Box Office Breakdown: The Rite Exorcises a Win
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
The Rite may not currently be up for an Oscar, but it does have an Oscar winner – and a box office win.
Anthony Hopkins’ first wide release since The Wolfman cut No Strings Attached from its top spot this past weekend. The film, which debuted during (another) East Coast weather event, managed to shovel up $14.8 million in ticket sales.
The Mechanic, featuring action star Jason Statham, also found a place in the Top Ten. The film – a remake of a Charles Bronson movie – opened in third place with $11.4 million.
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Box Office Breakdown: Portman Scores with Kutcher and Kunis
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Box Office, Lists,
Pair Natalie Portman with a star from That 70’s Show and what do you get? A Top Ten film.
No Strings Attached – last weekend’s only new wide release – topped the box office with a $19.6 million bow. The film, which features Portman and Ashton Kutcher, gave Natalie – someone who has avoided romantic comedies -- her best debut since 2006’s V for Vendetta.
As for Black Swan, Portman’s film with 70’s Show actress Mila Kunis – that film slipped one notch down to sixth place over the weekend. You can expect a possible boost for the thriller after Oscar nominations are announced Tuesday morning.
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Sacha Baron Cohen to Star in Saddam Hussein Story
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Adaptation, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Scripts, Upcoming Releases,
And I thought Sacha Baron Cohen playing Freddie Mercury was interesting.
It’s been announced that Cohen will also star in The Dictator, an adaptation of Zabibah and The King. That’s a novel penned by Saddam Hussein (and/or his ghost writers) in 2000.
The story about a woman who is raped by her cruel husband is believed to be an allegory about the United States’ invasion of Iraq.
Paramount Pictures describes the “comedy” as “the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed."
That “heroic” dictator, named Hussein, is the role Cohen will play.
The movie, also being written by Cohen, will debut on May 11, 2012. Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno) will direct Cohen in this feature.
Read More | MTV
Box Office Breakdown: No Dilemma for The Green Hornet
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
The Green Hornet, starring Seth Rogen and Jay Chou, brought in a lot green for Sony this weekend. Although the film came nowhere near its $110 million budget, Hornet did earn enough ($33.5 million) to make it the second-best grosser ever during the MLK Jr. holiday frame. (Cloverfield earned $40.1 million over its first three days in 2008.)
Despite the combined comedic forces of Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, The Dilemma turned out to be more of a non-issue. The Universal entry -- which cost $70 million to produce -- failed to even crack the $20 million mark. That's the worst debut for Vaughn since 2007's Fred Claus and the worst open for James ever (if you don't count the films he only voiced).
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Box Office Breakdown: Weak Showing for Country Strong
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Music, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Gwyneth Paltrow's appearances on Glee, the Country Music Awards and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon couldn't help her film's performance at the box office.
Country Strong's first week in wide release strummed up less than $10 million over the past three days. The good news? The film only cost approximately $12 million to produce. In comparison, True Grit -- another film in its third week -- finally rode past Little Fockers for a first-place finish.
Meanwhile, Season of the Witch, the only other new entry in the Top Ten, fired up $10.6 million. That was enough to give the Nicolas Cage feature a third place debut.
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Box Office Breakdown: Coen Brothers Show True Grit
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Box Office, Lists,
Their film didn't top the box office, nor did it have the best per screen average -- but Joel and Ethan Coen still have reason to smile.
True Grit, a two-time second-place finisher, has now grossed $86.7 million domestically -- a new record for the writing/directing duo. The Western, which added another $24.4 million to its total this past weekend, has officially surpassed the Coen brothers' previous record. (No Country for Old Men, released in 2007, raised $74.3 million.)
The only other notable item in the Top Ten this week was The King's Speech. The critically-acclaimed film replaced The Tourist in the tenth-place spot and averaged $11,108 per theater.
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Box Office Breakdown: Big Win for Little Fockers
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
A lack of a clear plot apparently meant very little to theatergoers this past weekend.
Little Fockers, which added another $30.8 million in ticket sales ($45.1 million since Wednesday) to the Fockers series, finished in first place after the holiday frame. Although the Ben Stiller/Robert De Niro production failed to top Meet the Fockers’ debut in 2004 ($46.1 million), the comedy did bring in more than the 2000 original. (Meet the Parents opened to $28.6 million.)
Meanwhile, the Jeff Bridges from the past found himself passing the Jeff Bridges from the future. True Grit, costarring Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld, roped in $24.9 million – the best number for the Coen brothers to date – and second place. The Western wound up landing just one notch above Tron, Bridges’ current sci-fi entry.
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In Theaters This Holiday Week: December 22, 2010
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Universal, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Independent, Music, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Lists, New Releases, Trailers,
Here are a few selections in theaters this holiday week:
- Gulliver's Travels (PG): starring Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt (directed by Rob Letterman) **opens on Dec. 25**
- Little Fockers (PG-13): starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson (directed by Paul Weitz)
- True Grit (PG-13): starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin (directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Holiday Week: December 22, 2010
Box Office Breakdown: Titans Rules Over Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Clash of the Titans’ use of 3D may not have been favorably reviewed, but that didn’t keep the remake from conquering the box office.
The Warner Bros. film, which was delayed for a last-minute technology upgrade, officially became the biggest Easter weekend opener to date. Titans’ $61.2 million topped previous holiday champ Scary Movie 4 and bested 1999’s The Matrix to become the best April release ever. (That 1999 film debuted to $27.8 million.)
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Box Office Breakdown: How to Train Your Dragon Soars to #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Family, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
Jay Baruchel may be dating a girl out of his league, but he’s now got a dragon under his command.
Friday’s premiere of How to Train a Dragon had both Baruchel and Gerard Butler pulling double-duty over the weekend. The animated feature easily surpassed both Out of My League, Bounty Hunter and - most importantly - the reigning champ (Alice in Wonderland) to take the win with a $43.7 million take.
Unfortunately, even higher ticket prices couldn’t lift the 3-D feature past a previous Dreamworks entry. Last March, Monsters vs. Aliens towered over the competition with a $59.3 million bow.
Meanwhile, Hot Tub Time Machine - the weekend’s only other new wide release - warmed up to a $14 million debut and a third-place finish.
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