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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.
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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

Disney's A Christmas Carol

We’re still weeks away from Thanksgiving, but theatergoers already have Christmas on their minds.

, 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. , 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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In Theaters This Weekend: November 6, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Universal, Warner Bros, Adaptation, Animation, Biopics, Documentary, Drama, Independent, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Precious

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • The Box (PG-13): starring James Marsden, Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella (directed by Richard Kelly)
  • Disney’s A Christmas Carol (PG): starring Jim Carrey, John Cleese, Gary Oldman (directed by Robert Zemeckis)
  • The Fourth Kind (PG-13): starring Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton (directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi)
  • The Men Who Stare at Goats (R): starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges (directed by Grant Heslov)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: November 6, 2009


Casting Corner: Anthony Hopkins, January Jones and More

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Remakes, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Casting, Celeb News, Scripts, Upcoming Releases

Anthony HopkinsJanuary Jones

Here’s a quick look at some of the casting announcements made recently:

Anthony Hopkins: The Wolfman actor will soon play dad to another large character: . Hopkins has been cast as Odin, father of the title character (Chris Hemsworth) who is sent down to Earth after reigniting an ancient war. The film - which also includes Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston - will open May 20, 2011.

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First Look: Milla Jovovich’s Extraterrestrial Thriller ‘The Fourth Kind’

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Universal, Documentary, Science Fiction, Thrillers


Considering it’s rare for me to come across an alien-themed thriller I enjoy, I’m even more skeptical of a movie where I feel like Milla Jovovich should be kicking some other-worldly ass instead of screaming.

Specifically focusing on alien abductions, The Fourth Kind takes a new angle to extraterrestrial encounters, splicing real footage with the filmed account (Jovovich claims that every scene in the film can be verified with said records).

The film hits theaters November 6th.

Read More | Hulu

In Theaters This Weekend: August 7, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: IFC Films, Paramount, Sony, Action, Adaptation, Drama, Foreign, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

  • G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13): starring Dennis Quiad, Marlon Wayans, Channing Tatum (directed by Stephen Sommers)
  • Julie & Julia (PG-13): starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci (directed by Nora Ephron)
  • A Perfect Getaway (R): starring Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich (directed by David Twohy)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: August 7, 2009


Box Office Breakdown: Tyler Perry vs. George Clooney

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Michael Clayton

This weekend saw , , and all fighting for your box office dollars—so who would have thought would come out the big winner?

Even though two of his last three films opened with impressive numbers, very few predicted the writer/actor/producer/director would topple the competition.  Now the number crunchers know better.  Though the debut underperformed 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($21.9 million) and 2006’s Madea’s Family Reunion ($30 million), Tyler Perry’s still scored $10 million more than its nearest competitor.

Additionally surprising was the lasting success of Disney’s .  The film finally dropped one notch to #2 in its third week—also beating out and .  Although kid-friendly fare is rarity these days, the movie’s ability to remain so strong is quite impressive.

 

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Box Office Breakdown: The Rock Upsets The Heartbreak Kid

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Drama, Family, Period, Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

The Heartbreak Kid

Despite what you may have learned in school, + The Farrelly Brothers does not necessarily equal box office gold.

The team behind There’s Something About Mary took a backseat to last weekend’s winner:  The Game Plan.  The Heartbreak Kid, a remake of the 1972 Neil Simon comedy, raked in only $14 million.  While Mary did open with a smaller gross back in 1998 ($13.7M), it’s doubtful this critically-panned movie will become another sleeper hit for the trio.  Thankfully co-star will have the upcoming Gone Baby Gone to wash this disappointment away.

The only other new entries into the Top 10 included the fantasy flick, The Seeker ($3.7M), and the J.Lo-produced dance film, Feel the Noise ($3.1M).  Meanwhile, the well-reviewed Michael Clayton pulled impressive numbers in limited release ($46,000 per screen).  Expect the vehicle to open wide this weekend.

 

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Rock Upsets The Heartbreak Kid


Box Office Breakdown:  The Game Plan Scores the Win

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Drama, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Political, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

The Game Plan

The execs at Disney must be loving themselves this week.  Not only are are they attached to one of hottest concert tours of the year, they have just taken a surprise win at the box office.  Although many had predicted good things for the terrorism thriller, The Kingdom, a simple father/daughter bonding film moved theatergoers this weekend.

At $22.9 million, The Game Plan took in almost $6 million more than the / vehicle. The movie about a football player who meets the daughter he never knew he had (how exactly is that a Disney storyline?) gave “The Rock” his second best opening (behind 2002’s The Scorpion King).

Meanwhile, Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe made its first entry into the Top 10.  After several weeks in limited release, the musical—which uses 33 Beatles songs to tell its story—will expand into more theaters come October 12th. 

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown:  The Game Plan Scores the Win


Box Office Breakdown:  Resident Evil Fights Off Competition

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, New Line, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Drama, Family, Horror, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases

Resident Evil

Between the cheesy trailer and a cast that includes Ashanti—I never would have predicted much for Resident Evil: Extinction.  But given the success of ‘three-quels’ this year, I’m not sure why I was surprised.  Extinction nearly doubled the the box office take of it’s nearest competitor (Good Luck Chuck) and had the biggest debut of any Resident Evil installment.

But the real winner this weekend may be Into the Wild.  The film, based on the Jon Krakauer novel, earned over $51,000 per screen—one of the best averages ever for a movie in limited release.  Given the full-hour coverage on last week, Wild will probably be able to build on its impressive debut.  (The film goes nationwide on October 5th.)

Eastern Promises also turned out some promising numbers after its wide release.  The film took in nearly $6 million in its second week (though it still underperformed the last David Cronenberg/ movie, A History of Violence).  I’m hoping word-of-mouth about the fully-naked Mortensen fight scene (did I grab your attention?) will give this film the lasting power it deserves.

Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown:  Resident Evil Fights Off Competition


In Theaters This Weekend (9/21)

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases, Upcoming Releases

In The Valley of Elah

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

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