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: 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
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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
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
Read More | Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: October 9, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Sony, Universal, Adaptation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Music, Remakes, Comedy, Sports, Lists, New Releases
Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:
- Couples Retreat (PG-13): starring Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau (directed by Peter Billingsley)
- Adventures of Power* (PG-13): starring Adrian Grenier, Jane Lynch, Jimmy Jean-Louis (directed by Ari Gold)
- Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story* (NR): starring Eddie Izzard (directed by Sarah Townsend)
- Bronson* (R): starring Tom Hardy, Matt King, James Lance (directed by Nicolas Winding Refn)
- The Damned United* (R): starring Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall (directed by Tom Hooper)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 9, 2009
Scarlett Johansson Talks ‘Iron Man 2’
Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Sequels, Casting, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases
Newlywed Scarlett Johansson seems to have her eyes on comic book roles as of late. First was last year’s The Spirit; next up is the highly-anticipated sequel to Jon Favreau’s Iron Man as Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow.
Despite her scoring several Golden Globe nominations, Johansson wasn’t offered the role—Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) was in line to portray the Russian spy. After Blunt dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, Johansson was quick to take action:
“I actually met with [director] Jon Favreau and [Marvel Studios executive] Kevin Feige a year before pre-production started. We just talked about some of the super heroines in the Marvel Universe and one of them was Black Widow. I think they were kind of toying with the idea of putting the character into the film and how they would work it in and all that. When I met Jon the second time I had red hair and a part of that, I think, was me wanting to experiment with my hair color and the other part of that was me kind of hoping that Jon would like the fact that I was experimenting.”
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Read More | Comic Book Resources
Iron Man’s Downey Jr., Cheadle and Favreau Inked to The Avengers
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases
Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to reprise his role as Iron Man in the second and third installments of the series, as well as the forthcoming Avengers franchise launch, reports Marvel Entertainment. The first Iron Man film has grossed $578 million in worldwide box office, and Downey Jr.‘s portrayal of Iron Man (Tony Stark) is regarded as crucial to the success of the production plan.
Not so Terrence Howard (who played Stark’s friend Colonel Jim Rhodes in the first film.) Howard has been replaced in the role by Don Cheadle, who’s signed a contract that will have him appearing along alongside Downey Jr. in Iron Man 2 and 3 and the first installment of The Avengers. Rhodes will eventually become an armored crime-fighter in his own right, as Iron Man’s ally War Machine.
Click to continue reading Iron Man’s Downey Jr., Cheadle and Favreau Inked to The Avengers
Read More | Variety
Don Cheadle Takes Over Terrence Howard’s Iron Man Role
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Sequels, Casting, Celeb News, Scripts, Upcoming Releases
UPDATE: You can read Howard’s reaction to this casting change here.
When Iron Man 2 eventually begins production, one cast member will be missing from roll call: Terrence Howard.
As Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark’s best friend, Howard was looking at picking up more screen time in the franchise’s next installment. Unfortunately, several factors - including a financial disagreement - reportedly forced Marvel to look elsewhere. Now audiences will see Don Cheadle (Ocean’s Eleven) as the man who may one day become War Machine.
Even though Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow are both expected to join Cheadle, director Jon Favreau is the only other confirmed return at this point. Meanwhile, very little is known about the script though it’s rumored the sequel will “go beyond high-tech villains.”
Iron Man 2 will blast into theaters on April 30, 2010.
Read More | The Hollywood Reporter
Vaughn and Favreau Reunite on Couples Retreat
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Universal, Comedy, Casting, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases
Real-life buds Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn are scheduled to reunite this fall in a comedy for Universal. Since hitting it big with their 1996 hit, Swingers, the two have collaborated on several projects (Made, The Break-Up) together.
In the Favreau-penned Couples Retreat, four couples will go on a supposedly romantic vacation to a tropical resort. Although only one pair arrives with the intent of fixing their marriage, the other husbands and wives are forced to participate in the island’s therapy sessions. Jason Bateman and Faizon Love (Elf) are also lined up for the project.
Filming on Retreat begins this October. After production wraps, Jon will then being preparations for the next Iron Man installment.
Favreau and Vaughn can also be seen this November 26 in Four Christmases, a festive film co-starring Reese Witherspoon. A trailer for that comedy can be seen after the jump.
Click to continue reading Vaughn and Favreau Reunite on Couples Retreat
Read More | Variety
Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Talk Iron Man 2
Posted by Kathleen Kane Categories: Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Political, Thrillers, Celeb News, Corporate Shakeups, Distribution, Filmmaking, Rumors, Scripts, Upcoming Releases
UPDATE: Thanks to one of those smarter people who actually brought a camera, The Game Jerk has posted a video of the Q&A that you can check out after the jump.
Although I have continuously kicked myself repeatedly for not bringing a camera last night, I was still at least able to mentally hold on to the great moments witnessed last night at a special screening of Iron Man. While the director was already scheduled to appear for a live commentary at Santa Monica’s Aero Theater, fans of Marvel’s first self-financed film were in for an even better treat when Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., showed up at the last moment.
Because of the fact that he had not recorded a commentary for the upcoming DVD, director Jon Favreau was quite exuberant over the fact that he was able to do so in person (also because he was not obligated to be politically correct).
Click to continue reading Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau Talk Iron Man 2
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