The latest instalment of the Step Up franchise brings us a completely different storyline to the previous three films, with new characters and a new setting. The characters may be different, but they hope, dreams, and dance skills are similar to the characters we’ve already seen. The provide the basis for every part of the series though, so you expect nothing less.
Recently heralded as showcasing the world’s biggest flash mob in the opening sequence of a movie, Step Up 4: Miami Heat is quintessentially 2012: dub-step, iPads, and a rebellious mob spirit. It also makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, as ferocious choreography binds with bouncing low-riders and optically illusive street art to create an intoxicating mix. The opening sequence is an a clear pace-setter for the movie, which impressively manages to keep up that pace and then some for the duration.
Sunday’s box office estimates had Step Up Revolution, the PG-13 rated dance movie from Summit/Lionsgate, taking $5.3 million. The film actually grossed $5.9 million. The $600,000 difference was enough to propel it ahead of Universal’s
R-rated comedy.
as it turned out, did better at the box office than expected — $5.6 million rather than $5.5 million. But Step Up Revolution still beat it. Studio estimates, as frequently is the case, were generally pretty spot-on. Box office champ the Dark Knight Rises remained the No. 1 movie at the box office, with $35.73 million, rather than the $36.4 million that Warner Bros. had estimated on Sunday. But the estimate is awfully close.
