New Movies In Theaters August 21st and 23rd - Rotten Tomatoes

New Movies In Theaters August 21st and 23rd - Rotten Tomatoes

Summer is over, at least in terms of the movie season, so we are no longer seeing those super blockbusters being distributed to 3500+ theaters, but somewhat smaller pictures.

This week:

Woody Allen's PG-13 dramedy, Blue Jasmine (89% positive reviews), will expand to some 1200 theaters.

The Mortal Instruments (3100 theaters) is a PG-13 supernatural horror/thriller which sounds like it's pitched to female audiences, ala Twilight. Lily Collins stars as a young girl whose life is upended when she realizes that she's part of a long line of demon-slayers in this adaptation the first book in Cassandra Clare's series of best-sellers. The reviews have been harsh (15% positive), but it opened in first place Wednesday with a modest $3 million.

The World's End (1500 theaters) is the latest comedy with Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. The reviews have been astoundingly good (95% positive). No nudity. It is rated R for pervasive raunchy language.

You're Next (2400 theaters) is a home invasion horror/thriller/comedy which debuted at Toronto to enthusiastic reviews some two years ago, but could not get any distro until now. The blurb sums it up as follows: "One of the smartest and most terrifying films in years, YOU'RE NEXT reinvents the genre by putting a fresh twist on home-invasion horror. When a gang of masked, ax-wielding murderers descend upon the Davison family reunion, the hapless victims seem trapped...until an unlikely guest of the family proves to be the most talented killer of all." The reviews have been quite good (82% positive) and RT's critical consensus is that "You're Next's energetic and effective mix of brutal gore and pitch black humor will please horror buffs and beyond." It's rated R for violence, language and nudity. In the nudity department, the Canadian Film Classification Board specifies: "(1) Infrequent portrayals of sexual activity with breast nudity and some detail shown. (2) Infrequent breast nudity seen in a non-sexual context."

Box office:

None of these modest films is expected to unseat The Butler from the catbird's seat. The Mortal Instruments has the best chance, but will probably fall just short and have to settle for #2 with a gross in the low to mid teens.

The World's End is expected to finish fourth with a gross in the high single figures, but it could fall to a lower position if it disappoints. You're Next will put up similar numbers, and could finish anywhere between fourth and tenth because several films will be bunched together in those positions. Blue Jasmine should be near the bottom of that same group.