Box Office Breakdown: High School Musical at the Top of the Class
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Musicals, Political, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
This past week, the multiplexes had a little bit of something for everyone: politics, animals, music, dancing, thrillers, Oscar contenders and even horror. Not surprisingly, this meant a lot of dollars were shelled out in return.
As expected, the big screen debut of High School Musical 3 had tweeners (and their loving parents) all atwitter. Thanks to a $42 million debut, the G-rated film officially became the best musical opener of all time. (Mamma Mia! - with its $27.8 million - was the previous leader.)
Meanwhile, a film on the other end of the ratings spectrum was scaring up some decent dollars of its own. Saw V, which probably could have waited to premiere on Halloween, took in approximately $30 million over the last three days. Although it was pitted against the highly-anticipated Disney sequel, the movie carved out its own audience and raised first place-worthy numbers. Although the series is currently on its fifth life, the 2008 installment came within $4 million dollars of Saw III, the franchise’s best performer to date.
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Box Office Breakdown: Max Payne Outvotes W for #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Even though Josh Brolin was the host of last Saturday’s SNL, it was Mark Wahlberg - a minor player on that same show - who ended up on top.
This past weekend, Max Payne finally managed to do what no other movie has done yet: take Beverly Hills Chihuahua down. The video game adaptation earned $17.6 million putting nearly $6 million between itself and the family flick.
Surprisingly, a whole Oprah show dedicated to The Secret Life of Bees couldn’t provide that star-studded cast enough buzz. Despite a $10.5 million take, the drama still placed behind the four-legged film. (Bee did, though, earn more per theater than any Top Ten entry.) Meanwhile, Oliver Stone’s latest project did a respectable job for a politically-themed movie. W. also raked in $10.5 million this weekend, narrowly missing third place.
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Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: October 17, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Magnolia, Lionsgate, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Max Payne (PG-13): starring Mark Wahlberg, Beau Bridges, Mila Kunis (directed by John Moore)
- The Secret Life of Bees (PG-13): starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson (Gina Prince-Bythewood)
- Sex Drive (R): starring Clark Duke, Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew (directed by Sean Anders)
- W. (PG-13): starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Dreyfuss (directed by Oliver Stone)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 17, 2008
Casting Corner: Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Jennifer Lopez
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Yari Film Group Releasing, Adaptation, Drama, Romance, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:
Former Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright is currently working with Paramount to bring his next project to the big screen. Wright’s 2004 book, Generation Kill, is currently airing on HBO as a mini-series. Now Evan has signed a deal to adapt something he is still writing.
Cocaine Cowboys - not to be confused with the 2006 documentary by the same name - will tell the story of Jon Roberts, a real-life drug trafficker who wound up working with the Medellin drug cartel. Interestingly enough, Mark Wahlberg has signed on to star and co-produce the adaptation. Those familiar with Entourage - a show Mark created - may remember that Vincent Chase fought hard to get the lead role in the movie Medellin.
Director Peter Berg (Hancock) has been tapped to helm the project.
Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, Jennifer Lopez
Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Wall-E and Wanted Both Winners
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Although we haven’t yet reached the 4th of July weekend, theatergoers apparently had plenty of time and money to spend over the past three days. And while a cute robot had the honor of placing first, Angelina Jolie also came out a winner herself.
When the final numbers were tallied, Wall-E and Wanted each wound up grossing over $50 million since Friday. The Disney/Pixar film edged out the action flick by nearly $13 million dollars, but the comic book adaptation had the best per screen average for any entry in the Top Ten ($16,040). Meanwhile, both films forced a few rewrites in the history books.
- Wall-E had the third largest debut for a Pixar film. It’s total fell behind The Incredibles ($70.5 million) and Finding Nemo ($70.2 million).
- The animated comedy also had the best Friday open for any Pixar release.
- The James McAvoy feature topped all R-rated premieres during the month of June.
- Wanted also gave Jolie her largest first weekend ever.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Wall-E and Wanted Both Winners
Variety
Will There Be a Departed Trilogy?
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Drama, Sequels, Thrillers, Rumors,
Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?
While we’ve grown accustomed to sequel news as of late (e.g. Indiana Jones, Rambo, Beverly Hills Cop), here’s something we haven’t heard a while: we might soon just see a follow-up to an actual Academy Award winner.
In interview with MTV, Mark Wahlberg confirms that Martin Scorsese (with screenwriter William Monahan) may be developing a sequel and a prequel for The Departed. While some may be surprised by this announcement, the idea is not completely far-fetched. The 2007 winner for Best Picture was a remake of Infernal Affairs, a Chinese movie that also spawned two other films.
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MTV Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Steve Carell Outsmarts Mike Myers
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Picturehouse, 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Picturehouse, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
What was being billed as a huge comedy showdown turned out to be a pathetic fight. The debut of Get Smart easily outperformed Mike Myers’ live-action return to nab the #1 spot this past weekend.
Smart, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway and Dwayne Johnson, picked up $38.6 million over the past three days - nearly $20 million more than The Love Guru. The big-screen adaptation of the ‘60s television series also averaged $9891 per screen, over twice as much as Guru ($4617) did.
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Variety
Box Office Breakdown: The Incredible Hulk Pulls in the Green
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,
It looks like ticket buyers are willing to give some things a second chance after all…
Despite horrible reviews for 2003’s Hulk, wary theatergoers turned out in big numbers for the latest big-screen version of The Incredible Hulk. The newest rendition, starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, came in first place after earning $55 million during the past three days. While that total falls behind Ang Lee’s version (that movie debuted with $62 million), it did better than expected. The 2008 update had the best showing for any film over Father’s Day weekend (passing Silver Surfer‘s $58 million) and should also have a longer shelf life thanks to favorable word of mouth.
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Variety
In Theaters This Weekend (6/13)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Foreign, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Happening (R): starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo (directed by M. Night Shyamalan)
- The Incredible Hulk (PG-13): starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth (directed by Louis Leterrier)
- Chris & Don: A Love Story* (NR): starring Michael York, Don Bachardy, Katherine Bucknell (directed by Guido Santi, Tina Mascara)
- My Winnipeg* (NR): starring Ann Savage, Louis Negin, Darcy Fehr (directed by Guy Maddin)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (6/13)
Box Office Breakdown: Saw Slices Its Way to #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, Lionsgate, Sony, Touchstone, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
This weekend’s success of Saw IV proved that ‘torture porn’ is very much alive and well…at least right before All Hallows Eve. (Apparently originality is not a prerequisite when you’re in the haunting mood.) The horror series, which took in $55 million domestically when it debuted in 2004, bloodied the competition with its recent $31 million take. It will now likely hit the $80 million mark the last two installments surpassed.
Although Dan in Real Life, lagged behind with only $11 million, the film at least managed to place second. Hopefully Dan will have legs in the weeks to come; it’s a nice counter-programming option for those desperately seeking romance on their date nights. Those hunting for acceptable kids fare may have it a bit harder though—- which probably explains why The Game Plan has remained firmly planted in the Top Five.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Saw Slices Its Way to #1
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