Latest Video: FilmCrunch 067: Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, Premonition reviewed
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Hairspray, Chuck & Larry, and Premonition in this episode of FilmCrunch.Play Video
Box Office Breakdown: Christmas Carol Wins, Precious Soars
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Remakes, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists
We’re still weeks away from Thanksgiving, but theatergoers already have Christmas on their minds.
Disney’s A Christmas Carol, the umpteenth version of the Charles Dickens tale, brought the story back to life with a visual rendition. Robert Zemeckis’ latest holiday creation earned over $30 million, surpassing Polar Express’ open by $7 million. Although the Jim Carrey film didn’t come close to its reported $180 million budget, Carol still has weeks to go before Avatar takes over 3D screens.
Meanwhile, a film with no bells or whistles made an impact just outside the Top 10. Precious, Sundance’s Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize winner, broke a record while in limited release. The 12th place entry averaged a whopping $104,025 this weekend over only 18 theaters. That’s the largest per screen average for any film opening in more than 10 locations.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Christmas Carol Wins, Precious Soars
Read More 
| Variety
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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.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: That Was It for Paranormal Activity
Read More | Variety
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
Box Office Breakdown: The Wild Things Are #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, Technology
Who knew a 10-sentence long story could do so well?
It may have taken over three years for Where the Wild Things Are to officially debut, but the long journey was apparently worth the wait. The Spike Jonze project, which was once rumored to be too scary for children, finally unfolded over the weekend and soared to first place. The Maurice Sendak adaptation, which earned approximately $32.7 million, also gave Warner Bros. its best October open ever.
Even though Gerard Butler didn’t bother to promote Law Abiding Citizen during his recent Saturday Night Live stint, the film managed to survive on its own. The actioner, which also starred Jamie Foxx, raked in just over $21 million and won a close race for 2nd place. Meanwhile, word-of-mouth hit Paranormal Activity grossed another $19.6 million and moved up one rung to the third spot.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Wild Things Are #1
Read More | Variety
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)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 16, 2009
Kristen Stewart Set to Play Prostitute in New Film
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Drama, Celeb News, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases
Kristen Stewart will be baring it all in her upcoming independent drama, Welcome to the Rileys.
A far cry from the innocent Bella Swan, the chaste Twilight character who made her famous, Stewart will be playing opposite James Gandolfini as a young lap dancer and prostitute.
“It’s an independent movie that nobody would normally see and now it’s like, ‘Oh, let’s go see Bella in this stripper movie; it’ll be crazy!’” said the 19-year-old actress.
Of Gandolfini, Stewart lauds the experience she gained from working on the film:
“Working with James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo, who is just incredible, was the most fruitful life-changing experience on a movie that I’ve ever had. It was just the hardest subject matter I’ve ever had to deal with — I play a very broken young girl who is a runaway. She’s a street kid. She’s working in a strip club and James Gandolfini’s character is just as dead inside as she is — and they wake each other up.”
No official release dates have been announced for the film.
Read More | Showbiz Spy
In Theaters This Weekend: July 24, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Disney, IFC Films, Magnolia, Sony, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Family, Foreign, Horror, Political, Romance, Comedy, Lists, New Releases
Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:
- G-Force (PG): starring Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Bill Nighy (directed by Hoyt Yeatman)
- Orphan (R): starring Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman (directed by Jaume Collet-Serra)
- The Ugly Truth (R): starring Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Cheryl Hines (directed by Robert Luketic)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: July 24, 2009
Box Office Breakdown: Bruno Crawls His Way to #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists
Just like in the fashion world, one day Bruno was hot—the next day he was not.
Even though the comedy did well enough to place first this weekend, it appears the sexually graphic film may have turned some off. Ticket sales for the Sacha Baron Cohen entry dropped 39% between Friday and Saturday, leading many to believe that negative word of mouth played a factor.
In total, Bruno piqued enough interest to raise $30.6 million over three days. While that gross beats Borat‘s $26.5 million debut, the 2006 film later went on to earn $129 million domestically.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Bruno Crawls His Way to #1
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Melts Ice Age’s Hopes
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Box Office, Lists
This was one heated battle that left Ice Age out in the cold.
Only 24 hours ago, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and the animated comedy were estimated to finish in a possible tie. But when the final numbers were computed, last Monday’s champ managed to keep its spot for another round. In just two weeks, the Paramount feature has managed to earn just under $300 million.
But Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs had nothing to complain about. Even though it missed the #1 spot by less than $1 million, the threequel had the best per screen average of any entry in the Top Ten. In total, the movie earned $66.7 million over five days, just shy of what 2006’s Ice Age: The Meltdown grossed over only three days.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Melts Ice Age’s Hopes
Read More | Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Rises Above the Competition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists
It’s not very often when “loud” and “mindless” are deemed good qualities. But in Paramount’s case, it was a recipe for success.
Over the past five days, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did what most films have been attempting all year: It passed the $200 million mark. (Up just became the first 2009 film to hit $250 million.)
While the Michael Bay film is definitely on track to be one of the most successful entries this year (let’s not forget about Harry Potter), the sequel’s opening still takes second behind last year’s topper. During its opening run, The Dark Knight earned $203.8 million domestically.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Transformers Rises Above the Competition
Read More | Variety
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