It's Wall-E's World
Posted by Seth at 2:15 AM on July 1, 2008
If you emerged from Saturday's city-wide, Paps vs. Surfs caste riots with two or more limbs (and both flip-flops) intact, consider yourselves one of the lucky ones: It was a massacre out there, folks. Slow the bleeding with the box office numbers from this robust, bullet-bending moviegoing weekend:
1. Wall-E - $62.5 million
Realizing that their last vision of a dystopian future-Earth--2006's Cars, in which automobiles ruled the planet, fuelled by an endlessly replenishable supply of human livestock bred in subterranean people-farms--was perhaps a little too dark a subject matter for their intended family audiences, Pixar decided to simplify this time around. The result: A nearly silent love story featuring a binoculars-on-treads that critics are hailing as a modern classic. Disney can only be overjoyed with the results: Wall-E earned the second-highest June opening of all time, and Pixar's third-highest debut, behind Finding Nemo. The only person to come away disappointed? Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who saw in the parable a painful metaphor for his failed attempts at winning the heart of his own Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, Kathy Griffin. Upon returning home, he instantly set upon smashing any remotely Wall-E-ish thing in his garage to pieces-- which included the Segway they rode on their first date, and an early Apple prototype made from parts of a Speak n' Spell and a hand-mixer.
2. Wanted - $51.118 million
But were Wall-E the only record-breaking Box Office Miracleâ„¢ this weekend, for more mature audiences (read: 14-year-olds with patchy facial hair and highly suspicious drivers licenses issued by the State of Hawaii) flocked instead to this visually arresting, swervy-ammo shoot 'em up. Among the paradigm-upending innovations conjured up by director Timur Bekmambetov (a proud Kazakh export and delicious retribution for three years of humiliating, "In my country we have a pen outside for the animals and womens!" jokes): Angelina Jolie illuminated by fluorescent drugstore lighting, James McAvoy's transformation from turtle-faced office-nerd to action hero, and Morgan "God" Freeman getting all MF-bomb-droppin' badass again.
3. Get Smart - $20 million
If you think you might enjoy Steve Carell pretending to talk like a deaf person, then being referred to as a "retard," then doing a dance routine with an obese woman who--wait for it--actually ends up being light on her feet...then Get Smart is the movie for you!
4. Kung Fu Panda - $11.746 million
Sure, you can round-kick. But tell us this, Kung Fu Panda: Can you walk on 30-foot-high tree-stilts? We didn't think so.
5. The Incredible Hulk - $9.226 million
We've taken a cue from Incredible, and started wearing a wristwatch pulse-meter ourselves, in a similarly feeble attempt at avoiding waking up naked somewhere in the British Columbian wilderness after a particularly destructive Midori Sour bender.
- WEEKEND BOX OFFICE June 27-29, 2008 [Box Office Mojo]

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Scoregasm
Posted 3:50 AM 1/7/08
@CourageousCoward: That's what they all say. Then before you know it, you're reduced to trolling the Teen Vogue blogs at 5:00 am, looking for an excuse to get your blink fix.
Scoregasm
CourageousCoward
Posted 3:41 AM 1/7/08
@Scoregasm: @Old No.7: Y'know, I tried it, but didn't see it blink on my end. Don't worry though, it's not habit forming or anything.
CourageousCoward
Sleepyhead
Posted 3:36 AM 1/7/08
I saw nothing this weekend. (Battle of Shaker Heights probably doesn't count.) Waiting for the WALL-E crowds to fade.
@Old No.7: What, you didn't read down to the "Turn off the blink tag." part at the end?
([lifehacker.com])
Sleepyhead
Old No.7
Posted 2:52 AM 1/7/08
@CourageousCoward: Oh, great... you read the hint about html blinking. Next time I see Gina from Lifehacker I'm going to kick her right square in the junk.
Old No.7
Scoregasm
Posted 2:51 AM 1/7/08
@CourageousCoward: Someone's been reading the Lifehacker Guide to Commenting.
@Losin_it: Wait, no one told me about elephant sex on ice! God, if only the Ice Capades could pull off something so masterful.
Scoregasm
Losin_it
Posted 2:46 AM 1/7/08
@Scoregasm: No! Yes. Sort of. Okay, I saw it.
The elephant sex on ice just pulled me in.
Losin_it
CourageousCoward
Posted 2:43 AM 1/7/08
CourageousCoward
Scoregasm
Posted 2:31 AM 1/7/08
But did The Love Guru end up finding one other person in America to waste $10 to see it?
Scoregasm
CrankYank
Posted 8:23 AM 1/7/08
The NPR critic ate that Get Smart "fat lady dancing" shit up.
Blink is most annoying comment feature ever. I will force myself to have a seizure and sue Denton for allowing its implementation. Sleepyhead, your avatar is just way too classy for such shenanigans.
CrankYank
Tacobelle
Posted 11:56 AM 1/7/08
Here's what I am working on.
Nemo is flying solo and having a gay-ole-time.
Jaws gets cosmetic dental work before dumping Nemo for a bigger fish.
They had so much in common. Jaws, eyes wide open, while the little swimmer himself could be seen sheepishly surrendering himself, ( along with his credibility, bankability, integrity, et.al.) for days in her blow hole. ----Those barnicles are here to stay, babycakes.
Nemo, who continues to explore his sexuality, was seen dancing to "It's Raining Men" at Oil Can Harry's in France.
on the back burner......
The Olson's Split a Fry. that's gonna be a trilogy.
Tacobelle