All right — shows how much I know. Buttressed by fond reviews, filmgoers put Jonah Hill’s and Channing Tatum’s spoof of “21 Jump Street” at the top of the box office heap this weekend. Nonetheless, overall receipts declined by 20 percent for the second, consecutive week. Total receipts for the weekend were $96 million for the top 12 grossing films.
As ever, via BoxOfficeMojo, here’s the weekend, by the numbers:
| 1 | N | 21 Jump Street | Sony | $35,000,000 | – | 3,121 | – | $11,214 | $35,000,000 | $42 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax | Uni. | $22,800,000 | -41.3% | 3,769 | +23 | $6,049 | $158,400,000 | $70 | 3 |
| 3 | 2 | John Carter | BV | $13,515,000 | -55.2% | 3,749 | – | $3,605 | $53,172,000 | $250 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 | Project X | WB | $4,005,000 | -64.1% | 2,922 | -133 | $1,371 | $48,131,000 | – | 3 |
| 5 | 6 | A Thousand Words | P/DW | $3,750,000 | -39.3% | 1,895 | +5 | $1,979 | $12,103,000 | $40 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | Act of Valor | Rela. | $3,678,000 | -47.4% | 2,765 | -186 | $1,330 | $62,398,000 | $12 | 4 |
| 7 | 7 | Safe House | Uni. | $2,800,000 | -41.7% | 1,920 | -224 | $1,458 | $120,200,000 | $85 | 6 |
| 8 | 10 | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | WB | $2,460,000 | -31.9% | 1,935 | -590 | $1,271 | $95,066,000 | $79 | 6 |
| 9 | N | Casa De Mi Padre | LGF | $2,200,000 | – | 382 | – | $5,759 | $2,200,000 | – | 1 |
| 10 | 9 | This Means War | Fox | $2,125,000 | -43.4% | 1,660 | -289 | $1,280 | $50,525,000 | $65 | 5 |
With the “Hunger Games” set to open this weekend, the New York Times looks at how studio execs built up “Must-See” fever for the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling YA series (hint: established property has something to do with it).
Here’s the nut graf:
“The art lies in allowing fans to feel as if they are discovering a film, but in truth Hollywood’s new promotional paradigm involves a digital hard sell in which little is left to chance — as becomes apparent in a rare step-by-step tour through the timetable and techniques used by Lionsgate to assure that “The Hunger Games” becomes a box office phenomenon when it opens on Friday.
While some studios have halted once-standard marketing steps like newspaper ads, Lionsgate used all the usual old-media tricks — giving away 80,000 posters, securing almost 50 magazine cover stories, advertising on 3,000 billboards and bus shelters.
But the campaign’s centerpiece has been a phased, yearlong digital effort built around the content platforms cherished by young audiences: near-constant use of Facebook and Twitter, a YouTube channel, a Tumblr blog, iPhone games and live Yahoo streaming from the premiere.”
Read the full story here.
The Cineaste's Lament. 
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