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Rango Wrangles Big Bucks

Johnny Depp brings in the coin no matter if it is with his trademark wacky performances or his recognizable voice. It was the latter that landed Rango in the number one spot at the box office. The awkward chameleon was a hit with families earning $38 million. The Adjustment Bureau benefitted from strong critical reception and likeable stars in Emily Blunt and Matt Damon. The sci-fi romance about mysterious men with hats earned a respectable $20 million. Beastly, a long delayed adaptation of Beauty and the Beast set in a modern high school, out earned projections with $10 million in ticket sales. The poorly conceived story was produced for a mere $17 million, making the tween flick a relative success.

One film was an absolute flop. After three years sitting on the shelf, Topher Grace’s Take Me Home Tonight was released to the public with little fanfare. The comedy was panned and brought in an unfortunate $3.5 million. The '80s-themed film fell just off the charts in eleventh place. Ouch. Notably, Gnomeo & Juliet is nearing $100 million while The King’s Speech continues to earn well past $120 million. After Martin Lawrence fat-suit-comedy dropped out of the race, “Justin Bieber” now occupies the bottom position. Three more will fall from grace next week.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

The Top Ten

1.  Rango - $38.0M (weekend)…$38.0M (gross)
2.  The Adjustment Bureau - $20.9M…$20.9M
3.  Beastly - $10.1M…$10.1M

4.  Hall Pass - $9.0M…$27.0M
5.  Gnomeo and Juliet - $6.9M…$83.6M
6.  Unknown - $6.6M…$53.1M
7.  The King’s Speech - $6.5M …$123.8M
8.  Just Go With It - $6.5M…$88.2M
9.  I Am Number Four - $5.7M…$46.4M
10. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never - $68.8M …$35.9M

11. Take Me Home Tonight - $3.5M … $3.5M

Three new movies hit the scene next weekend including the first big event movie of the year. Battle: Los Angeles kicks the alien invasion trend into high gear. Aaron Eckhart stars as a marine fighting for his life as aliens attempt to exterminate mankind. Thus far, intensely themed trailers are garnering the interest of moviegoers however studio predictions are in the mid '30s. This is comparable to The Green Hornet, a relatively soft opener for an event film.

Mars Needs Moms continues the kid flick offerings. Compared to Rango, this movie looks to open without a bang. Motion capture is interesting, however a moralizing story about kids eating their broccoli and respecting their elders isn’t quite as fun as a skinny reptile playing town sheriff.

Red Riding Hood looks to capitalize on the tween demographics’ poor taste in film. Amanda Seyfried stars in this adaptation of the classic fairytale directed by Catherine Hardwicke. In this version the werewolf is a handsome young male and Valerie, our protagonist, is being pursued by him. The trailer appears highly stylized and Seyfried is an enjoyable young actress. However, given the lack of success with recent release I Am Number Four, this teen romance will likely underperform.

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