THIS WEEKEND With all eyes on Tampa Bay for the Super Bowl, Hollywood offers three counter-programming options for those looking for something a little different. Fox releases the kidnapping thriller Taken, Paramount also delivers teen girls in distress with the suspense chiller The Uninvited, and Lionsgate counters with a few laughs with the Renée Zellweger comedy New in Town. Each will try to prevent Kevin James from winning his third championship ring.
After voicing Aslan twice, Liam Neeson takes on a more violent and demanding role in the crime thriller Taken playing a former government operative on a mission to save his abducted teenage daughter. Produced by Luc Besson, the PG-13 film is offering a Jason Bourne-type gritty action thriller filled with hand-to-hand combat scenes hoping to pull in the action audience. Given the star, Taken may skew a bit older and should certainly see the bulk of its weekend business in the first two days given Sunday's football activities. Neeson is more known for supporting roles and rarely headlines a film himself so his solo box office might is unproven. Fox's marketing has been good, but many will find this just as entertaining later on DVD. Debuting in more than 3,000 theaters, Taken may take in about $14M this weekend.
Sony and its Screen Gems unit have long used Super Bowl weekend as a time to offer spooky thrillers for young female audiences. But with the pair already hitting theaters last week with the latest Underworld tale, Paramount seizes the opportunity to unleash its own horror flick The Uninvited. The PG-13 film tells the story of two sisters who suspect their soon-to-be-stepmom to be something other than what she claims to be. An American remake of a Korean frightfest, the picture should skew more female and towards teens and young adults. A creepy marketing campaign will allow it to connect with the core audience and the tame rating and trim 87-minute running time will help it at the turnstiles too.
Horror has done well this month, but how long can the boom last? Over the last three weeks, Rise of the Lycans, My Bloody Valentine 3D, and The Unborn each debuted in the $19-22M range. Some fans of the genre may be all scared out and not interested in another helping. Some may be holding their dollars for Friday the 13th. Plus Uninvited is not getting a 3,000-theater push, but instead will be releasing in just over 2,000 locations. That could limit the potential, even though the average should be solid and one of the best in the top ten. Look for The Uninvited to generate around $13M this weekend.
For adult women, Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. come together for the comedy New in Town which Lionsgate opens on Friday. The PG-rated film gives the Oscar-winning actress another chance to show what little box office clout she has as her anchoring duties here should not attract too many paying folks. Connick Jr. has never been much of a draw either so the low star wattage will be a liability this weekend. The story of a Miami businesswoman adjusting to life in Minnesota also is not exciting many. Mature women can be a tricky demo to target on Super Bowl weekend since they are more likely to get involved with football activities than teenage girls and young woman. And those who do hike out to the cinema may instead want to try out one of the many Oscar nominees which deliver more quality for the dollar. Lionsgate rolls into 1,941 theaters with New in Town and could find itself with about $5M.
TakenCopyright © 2009 20th Century Fox
“I don’t know you who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you’re looking for a ransom, I can tell you, I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills acquired over a very long career in the shadows, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you. And I will kill you.”
With these chilling words to a member of a band of kidnappers, former government operative Bryan Mills begins the longest 96-hours of his life – and the hunt for the fearsome organization that has taken his daughter Kim.
 | January 30th, 2009 |
 | Pierre Morel |
 | Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen |
 | Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Goran Kostic, Katie Cassidy |
 | 20th Century Fox |
 | Action, Thriller |
 | takenmovie.com |
 | PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language |
 | 1 hour 31 minutes |
The UninvitedCopyright © 2009 Dreamworks Pictures
Based on Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 Korean horror film, “Changhwa Hongryon,” “The Uninvited” revolves around Anna (Emily Browning), who returns home after spending time in the hospital following the tragic death of her mother. Her recovery suffers a setback when she discovers her father (David Strathairn) has become engaged to her mother’s former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks). That night, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her of Rachel's intentions. Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) try to convince their father that his current fiancée is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.
| January 30th, 2009 |
| Thomas Guard, Charles Guard |
| Craig Rosenberg, Doug Miro, Carlo Bernard |
| Elizabeth Banks, David Strathairn, Arielle Kebbel, Emily Browning |
| DreamWorks Pictures |
| Horror |
| uninvitedmovie.com |
| PG-13 violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking |
| 1 hour 27 minutes |
New In TownCopyright © 2009 Universal Pictures
A high-powered consultant in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle is sent to a middle of nowhere town in Minnesota to oversee the restructuring of a blue collar manufacturing plant. After enduring a frosty reception from the locals, icy roads and freezing weather, she warms up to the small town's charm, and eventually finds herself being accepted by the community. When she's ordered to close down the plant and put the entire community out of work, she's forced to reconsider her goals and priorities, and finds a way to save the town.
| January 30th, 2009 |
| Jonas Elmer |
| Ken Rance, C. Jay Cox |
| Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., J.K. Simmons, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Frances Conroy, Mike O'Brien, Rashida Jones |
| Universal Pictures, Gold Circle Films |
| Comedy |
| newintownmovie.com |
| PG language and some suggestive material |
| 1 hour 36 minutes |
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