Box Office: 'Toy Story 4' Wins Battle Of The Toys With $238M Worldwide

1. Toy Story 4 (review)- $118M
To nobody's surprise, Pixar's Toy Story 4 beat a weak crop of new releases to win the weekend with $118M. That's a solid number but far from analyst, and even Disney's, projects of nearly $150M. That said, it surpasses the (unadjusted) numbers for Toy Story 3 which opened with $110M. And so far Woody, Buzz, and the gang have earned $238M worldwide, so nobody's complaining, I'm sure. The reviews from press and audiences have been through the roof, with it currently sitting at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. I wasn't sure what the reaction to it was going to be. Sure, the reviews would be good but there was apprehension about another chapter to a franchise many think wrapped up perfectly nine years ago. The answer is that some people clearly stayed away, and maybe the strong word-of-mouth will lead to a good hold next week.
2. Child's Play (review)- $14M
There's still some life yet in the killer doll, Chucky. The Child's Play reboot, which I'm not sure anybody really wanted, managed to open with a decent $14M. For a $10M-budgeted redo of a long-running horror with a niche audience that's pretty good. That said, it's possible they showed up out of curiosity rather than genuine interest. The film stars Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry, but it's Mark Hamill as the incoming voice of Chucky that caught some attention. This franchise, perhaps more than any other, has a loyal fanbase who love the Brad Dourif version of the slasher doll. The original continuity is being maintained in a separate franchise, which makes this relaunch something of a curiosity. A modestly successful one, so far.
3. Aladdin- $12.2M/$287.5M
4. Men in Black: International- $10.7M/$52.6M
Taking the biggest hit from Toy Story 4's arrival was Men in Black: International, which fell 64% and made $10.7M. So far the sequel has $52M domestic and $182M worldwide.
5. The Secret Life of Pets 2- $10.2M/$117.5M
6. Rocketman- $5.6M/$77.3M
7. John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum- $4M/$156M
8. Godzilla: King of the Monsters- $3.7M/$102.3M
9. Dark Phoenix- $3.6M/$60.1M
10. Shaft- $3.5M/$15.9M

Also opening this week was Luc Besson's latest female assassin actioner, Anna (review) with just $3.53M. If you didn't know this was a thing, that's possibly the point. The film, which stars Russian supermodel Sasha Luss (who is quite good) as a junkie who becomes a KGB assassin, is similar to many of Besson's previous films, such as La Femme Nikita and Lucy. But there was little chance of it doing anything stateside, despite a cast that includes Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy, and Luke Evans. Besson has been the subject of controversy after a serious of sexual assault allegations emerged, and Lionsgate has done their best to hide the film ever since. They didn't bother to screen it for press, and promos have been nonexistent, so this weak debut is hardly shocking.

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Review: 'Anna', Luc Besson Keeps Trying To Recapture That 'La Femme Nikita' Magic

I so wanted to like Anna. Really. Luc Besson is among my favorite filmmakers, despite his weaknesses as a storyteller, cultural insensitivity, and fondness for casting supermodels who can't really act. Wait...maybe those are reasons why I like him?  He's been doing the same thing for so many years we're stunned when he does anything different. But Anna is not different. It's the same. The same as numerous hot chick assassin movies Besson has done in an attempt to recapture what he found with 1990's iconic La Femme Nikita, and then momentarily rediscovered with 2014's Lucy.

There is, of course, a visceral reaction to watching a sexy killer mow her way through a bunch of armed goons, always dudes, mind you. But it's fleeting if there isn't more the story grapples with. It's Besson's idea of female empowerment, I guess, although the way his camera leers on his muse du jour, in this case Russian supermodel Sasha Luss, it sticks much closer to objectification. Luss, who Besson discovered and gave a tiny role in his mega-blockbuster flop Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, plays the titular junkie whose analytical skills, calm under pressure, and outright desperation makes her the perfect KGB recruit. These things always start off with the woman in question being either a junkie or a whore, so they can be rescued and turned to a life of murder-for-hire, which seems like an upgrade from their previous predicament.

To the film's benefit, the tables have been turned a little in that Anna is stuck in a war between governmental spy agencies in 1990. Recruited by an intense KGB spook named Alex (Luke Evans), Anna is given a choice to either serve her country or go on living in squalor. She proceeds to slit her own wrists rather than make a choice, followed by a hilariously long-winded conversation while she bleeds out. He wins her over, eventually, and before long she's in Paris posing as a supermodel (stretch those wings!!) while working for a Russian assassin ring led by the cutthroat Olga, played by the great Helen Mirren styled to look like Linda Hunt with much the same ornery attitude.  Of course, this being a Besson film he has a certain dismissive idea of the CIA, led by a bored-looking Cillian Murphy (bored until he's in a tight space with Luss, that is, then he perks up), who show up and make Anna's life very complicated.

So Anna is another in a long line of statuesque beauties with pouty lips and deadly aim. And Anna does kill a lot of men, usually set to whatever track Besson thinks is appropriate for the era, although a murder set to INXS's "Need You Tonight" is a definite odd choice. However, if you want a dose of C&C Music Factory, you'll get it here. There's nothing here that keeps you gripped with suspense, no subtext, nothing. Frequent leaps in chronology to explain major plot twists may seem like a cool idea at first, until you realize it means nothing truly matters because of it. If it were used sparingly, that would be one thing, but quickly it becomes a narrative crutch that Besson leans on for the entire movie.

The action is standard and not up to par in today's John Wick/Atomic Blonde era. Besson hasn't improved on his techniques in the least, and I don't hold Luss responsible for the bland fight choreography. She's actually got a fair amount of charisma, athleticism, and isn't untalented as an actress. But this is a Besson script, and he has never been able to create another female superstar since Milla Jojovich back in the '90s. His lead females are all empty vessels, and sadly he only sees women as either seductresses or objects of desire. Mirren's character explicitly lays this out at one point, calling Anna "useful as a honeytrap" and nothing. It's like Besson is speaking through her. I would say Luss is deserving of better, and maybe in a future movie she'll get it. But if Besson comes calling proposing Anna 2: The Revenge, she should politely refuse.

Rating: 2 out of 5

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'Anna' Trailer: Luc Besson's New Female Assassin Flick Stars Russian Supermodel Sasha Luss

Few directors know female-led action flicks better than Luc Besson, with films such as The Professional, La Femme Nikita, Lucy, and Colombiana to his credit. Besson took a big gamble on the expensive sci-fi flick Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets which looked gorgeous but bombed at the box office. Hey, they can't all be The Fifth Element.  Perhaps in a bid to recapture the $463M magic of Lucy, Besson is back with the similar-looking and similarly-titled Anna.

In the past Besson has favored casting gorgeous European models of questionable acting ability to be eye candy. He did it all the time with the Transporter movies. For Anna he has cast Russian supermodel Sasha Luss in the title role, and she definitely looks the part of a sexy femme fatale. Doubtful she's actually called on to do much emoting, which makes it fortunate she's surrounded by a cast that includes Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, and Cillian Murphy.

I'll admit to being a sucker for Besson's take on the chick flick, and this is one I'll be there for with bells on. But it's hard to escape how old-fashioned this movie looks in today's culture, and I wouldn't be surprised if this gets crushed stateside but does well in France where Besson is revered. It doesn't help that Besson has been mired in sexual assault allegations, guaranteeing that even fewer women will want to pay for this.

Anna hits theaters on June 21st, when it faces Toy Story 4. Oof.

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Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, & Cillian Murphy Join Luc Besson's 'Anna' Cast

Luc Besson may be ready to forget the flop that was Valerian and move on to Lucy 2, but he's got a different action flick to get to first. At the same time as news of the Lucy sequel hit, we also learned of a $30M English-language film that was gearing up to shoot soon as part of Europacorp's new action/sci-fi mandate. And now we know the title will be Anna, and that it will reunite two castmembers from The Fate of the Furious.

Variety reports Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, and newcomer Sasha Luss will star in Anna, an action film produced by Besson's Europacorp and Lionsgate. Mirren played mama Shaw to Evans' Owen Shaw in The Fate of the Furious, and may do so again in future movies. The report isn't clear whether Besson will direct, but it's implied. That said, Besson is just as likely to simply oversee the project and hand it off to one of the stable of filmmakers under the Europacorp banner. 

Details on Anna remain a mystery but we know Luss will take on the title role.  The film is based on an original idea by Besson, who knows a thing or two about female-led action movies. Besides Lucy he also directed The Professional, La Femme Nikita, and The Fifth Element. The plan going forward is for Besson to have more creative control over Europacorp projects, although to be honest that has never been an issue. He either wrote or directed most of the company's biggest hits anyway, including Taken and The Transporter.

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Review: 'Anna' Starring Mark Strong and Taissa Farmiga

Whether he's a villain, like in that awesome "Brit bad guy" car commercial, or as the enigmatic hero, Mark Strong's grim determination is often the highlight of any film he's in. And the same holds true for Anna (formerly Mindscape), a mildly thrilling, decently twisty whodunnit that has the head games of Inception and the investigative spirit of Law & Order. It's only due to some lackluster, uninspired direction that the film never quite lives up to its considerable promise.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise the film never quite measures up as it was presented by none other than Jaume Collet-Serra, who showed such great potential with Orphan, another film about a teen who may or may not be a demented killer, but has since devolved into forgettable action flicks led by Liam Neeson. Collet-Serra delegated the directing duties on Anna to debut helmer Jorge Dorado, and his style is similarly unobtrusive and lacking in panache. A gripping, chaotic murder memory introduces us to John Washington (Strong), a telepathic detective with a ton of baggage and a low bank account who is tasked by his shady boss Sebastian (Brian Cox, always shady) to investigate the case of Anna (Taissa Farmiga, excellent), who has gone on a hunger strike to spite her wealthy parents. John is still dealing with the loss of his wife, but he needs the money and takes the gig expecting it to be easy. Get the girl to eat and the job is done. But he soon finds out there is more at stake than he bargained for, and coming out of his self-imposed exile may have been a mistake.

Anna's stepfather just wants her out of the house, while her mother is caring to a fault. As for Anna herself, she's a complicated mass of teen emotions. At once flirty, dangerous, brilliant, and sad, she seems to know things about John before he even says them. With the deaths of some old friends in her history, and a few dangerous acts against her parents, Anna knows the perception is that she's a psychopath. The question the film wants us to ponder is whether any of this is true, or if there is a wider conspiracy at foot? Is Anna playing everyone for fools by manipulating her own memories? Is she being set up, and if so by who? Her father? Sebastian? Or has John finally snapped under the telepathic burden? As he digs through her memories, John develops an affection for Anna that may not be the healthiest decision he could make. To be fair, Anna is immensely charming with a disarming wit that could be her deadliest weapon.

To Dorado's credit, he keeps the suspense and the mystery tightly wound for a good stretch, relying on the experience gained working under the likes of Guillermo Del Toro. He builds up tension nicely but ultimately falls prey to repetitive and convoluted flashbacks in which we meet other people in Anna's life, all of whom are underdeveloped and unimportant. Strong carries John's world-weariness like a sack of emotional bricks, while Farmiga is quickly reaching the level of her big sister, Vera.

Great performances aside, there's little about the film that carries much weight. The mentor/student relationship that develops between John and Anna is a strength, but gets lost in a messy jumble of genre cliches that are too nonsensical to be engrossing. It's indicative of the film's lack of ambition that such an imaginative premise is spent on what turns out to be just another decent crime movie when it could have been so much more.

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