Box Office Breakdown: That Was It for Paranormal Activity

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Period, Remakes, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

Based on the numbers from the past week, it looks like This Is It should remain in theaters longer than two weeks. Oh wait - it will.

Since opening late Tuesday night, the concert film has generated a total of $34.4 million domestically - $23.2 million just over the weekend - and approximately $101 worldwide. Although Michael Jackson technically didn’t beat the opener for Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour (that entry earned more over 5 days), This Is It had the best international debut ever for any concert film.

Sony’s win meant a short victory for Paranormal Activity. After a steady climb, and only 1 week at the top, the horror film slipped down to second place. Of course, the word-of-mouth hit has nothing to complain about. Not only has the movie grossed $84.6 million to date, it also had the best per screen average of any Top 10 charter.

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Read More | Variety

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Casting Corner: Anthony Hopkins, January Jones and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Scripts, Upcoming Releases

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

Anthony Hopkins: The Wolfman actor will soon play dad to another large character: Thor. Hopkins has been cast as Odin, father of the title character (Chris Hemsworth) who is sent down to Earth after reigniting an ancient war. The film - which also includes Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston - will open May 20, 2011.

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Footloose Looking for New Director

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Musicals, Remakes, Rumors, Upcoming Releases

The Footloose remake has temporarily been grounded.

Although Paramount’s had already lined up a new Ren McCormick (Chace Crawford) and Ariel Moore (Julianne Hough) for its planned update, the studio is now without a director.

Up until last week, Kenny Ortega (High School Musical, This Is It) was the man helming the project. Unfortunately, creative and budget differences lead to his exit. According to reports, Ortega wanted $30 million for a musical extravaganza while Paramount was looking at $25 million for something a bit edgier.

A statement from Ortega’s reps, though, claims his recent project was to blame for his departure. “Coming off the extraordinary project, Michael Jackson’s This is It, director Kenny Ortega has decided it is premature for him to commit to his next film and will not be moving forward with Footloose as previously reported.”

It’s believed Paramount will still try to keep to its March production start date.

Read More | Variety

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Box Office Breakdown: Saw Outdone by Paranormal Activity

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

Have audiences seen enough Saw?

Although Jigsaw is known for slaying his competition, the serial killer was no match for Katie Featherstone and Micah Sloat. This weekend, those two unknowns saw their small project, Paranormal Activity, finally top the box office charts. The movie, which was produced for approximately $15,000, reached that position after a steady climb up the ranks. (Aren’t films supposed to go down?) The horror flick also had a higher per screen average than any entry in the Top 10 despite fewer engagements.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Saw Outdone by Paranormal Activity

Read More | Variety

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Angelina Jolie Project Gets Production Date

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Remakes, Thrillers, Casting, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases

Angelina Jolie turned down several other offers, including the Wanted sequel, to participate in The Tourist. Now, the flick finally has a production date.

Jolie did attach some strings to her involvement with the film - she wouldn’t do it unless a proper director was involved with the project. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has been selected, and everyone seems to be happy. Though negotiations are not quite finalized, the film is expected to enjoy a 2011 release date. Donnersmarck won an Academy Award (Best Foreign-Language Film, 2006) for The Lives of Others.

In the flick, Angelina Jolie will portray an Interpol agent. Filming is expected to begin in February.

Read More | Variety

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First Look: Mel Gibson Seeks Revenge in Edge of Darkness

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Drama, Remakes, Thrillers, Trailers, Upcoming Releases, Videos

“I’m the guy with nothing to lose.” When a man already facing a pricey divorce battle tells you that, you better watch out.

In Edge of Darkness, Mel Gibson plays a Boston detective who tries to uncover the conspiracy behind his daughter’s murder. The film, which was directed by Casino Royale‘s Martin Campbell, is Gibson’s first major role since 2002’s Signs.

The Warner Bros. thriller will open on January 29, 2010.

Read More | Hollywood Reporter

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Casting Corner: Kristen Bell, Justin Long and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Disney, Universal, Action, Biopics, Classics, Drama, Independent, Musicals, Period, Remakes, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases

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

Kristen Bell: Who knew Veronica Mars was a dancer? Kristen Bell has just been added to the cast of Burlesque, a film that will see Christina Aguilera playing a small-town girl working at a cabaret-esque club in Los Angeles. The film, which stars Cher as the establishment’s owner, will feature Bell as the soon-to-be former lead dancer. Dancing with the Stars’ Julianne Hough will also do what she does best.

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In Theaters This Weekend: October 16, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign, Horror, Independent, Political, Remakes, Romance, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Law Abiding Citizen (R): starring Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb (directed by F. Gary Gray)
• The Stepfather (PG-13): starring Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley (directed by Nelson McCormick)
• Where the Wild Things Are (PG): starring Catherine Keener, Max Records, James Gandolfini (directed by Spike Jonze)

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Remake News: Predator, Highlander and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Classics, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Music, Remakes, Science Fiction, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Rumors, Upcoming Releases, Videos

Predator: Who better to play the new Arnold Schwarzenegger…than Adrien Brody? The Oscar winner (The Pianist) was recently announced as the star of Predators, a reboot of the 1987 sci-fi thriller. The movie, which is being produced and co-written by Robert Rodriguez, will have Brody leading the group being hunted down by alien trackers. Others cast in the Nimrod Antal film include Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walt Goggins and Danny Trejo. The production will debut on July 9, 2010.

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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Family, Independent, Music, Political, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Sports, Box Office, Lists

Depending on how you look at the numbers, the winner this weekend was either Couples Retreat or Paranormal Activity.

In the comedy corner, we have a Peter Billingsley-directed film that earned $35.3 million and a first-place finish. The movie - which combined the efforts of Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman - pulled in the best numbers for any Columbus Day weekend entry ever. It also gave Vaughn his 2nd best opening behind The Break-Up.

Meanwhile, on the horror front, Paranormal Activity made a huge splash despite being in limited release. The Blair Witch-esque movie scared up a shocking $49,000 per screen average. It also raked in nearly 500 times more than its budget. (It only cost less than $16,000 to produce.)

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Escape to Couples Retreat

Read More | Variety

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