Box Office Breakdown: High School Musical at the Top of the Class
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Family, Horror, Musicals, Political, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,
This past week, the multiplexes had a little bit of something for everyone: politics, animals, music, dancing, thrillers, Oscar contenders and even horror. Not surprisingly, this meant a lot of dollars were shelled out in return.
As expected, the big screen debut of High School Musical 3 had tweeners (and their loving parents) all atwitter. Thanks to a $42 million debut, the G-rated film officially became the best musical opener of all time. (Mamma Mia! - with its $27.8 million - was the previous leader.)
Meanwhile, a film on the other end of the ratings spectrum was scaring up some decent dollars of its own. Saw V, which probably could have waited to premiere on Halloween, took in approximately $30 million over the last three days. Although it was pitted against the highly-anticipated Disney sequel, the movie carved out its own audience and raised first place-worthy numbers. Although the series is currently on its fifth life, the 2008 installment came within $4 million dollars of Saw III, the franchise’s best performer to date.
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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.
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Variety
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
In Theaters This Weekend: October 10, 2008
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Miramax, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Period, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Body of Lies (R): starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Carice van Houten (directed by Ridley Scott)
- City of Ember (PG): starring Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Saoirse Ronan (directed by Gil Kenan)
- The Express (PG): starring Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Omar Benson Miller (directed by Gary Fleder)
- Quarantine (R): starring Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short (directed by John Erick Dowdle)
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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 23, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Mystery, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases,
Whether you’ve made the choice and actually picked a side in this format war, one thing can be agreed upon by all sides—this is a good week for high-definition.
It so happens that Warner Home Entertainment has yet to pick a side in this battle of video/audio quality—a decision that, when the time comes, could end the war for good. For now, however, they are throwing down some pretty good releases to please everyone, and this week is no exception.
The late Stanley Kubrick, idiosyncratic director of some of America’s most cherished cinema, is honored this week with the release of a few classics in dual format—finally, we can all see Jack Torrance’s nose hairs as he axes the hotel door and screams his classic “Here’s Johnny!” After all, Halloween is quick approaching, and a high-def copy of The Shining might make the perfect late-night creepfest. And if horror is your bag, both formats have some decent titles this week. Check the full list after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 23, 2007
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