R-rated indulgence didn’t spread galore at the movies, but in regards to fans of the hit (and now cancelled) HBO original series, Sex and the City 2 wasn’t a complete disaster. Sure, Sex and the City opened to $57 million atop the charts in summer 2008. The sequel has already lapped up $79 million worldwide and $37.1 million domestic on a budget of $100 million, half of Prince of Persia’s, which debuted to $37.8 million in front of Sex. The Bruckheimer-produced blockbuster managed better critical reviews than City did (Persia: 40% on Rotten Tomatoes; Sex: 16%) but couldn’t overcome sloppy marketing tactics. Read more on that in our review of the film.

Iron Man 2 fell 21.9% to #4 with $20.6 million, total of $279.2 million so far. Trailing behind was Robin Hood with $13.6 million.

Out of the top five-

• Acclaimed crime comedy Micmacs, from co-writer-director Jeane-Pierre Jeunet of Oscar-nominated Amélie fame, opened to $56,700 at four sites.
• Historical play Agora rung up $43,200 at two sites.

Here are the box office results according to studio estimates Monday-

1. 1. Shrek Forever After…$55.7 million
2. 2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time…$37.8 million
3. 3. Sex and the City 2…$37.1 million
4. 4. Iron Man 2…$20.6 million
5. 5. Robin Hood…$13.6 million
6. 6. Letters to Juliet…$7.3 million
7. 7. Just Wright…$2.7 million
8. 8. Date Night…$2.3 million
9. 9. MacGruber…$1.9 million
10. 10. How to Train Your Dragon…$1.5 million

Surprisingly enough Robin Hood had a slightly lesser stoop than Iron Man did. Ridley Scott’s period piece about the notorious medieval thief fell 48.1% after opening to $14.9 million less than the aforementioned summer epic. The movie made $18.7 million, a total of $66.1 million in ten days. Hear me out; I still say this is one that will soon be forgotten by most and left to die. Summit’s Letters to Juliet, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Amanda Seyfried, dove a steady 32.8% at #4 clutching $9.1 million. Total: $27.4 million on a budget that has yet to be officially released.

Fox Searchlight’s Just Wright tacked another $4.2 million to its ten-day haul of $14.6 million at 1,831 sites.

Out of the top five-

• Universal’s MacGruber was the biggest let-down, grossing a mere $4.1 million after summoning only seven-digit numbers all weekend. Nix It’s Pat and Stuart Saves His Family, Will Forte’s action spoof currently holds the lowest opening for an SNL sketch-to-screen adaptation. Couldn’t even top the last Lorne Michaels-produced comedy Baby Mama, which was released in April 2008, or Hot Rod’s measly $5.3 million debut. After premiering at the South by Southwest film festival a few months ago MacGruber was shining a 100% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. As of Friday it’s been demoted to 54% rotten. I wish I could have made it out this weekend and brought friends to see it. Despite everything that the movie has gone through it remains a must-see.

• Anarag Basu’s Kites played to #10 with $1 million at 208 sites.

• Soderbergh vets Brian Koppelman and David Levien saw Solitary Man, starring Michael Douglas and Jesse Eisenberg, to the beat of $89,000 at four areas.

• Racing Dreams, which I believe is being remade for the States crowd, drummed up $21,500 at 33 sites.

• Documentary After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United grossed $3,300 at one site.

Here are the box office results according to studio estimates Sunday-

1. 1. Shrek Forever After…$71.3 million
2. 2. Iron Man 2…$26.6 million
3. 3. Robin Hood…$14.9 million
4. 4. Letters to Juliet…$9.1 million
5. 5. Just Wright…$4.2 million
6. 6. MacGruber…$4.1 million
7. 7. Date Night…$2.8 million
8. 8. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)…$2.3 million
9. 9. How to Train Your Dragon…$1.9 million
10. 10. Kites…$1 million

How to Train Your Dragon

Storytelling alone Shrek has run its course. The offbeat humor and sharp wit that gave the first two films their zing have morphed into generic-enough animation that is too busy trying to fit all of its character on screen than it is in detailing character-driven aspects that made the original work so very well. Shrek the Third was a numbing abortion, and the last shot DreamWorks had at providing whatever amount of remaining magic the alternative fairytale had left. Shrek Forever After is by no means as wretched as its predecessor. The least I can say about this one is it at least knows what type of movie it wants to be and the straight line it intends on walking in. Though certain animated gems have indeed come from DreamWorks, they themselves being a refreshing flipside to Pixar’s melancholy, touching and funny as their work ethics may be. Over the Hedge, Kung Fu Panda, and Flushed Away ridiculed less-than-perfect worlds with real-life dilemmas but never meant to destroy them without first finding the humor in the wacky surrealism. Madagascar might be trailing away, but Shrek has long checked out by now. Originality is what DreamWorks thrives on, and what prevents their movies from becoming only numbers on the side of DVD cases to tattered visions torn apart by excessive greed.

This is being boasted as the “final chapter” in the series, apparently nixes prequels such as next year’s promised Puss in Boots spin-off. We’ve watched Shrek (Mike Myers) rescue a closeted ogre (Cameron Diaz) and make her his bride, befriend an obnoxious yet sweet-spirited Donkey (Eddie Murphy), cohort with the hot-blooded feline avenger Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), and have three beautiful children. Since Shrek 2 ended in 2004 he’s been living the life of an average suburban dad. Enough, so say he. Shrek isn’t satisfied rooted in his ways, as the flick’s execs obviously are. He freaks out at his kids’ birthday party, insults Fiona by wishing he’d never rescued her and further goes on to sign a contract by the villainous Rumpelstiltskin (voiced wonderfully by DreamWorks story head Walt Dohrn). He’s promised happiness once feared by village folk once again and thought of something other than a neutered house cat. Of course, Rumpelstiltskin didn’t reveal quite everything to Shrek. He’s erased the day of his birth from memory and now no one can remember exactly who he is. Fiona’s a Viking warrior who’s formed an underground resistance against new Far Far Away emperor and waiver source, among the force Brogan (Jon Hamm) and Gretched (Jane Lynch); Donkey is a pack mule fueled to service Rumpel’s minion witches; and Puss in Boots has turned into the bored cats he’s wooed with promises of high-flying thrills in movies past.

I can’t condone to Shrek Forever After as anything beyond killing weekend doldrums, but I guess I can’t close the case too quickly. People around me in the theater were hooting with laughter, leaving me dumbfounded. I saw most parents were with their kids and I certainly won’t put that bonding time down. It’s not like I was expecting Forever After to bring Shrek back to its original form. Most others were checking out MacGruber, Iron Man 2, or Robin Hood. Me, I just felt lost in a time and place that didn’t feel as epic as it used to. Shrek’s name may have meant something years ago; yes. Today it stands as nothing more than a marketable property where the actual picture it’s promoting only comes in secondary to the plastic Happy Meal toys kids will most likely encourage their parents to buy for them. Shrek Forever After, bombarding justified action and clever social commentary with tired one-liners and fart jokes, has become the same hackneyed corruption it had originally set out to put in its place. We haven’t outgrown Shrek. Shrek’s just outgrown us.

SKIP IT.

Shrek Forever After has been rumored for a while now. Although USA Today on Tuesday released some further detailed information about DreamWorks Animation’s film. First of all, this Shrek will be the first one in 3-D, a given for most animated movies nowadays. Second, the first official trailer for the comedy, which is being released May 21^st, will debut before the highly-awaited Avatar on December 18^th. Whoa! Those previews are only reserved for the biggest of movies! I’ll let you read the plot for yourself:

After rescuing a princess, getting hitched and fathering triplets, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated. “He has lost his roar,” says director Mike Mitchell. “It used to send villagers running away in terror. Now they run to him and ask him to sign their pitchforks and torches.”

Wait…Mike Mitchell is directing? If you remember Mitchell, he’s the creature who spawned Surviving Christmas, Sky High and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. However he was a creative consultant on Kung Fu Panda, an actor in Monsters vs. Aliens and a producer on 2011’s Tortoise and the Hare. I suppose he’s just one of those people who think that if he spends time on an animated movie, he’s good enough to be a director. So could Shrek 4 be a combination of the poop humor in Surviving Christmas and the crude un-funniness of Deuce Bigalow?

The usual cast of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and Cameron Diaz return to voice, in addition to Kathy Griffin and Flight of the Conchords‘ Kristin Schaal as witches who hunt ogres; Walt Dohrn is the “vile schemer” (not Paul McCartney as previously rumored); and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm is the leader of an “underground resistance group.”

Hey, if it’s got someone from Mad Men in it, it’s worth checking out. Hopefully Shrek Forever After will have the quirky charm that the first two Shrek films did, and not the star-powered yet story-less mess that was Shrek the Third. These characters and this idea is so fun and refreshing, but could Shrek Forever After be just one Shrek too many?