GROWN UPS CAN'T HANDLE TOY STORIES

In a very busy weekend at the Box Office, Toy Story 3 makes it two-for-two weeks on top with $59 million. In its second week now, the film has made $226 million domestically. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has earned an astonishing 98% Tomatoes.  Incredible.

Adam Sandler-headlined comedy Grown Ups debuts in second with $41 million, which easily on any other weekend would place it on top, but there is no denying the earning power of a good film with cross-generational appeal and the power of a franchise.  Despite terrible reviews, this is still a strong showing.

Performing below expectations is Fox's Knight & Day which debuted in third with $20.5 million. The film which reunited Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz for the first time since Vanilla Sky, had a special Wednesday opening and has pulled in $27.8 million to date. This adds further fuel to the rumour that the public has lost interest in Cruise as a leading man.  Or perhaps Fox should start inviting Bloggers to their Advanced Screenings if they'd like a bit more positive buzz.  hint, hint.

TOY STORY 3 OPENS TO RECORD-BREAKING DEBUT

Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 3 slaughtered its rivals this weekend, debuting as the highest ever grossing opening weekend for an animated feature with $109 million. It opened on Friday as the 12th highest opening film of all time earning $41 million that day alone.

Sony Pictures' The Karate Kid continues to perform exceptionally well, taking in $29 million in its second week, which is more than many films earn in a theatrical run. The film just surpasses the $100 million mark domestically.

The A-Team despite getting pulverized in terms of reviews, brought in $13.8 million this weekend, good enough to put it in third proving that hot talented Bradley Cooper is now indeed a bona fide Leading Man.

Warner Bros.' Jonah Hex debuted in an embarrassing eighth spot with $5.1 million, a second consecutive Box Office bomb for gorgeous star Megan Fox after Jennifer's Body.

Expect Fox's Knight and Day to debut huge next weekend. The Action/Comedy stars Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. Of course, the studio has an arrogant no Blogger policy so I won't be reviewing it prior.

THE KARATE KID (2010) REVIEW

Okay, here's the scoop.  The Karate Kid (2010) in no way lives up to its 1984 predecessor, but enough modifications  have been made to the story to appeal to this generation of Wii-playing, Urbandictionary.com-reading kids to make it a worthwhile watch.  And although it is a bit unsettling seeing pre-pubescent boys fighting in a ring like a $2 Thai Cock Fight, I cannot deny that even I enjoyed it despite my firm belief that Will Smith essentially is playing the same character in every movie he does.  Of course it is plain to the eye that his son Jaden, the film's star has learned a thing or two about Comedic Timing from Dad.

When Sherry Parker (Taraji P. Henson) is required to transfer over to Beijing for work, the single mother takes herself and her son out of Detroit where not much remains after she was widowed by her husband.  Son Dre (Smith) gets himself to trouble quickly upon arrival, falling for the beauty of violin playing Meiying (Wenwen Han).  Sour-faced Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) however also has his eye on her and gets territorial, abusing his Martial Arts prowess in bullying Dre into submission.

KARATE KID DROPKICKS THE COMPETITION

As predicted, Sony Pictures' Karate Kid did a giant Dropkick and a victorious "Hai-ya!" on the Box Office this weekend. In its opening weekend, it pulled in $56 million, doubling that of Fox's The A-Team, which earned still a very impressive $26 million, making for an '80s revival Top Two, as both are remakes of iconic trademarks from that era.

Three-week champion Shrek Forever Forever After slipped to third this weekend with $15.8 million, just ahead of Get Him to The Greek which brought in $10.1 million.

Sex and The City 2 continues to tumble its way down with $5.5 million in eighth spot, and its sister film Splice, also from Warner Bros., rounds out the Top Ten with $2.9 million.

KARATE KIDS, OLD AND NEW UNITE

Seen here at Monday's premiere of The Karate Kid (2010) are the original film's star Ralph Macchio and remake star Jaden Smith together at Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California.  When the original film was made over 27 years ago, Macchio had no idea the legacy the film would create for itself including its garnering of an Oscar nomination for Asian-American actor Pat Morita for Best Supporting Actor as Mr. Miyagi.  

The first instalment in the franchise went on to make over $90 million at the Box Office, after a weak opening of $5 million in 1984.  Actress Hilary Swank who starred in the third instalment of The Karate Kid, eventually went on to win two Oscars for Best Actress.

When asked about his thoughts on the remake, Macchio explained to Access Hollywood "It’s like mixed feelings. At first, I felt old. Number one, you feel old when they start remaking your stuff".