Devil made it to the # 3 spot, made $12,584,000, but ranked at 41% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics overall weren’t impressed with “the mind of M. Night Shyamalan,” but did commend the directors, Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine), on creating a scary atmosphere:
“It’s a good concept with five strangers stuck in an elevator with bad things happening. Unfortunately, the devil is included every step of the way.”–The Scorecard Review
“Ultimately, the fact it’s all down to the, um, Devil, means all the other characters’ dark secrets that come to light are a bit pointless.”–News of the World
“I do not understand the hatred for Shyamalan. Yes, he has trouble directing actors but Devil is a very intriguing idea executed in a relatively mediocre fashion.”–BDK Reviews
The Town won the battle this week, coming in at #1 and making $23,800,000. It also has won the ratings battle, coming in at 94% fresh. Critics found the movie tense, tightly written, and smartly acted:
“Remember when everyone liked Matt Damon AND Ben Affleck? Well, if ‘Gone Baby Gone’ didn’t convince you to get back on the Affleck Express, ‘The Town’ will.”–The Scorecard Review
“I give tremendous props to Mr. Affleck for keeping my butt in the seat and engaged for a movie that has not one story beat that isn’t visible marching up Comm Ave.”–UGO
“Hewing close to heist-movie genre conventions isn’t a weakness when you do it as well as Affleck does here.”–DCist
Easy A came in second at both the box office as the ratings battle, raking in $18,200,000 and rated at 84% fresh. Overall, critics found that while the movie plays heavily on other plot points from other high school movies, especially John Hughes movies, the film’s star, Emma Stone, held the film up:
“Stone’s charisma sells her preternaturally mature character and makes the script’s snarky, pop culture-referencing dialogue snap.”–Movies.com
“A feminist variation on a beloved, literary classic which triumphantly announces that in the 21st Century it’s a woman’s prerogative to be the town tramp if she darn well wants to.”–NewsBlaze
“While funny, it spends a lot of the time remembering/imitating great 80′s high school flicks and ultimately doesn’t live up to them.”–The Scorecard Review
Catfish, an indie movie about a facebook get-together gone wrong, is new this week. However, it’s out of contention, not making it to the top five. It made $255,000 and ranked in at 74% fresh. Critics found that while the movie does grip you, it could turn off some viewers as it blurs the line between a tense documentary (mockumentary?) and exploitation:
“A somewhat amusing, funny and heartfelt blend of reality and fiction with no real surprises to offer and a social message that’s far from profound.” –NYC Movie Guru
“Much of this film appears very contrived, as if once the filmmakers stumbled onto their story, they went back and filmed re-creations of the initial Facebook scenes.”–San Francisco Chronicle
“Ads and trailers for Catfish proclaim the film’s story to be true. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s half and half. And, maybe it doesn’t matter all that much. The film is enormously entertaining and very worth watching.”–About.com
The top five movies of the week are:
- The Town–$23,800,000
- Easy A–$18,200,000
- Devil–$12,584,000
- Resident Evil: Afterlife–$10,100,000 (overall gross–$43,991,000)
- Alpha and Omega–$9,200,000
