Box Office Breakdown: Wolverine Claws Its Way to the Top
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Music, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Despite a growing list of hurdles (leaked footage, swine flu, mediocre reviews), X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved it was a force to be reckoned with last weekend. Although it failed to surpass X-Men: The Last Stand (that 2006 entry debuted at $122.9 million), the Fox feature trounced the competition with an $85.1 million open. In other words, Wolverine earned over $20 million more than the other Top Ten entries…combined.
Sitting far back in second place was Ghost of Girlfriends Past, Matthew McConaughey’s attempt to bring a little muscle into the box office. The romantic comedy, costarring Jennifer Garner, grossed $15.4 million on the weekend before Mother’s Day. (That’s less than a million more than what Made of Honor pulled in at this same time last year.) Meanwhile, last Friday’s only other wide release, Battle for Terra, raked in a disappointing $1.1 million for a 12th place finish.
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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Drawn to Obsessed
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Musicals, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
It was a battle between two Dreamgirls stars at the box office this weekend.
After back-to-back roles in music-related dramas, Beyonce Knowles proved she could deliver without having to sing a note. Obsessed, a thriller produced for approximately $20 million, pulled in nearly $29 million for a 1st place finish. The film, also featuring two NBC stars (The Office’s Idris Elba and Heroes’ Ali Larter), more than doubled last week’s champ, 17 Again.
Meanwhile, an Academy Award winner and an Iron Man joined forces for a surprising fourth place finish. The Soloist, costarring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., didn’t even cross the $10 million mark. Although it was once considered as a pre-Oscars release, the film’s debut grossed less than last week’s nominee-filled entry, State of Play.
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Box Office Breakdown: 17 is the Lucky Number
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Drama, Horror, Music, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Zac Efron may be cute, but he’s no Hannah Montana.
This weekend the Disney veteran got a chance to prove his worth in his first starring role. And though he managed to hit #1, Efron pulled in approximately $8.6 million less than Miley Cyrus did last week. The premiere of 17 Again also opened to $18.3 million less than High School Musical 3 did last October. (Then again, those two family-friendly films were a bit more accessible with their G-ratings.)
Russell Crowe, in the meantime, had far much more to groan about. The Oscar winner found his new movie, State of Play, sandwiched in between the two tween idols. The thriller, costarring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams, earned nearly $10 million less than the age-reversal comedy for a second place finish.
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In Theaters This Weekend: April 17, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, New Line, Universal, Action, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Music, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- 17 Aagain (PG-13): starring Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Matthew Perry (directed by Burr Steers)
- Crank: High Voltage (R): starring Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr. (directed by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor)
- State of Play (PG-13): starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams (directed by Kevin MacDonald)
- American Violet* (PG-13): starring Nicole Behaire, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard (directed by Tim Disney)
- The Butterfly Tattoo* (NR): starring Duncan Stuart, Jessica Blake, Aidan Magrath (directed by Phil Hawkins)
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First Look: Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck in State of Play
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Drama, Political, Thrillers, Trailers, Upcoming Releases,
In State of Play, Russell Crowe stars as an investigative reporter (Cal McCaffrey) who is tasked with covering the murder of a congressman’s mistress. Ben Affleck plays Stephen Collins, the U.S. Congressman who also has old ties to McCaffrey. The movie which once had Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in the two lead roles was directed by Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).
Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions for Lambs), Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Billy Ray (Breach) and Paul Abbott (the writer of the original BBC series) all share writing credits on the big-screen adaptation.
State of Play - also starring Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren and Jason Bateman - opens April 17, 2009.
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