Brace yourselves, here comes a weekend at the box office that will be like a 10 car pile up. For Ryan Reynolds, it’s bad news and good news. His “RIPD” is so bad that Universal kept it from critics until the very last minute. It’s going to be skewered and already has been in several Friday papers. On the other hand, animated “Turbo” has good reviews, and it’s very very hot. Parents who’ve already seen “Despicable 2” twice with their kids will head to “Turbo” for air conditioning and relief.
The irony of “RIPD” is that it’s directed by Robert Schwentke, who directed the first “Red.” Now he’s got a turkey in “RIPD” and “Red 2” doesn’t look that much better. “RIPD” will go down as another $200 Million disaster for the summer.
The rest of the weekend is a toss up. “Red 2” is sort of the least of all evils. “Only God Forgives” is violent and loud, sort of “Drive” without the buzz. “Girl Most Likely” is down to 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s a comedy among a lot of action. So it could work on a minor level.
The betting money is on “The Conjuring,” which should play well off “Turbo” as the adult choice. A well reviewed horror film can’t miss on a hot hot hot weekend.
So far, “Turbo” has the edge with a Wednesday release. It’s already number 1. But don’t forget there are still a few films out there, like “World War Z,” “Pacific Rim,” and — in the comedy category– “The Way Way Back.”
