This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: January 18, 2011

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Magnolia, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this week:

• Animal Kingdom: DVD, Blu-ray
• Buried: DVD/Blu-ray combo
• Death Race 2: DVD, Blu-ray
• Freakonomics: DVD, Blu-ray
• Jack Goes Boating: DVD, Blu-ray
• Lebanon: DVD, Blu-ray
• The Naked Kiss: DVD, Blu-ray
• Paper Man: DVD, Blu-ray
• Shock Corridor: DVD, Blu-ray
• Stone: DVD, Blu-ray
• Takers: DVD, Blu-ray

Make sure to also check out the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

Read More | Amazon

Box Office Breakdown: Takers Takes the (Close) Win

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Although early reports had The Last Exorcism in first place this weekend, the final numbers told a different story. When the dust finally settled on Monday, Lionsgate’s Takers had squeaked out a slim lead. (Less than $200,000 separated the two films.)

Exorcism, though, did not walk away a loser. The movie “documenting” a priest’s final exorcism earned just over $20 million—and it only cost $1.8 million to produce. The PG-13 flick also surpassed The Unborn‘s 2009 debut ($19.8 million), though it did fall short of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. (That 2005 release opened to $30 million.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Takers Takes the (Close) Win

Read More | Box Office Mojo

Box Office Breakdown: The Switch Fails to Light Up

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Miramax, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Maybe a quick trip to Cougar Town is something Jennifer Aniston could use right now.

Days after blurting out the R-word on television, Aniston is dealing with another ding in her career: the box office disappointment. The Switch, co-starring Jason Bateman, produced only $8.4 million over the past three days while narrowly escaping eighth place. The good news? The movie raised slightly more than Jen’s Love Happens did back in September. The bad news? The comedy earned about $4 million less than Jennifer Lopez’s baby movie, The Back-Up Plan, did in April.

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Read More | Box Office Mojo

In Theaters This Weekend: August 20, 2010

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Miramax, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Romance, Satire, Sequels, Comedy, Lists, New Releases, Trailers,

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Lottery Ticket (PG-13): starring Bow Wow, Ice Cube, Brandon T. Jackson (directed by Erik White)
• Nanny McPhee Returns (PG): starring Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Gyllenhaal (directed by Susanna White)
• Piranha 3D (R): starring Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O’Connell, Ving Rhames (directed by Alexandre Aja)
• The Switch (PG-13): starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jeff Goldblum (directed by Josh Gordon, Will Speck)
• Vampires Suck (PG-13): starring Matt Lanter, Chris Riggi, Ken Jeong (directed by Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer) **opens Wednesday**

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: August 20, 2010

Sequel News: Midnight Run, Death Race and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Action, Sequels, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases, Videos,

Midnight Run: Over 20 years after the debut of Midnight Run, Robert De Niro is preparing to hit the road again. Universal Studios and writer Timothy Dowling (Role Models) are developing a new story about bounty hunter Jack Walsh. This time around, De Niro, who starred alongside Charles Grodin in the original, will be teamed with a younger actor.

Click to continue reading Sequel News: Midnight Run, Death Race and More

This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: December 15, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Musicals, Period, Romance, Satire, Comedy, Home Entertainment, Lists,

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:

• Far North: DVD
• A Fish in the Bathtub: DVD
• G-Force: DVD, Blu-ray
• The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard: DVD
• The Group: DVD
• The Hangover: DVD, Blu-ray
• Herb & Dorothy: DVD
• Inglourious Basterds: DVD, Blu-ray
• The Mel Brooks Collection: Blu-ray
• The Other Man: DVD, Blu-ray
• Rich in Love: DVD
• Taking Woodstock: DVD, Blu-ray
• Trapeze: DVD
• Year of the Fish: DVD, Blu-ray

Make sure to also check out the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

Read More | Amazon

Box Office Breakdown: Glorious Outing for Inglourious Basterds

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,

Inglourious Basterds, Inglorious Bastards. However you spell it, it was still a hit.

The WWII-era tale about a band of Jewish-American soldiers hit the mark this weekend with a $38 million debut. Basterds, which more than doubled its nearest competitor, gave Quentin Tarantino his biggest premiere ever. (Kill Bill, Vol. 2 grossed only $25.1 million in 2004.) The director also raked in his best international turnout to date.

Finding himself even further down the list was Tarantino buddy Robert Rodriguez. The director followed up Planet Terror with a $6.4 million outing for the PG-rated Shorts. That was enough to give the Warner Bros. feature a 6th place finish.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Glorious Outing for Inglourious Basterds

Read More | Variety

Box Office Breakdown: Number 1 for District 9

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists,

District 9 may not have have any big name stars and it may not be based on a story everyone knows, but it does have something no other film has this Monday: a first place finish.

Over the weekend, the R-rated actioner landed on Earth safely with over $37 million in ticket sales. The sci-fi entry also raked in one of the best per screen averages ($12,251) of any film currently in in theaters. (Sony Pictures Classics’ It Might Get Loud averaged $13,240 while in limited release.)

In the non-alien department, The Time Traveler’s Wife cornered the romantic genre with an $18.6 million total. Meanwhile, Vanessa Hudgens proved she’s nothing without her better half. The Disney star’s new film, Bandslam, failed to even crack the Top Ten. The teen comedy barely managed to gross over $2 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Number 1 for District 9

Read More | Box Office Mojo

In Theaters This Weekend: August 14, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign, Music, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Lists, New Releases,

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Bandslam (PG): starring Gaelan Connell, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Aly Michalka (directed by Todd Graff)
• District 9 (R): starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James (directed by Neill Blomkamp)
• The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (R): starring Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, David Koechner (directed by Neal Brennan)
• The Time Traveler’s Wife (PG-13): starring Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Ron Livingston (directed by Robert Schwentke)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: August 14, 2009

In Theaters This Weekend: February 27, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Weinstein Company, Yari Film Group Releasing, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Family, Independent, Music, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (G): starring Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas (directed by Bruce Hendricks)
• Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (PG-13): starring Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Klein (directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak)
• An American Affair* (R): starring Gretchen Mol, Cameron Bright, Noah Wyle (directed by William Sten Olsson)
• Assassination of a High School President* (R): starring Reece Daniel Thompson. Mischa Barton and Bruce Willis (directed by Brett Simon)
• Bob Funk* (R): starring Eddie Jemison, Rachel Leigh Cook, Stephen Root (directed by Craig Carlisle)
• Crossing Over* (R): starring Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd (directed by Wayne Kramer)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: February 27, 2009