New Movie Releases July 31-Aug. 2: '2 Guns' Comes Out Blazing, 'The Smurfs 2' Aims to Amuse
by EG
For the just about the first time this summer, there are no new superheroes, aliens or monsters at the box office this weekend.
Only two new movies go into wide release this week, and they're a crime-action flick and an animated kids' movie. Those of you who have a craving for big-budget sci-fi adventure will have to wait until next week, when Matt Damon's "Elysium" debuts.
This week, though, you've got Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in "2 Guns," about narcotics agents working to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel. It can't really be called a buddy film, since the two characters can't stand each other, but you can be sure that they'll be fighting the bad guys side by side. "2 Guns" opens on Aug. 2.
The animated offering is "The Smurfs 2," a follow-up to the successful 2011 original film. This tale of little blue people dealing with an evil wizard who really hates them features the voices of Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Christina Ricci and Katy Perry. "The Smurfs 2" will try to loosen the hold of "Despicable Me 2" on the family-friendly box office, something "Turbo" failed to do a couple of weeks ago.
"The Smurfs 2" opens on Wednesday, July 31.
Notable films in limited release this week include "The Spectacular Now," a well-reviewed indie film about teen relationships, and "The Canyons," a not-well-reviewed thriller starring Lindsay Lohan and adult-film star James Deen.