Box Office Breakdown: Cloverfield Attacks the Charts
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, FOCUS, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Period, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Books, Lists, New Releases
Final numbers for the three-day weekend revealed what many had suspected: Cloverfield toppled New York and the competition. The strong numbers were a result of Paramount’s smart marketing. In addition to the eerie trailers, the film debuted in January - usually a fairly quiet month for decent films. Cloverfield’s $46 million take has already covered the movie’s budget (estimated at around $25 million). That dollar amount also earned the Matt Reeves flick the title for best MLK and January opener ever.
Although 27 Dresses raked in $20 million less than the horror flick, Katherine Heigl had nothing to cry about. Thanks to more strategic marketing - this time by Fox - the film was able to take advantage of those looking for something less dark. Dresses was originally scheduled to debut last week but was repositioned so it could open during the busy weekend.
Unfortunately, female focus on the romantic comedy didn’t help the female-filled Mad Money. The movie - co-starring Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes - cashed out in 8th place. This makes two disappointing debuts in a row for the Cruise Clan (the first being Tom’s Lions for Lambs). Let us not forget that Katie opted to do this film instead of the Batman sequel for her post-Tom movie return. Come to think of it, maybe it was for the best. I could just hear Tom telling us now that if he had known Heath was doing drugs, he would have cured Ledger himself.
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This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 08, 2008
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Buena Vista, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Foreign Language, Horror, Independent, Science Fiction, Sequels, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases
This week marks the release of the first batch of high-definition DVDs since on-the-fence Warner landed decidedly on the Blu side; I must admit, as an HD DVD man, the day feels a bit colder than normal. But no matter—the format war is far from over.
On a lighter note, both formats have some exciting titles to speak of, including the Blu-ray release of one of my favorite movies from 2007, Sunshine; Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film, The Pianist, on HD DVD; and the long-awaited special edition of David Fincher’s Zodiac, also on HD DVD. The DVD release from July contained nary a special feature, so this two-disc director’s cut ought to please those Fincher fans waiting for a decent version.
Check out the full list of high-def releases after the jump.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: January 08, 2008
Box Office Breakdown: Juno Makes An Impressive Surge
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Fox Searchlight, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Period, Political, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases
Come Wednesday morning, the box office chart saw very few changes at the top. That’s not to say the five-day holiday weekend didn’t have any notable moments at all:
- Strong word of mouth helped boost last week’s #10, Juno, up five whole spaces. The movie - already in it’s 4th week - continues to soar despite its fairly limited release. It’s $15,788 per screen average even topped National Treasure’s $14,232.
- Golden Globes buzz also contributed to the success of seven-time nominee Atonement. Although it only placed 14th overall, the romantic weeper scored a $15,764 average.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks outmuscled last week’s #2, I Am Legend. The family-friendly flick traded spots with the Will Smith blockbuster thanks to its $2.5 million edge.
- The Debaters narrowly missed a place in the Top Ten despite its connection to both Denzel Washington and Oprah. You heard it right - the talk show host’s touch does not always mean gold.
- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story followed up its disappointing debut with another out of tune performance. The musical satire plummeted five spots all the way down to #13.
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Opening National Treasure’s Book of Secrets
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Disney, Action, Adventure, Sequels, Box Office, New Releases
The reviews, and the secrets, are out when it comes to the much-anticipated Nicolas Cage sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets. One critic describes the film as a “letdown,” though it contains lots of elements from the first film. Even though the sequel boasts Academy Award-winning Helen Mirren, there’s not enough newness to keep fans entertained. Yes, Book of Secrets is a lot like the first film…maybe too much. But sequels sell, and chances are Secrets will outdo even its own predecessor.
The movie is about the secrets of the Masons, a group that has been credited with owning several treasures, including the Holy Grail. In the movie, the Masons have hidden clues and maps inside monuments, furniture, you name it. Cage, ensemble in tow, races around collecting these clues to solve the mystery, which in this movie focuses on John Wilkes Booth. The almost impossible plot might be hard for viewers to swallow, but special effects and the Cage name will no doubt carry this one all the way to number one.
Read More | Hollywood Reporter
Nicolas Cage in Possible Untouchables Prequel
Given my general disdain for prequels and my current indifference toward Nicolas Cage, this next piece of news really caught my attention…especially since it involves one of my all-time favorite movies.
Variety reports that Cage is currently in discussions to star in a prequel to Brian De Palma’s classic The Untouchables. This movie, currently titled The Untouchables: Capone Rising, would focus on the infamous mobster’s rise to power. Nicolas would be playing the role of Capone—a role made legendary by Robert De Niro in the 1987 production. Both the director and the producer from the last project would be returning for this venture.
Although I really shouldn’t care, I will now play the role of Nicolas Cage’s pseudo-agent and give him a few words of advice:
1) You are no Robert De Niro
2) When your career is in a slump—you shouldn’t put yourself in a position to be compared to another actor like De Niro
3) You’ve already proven that working with De Palma (Snake Eyes) does not equate to box office success
4) De Palma’s last movie (The Black Dahlia) was quite honestly the worst thing I saw last year. (If you don’t believe me, watch my previous review)
5) Movies that have colons in the title often belong on the straight-to-video shelf
So I passionately beg of you, Nicolas—please do not make this movie. If there is any chance that you may taint the memory of my beloved classic, I will summon Mephistopheles from Ghost Rider to hunt you down.
Read More | Variety
FilmCrunch 050: Ghost Rider Review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Columbia Pictures, Action, Adaptation, Thrillers, Short FilmCrunch, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep review Ghost Rider in this episode of FilmCrunch:
Long ago, superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to protect the ones he loved most: his father and his childhood sweetheart, Roxanne. Now, the Devil has come for his due. By day, Johnny is a die-hard stunt rider—but at night in the presence of evil, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of rogue demons. Forced to do the Devil’s bidding, Johnny is determined to confront his fate and use his curse and powers to defend the innocent.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
Cage Fronting Next Flop, or Film Hit?
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Paramount, Action, Box Office, New Releases
He may be an Academy Award winner, but he’s made some movie mistakes in the past. Nicolas Cage has been everything from a comic book hero, a crazy EMT, an angel, even a Jimmy Stewart wanna-be…so, why not make him psychic? Reviews of Cage’s Next are in – and the film is falling pretty flat with critics. Julianne Moore becomes an FBI agent again for this film, while Jessica Biel plays the sexy love interest. The pretty co-stars, the intense plot (it involves nuclear weapons), and the name Nicholas Cage might be enough to propel Next into big box office numbers – so long as fans don’t hear the anti-hype surrounding the flick first. Cage plays magician and gambler Cris Johnson, a man who can see about two minutes into the future, just enough time to predict the Derby winner or avoid a speeding bullet. Fans aren’t shown why the FBI believes him or how they know a WMD is going to be used against LA, but Cris Johnson is tapped by federal agents to help them sniff out nukes. Even Biel is getting bad reviews for her acting, though no one has anything bad to say about her looks. The movie pulled down an unimpressive rating of one and one-half stars out of four. But fans who want to see Cage in top form don’t have too long to wait – the star is working on a National Treasure sequel scheduled to be released within a matter of months.
FilmCrunch 042: Ghost Rider, Half Nelson, Flags of our Fathers, The Queen
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, Paramount, Sony, Warner Independant Films, Action, Adaptation, Documentary, Drama, Period, Political, Thrillers, DVD Reviews, Full Episodes, Theatrical Reviews, Videocasts
Veronica Santiago and Neil Estep have another full episode of FilmCrunch for you. In this show we review Ghost Rider, Half Nelson, Flags of our Fathers, and The Queen.
Now we want to hear from you - hit the forums and let us know what you think, what you want us to watch next, and any other recommendations you have for the show.
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