On Easter weekend the animated hit Rio managed to hold on to its number one perch for a second weekend in a row with an estimated $26.8 million.  The padding between Fox’s birds and the Tyler Perry’s bawd was pretty slim, however.  In second place Madea’s Big Happy Family was right behind Rio with an estimated $25.8 million.

On Friday we told you that Jackass 3D had secured fall’s single-day debut record with over $21 million and that the sequel seemed destined to become one of the season’s all-time weekend champs with a projection of over $40 million. Turns out that the Jackass boys were destined for bigger things. With an estimated $50 million from 3,081 locations, the third installment in the franchise now holds both the October and the all-time fall weekend record – eclipsing Scary Movie 3’s $48.1 million set in 2003.

Two new releases hit theatres on this, the penultimate weekend of summer. A refreshing change from the FIVE films we were handed one week ago. Both The Last Exorcism and Takers performed above expectations – earning an estimated $21.3 million and $21 million, respectively. Though, overall, theatre attendance was down by 2009 standards. And what of that Special Edition of Avatar? It just missed the top ten with an estimated $4 million. January was a long time ago…

The action genre has mutated quite a bit over the last couple years, as we have few figures like Sylvester Stallone in the recent generation of actors. Vin Diesel seems more like a right place right time guy than an actual star, and actual stars like Tom Cruise in Knight and Day no longer seem to excite the masses. Of course there are exceptions: The Bourne Identity fits more in the classic mold, but does anyone think of Matt Damon in the same category as Arnold Schwarzenegger, or – for that matter – Charles Bronson? In 2010, we’ve seen a number of straight action films, but few have connected with the mainstream, and the actors who look like they might be the next star of those sorts of movies don’t connect. Liam Neeson or Bradley Cooper in The A-Team, and Angelina Jolie Salt have had so-so grosses, while The Losers got lost in April. But Jeffrey Dean Morgan seems built for the genre. Weathered but capable, bemused, Morgan has both the physicality and personality to be an action star, and he gets to play off of Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, and Chris Evans in a classic “Men on a Mission” narrative. Sadly, The Losers isn’t the film that did that for him and my review of the Blu-ray follows after the jump.

The reign of the weak box office came to an end this weekend with the debut of two much-hyped 1980s reboots: The Karate Kid and The A-Team. Early projections had the two titles in a tight race but, instead, the kid easily fly-kicked his way into first place with more than double what the team took in.

After seeing just one still of the movie in a trade paper, and then being sent the finished film, producer Joel Silver thought it was so effective that he ended up acquiring the rights to the horror feature Splice. Although he was always open to the possibility, acquiring an already-finished product was something he had never done before, under his Dark Castle banner.

While at the press day for the disturbing thriller, which stars Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody, the prolific producer also discussed a long list of other projects that he currently has in various stages, including Unknown White Male, The Apparition, The Factory and Project X.  He also talked about the disappointing box office for The Losers, his hopes to get Logan’s Run and Forbidden Planet into production, what’s holding up Swamp Thing and his thoughts on 3-D, as well as confirming that he is no longer working with The Wachowskis. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

You know it’s a slow weekend when both wide-release debuts fail to break $13 million. The under performance of The Back-Up Plan and The Losers left room enough for How to Train Your Dragon to take number one with $15 million – the lowest grossing weekend for a top-ranked movie so far this year. It’s doubtful that CBS Films will find a way to doctor those Back-Up Plan numbers by Monday so maybe, just maybe, the slow-to-start 3D Dragon will get to stay on top?

Two films that got bounced around on their respective distributor’s release schedules finally debuted this Friday. What a shocker that neither one exactly set the box office on fire! The “hilarious” invitro-fertilization comedy The Back-Up Plan gets to take Friday bragging rights for CBS Films with $4.2 million from 3,280 locations (though that total is nothing to brag about). WB’s comic-adaptation The Losers is off to a disappointing start at number four with just $3.2 million from 2,936 dates. By Sunday, however, both new films will likely be trumped by the fifth (!) weekend of How to Train Your Dragon. Last weekend Dragon had its weekend crown stripped by the Thursday-enhanced figures of Kick-Ass. Lionsgate’s longed-for PR boost never materialized, however, and the ass-kicking is now down over 62% entering week two. What weird twist will make this weekend confusing at the box office?  Check back tomorrow to find out.

In a chat with Screenstar the former Human Torch, Chris Evans, broke down his thoughts on starring as the Sentinel of Liberty. From what I gathered after digesting the interview, Evans seems genuinely humbled by the opportunity to tackle such a high profile project. Going through Evans catalogue of films, he’s played the smarmy/ smart ass/ jock type multiple times (see:  Not Another Teen Movie, either of the Fantastic Four movies and the upcoming movies The Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World). Though in both Street Kings and Sunshine Evans hit audiences with cool confidence that will lend itself well when he dawns the iconic Captain America garb. Hit the jump for Evans thoughts on playing The First Avenger: Captain America:

Usually, I like to take my time in writing a movie review so I can let the film simmer for a bit and give it a bit of thought.  I had to rush home to write this review of The Losers because I started forgetting the movie almost as soon as I left the theater.  That’s the film’s intent: easily digestible entertainment.  It’s a cookie-cutter action film filled with explosions, wise-cracks, and hot sex between the male and female lead.  Thanks to the individual performances of the cast, The Losers rarely feels soulless, but due to the lack of chemistry between the actors, The Losers also never comes together to make a more lasting impression.

As most of you know, I’m a big fan of Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to interview the actor on a number of different occasions.  From the red carpet of the Watchmen premiere, to this year’s WonderCon, to an extended interview on the set of The Losers and Watchmen, and even a roundtable interview for P.S. I Love You.   The past few years have seen Morgan talk with us a lot.  Normally, talking with the same actor so many times might be an issue, but never with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  He’s always incredibly nice and giving with his time.

Anyway, last week I got to sit down with Morgan for an extended video interview.  We talked about making The Losers, I asked some reader submitted Twitter questions, what’s his thoughts on Supernatural and would he go back, and we talked future projects like Red Dawn, The Fields, Heart Shaped Box (which Joel Silver and Akiva Goldsman are developing) and Unblinking Eye.  If you’re a fan of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, you’ll love the interview.  Hit the jump to check it out:

Opening April 23rd is director Sylvain White’s The Losers, which stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoë Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada, and Jason Patric.  Here’s the synopsis:

Members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit are sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team-Clay, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar -find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they’re joined by the mysterious Aisha, a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max, a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.

If you’d like to get some free Losers swag, hit the jump to check out what we’re giving away.  Also, here’s some clips from The Losers and a ton of high resolution images.

If you’re a fan of David Fincher’s Zodiac, Peter Berg’s The Rundown, or are looking forward to either Sylvain White’s The Losers, Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot, or director Kevin Macdonald’s Murder Mystery, you’re going to really enjoy my interview with screenwriter James Vanderbilt.  That’s because earlier today, I got to sit down with the talented screenwriter for an extended interview that covered almost his entire IMDb profile.

We first started talking about The Losers, then we went to Zodiac.  From there I tried to ask about Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot, and then we got to a project he is writing for director Kevin Macdonald called Murder Mystery.  Finally, Vanderbilt talked about a project he is writing for himself to direct that takes place in the world of journalism, and then we covered how he writes and The Rundown.

Trust me, it’s a great interview.  Since it’s over 20 minutes, I’ve time indexed each question so you can decided what you want to hear us talk about.  Hit the jump to check it out.

Warner Bros. has released 7 clips from director Sylvain White’s The Losers, which stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoë Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada, and Jason Patric.  The clips feature all the actors as well as a lot of action.

I caught a screening the other day and the movie was better than I expected.   While it’s a tight 90 something minutes, all the actors have their moments and it’s got plenty of action and humor.  But while everyone was pretty good, Jason Patric was awesome as Max.  He plays the  guy who set up The Losers.  Another surprise…Chris Evans.  He’s steals a few scenes and had the theater laughing out loud.

Hit the jump for the clips.  The Losers gets released April 23.

Warner Bros. has released a 3 and a half minute sizzle reel from director Sylvain White’s The Losers – which stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoë Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada and Jason Patric.  The clip features all the actors as well as a lot of action.

I caught a press screening tonight of the film and it was better than I expected.   While the movie is a tight 90 something minutes, all the actors have their moments and it’s got plenty of action and humor.  But while everyone was pretty good, Jason Patric was awesome as Max.  He plays the  guy who set up The Losers.  Another surprise about the movie…Chris Evans.  He’s steals a scene or two and had the theater laughing out loud a few times.

Hit the jump for the sizzle reel.  The Losers gets released April 23.