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
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| Variety
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Box Office Breakdown: No Sluggish Start for Zombieland
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Fox Searchlight, MGM, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Political, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists
Watch out, vampires…there’s still life in the other undead.
Although he was previously known as a director for Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ruben Fleischer now has a new title: box office champ. This past weekend, Ruben saw his first major feature, Zombieland, attack the competition with a $24.7 million debut. The movie - which only cost approximately $24 million to make - had the highest open for any zombie-themed flick since Dawn of the Dead in 2004.
Meanwhile, another director had an entirely different result with her debut feature. Whip It, a roller derby comedy helmed by Drew Barrymore, rolled into 6th place finish with only $4.7 million. (When your film’s been topped by Pixar entries from 10+ years ago, there might have a problem.) Hopefully in a few more weeks, the Ellen Page vehicle will at least cover its $15 million production tab.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: No Sluggish Start for Zombieland
Read More | Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Disney, IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Sony, Warner Bros, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases
Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:
- Capitalism: A Love Story** (R): starring Michael Moore (directed by Michael Moore)
- The Invention of Lying (PG-13): starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill (directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson)
- Toy Story/Toy Story 2 in 3D (G): starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger (directed by John Lasseter)
- Whip It! (PG-13): starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis (directed by Drew Barrymore)
- Zombieland (R): starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone (directed by Ruben Fleischer)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009
Timothy Dalton: From 007 to Toy Story 3
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Disney, Animation, Family, Sequels, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases
Timothy Dalton is to star in Toy Story 3.
The 63-year-old actor - who played British spy James Bond in Licence to Kill and The Living Daylights - will voice melodramatic hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants in the Disney/Pixar sequel. If he is allowed to keep his Welsh accent, the actor will be the first Briton to feature in the popular animated franchise.
Disney president John Lasseter revealed Dalton’s casting yesterday in addition to part of film’s plot. In excerpts shown, the toys - including Tom Hanks’ Woody, Tim Allen’s Buzz and Kelsey Grammer’s Stinky Pete the Prospector - were sent to a daycare center when their owner Andy grows up and moves to college. After days of terrible abuse at the hands of toddlers, the toys stage a dramatic break-out before going on the hunt for a new home.
Cars star Michael Keaton will also voice a new character in the film - Barbie’s boyfriend Ken.
Toy Story 3 will be released on June 18, 2010.
Toy Story 3 teaser trailer
Toy Story 3 is one of the Pixar films I’ve been looking forward to most, and we are just over a year from it’s release. The movie hits theaters on June 18, 2010, and continues the 3D animation releases we’ve been seeing recently. Hit the video above for a cute teaser trailer.
Beauty and the Beast to Go 3-D
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Animation, Classics, Family, Musicals, Technology
As hard as it is to believe, it’s already been 17 years since Beauty and the Beast first premiered. And though it’s still nice to still along with Gaston and Lumiere via the DVD, we will soon have a new way to experience the movie all over again.
Come 2010, Disney will rerelease the Oscar-nominated film - it was the first full-length animated movie to be up for Best Picture - as a new 3-D theatrical feature. This update is just one of several reissues the studio has in store. Plans for a revamped Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have already been in the works.
In addition to this weekend’s release of Bolt, upcoming 3-D titles for Disney include the Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Movie, Toy Story 3, Up, G-Force, Alice in Wonderland and Rapunzel.
Read More | Variety
AFI’s 10 Top 10
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Animation, Drama, Family, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Sports, Lists
If you were busy watching the Boston Celtic dominate the Los Angeles Lakers last night, you probably missed CBS’ latest AFI special. For this year’s countdown, a jury of “over 1,500 leaders from the creative community” helped select the American Film Institute‘s Top 10 Films in 10 different genres.
You can find the titles announced in yesterday’s 3-hour special after the jump.
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Read More | AFIFI
‘Toy Story’ Goes 3-D
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Animation, Family, Technology, Upcoming Releases
Not wanting to be outdone by some real-life green ogre, the Pixar characters of Toy Story will soon be stepping up their game. Musicals, schmusicals. They’re going 3-D.
Fourteen years after they were first introduced, a reinvigorated Woody and Buzz Lightyear will return for fans old and new. A revamped version of their Oscar-nominated gem will hit theaters Oct. 2009 followed by a retooled Toy Story 2 a few months later. (This will allow those who were 10 years old back in 1995 to now bring their own children with them.)
These releases will not only create buzz for the June 2010 premiere of Toy Story 3, it will give Disney a jump-start on another 3-D film set for that same year: Shrek Goes Fourth.
Read More | Variety
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