs pointed to a debut close to $30 million, but it smashed expectations with a gigantic total of $51.1 million. It’s the second-best total ever for a movie that didn’t win No. 1, according to Entertainment Weekly. “Wanted” also packed in more viewers into the theaters, probably because it was showing in less venues. It will probably not experience a steep decline next weekend.

Fourth of July weekend will be pushing out two kid-friendly movies: “Hancock” and “Kit Kittredge.” “Hancock” will likely make $100 million because it features three ingredients to instant box office success: 1) 4th of July 2) superheroes 3) Will Smith. Together, they makes dynamite. Look at “Men and Black” and “Independence Day,” and then add “Iron Man” and “Spiderman” to that. “Kit Kittredge” has gotten positive reviews, and it made bank in its small premiere last weekend- but it made a measly $106,000 this weekend (though it took in $21,200 per theater). Expect good numbers, but a good thumpng from “Hancock” and “Wall-E.”

In other news, “Get Smart” held steady with a 48% drop, but it will take a steeper dive this weekend against “Hancock.” “The Incredible Hulk,” however, is not holding up well. In its third week, it took a nasty 58% fall. This does not spell good news for a sequel. In other bad news, “The Love Guru” nosedived 61% in its second weekend. Mike Myers’ box office mojo has taken a big hit. This is just what I had predicted.

In small movie news, “The Visitor” continues to be an indie favorite, still raking in a good revenue in its twelfth week. Best Foreign Film nominee “Mongol” did reasonably well this weekend when it expanded, getting $845,00 to end up at No. 13.

If you want to know where I get my numbers, go here.

Leave a Comment

Wall-E

June 27, 2008 at 4:42 pm · Filed under Movies ·Tagged ,

Photo from Yahoo! Movies.

Last night I watched Pixar’s latest CGI masterpiece, Wall-E, at a midnight showing. Not only was I one of the first people to see the movie, I also received a blue rubber wristwatch emblazoned with pixelated imprints of Wall-E and EVE. Wall-E was well worth the $12 ticket and staying up past my average bedtime.

The film is about a lonely robot called Wall-E stuck with the task of cleaning up Earth’s plethora of trash in a future roughly 800 years from now. He keeps a cockroach as company and collects human knick-knacks in his spare time. One day, EVE, a probe from the human spaceship, arrives to try and find vegetation on the planet. Wall-E is awestruck by the beautiful and modern, but also cold, girl robot. After a lengthy and often explosive courtship, EVE finally begins to show some affection. Unfortunately, she almost immediately experiences a complete shutdown. So ends the odd first half of the film that plays out like a sophisticated silent film set in an abandoned wasteland utopia.

The rest of the movie is more like your average children’s film, with your average journey and trials before a complete and satisfying ending. I rather enjoyed the humans in the movies; they are gelatinous life forms confined to moving chairs, using robots and electronics for everything, and sipping fatty foods through giant Slurpee cups. They were absolutely repulsive, but at the same time, they were a horrifying reflection of what our future could be like. The robots, of course, are the main attraction; EVE and Wall-E both exhibit more emotion than many human actors can. I felt tears well in my eyes several times during the film, though this may have occurred because I love cute robots (I used to cry during the Chevy commercial they premiered two years ago during the Super Bowl that featured a lonely car assembly robot).

Pixar films are probably the most reliable form of entertainment in today’s society. They are consistently excellent and far superior to the generic animated films pushed out by DreamWorks and other studios. Pixar films are creative and innovative in their storylines, and they offer gorgeous visuals. They enthrall both children and adults, as well as film critics. I would be careful about calling Wall-E Pixar’s best because all of their films are of such a high caliber. Being a big original Toy Story fan, I would call Wall-E their second best, just above Finding Nemo. Ratatouille, Cars, and The Incredibles were great films, don’t get me wrong, but Wall-E is a big step above Pixar’s recent fare. It’s a shoo-in for Best Animated Picture. In my dreams it would also be nominated for Best Picture, just as I had dreamed that Ratatouille could easily replace the lukewarm Atonement in last year’s running.

Wall-E is can’t-miss-entertainment for all ages. The movie is a polished and flawless piece that reaches outside ordinary moral stories. Wall-E is more about romantic love and loneliness, sustainability and being green, health and exercise. There are also many fun references to other sci-fi works, especially 2001: A Space Odyssey. Adults and children alike will enjoy the movie, whether it be for different reasons. You could even see the movie as a critique on the current American lifestyle. Whatever you do, stay for the credits; there are no cool bonus scenes, but the illustrations are a highly amusing glance at life after the movie.

Grade: A

Leave a Comment