So Alex Cross opens today, as you all already know. I completely forgot to do one of our "Guess The Opening Weekend Box Office" competitions for Alex Cross. We'll all be watching closely to see how well it does – Tyler Perry shifting sharply away from his comfort zone.
It opens on 2539 screens, which makes it the widest opening ever for a movie starring Tyler Perry, whether as Madea, or playing it straight.
Also new to theaters this weekend is the documentary Brooklyn Castle, directed by Katie Dallamaggiore – a documentary about I.S. 318, an inner-city public school that's home to the most-winning junior high school chess team in the country, which is threatened by deep budget cuts. I saw it at SXSW and loved it (my review HERE). It's heartwarming and inspiring, and we get to see young black and Latino kids in a light that we rarely ever do on screen. I do wonder who the target audience for this is, because from where I'm sitting, I can't say that there's been much of an outreach to the black and Latino community (those who I think really need to see this film), by the film's marketing department. An appearance on 106 & Park for example, would be expected. Those of you who frequent black cultural websites (other than this one), or read black magazines, if you weren't a reader os S&A, would you know about Brooklyn Castle?
It's opening in limited release, in LA and NYC first, before gradually expanding.
And finally, while not new to theaters, you should know that Ava DuVernay's Middle Of Nowhere expands to 22 screens in the 14 cities. So check out the full list below to find out if the film is coming to your neck of the woods; and then watch the video underneath that recaps the film's strong opening weekend:
Atlanta – AMC Southlake
Atlanta – Landmark Midtown
Atlanta – AMC Stonecrest
Austin – Cinemark Tinseltown Austin
Chicago – AMC River East
Dallas – Cinemark Webb Chapel
Detroit – AMC Southfield
Houston – AMC Studio 30
LA – Rave Baldwin Hills
LA – AMC South Bay Galleria
LA – Sundance Cinemas at Sunset
LA – RAVE 18 The Bridge
LA – Laemmle Playhouse Pasedena
Miami – AMC Aventura
NY – AMC Empire 25 Times Square
Norfolk – Cinemark Norfolk 18
Oakland – Landmark Shattuck
Philadelphia – UA Riverview
San Francisco – Cinemark Union City
Seattle – AMC Southcenter
Washington DC – Regal Gallery Place
