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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: December 28, 2010

The AmericanHere are some of the options available this week:

  • The American: DVD, Blu-ray
  • And Soon the Darkness: DVD, Blu-ray
  • The Boy Next Door: DVD
  • Derailed: Blu-ray
  • Handsome Harry: DVD
  • The Haunting of Amelia: DVD
  • Idris: DVD
  • Legendary: DVD
  • Resident Evil: Afterlife: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Twelve: DVD, Blu-ray

Make sure to also check out the options for this week.

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Box Office Breakdown: Wall Street Rises to a Win

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Twenty-three years after we were first introduced to Gordon Gekko, Michael Douglas and Oliver Stone have both seen their stock go up. , which earned $19 million over the past three days, gave the Oscar-winning actor his first #1 film since 2001’s Don’t Say a Word and Stone his best debut to date. (That total is, of course, considered chump change to Shia LaBeouf.)

The weekend didn’t look quite so rosy for . Although the Zack Snyder-directed adaptation landed in second place, the movie only grossed $16.1 million. (Keep in mind that the movie cost $79 million to produce.)

Meanwhile, Disney proved Betty White’s mere presence doesn’t necessarily mean comedy gold. You Again – also starring Kristen Bell and Sigourney Weaver – debuted in fifth place with $10.6 million. (Somehow I doubt this will help Bell’s chances of ever getting a Veronica Mars movie off the ground.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Wall Street Rises to a Win

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: The Town Takes the Crown

The Town

, Ben Affleck’s second directorial feature, surprised analysts this weekend with a win at the box office. The film, which far surpassed Gone Baby Gone’s $5.5 million debut in 2007, earned $23.8 million—a September-best for Warner Bros. The drama, co-starring Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner, also gave actor Affleck his first #1 film—outside of He’s Just Not that Into You—since Daredevil.

Although many had topping the charts, the film came in a very respectable second place. The Emma Stone-starrer – which only cost $8 million to produce – generated good reviews and a $17.7 million take.

The weekend’s other two new wide releases also landed in the Top 5. The PG-13 horror film raised $12.3 million while Alpha and Omega, a more family-friendly entry, rang up $9.1 million in ticket sales.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Town Takes the Crown

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Evil Takes Up Residence at Number One

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Who says the third time’s the charm?

—the fourth movie in that sci-fi series—topped the box office this weekend with franchise-breaking numbers. The movie, which was offered in 3D, had the best Evil debut to date. (Yes - higher ticket prices did play into this.) Afterlife‘s $26.7 million take surpassed the bar set by Resident Evil: Extinction in 2007. (That outing opened to $23.7 million.)

Since Resident was the only new wide release, the other notable events occurred outside the Top Ten. , starring Katie Holmes and Josh Duhamel, opened in limited release with a $45,527 debut. More importantly, the movie averaged $22,764 per theater—the best number for all films over the weekend. In comparison, I’m Still Here—featuring a disheveled Joaquin Phoenix—only had a $5,087 per screen average.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Evil Takes Up Residence at Number One

Read More | Box Office Mojo

In Theaters This Weekend: September 10, 2010


Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Resident Evil: Afterlife (R): starring Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller (directed by Paul W.S. Anderson)
  • Ahead of Time* (NR): (directed by Robert Richman)
  • Bran Nue Dae* (PG-13): starring Geoffrey Rush, Rocky McKenzie, Ernie Dingo (directed by Rachel Perkins)
  • Expecting Mary* (PG): starring Elliott Gould, Linda Gray, Lainie Kazan (directed by Dan Gordon)
  • Heartbreaker* (NR): starring Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier (directed by Pascal Chaumeil)
  • I’m Still Here* (NR): starring Joaquin Phoenix (directed by Casey Affleck)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: September 10, 2010


Milla Jovovich’s Working Marriage

Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson

loves working with her director husband.

The actress, who plays the lead role in Paul W. S. Anderson’s franchise, believes being on set together keeps their relationship fresh.

“Paul is so into it. He loves what he’s doing. You’ll do something and you’ll hear from the monitors, ‘Yeah!’” she said. “When we’re on the film, that’s all we talk about, how to make it better. We have a very creative relationship. It’s a lot of fun because what’s a relationship if all you’re doing is cooking and going to the movies every Friday night? We’re having something that is symbiotic - it’s like a continuous card game between us.”

Click to continue reading Milla Jovovich’s Working Marriage


Box Office Breakdown: Tyler Perry vs. George Clooney

Michael Clayton

This weekend saw , , and all fighting for your box office dollars—so who would have thought would come out the big winner?

Even though two of his last three films opened with impressive numbers, very few predicted the writer/actor/producer/director would topple the competition.  Now the number crunchers know better.  Though the debut underperformed 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($21.9 million) and 2006’s Madea’s Family Reunion ($30 million), Tyler Perry’s still scored $10 million more than its nearest competitor.

Additionally surprising was the lasting success of Disney’s .  The film finally dropped one notch to #2 in its third week—also beating out and .  Although kid-friendly fare is rarity these days, the movie’s ability to remain so strong is quite impressive.

 

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Tyler Perry vs. George Clooney


Box Office Breakdown: The Rock Upsets The Heartbreak Kid

The Heartbreak Kid

Despite what you may have learned in school, + The Farrelly Brothers does not necessarily equal box office gold.

The team behind There’s Something About Mary took a backseat to last weekend’s winner:  The Game PlanThe Heartbreak Kid, a remake of the 1972 Neil Simon comedy, raked in only $14 million.  While Mary did open with a smaller gross back in 1998 ($13.7M), it’s doubtful this critically-panned movie will become another sleeper hit for the trio.  Thankfully co-star will have the upcoming Gone Baby Gone to wash this disappointment away.

The only other new entries into the Top 10 included the fantasy flick, The Seeker ($3.7M), and the J.Lo-produced dance film, Feel the Noise ($3.1M).  Meanwhile, the well-reviewed Michael Clayton pulled impressive numbers in limited release ($46,000 per screen).  Expect the vehicle to open wide this weekend.

 

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Rock Upsets The Heartbreak Kid


Box Office Breakdown:  The Game Plan Scores the Win

The Game Plan

The execs at Disney must be loving themselves this week.  Not only are are they attached to one of hottest concert tours of the year, they have just taken a surprise win at the box office.  Although many had predicted good things for the terrorism thriller, The Kingdom, a simple father/daughter bonding film moved theatergoers this weekend.

At $22.9 million, The Game Plan took in almost $6 million more than the / vehicle. The movie about a football player who meets the daughter he never knew he had (how exactly is that a Disney storyline?) gave “The Rock” his second best opening (behind 2002’s The Scorpion King).

Meanwhile, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe made its first entry into the Top 10.  After several weeks in limited release, the musical—which uses 33 Beatles songs to tell its story—will expand into more theaters come October 12th. 

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown:  The Game Plan Scores the Win


Box Office Breakdown:  Resident Evil Fights Off Competition

Resident Evil

Between the cheesy trailer and a cast that includes Ashanti—I never would have predicted much for Resident Evil: Extinction.  But given the success of ‘three-quels’ this year, I’m not sure why I was surprised.  Extinction nearly doubled the the box office take of it’s nearest competitor (Good Luck Chuck) and had the biggest debut of any Resident Evil installment.

But the real winner this weekend may be Into the Wild.  The film, based on the Jon Krakauer novel, earned over $51,000 per screen—one of the best averages ever for a movie in limited release.  Given the full-hour coverage on last week, Wild will probably be able to build on its impressive debut.  (The film goes nationwide on October 5th.)

Eastern Promises also turned out some promising numbers after its wide release.  The film took in nearly $6 million in its second week (though it still underperformed the last David Cronenberg/ movie, A History of Violence).  I’m hoping word-of-mouth about the fully-naked Mortensen fight scene (did I grab your attention?) will give this film the lasting power it deserves.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown:  Resident Evil Fights Off Competition


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