Box Office Breakdown: Book of Secrets a National Hit
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Satire, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
This holiday weekend introduced a slew of big-ticket features in our cineplexes. It also brought us a wide cast of former Oscar-winners competing for our theater dollars. By Monday, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Johnny Depp, Hilary Swank and Oscar-nominee John C. Reilly had all made entries into the Top Ten - but it was Nicolas Cage who wound up striking gold.
National Treasure: Book of Secrets earned $45 million, an increase of $10 million over the 2004 original. This was the second hit for Cage this year, following the critically-panned Ghost Rider. In addition to having the weekend’s best gross, Secrets also had the best average of any movie over those three days. Although Charlie Wilson’s War‘s fourth place was respectable (especially for a politically-based film these days), its $3760 per screen take clearly set it apart from this week’s champ. In contrast, Juno earned an $11,184 average for an impressive 10th place finish.
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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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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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In Theaters This Weekend (12/7)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, New Line, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Music, Period, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Golden Compass (PG-13): starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue (directed by Chris Weitz)
- Atonement* (R): starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saorise Ronan (directed by Joe Wright)
- Billy the Kid* (NR): (directed by Jennifer Venditti)
- Dirty Laundry* (PG-13): starring Loretta Devine, Rockmond Dunbar, Jenifer Lewis (directed by Maurice Jamal)
- Grace is Gone* (PG-13): starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Zach Grey (directed by James C. Strouse)
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Catholic League Seeks Boycott of ‘Golden Compass’
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Hollywood adaptations are as ubiquitous to the city as would-be starlets – they’re everywhere, and they’re constantly being forced upon us moviegoers. One of the latest adaptations to make it to theaters is The Golden Compass, based on the novel Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman. It’s set for release Dec. 7, but already there are several groups feeling upset with the movie’s mere existence. Fans of the book are unhappy with the changes, but “unhappy” doesn’t begin to describe what the Catholic Church seems to be feeling.
Starring Nicole Kidman among others, The Golden Compass doesn’t have a lot to do with religion. And many think that’s very, very bad. The Catholic League, an U.S. organization, is urging Christians not to see the movie, and has said that Pullman is “a noted English atheist.” They’re calling the movie an attempt to “bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids.” In the book, the Church plays a central role, part of a weird group that’s determined to discover the nature of sin by experimenting on children. In the movie, however, the Church isn’t referenced…at all. Kidman, who is Catholic, won’t even be part of any film that’s anti-religious.
Reviews of the movie have already been released, many singing Nicole’s praises, but fans of the book are disappointed in the differences. Don’t worry. The Golden Compass - a very diluted version of Northern Lights - won’t step on any toes.
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