Box Office Breakdown: Max Payne Outvotes W for #1
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Political, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

Even though Josh Brolin was the host of last Saturday’s SNL, it was Mark Wahlberg - a minor player on that same show - who ended up on top.
This past weekend, Max Payne finally managed to do what no other movie has done yet: take Beverly Hills Chihuahua down. The video game adaptation earned $17.6 million putting nearly $6 million between itself and the family flick.
Surprisingly, a whole Oprah show dedicated to The Secret Life of Bees couldn’t provide that star-studded cast enough buzz. Despite a $10.5 million take, the drama still placed behind the four-legged film. (Bee did, though, earn more per theater than any Top Ten entry.) Meanwhile, Oliver Stone’s latest project did a respectable job for a politically-themed movie. W. also raked in $10.5 million this weekend, narrowly missing third place.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: Max Payne Outvotes W for #1
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| Variety
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Box Office Breakdown: Chihuahua Refuses to Kneel Down
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, Disney, Miramax, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Period, Religious, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Put a couple of Oscar-nominees in a Middle East-based film and what do you get? Answer: Third place.
Despite the star-wattage in Ridley Scott’s new CIA movie, Body of Lies failed to meet expectations this weekend. The Russell Crowe/Leonardo DiCaprio thriller pulled in a surprising $12.9 million for Warner Bros. That turnout is especially low given the film’s reported $100 million budget.
On the flip side, an entry with a relatively small price tag did better than Lies this week. Quarantine, Sony Screen Gem’s horror contribution, earned $14.2 million and a second place finish. In just three days, the film has already surpassed its $12 million production costs.
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| Variety
Box Office Breakdown: Beverly Hills Chihuahua is Weekend’s Top Dog
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: DreamWorks, FOCUS, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Political, Religious, Romance, Satire, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists

On a weekend with seven new wide releases, it was Beverly Hills Chihuahua that emerged as Best in Show. The film, one of the few family-oriented titles currently being offered, earned nearly $30 million over the past three days. That amount was enough to easily surpass Eagle Eye, last week’s #1. The talking-dogs feature also gave Disney its best October opening thus far.
Of the other new entries in the Top Ten, one was religion-centric while the other had political overtones. (Could this be an election year?) Coming in at #10 was Religulous, the documentary from Bill Maher. Although the movie was only offered in limited release, it pulled in $6,792 per theater. That was the second highest average amongst the chart toppers. Meanwhile, An American Carol, a right-wing satirical comedy, found itself in 9th place.
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| Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: October 3, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, MGM, Miramax, Sony, Universal, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Religious, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- An American Carol (PG-13): starring Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight (directed by David Zucker)
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua (PG): starring Piper Perabo, Manolo Cardona, Jamie Lee Curtis (directed by Raja Gosnell)
- Blindness (R): starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Gael Garcia Bernal (directed by Fernando Meirelles)
- Flash of Genius (PG-13): starring Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney (directed by Marc Abraham)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 3, 2008
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 2, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases
This Tuesday brings the release of some great titles, new and old. As expected, the studios are rolling out some Halloween-inspired classics, filled with zombies, vampires and serial killers; though sadly, only Blu-ray supporters seem to be taking advantage of the upcoming holiday.
HD DVD studios chose instead to use this week to re-release a bunch of titles that were previously only available in those obnoxious HD DVD/DVD Combo discs. You know, the $40 releases that were appealing to neither the HD owners nor the standard-definition owners? Those of you who rightly refused to make such a silly purchase can now have some great HD titles for a lower price, thanks to Warner Home Video coming to its senses. Any of the following films with an asterisk (*) in the title are the re-released versions.
Check out this Tuesday’s HD DVD and Blu-ray releases after the jump.
To see this week’s standard-definition DVD releases, click here.
To see this week’s TV-On-DVD releases, click here.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 2, 2007
Zombie’s Not-So-Hollow Remake
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: MGM, Horror, Box Office, New Releases
I’m not a fan of remakes. Being a big advocate of the “create your own——script” philosophy, I turned my nose up when I heard Rob Zombie was re-making Halloween, the movie that launched the career of Jamie Lee Curtis and frightened little child on a night made for scares. But the movie made a whopping $26.5 million in US and Canadian ticket sales over the weekend, and MGM couldn’t be happier. The new version of the 1978 horror classic broke the 2005 Memorial weekend record previously set by Transporter 2. The movie is being touted not as a remake, but as Rob Zombie’s personal version of the story – as if Jamie Lee’s version never existed in the first place. Gar. Wrap it up all you want – you do the same story, you’re doing a remake. But, at least, the second time around has been successful.
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| LA Times
DVD REVIEW: Trading Places: Special Collector’s Edition
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Classics, Comedy, New Releases, DVD Reviews
Last week, I was faced with a very difficult decision: Could I find a new DVD to review other than Norbit? The pickings were very slim, so I ultimately chose to make a compromise. Rather than endure a painful Eddie Murphy exhibition, I elected to watch him at his best—- in the new Trading Places (Special Collector’s Edition).
Not only did I reacquaint myself with a comedy that has remained fresh since its 1983 debut, I had the chance to see extras that were not included in the movie’s initial DVD offering. In fact, most of the footage had not even been seen since the movie was originally released.
A quick synopsis for those who haven’t had the opportunity to see the film even once: Two rich, old businessmen (Mortimer and Randolph Duke) decide to make a bet while testing out the Nature vs. Nurture theory. Could they force their trust-worthy assistant (Dan Akyroyd) into a life of crime by taking away his livelihood….or would his good breeding and skills carry him through? And could they make a street criminal (Eddie Murphy) into a valued employee by giving him a good home and clothes….or would he eventually resort back to his old ways?
Click to continue reading DVD REVIEW: Trading Places: Special Collector’s Edition
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