Box Office Breakdown: Atonement Joins Juno in Top Ten
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

When the final numbers were tallied on Monday, something exciting happened at the top of the charts. After a very close race, Juno surpassed I Am Legend for the second place finish. (National Treasure was tops for its third week in a row.) Already in its fifth week, the comedic charmer continued its steady climb up the box office ladder. After gaining five spots last week, Juno rose another two spots this weekend. (A wider release contributed to this feat.) If the movie continues at its current pace, it is expected to be the most successful film from Fox Searchlight. Sideways grossed $71.5 million while last year’s darling, Little Miss Sunshine, earned $59.9 million.
Meanwhile, another praised film is slowly making an ascent in its fifth week. Atonement, starring ribby Keira Knightley and James McAvoy (the man who has replaced Ewan McGregor), made its first entry into the Top Ten. Although the Golden Globe-nominated drama is only being seen in about 1/6 of the theaters Treasure is in, Atonement had a per screen average of $8687. In comparison, the Nicolas Cage film only had a $5332 median.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Atonement Joins Juno in Top Ten
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| Yahoo! Movies
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Box Office Breakdown: Juno Makes An Impressive Surge
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Come Wednesday morning, the box office chart saw very few changes at the top. That’s not to say the five-day holiday weekend didn’t have any notable moments at all:
- Strong word of mouth helped boost last week’s #10, Juno, up five whole spaces. The movie - already in it’s 4th week - continues to soar despite its fairly limited release. It’s $15,788 per screen average even topped National Treasure’s $14,232.
- Golden Globes buzz also contributed to the success of seven-time nominee Atonement. Although it only placed 14th overall, the romantic weeper scored a $15,764 average.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks outmuscled last week’s #2, I Am Legend. The family-friendly flick traded spots with the Will Smith blockbuster thanks to its $2.5 million edge.
- The Debaters narrowly missed a place in the Top Ten despite its connection to both Denzel Washington and Oprah. You heard it right - the talk show host’s touch does not always mean gold.
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story followed up its disappointing debut with another out of tune performance. The musical satire plummeted five spots all the way down to #13.
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| Yahoo! Movies
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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| Yahoo!
In Theaters This Weekend (12/21)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Charlie Wilson’s War (R): starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman (directed by Mike Nichols)
- National Treasure: Book of Secrets (PG): starring Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren (directed by Jon Turteltaub)
- P.S. I Love You (PG-13): starring Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow (directed by Richard LaGravanese)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (R): starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen (directed by Tim Burton)
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (R): starring John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, Kristen Wiig (directed by Jake Kasdan)
- Steep* (PG): starring Ingrid Backstrom, Doug Coombs, Shane McConkey (directed by Mark Obenhaus)
*limited and/or gradual release
2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Foreign, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Awards, Lists
Assuming the ongoing writers’ strike doesn’t put a wrench into everyone’s plans, the 65th Annual Golden Globes ceremony is scheduled to air on Sunday, Jan. 13th. (The NBC telecast will come just 9 days prior to the Academy Award nominations.)
Here are the most notable omissions/additions in this year’s list of film honorees:

- Atonement led the nominations with seven; Charlie Wilson’s War came in second with five.
- Musicals (Sweeney Todd, Across the Universe, Hairspray) dominated the Comedy/Musical category.
- Cate Blanchett received two acting nominations (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I’m Not There).
- Philip Seymour Hoffman was also a double-nominee (The Savages, Charlie Wilson’s War)
- Hoffman’s Savages co-star, Laura Linney, was not nominated for her performance.
- The Kite Runner was nominated in the Foreign Film category.
- Javier Bardem was the only actor nominated from No Country for Old Men.
- Into the Wild was left out of all major categories.
(Click below for the full list of film nominees; click here for the TV nominations.)
Click to continue reading 2008 Golden Globe Nominations (Film)
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| Hollywood Foreign Press Association
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 30, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign Language, Independent, Music, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
This past fortnight, the HD DVD release of Transformers made high-definition history with over 100,000 units sold in the first day—a record that supplanted day-one sales across both formats. But this week Sony will inevitably pull the warring robots off their high horses—likely with a quick tug on some carefully aimed webbing.
The hugely profitable but ambivalently received Spider-Man 3 releases Tuesday and will undoubtedly be a smash hit for Blu-ray. And for those who can’t justify said purchase, the film will also release in a high-def trilogy.
Universal and Warner also have some decent contributions this week, but the real content explosion comes from DVD International and their HDScape series. Finally, I can sit in my tiny condominium and watch a high-definition fireplace, an exotic aquarium, or the slow but steady thaw of Antarctica.
Check the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 30, 2007
‘Angels & Demons’ Set February Start
Posted by David Onda Categories: Columbia Pictures, Action, Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Religious, Sequels, Thrillers, Casting, Filmmaking, Scripts, Upcoming Releases
Yes, there were a couple things about the movie version of Dan Brown’s controversial and critically acclaimed novel The Da Vinci Code that didn’t quite match up, but does that mean it wasn’t a good movie? Yeah, Tom Hanks looked kind of dumb with long hair, and his Boston accent was kind of lame, but it still wasn’t a bad film. That said, we should all be glad that Akiva Goldsman is working over time on the script for the film’s sequel (and novel’s prequel), Angels & Demons, to get it done before that pesky writer’s strike.
Ron Howard will return to direct the sequel which will begin filming in February under the Columbia Pictures banner. And yes, for those of you who are dying to know, Tom Hanks and his academic mullet will be back as well.
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| ComingSoon
FilmCrunch 031: The Da Vinci Code DVD Review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Columbia Pictures, Adaptation, Mystery, Religious, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Short FilmCrunch, Videocasts
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review The Da Vinci Code:
Famed symbologist Professor Robert Langdon is called to the Louvre museum one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. With his own survival at stake, Langdon, aided by the police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, unveils a series of stunning secrets hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, all leading to a covert society dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that has remained hidden for 2000 years. The pair set off on a thrilling quest through Paris, London and Scotland, collecting clues as they desperately attempt to crack the code and reveal secrets that will shake the very foundations of mankind.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
FilmCrunch 027: Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, An Inconvenient Truth
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Paramount, Sony, Adaptation, Documentary, Political, Comedy, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts
Neil and Veronica are back with another full episode of FilmCrunch, this time reviewing Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code on DVD, and An Inconvenient Truth. Neil also gets into some detailed feelings on the movie Borat, putting all the people out there looking to sue the makers of the film in their place. Oh, and he also doesn’t wear glasses this time around. Can it get any better? Quite honestly…no, it can’t. Check out the video to see for yourself.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
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