This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: February 3, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Sony, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Animation, Family, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Home Entertainment,
Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:
- Bottle Shock: DVD
- Clerks II: Blu-ray
- Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: DVD, Blu-ray (avail. on Feb. 6)
- Napoleon Dynamite: Blu-ray
- Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist: DVD, Blu-ray
- Office Space: Blu-ray
- Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous: DVD
- The Secret Life of Bees: DVD, Blu-ray
- Sideways: Blu-ray
- Space Buddies: DVD, Blu-ray
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno: DVD, Blu-ray
Click here to see the TV-on-DVD options for this week.
Read More 
| Amazon
Advertisement
Box Office Breakdown: Audiences are Taken with Liam Neeson
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
While it would seem logical to find a female-oriented movie on top after Super Bowl Sunday, an action thriller proved there was more than enough testosterone to go around. Taken, starring Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson, took in $24.7 million making it the second best opener ever during the same football period. (Last year’s Hannah Montana concert film grossed $31.1 million.)
Meanwhile, a romantic comedy starring an actual Oscar winner, failed to do what counterprogramming options are meant to do: score a touchdown. New in Town, starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr., earned $6.7 million and a disappointing 8th place. (Apparently Academy Awards don’t guarantee future success.) The romantic comedy raked in about 1/2 as much as Zellweger’s Leatherheads did…and that’s saying a lot.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences are Taken with Liam Neeson
Read More | Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: January 30, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- New in Town (PG): starring Renee Zellweger, Harry Connick, Jr., Nathan Fillion (directed by Jonas Elmer)
- Taken (PG-13): starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen (directed by Pierre Morel)
- The Uninvited (PG-13): starring Elizabeth Banks, Emily Browning, David Strathairn (directed by Charles and Thomas Guard)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: January 30, 2009
Box Office Breakdown: A Bloody Good Weekend for Twilight
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Miramax, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Independent, Musicals, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Although Disney features typically find a place at the top of the pack, the studio’s cute puppy was outmatched by a hot vampire this weekend. After pulling in $35.9 million on Friday ($7 million of which was earned at midnight), Twilight went on to suck up nearly $70 million in total. The film’s first day take alone was enough for Summit Entertainment to immediately greenlight a sequel. (A script for New Moon had already been in the works.)
The Stephenie Meyers adaptation - which was originally slated to premiere on December 12 - undoubtedly owes Warner Bros. partial credit for its success. Had the studio not chosen to move Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince until next year, Twilight would most likely have debuted in fewer theaters. The Catherine Hardwicke film also wouldn’t have become the highest opener ever for a female director. (Deep Impact, helmed by Mimi Leder, took home $41.2 million in 1998.)
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: A Bloody Good Weekend for Twilight
Read More | Yahoo! Movies
Box Office Breakdown: Record Showing for 007
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
In the battle of Bond vs. Bourne, Jason won out this time…though not by much.
Although it was initially believed Quantum of Solace would break the $70 million mark, the final numbers for the Sony/MGM film came up slightly short. The 22nd Bond installment hauled in $67.5 million this weekend, just under $2 million shy of the debut for The Bourne Ultimatum. (The 2007 premiered to $69.3 million.)
But don’t feeling sorry for Daniel Craig. The actor has helped to revitalize the franchise in a big way. Quantum officially just became the best opener of all the 007 films. (Die Another Day grossed $47.1 million back in 2002.) The movie is also on pace to to beat the theatrical run record set by Casino Royale. (The 2006 film eventually pocketed $167.4 million domestically.)
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Record Showing for 007
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Ticket Buyers Escape to Madagascar 2
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Move over High School Musical 3. Another family-friendly movie is taking over.
This past weekend, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa stormed into theaters in a big way. The animated sequel took in a whopping $63.1 million, making it second biggest debuter this year. (The Dark Knight pulled in $75.2 million in July.) The film - which topped its 2005 predecessor by $2.1 million - also had the 7th best opening for a cartoon ever.
In other noteworthy news, last week’s #2 was pushed aside for another R-rated comedy. Role Models, starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott, surpassed expectations to rake in an impressive $19.2 million. That amount nearly doubled what Zack and Miri - this week’s #5 - earned during its first three days. Meanwhile, a movie that was critically-panned did fairly well in its limited release. Repo! The Genetic Opera - the wannabe cult musical featuring Paris Hilton - averaged $6,711 over 8 theaters. That’s a number most of the movies in the Top Ten couldn’t match.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Ticket Buyers Escape to Madagascar 2
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: High School Musical Makes it Two for Two
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Picturehouse, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Musicals, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
This past weekend, moviegoers showed very little interest in Halloween-themed fare. Despite several horror options, ticket buyers put a G-rated film on top once again.
Although Friday night was slow for cineplexes everywhere, theater attendance thankfully picked up by Saturday. And while there was tight battle for 2nd place, High School Musical 3 had an easy fight for #1. One week after its $42 million debut, the Disney feature added another $15.3 million to the bundle.
Coming in second was a movie on the opposite end of the wholesome spectrum. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - a movie that narrowly escaped an NC-17 rating - pulled in just over $10 million during the past three days. That turnout placed the raunchy comedy amongst Kevin Smith’s highest debuters. (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back earned $11.1 million in 2001 while 2006’s Clerks II raked in $10.1 million.)
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: High School Musical Makes it Two for Two
Read More | Variety
In Theaters this Weekend: October 31, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: MGM, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Independent, Period, Romance, Satire, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Haunting of Molly Hartley (PG-13): starring Haley Bennett, Jake Weber, Chace Crawford (directed by Mickey Liddell)
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno (R): starring Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes (directed by Kevin Smith)
- Changeling** (R): starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan (directed by Clint Eastwood)
- Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father* (NR): starring Kurt Kuenne, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby (directed by Kurt Kuenne)
Click to continue reading In Theaters this Weekend: October 31, 2008
Box Office Breakdown: High School Musical at the Top of the Class
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Musicals, Political, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
This past week, the multiplexes had a little bit of something for everyone: politics, animals, music, dancing, thrillers, Oscar contenders and even horror. Not surprisingly, this meant a lot of dollars were shelled out in return.
As expected, the big screen debut of High School Musical 3 had tweeners (and their loving parents) all atwitter. Thanks to a $42 million debut, the G-rated film officially became the best musical opener of all time. (Mamma Mia! - with its $27.8 million - was the previous leader.)
Meanwhile, a film on the other end of the ratings spectrum was scaring up some decent dollars of its own. Saw V, which probably could have waited to premiere on Halloween, took in approximately $30 million over the last three days. Although it was pitted against the highly-anticipated Disney sequel, the movie carved out its own audience and raised first place-worthy numbers. Although the series is currently on its fifth life, the 2008 installment came within $4 million dollars of Saw III, the franchise’s best performer to date.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: High School Musical at the Top of the Class
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Max Payne Outvotes W for #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Even though Josh Brolin was the host of last Saturday’s SNL, it was Mark Wahlberg - a minor player on that same show - who ended up on top.
This past weekend, Max Payne finally managed to do what no other movie has done yet: take Beverly Hills Chihuahua down. The video game adaptation earned $17.6 million putting nearly $6 million between itself and the family flick.
Surprisingly, a whole Oprah show dedicated to The Secret Life of Bees couldn’t provide that star-studded cast enough buzz. Despite a $10.5 million take, the drama still placed behind the four-legged film. (Bee did, though, earn more per theater than any Top Ten entry.) Meanwhile, Oliver Stone’s latest project did a respectable job for a politically-themed movie. W. also raked in $10.5 million this weekend, narrowly missing third place.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Max Payne Outvotes W for #1
Variety
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.