While by no means a flop, Robin Hood does bear the scent of an under-performer this morning. The latest Ridley Scott | Russell Crowe collaboration only managed to steal $37.1M in its debut, placing a distant second to the mighty Iron Man 2 ($53M | $212M). Female counter-programming didn't exactly work for Letters to Juliet which only garnered $13.8M in its opening frame. Romantic "comedy" Just Wright was even worse at $8.5M, while powerhouse How to Train Your Dragon continued to print money ($5.1M | $208M). more ›

There was never any doubt that Ironman 2 would dominate the box office this weekend. The only question was whether it would top The Dark Knight for the largest opening ever. Nope! Despite the largest theater booking in history, Ironman 2 only (only?) managed to bring in $133.6M. That tally squashed the awful A Nightmare on Elm Street ($9.1M | $48.5M) and the resilient How To Train Your Dragon ($6.7M | $201M). The sturdy Date Night continued to print money ($5.3M | $80.8M) as did the nauseating The Back-up Plan ($4.3M | $29.4M). more ›

The natural inclination amongst civilized folk is to resist the bloated blockbusters that trample into theaters every summer. Surprisingly, that sentiment hasn't really applied to Iron Man 2. I imagine that's because of the tremendous good will accorded to Robert Downey Jr. I didn't love Iron Man 2 as much as Iron Man (click here), but it's still a solid piece of popcorn entertainment. There probably won't be a more adorable film this year than Babies. That will either bring you into the theater or keep you away (it will bring me in). more ›

Despite middling reviews, America warmed up to Couples Retreat this weekend as it easily topped the box office chart with a haul of $35.3M. Last week's champ, Zombieland finished a distant second with $15M ($47.8M) but managed to top the sturdy Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs ($12M | $96.2M). The Toy Story 1 & 2 double-feature continued to do good business ($7.6M | $22.6M) while sleeper Paranormal Activity did huge business in its first weekend of wide release ($7M | $8.2M). more ›

I was excited when Couples Retreat first popped on my radar a few months ago. I mean, coupling the Vaughn | Favreau | Billingsley team with Demiurge Jason Bateman seemed like a match made in mainstream comedy heaven, right? Nope. Michael Sheen has quietly become a top-notch, see-everything-he-does actor. I know more about the Bible than I do about soccer, but I'll queue up for The Damned United just to see Sheen. It's already being written: An Education will produce one of the next great stars and that star is Carey Mulligan. more ›

LAist recently sat down with Malin Akerman, one of the stars of the upcoming comedy Couples Retreat. She opened up to us about the other half of her real life couple and shared one of the ways she keeps her marriage strong even when she can’t find the time to retreat to a tropical paradise. more ›

Stand Up To Cancer announced on Sunday that "from its launch on May 28, 2008, through September 5, 2008’s historic simultaneous commercial-free telecast, the initiative has raised more than $100 million to accelerate ground-breaking research and bring new therapies to patients more quickly." more ›

Normally we're not starstruck but when Robert Downey Jr. joined Jon Favreau for the commentary edition of the Iron Man screening at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica last Saturday, we couldn't help but squeal with delight. He emerged from the shadows in the back of the theater and took the stage to a standing ovation. Eeeee! We were in the same room with the guy who stole the movie from Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder, the actor who made Tony Stark of Iron Man a lovable (and sexy) war monger…and he was in Weird Science! more ›

On Friday I surmised that to fall to an embarrassing third. more ›

No one doubted that adventures well into the next decade. more ›

What else can I say about Iron Man that I didn't say in my rave yesterday? According to the great Nikki Finke, it looks like it's going to be a monster hit so I guess I don't need to encourage you to go see it. I'll actually be seeing it again this weekend because I failed to stay through the entire end credit roll and see the rumored Nick Fury (Sam Jackson) cameo at the end. Don't make the same mistake. more ›

I won't keep you in suspense a moment longer: is a rousing start to the summer movie season. It succeeds not only as a visually dazzling popcorn movie, but as a human drama about a man forced to finally consider his former and future place in the world. Great credit must be given to two crucial players in the film: director Jon Favreau and the wildly counterintuitive choice of actor Robert Downey Jr. as the film's hero. more ›

If you absolutely can't wait until 12:01 am on May 2nd to see what's looking to be the summer's first big blockbuster, the Aero Theater in Santa Monica is holding a charity screening of on May 1st at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 and proceeds go the Aero Building Fund Donation. If seeing the movie early with a group of passionate fans isn't encouragement enough, director Jon Favreau will also be there for a Q & A following the screening (don't tell Don Murphy). There are also strong rumors that other members of the cast will show as well. Sound good so far? There is one catch. You need to buy your tickets at the Aero box office. They will not be available on-line at Fandango. More details about the movie here. more ›

You may have heard that the owners of the Los Feliz haunt The Derby are hoping to sell the place. Instead of an icon of the swing dance world, instead of a cheapish but not unpleasant Louise's Trattoria, instead of a nice one-story restaurant with parking, the lot at the corner of Hillhurst and Los Feliz would house 88 condos piled into a claustrophobic 5-story monstrosity. Built in 1928, The Derby didn't become an offshoot of the original Wilshire Blvd Derby until 1940, when its domed roof was perfected. In 1996, it starred in the movie Swingers with Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau. Now local activists, who have the support of the LA Conservancy's Modern Committee, have launched SavetheDerby.com to focus efforts to halt the demolition and development plans. Save the Derby is also on MySpace — like so many other 77-year-olds with style. more ›