Hollywood On Roll Heading Into Summer

Theater Attendance Up Almost 16 Percent From Year Ago; Beyonce's "Obsessed" Topped Weekend Box Office

(AP)  Audiences were in the mood for some fatal attraction action at the box office this weekend.

Beyonce Knowles and Idris Elba's "Obsessed" debuted as the top weekend movie with $28.5 million in ticket sales. The Sony Screen Gems thriller stars Knowles and Elba as a couple whose ideal marriage lands on the rocks after a psychotic temporary worker played by Ali Larter begins stalking the husband.

The strong opening for "Obsessed" helped maintain Hollywood's hot streak, with overall revenues at about $112 million, up 23.5 percent from the same weekend last year, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

The busy summer season starts Friday with 20th Century Fox's spinoff "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," starring Hugh Jackman in the title role he played in three "X-Men" blockbusters.

Studios head into summer on a box-office tear, with receipts running at a record pace. Revenues for the year are at $3.06 billion, up 17.4 percent over last year. Factoring in higher ticket prices, movie attendance is up 15.7 percent.

"We have never been in this strong a position heading into the summer season, ever," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.

Zac Efron's "17 Again" and Channing Tatum's "Fighting" were neck-and-neck for the No. 2 spot. With Sunday estimates of $11.7 million, the Warner Bros. comedy "17 Again" had the edge. After debuting in first-place a week earlier, "17 Again" raised its 10-day total to $40 million.

Rogue Pictures' "Fighting," starring Tatum and Terrence Howard in the story of a rising star in New York City's underground bare-knuckle fight circuit, debuted with $11.4 million.

The two movies were close enough that rankings could change when final numbers come out Monday.

Paramount's drama "The Soloist" opened at No. 4 with $9.7 million. It stars Jamie Foxx as a schizophrenic music prodigy living on the streets of Los Angeles and Robert Downey Jr. as a reporter who befriends him.

Disney's nature documentary "Earth" premiered in fifth place with $8.6 million, bringing its total to $14.2 million since opening Wednesday.

"Obsessed" was not screened in advance for critics, and those who reviewed it generally trashed the movie as a lame retread of 1987's "Fatal Attraction," which starred Glenn Close as a demented woman pursuing a married man, played by Michael Douglas.

But "Obsessed" had the lure of singer Knowles stepping out from her pop star image and duking it out with the crazy lady threatening her home and marriage.

"There's something about wanting to see Beyonce kick butt. She's taking on one wacked chick, played very well by Ali Larter," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "Let's face it, everyone loves Beyonce, and to see her in this role is a treat."

Documentaries rarely open in nationwide release or break into the top 10, but Disney aimed for a wide audience with "Earth," which traces families of polar bears, elephants and humpback whales over the course of a year.

Disney pledged to plant a tree for every viewer who sees the movie in the first week, with the number climbing to more than 2 million after five days. The film was tied to Earth Day and was the first release of the studio's Disneynature label.

"We just felt like if we make an event out of this, tied it to this whole plant-a-tree effort, tied it to Earth Day, maybe we could break the mold and come up with the kind of opening that you'd be satisfied with on a regular film," said Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Obsessed," $28.5 million.

2. "17 Again," $11.7 million.

3. "Fighting," $11.4 million.

4. "The Soloist," $9.7 million.

5. "Earth," $8.6 million.

6. "Monsters vs. Aliens," $8.5 million.

7. "State of Play," $6.9 million.

8. "Hannah Montana: The Movie," $6.4 million.

9. "Fast & Furious," $6.1 million.

10. "Crank: High Voltage," $2.4 million.

[sayitinrussianmovie]

She was a young Russian immgirant. As a child, living in the Soviet Union, with which the United States was locked in a bitter cold war, she was a fan of Hollywood movies. And now she's starring in one, being released on the big screen, next Monday May 4th, as part of Carmike Cinemas' Independent Film Series. And this movie is based upon her own true life story. She is Agata Gotova, and the film is "Say it in Russian," which has won awards for Best Feature, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Cinematography in film festivals across the United States.

The film was conceived, written, produced and financed by Agata and her husband, who had to take a loan out on their house to finish it in a world where almost no independent films ever make it to a theatrical release. In what Agata describes as like "breaking through the arctic ice with a hammer," she succeeded in making it to the big screen, a place where most independent films can only dream of being.. And she truly is an unlikely candidate for a Hollywood success story. "Coming from Russia, speaking with an accent, with no agent, no connections and no publicist, I had no chance in Hollywood, so I am living proof that the American Dream does exist. Nobody belived in me except for my husband. I heard the words this will never happen all the time, and perhaps this would never happen if it were not for the fact that we did it in the United States. Since our movie plays primarily in the South and Midwest, we have a special premiere in Pittsburgh, which follows avant-premiers in Tennessee, Alabama and North Carolina.

The movie is based on the true life story of Agata and her husband, who took a loan out on their house to help finance the film, with Academy Award Winner Faye Dunaway, Rade Serbedzija (Shooter), Eyes Wide Shut), and Steven Brand (Scorpion King,), in Paris, Moscow, and Los Angeles. From a show business background in Russia, where she appeared on the stage and in television since childhood, a big surprise was waiting for Agata in Hollywood, where she had to start out working as an extra to try to break into the business. "When I speak about it now, when I started as an extra, almost a driver's license, and barely speaking English, I realize that its a war that took years of my life to fight. It brings back memories of my first steps on American soil, when the clerk in the Paris American Embassy told me, 'What do you think, you with your red Russian passport, you think we're just going to give you a visa,' and sreamed looking past me to the next person, 'Next!'" Now that I think of that, I have become to believe that this would not be possible, not in any other country, not even my own, but only in the United States of America. America has given me a chance, and so did the people of America, and now I would like to give back the little bit that I can. Its not the big people on top who made it possible for me, it was on the level of the single person with no power or influence, that baby steps were made. I felt it very strongly through the support of our audiences during the premieres in Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina," said Agata. A special red carper premiere will be held May 3rd in Pittsburgh, which will be attended by the Mayor and Chief of Police, and where the City Council will present the fiercly independent indie with a special citation. All the producer's proceeds from the entire Pittsburgh theatrical run are being donated to the Pittsburgh Fallen Hero Fund, established to benefit the three Pittsburgh officers recently slain in the line of duty.

Critics describe the film as "launching from romance to thriller," and the cinematic value of the film as ?marvelous location work, handsomely photographed by Emmanuel Vouniozos, who makes the landscapes and locales shine even as he lends beauty to the human faces.? They have hailed the acting as a ?welcome appearance? by Hollywood icon Faye Dunaway, and ?verteran television actor Steven Brand and the stunning Agata Gotova bring a deep passion to their performances and seem to capture the essence of young love.? Say it in Russian opens May 4 in 65 cities in the South, Midwest, Texas, Washington and Oregon.

[disabled-student]

Transformers, G.I. Joe, Terminator, Wolverine... I see sure signs of economic recovery! The movie industry is in for one record smashing summer!