Ron Livingston

It's 2 AM and you awake with a jerk, alone in your fully-lit apartment and still on the couch. On TV, the credits of some movie you've already seen a billion times are scrolling by. It feels like rock bottom. And we know, because we're just like you: single.

Need a movie to keep you company until you literally can't keep your eyes open? Join us tonight when we pass out to Office Space [starting @ 12:25 a.m. on 5 Star Max]

Why we'll try to stay up and watch it: Long before David Brent and Michael Scott made the office a place for awkwardness and embarrassment, there was 1999.  read more »

It seems like New York is in love with Goonies star Josh Brolin. He delivers Oscar-worthy performances in American Gangster (no. 1) and No Country for Old Men (no. 2), both of which sit atop the Manhattan box office chart. American Gangster captured the top spot with an impressive $50,000 per screen average in its second week, while the Coen brothers’ No Country, in limited release and playing at only 4 theaters, put up an eye-popping $79,000 per screen average. Hey, Josh, we may not control the Academy, but treat us nice and we can get you a Gotham Award. Yay!

But here on his own home turf, Jerry Seinfeld didn't do nearly as well. His Bee Movie (no. 3) may have captured the top spot on the country’s box office charts, but it slid down a spot here. The good news: it still managed to outgross its competition, Fred Claus (no. 5), in its first week. The Christmas-themed movie starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti posted a disappointing $14,000 average. But as executives at Warner Bros., who are distributing the movie, will tell anyone who’ll listen, releasing a Christmas movie in November is like running a marathon. It’s all about the slow build to Dec. 25.

Bad reviews and poor word-of-mouth doomed Lions for Lambs (no. 4), which did decent business here in the city, but failed to connect with a national audience, grossing close to $7 million on 2,200 screens. In the city, it’s per screen average equaled that of Bee Movie. Nationally, however, it’s per screen average was in the range of Dan in Real Life (no. 8), which was entering its third week.

Before the Devil Knows Your Dead (no. 6) expanded into a fourth theater, slowing its momentum slightly. It’s per screen average dipped $10,000 in the city, while its overall gross dropped five percent.

And an honorable mention to Holly, the Ron Livingston drama, which managed to gross $35,000 at one theater. It may not have made our top ten, but maybe we’ll see you next week!

List of theaters: Paris, Zeigfeld, Oprheum, East 85th St., 86th St. East, 84th St., Lincoln Plaza, 62nd and Broadway, Lincoln Square, Magic Johnson, 72nd St East, Cinemas 1, 2 &3rd Ave, 64th and 2nd , Imaginasian, Manhattan Twin, First and 62nd St., Angelika Film Center, Quad, IFC Center, Film Forum, Village East, Village Seven, Cinema Village, Union Square, Essex, Battery Park 11, Sunshine, 34th Street, Empire, E-Walk, Chelsea, 19th Street East, and Kips Bay.

Manhattan Weekend Box Office: How moviegoers in the multiplexes of middle America choose to spend their ten-spot is probably a big deal in Hollywood. But here in Manhattan, the hottest movies aren't always the ones making the big bucks nationwide. Using Nielsen numbers for Manhattan theaters alone and comparing them to the performance of the national weekend box office can tell you a lot about our Blue State sensibilities. Or nothing at all! Each Monday afternoon, we will bring you the results.

HOLLY
Running Time 114 minutes
Written by Guy Jacobson and Guy Moshe
Directed by Guy Moshe
Starring Ron Livingston and Thuy Nguyen

MUSIC WITHIN
Running Time 94 minutes
Written by Bret McKinney, Mark A. Olsen and Kelly Kennemer
Directed by Steven Sawalich
Starring Ron Livingston and Hector Elizondo  read more »

• Natalie Portman pretends she’s important and makes fantastically obvious picks for a charity CD. A Shins remix? No way!
• Nice guy/every-mid-20s-to-30s-something girl’s dreamboat Ron Livingston will break out of Office Space’s shadow and into more dramatic roles in his movies opening this weekend. Damn it feels good to be… Richard Pimentel?
• An interview with Owen Wilson conducted by his bud Wes Anderson will be posted on MySpace at midnight tonight. Synchronize your watches.
• Right afterward, you can see 80-year-old playwright Edward Albee discuss his new works on Channel 13 at 12:30 a.m. and get your culture fix for the weekend. Make sure you watch some dumb VH1 shows and drink a bottle of whiskey right afterward. Good night!