I will start of with a simple admission - I like Angelina Jolie, so perhaps I have a natural bias from the start.  

But, with that out of the way, I will objectively declare that the movie going public has just been introduced to the next great spy thriller series to make its way to the big screen.  While it's still early, Salt is off to a solid start with a $36.5M haul in its opening weekend.

Leading men have certainly dominated the spy genre:

James Bond:  Hard to believe that the series will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012 (Dr. No, with Sean Connery, was released in 1962). 

Mission Impossible:  As the series retools for its fourth installment in 2011, it is perhaps the box office champ, having garnered over $1.4B worldwide in it first three outings.

Jason Bourne:  My favorite of the bunch, who knew Matt Damon could play such a role so well.  Launched for the big screen in 2002, the Bourne Series is also prepping for its return to the big screen in 2012 with the expected release of The Bourne Legacy.  The first three movies of the series  (Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum), have generated nearly $1B in sales worldwide, and I will be on hand opening weekend to see this next installment. 

Now it's time for a leading lady to take a shot.  Having already proven that she can do action (think Tomb Raider) and the spy genre (think Mr and Mrs Smith), this time Angelina ditches her man (Brad Pitt) and takes the screen all for herself.  Without giving away the movie (or its great ending), it is clear that producers have a sequel in mind.  Until then....

 Subscribe to the Ignited USA Blog