Box Office Breakdown: Theatergoers Take a Trip to 10,000 BC
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
One year ago, 300 pulled in an astounding $70 million dollars. This past weekend, another period drama grossed exactly half that much. Half, schmalf—it was still enough for a win.
Warner Bros.’ 10,000 BC easily topped its futuristic competitors with a $35 million take over this last weekend. The total was leaps and bounds better than the amount produced by second place finisher, College Road Trip. The Disney flick, starring Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symone, rang up only $13.6 million.
Meanwhile, last week’s #1, Semi-Pro, was already showing signs of fatigue. The basketball comedy fell to 5th place and earned a disappointing $5.7 million. Does this mean the Will Ferrell sports era is finally over?
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Theatergoers Take a Trip to 10,000 BC
Yahoo! Movies
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Box Office Breakdown: Semi-Pro Scores the Win
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
What comes up, must eventually come down. That goes for Will Ferrell‘s sports career as well.
Even though Semi-Pro netted this weekend’s #1 spot, the basketball flick earned a measly $15 million. That gross trails far behind 2006’s Talledega Nights ($47 million) and 2007’s Blades of Glory ($33 million). Sadly, Semi‘s debut also takes a backseat to Kicking and Screaming and Bewitched. (In Ferrell’s defense, this movie was the only one of his sports films to be rated R.)
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Variety
In Theaters this Leap Year Weekend (2/29)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, Miramax, New Line, Sony, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Period, Political, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Other Boleyn Girl (PG-13): starring Eric Bana, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson (directed by Justin Chadwick)
- Penelope (PG): starring Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon, Catherine O’Hara (directed by Mark Palansky)
- Semi-Pro (R): starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin (directed by Kent Alterman)
- Bonneville* (NR): starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen (directed by Christopher N. Rowley)
- Chicago 10* (R): starring Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte (directed by Brett Morgen)
- City of Men* (R): starring Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Jonathan Haagensen (directed by Paulo Morelli)
- The Unforeseen* (NR): starring Wendell Berry, Gary Bradley, William Greider (directed by Laura Dunn)
*limited and/or gradual release
‘Magorium’ Reviews Take the Wonder out of Hoffman Flick
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: 20th Century Fox, Family, Casting, Celeb News, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews,
The early reviews are in, and the results for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium aren’t good. A single flick in a long line of holiday movies, Magorium’s has a promising cast and offers enchanting special effects, but the reviewers don’t like Dustin Hoffman’s hair, on-screen persona, or choice in movie roles.
Hoffman plays the 243-year-old Mr. Magorium, the owner/operator of an enchanted toy shop. Okay, sounds all right so far. Enter Natalie Portman, who plays a self-effacing young woman without a lot of confidence. Sure, that’s believable. The magical toys dance around the shop, the children delight in the sights and sounds of the Emporium, and the plot of the movie reveals itself pretty early on. Magorium is retiring and wants to turn the shop over to his assistant, lovely Portman. That’s it. That’s the plot. The whole movie is about whether or not Portman’s character will be able to fill Magorium’s wacky, wild shoes. Then, of course, there are the effects of the dancing toys. Take all that, and you have Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, which comes to theaters this weekend.
Entertainment Weekly called the movie “really, really bad.” I think that about sums it up.
CNN
In Theaters This Weekend (11/16)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Family, Independent, Period, Religious, Romance, Comedy, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Beowulf (PG-13): starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Anjelina Jolie (directed by Robert Zemeckis)
- Love in the Time of Cholera (R): starring Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt, Liev Schrieber (directed by Mike Newell)
- Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G): starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman (directed by Zach Helm)
- Margot at the Wedding* (R): starring Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black (directed by Noah Baumbach)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (11/16)
2007 Holiday Movie Guide
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, Disney, Yari Film Group Releasing, Animation, Drama, Family, Romance, Comedy, Box Office, Casting, Upcoming Releases,
The music, the décor, the treats…the weather. The holidays are drawing near, and that can only mean one thing: lots of sappy heart-wrenchers are going to start appearing in our movie theaters. Even the films couched as comedies are sure to evoke a deeper meaning, all in an effort to open our holiday hearts.
Whether you want tears, laughter, or good old-fashioned family entertainment, this year Hollywood is running the gamut on movies designed to tempt you away from the malls and into the theaters. But will you actually see any of them? Get the scoop on all the upcoming movies being released this holiday season.
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
I saw the trailer and immediately dismissed this movie out of hand. Never mind that it has Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman (a big star cast if ever there was one); this is a movie about a magic toy shop. HUH? Who actually got Hoffman and Portman to agree to this? Designed especially for kids and family, Magorium is about an inventor (Hoffman) and his manager’s (Portman) attempts to keep the shop open, despite intervention from an accountant (Jason Bateman).
This one’s for the little tykes, people. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium comes to theaters November 16.
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AOL Movies
Wes Anderson’s ‘Hotel Chevalier’ Free on iTunes
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Fox Searchlight, Short Films, Drama, Independent, Romance, Comedy, Distribution, New Releases,
A 13-minute prequel to Wes Anderson’s new film, The Darjeeling Limited, has just become available as a free download on iTunes. The short film, entitled Hotel Chevalier, has been released over the internet in what seems to be a cross-promotional move by Anderson, who screened the short on the festival circuit but will not include it with the theatrical release. It appears to be a precursor to the situation which Jason Schwartzman’s character finds himself in at the beginning of Darjeeling. Knowing Wes Anderson, however, the two could have little to no relation at all.
The short involves Schwartzman and Natalie Portman as two former lovers in an uncomfortable first encounter after an apparent falling-out. As an added bonus, the two share a steamy moment in which Portman removes all of her clothes and mounts Schwartzman on a hotel bed; sadly, to the chagrin of many a fanboy, the sly camera work leaves much to the imagination. But Hotel Chevalier is classic Anderson—humorous, charming and unabashedly awkward. Look for The Darjeeling Limited in limited release this weekend—if you can bear to watch a post-trauma Owen Wilson, that is.
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| Cinematical
Couples With The Worst On-Screen Chemistry
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lucasfilm Ltd., Casting, Lists,
Chemistry, schmemistry. If you know people are going to be watching your movie anyway—does it really matter? Whaddya say, George Lucas?
Film advertising company Pearl & Dean polled 3,000 British moviegoers to see which couples they felt had the worst on-screen chemistry. Based on the results, it’s hard to say whether or not those opinions had any affect on the eventual box office receipts. While I completely agree that Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen fizzled as secret-lovers, I don’t know that the movie’s storyline (or final numbers) could have improved with a different twosome.
Take a look at the poll results and see what you think. Which couples would you add to this list? Three pairings that come to my mind: Julia Roberts/ Nick Nolte (I Love Trouble), Julia Roberts/ Brad Pitt (The Mexican) and Julia Roberts/ John Cusack (America’s Sweethearts).
- Natalie Portman & Hayden Christensen - Stars Wars: Episode II
- Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck - Gigli
- Keira Knightley & Orlando Bloom - Pirates of the Caribbean
- Madonna & Adriano Giannini - Swept Away
- Catherine Zeta-Jones & Sean Connery - Entrapment
- Andie MacDowell & Hugh Grant - Four Weddings and a Funeral
- Kate Beckinsale & Ben Affleck - Pearl Harbor
- Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise - Eyes Wide Shut
- Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
- Kate Winslet & Leonardo DiCaprio - Titanic
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