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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

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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

In Theaters This Weekend: September 17, 2010


Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Alpha and Omega (PG): starring Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Christina Ricci (directed by Anthony Bell, Ben Gluck)
  • Devil (PG-13): starring Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O’Hara (directed by John Erick Dowdle)
  • Easy A (PG-13): starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgely, Thomas Haden Church (directed by Will Gluck)
  • The Town (R): starring Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm (directed by Ben Affleck)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: September 17, 2010


Casting Corner: Julie Christie, Kevin Bacon and More

Julie Christie

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Julie Christie: The Away from Her star and Gary Oldman are both in talks to join The Girl With the Red Riding Hood, a “gothic” adaptation of the classic tale. Amanda Seyfried has already been cast in the Catherine Hardwicke-directed film as the woman who is terrorized by a werewolf in a medieval village. Christie would play Seyfried’s grandmother while Oldman hunts down the animal. Max Irons and Shiloh Fernandez will co-star.

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: February 2, 2010

Zombieland DVDHere are some of the options available this Tuesday:

  • Adam: DVD
  • Amadeus (Director’s Cut): Blu-ray
  • Amelia: DVD, Blu-ray
  • An American in Paris: Blu-ray
  • Casablanca: Blu-ray
  • The Departed: Blu-ray
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Blu-ray
  • Gangs of New York (Remastered): Blu-ray
  • Gigi: Blu-ray
  • The Godfather (Coppola Restoration): Blu-ray
  • The Godfather Part II (Coppola Restoration): Blu-ray
  • The Last King of Scotland: Blu-ray
  • Love Happens: DVD, Blu-ray
  • Maid in Manhattan: Blu-ray

Click to continue reading This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: February 2, 2010

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Box Office Breakdown: Saw Outdone by Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

Have audiences seen enough Saw?

Although Jigsaw is known for slaying his competition, the serial killer was no match for Katie Featherstone and Micah Sloat. This weekend, those two unknowns saw their small project, , finally top the box office charts. The movie, which was produced for approximately $15,000, reached that position after a steady climb up the ranks. (Aren’t films supposed to go down?) The horror flick also had a higher per screen average than any entry in the Top 10 despite fewer engagements.

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Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: The Wild Things Are #1

Where the Wild Things Are

Who knew a 10-sentence long story could do so well?

It may have taken over three years for Where the Wild Things Are to officially debut, but the long journey was apparently worth the wait. The Spike Jonze project, which was once rumored to be too scary for children, finally unfolded over the weekend and soared to first place. The Maurice Sendak adaptation, which earned approximately $32.7 million, also gave Warner Bros. its best October open ever.

Even though Gerard Butler didn’t bother to promote during his recent Saturday Night Live stint, the film managed to survive on its own. The actioner, which also starred Jamie Foxx, raked in just over $21 million and won a close race for 2nd place. Meanwhile, word-of-mouth hit Paranormal Activity grossed another $19.6 million and moved up one rung to the third spot.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Wild Things Are #1

Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Couples Retreat

Depending on how you look at the numbers, the winner this weekend was either or Paranormal Activity.

In the comedy corner, we have a Peter Billingsley-directed film that earned $35.3 million and a first-place finish. The movie - which combined the efforts of Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman - pulled in the best numbers for any Columbus Day weekend entry ever. It also gave Vaughn his 2nd best opening behind The Break-Up.

Meanwhile, on the horror front, made a huge splash despite being in limited release. The Blair Witch-esque movie scared up a shocking $49,000 per screen average. It also raked in nearly 500 times more than its budget. (It only cost less than $16,000 to produce.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: No Sluggish Start for Zombieland

Zombieland

Watch out, vampires…there’s still life in the other undead.

Although he was previously known as a director for Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ruben Fleischer now has a new title: box office champ. This past weekend, Ruben saw his first major feature, , attack the competition with a $24.7 million debut. The movie - which only cost approximately $24 million to make - had the highest open for any zombie-themed flick since Dawn of the Dead in 2004.

Meanwhile, another director had an entirely different result with her debut feature. , a roller derby comedy helmed by Drew Barrymore, rolled into 6th place finish with only $4.7 million. (When your film’s been topped by Pixar entries from 10+ years ago, there might have a problem.) Hopefully in a few more weeks, the Ellen Page vehicle will at least cover its $15 million production tab.

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Read More | Variety

In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009

The Invention of Lying

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Capitalism: A Love Story** (R): starring Michael Moore (directed by Michael Moore)
  • The Invention of Lying (PG-13): starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill (directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson)
  • Toy Story/Toy Story 2 in 3D (G): starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger (directed by John Lasseter)
  • Whip It! (PG-13): starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis (directed by Drew Barrymore)
  • Zombieland (R): starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone (directed by Ruben Fleischer)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009


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