Weekend Movie Preview & Trailers 2014: 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,' 'Annie' and 'Night At the Museum: Secret of the Tombs' Among New Films
The holiday has started and this weekend Hollywood will offer three mega blockbusters in theaters to infuse the waning box office.
Before looking at the titles, a number of new titles will continue at the marketplace, including "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1," "Exodus: Gods and Kings," "Top Five" and "Interstellar."
There are also a number of Golden Globe nominees expanding, including "Wild." After two solid weekends, Fox Searchlight is opening the Reese Witherspoon feature into 850 theaters. The film has obtained rave reviews and is likely to become one of the big Indie breakouts of the season.
The Weinstein Company will continue to unveil "The Imitation Game." Solid reviews and five Golden Globe nominations have really helped the film become a big box office hit after three weekends.
Also still at the box office are "Birdman," "Foxcatcher," "Inherent Vice" and "The Theory of Everything."
However, if none of these releases are of interest, here are the new releases:
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
For fans of Middle Earth, Peter Jackson brings the last installment of "The Hobbit" trilogy. The new film continues the story of Bilbo and Company, who are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth. The film has obtained mixed reviews, and it has the worst Rotten Tomatoes score of any of the Middle Earth films. Latin Post, however, gave the film a solid review and said it was "a solid ending to a somewhat disappointing trilogy." Despite the reception Warner Bros. hopes to have a solid opening, and the film looks to be one of the top-grossing features of the holiday season.
Annie
Starring Golden Globe nominee Quvenzhane Wallis, the remake of Annie tells the story of a foster kid who lives with her mean foster mom. Her life changes when business tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. The film is highly anticipated by family audiences, but reviews have been particularly harsh with it. Additionally, the film was leaked after Sony was attacked by the leakers. As a result, the film is only tracking to make $18 million on opening weekend and is unlikely to become the blockbuster Sony expected.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
The final installment in Fox's beloved trilogy will hit theaters, and audiences are more curious than ever because it is Robin Williams' final film. The film, also starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, tells the story of Larry who spans the globe, uniting favorite and new characters while embarking on an epic quest to save the magic before it is gone forever. The film has received a huge marketing push. But fans of the original film are not as enthusiastic, and reviews have not been good. Compared to the two first installments, the movie is tracking to make $23 million on opening weekend, which is subpar for a film that is supposed to be a big hit during the holiday season. Nevertheless, it should attract Williams' fans and family audiences.
Mr. Turner
Starring Timothy Spall, the Mike Leigh film is an exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner. The feature premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to ecstatic reviews and won Best Actor at the festival. It has since played all over the world and recently won Spall the New York Film Critics and European Film awards statues for Best Actor. Sony Picture Classics hopes the film will become a big awards contender, but it currently seems to be a dark horse in the race. The film has received rave reviews, with Latin Post stating the film is a "beautifully drawn biopic on one of the greatest artists of all time." Opening in limited release, Sony should engage adult audiences.
Othe Indie films opening include IFC film's "Goodbye to all that" and Big World Picture's "A Tale of Winter."
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