Salt Earns $36 mil + Jolie Premieres Film in Moscow, Sans Spies

By Jason Apuzzo. The new Angelina Jolie anti-communist thriller Salt, which we loved here at LFM, took in $36 million at the domestic box office over the weekend.  That was a strong opening for the film – strong enough that producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura is already dropping hints in Hollywood Reporter today about the potential of a sequel.

This is why LFM readers need to go see this film, and continue to spread the word about it – because if we get a franchise out if this, what we’re going to get is … SPOILER ALERT … Angelina Jolie stalking the land, eradicating communists from our midst.  And we want that, right?  … END OF SPOILERS.

Salt finished second at the box office this past weekend to Inception, as Christopher Nolan’s fanboy-zombie army continues to show up in droves to that film, eager to have their brains scrambled.  It’s worth mentioning, however, that Salt is on fewer screens, and – depending on whom you believe – its budget may only have been half of Inception‘s.  And, of course, we know how the critics have been (for the most part) carrying Nolan’s water for him.

Meanwhile, the big news is that Jolie premiered the film in Moscow on Sunday, and the Russians went wild.  Here’s Reuters:

Clad in a floor-length Versace gown she described as “Russian Red”, Jolie blew kisses to thousands of fans who came to watch her play a suspected Russian double agent in the blockbuster, which opened at No. 2 in the U.S. at $36.5 million. “I think this film is positive for modern Russia,” a broadly smiling Jolie told Reuters television at her first ever premiere in Moscow. Earlier, she took four of her six children to see the gold onion domes and iconic red walls of the Kremlin.

“As much as there are bad guys that are Russian, there are also heroes that are Russian in this film,” she said as her diamond stud earrings sparkled in the sunshine of Moscow’s record-setting heatwave … “It really makes me happy that we have returned to the theme of Russian spies in Hollywood films,” 23-year-old architect Alexander said after watching the film.

Good stuff.   “It really makes me happy that we have returned to the theme of Russian spies in Hollywood films.” Don’t you love how eager these guys are to re-start the Cold War?  To all my Russian friends (and I do have them, including someone who worked in The Kremlin): we miss you guys too!  The Cold War was such fun, especially compared to today.  Hugs and kisses.

Watch Jolie work the crowd below at the Moscow premiere.  They obviously ate it up.

If you haven’t seen the film, it should be pointed out that Salt makes a strong and obvious differentiation between the retro-communist bad guys who are the villains of the film, and those forces within modern Russia who are trying to achieve a reconciliation with the West.  That’s why the Russians are undoubtedly so eager to embrace this film – because it sort of allows everyone to have their cake and eat it, too.  The Russians get to look cool and villainous and relevant again, while at the same time the genuine changes in Russian society that have taken place since the communist collapse are fully acknowledged.

Here’s more about the Moscow premiere, from today’s New York Daily News:

“Angelina, Angelina” chants and clapping filled the air as Jolie, who plays a CIA officer accused of being a Russian sleeper-spook, signed autographs, posed for the cameras and kissed one little girl on the cheek at the Oktyabrskiy theater … Jolie had the Russians cheering at “Spasibo,” charming the audience with her Russian during the film’s introduction.  Her “Dobriy Vecher!” – Russian for Good Evening – greeting was met with screams and whistles.

“This is my first premier in Moscow and I’m so excited to be here,” she said switching into English. “I hope you enjoy the film. I tried to speak a bit of Russian. I hope I did okay.”  Once the projectors started rolling, the audience cheered and clapped for any references to Russia and with particular zest for a scene where a fur hat clad Jolie rides the Staten Island Ferry.

Yes, Jolie wearing the fur hat was a great scene in the film, as I mentioned in my review.  And actually, I would’ve like a lot more of that sort of thing from the film.  One of the few problems I had with the film is that you never see her in a great outfit like the one below.  Why couldn’t they put her in a red dress?  The film cries out for it.

Meanwhile, rumor has it that Jolie tried to arrange for Russian spy Anna Chapman to be at the Moscow premiere (Sony claims to know nothing about it).  I don’t know whether I believe this rumor – but it’s fun to think about, isn’t it?  In any case, Chapman didn’t show.  [Or did she … perhaps in disguise?]

Jolie’s considerable publicity efforts for Salt, by the way – which have already included trips to Comic-Con and Moscow (within a few days of each other) – are leading industry wags to say that she’s definitely earning her $20 million paycheck for this film.  Is this good for women – as we’ve been asking a lot here at LFM?  Yes, I tend to think it is.  Jolie is launching a major international film in multiple markets, and proving that women can do that if given half the chance.  And she’s probably creating more good will for us in Russia right now than Obama is, although that probably isn’t hard.

Word also comes in The New York Times today that a new, unauthorized biography of Jolie by Andrew Morton will be out soon,  featuring details of her complex, strained relationship with her father Jon Voight – a relationship which Morton considers to be the source of her curious, ambivalent behavior toward men.

I’ll leave that subject to the psychoanalysts and/or the female readers of our site; all I’ll say is that Salt‘s a colorful, refreshing (for being so politically incorrect) film – powered by an engaging star performance – and we’ll be keeping an eye on it here at LFM.  Make sure you see it so we can ensure that more films like it are made in the future.

Posted on July 26th, 2010 at 1:23pm.