Valentine's Day and President's Day weekend usually brings the first real blockbuster of the year, though often they're second-tier blockbusters. For whatever reason, it also brought several films with generic titles that were and/or would be recycled for future films and TV shows.
One Year Ago--February 15, 2019:
New Wide Releases:
Alita: Battle Angel--1/$28.5 million/$85.7 million/34/61%/53--James Cameron produced this English-language adaption of a Japanese manga and anime, about a cyborg girl (Rosa Salazar) who becomes both a bounty hunter and a champion of a futuristic roller-based ball game in a post-apocalyptic city, while getting flashbacks to her prior life. Christoph Waltz played the doctor/bounty hunter who revived her, with Mahershala Ali as a local crime boss and Jennifer Connelly as his henchwoman. This one bounced around the schedule before landing on President's Day weekend, where it got better-than-expected reviews but probably didn't earn enough to get the sequel the final scene set up.
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Isn't It Romantic--3/$14.3 million/$48.8 million/57/70%/60--Rebel Wilson starred in this romcom/spoof of romcoms as an NYC architect who is fed up with the tropes of romcoms, until she bumps her head and wakes up in one. Liam Hemsworth played the arrogant client-turned-besotted suitor and Priyanka Chopra played an underwear model who falls in love at first sight with Wilson's best friend (Adam Devine), who, since this is a romcom, Wilson begins to realize might be the love of her life.
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Happy Death Day 2U--5/$9.5 million/$28.2 million/85/70%/57--The first Happy Death Day, with its Groundhog Day meets Scream mashup, was a surprise (and cheap) hit in the fall of 2017, so here comes the (equally cheap) sequel less than a year and a half later. This time, multiple college students are caught in the deadly time loop, thanks to some scientific mumbo jumbo. Even though the first Death Day was well received, audiences decided that they had watched Jessica Rothe die more than enough times in the first one.
Director: Christopher Landon
New Limited Releases:
Gully Boy--$5.6 million/138/95%/65--This Indian rap musical (yes, really) is about a college kid who becomes an up and coming hiphop artist in Mumbai, and finds himself in a love triangle with his longtime girlfriend and another aspiring musician he has been collaborating with. This ended up as the highest-grossing Bollywood movie in the North American market for 2019.
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Fighting With My Family--$23 million/91/93%/68--In what is undoubtedly one of the odder behind-the-camera mixes in recent history, Stephen Merchant, best known for creating The Office (UK and US versions) as well as numerous other collaborations with Ricky Gervais, teamed with the WWE for this biopic of British pro wrestler Paige, played by Florence Pugh. Lena Headey and Nick Frost played her parents, Vince Vaughn played a WWE recruiter, and Dwayne Johnson, who also produced, made a couple of cameos as himself (though his part wasn't nearly as big as his prominent appearance on the film's poster and ad campaign suggested). Despite strong reviews, audiences were mostly limited to wresting fans.
Director: Stephen Merchant
February 22, 2019:
New Wide Releases:
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World--1/$55 million/$160.8 million/16/91%/71--The third and (presumably) final entry in the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, this installment has Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), now the chief of the village, who discovers that his dragon Toothless, is not the last Night Fury, and also discovers the secret hidden dragon lair, just as yet another vicious dragon hunter (voiced by F. Murray Abraham) makes it his goal to capture all of the village's dragons for himself. Most of the voice cast from the previous films, including Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, and Kristin Wiig, return. World had the best opening of the series, but ended up by far the lowest overall grosser.
Director: Dean DeBlois
Run the Race--10/$2.2 million/$6.4 million/132/40%/35--In this inspirational Christian drama, two brothers, one a star high school football player, hope to get out of their ramshackle Florida town, but fate (and God) have other plans. Like most Christian movies aimed at the mainstream, this one does have a few faces familiar in the cast, including Francis Fisher as the brothers' godmother, Mykelti Williamson as the football coach, and Mario Van Peebles as a local pastor. This one was executive produced by Heisman winner Tim Tebow, who also has a cameo.
Director: Chris Dowling
New Limited Releases:
Total Dhamaal--$2.2 million/180/33%/NA--The third entry in the popular Dhamaal film series (which is fairly obviously inspired by the American comedy epic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) has a group of strangers going on wacky road trips to try to be the first to find a hidden treasure.
Director: Indra Kumar
Expanding:
Fighting With My Family--4/$7.8 million
Five Years Ago--February 13, 2015:
New Wide Releases:
Fifty Shades of Grey--1/$85.2 million/$166.2 million/17/25%/46--An adaption of the world's most successful piece of fan fiction, this drama stars Dakota Johnson as <strike>Bella Swan</strike> Anastasia Steele, a virginal college student who meets, and eventually starts to date, billionaire <strike>Edward Cullen</strike> Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) whose sexual kinks are a bit more racy than normal (though not racy enough to truly threaten the film with an NC-17). There probably was a way to make a good movie out of the material, but the best director Sam Taylor-Johnson could do is make it watchable, though Johnson got good notices. Marcia Gay Hardin hopefully cashed a very nice paycheck for playing Dornan's mother. Thanks to its original song "Earned It", this film will go down in history as an Oscar nominee.
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson.
Kingsman: The Secret Service--2/$36.2 million/$128.3 million/25/74%/60--This British action comedy became a surprise hit on this side of the pond. Taron Egerton, in his first lead role, is a layabout British teen who finds himself recruited by the Kingsman, a super secret service dedicated to saving the world--in this case, from a billionaire (Samuel L. Jackson) who plots to kill most of the world's population. Colin Firth played his mentor, with supporting turns from Michael Caine and Mark Hamill. The film would spawn a sequel in 2017, and a prequel is set to come out later this year.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
New Limited Release:
Old Fashioned--$1.9 million/184/19%/29--In this Christian drama, pretty much the polar opposite of Fifty Shades of Grey except in quality, antique dealer Rik Swartzwelder (who also directed and wrote the script) refuses to date his new neighbor (Elizabeth Ann Roberts), instead wanting to do an old-fashioned courtship. Do they both have pain in their pasts they're trying to run from? Of course! This one actually opened in limited release on February 6, and should have been included in last week's entry.
Director: Rik Swartzwelder
February 20, 2015:
#1 Movie:
Fifty Shades of Grey--$22.3 million
New Wide Releases:
McFarland, USA--4/$11 million/$44.5 million/63/81%/60--In this well-received sports drama, Kevin Costner played a former football coach who organized a cross-country team at the primarily Latino school he taught at. Maria Bello played his wife. The team members were the usual group of misfits who came together as a team to shock the world, or at least the fans of California high school cross-country. While not a major hit, this one had solid legs.
Director: Niki Caro
The Duff--5/$10.8 million/$34 million/76/72%/56--You have to hand it to Mae Whitman. A decade after playing Ann "Her?" Veal on Arrested Development, she plays the title character in this high school comedy (even though she was in her late 20s), where "DUFF" stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend". Upon discovering she is this for her friends group, she is determined to remake her image and get the guy she likes, though could her old childhood friend actually be the one for her? As cliched as the plot is, this did get decent reviews, though it wasn't a big hit. Ken Jeong played a teacher, and Allison Janey played Whitman's mother.
Director: Ari Sandel
Hot Tub Time Machine 2--7/$6 million/$12.3 million/120/13%/29--The first, very much self-aware Hot Tub Time Machine probably pushed the concept of a hot tub time machine as far as it could go, which makes the existence of the sequel a giant question mark, one that someone with a hot tub time machine may want to consider going back and keeping from ever being made (after killing Hitler, finding out who shot JFK, and preventing Trump's election, of course). Original star John Cusack wisely opted out of appearing (except for a cameo that ended up only on the DVD), being replaced by Adam Scott, who played his son. The plot has Scott being recruited in the future by Craig Robinson and Clark Duke to help prevent Rob Corddry's murder. Chevy Chase returned as the hot tub repairman, with his Community co-star Gillian Jacobs playing Scott's girlfriend.
Director: Steve Pink
New Limited Releases:
Wild Tales--$3.1 million/164/94%/77--This Argentinian film, which was up that year for the Foreign Language Oscar, is an anthology telling six tales of revenge and retribution, some of which goes right for the revenge-seeker, some of which goes very wrong.
Director: Damian Szifron
Ten Years Ago--February 12, 2010:
New Wide Releases:
Valentine's Day--1/$56.3 million/$110.5 million/24/18%/34--Garry Marshall ended his not-particularly-distinguished directing career with three movies named after holidays about the interconnected lives of a bunch of random people played by a bunch of famous people, as they go about celebrating the titular holiday. Valentine's Day was the first, and because people hadn't figured out these all these movies would be junk, it was the only one that was a hit, though more than half of that audience saw it on its opening weekend, which of course happened to be Valentine's Day weekend. Among the actors discovering that love actually was kind of lame in this format was (deep breath) Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Beal (who spends her scenes complaining how she can't find a boyfriend, despite the fact she looks like Jessica Beal), Bradley Cooper, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Shirley MacLaine, Julia Roberts, and Taylor Swift.
Director: Garry Marshall
The Wolfman--2/$31.5 million/$62 million/53/34%/43--Valentine's Day wasn't the only quickly fading dud with an impressive cast to open that weekend. The Wolfman was a remake of the 1941 horror classic, with Benicio Del Toro as the title character, who discovers in 1890s England that he is cursed to become a werewolf. Anthony Hopkins somewhat improbably plays his father, and Emily Blunt played his late brother's fiancee, who Del Toro falls for. The film's makeup would be remembered roughly a year later when it would win an Oscar.
Director: Joe Johnston
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief--3/$31.2 million/$88.8 million/39/50%/47--The weekend's third all-star event movie was the only one of the bunch that had any legs at all after the holiday. The latest attempt by studios to find the next Harry Potter/Twilight, this adaption of the first novel in the YA series about an ordinary kid who discovered he's a <strike>wizard</strike> demigod. Logan Lerman plays Percy, who learns he's the son of Poseidon. Brandon T. Jackson played his best friend, who turned out to be a satyr tasked with watching over him. Also showing up is Catherine Keener as Percy's mom, Pierce Bronson as a teacher who was also watching over Percy (and who turns out to be a centaur), and Uma Thurman as Medusa. In order to get some Harry Potter magic, the producers hired Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Potter films, to helm this one, but while reviews were better than Valentine's Day and The Wolfman, they weren't that good.
Director: Chris Columbus
New Limited Releases:
My Name is Khan--$4 million/156/85%/50--Despite being a Bollywood movie, this drama was set, and partly shot, in the US. An Indian man with Asperger's is detained after 9/11 and then embarks on a cross-country journey to try to meet with President Bush to clear his name.
Director: Karan Johar
February 19, 2010:
New Wide Releases:
Shutter Island--1/$41.1 million/$128 million/20/68%/63--In this noirish, 1950s-set mystery, Leonardo DiCaprio played a U.S. Marshal who arrives at the titular island, which houses a mental institute, with his partner (Mark Ruffalo) to investigate the disappearance of a patient. As his investigation deepens, he begins to realize that he can't trust anyone--not the institute's head doctor (Ben Kingsley), nor his partner. Max Von Sydow played another doctor, Michelle Williams played his late wife in flashback sequences, and Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earle Haley also appear. While reviews were generally positive, critics pretty much considered it second-tier Scorsese, and it ended up being overshadowed by DiCaprio's other 2010 film, which played with similar themes and was a much bigger critical and commercial hit.
Director: Martin Scorsese
New Limited Releases:
The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2010: Live Action--$1 million/196/NA/NA--The nominated films were The Door, a Russian drama about a man who steals a door from his old flat, Instead of Abracadabra, a Swedish comedy about an amateur magician trying to impress his crush, Kavi, an Indian drama about a young boy whose family is in indentured servitude, Miracle Fish, an Australian drama about a bullied young boy whose birthday wish might have come true, and the winner, The New Tenants, a comedy about a couple who discover the horrid truth of their new apartment. It was the only one with actors who might be familiar to American audiences, specifically Vincent D'Onofrio and Kevin Corrigan.
Director: Juanita Wilson (The Door), Patrik Eklund (Instead of Abracadabra), Gregg Helvey (Kavi), Luke Doolan (Miracle Fish), Joachim Back (The New Tenants)
The Ghost Writer--$15.5 million/123/84%/77--Ewan McGregor played the title character, who is hired to write the autobiography of a former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan). As he conducts his research, he learns that a previous ghostwriter had died under mysterious circumstances, and it appears the former PM might have been involved in dark secrets and possible war crimes. Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Tom Wilkinson, and Timothy Hutton play supporting roles.
Director: Roman Polanski
Fifteen Years Ago--February 18, 2005:
#1 Movie:
Hitch--$31.4 million
New Wide Releases:
Constantine--2/$30 million/$76 million/29/46%/50--In this early effort to get beyond films just starring Batman or Superman, DC and Warner Bros. brought psychic demon hunter John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) to the big screen, as he helps a police detective (Rachel Weisz) investigate the suicide of her sister, and uncover a conspiracy between angels and demons. Shia LaBeouf played Constantine's assistant, Tilda Swinton played the angel Gabriel, and Djimon Hounsou plays the owner of a club for demons. Critics mostly found it rather silly, but audiences made it a minor hit, though the character would live on on TV instead of in the movies.
Director: Francis Lawrence
Because of Winn-Dixie--3/$10.2 million/$32.7 million/84/55%/54--In this girl and her dog movie, AnnaSophia Robb played a newcomer in town who befriends a stray dog and names him after the grocery store where she found him. Jeff Daniels plays her father, who has never gotten over his wife leaving him, and Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, and Dave Matthews (yes, that Dave Matthews) play townspeople whose lives are brightened by the dog.
Director: Wayne Wang
Son of the Mask--4/$7.7 million/$17 million/125/6%/20--Apparently not heeding the lesson of Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, the producers of the Jim Carrey/Cameron Diaz vehicle The Mask decided to forge ahead with a follow-up without Jim Carrey or Cameron Diaz. Jamie Kennedy proves to be an inadequate replacement, as he played a cartoonist who comes into possession of the mask, and ultimately has a baby who has its powers. Meanwhile, the god Loki (Alan Cumming), whose mask it is, wants it back. Bob Hoskins appears as Odin, and Ben Stein briefly reprises his role as a professor from the first film. I wish I could say that everyone learned their lesson about making sequels to Jim Carrey movies without Jim Carrey, but two years later, Evan Almighty would arrive.
Director: Lawrence Guterman
New Limited Releases:
Downfall--$5.5 million/162/90%/82--The horrific, chaotic final days of the life of Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) are chronicled in this biodrama, as he seems determined to personally destroy what's left of Germany himself to punish everyone for not living up to his ideals. The film got a second life a few years after it came out as a scene where Hitler rages at his generals was turned into a popular meme. At the time of its release, the film had just been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.
Director: Oliver Hirshbiegel
February 25, 2005:
New Wide Releases:
Diary of a Mad Black Woman--1/$21.9 million/$50.6 million/57/16%/36--Tyler Perry had become a superstar among African-Americans thanks to the melodramatic touring shows he wrote and starred in, usually as a cantankerous grandmother named Madea. White audiences were almost completely unaware of Perry or Madea, at least until this movie shocked everyone by opening at #1. Kimberly Elise starred as a woman living the high life as the wife of a prominent Atlanta attorney (Steve Harris), until he suddenly kicks her out in favor of his mistress. With nowhere else to go, she moves in with her estranged grandmother Madea and starts to rebuild her life. Shemar Moore played a possible new love interest, and Cicely Tyson appears as another relative. Like most subsequent Tyler Perry movies, this one opened big and faded fast, but for better or worse, it launched one of the more enduring film franchises of the 21st century.
Director: Darren Grant
Cursed--4/$9.6 million/$19.3 million/117/17%/31--The much-anticipated reunion of directed Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who had made the first two Scream movies together, turned out to be a colossal dud, primarily due to interference by the studio (and specifically Harvey Weinstein). After being bitten by some sort of creature, siblings Christina Ricci and Jessie Eisenberg discover they have become werewolves, and there's a full moon coming. A solid supporting cast, which included Joshua Jackson as Ricci's boyfriend, Milo Ventimiglia as a bully, Portia de Rossi as a fortune teller, Nick Offerman as a cop, and Judy Greer as a jealous ex-girlfriend of Jackson, couldn't save it from being a critical and commercial dud, that even Craven rejected.
Director: Wes Craven
Man of the House--5/$8.9 million/$19.7 million/9%/35--Tommy Lee Jones, at maximum Tommy Lee Jonesness, starred in this comedy as a Texas Ranger (law enforcement, not baseball) who is charged with guarding a group of University of Texas cheerleaders, who witnessed a murder. Hijinks ensure. Anne Archer plays Jones's potential love interest, Cedrec the Entertainer plays a suspect, and there's a cameo from then-Texas governor Rick Perry.
Director: Stephen Herek
Twenty Years Ago--February 18, 2000:
New Wide Releases:
The Whole Nine Yards--1/$13.7 million/$57.3 million/46/45%/47--This mob comedy was a bit of a surprise hit, even though Bruce Willis was coming off The Sixth Sense. Willis plays a retired hitman whose new next door neighbor (Matthew Perry) recognizes him, and finds himself sucked into multiple double and triple crosses engaged by Willis, Perry's hateful wife (Roseanna Arquette), his assistant (Amanda Peet), Willis's ex-wife (Natahsa Henstrige), and figures from Willis's mob past (Michael Clarke Duncan, Kevin Pollock). Willis and Perry hit it off, which led to a three-episode arc on Friends later that spring, a cameo for Perry in Willis's summer comedy The Kid, and, in 2004, a sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, for which the less said about, the better.
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Hanging Up--2/$13.6 million/$36.1 million/69/12%/33--Diane Keaton's second, and, to date, final directorial effort was in this dramady where she played the sister of Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow, despite being 15 and 17 years older then them, respectively. The three of them are dealing with the impending death of their father (Walter Matthau, in his final film) as well as their messy personal lives. This one was originally scheduled to be a 1999 end-of-the-year release, but got pushed to February once studio types screened it.
Director: Diane Keaton
Pitch Black--3/$11.6 million/$39.2 million/62/59%/49--Not starring any of the Friends, but the first of two films this week featuring Vin Diesel, this sci-fi thriller is about a group of disparate travelers, including criminal Diesel, who crash land on a planet that is in constant sunlight thanks to its three suns. Unfortunately, all three suns are about to set for the first time in years, and even more unfortunately, a group of creatures that can not stand even the slightest bit of light are about to come out for their once-in-a-generation feasting on the surface, with the survivors topping the menu (no explanation is given as to how these creatures could possibly have evolved on that planet). Other crash survivors who find themselves fighting off the creatures include Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, and Keith David. Diesel's subsequent stardom led to a pair of sequels focusing on his character, The Chronicles of Riddick and Riddick.
Director: David Twohy
Boiler Room--7/$5.7 million/$17 million/106/66%/63--The other film of the weekend with Vin Diesel, he plays a supporting role in this drama about a college dropout (Giavonni Risibi) who gets a job with a successful brokerage firm that makes all its money by scamming its clients. Diesel plays a very successful broker at the company and Ben Affleck plays one of the founders. Despite solid reviews, this didn't do well in theaters, but later became a cult hit.
Director: Ben Younger
February 25, 2000:
#1 Movie:
The Whole Nine Yards--$9.6 million
New Wide Releases:
Reindeer Games--3/$8.1 million/$23.4 million/91/25%/37--It's usually not a great sign when a film whose title seems to explicitly require a holiday season release instead opens in February. This action flick starred Ben Affleck as a recently released prisoner who is forced to participate in a casino heist. Gary Sinese is the mastermind of the heist, and Charlize Theron played Affleck's love interest, who may or may not know more than she lets on. This would not be the last time that Affleck would star in a Christmas movie that arrives off-season, as Surviving Christmas would open over a week before Halloween 2014. This was the final film of John Frankenheimer.
Director: John Frankenheimer
Wonder Boys--7/$5.8 million/$19.4 million/98/82%/73--Michael Douglas played an author and English professor who has the opposite of writer's block--he can't stop writing his latest novel, which is now well over 2,000 pages. Meanwhile, he's having an affair with his boss's wife (Frances McDormand), his editor (Robert Downey, Jr.) has arrived in town, one of his students (Katie Holmes) is in love with him and another one (Tobey Maguire) is a chronic liar and thief, though a very talented writer. All of these come to a head over a memorial weekend. Despite strong critical acclaim, Wonder Boys flopped, though it was remembered well enough a year later that its screenplay and editing were nominated for Oscars, and its original song, "Things Have Changed", written and performed by Bob Dylan, won.
Director: Curtis Hanson
Twenty-Five Years Ago--February 17, 1995:
New Wide Releases:
The Brady Bunch Movie--1/$14.8 million/$46.6 million/38/62%/54--Here's the story of a sitcom that does get credit for being one of the first American TV shows to focus on a blended family, but otherwise, The Brady Bunch blithely ignored everything that was going on in the real world during its 1969-1974 run (no episodes about how Greg was worried about getting drafted and sent to Vietnam after high school, for example). The Brady Bunch Movie tuned that up to the extreme, as the Bradys were living in 1995, but inside their house and all of their minds, it was peripherally 1971, with the clothing, interior design, and slang to match. That's pretty much the entire joke of the movie, but it turned out to be one that surprisingly was able to sustain the entire film. Gary Cole and Shelly Long stepped into Robert Reed and Florence Henderson's shoes to play Mike and Carol (Henderson had a cameo, as did Ann B. Davis, Barry Williams, and Christopher Knight), while Michael McKean played a Brady-hating neighbor and Jean Smart played his alcoholic wife. Of the Brady kids, Christine Taylor and Jesse Lee Sofer have probably had the most enduring careers, though all six work steadily in the business. The film was followed a year and a half later by a sequel, then a few years after that by a TV movie in which Cole and Long reprised their roles, but all six kids were changed out.
Director: Betty Thomas
Just Cause--2/$10.6 million/$36.9 million/47/23%/NA--In this twisty thriller, Harvard Law professor Sean Connery is recruited to take up the defense of a young man (Blair Underwood) on Florida's death row for the murder of a young girl. He claims he was railroaded, and as Connery investigates, he discovers plenty of evidence that Underwood is indeed not guilty. Opposing him is the local sheriff (Laurence Fishburne) who is still convinced of Underwood's guilt. This film had a solid cast, including Kate Capshaw as Connery's wife, Ruby Dee as Underwood's grandmother, Ned Beatty as Underwood's original lawyer, Ed Harris as a serial killer who knows more about the murder than he's letting on, and a very young Scarlett Johansson, in only her second film, as Connery's daughter.
Director: Arne Glimcher
Heavyweights--3/$6.1 million/$17.7 million/87/29%/42--This dumb Disney comedy, starring Ben Stiller as a psychotic fitness guru who battles the kids of the fat camp he bought, would likely be forgotten today if it wasn't for the impressive amount of (future) comedic talent that worked on it. Besides Stiller, Judd Apatow both co-wrote the film and appeared in it, as did future Bridesmaids director Paul Feig. Tim Blake Nelson had one of his first film roles in this, as did Kenan Thompson, who played one of the campers. In terms of comic vets, Jeffrey Tambour had a supporting role, as did Stiller's parents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.
Director: Steven Brill
New Limited Releases:
A Great Day in Harlem--$0.5 million/221/89%/NA--In 1958, Esquire magazine organized a photograph featuring 57 prominent jazz musicians, including Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk, standing on the stoop of a brownstone in Harlem. This documentary, which had just been nominated for an Oscar when it was released, interviewed many of the surviving participants of that photograph.
Director: Jean Bach
February 24, 1995:
#1 Movie:
The Brady Bunch Movie--$8.4 million
New Wide Releases:
The Hunted--5/$2.7 million/$6.6 million/138/8%/NA--In this ludicrous action thriller, an American businessman (Christopher Lambert) witnesses the murder of his one-night stand (Joan Chen) by a group of ninjas, and then has to go on the run as he is their next target. Luckily, there happens to be an old samurai with a long-standing feud with the ninjas who is willing to protect Lambert and train him in the ways of the samurai.
Director: J.F. Lawton
The Walking Dead--9/$2.3 million/$6 million/142/0%/NA--This Vietnam drama, which has absolutely nothing to do with the TV series that would premiere 15 years later, starred Allen Payne, Eddie Griffin, and Joe Morton as three of the only survivors of an attack by the Viet Cong, when they encounter an American soldier who might be a bigger risk to their survival than the enemy.
Director: Preston A. Whitmore II
Thirty Years Ago--February 16, 1990:
#1 Movie:
Driving Miss Daisy--$9.8 million
New Wide Releases:
Revenge--3/$6.1 million/$15.7 million/78/38%/35--From 1987 to 1992, Kevin Costner had a very impressive string of hits, from The Untouchables to The Bodyguard. His one flop during that stretch was Revenge, an overwrought thriller whose plot is nicely summed up by the title. Costner played a Navy vet who goes to visit his criminal friend Anthony Quinn in Mexico and falls for Quinn's wife Madeleine Stowe. When Quinn discovers their ill-advised affair, well, see the title. And then in response, Costner, well, see the title. After this misstep, Costner would have another two years of hits, starting with his next film, Dances With Wolves.
Director: Tony Scott
Madhouse--4/$5.2 million/$21 million/60/0%/NA--Hopes that, after Look Who's Talking, Krisite Alley would be the next big movie star were dashed with this slapdash vehicle for herself and fellow NBC Thursday night star John Laroquette. The two played a married couple whose home is invaded by several houseguests, none of whom want to leave. After the horrid reviews, audiences decided to just stay home and watch the stars on Cheers and Night Court.
Director: Tom Ropelewski
Nightbreed--6/$3.7 million/$8.9 million/103/38%/40/--This fantasy horror about humans vs. monsters sides with the monsters. Craig Sheffer plays a man who is convinced he is a serial killer (he's not) who feels drawn to a secret underground city for monsters. David Cronenberg (yes, that David Cronenberg) plays a psychiatrist who is the actual serial killer who is determined to destroy both Sheffer and the monster city. The film was largely ignored upon release but has developed a small cult following in the subsequent years.
Director: Clive Barker
February 23, 1990:
#1 Movie:
Driving Miss Daisy--$6.1 million
Thirty-Five Years Ago--February 15, 1985:
#1 Movie:
Beverly Hills Cop--$7.8 million
New Wide Releases:
The Breakfast Club--3/$5.1 million/$45.9 million/16/89%/62--Arguably the most iconic movie of 1985 that does not involve a DeLorean, John Hughes's comedy-drama is about five teenagers--a brain (Anthony Michael Hall), an athlete (Emilo Estevez), a basket case (Ally Sheedy), a princess (Molly Ringwald), and a criminal (Judd Nelson) spending a Saturday in all-day detention under the not-so-watchful eye of the school's assistant principal (Paul Gleason). Throughout the memorial day, they five argue, get into hijinks, and bond as they discover, despite coming from various cliques, that they have a lot more in common than they thought. The film received more mixed reviews upon its original release, but is now regarded as a classic.
Director: John Hughes
Vision Quest--5/$2.7 million/$13 million/65/57%/55--The weekend's other high school drama has managed to peak out behind The Breakfast Club's shadow and establish its own fan base. Matthew Modine played a high school wrestler whose attempts to lose a bunch of weight to move to a different weight class and his infatuation with his family's new boarder (Linda Fiorentino) threatens to derail everything. Madonna has a cameo as a bar singer.
Director: Harold Becker
Turk 182!--10/$1.6 million/$3.6 million/125/20%/23--Timothy Hutton owned the bottom of the Top 10 this week, with the four-week-old The Falcon and the Snowman coming in 9th, while this comedy drama opened one slot below. Hutton played a young man whose older firefighter brother (Robert Urich) is injured while rescuing a child, but since he was off-duty at the time, he's denied compensation by the city. After his attempts to get city officials, including the mayor (Robert Culp) to help him fail, he begins a public harassment campaign, using the name "Turk 182" that quickly makes him a folk hero. Kim Cattrall played a social worker who comes to support Hutton, and Peter Boyle and Darren McGavin (re-teaming with director Bob Clark after the success of A Christmas Story) play cops trying to track down Hutten.
Director: Bob Clark
Fast Forward--11/$1.6 million/$2.8 million/131/NA/NA--The box office of this dance musical might have been improved had its director, Sidney Poitier, appeared in front of the camera. Unfortunately, the actors who are in the film were--and are--much less famous than Poitier. A group of young dancers with a dream travel from Ohio to New York City to try out for a famous producer, only to discover that he has died. His replacement agrees to give them a shot, but not for a few weeks, leaving the group to figure out how to make a living in the big city in the meantime. One song from the Quincy Jones-produced soundtrack did well on the dance music chart, but otherwise, this film has completely sunk into obscurity.
Director: Sidney Poitier
New Limited Releases:
The Mean Season--$4.4 million/119/50%/55--A burned out newspaper reporter (Kurt Russell) in Miami decides to move on, but becomes involved in his latest story when a serial killer decides to start calling him with the details of his latest crime. Mariel Hemingway played Russell's girlfriend. Despite a solid cast (including a young Andy Garcia), the film didn't make much of an impact.
Director: Phillip Borsos
Lost in America--$10.2 million/83/97%/78--In this well-regarded comedy, Albert Brooks, who also directed, played an advertising exec who gets himself fired and convinces his wife (Julie Hagerty) that they should drop out of society and explore the country in a Winnebago. Of course, things do not go according to plan. While never a major hit, the comedy did do well in limited release.
Director: Albert Brooks
February 22, 1985:
#1 Movie:
Beverly Hills Cop--$5.9 million
New Limited Releases:
Into the Night--$7.6 million/102/38%/41--Jeff Goldblum had his first lead role in this darkly comedic thriller about an ordinary guy who gets caught up with a beautiful jewel thief (Michelle Pfeiffer) with lots of people after her. Dan Ackroyd, who had starred in director John Landis's last film Trading Places, played a supporting part, as did David Bowie. This being a John Landis film, there were a slew of cameos from notable directors, including David Cronenberg, Jonathan Demme, Amy Heckerling, Jim Henson, Lawrence Kasdan, and Paul Mazursky.
Director: John Landis
Expanding:
The Mean Season--9/$1.1 million
Forty Years Ago--February 15, 1980:
Cruising--$19.8 million/36/49%/43--This very dark, very controversial thriller starred Al Pacino as a nominally straight detective who is assigned to go undercover in New York's gay leather underground to find a serial killer targeting that community. Paul Sorvino played his captain, and Nancy Allen played his girlfriend, whose relationship to Pacino becomes strained the deeper he goes undercover. Both during production and upon general release, the film was received very poorly by the LGBT community, who were not pleased that one of the few mainstream films to deal with gay people were portraying them as either as serial killers or victims, and were worried that audiences would think that the hardcore leather scene depicted in the film represented typical gay life. Critical reaction wasn't great, either, though the film's reputation has improved since its release.
Director: William Friedkin
Fatso--$7.7 million/70/33%/NA--Anne Bancroft directed her only feature film, a comedy-drama featuring a rare, relatively serious turn by Dom DeLuise. He plays a man who has always used food for comfort, until his equally overweight cousin dies at an early age. Now scared that his overeating is seriously jeopardizing his health, he decides to try to lose weight, which is not as easy at it seems, while beginning a relationship with a woman. Bancroft played DeLuise's sister. DeLuise got good notices, but the film itself was not well-received.
Director: Anne Bancroft
Jaws 2--$4 million/88/60%/51--It seems likely that audiences would have preferred a re-release of the 1975 original rather than getting to see the 1978 sequel again, in which history repeats itself as another great white shark rather improbably threatens the peaceful beachside town of Amity, and this time, the two sons of Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) are directly threatened. Scheider is the only lead from the first film to return (though Lorraine Gary, as Mrs. Brody, and Murray Hamilton, as the shortsighted mayor, are also back). While this film is better than the two subsequent sequels, it's telling that the most memorable thing about it is its tagline.
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Saturn 3--$9 million/65/25%/9--To be fair, this sci-fi thriller, in which an evil robot stalks a space station, had been conceived several years before the releases of Star Wars and Alien. Of course, simply because the project wasn't technically a rip-off of either film doesn't mean its worthwhile. Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett play the scientists who are already on the station, while Harvey Keitel plays the evil spaceship captain who arrives with the even more evil robot. Production designer John Berry was to make his directorial debut, but he was replaced during filming with Stanley Donen, a long way from Singin' in the Rain. Berry would die several months before the film's release.
Director: Stanley Donen (and John Berry)
February 22, 1980:
Chapter Two--$30 million/NA/50%/NA--One of two films this week that are receiving belated nationwide rollouts after Oscar-qualifying runs in late 1979, this drama, based on the semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, starred James Caan as a recently widowed playwright who meets and falls for an actress, played by Marsha Mason, aka the second Mrs. Neil Simon. Valerie Harper played Mason's friend. The film didn't get great reviews but did well at the box office, and Mason got an Oscar nomination for basically playing herself.
Director: Robert Moore
Norma Rae--$22.2 million/29/88%/61--Mason would lose the Oscar to Sally Field, who played Norma, a worker at a textile mill with unsafe working conditions whose attempts to improve the state of the plant fall on deaf ears. After joining forces with a union organizer (Ron Leibman) from New York, she begins a battle to unionize her plant. Beau Bridges played Field's husband. The film would receive four nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, and in addition to Field, it would win for the song "It Goes Like It Goes".
Director: Martin Ritt
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