Good Monday Morning, Everyone.
A pair of animated features took the No. 1 and No.2 spot at the weekend box office. Pixar’s Celtic-themed “Brave” and its spunky princess Merida took the top spot. While the latest installment of the inexhaustible “Madagascar” franchise finished second. Coming in third was my must-see “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.”
From Box Office Mojo, here’s the weekend, by the numbers:
| TW | LW | Title (click to view) | Studio | Weekend Gross | % Change | Theater Count /Change | Average | Total Gross | Budget* | Week # | |
| 1 | N | Brave | BV | $66,739,000 | - | 4,164 | - | $16,028 | $66,739,000 | $185 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | P/DW | $20,200,000 | -40.7% | 3,920 | -343 | $5,153 | $157,574,000 | $145 | 3 |
| 3 | N | Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Fox | $16,500,000 | - | 3,108 | - | $5,309 | $16,500,000 | $69 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Prometheus | Fox | $10,000,000 | -51.7% | 2,862 | -580 | $3,494 | $108,547,000 | $130 | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | Rock of Ages | WB (NL) | $8,000,000 | -44.6% | 3,470 | - | $2,305 | $28,763,000 | $75 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 | Snow White and the Huntsman | Uni. | $8,000,000 | -39.7% | 2,919 | -782 | $2,741 | $137,100,000 | $170 | 4 |
| 7 | 4 | That’s My Boy | Sony | $7,900,000 | -41.3% | 3,030 | - | $2,607 | $28,180,000 | $70 | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | Marvel’s The Avengers | BV | $7,040,000 | -20.9% | 2,230 | -352 | $3,157 | $598,300,000 | $220 | 8 |
| 9 | 6 | MIB 3 | Sony | $5,600,000 | -44.3% | 2,462 | -673 | $2,275 | $163,339,000 | $225 | 5 |
| 10 | N | Seeking a Friend for the End of the World | Focus | $3,836,000 | - | 1,625 | - | $2,361 | $3,836,000 | $10 | 1 |
From The Observer:
With a new 50th anniversary James Bond retrospective set to open at The Barbican in London, The Observer picks its Top 10 Favorite Bond Outfits over the years.
Here’s my favorite — of course, it’s Connery:
Critic Jason Solomon’s View:
“Bond on the links (1964) Bond is a gentleman sportsman and Sean Connery looked the part in Goldfinger, taking on the eponymous villain in a round of golf. Connery sports a magnificent wine-coloured V-neck, with the yellow Slazenger panther logo to the fore, much like a young Seve Ballesteros. I like the light grey long-sleeve polo underneath and the grey straw trilby with white and red striped hat ribbon is, of course, a touch of genius.The golf scene introduced another classic outfit: that worn by Goldfinger’s caddy Oddjob, complete with a deadly hat.
