New Movies In Theaters August 28th and 30th - Rotten Tomatoes

New Movies In Theaters August 28th and 30th - Rotten Tomatoes

There are two films in wide release and three new films in limited national distro:

Wide release:

Getaway (2100 theaters), a PG-13 "action" film with Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez, has a chance to be the worst film of all time at Rotten Tomatoes! It is currently running 0-for-44 in the reviews, and Benigni's Pinocchio is the current champ at 0-for-55. I hate to see Benigni fall, because I hate that guy, but I'll be pulling for Ethan to get 0-for-54. The RT consensus: "Monotonously fast-paced to the point of exhaustion, Getaway offers a reminder of the dangers in attempting to speed past coherent editing, character development, sensible dialogue, and an interesting plot."

One Direction: This is Us (2700 theaters) is a PG concert film interwoven with a backstage pass and some history of the current Boy Band champs. Unbelievably enough, 65% of the reviews have been positive. "It's mostly for the converted, but One Direction: This Is Us will be fun for fans -- and it offers just enough slickly edited concert footage to entertain the casual viewer."

Limited national release:

Closed Circuit (870 theaters, 42% positive reviews, opened Wednesday) is an international suspense thriller rated R for language and violence. The RT summary is, "Slick and well acted, Closed Circuit unfortunately never quite works up a full head of steam, with a plot that's alternately predictable and full of holes."

Instructions Not Included (347 theaters, no reviews yet, PG-13 Dramedy). "Valentin (Eugenio Derbez) is Acapulco's resident playboy-until a former fling leaves a baby on his doorstep and takes off without a trace. Valentin leaves Mexico for Los Angeles to find the baby's mother, but only ends up finding a new home for himself and his newfound daughter, Maggie (Loreto Peralta). An unlikely father figure, Valentin raises Maggie for six years, while also establishing himself as one of Hollywood's top stuntmen to pay the bills, with Maggie acting as his on-set coach. As Valentin raises Maggie, she forces him to grow up too. But their unique and offbeat family is threatened when Maggie's birth mom shows up out of the blue, and Valentin realizes he's in danger of losing his daughter- and his best friend. "

The Grandmaster (expanding to 749 theaters, 73% positive reviews, PG-13). "Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, THE GRANDMASTER is an epic action feature inspired by the life and times of the legendary kung fu master, Ip Man. The story spans the tumultuous Republican era that followed the fall of China's last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war that was also the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Filmed in a range of stunning locations that include the snow-swept landscapes of Northeast China and the subtropical South, THE GRANDMASTER features virtuoso performances by some of the greatest stars of contemporary Asian cinema, including Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang."

Box office:

How bad is the Labor Day weekend when a One Direction concert film is likely to be the #1 film, or at least battle The Butler for that honor, with both films in the mid-teens. Getaway should fail to reach double figures, but even six or seven million could finish between 4th and 6th on this slow weekend.

The Grandmaster and Closed Circuit are expected to finish out of the top ten with grosses in the $2-3 million range. Instructions Not Included is not expected to register on the cinema seismograph (the ANDY Richter scale?).