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In Theaters This Weekend: March 26, 2010


Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

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Box Office Breakdown: Wimpy Kid Bests the Bounty Hunter

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Two out of three ain’t bad.

Although Hollywood has yet to present a real threat to Alice in Wonderland, two studios this weekend made strong attempts. , based on a series of Jeff Kinney books, proved there was more than enough room for kid-friendly fare at the box office. Fox’s adaptation unfolded to over $22 million in ticket sales - approximately $12 million shy of the three-time winner, but enough for second place.

- starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler - also managed to nab a decent bounty for itself during this frame. Sony’s critically-panned comedy grossed over $20 million, falling just short of Diary.

Meanwhile, , Friday’s only other wide release, came a distant fourth with $6.1 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Wimpy Kid Bests the Bounty Hunter

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Alice in Wonderland in the Green Zone

Alice in Wonderland

The combined forces of Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass could not earn the green.

Although the film nearly matched The Hurt Locker‘s total domestic gross ($15.7 million) in just one weekend, Green became the latest war-based film to open to underwhelming numbers. The movie, which debuted to $14.3 million and cost approximately $100 million to produce, also came nowhere near Damon and Greengrass’ last project together. (The Bourne Ultimatum opened to $69.3 million in 2007.)

Meanwhile, continued along its fantastic journey. The movie, which has now taken in over $209 million domestically, has officially become one of Disney’s Top 20 all-time entries.

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

In Theaters This Weekend: March 12, 2010

She's Out of My League

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Green Zone (R): starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan (directed by Paul Greengrass)
  • Our Family Wedding (PG-13): starring Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia (directed by Rick Famuyiwa)
  • Remember Me (PG-13): starring Robert Pattinson, Pierce Brosnan, Emilie de Ravin (directed by Allen Coulter)
  • She’s Out of My League (R): starring Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, Krysten Ritter (directed by Jim Field Smith)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: March 12, 2010


Box Office Breakdown: Christmas Carol Wins, Precious Soars

Disney's A Christmas Carol

We’re still weeks away from Thanksgiving, but theatergoers already have Christmas on their minds.

, the umpteenth version of the Charles Dickens tale, brought the story back to life with a visual rendition. Robert Zemeckis’ latest holiday creation earned over $30 million, surpassing Polar Express’ open by $7 million. Although the Jim Carrey film didn’t come close to its reported $180 million budget, Carol still has weeks to go before Avatar takes over 3D screens.

Meanwhile, a film with no bells or whistles made an impact just outside the Top 10. , Sundance’s Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize winner, broke a record while in limited release. The 12th place entry averaged a whopping $104,025 this weekend over only 18 theaters. That’s the largest per screen average for any film opening in more than 10 locations.

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Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: That Was It for Paranormal Activity

Michael Jackson's This Is It

Based on the numbers from the past week, it looks like This Is It should remain in theaters longer than two weeks. Oh wait - it will.

Since opening late Tuesday night, the concert film has generated a total of $34.4 million domestically - $23.2 million just over the weekend - and approximately $101 worldwide. Although Michael Jackson technically didn’t beat the opener for Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (that entry earned more over 5 days), had the best international debut ever for any concert film.

Sony’s win meant a short victory for . After a steady climb, and only 1 week at the top, the horror film slipped down to second place. Of course, the word-of-mouth hit has nothing to complain about. Not only has the movie grossed $84.6 million to date, it also had the best per screen average of any Top 10 charter.

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Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: Saw Outdone by Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

Have audiences seen enough Saw?

Although Jigsaw is known for slaying his competition, the serial killer was no match for Katie Featherstone and Micah Sloat. This weekend, those two unknowns saw their small project, , finally top the box office charts. The movie, which was produced for approximately $15,000, reached that position after a steady climb up the ranks. (Aren’t films supposed to go down?) The horror flick also had a higher per screen average than any entry in the Top 10 despite fewer engagements.

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Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: The Wild Things Are #1

Where the Wild Things Are

Who knew a 10-sentence long story could do so well?

It may have taken over three years for Where the Wild Things Are to officially debut, but the long journey was apparently worth the wait. The Spike Jonze project, which was once rumored to be too scary for children, finally unfolded over the weekend and soared to first place. The Maurice Sendak adaptation, which earned approximately $32.7 million, also gave Warner Bros. its best October open ever.

Even though Gerard Butler didn’t bother to promote during his recent Saturday Night Live stint, the film managed to survive on its own. The actioner, which also starred Jamie Foxx, raked in just over $21 million and won a close race for 2nd place. Meanwhile, word-of-mouth hit Paranormal Activity grossed another $19.6 million and moved up one rung to the third spot.

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Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat

Depending on how you look at the numbers, the winner this weekend was either or Paranormal Activity.

In the comedy corner, we have a Peter Billingsley-directed film that earned $35.3 million and a first-place finish. The movie - which combined the efforts of Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman - pulled in the best numbers for any Columbus Day weekend entry ever. It also gave Vaughn his 2nd best opening behind The Break-Up.

Meanwhile, on the horror front, made a huge splash despite being in limited release. The Blair Witch-esque movie scared up a shocking $49,000 per screen average. It also raked in nearly 500 times more than its budget. (It only cost less than $16,000 to produce.)

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Read More | Variety

Sam Mendes Fears for Big Dramas

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate Shakeups, Filmmaking,

Sam Mendes

claims the recession has made Hollywood dramas and period movies are “almost impossible” to make.

The director says that while his recent movie, , had been done “very cheaply,” other films are struggling in the current economic climate.

“The recession has hit the industry in a very odd way as big movies are more popular than ever,” Mendes said to BBC Radio 4’s The Film Programme. “But the movies in the middle are almost getting squeezed out, which is the big dramas, the movies that do cost a bit of money with well-known actors in them.”

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Read More | BBC

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