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Max Braden: I agree with the CGI-overkill, but I think the two movies were appealing to different audiences. Land of the Lost was competing for audiences against Up (the number one movie of the weekend) and Night at the Museum 2 (number four at the box office). The Hangover was after the R-rated crowd.

Daron Aldridge: I must lean toward the affirmative on that, Kim. When the trailer delivers, it isn't too important who is starring. Specifically for this weekend's film, the ads I saw for Land of the Lost were woefully unfunny except for the sparse lines from Danny McBride. Honestly, Will Ferrell was funnier on Conan O'Brien's first Tonight Show than anything I saw in the Land of the Lost previews, which didn't bode well for the film. In contrast, The Hangover went a couple different directions with Mike Tyson essentially doing the Boogie Nights/Sister Christian scene to Phil Collins, and, most memorably in my mind, the "Where's Doug?" ads. Those ads made me want to see a movie that otherwise I could wait for DVD.

Reagen Sulewski: I thought it was interesting that Land of Lost started running radio ads that we're practically begging people to ignore their TV ads. "I'm Will Ferrell!" just doesn't cut it, and he's not Adam Sandler ca. 1999 where he could get his fans to see any old crap.

David Mumpower: Paul Blart: Mall Cop excepted, 2009 has been a strong year to date in terms of dreck performing like dreck and great-looking projects doing as well as they deserve, the horror genre notwithstanding. It's strange watching Will Ferrell come full circle here. He's an ugly guy who never should have become a leading man in the movie industry. Old School, an unheralded and sophomoric Todd Phillips film, was the film that made people see him in a different light and Elf sealed the deal on him as a comic force to be reckoned with in the industry. Now, he is the one acting in these instantly doomed projects that used to go to Robin Williams and Eddie Murphy. Meanwhile, Phillips himself has again taken a cast of virtual unknowns and created a jaw-droppingly successful title. 11 years ago, I wrote an entire column on why trailers are far and away the most important aspect of a film's success and nothing has changed in the interim. With comedies in particular, the names in the title matter so much less than whether the commercial makes people laugh. What was true of There's Something About Mary remains true for Land of the Lost and The Hangover today.

My Big Fat Greek Life in Ruins might have gotten more butts in seats

Kim Hollis: My Life in Ruins, Nia Vardalos's latest attempt to have a big fat Greek wedding, opened to $3.2 million with a per location average of $2,769. Is it accurate to say that we know exactly what her carryover audience is?

Josh Spiegel: Certainly, the amount of people interested in My Life in Ruins was low. I think that this film's performance is more indicative of one fact: My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a big, fat fluke. Nia Vardalos managed to capture lightning in a bottle with that 2002 indie comedy with some similar ingredients (if the critical thought is correct): sitcommy humor, broadly drawn characters, predictable storyline. The formula worked better then, obviously. Moreover, with the way pop culture works these days, having one successful film seven years ago seems like a lifetime has passed, not just a few years.

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