When the top movie opening at the theaters this weekend stars Vin Diesel in a sci-fi thriller, you know the summer blockbuster season is over.

The overall box office actually went up last weekend 13% from the previous weekend to $124 million from $109 million. This was due in part to the holiday weekend, of course. We obviously do not have our fingers on the pulse of hip because we thought The Butler would stay atop the box office last weekend.  It pulled in a respectable $15.8 million Friday-Sunday but was bested by almost $1 million by the One Direction movie. Fans of The Butler flocked to the movie on the holiday, however, giving the movie and overall holiday weekend win by $1.8 million. As of today, Butler has pulled in $80 million (all domestic) on its $30 million budget. One Direction has already pulled in $33 million worldwide on its $10 million budget.

Back to this weekend.

Riddick

Here’s the description straight from IMDB:

“Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick’s past.”

The movie also stars veterans of the Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica franchises. Riddick is expected to make most of its $38 million budget back in the foreign markets because they love them some movies like this overseas.

The Ultimate Life

Need a movie that is going to inspire you to take on the world the minute you leave the theater? This one is your pick this weekend. It’s billed as a sequel AND a prequel to The Ultimate Gift from 2006. Both movies are based on the Jim Stovall series of books. There’s a quote from Dave Ramsey on the movie’s website urging people to get out and see this movie. Considering his cult following, I would assume a lot of folks will make tickets to this work in the budget. Here’s where to see the movie in the St. louis area this weekend. Did I mention Bill Cobbs is in it?

Still Playing

We’re The Millers has pulled in an impressive $114 million domestically in four weeks. Surprisingly, it’s raked in almost $40 million at the foreign box office. The $37 million budget has easily been covered. Catch this raunchy comedy at a variety of places around town.

Catch It While You Can

This Is The End pulled in $114 million over the summer and is winding down its box office run. . See it at Keller Plaza Cine 8 for only $3. Just remember to bring cash. It’s playing at 9:15 pm each night.

This may also be the last weekend to catch Man Of Steel in theaters.

Make It A Redbox Night

I’ve written about this movie before, but I had a conversation about it last night so I reckoned I should recommend it again. White House Down is way better than Olympus Has Fallen.

The Place Beyond The Pines came out this week on dvd. It stars Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta. It got good reviews, but only pulled in $21 million at the box office. If you’re making it a date night, this should be near the top of your list.

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