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Kim Hollis: American Hustle earned $12.4 million this weekend and has so far taken in $87.9 million. What do you think of this result? Where do you rank it amongst Oscar contenders?

Brett Ballard-Beach: It's a stellar start. Stick five sexy Oscar nominees and winners in a film from just about the (both) commercially hottest and most critically acclaimed American director of the last couple of years and watch people flock to a film they might otherwise have had no interest in. I don't even care what the plot is. The very idea of that cast in those outfits sounds ridiculously entertaining. I think Hustle has to be considered one of the five sure shot nominees for Best Picture (I would include Gravity and 12 Years a Slave among those as well) and with the buzz still burning red hot, and pleasing audiences and critics alike, it definitely has a shot at Best Picture.

Max Braden: I'm seeing a lot of advertising for it, it's the kind of movie that can pull in multiple demographics, and Lawrence is hot right now (and in the trailer). Surprisingly, I've seen some mediocre reviews, which I attribute to a recent David O. Russell review where he all but dismissed the importance of plot or story in favor of character. That's reducing my predictions on a significant number of awards for this movie. I can imagine some acting nominations, writing, cinematography, and maybe picture, but I'm feeling less and less confident that the movie will win a lot. That's a decent box office result though, so clearly audiences are responding to the trailers.

Edwin Davies: This is a very solid result for a film which I expect won't find much traction at the Oscars. I think it'll probably get a Best Picture nomination if they have 10 nominees, and it'll probably land some acting nominations, but I don't think it'll end up sweeping the board when put up against 12 Years a Slave. It's an entertainingly messy film, but its slapdash quality prevents it from being great. It also doesn't help that it's opening so close to The Wolf of Wall Street, which does a very similar thing considerably better, and I'd expect that one to be a much stronger contender come Oscar time.

Felix Quinonez: When Oscar nominees are announced, American Hustle will get an even bigger box office boost. I thought this movie was excellent and had really strong performances all around. I don't see it winning best picture but I'm very confident that it will get nominated in that category and I think it will win something in the acting categories. If anything, I think this might have actually stolen some of the buzz from The Wolf of Wall Street.

Matthew Huntley: The box office numbers for American Hustle are so superb, especially given its $40 million production budget and the idea that its critical acclaim all but guarantees it has a lot more juice in it (I think it's safe to say it will end up with at least $140 million in total, if not more, thus continuing David O. Russell's hot streak). With that said, the movie itself is not as superb as its numbers or reviews might indicate. Don't get me wrong - it's good, but not exactly great. It's mostly a traditional Hollywood con-artist drama, if there is such a thing, and it doesn't offer much in the way of surprises. It's basically a showcase for the actors to dress up and play colorful characters with eccentric idiosyncrasies (something the Academy goes gaga over). That's not to say it's not entertaining, but there were far more ambitious films in 2013 worthy of a Best Picture nomination. Right now, American Hustle just feels like a "safe" choice, which is probably why people are seeing it.

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