Hollywood Movie Roundup: Jolie vs. DiCaprio
HollywoodNews.com: Can Angelina Jolie knock Leonardo DiCaprio out of the top box office spot this weekend?
Box office analysts predict that Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” will fall 40%, putting it in the range to make $35-$40 million. If that happens, there’s a chance it could tie with Sony’s action-thriller “Salt” – which at the low end of its range is expected to generate that amount.
Directed by Phillip Noyce, who hit his box office stride with Tom Clancy thrillers “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger,” “Salt” follows a C.I.A. sleeper spy who takes Russian and U.S. affairs into her own hands in an effort for the greater good. Co-stars include Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor (“2012″).
“Salt” cost $130 million to make, but after tax credits and incentives, that figure was reduced to around $110 million. The film was co-financed by Relativity Media. Jolie’s recent star action vehicles, 2008’s “Wanted” and 2005’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” bowed to over $50 million. “Salt” is in play at over 3,500 locations.
Rotten Tomatoes sees a 56% Tomatometer score – meaning that critics are essentially split. Negative reviews include New York Observer’s Rex Reed griping, “’Salt’ is about as believable as a secret training program for military pilots consisting entirely of kangaroos in flight helmets. But it must be said that the star carries her load admirably.”
On the positive side, Hollywood News’ Anthony D’Alessandro adored it, exclaiming “Jolie owns ‘Salt’: It’s more provocative to watch her, tight-lipped, make a bazooka out of office equipment, scale an apartment building like Spider-Man and choke a guy while hanging off a balcony – physical hijinks rivaling those in ‘Casino Royale.’ All this without ever flashing a bra strap. What’s clear is that Jolie has fully evolved the female action archetype to crowd-pleasing heights.”
The second wide release bowing today is 20th Century Fox’s adaptation of girl lit franchise “Ramona and Beezus.” Film was co-funded by Walden Media and cost around $15 million. Don’t expect much from it on the charts as it’s poised to make less than $10 million. “Ramona” stars Joey King, Selena Gomez and John Corbett. Film is in play at 2,719 sites.
Despite its lackluster tracking, “Ramona” scored a 63% fresh rating on the Tomatometer with such critics as Roger Ebert complimenting: “We no longer all watch the same TV shows, we are no longer as innocent, and the world of Klickitat is fading into timeless nostalgia. ‘Ramona and Beezus’ is a sweet salute.”
Photo Credit: Sony
pd
Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News, Hollywood News
