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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: September 29, 2009

Monsters vs. Aliens DVDHere are some of the options available this Tuesday:

  • Away We Go: DVD, Blu-ray
  • The Dark Crystal: Blu-ray
  • Filth and Wisdom: Blu-ray
  • Fireproof: Blu-ray
  • The Girlfriend Experience: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer: Blu-ray
  • Labyrinth: Blu-ray
  • Management: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Monsters vs. Aliens: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Shrink: DVD
  • Snakes on a Plane: Blu-ray
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003): Blu-ray
  • The Wizard of Oz (70th Anniversary Edition): DVD, Blu-ray

Make sure to also check out the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

Read More | Amazon

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Box Office Breakdown: Ben Stiller Defeats Christian Bale

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

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 - - 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 . 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.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Ben Stiller Defeats Christian Bale

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Box Office Breakdown: Narrow Victory for Angels & Demons

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.

, 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.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Narrow Victory for Angels & Demons

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Box Office Breakdown:  Star Trek Beams Its Way to #1

Zachary Quinto in Star Trek

Based on these numbers, a sequel would seem like the logical response.

After a five-month delay, the highly-anticipated J.J. Abrams feature finally unspooled to an eager crowd. And though it didn’t outearn last weekend’s office champ, the science fiction adventure appeared to be in a galaxy far, far away.

Since it’s debut late Thursday night, Trek grossed approximately $79.2 million. (That’s nearly $3 million more than was estimated a day ago, but still $6 million less than Wolverine‘s premiere.) Around $8 million of Paramount’s haul came from IMAX ticket sales alone. (That figure bests the $6.2 million raked in by The Dark Knight last year.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown:  Star Trek Beams Its Way to #1

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Box Office Breakdown: Wolverine Claws Its Way to the Top

Wolverine

Despite a growing list of hurdles (leaked footage, swine flu, mediocre reviews), proved it was a force to be reckoned with last weekend. Although it failed to surpass X-Men: The Last Stand (that 2006 entry debuted at $122.9 million), the Fox feature trounced the competition with an $85.1 million open. In other words, Wolverine earned over $20 million more than the other Top Ten entries…combined.

Sitting far back in second place was , Matthew McConaughey’s attempt to bring a little muscle into the box office. The romantic comedy, costarring Jennifer Garner, grossed $15.4 million on the weekend before Mother’s Day. (That’s less than a million more than what Made of Honor pulled in at this same time last year.) Meanwhile, last Friday’s only other wide release, Battle for Terra, raked in a disappointing $1.1 million for a 12th place finish.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Wolverine Claws Its Way to the Top

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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Drawn to Obsessed

Obsessed

It was a battle between two stars at the box office this weekend.

After back-to-back roles in music-related dramas, Beyonce Knowles proved she could deliver without having to sing a note. , a thriller produced for approximately $20 million, pulled in nearly $29 million for a 1st place finish. The film, also featuring two NBC stars (The Office’s Idris Elba and Heroes’ Ali Larter), more than doubled last week’s champ, 17 Again.

Meanwhile, an Academy Award winner and an Iron Man joined forces for a surprising fourth place finish. , costarring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., didn’t even cross the $10 million mark. Although it was once considered as a pre-Oscars release, the film’s debut grossed less than last week’s nominee-filled entry, State of Play.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Drawn to Obsessed

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Box Office Breakdown: 17 is the Lucky Number

17 Again

may be cute, but he’s no Hannah Montana.

This weekend the Disney veteran got a chance to prove his worth in his first starring role. And though he managed to hit #1, Efron pulled in approximately $8.6 million less than Miley Cyrus did last week. The premiere of 17 Again also opened to $18.3 million less than High School Musical 3 did last October. (Then again, those two family-friendly films were a bit more accessible with their G-ratings.)

Russell Crowe, in the meantime, had far much more to groan about. The Oscar winner found his new movie, , sandwiched in between the two tween idols. The thriller, costarring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams, earned nearly $10 million less than the age-reversal comedy for a second place finish.

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Box Office Breakdown: Another Win for Miley Cyrus

Hannah Montana: The Movie

Miley Cyrus got a big treat in her goodie basket this weekend.

Just over a year after breaking a record for Super Bowl weekend releases, the tween idol has made waves again. The 16-year-old’s new film is now the 2nd best Easter opener ever. Hannah Montana: The Movie slowed down last week’s hot property, Fast & Furious, to win the holiday frame. Cyrus’ 2-D offering pulled in $32.3 million and earned the best first-day ever for a live-action G-rated feature.

The only other wide releases last weekend were Observe and Report and Dragonball: Evolution. Although Paul Blart debuted to a surprising $40 million, Seth Rogen’s mall comedy earned only $11 million and a fourth place-finish. (Observe did do slightly better than Zack and Miri‘s $10.1 million premiere.) Dragonball, in the meantime, barely went noticed with its $4.7 million take. That was just enough for a Top Ten appearance.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Another Win for Miley Cyrus

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Box Office Breakdown: Vin Diesel Revs His Way Back to #1

Fast and Furious

Vin Diesel’s come a long way in just a short amount of time.

Back in September, the action star’s last film, Babylon A.D, debuted to a disappointing $11.5 million and a 2nd place finish. Seven months later, he’s nearly septupled that amount.

Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the racing series, pulled in a whopping $70.9 million over the last three days. That gross easily broke the 2009 record set by Monsters vs. Aliens just one week ago. The movie reunited the original’s four stars (Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster) and bested the debut of 2003’s 2 Fast and 2 Furious by over $20 million.

Friday’s only other wide screen release, , opened in 6th place with $5.7 million in ticket sales.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Vin Diesel Revs His Way Back to #1

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Box Office Breakdown: Monster-Sized Premiere for Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens

Even though it premiered in less 3-D theaters than previously hoped (so much for technology), still towered over the competition this weekend. The Dreamworks Animation/Paramount film is now the best opener of the year so far.

Monsters’ $59.3 million gross placed the comedy third behind 300 ($70.9 million) and Ice Age: The Meltdown ($68 million) on the list of all-time March entries. The animated feature also gave Reese Witherspoon her best debut since 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama ($35.6 million).

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