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Box Office Breakdown: Big Win for Little Fockers

Little Fockers

A lack of a clear plot apparently meant very little to theatergoers this past weekend.

Little Fockers, which added another $30.8 million in ticket sales ($45.1 million since Wednesday) to the Fockers series, finished in first place after the holiday frame. Although the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro production failed to top Meet the Fockers’ debut in 2004 ($46.1 million), the comedy did bring in more than the 2000 original. (Meet the Parents opened to $28.6 million.)

Meanwhile, the Jeff Bridges from the past found himself passing the Jeff Bridges from the future. True Grit, costarring Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld, roped in $24.9 million – the best number for the Coen brothers to date – and second place. The Western wound up landing just one notch above Tron, Bridges’ current sci-fi entry.

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Box Office Breakdown: Dawn Treader Sails Past Depp, Jolie

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader sailed to a first place finish this weekend despite a lackluster start. The latest C.S. Lewis adaptation – which was produced for an estimated $145 million – earned only $24 million in domestic sales. That figure is $31 million less than Prince Caspian’s debut and approximately $41 million below The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s premiere.

Landing into second place was The Tourist, which rang in a disappointing $16.5 million. Although the film boasted two big A-list stars (Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie), the thriller turned in Depp’s smallest open for a wide release since 1999’s The Astronaut’s Wife.

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Box Office Breakdown: Tangled Climbs Above Potter

Tangled duo

You can’t keep a good woman with long locks down.

Despite initially debuting in second place, Tangled reached new heights this week. The Disney feature climbed out of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow’s shadow to take the box office crown.

Tangled is now the second film this year to move up the ladder to the #1 spot. Another animated featured, How to Train Your Dragon, was the first.

The chart’s only new wide release, The Warrior’s Way, will likely fall out of the Top Ten by Week 2. The actioner starring Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth and Geoffrey Rush started its run in ninth place.

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Box Office Breakdown: Deathly Hallows Avoids Getting Tangled

Tangled

Tangled's tresses weren't quite long enough to get past the Deathly Hallows last weekend.

Despite a $48.8 million debut ($68.7 million since Wednesday), Disney's latest animated feature found itself in a tight race. The film starring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi landed firmly into second place -- approximately $300,000 shy of two-time winner Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Burlesque, featuring Christina Aguilera and Cher, rang up $11.9 million in ticket sales and a fourth-place finish. Although that figure isn't exactly something to brag about, it does represent Cher's biggest opening to date.

Promises of nudity couldn't get Love and Other Drugs into the Top 5. The Anne Hathaway/Jake Gyllenhaal movie earned less than $10 million and a sixth place debut. Meanwhile, Faster -- starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton -- grossed $8.5 million for seventh place.

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In Theaters This Holiday Weekend: November 24, 2010

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Burlesque (PG-13): starring Christina Aguilera, Cher, Kristen Bell, (directed by Steve Antin)
  • Faster (R): starring Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Maggie Grace (directed by George Tillman, Jr.)
  • Love & Other Drugs (R): starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Judy Greer (directed by Edward Zwick)
  • Tangled (PG): starring Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, David Schwimmer (directed by Nathan Greno, Byron Howard)

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2010 Holiday Gift Guide: Toy Story 3 Combo Pack

toy story 3 combo pack

It's no secret that Toy Story 3 was one of the biggest animated films of all time, and it's certainly good enough to sit in your collection as well. That's why we've added it to our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide. The Blu-ray combo pack offers the best bang for your buck, since it packs in a copy of the film on Blu-ray, a second Blu-ray disc with special features, another copy of the film on a standard DVD, and finally, a digital copy of Toy Story 3. Basically, this means you get the superb copy for your home theater, the DVD for use in computers or in the car, and the digital copy to watch on computers and portable devices. Even better, while this combo pack normally sells for $45.99, Amazon has it for $24.99, a 46% savings, and they also throw in a $4 credit for Amazon Video on Demand as well. This is a great gift for kids and families alike.

Be sure to check out other Amazon Blu-ray specials.

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Cinema Scene: Newsies Heading to Broadway, August: Osage County Heading to Theaters

Julia Roberts-Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep may team up for August: Osage County, a big screen version of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Playwright Tracy Letts would adapt his own story for the Weinsten production.

-Meanwhile, a Broadway version of Newsies, a 1992 Disney musical starring Christian Bale, is being written by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast), Harvey Fierstein and Jack Feldman.

-Speaking of musicals, the cast of The Sound of Music will reunite later this month for the first time in 45 years. Christopher Plummer, Julie Andrews and the kids will all appear October 29 on Oprah.

-Brenda Chapman has just been named the first female director in Pixar history. Brave, a movie she will also write, will be released in June 2012. Reese Witherspoon, Emma Thompson, and Julie Walters will all voice characters in the project.


Comic Book Jobs: Pixar Animation

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies,

Monsters, Inc.Are you a comic book artist who’s looking for a change from Batman/Spider-Man/Avengers and want to get into something new? Do you want something steadier in an industry that might be around for awhile? Try animation.

Pixar is the animation studio that has redefined it. Hits like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Cars, A Bug’s Life, Up, and more have made it the gold standard for cartoons. And if you can draw comic books, you might have a shot at working for their studio.

They’re looking for Story Artists “to portray the film story concepts in comic book form to guide subsequent film production.”

That sounds a lot like storyboarding, which is a lot like drawing comic book panels. You’ll be receiving “written and verbal descriptions of a sequence from the Director” and creating storyboards that “depict the action, camera placement, and acting of the characters in that sequence.”

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Box Office Breakdown: Victory for The Other Guys

The Other Guys

Will Ferrell is no longer stuck in the Land of the Lost.

After stinking up the theaters last summer with his science fiction remake, Ferrell has rebounded nicely with . Sony’s buddy-cop flick opened to $35.5 million over the weekend, giving the funnyman his second highest debut ever. (Talledega Nights rang in $47 million in August 2006.) The comedy also performed well for Mark Wahlberg. It was his best outing since Planet of the Apes’ $68.5 million kickoff in 2001.

Unfortunately, 3-D screens and So You Think You Can Dance plugs couldn’t push further up the charts. The $40 million film only grossed $15.8 million in ticket sales while coming in lower than the first two installments. (Step Up premiered to $20.7 million in 2006 while Step Up 2 the Streets opened to $18.9 million in 2008.)

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Box Office Breakdown: Dinner for Schmucks Comes Up Short

Dinner for Schmucks

Fans aren’t quite ready to wake up from the dream just yet.

Despite competition from Steve Carell, Zac Efron and cute animals, managed to continue its reign over the box office. The Christopher Nolan film - which is nearing the $200 million mark - added another $27.5 million to its total and became the third entry of the year to three-peat. (Alice in Wonderland and Shrek Forever After also had three wins under their belts.)

Warner Bros.’ win meant leftovers for . The Paramount comedy, which cost in the neighborhood of $60 million to produce, only brought $23.5 million to the table.

Meanwhile, narrowly beat out Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore for fifth place. The two entries were separated by approximately $100,000.

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