Two movies are in theaters this weekend starring pairs of extremely likable actors: Roland Emmerich’s action flick “White House Down,” with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, and Paul Feig’s female buddy cop comedy “The Heat,” with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.
There’s enough time in the stretch between Friday and Monday to fit them both in, but only one can be crowned as the box office winner come Sunday night.
So far, “White House Down” has pulled ahead of “The Heat,” bringing in $1.35 million at the box office on Thursday night. “The Heat” was right behind with $1 million in late night and midnight showings. Entertainment Weekly predicts that “The Heat” will soon carry the lead, bringing in around $44 million for its opening weekend, while “White House Down” is looking at an open of around $36 million.
Critical reaction has been equally divided, with neither movie emerging as the clearly better choice.
“White House Down” is another Roland Emmerich blow-it-all-up special, with Tatum portraying a police officer and wanna-be Secret Service agent who winds up protecting the POTUS (Jamie Foxx) when mercenaries attack the White House.
“Of all the dumb megabudget ‘Die Hard’–like action pictures of the last few years … this is both the most entertaining and the most inviting of viewers’ input,” New York magazine said.
