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Box Office Breakdown: Despicable Weekend for Eclipse

Despicable Me

It looks like Steve Carell will do just fine when he finally leaves Dunder Mifflin.

Neither vampires nor predators could keep Gru (Carell) and his minions from ruling the box office this weekend. - also featuring the voices of Miranda Cosgrove, Jason Segel and Russell Brand - overcame it’s title and delighted audiences to the tune of $56.4 million. Universal’s feature earned nearly enough to cover the film’s production cost ($69 million) and more than enough to push last week’s champ, Eclipse, down to second place.

Meanwhile, Fox’s , set its laser sights on the alien creature lovers out there. The sci-fi thriller, starring Adrien Brody and Topher Grace, fired up $24.8 million in ticket sales and a third place finish.

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In Theaters This Weekend: July 9, 2010


Need a way to cool off from the high temperatures? Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • Despicable Me (PG): starring Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove (directed by Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Sergio Pablos)
  • Predators (R): starring Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace (directed by Nimrod Antel)
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire* (R): starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Annika Hallin (directed by Daniel Alfredson)
  • Grease Sing-A-Long* (PG-13): starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing (directed by Randal Kleiser)

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Box Office Breakdown: Theatergoers Choose Shrek Over Sex

Sex and the City 2

Shrek - not cosmopolitans - was what fans were buying this weekend.

Despite competition from two heavily-promoted features, an aging green ogre was able to hang on to his title for two weeks in a row. raised an additional $57 million during the Memorial Day frame to bring its domestic total to $146.8 million.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. proved that people can get tired of sex. Sex and the City 2 - which featured the return of Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) - couldn’t get past the bad reviews to even match the first film’s numbers. (Sex and the City opened to $56.8 million in May 2008.) The lovely ladies also couldn’t overpower Jake Gyllenhaal’s four-day haul. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time wound up snagging second place with a $37.8 million debut.

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Box Office Breakdown: MacGruber IS a Bomb

MacGruber

Disappointment can come in all shapes and box office sizes.

may have earned nearly three times as much than its nearest competitor, but it wasn’t exactly a winner for Paramount or Dreamworks. The film, which grossed $70.8 million in ticket sales, become the first sequel in the Shrek franchise to open below the $100 million mark (and that’s with the help of higher 3-D prices). The comedy did, though, place fourth on the all-time animated debuts list behind Shrek the Third ($121.6 million), Shrek 2 ($108 million)  and The Simpsons Movie ($74 million).

Meanwhile, it appears will last just as long in theaters as he does in Will Forte’s sketches. Although the character is (supposedly) known for diffusing bombs, he actually helped deliver one this weekend. The latest Saturday Night Live-based comedy - also starring Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe - generated a mere $4 million this weekend. While that number seems (understandably) dismal, there is one positive thing to note: the film only cost approximately $10 million to make.

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Box Office Breakdown: Iron Man Fights Off Robin Hood

Robin Hood

‘s excellent aim couldn’t keep Robert Downey Jr. off target.

Despite increased competition in its second week of release, remained firm at the box office. Paramount’s sequel generated another $52 million between Friday-Sunday and vaulted over the $200 million mark domestically.

Meanwhile, ‘s arrow was sharp enough for a $36 million bounty, but a bit too dull for a first place finish. The film did, though, earn approximately $74 million in foreign dollars. That topped the $43.1 million overseas debut for 2000’s Gladiator - another Crowe/Ridley Scott production.

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Box Office Breakdown: Iron Man 2 Soars High Above the Competition

Iron Man 2

Only one movie earned over $10 million over this weekend…and only movie scored over $125 million as well.

Iron Man 2 - with help from Mickey Rourke’s powerful weapons - whipped up $128.1 million over the past three days, giving Paramount its biggest open in history. The sequel, which was produced for approximately $170 million, easily improved upon Iron Man‘s $98.6 million premiere in 2008 and nabbed the fifth-largest debut of all time. (The Dark Knight still tops that leader board with its $158.4 million outing.)

Focus Features’ also made news of its own despite coming nowhere near Iron Man 2‘s numbers. The documentary, which was only released in 534 theaters, delivered $2.2 million and a ninth-place finish over the Mother’s Day weekend.

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Box Office Breakdown: Freddy Krueger a Theatrical Nightmare

Nightmare on Elm Street

Even though it’s a recurring dream, can still still scare up a few dollars.

Warner Bros.’ reboot of the horror classic clawed its way up to the top of the charts this weekend with a bloody good $32.9 million. Director Samuel Bayer’s first feature film more than tripled its nearest competitor while just falling shy of Freddy vs. Jason‘s $36 million open in 2003. (This installment did, though, top all other Elm street debuts.)

Meanwhile, it appears Brendan Fraser’s latest entry may have actually scared away audiences. , also starring Brooke Shields, only grossed $6.6 million over the last three days. Sadly, that amount was still higher than what Fraser generated in his last film…with Harrison Ford. (Extraordinary Measures unfolded to $6 million back in January.)

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Casting Corner: Julie Christie, Kevin Bacon and More

Julie Christie

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Julie Christie: The Away from Her star and Gary Oldman are both in talks to join The Girl With the Red Riding Hood, a “gothic” adaptation of the classic tale. Amanda Seyfried has already been cast in the Catherine Hardwicke-directed film as the woman who is terrorized by a werewolf in a medieval village. Christie would play Seyfried’s grandmother while Oldman hunts down the animal. Max Irons and Shiloh Fernandez will co-star.

Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Julie Christie, Kevin Bacon and More


Box Office Breakdown: Jennifer Lopez Needs a Back-up Plan

The Back-Up Plan

Jennifer Lopez’s recent performance at the box office - like her number at the American Music Awards - wasn’t exactly flawless.

, Lopez’s first major release since 2005, was not what moviegoers had planned for their few days off. The romantic comedy, which co-stars Alex O’Loughlin, earned a lackluster $12.2 million in ticket sales and a seat behind the five-week-old How to Train Your Dragon.

CBS Films did have one thing to brag about though: it’s movie performed better than any new wide release this weekend. (Granted, that isn’t saying much.) - an actioner featuring a large ensemble of actors - wrangled up a disappointing $9.4 million for fourth place. While that was enough to surpass last week’s champ, Kick-Ass, the two films were only separated by about $400,000. Meanwhile, Oceans, Disney’s nature documentary, landed in 8th place with $6.1 million.

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Sequel News: Monsters Inc., Mulholland Drive and More


Monsters Inc.: When Toy Story 3 finally comes and goes, we’ll still have another Pixar sequel to look forward to. Disney has just announced that a follow to 2001’s Monsters Inc. is in the works. The feature will premiere on Nov. 16, 2012.

Wanted: Kristen Stewart as a replacement…for Angelina Jolie? The forces behind Wanted 2 are reportedly eyeing the Twilight star for a role in the sequel. (Although they had hoped to bring back Jolie, she has already opted out.) Director Timur Bekmambetov is considering casting Stewart as a “young, ass-kicking assassin in the Fraternity.”

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