New Movies In Theaters February 7th

New Movies In Theaters February 7th

There are three new movies in very wide distribution this weekend:

The Lego Movie (3800 theaters, PG, 99% positive reviews). Yeah, it sounds like a terrible idea, but the general critical consensus on this film is that it is sheer genius, both heartfelt and hilarious. Who could have guessed? The critical consensus: Take your kids. They'll like it, and so will you.

Monuments Men (3100 theaters, PG-13, 31% positive reviews). Clooney directed this film, which is based on a true story about a band of allied soldiers who were assigned to keep the Nazis from stealing or destroying the great art treasures of Europe. I find the premise intriguing and I like the people in this film: Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me be realistic and say that this film must really suck if it has a blockbuster idea and a great cast, but is being released in early February. The critical appraisals seem to support that position. Sigh. I'll probably go to see it anyway.

Vampire Academy (2700 theaters, PG-13, no reviews.) It's about a race called the "Dhampir." I guess that means they are moist vampires. Critics were not allowed to see this in advance? Gee, I wonder why. The Weinsteins acquired the distro right to this film and potential sequels because it was adapted from a popular series of novels for young adults. The Brothers Weinstein dreamed that Vampire Academy could become the next Twilight for that target market. It does not seem likely that their dream will come true.

These three movies may take the top three spots, or at least the top two, but with radically different levels of performance.

The Lego Movie is the flavor of the month, and the word of mouth is spectacular, so it should take in at least $40 million, maybe much more. It will make the all-time top ten for February releases and may go as high as #2. (The top spot, held by The Passion of the Christ, is unassailable.)

I suppose Monuments Men will drift into second place with some $15-20 million, which is still not so bad for February.

Vampire Academy will battle Ride Along and Frozen for third place. It is not expected to reach double figures, and some sources peg it as low as $5M.