Superhero movie, due Stateside in early May, is already breaking records in foreign markets. By Kevin P. Sullivan Chris Evans as Captain America In “The Avengers” Photo: Walt Disney Studios The Avengers have already started to assemble overseas, and early box-office reports are spelling very good things for Marvel’s tentpole. The superhero movie that brings together Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk has reportedly made $12.5 million in a handful of foreign markets and is already breaking records, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In Australia, ” The Avengers ” has already banked $7 million, a total that has only been beaten by ” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 ,” which earned $8 million during its Down Under debut. The foreign rollout has proven lucrative elsewhere, too, as France added $3 million to the total. Early tracking estimated that “The Avengers” could make more than $150 million during its early May opening weekend in the U.S. That would put the film in the same class as “Spider-Man 3,” “The Hunger Games,” “The Dark Knight” and “Deathly Hallows, Part 2.” This could potentially mean the biggest debut for a Marvel Studios movie yet. ” Iron Man 2 ” currently holds that honor. The Robert Downey Jr. sequel opened to $128 million back in 2010. That’s followed by the first ” Iron Man ” at $98 million. “The Avengers” has the added advantage of higher ticket prices. The film is playing both in 3-D and in IMAX 3-D, so each individual ticket will add more to the final total. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” saw a large bump in its record-breaking run thanks in part to higher prices attached to 3-D showings. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Avengers.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos Talk Nerdy Assemble Yourself For ‘Avengers’ Sneak Peeks
Characters in horror movies get to be forgiven a few featherbrained actions for the sake of suspense. Why go into the creepy basement after you’ve realized the lights aren’t working? Why visit the decrepit mansion in the middle of nowhere after everyone’s warned you off? Why stick around the haunted house long after a rational person would have fled to a motel at least two states away? (The upcoming Cabin in the Woods provides a clever, clever twist on this type of behavior.) Why? Because it’s scary. But even by the most lenient of genre standards, the behavior of the characters in David Brooks’s ATM is ludicrous enough to make anyone grind his or her teeth in frustration. Its trio of unlucky coworkers winding up a night out are trapped and menaced by a dude in a coat . He’s a big guy, but still — he’s not even carrying a chainsaw or axe or other murder-y implement to start, and it’s three against one. The film is built around one long standoff over the small hours of a frigid Midwestern night during which the man keeps his freezing and ever more desperate victims at bay inside a strip-mall ATM booth while we howl at the screen “Just walk out the door! The guy doesn’t look very fast!” The number of contrivances needed to extend this situation for as long as it plays out pile up until you pray for a twist that reveals the whole thing to be some extensive practical joke, excusing the silliness of everything, after which they all go to Denny’s for pancakes. Spoilers: There is no such twist. David (Brian Geraghty), the film’s protagonist, works at a finance firm where he spends his day apologizing helplessly to clients whose 401(k)s he hasn’t been able to save and failing to ask out his crush Emily (Alice Eve). He’s lured into sticking around for the office Christmas party by his obnoxious coworker Corey ( The Wackness ‘s Josh Peck), who informs him that Emily’s leaving for a new job and that David’s got one more evening to make his move. After a few false starts, David actually does, and he has arranged to give her a ride back to her place when Corey drunkenly insists on getting dropped off too. While cockblocking his way home, Corey bullies David into agreeing to stop for pizza, and then realizes he also needs to get cash. The three pull into a quiet parking lot with a pair of ATM machines inside a glass enclosure, and after they all end up taking refuge inside while Corey figures out his card isn’t working, they turn to go and see an ominous figure standing in the parking lot watching them, face obscured by a fur-trimmed hood. It’s a promising opening, between Corey’s charming/annoying advantage-taking, David’s passivity and Emily’s efforts to project receptiveness at her oblivious would-be suitor — these seem like actual characters, not just devices to enable the mechanics of a concept. And the claustrophobia of the main location, the way its florescent-lit everydayness becomes a barely adequate sanctuary from this mysterious threat (whoever the guy is, the three figure, he appears not to have a bank card that will get him through the security swiper) has cinematic appeal. But any tension the film has created dissipates quickly, around the time the trio watches their assailant casually smash another passerby’s head onto the pavement, and decide they should withdraw as much money as they can to try to pay the guy off. He’s just brutally murdered someone in front of them without provocation, and they offer him $500 and some earrings in exchange for walking away? At that point, has he not made it very clear he’s either crazy or has already made the decision to kill everyone there? ATM has an idea, but it’s not one that can sustain a whole feature (this is director Brooks’s first, from a screenplay by Chris Sparling, writer of the similarly minimal Buried ). Its minimalism raises all the wrong kinds of questions — not about why this is happening to these three people, a topic they fruitlessly debate as they try to wait out the night, but why a security guard would pull up a few dozen yards away from a group of people screaming for help in the middle of a freezing night, get out of his car and blithely ask if they’re OK. Or why no one brought a cell phone. Or why Emily seems to be there just to beg the two men not to go outside and not to leave her unprotected (“You can’t leave me in here!”). Or why they would ever take their eyes off their attacker for a second. In order to keep its situation going, the film has its characters act increasingly foolish, right down to the ridiculousness of its last reveal, the biggest, most nonsensical contrivance of them all. ATM shows an initial flicker of intelligence, which makes its spiral into absurdity all the more disappointing. Like late-night-drunk pizza, this is something you’d be better off skipping in favor of just eating some cereal at home. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
If you wanted to remain completely spoiler-free going into this summer’s modest little art pic The Avengers , too bad! Disney has gone ahead and ruined the surprise. So, fine. Captain America apparently does not perish at the end of The Avengers , but will indeed live on to deal with his personal issues in Captain America 2 , due to hit theaters on April 14, 2014. Find the official word and a new image after the jump. I kid. Of course Captain America lives through The Avengers ! How else will he and the rest of his teammates cash in on the endless stream of superhero sequels to follow? From Disney: “The Walt Disney Studios has announced a release date for Marvel Studios’ sequel to the blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger on April 4, 2014. The second installment will pick-up where the highly anticipated Marvel’s The Avengers (May 4, 2012) leaves off, as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.” I mean, if it gives us more Chris Evans crouching in tight leather getups, let the sequels never end.
‘Bad Teacher,’ starring Cameron Diaz, makes a strong showing at #2, with ‘Green Lantern’ following behind at #3. By Ryan J. Downey “Cars 2” Photo: Disney “Cars 2” may be the worst-reviewed movie in Pixar’s storied history, but that didn’t stop the animated sequel from maintaining the studio’s streak of box-office number ones. The second entry in the merchandise-friendly franchise took in $68 million over the weekend, according to distributor Walt Disney Studios, making it Pixar’s 12th consecutive movie to debut atop the box-office charts. Thanks to higher ticket prices and expensive 3-D screenings, “Cars 2” enjoyed the fifth-biggest opening for a Pixar film ever. In terms of attendance, however, the “Cars 2” debut was ahead of only “A Bug’s Life,” “Ratatouille” and the beloved company’s first feature film, 1995’s “Toy Story.” The 3-D fatigue evidenced by other recent openings continued as a mere 40 percent of moviegoers chose to see “Cars 2” in that format (versus the 60 percent who opted to see “Toy Story 3” in 3-D). “Bad Teacher,” the weekend’s other new wide release, debuted at #2 with $31 million. It was a strong showing for the reportedly low-budget Cameron Diaz vehicle, which industry watchers had predicted would be less well-received. Debuting the adult-oriented comedy against the family-oriented “Cars 2” was apparently a wise choice on the part of Sony Pictures, who released the film. Warner Bros., meanwhile, watched “Green Lantern” drop 66 percent in its second weekend of release. A sequel was already in development before Ryan Reynolds hit the screen as the DC Comics hero, but there has been little news about those plans since its lukewarm debut. “Lantern” made $18.4 million over the weekend for an $89.3 million total. With an estimated production budget of $200 million and a major marketing campaign behind it, “Green Lantern” has not done well. “Super 8” bears the distinction of being the only well-reviewed film in the top five. JJ Abrams’ nostalgic homage to ’80s coming-of-age classics took in $12.1 million for a $95.2 million total. Coming in at #5, Jim Carrey’s “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” dropped 44 percent with $10.3 million for a $39.4 million two-week total. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” seems a safe bet for next weekend’s number one. Check out everything we’ve got on “Cars 2,” “Bad Teacher” and “Super 8.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘Green Lantern’ 101 Related Photos ‘Bad Teacher’ Premieres In New York
Singer Cheryl Cole is reportedly being eyed up by Disney bosses and could join Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez as their next ‘tweenie’ star. Cole, 26, recently took a trip to the Disney studios while filming her new music video in LA with dancer Derek Hough executives at The House of Mouse were impressed according to a source speaking with UK newspaper Daily Mirror . “Cheryl is the full package. She’s got it all – brains, beauty and a hint of bolshieness. It’s unbelievable the level of interest she stirred up in the Disney Studios following her trips to LA, where she was making her recent music video. That “Parachute” video with Derek Hough, who is massive in the States because of Dancing with the Stars , really showed just how graceful and dynamic she can be.” We love us some Cheryl Cole, but isn’t she a little out of Disney’s age range?
