Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Family, Independent, Music, Political, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Box Office, Lists,
Depending on how you look at the numbers, the winner this weekend was either Couples Retreat 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, Paranormal Activity 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.)
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Box Office Breakdown: No Sluggish Start for Zombieland
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Political, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,
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, Zombieland, 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. Whip It, 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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Box Office Breakdown: Meatballs Rolls to Another Victory
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Lionsgate, Sony, Touchstone, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Surrogates was no substitute for meatballs.
Despite competition from a Bruce Willis film, a music-based remake and a sci-fi horror entry, A Cloudy Chance of Meatballs remained the theatergoers’ order of choice for the second week in a row. The children’s book adaptation had Sony dining to the tune of $25 million—over $10 million more than the second place finisher.
Many thought Willis, who hasn’t had a major role since 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard, was on track to take first this weekend. Unfortunately, his
movie was considered a big letdown given its $15 million gross and $80 million budget. Meanwhile, Fame, a remake of the 1980 hit, had no one feeling like they wanted to live forever. The MGM feature only rung up $10 million for third place.
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In Theaters This Weekend: September 25, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, MGM, Miramax, Paramount, Sony, Touchstone, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Period, Political, Remakes, Science Fiction, Comedy, Lists, New Releases,
Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:
- Fame (PG): starring Megan Mullally, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth (directed by Kevin Tancharoen)
- Pandorum (R): starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet (directed by Christian Alvert)
- Surrogates (PG-13): starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike (directed by Jonathan Mostow)
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Timothy Dalton: From 007 to Toy Story 3
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Animation, Family, Sequels, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Timothy Dalton is to star in Toy Story 3.
The 63-year-old actor - who played British spy James Bond in Licence to Kill and The Living Daylights - will voice melodramatic hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants in the Disney/Pixar sequel. If he is allowed to keep his Welsh accent, the actor will be the first Briton to feature in the popular animated franchise.
Disney president John Lasseter revealed Dalton’s casting yesterday in addition to part of film’s plot. In excerpts shown, the toys - including Tom Hanks’ Woody, Tim Allen’s Buzz and Kelsey Grammer’s Stinky Pete the Prospector - were sent to a daycare center when their owner Andy grows up and moves to college. After days of terrible abuse at the hands of toddlers, the toys stage a dramatic break-out before going on the hunt for a new home.
Cars star Michael Keaton will also voice a new character in the film - Barbie’s boyfriend Ken.
Toy Story 3 will be released on June 18, 2010.
Box Office Breakdown: Beverly Hills Chihuahua is Weekend’s Top Dog
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Political, Religious, Romance, Satire, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
On a weekend with seven new wide releases, it was Beverly Hills Chihuahua that emerged as Best in Show. The film, one of the few family-oriented titles currently being offered, earned nearly $30 million over the past three days. That amount was enough to easily surpass Eagle Eye, last week’s #1. The talking-dogs feature also gave Disney its best October opening thus far.
Of the other new entries in the Top Ten, one was religion-centric while the other had political overtones. (Could this be an election year?) Coming in at #10 was Religulous, the documentary from Bill Maher. Although the movie was only offered in limited release, it pulled in $6,792 per theater. That was the second highest average amongst the chart toppers. Meanwhile, An American Carol, a right-wing satirical comedy, found itself in 9th place.
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In Theaters This Weekend: October 3, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, MGM, Miramax, Sony, Universal, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Religious, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- An American Carol (PG-13): starring Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight (directed by David Zucker)
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua (PG): starring Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona, Jamie Lee Curtis (directed by Raja Gosnell)
- Blindness (R): starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal (directed by Fernando Meirelles)
- Flash of Genius (PG-13): starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney (directed by Marc Abraham)
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In Theaters This Weekend: August 1, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Sony, Touchstone, Universal, Action, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG-13): starring Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello (directed by Rob Cohen)
- Swing Vote (PG-13): starring Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer (directed by Joshua Michael Stern)
- America the Beautiful* (R): starring Gerren Taylor, Ted Casablanca, Eve Ensler (directed by Darryl Roberts)
- Frozen River* (R): starring Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Michael O’Keefe (directed by Courtney Hunt)
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