It was the only game in town, so Oblivion’s first place finish this weekend didn’t come as a shock. Universal’s sci-fi release had a solid debut – earning an estimated $38.1 million from 3,783 locations, or just under what G.I. Joe: Retaliation managed three weeks back. Oblivion also topped its initial domestic projection of $35 million, though the real strength of the Tom Cruise vehicle is overseas.

This week on Blu-ray, director Ridley Scott’s Prometheus comes to home video packed with special features that delve deeper into the film’s questions, Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial finally comes to Blu-ray, and two Alfred Hitchcock classics get the HD treatment.  We’ve also got a couple of major titles that were released last week.  Briefly:

• Prometheus (Blu-ray/ DVD + Digital Copy) - $19.99 (50% off)
• Prometheus (Blu-ray 3D/ Blu-ray/ DVD/ Digital Copy) - $24.99 (50% off)
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Anniversary Edition (Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)  – $17.99 (49% off)
• Dial M for Murder [Blu-ray 3D] - $24.99 (31% off)
• Strangers on a Train  - $13.86 (31% off)
• Little Shop of Horrors: Director’s Cut - $23.99 (31% off)
• Raven  - $22.99 (43% off)
• Red Dawn - $9.99 (50% off)
• Rock of Ages (Blu-ray/DVD Combo+UltraViolet Digital Copy) - $22.99 (36% off)
• Cinderella (Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging) - $22.99 (43% off)
• Dark Shadows (Movie Only + UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] - $19.96 (33% off)

Hit the jump for all the details.

This weekend’s box office turned out to be pretty predictable. Brave, the thirteenth feature from fan-favorite Pixar studios, came out on top with an estimated $66.7 million from 4,127 locations. Easy to see that one coming. More of a question mark was Fox’s R-rated counter-programmer Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Many expected the film to crash in epic fashion; and while $16.5 million from 3,106 locations is not great, it is better than Rock of Ages and That’s My Boy managed last weekend so… yay?

This week on The Collision, we turn out attention to the topic of negative film criticism.  We explore Scott Jordan Harris‘ recent editorial railing against critics who have lost sight of actual critique in favor of snarky takedowns, and we consider Jay Rayner‘s piece about how readers love those take downs.  This leads to a discussion about the purpose of criticism, and I’m really proud of this conversation.  We also review Rock of Ages and That’s My Boy, and then provide our recommendations.

Click here to listen to the new episode of The Collision, click here for last week’s episode, and click here to add the podcast to your RSS.  Be sure to follow The Collision on Twitter for updates, and you can follow us on Twitter at @MattGoldberg, @AdamChitwood, and @DrClawMD (Dave Trumbore).  Hit the jump to check out the trailers for this week’s recommendations.

Not even close. For the second weekend in a row, DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is America’s number one attraction; down just 41% with an estimate of $35.5 million. Though down a much more substantial 60%, Fox’s Prometheus managed to hold on to second place thanks to two widely underperforming debuts. Those would be Rock of Ages and That’s My Boy which, even when combined, couldn’t come close to challenging for first place.

After one week of positive box office performance with the debuts of Madagascar 3 and Prometheus, things have gone back to bleak. That’s because each of this weekend’s new titles stumbled badly on their first day in theatres. Neither Rock of Ages, the PG-13 musical starring Tom Cruise, nor That’s My Boy, the R-rated comedy starring Adam Sandler, managed to shine: Rock of Ages earned an estimated $5.3 million from 3,470 locations while That’s My Boy took in just $4.6 million from 3,030. To illustrate how bad those numbers are for a summer movie, The Three Stooges earned more ($5.6 million) on its first Friday… in April. Granted, mid-June is not exactly a box office hot spot but even Mr. Popper’s Penguins managed a $6.3 million debut at this time last year. So, instead of the $25 to $30 million that these titles were aiming for, they will now be lucky to see their weekend totals rise above the mid-teens. Of course, this is great news for Madagascar 3, which will continue to hold the top spot on the weekend chart for a second week in a row.  Full details and analysis tomorrow.

In the feature film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages, small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and city boy Drew (Diego Boneta) meet on the Sunset Strip in 1987, in pursuit of their Hollywood dreams. With the hits of Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Twisted Sister and so many more, to help tell the story, their rock ‘n’ roll romance hits its fair share of speed bumps on the road to fame.

At the film’s press day, actress Malin Akerman, who plays a Rolling Stone reporter that catches the eye of rock god Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), talked about her love of ‘80s music, being a fan of ear licking, having Tom Cruise sing to her butt, trying not to crack up during takes, the weirdest experience she’s ever had with a journalist, and what she got to take home from the set. She also talked about how the Linda Lovelace movie she was set to do seems to currently be stalled, and that the next thing she’ll be doing is playing Debbie Harry in CBGB. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

In the feature film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages, small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and city boy Drew (Diego Boneta) meet on the Sunset Strip in 1987, in pursuit of their Hollywood dreams. With the hits of Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Twisted Sister and so many more, to help tell the story, their rock ‘n’ roll romance hits its fair share of speed bumps on the road to fame.

At the film’s press day, director Adam Shankman talked about why he wanted Tom Cruise to play rock god Stacee Jaxx in the film, Cruise’s initial reaction when he was approached with the idea, why he cut out the lap dance scene with Cruise and Julianne Hough, how Mary J. Blige came to be in the film (after the initial suggestion of Whitney Houston), the process of narrowing the songs down, and what the baboon was like to work with. He also talked about how Step Up: Revolution will be taking things to a whole new level, and that his next film will be This is Where I Leave You, based on the novel of the same name. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Music is the heart of any musical, and Rock of Ages has a stolen heart.  The movie is based on a Broadway show designed with tourists in mind rather than people who actually appreciate stage musicals.  It’s a show that plays to nostalgia and provides the comfort of classic tunes so the audience is basically pre-sold: if you like the music, then why wouldn’t you like this music delivery system upheld by the laziest story imaginable?  If a musical must rely on other people’s music rather than writing original songs, then the onus for originality falls on the direction.  Sadly, director Adam Shankman is hardly up for the task of finding a new spin on well-worn rock favorites, and he’s only able to sporadically bring vibrancy to the film adaptation’s almost non-stop barrage of numbers.

With director Adam Shankman’s (Hairspray) upcoming movie musical Rock of Ages opening this weekend, we’ve been provided with a lot of movie related swag to giveaway to some of our readers.  From the synopsis:

“Rock of Ages tells the story of small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and city boy Drew (Diego Boneta), who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.  Their rock ‘n’ roll romance is told through the heart-pounding hits of Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Twisted Sister and more.”

The film also stars Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Malin Akerman, Catherine Zeta-Jones , Mary J. Blige, and Bryan Cranston.  Hit the jump to see what we’ve giving away and how to enter.

In the feature film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages, small town girl Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and city boy Drew (Diego Boneta) meet on the Sunset Strip in 1987, in pursuit of their Hollywood dreams. With the hits of Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Twisted Sister and so many more, to help tell the story, their rock ‘n’ roll romance hits its fair share of speed bumps on the road to fame.  For more on the film, watch eight clips here.

At the film’s press day, co-stars Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta talked about what it was like for them when they each came to Hollywood, when they felt like their career was on the right track, what Tom Cruise was like as rock god Stacee Jaxx, how tough pole dancing can be, having some of the original rock stars perform for them on a lunch break, and the cut lap dance scene between Hough and Cruise that will make it on the DVD. Julianne also talked about focusing on her acting career and what she’s doing next, while Diego talked about his new MTV show Underemployed and the album he’s working on with Adam Levine (Maroon 5).  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

We’ve been provided with eight clips from director Adam Shankman’s (Hairspray) upcoming movie musical Rock of Ages to share with our readers.   The film stars Julianne Hough as a small-town girl with big dreams who falls for a rock star (Tom Cruise), but the film is packed with 80s songs from the likes of Journey, Foreigner, Styx, and REO Speedwagon.  Joining in on the 80s fun is Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand,Malin Akerman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Diego Boneta, Mary J. Blige, and Bryan Cranston.

Hit the jump to watch the clips.  If you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage, be sure to check out 20 things to know about the film and his interviews with Shankman, Boneta and Hough.  Rock of Ages opens on June 15^th.

Every so often, there is a story throughout the week that finds itself right on the cusp of Top 5 inclusion before ultimately missing the cut. For whatever reason, today I feel compelled to give one of these said stories an “Honorable Mention” tip of the cap. This write-up from a few days back regarding the chronology of Quentin Tarantino‘s filmography and how Inglorious Basterds influences the entire lineage of his “movieverse” is one that I found incredibly cool and definitely worth your time (even if we’re not bestowing upon it the career-validating honor of making the Top 5).

As for those stories that did make this week’s cut, we have a plethora of coverage from Steve’s visit to the set of The Dark Knight Rises, the first trailer, poster, and new images from Les Miserables, a new trailer for The Bourne Legacy, more set visit goodness for Rock of Ages, and the first installment of our movie poster lovefest column, Limited Paper. A brief recap and link to each awaits.

Tom Cruise is standing in the center of the stage.  He’s shirtless, wearing black jeans with long black hair and painted black nails.  His back has a huge bird like tattoo with longs wings that stretch from shoulder to shoulder.  Along his midsection and sides, he’s got a number of smaller tattoos.  In front of him are 1,500 screaming fans.  As the camera zooms in closer to the stage, the music starts and the crowd erupts in to cheers.  All of a sudden, I realize he’s singing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard, and he’s moving around the stage like he’s been there for years.  In only a few moments, I believe Tom Cruise is a rock star, and I’m completely sold on director Adam Shankman‘s Rock of Ages.

Let me back up a second.

As I type these words, it’s August 13, 2011 and I spent last night on  Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip in 1987.  However, since that’s filming on the real strip and dressing it up in 1987 culture would be beyond expensive and impractical for a huge movie, Warner Bros. recreated the strip on a few streets in Miami.  And based on what I got to see and hear last night, Rock of Ages looks like it’s absolutely captured the 80s in a really fun way.  Hit the jump for so much more.

Julianne Hough didn’t want to do another musical after Burlesque and Footloose, but when she heard director Adam Shankman was going to direct Rock of Ages and he’d already cast Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin, she said, “Alright.  Maybe I can do one more.”  In the upcoming musical that takes place in the late 80s, Hough plays Sherrie Christian, a small-town girl that wants to make it as an actress in Los Angeles.  The musical is full of hits from the decade, and also stars Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Malin Akerman, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Mary J. Blige.  For more on the film, here’s the recent trailer and all our previous coverage.

Last August, I got to visit the set when the production was shooting in Miami.  During a break in filming, I participated in a group interview with Hough, and she talked about landing the role, had she seen the Broadway musical, what it was like to give Tom Cruise a lap dance, the tone of the film, working with the stellar cast, singing with Mary J. Blige, the music, and so much more.  Hit the jump for what she had to say.