Box Office Breakdown: Megamind is Unstoppable

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine could do nothing but watch Megamind speed past them at the box office.

Despite an early lead for the action film, Unstoppable lost a bit of steam. The movie, which opened to $8.1 million on Friday, slowed to a $22.7 million take and second place-finish by Monday. Of the five films Tony Scott has directed Washington in, this movie – also starring Chris Pine – debuted in the middle of the pack.

Two other wide releases found themselves perched in the Top 10 this weekend. Universal’s sci-fi entry, Skyline, dialed up $11.7 million for fourth place. Meanwhile, Morning Glory, starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, produced $9.2 million ($11.8 million since Wednesday) – enough for fifth place.

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: Megamind Opens Large with $46 Million

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Biopics, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis and Tyler Perry contributed to one of the largest November weekends in box office history.

Megamind – starring Ferrell, Tina Fey and Brad Pitt – topped the competition this weekend with a $46 million take. The animated comedy opened bigger than How to Train Your Dragon – another Paramount/Dreamworks collaboration – did in March ($43.7 million), but smaller than Despicable Me ($56.4 million) did in July.

Todd Phillips’ Due Date, featuring Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr., also had an impressive open despite landing into second place. The movie, which grossed $32.7 million, had the largest premiere for any R-rated flick in November. (The movie bested the record set by Borat’s $26.4 million in 2006.) The film, though, fell behind The Hangover’s $45 million open in 2009.

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Box Office Breakdown: Saw Franchise Ends with a Win

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Box Office, Lists,

The Saw franchise, which has been churning out annual entries since kicking off in 2004, introduced a new twist to the latest October entry. That visual element, plus a calendar shift, helped Saw 3D take first place over the holiday weekend.

Despite the $22.5 million debut, Saw 3D – the seventh and final film in the series – didn’t exactly end the series with a bloody bang. The horror flick had the fifth-best open in the entire franchise -- and that's including the higher ticket prices. (Only the 2004 original and 2009’s Saw VI – which was pitted directly against Paranormal Activity – did worse.)

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In Theaters This Weekend: October 29, 2010

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Independent, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases, Trailers,

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Saw 3D (R): starring Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor (directed by Kevin Greutert)
• Eichmann* (NR): starring Thomas Kretschmann, Tory Garity, Franka Potente (directed by Robert Young)
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest* (R): starring Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre (directed by Daniel Alfredson)
• Inspector Bellamy* (NR): starring Gerard Depardieu, Clovis Cornillac, Jacques Gamblin (directed by Claude Chabrol)

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Sequel News: Four Brothers, Jurassic Park and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Sony, Action, Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy,

Four Brothers: How do you follow a film like Four Brothers? Well, you apparently add another brother. Paramount is currently developing Five Brothers, a sequel to the 2005 entry. Details of the film are not known, but Mark Wahlberg has already expressed interest in returning.

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Box Office Breakdown: That Was It for Paranormal Activity

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Period, Remakes, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Based on the numbers from the past week, it looks like This Is It should remain in theaters longer than two weeks. Oh wait - it will.

Since opening late Tuesday night, the concert film has generated a total of $34.4 million domestically - $23.2 million just over the weekend - and approximately $101 worldwide. Although Michael Jackson technically didn’t beat the opener for Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (that entry earned more over 5 days), This Is It had the best international debut ever for any concert film.

Sony’s win meant a short victory for Paranormal Activity. After a steady climb, and only 1 week at the top, the horror film slipped down to second place. Of course, the word-of-mouth hit has nothing to complain about. Not only has the movie grossed $84.6 million to date, it also had the best per screen average of any Top 10 charter.

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Box Office Breakdown: Saw Outdone by Paranormal Activity

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

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, Paranormal Activity, 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

In Theaters This Weekend: October 23, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Universal, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Period, Sequels, Comedy, Lists, New Releases,

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Amelia (PG): starring Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor (directed by Mira Nair)
• Astro Boy (PG): starring Nicolas Cage, Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell (directed by David Bowers)
• Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (PG-13): starring John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson (directed by Paul Weitz)
• Saw VI (R): starring Costas Mandylor, Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith (directed by Kevin Greutert)

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