New Movies Feb. 28-Mar. 2: Liam Neeson and 'Son of God' Enter the Box Office Fray
by EGThis week's new movies aren't exactly like last week's new movies, but there are some notable similarities. Just like last week, there are only two new wide releases, and just like last week, one of those new movies is an action flick starring an actor who's well north of his 30s and the other tells a story from the ancient world.
The older guy hitting the screen this weekend is Liam Neeson, who stars in the airliner thriller "Non-Stop." In this one, Neeson is an air marshall who must stop a mysterious killer who is threatening—via text messages—to kill a bunch of passengers while the London-bound plane they're all on is in the air.
The old-time tale is "Son of God," a re-edit of the TV miniseries "The Bible." It focuses on the life of Jesus, and it includes some footage that didn't make into the TV version of the film.
"Non-Stop" is getting generally poor reviews, but with hold-over action movies "3 Days to Kill," "Pompeii" and "RoboCop" struggling at the box office, Neeson's entry might seem like an attractive new alternative. "Son of God" lacks the broad appeal of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" or even the upcoming "Noah," and likely only religious Christians will be drawn to it; it's unclear how big an audience that will be.