Top Movies Opening in Theaters April 17th - Rotten Tomatoes

Top Movies Opening in Theaters April 17th - Rotten Tomatoes

It's here at last. Oscar frontrunner Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 (PG) is in 3600 American theaters as you read this, and is still running a perfect 0% positive reviews.

Unfriended (2700 theaters) is another "found footage" horror film, but seems to be a good one, judging by the 72% positive reviews. It is rated R, but is apparently nudity-free.

Monkey Kingdom (G, 2000 theaters) is a good (89% positive reviews) new one from Disneynature. It features primates in the wild.

True Story (800 theaters) is the latest from Jonah Hill and James Franco, a fact-based story of a disgraced reporter who interviews a manipulative accused murderer. The reviews have been tepid (49% positive). It is rated R, but not for nudity.

Child 44 (500 theaters) is a political thriller set in 1953 Soviet Russia, in which an exiled police agent tracks a serial killer in a remote provincial outpost. Despite a solid cast (Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman), and an intriguing premise, the critics have declared it dead in the water, with only 30% of them offering a positive nod. Newsday summed it up as "the usual serial-killer thriller in Soviet drag." The rating board does not mention nudity in its justification of the R.

Weekend box office predictions:

Paul Blart: mid to high 20s; first or second place. If it falters, the championship will be a three-peat for Furious 7.

Unfriended: 20ish; third place.

Monkey Kingdom: about 5-7 million; somewhere between 5th and 10th in a group with similar totals.

True Story: 2-3 million; out of the top ten.

Child 44: barely a blip on the radar- a million if it's lucky.