Box Office Breakdown: Hangover Hangs on for Another Win
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Remakes, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
This is one hangover that’s taking a while to recover from.
For the second week in a row, the must-see comedy of the summer has taken the top spot at the charts. The Hangover, which already had a greenlighted sequel prior to its debut, raked in another $32.7 million over the weekend. The film has now earned over $100 million and given Bradley Cooper his second #1 entry of the year. (His first was February’s He’s Just Not That Into You.)
Sitting in third place this week (right behind Up), was The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, a remake of a 1974 version starring starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw. The action thriller, which had Denzel Washington working with director Tony Scott for the fourth time, pulled in a respectable $23.3 million. Meanwhile, Imagine That, Eddie Murphy’s latest stinker, earned $5.5 million in wide release. That gross bests the premiere of Meet Dave by approximately $200,000.
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| Variety
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Box Office Breakdown: The Hangover Rises Above Up
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Religious, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Unlike most Mike Tyson fights, The Hangover‘s win was no knockout.
After a back-and-forth battle with Up, Todd Phillips’ film about an eventful bachelor party edged out the animated pic by less than $1 million. Hangover - which features no major stars (unless you count the boxer) - grossed nearly $45 million on its opening weekend. That’s the third best debut for an R-rated comedy ever. (Only Sex and the City and American Pie 2 have done better.)
Meanwhile, a project actually featuring an A-lister became the summer’s first stinker. Land of the Lost, starring Will Ferrell, Anna Friel and Danny McBride, earned a sad $18.8 million over the past three days. Although that amount was good enough for third place, the film cost an estimated $100 million to make.
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Read More | Yahoo! Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Disney/Pixar Flying High with Up
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
The word “Pixar” always seems to generate smiles, and that’s exactly what Up did for Disney.
Over the weekend, the Cannes Film Festival opener generated $68.1 million, over $40 million more than its nearest competitor. The movie - which was also offered in 3D - also bested last year’s Wall-E (by $5 million) and had Pixar’s 3rd-best debut. (The Incredibles opened to $70.5 million in 2004; Finding Nemo grossed $70.3 million in 2003.)
Friday’s other new wide release, Drag Me to Hell, scared up only $15.8 million for a 4th place finish. Although it originally looked as if the horror film would surpass Terminator Salvation, the final numbers were $8 million below Sunday’s projections.
Another noteworthy mention: Star Trek officially crossed the $200 million mark after only four weeks in release. The Paramount feature is now the first movie of the year to reach that achievement.
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Read More | Variety
Getting Into Character: Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Biopics, Drama, Casting, Upcoming Releases,
Hilary Swank‘s next film will have the Oscar-winner soaring out of the ring and into the air.
In Fox Searchlight’s Amelia, Swank plays famed aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. The pilot - along with a navigator - mysteriously vanished in 1937 after attempting a flight around the world.
The biopic, based on screenplay by Ronald Bass (Rain Man), also stars Richard Gere as publisher George Putnam (Amelia’s husband) and Ewan McGregor as Gene Vidal (Earhart’s lover).
Amelia, directed by Mira Nair (Vanity Fair), is scheduled for an October 23 release.
Read More | People
Box Office Breakdown: Ben Stiller Defeats Christian Bale
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Religious, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Was it a result of Christian Bale’s rant? The presence of that other science fiction movie? Or the lack of family-friendly fare?
When the dust from the weekend settled, a surprising entry emerged as the winner. Despite the country’s current love for action sequels/prequels, a much calmer feature - Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - was the choice for entertainment this holiday. Ben Stiller’s comedy follow-up raked in $70 million giving the actor his best live-action debut ever. Smithsonian also became the best PG-rated opener for Memorial Day.
Museum‘s victory meant a disappointing 2nd place finish for Terminator Salvation. Although the saga’s fourth installment earned more than T3‘s debut, its $51.9 million gross ($65.3 million since Thursday) put it nowhere near the estimated $200 million budget. The numbers did give director McG, though, his best premiere since 2000’s Charlie’s Angels.
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Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Narrow Victory for Angels & Demons
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Angels & Demons was never as popular as The Da Vinci Code...and its big screen numbers reflected that.
Despite huge success with the overseas box office this weekend (the movie had the 10th best international open ever), the latest Ron Howard/Tom Hanks collaboration barely struck gold domestically. Over the last three days, Angels grossed $46.2 million—just enough for first place. Unfortunately, the Dan Brown adaptation only earned $3 million more than last week’s champ and over $30 million less than the previous installment.
Star Trek, in the meantime, continued on its warp speed pace. The second place finisher pulled in another $43 million and put itself within $3 million of Wolverine‘s overall total. (The Hugh Jackman film, this week’s #3, had a 7-day head start on the sci fi adventure.)
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Read More | Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: May 15, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, Sony, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Angels & Demons (PG-13): starring Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor (directed by Ron Howard)
- 99* (NR): starring Kunal Khemu, Boman Irani, Soha Ali Khan (directed by Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK)
- Anaglyph Tom (Tom with the Puffy Cheeks)* (NR): (directed by Ken Jacobs)
- Big Man Japan* (PG-13): starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Ryunosuke Kamiki (directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto)
- The Big Shot-Caller* (NR): starring Marlene Rhein, Robert Costanzo, David Rhein (directed by Marlene Rhein)
- The Brothers Bloom* (PG-13): starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz (directed by Rian Johnson)
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Getting Into Character: George Clooney in Men Who Stare at Goats
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Adaptation, Drama, Casting,
Keep in mind, this mustachioed guy has twice been named People’s “Sexiest Man Alive”...
In Men Who Stare at Goats, George Clooney plans Lyn Cassidy, a soldier in the Iraq War. The film’s co-producer stars opposite Ewan McGregor, a reporter who learns about a secret army unit comprised of psychic soldiers through George.
Goats - an adaptation of Jon Ronson’s 2004 non-fiction book - also features Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.
Read More | Just Jared
Casting Corner: Ewan McGregor, Amanda Seyfried, Jeff Daniels and More
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Adaptation, Drama, Independent, Period, Romance, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:
Ewan McGregor: The Deception actor is just one of several high-profile stars currently on board for The Men Who Stare at Goats, a movie being co-produced by George Clooney. McGregor plays a reporter who meets a soldier (Clooney) during the Iraq War. Through George, Ewan learns about secret army unit comprised of psychic soldiers. The movie, which is an adaptation of Jon Ronson’s book, also stars features Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.
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Musical Movies That Made Us Sing
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Adaptation, Classics, Family, Music, Musicals,
The High School Musical 3 trailer is out, Disney’s Camp Rock enjoyed a successful debut, and musical movies are becoming Hollywood mainstream again. But this is by no means a new or cutting-edge movie genre.
The Hollywood musical celebrated its heyday in the 1960s, when all the biggest stars were singing and dancing as well as acting. But as years passed, they began to fall by the wayside, cropping up irregularly in-between standard comedies and dramas. New projects, like the remake of My Fair Lady that I’ve already summarily rejected, are in the till…and there’s no doubt more new musical movies to come.
But before we accept these newcomers, let’s take the time to give a bow to the old. What are the Best 5 Musical Movies of all time, in one humble blogger’s opinion? I’m so glad you asked, because it just so happens I’ve prepared a list.
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