actually, Narnias doing so well because of the christian crowed. Sell outs of theaters STILL for different church groups.
Narnia was good, dont get me wrong...but it was LOTR lite. Less characters, less story, less violence and less time (both length of movie and character build up). Good for all ages.
Kong, IMO, actually did pull off all the aspects of cinema in the right ways...and i wasnt bored during that first hour. I enjoyed seeing the city, seeing how a town known for its exuberance would in turn be the town for "The 8th Wonder of the World" to romp around in. Yes there are lingering shots of the city, the views and even the ape...which i cant understand why people would complain. You just spent $6-11 to see a film, why have it be cut for the sake of the lowest common denominator. The length felt right.
As for the comment about people not seeing it due to the ending being known: TITANIC