For a weekend that frankly gets lost in the mix with everything else going on this time of year, the box office numbers could have been worse. And that's with this past weekend becoming one of the lowest January turnouts since 1992, according to Box Office Mojo.com. So, be happy there's at least some quality out there in theaters right now, or this column might as well be dead. Because the fact of the matter is, no one cares about movies right now. This entire country is gearing up for the Super Bowl in two weeks and after the results of yesterday's NFL championship games, it should be a good one. But, where some will see February 6thas only Super Bowl Sunday, I will see it as the beginning to my annual Oscar tribute as we will only be weeks away from what I call "the Super Bowl of movies," The Academy Awards. So, as the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers put together their final game plan for that first Sunday in February, I will be putting together my game plan for who will walk home with an Oscar.
And while this past weekend didn't necessarily offer up too many of those "Oscar" moments, it did at least have one star that should walk home with an Oscar this year. That, of course, is Natalie Portman, who was one piece of "No Strings Attached," this week's number one film. Whether the release of that film was planned or not, at least people are talking about Portman, which I'll be honest, is nice to see given how much of an unknown she still is. I mean, here's a girl who has been acting since she was a kid and yet, so many people still have yet to embrace her for all the talent she possesses. And if you wonder where I'm coming from, just watch "Black Swan," the current sixth-place film on the box office chart. Otherwise, check her and Ashton Kutcher out in "No Strings Attached," as it's $20.3 million was tops for at least this past weekend and maybe more given the rest of what's out right now, which is next to nothing.
What an embarrassment January has become as I literary sit here waiting for whatever new Oscar bait is set to hit my local theater. Thank god the nominations come out within the next 24 hours or I would really be in bad shape with the rest of what made this list this week. Sorry, I just don't see something like "The Green Hornet" making the top-five any other point during the year, much less the top 10. So, while I would love to be happy for the producers who watched their wannabe superhero flick earn $18.1 million this past weekend, I see the real truth, which is this movie is terrible. Falling over 45% is not good for any film, so let's not pat each other on the back for no reason here. Just because the competition is absolute garbage now, does not mean we should be praising "The Green Hornet" for managing $78.5 million worldwide in just 10 days. Last year we were still marveling at "Avatar" and its rise to box office history at this point in the year, so to say this is not last year is a gigantic understatement.
Then there's "The Dilemma," a film that could almost be the token feeling we all have right now as moviegoers. On one hand, we have the Oscar's to look forward to, but on the other, we have to sift through all this crap to find some resemblance of gold. With that said, I'm sure Ron Howard and his "out of the blue" comedy is doing better than he imagined, as its $35 million total in 10 days is not too shabby. I realize that's no big deal for most comedies, but for a director I respect more than many others, I'm glad he is still trying to reinvent himself. In fact, I'm kind of shocked we're not talking about Howard this time of year for other reasons, like back in 2008 when his very own "Frost/Nixon" was creating some Oscar buzz. But, I guess you can't always go after the gold, unlike the Coen Brother's who can't seem to do anything else, but with yet another Oscar-worthy film in "True Grit." Not only was the western fifth this past weekend at the box office, it seems to picking up steam heading into the final Oscar push.
That could be trouble for the other contenders, as I have seen much worse from these guys win awards. With that said, an estimated $138.6 million in just over a month is pretty good and for this dynamic duo, their best from a box office standpoint. Their previous Oscar gem, "No Country for Old Men" in 2007 only earned half that amount. And it won Best Picture, so believe me when I say that the fact this many people are going to watch "True Grit" could spell doom for films like "The King's Speech." While a fourth place finish at the box office is nothing to sneeze at, especially from a film that only cost $15 million to make, it's not what matters the most for the producers. They want Oscar glory and outside of Colin Firth, I just don't see it happening as this film simply is not getting the buzz it deserves, despite the $9.1 million it earned this past weekend. With that said, stranger things have happened, as Box Office Mojo.com helps me prove each and every week.
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