PARANORMAL WEEKEND

As expected, Universal Pictures' Couples Retreat collected alimony from movie goers this weekend taking in a whopping $35 million at the box office. The comedy boasts an all-star cast including Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman (!), Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell and more. I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but will do so tomorrow likely. Reviews are atrocious, but honestly, what were people expecting?

Last week's top film Zombieland is still hanging strong, pulling in a healthy $15 million in second. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs continues to impress in third in it's fourth week in the Top Ten at $13 million.

The most intriguing film in the Top Ten this weekend however, was Paramount Pictures' Paranormal Activity in fifth. The film expanded into only 159 theatres and made $7.1 million dollars, which is almost unheard of. This led me to look into this film further and I learned that it is a small budget horror flick with a cast of unknowns. It has gained its buzz mostly from the internet, as little advertising has been done otherwise. Reviews are almost all positive and it looks to be this year's big sleeper hit. May be worth checking out in time for Halloween.

I'm still rooting for Whip It to make its splash, although it doesn't look like the buzz is amounting to much, placing in eighth this weekend. It made $2.8 million, still not recovering half of its $15 million production budget in its second week. Oh well... I tried.

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

ZOMBIES ATTACK BOX OFFICE

A whole slew of films opened this weekend and Sony Pictures' horror-comedy Zombieland performed outstandingly earning $25 million from 3,000 screens, easily recouping its production costs. The very well-reviewed film is Woody Harrelson's biggest box office success in quite some time. The cast also includes Bill Murray, talented child actress Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Emma Stone (seen left) who showed a lot of promise in hilarious The House Bunny. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is still performing strongly in second with $17 million in ticket sales, while another animated feature, a re-release of Toy Story 1 & 2 (3D) surprised in third at $13 million.

Two comedies which screened recently at TIFF performed more modestly. The Invention of Lying directed by Ricky Gervais with an all-star cast of Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey and Rob Lowe, placed fourth with a respectable $7.5 million from 1,700 screens. Meanwhile, Whip It (Drew Barrymore's directorial debut) came in seventh making just under $5 million despite some very good reviews. This is the second film from Fox to under-perform this past month; the other being Jennifer's Body. I highly recommend this one as I'm sure word of mouth will continue to spread.

Documentary maker Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story expanded this past weekend edging out Whip It in fifth place, also making just under the $5 million. This of course is a far cry from Moore's hayday with Fahrenheit 9/11 which opened in 900 theatres only and earning $24 million on its opening weekend back in 2004. Despite some disappointments and successes, the theatres were very much alive this past weekend... even after a vicious attack by killer zombies.

TIFF DAY 5 - WHIP IT AND A SINGLE MAN REVIEWS

Before I comment on anything TIFF-related, please let me state my opinion on Kanye West regarding some inappropriate comments made during Taylor Swift's MTV VMAs acceptance speech. Just click this link, as it says it all really. He's not even worthy of being Summer's Eve. He's generic Life brand!

Now that this is out of the way....

I caught Whip It earlier today. The film is directed and produced by Drew Barrymore, starring Ellen Page (Juno). I loved it and I am very certain that it will be a massive hit. The comedy features the right combination of genuinely touching moments, laughs and action to give it crossover appeal. The film centers around Bliss (Page) who is pressured by her mother Marcia Gay Harden to enter the local beauty pageant circuit. Finding little joy in this, she finds inspiration in competitive roller skating and secretly joins a team played by an all-star female cast that includes Barrymore, Kristen Wiig, Eve and Zoe Bell. It is from competitive roller skating that Bliss finds a true defining passion, but she must come to terms with having to gain her mother's acceptance in this new life choice. The story leads up to a Roller Derby championship match that pits Bliss' team against fierce opposition from a team led by Juliette Lewis. Grade: A

Screenwriter Shauna Cross attended this morning's screening and explained to the audience during the Q&A that all the actors had trained rigorously for this film and it showed! Completely and utterly amazing. A must-see. The film opens October 2, 2009.

I'll be getting some snaps of Barrymore, Lewis and Page tomorrow for you all. Can't wait.

Later in the day I was able to get in close with Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais, Rob Lowe and Julianne Moore. Garner was especially wonderful taking the time to sign autographs for anyone asking for one and when things got a little crazy, she showed concern for everyone's safety, assuring everyone to remain calm; she's wonderful. Her new film with Gervais and Lowe, The Invention of Lying, is getting mixed reviews at the festival. Check out that bling on Garner's hand!

Enjoy these pics I got earlier: