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: 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.)
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Read More 
| Variety
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Original Fame Director Speaks Out Against Remake
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: MGM, Music, Musicals, Remakes, New Releases, Trailers, Videos
Maybe Fame does live forever. Though the remake has premiered, some are still nostalgically looking to the past. One of the contributors to the original film project, Sir Alan Parker, has gone on record to speak out against the newly-remade movie.
Fame, which was released in 1980 and quickly became a classic, recently arrived in the UK. It was originally directed by Parker, who said that seeing the remake was “a bit like being mugged.” You see, apparently he was never consulted about the new version of the film, which Sir Alan sees as something of a slight. Calling the project “dreadful,” he says of the situation, “such are the realities of Hollywood manners and American copyright law.”
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Read More | The Telegraph
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
Box Office Breakdown: Meatballs Rolls to Another Victory
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Lionsgate, Sony, Touchstone, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Music, Period, Remakes, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists
Surrogates was no substitute for meatballs.
Despite competition from a Bruce Willis film, a music-based remake and a sci-fi horror entry, A Cloudy Chance of Meatballs remained the theatergoers’ order of choice for the second week in a row. The children’s book adaptation had Sony dining to the tune of $25 million—over $10 million more than the second place finisher.
Many thought Willis, who hasn’t had a major role since 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard, was on track to take first this weekend. Unfortunately, his
movie was considered a big letdown given its $15 million gross and $80 million budget. Meanwhile, Fame, a remake of the 1980 hit, had no one feeling like they wanted to live forever. The MGM feature only rung up $10 million for third place.
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Read More | Variety
In Theaters This Weekend: September 25, 2009
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, MGM, Miramax, Paramount, Sony, Touchstone, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Musicals, Period, Political, Remakes, Science Fiction, Comedy, Lists, New Releases
Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:
- Fame (PG): starring Megan Mullally, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth (directed by Kevin Tancharoen)
- Pandorum (R): starring Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet (directed by Christian Alvert)
- Surrogates (PG-13): starring Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike (directed by Jonathan Mostow)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: September 25, 2009
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