Box Office Breakdown: Saw Slices Its Way to #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, Lionsgate, Sony, Touchstone, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
This weekend’s success of Saw IV proved that ‘torture porn’ is very much alive and well…at least right before All Hallows Eve. (Apparently originality is not a prerequisite when you’re in the haunting mood.) The horror series, which took in $55 million domestically when it debuted in 2004, bloodied the competition with its recent $31 million take. It will now likely hit the $80 million mark the last two installments surpassed.
Although Dan in Real Life, lagged behind with only $11 million, the film at least managed to place second. Hopefully Dan will have legs in the weeks to come; it’s a nice counter-programming option for those desperately seeking romance on their date nights. Those hunting for acceptable kids fare may have it a bit harder though—- which probably explains why The Game Plan has remained firmly planted in the Top Five.
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Box Office Breakdown: 30 Days of Night Sucks Up the Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Touchstone, Warner Bros, Animation, Drama, Horror, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases,
I never thought I would ever find myself writing this: ‘A Josh Hartnett-led film has opened at #1.’ Of course, he did have a little help from a vampire or two..
The horror film, 30 Days of Night, had an impressive debut for what was actually an unimpressive weekend. With only $16 million, the Alaskan-set vampire flick beat out a host of movies filled with Oscar-nominated stars. Ben Affleck’s well-reviewed directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, opened up in 6th place. Rendition, starring are-they-or-aren’t-they-dating Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, barely cracked the Top Ten. Meanwhile, Things We Lost in the Fire placed a dismal 15th despite the presence of Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro (and promotion on Oprah).
The success of 30 Days and the surprise return of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas - which placed 8th even though it was only in 564 theaters - clearly spells out the audience’s need for some Halloween fare. This bodes well for the release of Saw IV which opens next weekend. (Yay!)
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Box Office Breakdown: Tyler Perry vs. George Clooney
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
This weekend saw George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and Cate Blanchett all fighting for your box office dollars—so who would have thought Tyler Perry would come out the big winner?
Even though two of his last three films opened with impressive numbers, very few predicted the writer/actor/producer/director would topple the competition. Now the number crunchers know better. Though the debut underperformed 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($21.9 million) and 2006’s Madea’s Family Reunion ($30 million), Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? still scored $10 million more than its nearest competitor.
Additionally surprising was the lasting success of Disney’s The Game Plan. The film finally dropped one notch to #2 in its third week—also beating out We Own The Night and Michael Clayton. Although kid-friendly fare is rarity these days, the movie’s ability to remain so strong is quite impressive.
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FilmCrunch 050: Ghost Rider Review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Columbia Pictures, Action, Adaptation, Thrillers, Short FilmCrunch, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Ghost Rider in this episode of FilmCrunch:
Long ago, superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to protect the ones he loved most: his father and his childhood sweetheart, Roxanne. Now, the Devil has come for his due. By day, Johnny is a die-hard stunt rider—but at night in the presence of evil, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of rogue demons. Forced to do the Devil’s bidding, Johnny is determined to confront his fate and use his curse and powers to defend the innocent.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
FilmCrunch 042: Ghost Rider, Half Nelson, Flags of our Fathers, The Queen
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Warner Independant Films, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Period, Political, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts,
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep have another full episode of FilmCrunch for you. In this show we review Ghost Rider, Half Nelson, Flags of our Fathers, and The Queen.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
Box Office Breakdown: 300 Loses Steam, Remains Strong
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Mystery, Period, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Just like the Spartan forces, the movie 300 was bound to lose steam. But that doesn’t mean it won’t still take out a round of movies on its way down! Here’s the breakdown for the past weekend:
1. 300, Warner Bros., $32,877,328
2. Wild Hogs, Disney, $19,058,871
3. Premonition, Sony, $17,558,689
4. Dead Silence, Universal, $7,842,725
5. I Think I Love My Wife, Fox Searchlight, $5,674,802
6. Bridge to Terabithia, Disney, $5,192,153
7. Ghost Rider, Sony, $4,176,658
8. Zodiac, Paramount, $3,287,560
9. Norbit, Paramount, $2,766,593
10. Music & Lyrics, Warner Bros., $2,272,317
Box Office Breakdown: 300 Tears It Up
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Music, Mystery, Period, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Ghost Rider and Wild Hogs step aside. Throngs of men in need of a testosterone-laden movie were apparently craving more than just motorcycles. According to the latest box office numbers, what they really needed were swords. And blood. And Spartan women.
Trapped inside a crowded theater this weekend, I knew 300 would be successful. But who could have guessed it would be this big?? The latest movie to be based on a Frank Miller graphic novel raked in nearly $71 million. That’s the largest opening for a movie in March…ever. Additionally, it was the 3rd largest opening for an ‘R’ rated movie (right behind The Matrix Reloaded and The Passion of the Christ).
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