film criticism by maryann johanson | celebrating 25 years: 1997–2022
I’m almost entirely sure that no one who has not read The Deathly Hallows will be able to grasp what’s going on. The film is damn nigh impenetrable without the background of the novel, and all the previous novels in the series. It was almost impenetrable to me, who has read all the books, at least on an emotional level.
UPDATED: Winners are indicated with ♦s. I made informed guesses in 20 of the 24 categories; of those, I guessed 12 correctly. (Well, 13, really, except that in the animated short category in the original version of this page, I had both “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” and “Logorama” checked … more…
Sherlock Holmes holds strong, too: 1. Avatar: £4.8 million (4th week; drops 20%) 2. Sherlock Holmes: £2 million (3rd week; drops 41%) 3. Daybreakers: £1.3 million (NEW) 4. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel: £1.2 million (3rd week; drops 50%) 5. It’s Complicated: £1.1 million (NEW) (actual numbers, not estimates) New releases couldn’t touch the … more…
And homegrown British films make good showings: 1. Avatar: £8.5 million (NEW) 2. St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold: £1.6 million (NEW) 3. A Christmas Carol: £1 million 4. Nativity!: £.58 million (4th week; drops 13%) 5. Planet 51: £.455 million (3rd week; drops 41%) (actual numbers, not estimates) Avatar enjoyed the third … more…
Twilight frenzy has gripped the U.K., too: 1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon: £11.7 million (NEW) 2. 2012: £3.5 million (2nd week; drops 46%) 3. A Christmas Carol: £2.2 million (3rd week; drops 11%) 4. Harry Brown: £.72 million (2nd week; drops 43%) 5. Up: £.64 million (actual numbers, not estimates) Bad timing for box … more…
Where does the week go? 1. Where the Wild Things Are: $32.7 million (NEW) 2. Law Abiding Citizen: $21 million (NEW) 3. Paranormal Activity: $19.6 million (NEW in wide release; up 148% over last week’s limited release) 4. Couples Retreat: $17.2 million (2nd week; drops 50%) 5. The Stepfather: $11.6 million (NEW) actual numbers, not … more…
I really wish the U.K. box office numbers were available earlier in the week…: 1. Up: £6.4 million (NEW) 2. Zombieland: £1.2 million (NEW) 3. The Invention of Lying: £1.1 million (2nd week; drops 38%) 4. Fame: £.91 million (3rd week; drops 49%) 5. Love Happens: £.56 million (NEW) (actual numbers, not estimates) Unsurprisingly, the … more…
But not as big a hit as it was in North America: 1. District 9: £2.28 million (NEW) 2. The Final Destination: £1.98 million (2nd week; drops 45%) 3. 500 Days of Summer: £1.24 million (NEW) 4. Inglourious Basterds: £.76 million (3rd week; drops 40%) 5. Funny People: £.59 million (2nd week; drops 41%) (actual … more…
It opened even better on the right side of the Atlantic than it did on the left side: 1. The Final Destination: £3.6 million (NEW) 2. Inglourious Basterds: £1.3 million (2nd week; drops 65%) 3. Funny People: £1 million (NEW) 4. The Time Traveler’s Wife: £.69 million (3rd week; drops 25%) 5. Aliens in the … more…
It’s Quentin Taratino’s biggest opening ever in Britain, too: 1. Inglourious Basterds: £3.6 million (NEW) 2. The Time Traveler’s Wife: £.92 million (2nd week; drops 35%) 3. G-Force: £.65 million (4th week; drops 30%) 4. Aliens in the Attic: £.64 million (2nd week; drops 51%) 5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: £.598 million (actual … more…
