New Movies In Theaters This Week - Rotten Tomatoes

New Movies In Theaters This Week - Rotten Tomatoes:

There's only one, and it's a big one.

The PG-13 Hunger Games is the only new film which will be in more than 20 theaters this week, and it is expected to produce some mammoth numbers. The all-time record for a March opening is $116M (Alice in Wonderland), and most experts feel that record will fall this weekend. The most optimistic guesses place Hunger Games much higher still, possibly at #4 of all time, thus passing all the Twilight films. That certainly seems like a possibility, because:

1. Unlike the Twilight films, this one appeals to multiple demographic groups, and males are willing to go voluntarily, perhaps even without being dragged by a woman.

2. Unlike the Twilight films, this one actually seems to be a good film. (I haven't seen it, but it's pulling a 90% at RT).

3. It is the only game in town this weekend.

In contrast to all of those positive signs, there is one thing which might inhibit the film's gross: a long running time, 2:22, which means it can only be shown twice in the period when a 90-minute film can be shown three times. But theater owners should find a way to work around that. If there's enough cash in it, and there definitely seems to be more than enough cash, they'll just put it on more screens and add later showings.

Alternatives?

If you live in NY or LA and maybe a few other cities, you might be able to head to an arthouse theater to catch The Raid: Redemption (96%), an Indonesian action movie which is rated R for "strong, brutal, bloody violence."

If you want to avoid action at all costs, you might be able to find The Deep Blue Sea, a weepfest adapted from a Terence Rattigan play about marital malaise in post-war England. (Hey, it could be worse. It could be a Civil War soldier on Mars.) Rachel Weisz has been promoting this film on a few talk shows, but probably to no avail, because the distro is likely to be minimal, despite 88% positive reviews. This one is rated R for "a scene of sexuality and nudity." Specifically, that means Rachel Weisz's butt. So there's that.