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Batman Begins to swing the box office |
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Christopher Nolan' s Batman Begins made an estimated $46.9 million over the opening weekend, taking its five-day gross to $71 million in the US. But it is too soon to declare the $150 million film a superhit.
The second big release of the week, The Perfect Man, looks a flop at first glance, but the film made for just $10m is bound to make at least a small profit. It revolves around teenager Holly Hamilton (Hilary Duff), tired of moving every time her mother Jean (Heather Locklear) has a crisis, following a relationship with a guy. To distract her mother from a new bad choice, Holly conceives the perfect plan for the perfect man -- an imaginary secret admirer. Problems begin when the mother takes to the new guy in a big way.
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1. Batman Begins Cast: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy. Director: Christopher Nolan.  Interesting take on Bat myths, atmospheric. Short on thrills, never exciting, wooden dialogue.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Above average. |
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2. Mr & Mrs Smith Cast: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Director: Doug Liman. Star power, intriguing first half.Starts to run out of steam towards the last quarter.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Hit. |
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3. Madagascar Cast (voices): Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith. Director: Eric Daniell, Conrad Vernon. Bloodless fun for kids; in-jokes for adults; Ben Stiller.Lacks imagination and vigour of classics like Shrek.Number of weeks: 4. BO Verdict: Family hit. |
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4. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Natalie Portman. Director: George Lucas. Engaging story; exciting special effects; soaring action.Poor performances, uninspired writing.Number of weeks: 5. BO Verdict: Superhit. |
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5. The Longest Yard Cast: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds. Director: Peter Segal. Star power.Repetitious, worn-out gags.Number of weeks: 4. BO Verdict: Hit.
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6. The Adventures Of Shark-Boy and Lava-Girl in 3D Cast: Taylor Lautner, Taylor Dooley, Cayden Brown. Director: Robert Rodriguez. Genial entertainment.Not much imagination, gets tedious after a while; not slick.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Average.
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7. The Perfect Man Cast: Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear. Director: Mark Rosman. Hardly anything to recommend.Lacks sparkle.Number of weeks: New. BO Verdict: Average.
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8. Cinderella Man Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger. Director: Ron Howard. Solid performances, touching melodrama, gritty boxing scenes.Sags in the middle.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Flop.
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9. The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants Cast: Amber Rose Tambyln, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively, America Ferrara, Bradley Whitford. Director: Ken Kwapis. Surprisingly mature sentimental drama, lively dialogue.Performances; editing could have been better.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: A mild success.
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10. The Honeymooners Cast: Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, Regina Hall and Gabrille Union. Director: John Schultz. Nil.Uninspired comedy, waste of acting talent.Number of weeks: 2. BO Verdict: Nightmare.
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Text: Arthur J Pais
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