New Movies Jan. 17-19: 'Jack Ryan' and Ice Cube Hit Theaters

Last weekend, the box office belonged to "Lone Survivor," but now that the dust has settled, can Mark Wahlberg's ultra-patriotic war movie win the battle against a bountiful crop of new movies this weekend? Chris Pine and Ice Cube hope not.

The most direct competitor for "Lone Survivor"'s action-hungry heartland audience will be "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," an action thriller based on the popular character created by Tom Clancy. In four previous films featuring the character, Ryan has been portrayed by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck. This time around he's played by Chris Pine, who has most recently inhabited the role of Capt. James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" films.

Also new this week is "Ride Along," a police buddy comedy featuring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. Mr. Cube plays a gruff police officer, and Hart plays his annoying tag-along brother-in-law. Critics hate the film, but critical approval is never all that important for a movie like this one.

Families finally have a new alternative to "Frozen" this weekend, as "The Nut Job," an animated buddy film about a squirrel and a rat, opens in wide release. Critics like this one even less than "Ride Along," but it's the only new kid-friendly game in town.

The final new wide release is "Devil's Due," a horror film that borrows ideas from a long list of fright flicks including "Rosemary's Baby," "The Conjuring," and "Pararnormal Activity." Critics aren't crazy about this one, either.