This Week on Stage: ‘Women on the Verge’ opens, disappoints

Image Credit: Paul KolnikThe big stage news of the week was the continuing problems with the upcoming Spider-Man musical, which faced both a safety inspection from New York state offiicals and a delayed start of public performances. When will Broadway’s most expensive musical ever catch a break? Stage-wise here on EW.com, we spoke with Time Stands Still star and standout Christina Ricci about the show, her debut on Broadway. And, of course, we reviewed the newest shows to open, which this week included the disappointing musical adaptation of Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, as well as dramatic political play In the Wake and Off Broadway-to-Broadway transfer of The Scottsboro Boys. Here are the highlights:

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown: EW stage editor Thom Geier found this new musical, which is based off Pedro Almodóvar’s 1988 film farce, disappointing to the effect of giving it a D+: “Seldom has such a strong cast”—which includes Sherie Rene Scott, Laura Benanti, Justin Guarini, and Patti LuPone—”been used to such poor effect,” he wrote in his review. “By the final curtain, you may wish that they had served some tranquilizer-laced gazpacho at intermission.” (Opened 11/4)

In the Wake: Reviewer Melissa Rose Bernardo wasn’t exactly enamored with the dramatic play, which centers around the Florida recount catastrophe in the 2000 Presidential election. Bernardo gave the show a C+ and said: “Ultimately, what Kron has created are two separate plays. And she hasn’t really finished either one—let alone integrated them together.” (Opened 11/1)

The Scottsboro Boys: Geier loved this Off Broadway-to-Broadway transfer, giving it a straight-up A and proclaiming, “The Scottsboro Boys challenges us even as it moves us to tears.” (Opened 10/31)

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

More Stage coverage from EW.com:
Broadway’s ‘Spider-Man’ musical delays opening until Jan. 11, 2011
‘Spider-Man’ musical faces safety inspection
Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patric coming to Broadway
Young Broadway star Shannon Tavarez dies
Christina Ricci chats with EW about her Broadway debut in ‘Time Stands Still’
Aaron Sorkin writing Hugh Jackman’s Houdini musical: Composer Danny Elfman has ‘high hopes’

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‘Social Network’ easily wins the weekend at box office; ‘Let Me In’ disappoints

Image Credit: Merrick MortonDavid Fincher’s The Social Network, destined to be in the thick of Oscar talk this year, dominated the box office this first weekend in October, taking in $23 million from 2,771 locations. The PG-13 rated movie depicting the controversial founding of Facebook was met with an almost completely positive response from critics, and now adds a B+ from audiences, according to exit pollster CinemaScore. While expectations had placed the film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield in a zone similar to The Departed, or around $27 million for its opening frame, the film’s positive word of mouth should bolster its performance in coming weeks, when it can be expected to draw in more male and younger audiences and approach The Departed’s total domestic gross of $132 million.

The other two new wide releases, horror films Let Me In and Case 39, did not connect nearly as well with moviegoers. Let Me In, a new take on the Swedish film Let the Right One In, scored brilliantly with critics, but opened to just $5.3 million, landing it in seventh place for the weekend. Audiences were less enthusiastic, giving the film directed by  J.J. Abrams protege Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), who recently met with Christopher Nolan about Superman, a C+, according to CinemaScore. Case 39, which stars real-life couple Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper and had sat on the shelf at Paramount for some time, was just a hair behind in eighth place, also with an estimated $5.3 million, and actually a better B- score from audiences, according to CinemaScore.

Turns out being the only kid flick at the multiplex can be a hoot, as Zack Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians scored a surprisingly good hold to finish at No. 2 in its second weekend. The Owl movie fell only 33 percent for a haul of $10.9 million, raising its cume to $30 million. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps had a steeper drop-off due to the competition from Social Network. The Oliver Stone-directed flick fell 47 percent to $10.1 million. Its cume now stands at $35.9 million for its first ten days in release.

The Town continues to impress. The Boston-set heist drama directed by Ben Affleck dipped only 36 percent in its third weekend in theaters. With another $10 million in the bank, the Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm-starrer has now grossed $64.3 million. Easy A is also holding strong. Falling only 34 percent its third weekend in theaters, the Emma Stone-starrer grossed an estimated $7 million for a new cume of $42.4 million.

You Again also held in surprisingly well in its second week following a lackluster debut. It brought in $5.6 million this weekend to finish sixth, a decline of only 34 percent, giving it a new ten-day cume of $16.4 million. Following the two horror newcomers, the ninth slot went to Devil, which grossed $3.7 million. The film from producer M.Night Shyamalan has now earned $27.4 million after three weekends in release. Alpha and Omega landed in tenth place with an estimated $3 million added to its total. The 3-D animated flick from Lionsgate has grossed $19 million after three weeks.

In limited release, Paramount expanded Davis Guggenheim’s public-school indictment Waiting for Superman to 34 locations for a three-day box office of $407,000 and a total two-week gross of $600,000. Catfish also expanded to 136 theaters this weekend. The documentary that depicts today’s world of social networking grossed $607,000 for a cume of $1.6 million.

Check back next weekend when the Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel-starrer Life As We Know It opens opposite Diane Lane’s Secretariat.

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