Box Office Breakdown: Rambo Outgunned by Spartans
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Horror, Satire, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Although Sylvester Stallone was hoping to end the Rambo series on an up note, it appears the actor/writer/director will just have to settle for second place. Many had expected the fourth installment would come away with the weekend’s spoils, unfortunately the aging action hero was overpowered by a group of toga-clad warriors.
It should be said though that Meet the Spartans had an extremely narrow victory. The spoof of 2007’s 300 edged out the action flick by just $300,000. But a win is still a win, right? The satire also had the best per screen average of any movie in the Top Ten ($7104).
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Rambo Outgunned by Spartans
Variety
Advertisement
Box Office Breakdown: Cloverfield Attacks the Charts
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Books, Lists, New Releases,
Final numbers for the three-day weekend revealed what many had suspected: Cloverfield toppled New York and the competition. The strong numbers were a result of Paramount’s smart marketing. In addition to the eerie trailers, the film debuted in January - usually a fairly quiet month for decent films. Cloverfield’s $46 million take has already covered the movie’s budget (estimated at around $25 million). That dollar amount also earned the Matt Reeves flick the title for best MLK and January opener ever.
Although 27 Dresses raked in $20 million less than the horror flick, Katherine Heigl had nothing to cry about. Thanks to more strategic marketing - this time by Fox - the film was able to take advantage of those looking for something less dark. Dresses was originally scheduled to debut last week but was repositioned so it could open during the busy weekend.
Unfortunately, female focus on the romantic comedy didn’t help the female-filled Mad Money. The movie - co-starring Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes - cashed out in 8th place. This makes two disappointing debuts in a row for the Cruise Clan (the first being Tom’s Lions for Lambs). Let us not forget that Katie opted to do this film instead of the Batman sequel for her post-Tom movie return. Come to think of it, maybe it was for the best. I could just hear Tom telling us now that if he had known Heath was doing drugs, he would have cured Ledger himself.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Cloverfield Attacks the Charts
Yahoo! Movies
2008 Academy Award Nominations
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Miramax, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Warner Independant Films, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Independent, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Awards, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Lists,
The nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced bright and early Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Assuming the ceremony goes on as scheduled, you can see the live broadcast Sunday, February 24th on ABC.
Notable additions/omissions from today’s announcement:
- Based on the major categories alone, it looks like Michael Clayton may be the frontrunner. It received six nominations.
- Aside from one nod each in the Best Supporting Actor category, both Into the Wild and Charlie Wilson’s War were virtually shut out from the top prizes.
- Sweeney Todd - winner for Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes - was shut out for Best Picture. Johnny Depp’s nom was the only major accolade for the film.
- A much-deserving Amy Adams did not receive a nom nor did her film, Enchanted.
- Atonement - the movie with the most nominations at the Globes - only received 3 in the major areas. The two main stars (Knightley, McAvoy) were also shut out.
- Cate Blanchett earned two nominations this year (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
- Angelina Jolie was not recognized for her heartbreaking performance in A Mighty Heart.
- And last but not least, great news for (my personal) standouts this year: Ellen Page (Juno), Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises) and screenwriter Click to continue reading 2008 Academy Award Nominations
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Box Office Breakdown: The Bucket List Rises to the Top
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
After placing 23rd last week, The Bucket List - starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman - soared 22 spots to take the #1 spot this past weekend. It seems a simple case of addition was all that was needed to accomplish this feat. Up until now, the movie had only been playing in 16 theaters total; it expanded to nearly 3000 on Friday. Bucket’s impressive finish was not only a win for 70-year-olds everywhere, it was a win for director Rob Reiner. His biggest opener had been 1992’s A Few Good Men. (That film grossed $15.5 million.) Maybe Reiner should write Jack into all his films.
Debuting at #2 was the latest Ice Cube comedy. First Sunday, co-starring Tracy Morgan (30 Rock), earned an impressive $8000 per screen average. That was the best median performance for any movie in this week’s Top Ten. (There Will Be Blood, this week’s #17, averaged $14,421 over the past three days.)
Will this yesterday’s Golden Globes have any effect on Sweeney Todd’s financial future? After only 4 weeks in release, the dark feature dropped off the chart and landed at #12. Assuming theatergoers are still interested in watching potential Oscar nominees, I’m guessing the win for Best Comedy/Musical will give the movie a nice boost next weekend.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Bucket List Rises to the Top
Yahoo! Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Atonement Joins Juno in Top Ten
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
When the final numbers were tallied on Monday, something exciting happened at the top of the charts. After a very close race, Juno surpassed I Am Legend for the second place finish. (National Treasure was tops for its third week in a row.) Already in its fifth week, the comedic charmer continued its steady climb up the box office ladder. After gaining five spots last week, Juno rose another two spots this weekend. (A wider release contributed to this feat.) If the movie continues at its current pace, it is expected to be the most successful film from Fox Searchlight. Sideways grossed $71.5 million while last year’s darling, Little Miss Sunshine, earned $59.9 million.
Meanwhile, another praised film is slowly making an ascent in its fifth week. Atonement, starring ribby Keira Knightley and James McAvoy (the man who has replaced Ewan McGregor), made its first entry into the Top Ten. Although the Golden Globe-nominated drama is only being seen in about 1/6 of the theaters Treasure is in, Atonement had a per screen average of $8687. In comparison, the Nicolas Cage film only had a $5332 median.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Atonement Joins Juno in Top Ten
Yahoo! Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Juno Makes An Impressive Surge
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Come Wednesday morning, the box office chart saw very few changes at the top. That’s not to say the five-day holiday weekend didn’t have any notable moments at all:
- Strong word of mouth helped boost last week’s #10, Juno, up five whole spaces. The movie - already in it’s 4th week - continues to soar despite its fairly limited release. It’s $15,788 per screen average even topped National Treasure’s $14,232.
- Golden Globes buzz also contributed to the success of seven-time nominee Atonement. Although it only placed 14th overall, the romantic weeper scored a $15,764 average.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks outmuscled last week’s #2, I Am Legend. The family-friendly flick traded spots with the Will Smith blockbuster thanks to its $2.5 million edge.
- The Debaters narrowly missed a place in the Top Ten despite its connection to both Denzel Washington and Oprah. You heard it right - the talk show host’s touch does not always mean gold.
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story followed up its disappointing debut with another out of tune performance. The musical satire plummeted five spots all the way down to #13.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Juno Makes An Impressive Surge
Yahoo! Movies
Proposed New Year’s Resolutions for Movie Studio Executives
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Distribution, Filmmaking, Lists, Technology, Trailers, Upcoming Releases,
A quintessential holiday morsel:
‘Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la … la la la la
And there must be no shortage of jolliness for big-name film studios as we enter the last days of the year—2007 has been one of the most lucrative in film history. But after the holiday parties end, and the final box-office spreadsheets have been tucked under the pillow (or thrown on the fire), the time comes for rebirth and renewal. After all, the target demographic will be looking for something new, and the critics certainly weren’t impressed with much of this year’s fare. Perhaps everyone can be happy in 2008, as the medium returns to its glory days of content-rich, engaging filmmaking.
Alright, you people aren’t buyin’ it.
Click to continue reading Proposed New Year’s Resolutions for Movie Studio Executives
Box Office Breakdown: Book of Secrets a National Hit
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Satire, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
This holiday weekend introduced a slew of big-ticket features in our cineplexes. It also brought us a wide cast of former Oscar-winners competing for our theater dollars. By Monday, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Johnny Depp, Hilary Swank and Oscar-nominee John C. Reilly had all made entries into the Top Ten - but it was Nicolas Cage who wound up striking gold.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets earned $45 million, an increase of $10 million over the 2004 original. This was the second hit for Cage this year, following the critically-panned Ghost Rider. In addition to having the weekend’s best gross, Secrets also had the best average of any movie over those three days. Although Charlie Wilson’s War‘s fourth place was respectable (especially for a politically-based film these days), its $3760 per screen take clearly set it apart from this week’s champ. In contrast, Juno earned an $11,184 average for an impressive 10th place finish.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Book of Secrets a National Hit
Yahoo!
2008 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations (Film)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, FOCUS, Fox Searchlight, Miramax, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Musicals, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
Thanks to an interim waiver granted by the WGA, the 14th Annual SAG Awards telecast will air as scheduled on Sunday, January 27. Since plans for the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards are still up in the air, this could be TNT’s most viewed awards show in quite some time.
This year’s film nominees are:
OUTSTANDING LEADING MALE PERFORMANCE
- George Clooney, Michael Clayton
- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
- Ryan Gosling, Lars And The Real Girl
- Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild
- Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
OUTSTANDING LEADING FEMALE PERFORMANCE
- Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Julie Christie, Away From Her
- Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
- Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
- Ellen Page, Juno
Click to continue reading 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award Nominations (Film)
Screen Actors Guild
AFI’s Top Films of 2007
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Independent, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists,
The American Film Institute, probably best known its ‘100 Greatest’ countdowns, has just selected their top films of this year. Unlike the other lists we have seen on television, this particular grouping does not include rankings nor does it highlight a winner.
The AFI Movies of the Year are:
- Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- Into the Wild
- Juno
- Knocked Up
- Michael Clayton
- No Country for Old Men
- Ratatouille
- The Savages
- There Will Be Blood
(You can find the AFI’s list of Top Shows here.)
AFI
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.