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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: August 4, 2009

The Soloist DVDHere are some of the options available this Tuesday:

  • August: DVD
  • Big Trouble in Little China: Blu-ray
  • Fragments: DVD
  • Mutant Chronicles: DVD, Blu-ray
  • My Cousin Vinny: Blu-ray
  • The Mysteries of Pittsburgh: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Obsessed: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Race to Witch Mountain: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Sling Blade: Blu-ray
  • The Soloist: DVD, Blu-ray
  • The Tigger Movie: DVD

Click to continue reading This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: August 4, 2009

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Box Office Breakdown: Disney/Pixar Flying High with Up

Up

The word “Pixar” always seems to generate smiles, and that’s exactly what 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, , 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: 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.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Disney/Pixar Flying High with Up

Read More | Variety

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

Read More | Variety

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

Read More | Variety

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

Read More | Variety

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

Read More | Variety

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

Read More | Variety

In Theaters This Weekend: April 24, 2009

The Soloist

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

Beyonce Fights Off Ali Larter in Obsessed


So this is what qualifies her to be Wonder Woman?

Back in November, Cadillac Records’ Beyonce Knowles talked about her desire to play the female superhero. In her interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said her work on a recent movie had her eager to do something a bit more physical.

“I play a wife fighting for her family and I have this big, big fighting scene with Ali Larter, who is an incredible actress. It took us days just to film it. I had my boots on and, wow, I got into it. So I really want that now. Now I have to do an action film. It’s like dancing and choreography. And the superhero movies now, they’re not corny, not corny at all, so that’s what I want to do. And I would love if it could be Wonder Woman.”

Well, in case you were wondering, this is the film she was referring to.

Click to continue reading Beyonce Fights Off Ali Larter in Obsessed


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