This week's movie releases (Rotten Tomatoes)

This week's movie releases (Rotten Tomatoes)

It's another late January week of rejects and wannabes. This week the new films have to compete against the Super Bowl, so you know they are all likely to blow major chuck:

Project Almanac (2893 theaters; 35% positive reviews; PG-13). A time-travel adventure filled with "found footage."

The Loft (1841 theaters; no positive reviews; R). "The story of five guys who conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city--a place where they can indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved. Paranoia seizes them as everyone begins to suspect one another." How did this get a theatrical release? This is actually the third film made from the same screenplay, although this the first in the English language. The rating statement mentions "nudity," and the 2010 Dutch version has quite a bit of nudity, so the film may have some titillation value. (I'm hemming and hawing because I haven't seen it. Nobody has except NPR. It was not pre-screened for critics, a sign which has approximately the same meaning as a skull next to a water hole. And if you're going to get a review of a slimy exploitation thriller by one critic, NPR is not a good option. Given the audience NPR panders to, they'd have to pan it even if were more dazzling than Casablanca and The Godfather rolled into one, which this film presumably is not. NPR would be more likely to give a positive review to that poisoned water hole.)

Black or White (1823 theaters; 31% positive reviews; PG-13). Kevin Costner and some African-Americans fight over the custody of their mixed-race granddaughter. Well, isn't that special.

Box office:

All three of these movies will suck mightily. Meanwhile, American Sniper will probably gross another $30 million or so, more than all three added together. Project Almanac, by virtue of being in the most theaters, has the best chance to reach double figures.