Weekend box office estimates for September 20 - 22: Prisoners holds audience captive

Prisoners captured the most attention and grossed an estimated $21.4 million. Battle of the Year is no Step Up and landed in fifth with $5 million and its gross won't even match its low $20 million budget. Insidious Chapter 2 is a success but is no Conjuring. It still took second with $14.5 million, but is already over $20 million behind the director's last hit. Wizard of Oz's 3D/IMAX reissue made about $3 million on 318 screens. Enough Said and Rush both grossed around $200,000 in a handful of theaters. Their star power and critical acclaim should make them limited release hits once they expand. See how other movies performed here.

Weekend box office estimates for September 20 - 22, 2013:
(title, weekend gross, % change, total gross, weekend #)

1. Prisoners; $21,430,000; opening weekend

2. Insidious Chapter 2; $14,500,000; -64.0%; $60,855,000 total; 2nd weekend

3. The Family (2013); $7,000,000; -50.1%; $25,641,000 total; 2nd weekend

4. Instructions Not Included; $5,700,000; +17.2%; $34,262,000 total; 4th weekend

5. Battle of the Year; $5,000,000; opening weekend

6. We're the Millers; $4,670,000; -13.6%; $138,176,000 total; 7th weekend

7. Lee Daniels' The Butler; $4,304,000; -22.4%; $106,452,000 total; 6th weekend

8. Riddick; $3,672,000; -46.3%; $37,180,000 total; 3rd weekend

9. The Wizard of Oz (3D/IMAX); $3,022,000; opening weekend

10. Planes; $2,861,000; -8.0%; $86,543,000 total; 7th weekend

What to Watch This Weekend: September 20, 2013

Sadly, we missed Battle of the Year 3D and can't make it this week's theater pick.

In Theaters: Prisoners

When the missing child's father feels let down by the law, he uses very disturbing methods to pursue his own investigation. See this dark, twisty mystery for its great acting, twisted morality, and constant suspense.

On DVD: Disconnect

Each of Disconnect's three seemingly unrelated stories explore a different aspect of the dangers of social media. It may sound preachy, but the cast and plots keep you invested in the characters. Unfortunately, the characters' intelligence seems to drop when the stories begin to come together.

Streaming (HBO Go): Argo

Are you one of those people that whined and complained when Ben Affleck was announced as Batman? If so, stop complaining and watch his latest acting and directorial movie, Argo. It had the right combination of comedy and tense drama, and is even more powerful because it is based on actual events. 

Streaming (Amazon): The Source Family

This documentary follows restaurant owner, commune founder, and psychedelic rock band leader Father Yod and his group of 100+ devoted young followers around 1970's Los Angeles. Some admired their strange lifestyle, but the local authorities weren't so appreciative. Learn the history of the family and see interviews with former members.

Review: Prisoners

Release date: September 20, 2013
Running time: 153 minutes
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano
Who to see it with: Fans of dark crime mysteries like Mystic River and Seven

Lee:

Prisoners is a dark, twisty tale about a small town's search for missing children. The daughters of friendly neighbors Keller and Franklin (Jackman and Howard) go missing during a brief walk between their houses. Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) is on the case but can't find many leads aside from one unlikely suspect (Dano), the mentally challenged driver of a mysterious RV who lives simply with a feeble aunt (Melissa Leo). Keller's dissatisfaction with the law's investigation prompts him to seek answers in less legal ways.

Prisoners often feels like a well-made but standard crime thriller. Keller's horrific investigative tactics are the story's most unique element and provide a complex moral dilemma, though that dilemma is only briefly explored. Maybe less time should have been spent on the pursuit of red herrings and more used to further detail his acceptance of such desperate measures and its impact upon others, a surprising thought when the movie is already two and a half hours long. Still, the acting and cast are good, including a creepy guy played by an actor with the dubious honor of looking like he was born to play creepy guys. Jackman is understandable but disturbing and Gyllenhaal's cop is rough and seasoned without seeming like a tough guy stereotype. The others are good in limited roles, but I wish more time was spent with Davis and Howard's characters. The case remains interesting and fast-paced despite the long running time, and tension is high as you watch Keller work and follow people into dark basements and home invasions. Good acting, suspense and a bit of moral complexity improve Prisoners' decent mystery.

See it.