Posts Tagged ‘red’

Saw 3D Tops Weekend Box Office.

Finally after seven steady years of jaw-crunching, bear-trap-infused sequels, the “Saw” franchise has come to an end — well, allegedly — come to a close with the release of the final chapter, titled “Saw 3D.”

Jigsaw’s last stand drew the attention of horror lovers nationwide for a first-place finish, but the seventh “Saw” failed to capture the success of its predecessors.

“Saw 3D” managed only $22.5 million this weekend, with an additional $1.7 million earned at midnight showings last Thursday, despite the allure of 3-D technology and the promise of resolving the legacy of the murderous Jigsaw. The film’s performance was enough to guarantee its status as the weekend’s winner, but it currently stands as the series’ third-lowest opening weekend just ahead of the first “Saw” and last year’s “Saw VI,” which took a major hit last October when released opposite the increasingly buzzworthy “Paranormal Activity.” “Saw VI” earned only $14.1 million in its first weekend, and while “Saw 3D” certainly improved on those numbers, the increased price of 3-D ticket sales contributed to the movie’s higher opening; considering those 3-D-inflated numbers, it’s hard to call “Saw 3D” a major improvement on “Saw VI.”

Some of the blame can be laid upon “Paranormal Activity 2,” as the sequel likely drew away some of the potential audience for “Saw” for a second-place finish worth $16.5 million. The found-footage thriller took a steep 59.4 percent drop from its performance last weekend, but with $65.7 million earned thus far on a $3 million budget, the “Paranormal Activity” sequel is clearly a massive success regardless.

The Bruce Willis-led “Red” continues to hold strong, finishing the weekend in third place with $10.8 million after three weekends in theaters. “Jackass 3D” suffered a staggering 60.5 percent drop from last weekend’s showing, landing in fourth place with $8.4 million.

Bruce Willis Red

In Red Bruce Willis is retired C.I.A. agent Frank Moses. He’s living in seclusion and bored out of his mind when the movie opens. He strikes up a telephone friendship with a Social Security customer service rep by calling her every month and lying about not getting his government check (he tears up all the mailed checks). However, when a C.I.A. assassin’s team shows up at his home to assassinate him, his quiet life ends and he heads out on a trek across the country to re-unite his old team; who are also under attack because of secrets they learned during their days of active duty in a black ops team.

I know the premise doesn’t sound like a comedy, but it is one of the funniest movies of the year. It’s a really fun action movie with a team of senior citizens who kick butt as they try to solve the mystery of who wants them dead.

Red is filled with plenty of action, explosions and special effects and the chemistry between the cast of retired killers; Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and the crew, is fantastic. You can’t help but root for them as they stick it to “The Man” as the mystery unravels and they uncover a huge conspiracy at the highest level of government.

Red is about as good of a time you can have at the movies. It’s also nice to see a team of heroes who are (way) over the other side of 40. Red is rated PG-13 for violence and strong language and on my “Hollywood Popcorn Scale” Red is a JUMBO.