Movie Ace: Puss in Boots' on Top of Its Game
Despite a major storm that hit the U.S. this weekend, viewers just could not be stopped in watching "Puss in Boots." Reaping a cool $34 million in the combined American and Canadian market, "Puss in Boots" proves that it hasn't lost its feline swagger to the anticipated front runner, "Paranormal Activity 3."
So much so that the former outranked the latter by a sweeping $15 million in ticket sales. A funny twist in events is that both films are from the same studio, Paramount Pictures.
The smooth feline protagonist voiced by Antonio Banderas is a spin off from the similarly popular "Shrek" franchise. Audiences are treated to more of Puss' adventures when he, as well as some new friends, saves a village from imminent destruction. The voices of Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis and Billy Bob Thornton are featured as various memorable characters in the movie.
Prior to this, Paramount also released another well-loved animated film ("Kung Fu Panda 2") to glowing but underwhelming reviews.
"It's just a more competitive marketplace for animation. So, the titles still continue to perform well, but they are clearly not as strong as perhaps some of the earlier franchises they had," Paul T. Sweeney, a media analyst at Bloomberg has been reported as stating.
All in all, this cat's performance has been nothing short of spectacular. Previously conceived as a secondary character next to Donkey and Shrek, Puss has carved a name for himself in the animation race. To be sure we will see action figures, bath towels, sheets, lunch boxes and school bags with this unusual swordsman's image for the rest of the year. But that's just a testament of how marketable this character is.
"Pray for mercy from Puss in Boots," he is famous for saying. Indeed, pandas, ogres and dragons alike should pray that this film hasn't hustled them out of the limelight.