Director: Chris Miller
Running Time: 87 mins
Certificate: U
Release Date: March 26th, 2012
You have to wonder whether the fact the Shrek franchise is Dreamworks Animation’s goose that laid the golden egg was going through the minds of the powers that be when they were coming up with the story for Puss In Boots. While we were promised Shrek Forever After would be the last movie about the green ogre, it’s little surprise the studio wanted to carry on with a spin-off, and Puss In Boots is certainly a good character to do it with, allowing for a film that feels familiar but is different enough not to seem as if it’s merely rehashing the Shrek movies.
Set before Puss met his ogrish pals, the film sees the well-shod feline as an outlaw who discovers the dastardly Jack & Jill have the magic beans he’s been looking for most of his life. When he tries to steal them, he’s interrupted by another cat who on the outside of the law, Kitty Softpaws, who turns out to be allied to Puss’ old pal Humpty Dumpty. However Puss and Humpty have long been estranged, as despite growing up together in an orphanage, Puss blames Humpty for making him an outlaw when he got him involved in a robbery he knew nothing about. [Read more…]
It was quite an unusual week at the US box office, as no new movies at all made it into the top 10, with older film merely shifting around a little. Things remained exactly the same at the top though, with Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 in the number 1 slot, despite dropping 60% from last weekend to $16.9 million, while The Muppets stayed at number 2 with an $11.2 million weekend gross.
The question this weekend wasn’t whether Twilight: Breaking Dawn would have a good opening, it was just how big it would be. That question has now been answered with the latest in the series taking $139 million in its first three days in the US, and $283.5 million around the world. It’s the fifth biggest North American opening in history, but didn’t quite take the franchise record, which is still held by New Moon’s $142.8 million. It also scored the third biggest opening day gross ever, after the final Harry Potter and New Moon, taking $72 million in America on Friday.
Despite some rather stinging reviews, Immortals has gotten off to a pretty good start at the US box office with $32 million dollars. That may not be as much as the likes of 300 and Clash of The Titans, but still marks the biggest opening for a film not released by one of the six major studios since The Expendables.
Dreamworks Animation executives will be smiling today, as after worries last week that Puss In Boots opening weekend wasn’t up to the usual numbers the company makes, in its second weekend it hasn’t just stayed on top of the US box office chart, but it’s made almost exactly the same money it did in its first few days in cinemas – a rare feat. The film added $33.0 million to its tally, which suggests it’s going to have legs in the run up to Thanksgiving.
As expected, Puss In Boots shot to the top of the US box office, taking a Halloween record of $34.0 million. That may be the best the scary holiday has ever managed, but it’s not particularly stunning for Dreamworks Animation, especially as this is a spin-off from the Shrek franchise.