The only sci fi flick to debut this weekend was the Spanish-language Sleep Dealer, whichwas shown only an a hanful of theatres in Los Angeles and New York. It debuted at No. 10 on the genre movie list and No. 37 overall with just over $30 thousand.

The sole genre film set to debut next week: The Mutant Chronicles also is set for a limited release befire going to DVD and a broadcast TV debut on the Sci Fi Channel later this summer.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of April 17-19 , 2009.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (1) 17 Again – $24 milllion | $24 million [N/A]
2. (3) Monsters vs. Aliens – $13 million | 163 million [$175 million]
3. (8) Knowing – $3.4 million | $74 million [N/A]
4. (10) The Haunting in Connecticut – $3.2 million | $52 million [N/A]
5. (11) Dragonball Evolution – $1.6 million | $7.8 million [N/A]
6. (15) Race to Witch Mountain – $0.7 million | $64 million [N/A]
7. (23) Coraline – $0.2 million | $75 million [N/A]
8. (26) Push- $0.09 million | $32 million [$38 million]
9. optical channel(30) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $0.06 million | $127.5 million [$150 million]
10. (37) Sleep Dealer – $0.03 million | $0.03 million [N/A]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

After spending last week on at the top spot, animated science fantasy flick, Monsters vs. Aliens fell to the No. 2 spot behind the fourth installment fo the Fast and the Furious franchise.

The only sci fi flick to debut this weekend was Alien Trespass, the 50′s-era sci-fi comedy spook starring Eric McCormick, which debuted at No. 29 on the genre movie list and No. 29 overall with just over $10 million.

Genre films set to debut next week: Dragonball Evolution is set for wide release.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of April 3-5, 2009.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (2) Monsters vs. Aliens – $33.5 million | 105.7 million [$175 million]
2. (3) The Haunting in Connecticut – $9.55 million | 37.2 million [N/A]
3. (4) Knowing – $8.1  million | $58.3 million [N/A]
4. (6) Race to Witch Mountain- $3.4 million | $58.4 million [N/A]
5. (13) Watchmen – $1.1 million | $105.4 million [$150 million]
6. (19) Coraline – $0.2 million | $74.3 million [N/A]
7. (22) Push – $0.14 million | $31.3 million [$38 million]
8. (23) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $0.13 million | $127.2 million [$150 million]
9. (29) Alien Trespass – $0.04 million | $0.04 million [N/A]
10. (33) Fanboys – $0.02 million | $0.6 million [N/A]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

Last week’s No. 1, The Dark Knight, fell to the third spot with just under $3 million in ticket sales in its 10th week in release.

Genre films set to debut next week: Blindness, a dystopian thriller starring Mark Ruffalo, Julianne More, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover and Sandra Oh opens in limited release – with a wider release expected over the next few weeks. 

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of September 19-21, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (4) Igor – $8.0 million | $8.0 million [$30 million]
2. (8) Ghost Town – $5.2 million | $5.2 million [$20 million]
3. (9) The Dark Knight – $3.0 million | $522million [$185 million]
4. (13) Death Race – $1.0 million | $35.0 million [$45 million]
5. (17) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $0.8 million | $99.1 million [$60 million]
6. (18) Babylon A.D. – $0.74 million | $21.7 million [$70 million]
7. (19) Fly Me to the Moon – $0.73 million | $11.0 million [$25 million]
8. (22) Mirrors – $0.47 million | $29.9 million [budget unreported]
9. (23) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $0.40 million | $102.2 million [$145 million]
10. (24) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $0.36 million | $34.4 million [budget unreported]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

No new science fiction, fantasy, horror or spy-fi films have opened over the past two weekends as mainstream comedies dominated at North American movie theatres.

To date, Dark Knight  has brought in more than $517 million in ticket sales in in the U.S. and Canada, with a total of its second weekend – more than $966 million worldwide. According to Warner Brothers – expect the film to be pulled from theatres in the next week wees, only to be re-released in January 2009 during the Oscar season. The studio is hoping for both Academy Awards and to break the billion-dollar mark in ticket sales.

Genre films set to debut next week: Ghost Town starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni and the animated family fantasy, Igor starring the voices of John Cusack, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Coolidge, Jay Leno, Molly Shannon and Christian Slater.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of September 12-14, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (7) The Dark Knight – $4.0 million | $517.7 million [$185 million]
2. (10) Death Race – $2.0 million | $33.2 million [$45 million]
3. (11) Babylon A.D. – $1.8 million | $20.3 million [$70 million]
4. (14) Fly Me to the Moon – $1.3 million | $9.9 million [$25 million]
5. (16) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $1.1 million | $98.0 million [$60 million]
6. (18) Mirrors – $0.90 million | $29.1 million [budget unknown]
7. (19) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $0.82 million | $33.9 million [$budget unknown]
8. (20) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon King – $0.60 million | $101.5 million [$145 million]
9. (22) WALL-E – $0.5 million | $220.1 million [$180 million]
10. (33) Hellboy II: The Golden Army – $0.10 million | $75.8 million [$85 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

Lat week’s No. 1 – Death Race – fell to the No. 3 spot among genre films (No. 6 overall) with about $6.3 million in ticket sales.

The No. 2 genre spot was held by Batman flick, The Dark Knight, which passed the half-billion mark in North American sales this past weekend. Racking up $8.6 million in ticket sales for a grand total of $502.3 million in domestic sales, added to the $417 million foreign takem the film reached a total gross of $921.7 million worldwide.

Needless to say, there will be more Batman films in future years.

No genre films are set to debut over the next two weeks.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the 2008 Labor Day weekend.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (2) Babylon A.D. – $9.6 million | $9.6 million [$70 million]
2. (3) The Dark Knight – $8.6 million | $502.3 million [$185 million]
3. (6) Death Race – $6.3 million | $23.1 million [$45 million]
4. (11) Mirrors – $2.74 million | $24.8 million [unreported budget]
5. (12) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $2.70 million | $29.6 million [unreported budget]
6. (13) The Mummy: Dragon Emperor – $2.6 million | $97.9 million [$145 million]
7. (15) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $1.8 million | $94.6 million [$60 million]
8. (18) Fly Me to the Moon – $1.5 million | $6.3 million [$25 million]
9. (21) Wall-E – $1.1 million } $217.9 million [$180 million]
10. (29) Hellboy 2 – $0.2 million | $75.4 million [$85 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

With a total take of just over $12.6 million in 2,532 theatres, the film was No. 3 overall, bested by comedies, Tropic Thunder and The House Bunny. 

Race also  knocked mega-blockbuster Dark Knight to second place among genre films.

The only other sci fi flick to debut this weekend was Cthulhu, a gay-themed independent horror film from Regent Releasing starring Tori Spelling. In limited release, the film brought in $1,438 in one theatre. (That may seem rather dismal, but compare it to the No. 5 film of the week, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which made $1,640 per theatre.

Debuting next week in genre is the Vin Diesel science fiction thriller, Babylon A.D. which will be in wide release in 3,200 theatres in North America.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 22-24, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (3) Death Race – $12.6 million | $12.6 million [$45 million]
2. (4) The Dark Knight – $10.5 million | $489.4 million [$185 million]
3. (5) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $5.7 million | $25.0 million [budget unreported]
4. (7) Mirrors – $5.0 million | $20.2 million [budget unreported]
5. (9) The Mummy: Dragon Emperor -$4.2 million | $93.9 million [$145 million]
6. (15) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $2.2 million | $91.9 million [$60 million]
7. (16) Fly Me to the Moon – $1.4 million | $4.2 million [$25 million]
8. (17) WALL-E – $0.97 million | $216.3 million [$180 million]
9. (19) Hancock – $0.64 million | $226.4 million [$150 million]
10. (20) Kung Fu Panda – $0.58 million | $212.7 million [$130 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

What happens when Executive Producer Tom Cruise hires a cast and crew to re-make the schocky 1970s grindhouse drive-in film, Death Race 2000 for a modern audience? Why, 2008′s ultra-violent dytopic sci fi bloodbath, Death Race, of course. And the ciritcs are loving it, believe it or not.

{/rw_text} –>

OPENS: August 22, 2008
RATING: R (Bloody deaths, Extreme profanity, Violence against women)
GENRE: Grindhouse, Car racing, Action, Dystopia, Science Fiction

Among the negative comments from critics on the excessive violence and the way the film treats women – as sexy objects, cold-hearted bitches or other B-movie sexploitation clichés.

Other critics say, “hold on a minute … the film is a spoof of those types of films.” Here, the women are in on the joke and the dark commentary the film has on American society and the way women are still treated by men in general.

Furthermore, the action scenes are praised as outstanding. Death Race knows how to “blow things up real good,” so to speak.

WATCH THE TRAILER

<!– {rw_good}

• Great action scenes
• Quality cast

{/rw_good} –>

<!– {rw_bad}

• Nature of film’s sexist remarks and acts may offend some
• R-rated for a reason;  bloody gore is a staple of this film

{/rw_bad} –>

<!– {rw_score}

{for="Globe and Mail" value="7"}

"Yes, Death Race is as brutal as a punch in the face. If you have a hankering for B-movie grime and gore, it can also be a lot of fun.” – Stephen Cole

{/for}

{for=”Winnipeg Sun” value=”6″}

“There’s no pretense here — even the satire [Death Race] is as sophisticated as an Alabama bumper sticker — but if I’m forking over my gas money to see chases, crashes, booby-traps and body counts, I probably wasn’t in the mood for Pride and Prejudice anyway.” – Kevin Williamson

{/for}

{for=”Newsday” value=”6″}

“Filled with weaponized vehicles, pyrotechnics, exploding skulls and some mesmerizingly enormous female breasts – but no sex or love-stuff – “Death Race” seems almost scientifically designed to trigger every boy’s prepubescent pleasure-centers.” – Rafer Guzman

{/for}

{for=”Boston Globe” value=”6″}

“Thanks to its character interplay, the movie doesn’t drag despite taking a good 40 minutes to really rev its engines. And the racing that ensues is as loud, fast, hyper-edited, and pulverizingly destructive as the gladiatorially minded would hope.” – Tom Russo

{/for}

{for=”Kansas City Star” value=”8″}

“And while steel-plated cars bristling with firepower are guaranteed to get adolescent hearts stirring, the movie offers myriad pleasures for adults.” – Jason Heck

{/for}

{for=”San Francisco Chronicle” value=”3″}

“One more reason why Joan Allen is the most underrated actress of her generation: While Meryl Streep and Tilda Swinton are fine, multifaceted talents, neither one could pull off the line “Activate the Death Heads!” or “Release the Dreadnaught!” without looking completely ridiculous.” – Peter Hartlaub

{/for}

{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”8″}

“It’s one of those vicious larks that just plain hit the spot. It hits the spot, throws ‘er into reverse and hits the spot again, before machine-gunning it and ramming it head-on for the fun of it.” – Michael Phillips

{/for}

{for=”Fresno Bee” value=”7″}

“Briskly paced and art-directed with the look of grim decay that you associate with an obsolete but still cranking oil refinery, the film knows when to pile on the clichés and when to include a few surprising twists.” – Donald Munro

{/for}

{for=”New York Post” value=”8″}

“The car chases and most of the characters are thrillingly executed, with 5,000-horse-power smash-’em-ups shredding the screen.” – Kyle Smith

{/for}

{/rw_score} –>

Still, out of Genre films, the latest Batman installment reigned supreme, finishing second overall with a weekend take of just under $17 million, bringing the film’s North American haul to $471.5 million ($735 million worldwide).

Weekend sales pushed Dark Knight to the No. 2 all-time box office champion, passing the original Star Wars: Episode 4′ s gross of $461 million (including sales from Star Wars‘ recent re-releases).

Speaking of Star Wars. the animated film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, also made history this weekend. It is the first Star Wars film not to debut as No. 1 in box office sales with $15.5 million in tickets sold. The other animated kiddie flick debuting this weekend, the 3-D Fly Me to the Moon sold $2 million in tickets.

Gore horror flick, Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland bowed in with more than $11 million in ticket sales despite negative reviews from critics. 

Rounding out new genre releases is the religious-themed Luke Wilson film, Henry Poole is Here, which opened in limited release and sold $800 thousand in tickets over the weekend.

Movies dropping out of the Genre Top 10: Hellboy 2, Wanted, Get Smart and The X-FIles 2.

Genre films set to debut next week: The Tom Cruise-produced Death Race, a re-imagining of the 1970s drive-in campy grind house classic, Death Race 2000. starring Jason Statham and Joan Allen.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 15-17, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (2) The Dark Knight – $16.8 million | $471.5 million [$185 million]
2. (3) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $15.5 million | $15.5 million [unknown budget]
3. (4) Mirrors – $11.1 million | $11.1 million [unknown budget]
4. (6) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $8.6 million | $86.6 million [$145 million]
5. (11) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $3.5 million | $88.1 million [$60 million]
6. (12) Fly Me to the Moon – $2.0 million } $2.0 million [$25 million]
7. (13) WALL-E – $1.84 million | $214.1 million [$180 million]
8. (14) Hancock – $1.80 million | $225 million [$150 million]
9. (16) Space Chimps – $0.82 million | $27.6 million [$37 million]
10. (17) Henry Poole is Here – $0.80 million | $0.80 million [unknown budget]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

1: Heath Ledger IS the Joker.
2: Aaron Eckhart IS Harvey Dent
3: Maggie Gyllenhaal IS Rachel Dawes (she should have been in the first one)
4: Gary Oldman IS Gordon
5: Christian Bale IS the Dark Knight, of course.
6: Morgan Freeman and Michael Cain were still AWESOME as Lucius Fox and Alfred.
7: The plot is not quite what you think it is.
8: The dialog was engaging.
9: The overall effects supported the themes and plot of the movie.

With all that said, this movie is NOT for kids. Seriously. Do NOT take your child to this movie. The Joker IS CREEPY and SCARY. This is no run of the mill Joker. He makes you laugh and yet you feel AWFUL for laughing. It’s full of violence (duh) but the type is not just explosions, though there are plenty of those, but it’s psychological as well. There are also some disturbing scenes. There’s very little sexual innuendo and not much profanity though.

<strong>*SPOILER ALERT!* If you do not want spoilers then do not read this section! Skip to the end. You have been WARNED.</strong>

My favorite scenes are following:

The Joker’s pencil trick. That was horrifyingly awesome.

The Joker sitting down next to Harvey Dent dressed up as a nurse.

The Joker attempting to blow up the hospital but his remote didn’t work immediately. He smacks it a few times and then jumps when it finally works.

Bruce Wayne absconding with the entire ballet cast as a cover for a mission.

The black inmate tossing the trigger to the bomb out the window.

Gordon faking his own death to protect his family from the Joker.

Harvey Dent’s change from the White Knight of Gotham to the Two Face. It was utterly believable and well done, and unexpected. I figured they were setting us up for the next movie, but nope.

Batman’s personal sacrifice to save the face of Gotham’s hope. He was the one who murdered the cops, and Harvey Dent was simply murdered by the Joker after the hospital incident. Dent was the hero Gotham needed while Batman is the hero Gotham deserved.

Other awesome things, the Joker’s broken speech and his lip licking tick. His motivation is to have fun. He’s intelligent, and plays mind games. He tells Batman that they need each other. . .

I love how you never find out how the Joker got his scars. It’s a different story each time he explains them.

<strong>*END* of spoilers. You may now read without concern!</strong>

Seriously, if you love Batman, see this movie. If you only moderately like Batman see this movie. If you want to see why this movie has been in the number one slot all month, see this movie. I want to see it again, in theatres, because it deserves that kind of love and attention. This movie will become a part of our DVD collection, which is saying something since we are rather picky about what movies we choose to pay up money for.

No new sci fi flicks debuted this past weekend. But in the upcoming weekend three new genre films are set to debut: the horror film, Mirrors, the animated space opera, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the animated children’s science fantasy, Fly Me to the Moon.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 8-10, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

1. (1) The Dark Knight – $26.0 million | $441.5 million [$185 million]
2. (3) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $16.1 million | $70.7 million [$145 million]
3. (7) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $4.9 million | $81.8 million [$60 million]
4. (8) Hancock – $3.3 million | $221.7 million [$150 million]
5. (10) WALL-E – $3.0 million | $210.1 million [$180 million]
6. (11) Space Chimps – $1.7 million | $25.4 million [$37 million]
7. (12) Hellboy 2 – $1.3 million | $73.5 million [$85 million]
8. (13) The X-Files: I Want to Believe – $1.2 million | 19.6 million [$30 million]
9. (15) Wanted – $0.7 million | $132.6 million [$75 million]
10. (16) Get Smart – $0.5 million | $127.4 million [$80 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.