Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Arts & Entertainment

Box Office Review: America Knows Nothing

knowingsucks.jpg

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

No, this isn't nakedly manipulative. | Photo courtesy of Summit Entertainment

Two very good studio films opened at the box office this weekend (I Love You, ManandDuplicity) and, naturally, neither of them managed to win the box office crown. That went to the terrifyingly moronic Knowing which tricked America's rubes into shelling out approximately $24.8M of hard-earned money. The quite funny I Love You, Man under-performed to the tune of $18M as did Julia Roberts' Duplicity which only managed to bring in $14.4M. Last week's champ Remake of Witch Mountain fell all the way to fourth but still had a solid performance ($13M/$44.7M). The ambitious Watchmen, however, continued to flounder ($6.7M/$98M).

The bottom half of the top 10 was led by The Last House on the Left 2: Return to the Last House on the Left ($5.9M/$24M). After that it was the stunningly resilient Taken ($4.1M/$133.1M), the wonderful Slumdog Millionaire ($2.7M/$137.2M), the awful Tyler Perry's Umpteenth Transvestite Movie ($2.5M/$87.2M) and the splendid Coraline ($2.1M/$72.8M). The limited release crowd was led by the powerful Sundance winner Sin Nombre which average a solid $12,900 per theater. Fashion doc Valentino: The Last Emperor had an even better debut ($20,300 per) while the sexy Mancora tanked ($2900).

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today