The 2009 Academy Awards: Live Commentary
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Awards,
After a year away from live Oscars coverage, I’m thrilled to be back for the 2009 Academy Awards.
Even though Dark Knight‘s snub will probably keep a number of viewers away (how many can honestly say they’ve seen The Reader?), I’m eagerly anticipating several moments from this evening’s broadcast.
Will Heath Ledger’s family bring the house to tears? Is Mickey Rourke going to make the producers wince? Will the cameras pan to Brangelina after Jennifer Aniston’s presentation? Are Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron really (really?) going to do a song and dance number?
To find out if this will be the year of the Slumdog or the underdog, stay tuned here for the live results!
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Dark Knight Soars Above $1 Billion
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Box Office,
The Dark Knight might not be the “Best Film” of the year, but it was undoubtedly the most successful.
January’s re-release gave Knight the extra push it needed to officially cross the $1 billion mark. The sequel, with it’s $1.001 billion gross, now stands as the 4th highest-earner of all time. Only Titanic ($1.84 billion), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.12 billion) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($1.07 billion) have raked in more.
Domestically, Knight falls directly behind Titanic. The Warner Bros. production has earned $533.1 million on this side of the pond.
Read More | E! Online
Dark Knight Gets Its January Return Date
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Thrillers, Awards, Box Office, Distribution,
You might want to hold off buying that Batman DVD just a little while longer.
Although The Dark Knight will be available for home video starting this Tuesday, the movie will soon be hitting a much larger screen. Starting January 23rd, the second-highest domestic grosser of all time will once again be entering the multiplexes.
Why now? Well, there are two very good reasons. Those who don’t recognize the significance of the “premiere” date should know that it was chosen for a reason. January 23rd just happens to fall one day after the Oscar nominations are announced. Could Warner Bros. be planning on a posthumous nod for Heath Ledger? If so, a re-release could remind voters of this summer’s most noteworthy performance.
And the second reason? Money. Knight is very close to reaching the $1 billion mark. Another $4 million will put the blockbuster in a group currently occupied by Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Burn After Reading Smokes Past Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, FOCUS, Lionsgate, Picturehouse, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Around this same time last year, Tyler Perry was beating George Clooney in a battle at the box office. Now the Sexiest Man Alive is having his day.
This past weekend, cineplexes were kept busy with a handful of new releases. Although each film had a chance of reaching #1, Burn After Reading - starring Clooney, Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand - emerged as the eventual winner. But the news wasn’t so bad for the other three contenders. Theatergoers clearly starving for fresh material placed all four wide release entries into the chart’s four top slots.
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Variety
Dark Knight Set to Re-Release in January
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Classics, Mystery, Sequels, Thrillers, Awards, Box Office, Distribution,
Warner Bros. now has plans to re-release Christopher Nolan’s record-breaking Batman sequel this January.
While I initially heard the news of The Dark Knight‘s re-release plan, I was excited to see that it may have a second chance to break Titanic‘s record; however, I was met with disappointment to discover that their motives linked to more materialistic goal named Oscar.
January is the prime voting season for the Academy Awards, and those determined folks at Warner Bros. don’t want anyone over there to forget about that impressive summer blockbuster of theirs.
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The Hollywood Reporter
Box Office Breakdown: Bangkok Dangerous Tops Dismal Weekend
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,
Eek. And I thought a $14 million weekend was bad.
Seven days ago, Tropic Thunder reached the #1 spot despite an unimpressive box office turnout. This week, Bangkok Dangerous accomplished that same achievement—with only $7.7 million dollars.
While number crunchers weren’t expecting stellar numbers (kids are back in school, football’s back gone), the underwhelming response to Nicolas Cage‘s latest film was a bit surprising. Not only did the film industry have its worst weekend of 2008, Bangkok had the lowest take for any first-placed flick in five years. (Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star topped with $6.6 million in 2003.)
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Bangkok Dangerous Tops Dismal Weekend
Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Tropic Thunder Makes It Three for Three
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Musicals, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
At any other time of the year, a $14 million take would probably get you a decent ranking in the Top Ten. This holiday weekend, that box office total was enough to put Tropic Thunder into first place. Again.
Despite a new Vin Diesel entry, the Ben Stiller comedy led the top of the pack for the third weekend in a row. (If it reaches that mark a fourth time, it will have officially reached Dark Knight territory.) Meanwhile, Babylon A.D. settled for second place with only $11.5 million in ticket sales. I’m guessing the sci fi film’s reviews - in particular, the one from the movie’s own director - might have had something to do with the disappointing turnout.
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Yahoo! Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Tropic Thunder Wins the Death Race
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Although it was widely believed that (hunky) Jason Statham would emerge as this weekend’s winner, Tropic Thunder somehow managed to hold its ground. The comedy, which only raked in $16.2 million during this outing, became the third movie this year to make a repeat appearance at #1. (The other two films were those giant blockbusters called Iron Man and The Dark Knight.)
Overall, this was an unimpressive weekend for films. Theatergoers probably confused (like me) by Joan Allen’s participation only poured $12.6 million of their dollars into Death Race. Meanwhile, The House Bunny became this week’s highest-grossing chick alternative (Sorry, Sisterhood!) with its $14.5 million gross.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Tropic Thunder Wins the Death Race
Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Dark Knight Struck Down by Tropic Thunder
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Despite a somewhat disappointing opening last Wednesday ($6.5 million), Tropic Thunder actually managed to surpass the four-time box office winner. The comedy grossed $25.8 million over the past three days, nearly $10 million more than its caped competitor.
And while Ben Stiller should be happy by his movie’s accomplishment, the Dreamworks/Paramount film still left a lot to be desired. Recent comedies such as Get Smart ($38.6 million) and Step Brothers ($30.9 million) debuted to better numbers. But then those two films didn’t have a distraction like Michael Phelps to contend with.
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Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Batman Smokes Pineapple Express
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Musicals, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers,
Pineapple Express’ strong open last week made number crunchers wonder: Would this be the week Batman was finally taken down? Unfortunately, breaking the record for ‘Any Wednesday in August’ doesn’t necessarily mean a movie will succeed on Friday or Saturday or Sunday. And despite Pineapple‘s promising start (the movie grossed $12.1 million on its first day), the comedy found itself smoked by the Caped Crusader.
The Dark Knight‘s recent $26 million take has now pushed the film past $441 million. When the sequel passes Star Wars’ $461 million (which should happen shortly), it will become the #2 film of all time. By staying on top for the fourth weekend in a row, Knight has also accomplished something that hasn’t been done since 2003’s Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Batman Smokes Pineapple Express
Yahoo! Movies
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