All hail the King of Pop: posthumous Michael Jackson documentary This Is It landed at the top of the box office this weekend, raking in $21.3 million in its first weekend in theaters.
Last week's number one, Paranormal Activity, bowed to the king and fell to number two with $16.5 million. In third place was the Gerard Butler thriller Law Abiding Citizen with a haul of $7.3 million, while Couples Retreat and Saw VI came in at fourth and fifth with respective gains of $6 million and $5.5 million.
Talk about a shocker! The low-budget underdog Paranormal Activity has been riding its growing popularity all the way to the top — even upsetting the reigning king of horror, the Saw franchise. Paranormal took in $22 million in its first weekend with a wide release, which has execs talking about a possible sequel. Saw VI trailed at No. 2 with only $14.8 million — the worst opening ever for a Saw film.
Completing the rest of the top five was last week's biggest moneymaker, Where the Wild Things Are, which dropped to No. 3 with $14.4 million, followed by Law Abiding Citizen at No. 4 with $12.7 million, and Couples Retreat at No. 5 with $11 million. (The box office newcomers Cirque du Freak and Amelia placed No. 8 and No. 11, respectively.)
No, you're not looking at the next trend in red-carpet wear. Ouch, that would hurt. This is the ad campaign for Lionsgate's movie SAW VI and the latest SAW “Give ‘Til It Hurts” blood drive, benefiting the Red Cross. It was created by Ignition Print and shows a sexy nurse in a needle-clad corset, designed by corset kings, The Blonds. It's not practical, obviously, but it sure does pique interest. If anyone could pull it off, it would be Lady Gaga. What do you think — freaky or fabulous?
Starting tonight, VH1 is searching for the next queen of horror film. In Scream Queens, 10 unknown actresses will put their shrieking, crying, and butt-kicking skills to the test for the chance to win a feature role in the upcoming Saw VI. (Yes, there's going to be a Saw VI.)
The trailer for the show looks kind of hilariously awesome, in that White Rapper Show-esque, self-aware kind of way. But it's also gotten me thinking about women in horror generally and whether this show is a good or a bad thing.
On the one hand, well, the title says a lot: The show's looking for someone who can scream all damsel-in-distress-style, presumably while being attacked by some menacing thing. So often in horror movies, female sexuality and violence go hand-in-hand. You certainly would never see a competition looking for male screamers, right? But on the other hand, the trailer seems to be playing up the ass-kicking aspect of being a horror star, and show judge (and original Saw gal) Shawnee Smith has said there's a lot more to being a "scream queen" than just playing the victim.
In this Halloween month, it's as good a time as any to get talking about women in horror — so I invite you to post your thoughts on that below. You can check out the Scream Queens trailer if you read more
