Teens are a pain in the butt at the movies. I'll be the first to admit this. As a theater manager, one of my non-described job requirements was babysitting. But this is a task that sounds easier than it is. For many kids that we would kick out of an auditorium, or have removed from the lobby or parking lot, we would have to deal with angry parents who don't like other people disciplining their sons and daughters. No father wants to hear that his 15-year-old daughter was involved in sexual activity in a movie theater, but if he holds it against the people who discovered her, or against the theater in general, then it's no longer worth the trouble and the complaints. At that point it becomes easier to just let the kids have a run of the place.

Unless you have a laid-out, documented policy against certain activities in your cinema, there exists a problem of how to handle situations. This is probably the reason that some theater chains are in fact making new rules and regulations in order to properly deal with teenagers, who tend to go to the movies just to have a place to hang out, whether they're inside or out. One chain in particular, Kerasotes Theatres, made headlines recently for its controversial ban on teens, who are no longer permitted at late-night shows on Fridays and Saturdays (they call it "Adult Friendly Shows"). Unless they are with a parent and have a special Kerasotes-issued ID card, kids 16 and younger can't attend movies showing after 9pm.

In spite of the casting uncertainty and production rumors surrounding Sin City 2, there doesn't appear to be a shortage of Frank Miller material headed to the big screen. The opening date of 300 is looming closer, and now IESB has posted the news of the latest Miller graphic novel to be chosen for a film adaptation. 300 producer Gianni Nunnari has confirmed that he is already planning his next project -- an adaptation of Miller's Ronin. Ronin is the story of a dishonored 13th century samurai existing in an apocalyptic New York packed with mutants, cannibals, and a reincarnated demon while on a quest for redemption. The story has a little bit of everything; Miller himself has described it as "a superhero, science fiction, samurai drama, urban nightmare, gothic romance."

On board to direct this delicate balance of a movie is the unlikely choice of Sylvian White, whose most memorable credit so far is the teen dance drama Stomp The Yard. In a recent interview with White about the project, he answered the question foremost in the mind of fans -- are they sticking to the original story? White admits that some cuts will be made, saying, "Ronin is very dense and very long, so of course we are going to have to streamline the story to fit it within a movie time frame. " Sin City definitely raised the bar when it comes to comic book films, so hopefully White can keep up.

It was a slow weekend at the box office, but the competition for B.O. champ was exciting nonetheless. A mere $300,000 separated the No. 1 and No. 2 films, while just half a mil stood between the No. 3 and No. 4 movies. Here is what I predicted the top five flicks would be this weekend ...

1. The Hitcher
2. Stomp the Yard
3. Night at the Museum
4. Dreamgirls
5. The Pursuit of Happyness

And the actual top five were ...

1. Stomp the Yard - $13.3 million
2. A Night at the Museum - $13.0 million
3. Dreamgirls - $8.7 million
4. The Hitcher - $8.2 million
5. The Pursuit of Happyness - $6.7 million

Get the full box office report here.

Although all of my picks were in the top five, my faith in scantily clad, shotgun-weilding heroines in horror flicks proved more lethal than picking up a deranged hitchhiker. 'The Hitcher,' the week's only new wide release and my pick for No. 1, earned just $8.2 million, good enough for a fourth place finish ahead of Will Smith's 'Pursuit of Happyness' ($6.7 million). Meanwhile, last week's box office victor, 'Stomp the Yard,' narrowly defeated Ben Stiller's blockbuster with very long legs, 'Night at the Museum,' which has now grossed a whopping $206 million. Rounding out the top five was 'Dreamgirls,' which saw its box-office take jump from $8.1 million last week to $8.7 million this week, most likely the result of its Best Picture win at last Monday's Golden Globes. Also of note this week was the strong performance of 'Pan's Labyrinth,' the mesmerizing adult fairy tale from Spanish director Guillermo del Toro. The film improved its box office 118% this week, grossing $4.7 million and catapulting it from 18th place last weekend to seventh place this weekend. The reason: It's just that good.

Of those of you who posted box-office picks, two predicted 'Stomp the Yard' would repeat as box-office champ, but no one guessed all five slots correctly. The high score this week goes to Liesse00 with 12 points. Congrats!

Name - This Week/Overall

1. Patricia - 7 points/135 points
2. zsxxx03 - 8/133
3. chrisnbn - 7/129
4. Mario/crzydcguy84 - 7/111
5. Bubba8193 - 7/ 95
6. Liesse00 - 12/85
7. Tangoeco - 7/80
8. Isaac/laraeruiz - 0/66
9. bostons leppard - 7/61
10. Evilone1414 - 7/26
11. MrPKI - 0/6
12. Lazy Bum - 0/9

    POST: What do you think of the box office results?

The teens were dying for something to sink their teeth into this weekend -- sick and tired of all the kids films and award contenders -- and so they rushed out to see Stomp the Yard, subsequently refusing Night at the Museum a fourth straight number one finish. You Got Served 2 (or, should I say, Stomp the Yard) took home a hefty $22 million, while Museum settled for second and $17.1 million. This is the third straight year (Glory Road in 2006 and Coach Carter in 2005) in which a black-themed film has opened number one on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

The Pursuit of Happyness ($9.1 million) remained in the hunt, finishing third, and the expansion of Dreamgirls ($8.1 million) to 1,907 theaters helped secure it fourth place. Freedom Writers and its $7.1 million rounded out the top five. It's my belief that marketing hurt the openings of both Alpha Dog ($6.1 million) and Primeval ($6 million). The former couldn't quite find a way to reach out to younger folks with its R rating, and the older crowd appeared to be interested in a little more substance with their drug-fueled entertainment. The latter, well, did not screen for critics -- which meant audiences had to go by those horrific TV spots that were in no way memorable enough to secure a load of ticket sales.

And, while France seems to be scarfing down Arthur and the Invisibles ($4.3 million), it's expansion to 2, 247 theaters still couldn't convince parents to skip another Night at the Museum.

Full numbers after the jump.

You think this weekend is light? Next Friday gives us only one new release: that remake of The Hitcher. But this weekend we get a festival-type indie, a giant croc fest and a foot-stompin' dance flick. Expanding from its platform release is Luc Besson's Arthur and the Invisibles, plus we also have a review of Verdict on Auschwitz, a documentary which opens today in NYC.

Alpha Dog (53 positive / 41 negative at RottenTomatoes.com)

Pro: "It's a piece of mainstream entertainment that doesn't require the viewer to disengage the brain to enjoy it." -- Jim Hemphill, Reel.com

Con: "For all of the credibility of the performances (or at least the teens), it all feels like recycled social commentary." -- Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Pro: "Director Nick Cassavetes has a blast with scenes of testosterone-fueled aggression (until it's time to repent), working the subwoofer in a way that'll surely boost DVD sales among boys with bedroom posters of Tony Montana." -- Rob Nelson, Village Voice

Con: "You know you're in trouble when a guy from *NSYNC is the best thing in a movie." -- MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher

Bonus! "A film that's a tad too long, too drawn-out and too over-the-top." -- Erik Davis, Cinematical

Primeval (Did not screen for press; currently has only a few reviews at RT.com, all negative)

Pro: N/A

Con: "The camera is jolted around so much that it's almost impossible to tell what's going on. That's okay for a movie trailer, but it becomes unwatchable for a full-length feature." -- Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

Pro: N/A

Con: "Those seeing this movie just for the crocodile might feel let down, and others might be surprised that the movie might have worked just as well or better without it." -- Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net

Bonus! [Pending; I'm seeing the movie later tonight.]

Stomp the Yard (15 positive / 41 negative at RT.com)

Pro: "By no means great drama, but if you don't feel like cheering half a dozen times, check yourself for low blood pressure." -- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Con: "Is it really so hard for filmmakers, and particularly screenwriters, to give us something new in the way of a story?" -- Claudia Puig, USA Today

Pro: "The dance sequences are so exciting, so captivating, so full of life, it's almost possible to forget you've seen this movie a hundred times before." -- Josh Rosenblatt, Austin Chronicle

Con: "A silly bit of teensploitation that presents a world in which there isn't a single problem imaginable that can't be solved by winning the big dance contest in the final reel." -- Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com

Bonus! "I don't think I would have liked Stomp the Yard half so much in an empty theater or on DVD; it's definitely a film to catch on a weekend night with a big crowd." -- Jette Kernion, Cinematical

The Review Roundup will be taking next Friday off, partially because it's Sundance season, but mainly because (like I said) The Hitcher is allllll we're getting next weekend.

If you live in Springfield, Illinois, you might have to wait until Sunday to see the new dance movie Stomp the Yard. Or you could simply avoid the cinemas operated by Kerasotes Theatres, which has postponed the movie for two days. Unfortunately for those who aren't able or willing to travel, the chain pretty much has a monopoly on the theater business of Springfield. Too bad, since it would be a good idea for people in the city to completely boycott Kerasotes after its CEO's racist assumptions.

Tony Kerasotes originally said that he wouldn't be showing the movie in any of his Springfield theatres, but pressure from the NAACP and members of the community made him change his decision to a two-day postponement. The reason for Kerasotes' first instinct to ban the movie was that he feared gang violence, which he denied had anything to do with race. Recently, at one of the Springfield Kerasotes Theatres, a fight broke out during a showing of Black Christmas, and one teenager was shot. Because most of those involved in that incident are not in custody, Kerasotes assumes a similar event could happen again.