TOP12 AT THE BOX OFFICE
1
RIDDICK xxx
Vin Diesel battles bounty hunters on a wasteland planet in this third Riddick movie. Economic realities force director David Twohy and Diesel back to the lean predatory feel of the original “Pitch Black,” over the space-opera bloat of “The Chronicles of Riddick.” The result isn’t a great film, but it’s true to the original brutal vision. (R) 118 minutes — Peter Hartlaub
$19.03 million; one week
2
LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER xxx
Based on the life of a longserving White House butler, this film really is a fictional piece that uses the butler (Forest Whitaker) as a witness to historical civil rights events. The script is clumsy, and the casting of the presidents is laughable (Alan Rickman as Reagan?). (PG-13) 132 minutes — Mick LaSalle
$8.4 million; $91.4 million; four weeks
3
INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED
This Mexican comedydrama is about a man who raises a daughter left on his doorstep as an infant, only to see the birth mother suddenly return. (PG-13) 115 minutes — Not reviewed
$8.1 million; $20.4 million; two weeks
4
WE’RE THE MILLERS
xxx
A tasteless, mildly amusing, not-bad comedy — clumsy but with funny moments — starring Jason Sudeikis as a drug dealer who hires a stripper (Jennifer Aniston) and a pair of teenagers to pose as his family while he makes a huge drug run to Mexico. (R) 110 minutes — M.L.
$7.7 million; $123.6 million; five weeks
5
PLANES xxx
Dusty Crophopper is a cropduster that wants to be a racing plane. The main story arc is predictable, with several themes reaching inevitable conclusions. But the smaller details remain fresh. (PG) 92 minutes — P.H.
$4.1 million; $79.1 million; five weeks
6
ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US xx
Fans will enjoy this promotion for the boy band One Direction, but it’s not a good film, even grading on the curve of the self-produced infomercials disguised as musical biopics that we’ve seen in recent years. (PG) 95 minutes — Peter Hartlaub
$4 million; $23.9 million; two weeks
7
ELYSIUM xxxx
On Earth in 2154, Matt Damon is an average guy trying to make it to Elysium — an Earth colony for rich and powerful people — so he can get medical treatment. Jodie Foster plays the icy Elysium defense secretary. The film provides an intelligently imagined future world. (R) 109 minutes — M.L.
$3.1 million; $85.1 million; five weeks
8
PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS xxx
Logan Lerman returns as Percy, the son of Poseidon, who hangs in Camp Half-Blood with other teenage god-spawn. The tree deity that protects this little retreat of raging hormones is threatened, so Percy and his friends go on a journey to seek the healing powers of a Golden Fleece. (PG) 104 minutes — P.H.
$2.4 million; $59.8 million; five weeks
9
BLUE JASMINE xxxxx
Set in San Francisco and New York, this story of a woman who goes from fabulous wealth to destitution provides Cate Blanchett with her best role and represents another jewel in the crown of Woody Allen, who continues to experience a renaissance in his 70s. (PG-13) 99 minutes — M.L.
$2.3 million; $25.1 million; seven weeks
10
THEWORLD’S END
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A strange, needy, overbearing guy (Simon Pegg) cajoles his former friends into joining him on a drinking binge in their old hometown, with results that no one could have bargained for. Good performances, smart dialogue and a script that bends genres make this an enjoyable film. (R) 109 minutes — M.L.
$2.3 million; $21.8 million; three weeks
11
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES x½
Fans of author Cassandra Clare’s “Mortal Instruments” fantasy series will enjoy this film. Almost everyone else will see a bad movie, with ridiculous dialogue, an unsympathetic heroine and a love triangle that goes nowhere. Sometimes, movies shouldn’t be faithful to the book. (PG-13) 130 min. — P.H.
$2.2 millon; $27.8 million; three weeks
12
GETAWAY x½
Plot is secondary in this forgettable low-budget action movie with Ethan Hawke as a former pro race-car driver completing tasks to save his kidnapped wife. Director Courtney Solomon aims for a lightweight car chase film, but any guilty pleasure potential is ruined by quick edits, close-ups and blurring. (PG-13) 90 minutes — P.H.
$2.2 million; $8.7 million; two weeks