Box Office Breakdown: Will Smith a Legend in December
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, New Line, Warner Bros, Yari Film Group Releasing, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
You have to wonder whether Tom Cruise is just a wee bit jealous of his friend’s success…
This weekend, Will Smith not only smashed the box office debut of Cruise’s Lions for Lambs, he pounded everything in his path. I Am Legend - the third adaptation of the 1954 Richard Matheson novel - nearly doubled the take of its nearest competitor while breaking the record for a December release. Legend’s $77 million debut surpassed the bar set by Oscar-winner The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The final installment in the Lords trilogy brought in $72.6 million back in 2003.
Although Alvin and the Chipmunks was far behind in second place, its $44 million weekend was nothing to sneeze at. The movie not only exceeded most expectations, it downright embarrassed third place finisher, The Golden Compass. How could anyone possibly explain freaky-looking chipmunks taking down a large polar bear? The latter film only added another $8.8 million to its total, putting it a smidge closer to its $180 million budget. (Granted, it has done better overseas.)
But let’s not be fooled by the large numbers at the top of the charts, the weekend’s most notable turnout was made by #11: Juno. The comedic charmer earned an impressive $35,686 per screen. Meanwhile, Legend (which opened in 3566 more theaters) averaged only $21,411. Take that, Fresh Prince!
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Yahoo!
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Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
A Narnia-esque adaptation partnered with a holiday release date and an A-list cast should have conjured box office magic for The Golden Compass. Surprisingly, this weekend’s release from New Line Cinema brought in barely enough money to cover the film’s catering budget.
Compass, based on Philip Pullman’s children’s series His Dark Materials, was Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig’s second disappointing collaboration this year (the first being The Invasion). While it was enough for a first place finish, the $25 million debut was hardly impressive given the film’s $180 million price tag.
In other news, holiday flick This Christmas remained in third place while the critically-panned Fred Claus bumped up two spaces from last week. Meanwhile, Juno and Atonement did well with their very limited releases.
Be looking for the highly-promoted I Am Legend (and Alvin and the Chipmunks) to enter next week’s charts.
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E! Online
My Advice for Waitress’ Keri Russell
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News,
Ms. Russell:
I just recently watched the DVD of release of Waitress - you know, the movie you’ve been receiving all the acclaim and Oscar buzz for. Let me first start off by saying that I thought you did an amazing job. I was really happy to see you solidify your comeback since your heydey on Felicity. (I’ll even forget that your critically panned August Rush exists.)
So now that I’ve gotten the compliments out of the way, I must now move on to the purpose of my note. I read a very disturbing piece of news the other day and I’m hoping you will dispute the rumors.
Please tell me it’s not true. Please tell me you will not be starring in a comedy with Adam Sandler.
Granted, Adam Shankman (Hairspray) is slated to helm Bedtime Stories. I understand the appeal. But I’m begging you—don’t make an about face and go backwards with your career.
If this film were on the dramatic end of the Sandler spectrum (like Reign Over Me, Spanglish or Punch-Drunk Love), you might have my support. But playing the romantic interest in any Sandler comedy hasn’t really helped anyone. Don’t align yourself with the Jessical Biels of the world. You’re better than that. And how about Kate Beckinsale? How did Click benefit her? And does anyone remember Winona Ryder’s role in Mr. Deeds?
You’ve already proven your comedic chops with your stint on Scrubs. Now it’s time to take advantage of the awards season hoopla. Don’t tempt fate now by coming anywhere near a possible Rob Schneider appearance. Please.
Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Jessica Alba Can’t Keep Audiences Awake
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
There’s nothing like a good snub to restore your faith in moviegoers.
Although Awake was the only new wide release this past weekend, discerning audiences kept it from succeeding by default. (NOTE: Cute squirrels will always trump Jessica Alba.) The movie, also co-starring Star Wars’ Hayden Christensen, opened with a dismal $6 million - less than half of what Alba’s last stellar film, Good Luck Chuck, did. (The latter opened at $13.7 million.) I wonder if this currently makes Jessica Biel the most successful Jessica out there.
Aside from Awake’s entry, the rest of the Top Ten changed very little from last week. Enchanted refused to budge from its perch and earned another $16 million over the past three days. Meanwhile, Beowulf surged back up a notch, trading spots with holiday flick, This Christmas.
Although the box office numbers were unspectacular overall, we can expect big changes in just a few days; that’s when New Line’s The Golden Compass makes its debut.
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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Enchanted With Disney
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
Throw comedy, drama, animation, romance, sci-fi, hunky actors, pretty actresses, singing, dancing, kids and cute animals all into one film and you’ll get Enchanted. You’ll also have Disney’s latest holiday success.
The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Amy Adams, grossed nearly $50 million over the 5-day weekend ($34 million from Friday-Sunday). Enchanted’s take places it behind 1999’s Toy Story 2 - the film with the largest Thanksgiving debut ever ($80.1 million).
Last week’s champion, Beowulf, fell into 3rd place right behind another holiday opener, This Christmas. The movies took in $23.3 and $26.3 million, respectively, during the long stretch.
Although the sappy August Rush opened in a disappointing 7th place, the DVD release of Waitress this week should make actress Keri Russell - and her fans - feel a bit better.
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E! Online
Don’t Rush to Theaters for ‘August Rush’
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Warner Bros, Drama, Family, Music, New Releases,
From the first time I saw the trailer, I had a bad feeling about the dramatic, music-themed August Rush, which doesn’t seem to have a strong cast or even a believable storyline. Early reviews are in, and so far the criticism isn’t good.
Freddie Highmore plays a young boy with innate musical talent, who embarks upon a quest to find his parents. That, in a nutshell, is the plot. There is one scene were the young boy stands in a field and hears music on the breeze, which inspires him to head to the big city of New York to find his mom and dad (because that’s a highly likely thing for a boy under fifteen to do). His parents are played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers (you know, Henry VIII), and Keri Russell (I know, who?), both musicians themselves, who meet and conceive a baby. The mother’s father has the resulting baby (Highmore) given up for adoption, telling his daughter the baby died. But don’t let this soap operatic plot be the thing that deters you – be deterred by over-the-top acting instead.
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MSNBC
In Theaters This Holiday Weekend (11/21)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Sony, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Yari Film Group Releasing, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Horror, Music, Period, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your holiday enjoyment:
- August Rush (PG): starring Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard (directed by Kirsten Sheridan)
- Enchanted (PG): starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Susan Sarandon (directed by Kevin Lima)
- Hitman (R): starring Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko (directed by Xavier Gens)
- No Country for Old Men (R): starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin (directed by Joel Coen)
- Stephen King’s The Mist (R): starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden (directed by Frank Darabont)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Holiday Weekend (11/21)
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