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Latest Video: FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed

Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, and Premonition in this episode of FilmCrunch.
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Mission: Impossible 4 - Ghost ProtocolMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the most successful film in the movie series' franchise. The Brad Bird-directed film - which sees Tom Cruise return as operative Ethan Hunt, alongside Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg - has made $571 million worldwide since its release late last year, and studio Paramount has admitted it is delighted with the success.

"Brad Bird, Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and the entire team who worked on M:I4 created an incredibly entertaining film, one that fans worldwide embraced in record numbers," said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount. Mission: Impossible II is the next most successful film in the franchise, earning $546 million worldwide.

Brad has previously joked he was terrified about being the director who killed off Tom when he made him hang off the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai for the fourth installment of the movie: "I think every director that has worked with him in these kinds of films probably has that feeling where your eyes snap open at three in the morning and you go, 'My god, what am I doing?' Definitely."


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Kate Beckinsale in Underworld Awakening

Vampire films are still proving to be winning box office material, as Underworld Awakening raked in $25.3 million this past weekend, bumping Kate Beckinsale's other film, Contraband, from its number 1 spot.

Not too far behind was the Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard WWII film, Red Tails, which debuted at number 2 for $18.7 million. Last week's top film, Contraband, was bumped down to number 3 with $12 million while Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close jumped from 36th last week to the number 4 spot -- thanks to the addition of more than 2,000 screens. Lastly, the 3D version of Beauty and the Beast, which came in second last week, secured the number 5 spot with $8.8 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Underworld Takes Over Box Office

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Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol

Despite the major competition over the holiday weekend, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took number 1 at the box office for the second week in a row with $29.6 million.

Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows kept its number 2 spot with $21 million, while the family film Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked moved up one spot to number 3 with $16.4 million. The highly-anticipated David Fincher film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was bumped down to number 4 with $14.8 million, and Steven Spielberg's War Horse rounded out the Top 5 at $14.4 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: M:I-4 Continues to Outrun Competition

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

With no new major releases this past weekend, the Twi-hards were again able to secure the coveted box office top spot for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. At $16.9 million, the penultimate Twilight film has earned more than its predecessors in the third week.

The Muppets held on to its #2 spot at $11.2 million while Martin Scorcese's Hugo jumped from #5 to the #3 spot this week at $7.6 million after having been screened at an additional 500+ theaters. Holiday animated film Arthur Christmas maintained its #4 position with $7.3 million, and Happy Feet Two fell from #3 to #5 with $6 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Breaking Dawn Still Sparkling

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The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

Neither the classic Jim Henson characters of The Muppets nor the Black Friday events were enough to sway the effect that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 has on audiences everywhere! The vampire love story took the top spot at the box office for the second week in a row, pulling in $41.6 million for the long Thanksgiving weekend -- bringing its box office total to $220.8 million.

Amy Adams and Jason Segel claimed the #2 spot at $29.2 million with The Muppets in its first week, bumping Happy Feet Two down to #3 with $13.4 million in its second week. The animated holiday film Arthur Christmas and Martin Scorcese's latest film Hugo took fourth and fifth with $12 million and $11.3 million, respectively.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Breaking Dawn Sinks Teeth Into Competition

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Johnny DeppJohnny Depp "couldn't give a rat's a**e" if his new film is a success.

The 48-year-old actor's new movie The Rum Diary has proved a flop at the US box office since its release, but he insists he never worries about his movies making a lot of money and he thinks the film will stand the test of time.

"It's always a c**p shoot and really if you have that in your head while you're making a movie the process would become something very different. No, I couldn't give a rat's arse [about the money), not really. I believe that this film, regardless of what it makes in, you know, Wichita, Kansas, this week - which is probably about $13 - it doesn't make any difference. I believe that this film will have a shelf life. I think it will stick around and people will watch it and enjoy it."

Click to continue reading Johnny Depp Not Bothered By Rum Success 


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Paranormal Activity 3

Even though its predecessor received mixed reviews, Paranormal Activity 3 still managed to come out on top this past weekend, bumping last week's robot-packed action film Real Steel down to the #2 spot.

The sequel prequel horror film took in $54 million for its first week, which established the new record for largest Fall opening (September and October). Real Steel came in second at $11.3 million while the Footloose remake raked in $10.8 million, down one spot from its debut. Summit's The Three Musketeers pulled in $8.8 in its first week as George Clooney's film The Ides of March rounded out the top five at $4.9 million.

Read More | Box Office Mojo

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Andy Serkis in Rise of Planet of the Apes

Despite the great reviews of Viola Davis' performance and Emma Stone's general adorable-ness, The Help fell a little short at the box office this weekend behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which makes it top at the box office for its second consecutive week.

The sci-fi reboot took in $27.8 million while the sixties period piece came close behind at $26 million in its first week. The fifth installment of the Final Destination series, Final Destination 5, made third place at $18 million and The Smurfs fell down to fourth place from its second place spot last week with $13.7 million. Lastly, the pizza boy comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride, 30 Minutes or Less, managed to debut in fifth place at $13.3 million.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Apes Fend Off Help

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Rise of Planet of the ApesRise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt is already planning a sequel.

The movie - starring James Franco as San Francisco scientist Will Rodman and Frieda Pinto as primatologist Caroline Aranha - performed strongly on its US release last weekend, and Rupert believes the possibilities for a new film are endless.

"There's so much we could do. The ideas I've had are all sorts of things, ranging from Full Metal Jacket with apes, you could start this story again eight years from where we left off, the next generation of apes, those that have come from our protagonists, perhaps going in to a conflict with humans and showing real fear, in the same way as going into war for young soldiers in this day and age, telling their story."

Rupert believes the interactions between apes and humans is a fascinating story and is keen to explore this more in any future sequels: "Or we could look at how apes are taking over cities, and being moved into human environments and having to interact with them and deal with things that are part of our culture and understand and evolve through them. Spies that are in the employ of the apes, working against humans and humans maybe existing underground, because that's a way they can avoid the virus, coming up above ground wearing gas masks, and maybe that's what dehumanizes them."


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The Hangover Part IIAfter its impressive box office record, it's only a matter of time before the sequel to The Hangover Part II is greenlit. The follow-up to the 2009 film The Hangover has grossed over $488 million to become the most globally successful R-rated comedy ever.

The Hangover Part II - which reunites original cast members Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha for the movie set in Bangkok - took in $21.4 million this weekend, surpassing the $468 million generated from the first movie and bringing the combined total to almost one billion dollars.

Following on from the box office success of The Hangover Part II, it is likely the cast and crew will return for a third film in the franchise with star Zach - who plays Alan Garner in the Todd Phillips-directed films - already getting calls about it. "They want to do a Hangover 3. I'm getting fricking phone calls already," Galifianakis said.

Filmmaker Todd has previously revealed another film in the series would be the last and thought it would be good to change the "template" of the franchise: "If we were to do a third one, and quite honestly we really haven't talked about it. I think we have a clear idea where that would head and it's certainly not in the same template you've seen these movies and obviously we always envisioned it as a trilogy as you can imagine, the third would very much a finale and an ending."


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