Box Office Breakdown: Chance of Meatballs is Winning Recipe
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,
While it may not have had a Damon, an Aniston or a Fox, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs had something no other film did this weekend: a win. The animated adaptation raked in $30.3 million over the weekend easily pushing it to the top of the charts. The PG-rated entry towered over the box office and nearly tripled its nearest competitor (The Informant). The 3-D film also gave Sony Pictures Animation its biggest debut to date.
Elsewhere, two Hollywood beauties were struggling to make a respectable showing. Despite (or because of) a number of notable quotes, Megan Fox failed to muster any interest in her first starring vehicle. Jennifer’s Body, a horror film penned by Diablo Cody, raised a whopping $6.9 million for a fifth-place finish. (I’m not even sure that would be enough to fund one day of a Transformers production.) Megan Fox might not be a fan of Michael Bay, but she better be grateful she met him.
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| Variety
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Spider-Man Writer Announced
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Columbia Pictures, Sony, Action, Adaptation, Romance, Sequels, Scripts, Upcoming Releases,
Just as Sony is in the midst of prepping Spider-Man 4 for filming, the studio made little hesitation with Spider-Man 5 and Spider-Man 6 by hiring Zodiac writer James Vanderbilt to pen the scripts.
Vanderbilt isn’t new to the Spider-Man films—he wrote the initial script for Spider-Man 4, which was later revised by Inkheart screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (Seabiscuit writer/director Gary Ross is currently revising that script).
Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios clearly have faith in Vanderbilt, whose ideas director Sam Raimi didn’t necessarily embrace (leading him to rewrite). Nonetheless, he has now been given a second chance with the scripts for the fifth and sixth installations, which are expected to have an interconnected storyline. With that said, executives are planning to use Vanderbilt’s two scripts as a franchise reboot in case Raimi and stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst do not return.
While I find it amusing that they’re considering a reboot for the series, I admire that they’re wasting no time in seeing these films made. Let’s just hope that the producers can assure the involvement of the Spidey trio in all of them!
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Bruno Crawls His Way to #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Just like in the fashion world, one day Bruno was hot—the next day he was not.
Even though the comedy did well enough to place first this weekend, it appears the sexually graphic film may have turned some off. Ticket sales for the Sacha Baron Cohen entry dropped 39% between Friday and Saturday, leading many to believe that negative word of mouth played a factor.
In total, Bruno piqued enough interest to raise $30.6 million over three days. While that gross beats Borat‘s $26.5 million debut, the 2006 film later went on to earn $129 million domestically.
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Moneyball Will Roll On
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Sony, Adaptation, Sports, Filmmaking, Scripts,
Moneyball may have suffered a delay, but the game was not completely called off. Unfortunately, the project will not resume without a few changes to the lineup.
Still playing? Brad Pitt. On the disabled list? Steven Soderbergh.
Production on the sports film was halted late last month, just days before lensing was to begin. Although Columbia Pictures head Amy Pascal had been pleased with earlier versions of the script, a final version drafted by Soderbergh, the movie’s director, was considered a disappointment.
While it was unclear whether the film would go to another studio, or just be scrapped altogether, Sony decided to tap Aaron Sorkin (Sports Night) for another rewrite. Unfortunately, they’ve also chosen to go with a new director as well.
It’s hoped a script will be done by August.
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Melts Ice Age’s Hopes
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,
This was one heated battle that left Ice Age out in the cold.
Only 24 hours ago, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the animated comedy were estimated to finish in a possible tie. But when the final numbers were computed, last Monday’s champ managed to keep its spot for another round. In just two weeks, the Paramount feature has managed to earn just under $300 million.
But Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs had nothing to complain about. Even though it missed the #1 spot by less than $1 million, the threequel had the best per screen average of any entry in the Top Ten. In total, the movie earned $66.7 million over five days, just shy of what 2006’s Ice Age: The Meltdown grossed over only three days.
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Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Rises Above the Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
It’s not very often when “loud” and “mindless” are deemed good qualities. But in Paramount’s case, it was a recipe for success.
Over the past five days, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did what most films have been attempting all year: It passed the $200 million mark. (Up just became the first 2009 film to hit $250 million.)
While the Michael Bay film is definitely on track to be one of the most successful entries this year (let’s not forget about Harry Potter), the sequel’s opening still takes second behind last year’s topper. During its opening run, The Dark Knight earned $203.8 million domestically.
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Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Agree on The Proposal
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Touchstone, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
It seems a little skin might just go a long way.
After weeks of talking to the media about their joint nude scene, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds saw their movie take the top spot. Was it a coincidence? Maybe. Whatever the reason, The Proposal became the actress’ biggest opener ever. Prior to this weekend, 2007’s Premonition - a horrible film, btw - had Bullock’s largest debut. (That movie grossed $17.6 million, almost 1/2 less than the romantic comedy.)
Meanwhile, Reynolds is this week’s Bradley Cooper. Sandra’s leading man, like The Hangover star, has just had his second #1 film of the year. (The first being Wolverine.)
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Read More | Variety
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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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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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
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