Bruce Willis got his butt kicked -- by a woman who was pregnant.
Or, as the kids like to say, "Knocked Up."
The book is closing on summer 2007, at least as far as movies
are concerned, and "Knocked Up" made more money than "Live Free
or Die Hard," the fourth film in the action franchise, according
to box-office experts at Media by Numbers.
However, both movies finished in the Top 10 in a summer that
saw the North American box office top $4 billion for the first
time, due in part to a slight bump up in ticket prices and lots
of movies people wanted to see. In fact, "Halloween," which
opened Friday, earned an estimated $26 million over the weekend,
while "Superbad" added another $12 million to its tally.
As we look back at the season that started May 4 and was
front-loaded with winners, some lessons learned:
1. Sequelitis is a cure, not a disease -- Six of the Top 10
releases -- "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third," "Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End," "Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix," "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "Live Free or Die Hard" --
were sequels.
2. Sequelitis is not foolproof -- "28 Weeks Later" was anemic
and "Evan Almighty" grossed $99 million but cost a reported $175
million. Even remakes weren't a safe bet, with "The Invasion"
failing to live up to its promise or cast, led by Nicole Kidman
and Daniel Craig.
3. Familiar can still be funny -- While "The Simpsons" left
us wanting more of the supporting characters, such as Marge's
sisters and the gang at school, Moe's and the nuclear power
plant, we laughed more than we thought possible 18 years into
the series.
4. Nostalgia can be good -- Tony Soprano may have scoffed, "
'Remember when' is the lowest form of conversation," but not
when it comes to movies. "Transformers" showed what happens when
you mine childhood nostalgia properly.
The flip side: "Underdog," which turned a cartoon into live
action and skewed young. Still, it will do well on DVD, as will
other underperformers such as "Surf's Up," "Nancy Drew" and
"Stardust."
5. R-rated comedies are here to stay -- Exhibits A and B:
"Knocked Up" and "Superbad."
6. Our compliments to the chef -- It's good to smell a rat in
the kitchen, at least when his name is Remy and he has the
backing of Pixar and Disney, director Brad Bird, beautiful
animation, a Parisian setting and a story with heart and humor.
7. James McAvoy is the new Hugh Grant -- He seems to be
winning the roles ("Becoming Jane") that might have gone to
Grant in his younger years.
8. Geeks are hot -- As Judd Apatow's regulars have proven.
You may not know Jonah Hill by name, but you may know him by
sight or the four movies in which the curly-haired actor
appeared this summer: "Evan Almighty," "Knocked Up," "Superbad"
and "Rocket Science."
9. Give us that old-time horror -- In the end, it wasn't
"Hostel: Part II" or Lindsay Lohan in the ironically named "I
Know Who Killed Me" that attracted the horror crowd. It was John
Cusack in "1408," based on a Stephen King short story about a
writer who checks into Room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, scene of
56 deaths. So far.
10. Some movies are meant for fall -- "Sicko" director
Michael Moore could force people to think about health care in
the summer, but director Michael Winterbottom and actress
Angelina Jolie could not entice patrons to see "A Mighty Heart."
The harrowing tale about kidnapped and murdered Wall Street
Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and his pregnant wife was just too
heavy for the silly season.
And see these movies while you can, if you can: "Becoming
Jane," "La Vie en Rose" and "This Is England."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
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