Salt stirs up $37 million

By Keith Williams

Jolie's Salt is spicy, yet not enough for No. 1

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/25/10 — Heart-rates rose sharply across America this weekend as Salt, the new Angelina Jolie spy thriller, enflamed an estimated $36.5 million at 3612 mineral reserves, tasty but not quite spicy enough to dislodge Inception from the top slot where it remained triumphant with a dreamy $43.5 million.  Lost amongst all the other family pix on offer, Ramona and Beezus could only wheezus a lonely $8 million in 2719 backyards.

Continuing to confuse and enlighten with repeated viewings, Inception held on well in its second outing, dropping a mere 31% to a lower level of the subconscious.  Studio heads, other than those at Warner Bros, are now busily being scratched to figure out the reason why the most cerebral studio movie in years has been so massive, being this century’s answer to 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The answer is relatively simple.  Because it’s different, something to talk and argue about endlessly, and hence the film du jour to must-see.  It’s Avatar with brains instead of glasses.

Proving yet again she’s the most dependable actress for big-budget studio action pix, Angelina Jolie gave edge and vitality to one of the summer’s most eagerly awaited releases.  Failing to best the opening weekends for Wanted and Mr and Mrs Smith, Salt still impressed given the graveyard of other action pix currently littering the multiplexes.

Intended originally for Tom Cruise, whose alternative 2010 choice Knight & Day disappointed both critically and commercially, this spy thriller was in safe and reliable hands the moment it was announced that Philip (Patriot Games)Noyce was directing and Kurt (Law Abiding Citizen) Wimmer scripting.  Reunited with her director of The Bone Collector, Jolie excels at this kind of dramatic role, adept at conviction and believability in her character as well as being able to put many a comparable actress to shame with her physical speed and energy.

Trailers suggested that someone at least was taking the material seriously, which makes a nice change since most of the dogs this summer certainly haven’t, settling uneasily as they did between farce, spoof, surrealism and laziness.  Treat audiences with respect, especially older ones, and they’ll be there, ticket and popcorn in manicured hand.

In third place, Despicable Me got less hateful by 26%, abducting a handsome $24.1 million for a grand booty of $161 million, at 4 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice could be found fruitlessly waving his wand around for $9.7 million on a less-than-magical decline of 45%, followed at 5 by Pixar’s ever-brilliant Toy Story 3 fading 25% to add $9 million to  a full nursery total of $379.5 million.

Sixth in the charts saw the debut of Fox’s Ramona and Beezus.  Sounding like something that would play in one of Elmer Gantry’s evangelical tents, just like Cyrus (which promptly vanished after tasting life in the top ten) this is one of those low-budget movies that pop out of nowhere and cause people like me to head off to the Apple Movie Trailer website to see if they’ve heard of it too.

Starring Selena Gomez, a tres popular teen femme, so it says, on the Disney Channel, and based on a series of best-selling novels by Beverly Cleary, its chances were admittedly limited given the army of high-profile family movies it found itself in competion with.  With rentals, sell-through, vod and a forest of similar markets awaiting it after its theatrical departure, however, that low budget should carry it successfully through into more rumunerative waters.

Adam Sandler’s Grown-Ups romped at 7, chuckling up $7.6 million on a scant fall of 23% for the summer’s most successful comedy ($142 million and counting), Twilight Eclipse shone bleakly at 8, waning by 48% for $7 million (who’s left?) and a grand bloodbank of $280 million, at 9 we track down The Last Airbender, preparing to leave the charts as quietly as possible with $4 million in one hand and an unwanted pair of 3D glasses in the other.

This week, the Top Ten Exit Door swings open for Predators, falling 59% for $2.8 million and a human haul to date of $46.5 million.  And they’re planning a sequel?

Weekend Estimates courtesy Entertainment Weekly