Weekend box office preview: ‘RoboCop’ finally hits theaters

For those of you who are able to get to a movie theater this weekend, good on you. I’m jealous. I’m honestly beginning to wonder whether we’ll be able to venture out at all, after Mother Nature put yet another Winter Whammy on our town. I have to say, I am absolutely not a fan of cold weather, though as a Southerner, I’ve always found snow events really exciting. Lately? Not so much. Oh, sure, the first two events (less than a week apart) were super cool – but this latest one, which dumped several inches on us in a matter of hours, was just the last straw. If all this melts, you can bet I’ll be getting to the theater ASAP!

As far as the new movie openings, I’d say this is one of those weekends when there is something for nearly everyone. If you want a science fiction action film, the new RoboCop movie looks like it fits the bill. The reviews aren’t looking too hot, but hey, this would be fine for a matinee. I loved the original RoboCop, so I’m not sure how I feel about a remake. Hopefully they kept some of the things that made me love the first one so much, particularly the fun elements. RoboCop was fun. Sure, it was super violent, but it didn’t take itself so seriously. Just from the trailers, I can tell this remake will be vastly different. Whether that’s in a good way or a bad way well, that’s for fans to decide.

It’s a weekend of new movies that aren’t really new. Endless Love and About Last Night are both remakes of tremendously popular 1980s movies. I personally love the original About Last Night, and I’m curious about how well this new one will play. It features a great cast, including Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Paula Patton and Michael Ealy, who currently stars in FOX’s Almost Human (which I dig). And right now? Reviews for About Last Night are stellar, so that’s promising indeed! As for Endless Love, well, I hated the original. I suspect this is more of the same schlock – just updated schlock. Teens will probably love it, and then I’ll feel super old all over again. *Sigh*

And then we have the most advertised movie (in my market) of the year so far: Winter’s Tale, the epic romance/fantasy film adapted by Mark Helprin’s best-selling novel. Can I just say, this looks really bad. Maybe I have a cold, jaded heart, but it just looks overdone, even in previews. I suspect this one will bomb, as will Endless Love. This weekend’s battle will be between The Lego Movie, 2014’s first blockbuster, and RoboCop. About Last Night might hang in there as well, especially if it’s as good as reviews lead us to believe.

My choice: The Lego Movie. I’m getting there, even if I have to ski to the theater. Or something.

Photo courtesy of Total Film