Box Office Breakdown: Madea Sets Record for Lionsgate

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

While Slumdog Millionaire was making news for India, Tyler Perry was busy breaking records for his studio.

The latest installment in Tyler Perry’s franchise surpassed all expectations this weekend. Madea Goes to Jail, with its $41 million premiere, was the box office’s biggest opener since November’s Twilight. It was also the best debuter for Lionsgate…ever. (October 2006’s Saw III was the previous topper at $33 million.)

Unfortunately, Friday the 20th didn’t go as well for Friday the 13th. After only one week on the charts, last weekend’s record breaker dropped a frightening 81% to 6th place.

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Box Office Breakdown: Friday the 13th Slashes the Holiday Competition

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Twelve turned out to be a lucky number for good old #13.

Blood-thirsty audiences helped push Friday the 13th into the record books this holiday weekend. (There’s no better way to spend a Valentine’s Day than scared in your honey’s arms.) The franchise’s twelfth installment scared up $43.6 million over the last four days to become the top horror opener of all time. Friday also had the second best showing ever for a President’s Day weekend debut. (Ghost Rider pulled in $52 million in 2007.)

The horror film wasn’t the only newsmaker this February. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, this week’s sixth-place finisher, added on another $13.8 million to officially break the $100 million mark. (The comedy currently stands at $112.3 million.) That’s the first time a January opener has ever done that.

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In Theaters This Weekend: February 13, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, New Line, Sony, Touchstone, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Independent, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Confessions of a Shopaholic (PG): starring Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter (directed by P.J. Hogan)
• Friday the 13th (R): starring Derek Mears, Jared Padalecki, Amanda Righetti (directed by Marcus Nispel)
• The International (R): starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl (directed by Tom Tykwer)
• Gomorrah* (NR): starring Toni Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abruzzese (directed by Matteo Garrone)
• Two Lovers* (R): starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw,  (directed by James Gray)
• Under the Sea 3D* (G): narrated by Jim Carrey (directed by Howard Hall)

*limited release

This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 16, 2007

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Buena Vista, DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Political, Romance, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases, Upcoming Releases,

As the autumn season pulls the coats from our closets, warms our chocolate beverages, and turns our leaves from a verdant green to a rusty orange, the movie studios give us another reason to spend a comfy evening at home: summer blockbusters on DVD. And what better way to view these visual—if not always plausible—delights than in high definition?

The coveted two-disc special edition of Transformers releases this week on HD DVD, much to the chagrin of Blu-ray loyalists; without a major exclusive release, they’ll simply have to make do with some mediocre thrillers.

But aside from the inferior cinematic fare, the first and second volumes of Showtime’s Masters of Horror series is out just in time for Halloween. The anthology show gives modern horror directors a full hour to play without the restrictions of an MPAA rating or television censorship. Although it failed to garner much critical acclaim, the show ended up being quite successful and achieved what some could perceive to be cult status.

Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.

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