New Movies In Theaters - December 18th and 20th - Rotten Tomatoes

New Movies In Theaters - December 18th and 20th - Rotten Tomatoes

American Hustle (Friday; 94% positive reviews with Oscar buzz; rated R, but mostly for language; 2500 theaters). Official blurb: "A fictional film set in the alluring world of one of the most stunning scandals to rock our nation, American Hustle tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that's as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving's unpredictable wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down. Like David O. Russell's previous films, American Hustle defies genre, hinging on raw emotion, and life and death stakes." RT Summary: "Riotously funny and impeccably cast, American Hustle compensates for its flaws with unbridled energy and some of David O. Russell's most irrepressibly vibrant direction."

Anchorman: The Legend Continues (Wednesday; 77% positive reviews; 3450 theaters; rated PG-13). Ron Burgundy is back, and this time he's inventing modern 24-hour cable news.

Saving Mr Banks. (Friday; 2200 theaters; 82% positive reviews; rated PG-13). A more or less historical story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) convinced the author of Mary Poppins (Emma Thompson) that her story would make a great musical. She was, to say the least, skeptical.

Walking With Dinosaurs (Friday; 3200 theaters; 33% positive reviews; rated PG). Official blurb: "For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. WALKING WITH DINOSAURS is the ultimate immersive, big screen adventure for families. Meet dinosaurs more real than you've ever seen as you take off on a thrilling prehistoric adventure, where Patchi, an underdog dinosaur, triumphs against all odds to become a hero for the ages." The Fresh/Rotten percentage listed above is statistically meaningless. There are only six reviews: two positive, four negative.

Box office predictions:

Anchorman should vie with The Hobbit 2 for the top spot with grosses in the thirties.

American Hustle will battle Frozen for the #3 spot as they gross about $12-15M each.

Saving Mr Banks should be right behind those two in the #5 slot.

Walking With Dinosaurs should finish somewhere between 6th and 8th, as it battles Hunger Games and Madea's Christmas with totals in the range of $6-9M.