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I saw “Robots” on Friday and I liked it. It is fun!!

Weekend Box Office: Battle of Machines Against Men
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – 20th Century Fox and its Blue Sky Studios at one point might have been looking at a potential weekend blowout for the new animated feature “Robots.”
But then Buena Vista’s “The Pacifier” opened unexpectedly strong last week. Suddenly, with “Pacifier’s” second weekend claiming a share of the family audience, the “Robots” challenge just got tougher.
Hoping to establish itself as the next animation powerhouse a la Pixar Animation and DreamWorks, Blue Sky is out to prove that its 2000 hit “Ice Age” was not just a fluke. “Robots” — from “Ice Age” director Chris Wedge and with a voice cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams and Mel Brooks — has been well received so far by critics and fans, but it still could be hard-pressed to match “Ice Age’s” phenomenal $46 million opening.
Standing in its way is “The Pacifier,” which astonished boxoffice prognosticators with its $30 million bow. The Vin Diesel starrer is likely to drop to the $15 million-$17 million level, but that’s still a serious chunk of money that will be diverted from the “Robots” coffers.
As a result, the mechanically minded “Robots” — in which a young genius inventor sets off on a journey to meet his idol, the master inventor Bigweld — is likely to reap in the $30 million range for the three-day period. The PG-rated animated movie, which was made for $75 million, will bow in 3,776 theaters, with 58 of those being Imax.
RELEASING ‘HOSTAGE’
Miramax Films’ uncertain future is not precluding the specialty distributor from releasing films. This weekend, the company will bow the R-rated “Hostage,” which Miramax reportedly was shopping around last year when it was trying to trim the fat. The thriller promises audiences Bruce Willis in a role that summons up memories of his “Die Hard” films.
Willis plays a former hostage negotiator who is forced back into the game when his family is threatened. French helmer Florent Siri makes his English-language debut with the film, which is an adaptation of the Robert Crais novel. It will bow in 2,123 theaters and likely will generate an opening in the $10 million range.
Meanwhile, Newmarket Films and producer-director Mel Gibson are resurrecting “The Passion of the Christ,” with some edits that tone down its originally R-rated violence. Gibson and the distributor resubmitted the film, now billed as “The Passion Recut,” to MPAA’s ratings board with five to six minutes of cuts, hoping for a more family-friendly PG-13 rating. But when the board again rated it R, they decided to release it without a rating.
That could cause some confusion because “unrated” films generally signify content more violent than an R rating, and some theaters will be treating the film as if it had been rated R. The new cut will bow in 954 theaters and is likely to run through the March 27 Easter holiday. Last year, the film earned an extraordinary $370 million domestically.
‘ANGER’ LIMITED
In limited release, New Line Cinema will bow “The Upside of Anger” in nine theaters in Los Angeles and New York. The R-rated dramedy pairs Kevin Costner and Joan Allen and has been touted for its strong performances. Written and directed by Mike Binder, best known as the writer-director-star of HBO’s “The Mind of the Married Man,” the film centers on a suburban wife and her daughters who must deal with the sudden disappearance of their husband and father.
Fox Searchlight opens Danny Boyle’s “Millions” today. The “28 Days Later” and “Trainspotting” helmer changes gear this time by offering a feel-good movie revolving around two young boys who come across loot from a bank robbery and only have a week to spend it before the United Kingdom switches to the euro. The PG-rated film bows in five theaters in Los Angeles and New York.
Sony Pictures Classics will release “In My Country” on nine screens in Los Angeles and New York. Based on the novel “Country of My Skull,” the R-rated film deals with South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the 1990s. Directed by John Boorman, “Country” stars Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche.