Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, New Line, Paramount, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Romance, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
A Narnia-esque adaptation partnered with a holiday release date and an A-list cast should have conjured box office magic for The Golden Compass. Surprisingly, this weekend’s release from New Line Cinema brought in barely enough money to cover the film’s catering budget.
Compass, based on Philip Pullman’s children’s series His Dark Materials, was Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig’s second disappointing collaboration this year (the first being The Invasion). While it was enough for a first place finish, the $25 million debut was hardly impressive given the film’s $180 million price tag.
In other news, holiday flick This Christmas remained in third place while the critically-panned Fred Claus bumped up two spaces from last week. Meanwhile, Juno and Atonement did well with their very limited releases.
Be looking for the highly-promoted I Am Legend (and Alvin and the Chipmunks) to enter next week’s charts.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: The Golden Compass Lacks Luster
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In Theaters This Weekend (12/7)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Fox Searchlight, New Line, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Foreign, Independent, Music, Period, Romance, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- The Golden Compass (PG-13): starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue (directed by Chris Weitz)
- Atonement* (R): starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saorise Ronan (directed by Joe Wright)
- Billy the Kid* (NR): (directed by Jennifer Venditti)
- Dirty Laundry* (PG-13): starring Loretta Devine, Rockmond Dunbar, Jenifer Lewis (directed by Maurice Jamal)
- Grace is Gone* (PG-13): starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Zach Grey (directed by James C. Strouse)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (12/7)
Catholic League Seeks Boycott of ‘Golden Compass’
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Celeb News, Upcoming Releases,
Hollywood adaptations are as ubiquitous to the city as would-be starlets – they’re everywhere, and they’re constantly being forced upon us moviegoers. One of the latest adaptations to make it to theaters is The Golden Compass, based on the novel Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman. It’s set for release Dec. 7, but already there are several groups feeling upset with the movie’s mere existence. Fans of the book are unhappy with the changes, but “unhappy” doesn’t begin to describe what the Catholic Church seems to be feeling.
Starring Nicole Kidman among others, The Golden Compass doesn’t have a lot to do with religion. And many think that’s very, very bad. The Catholic League, an U.S. organization, is urging Christians not to see the movie, and has said that Pullman is “a noted English atheist.” They’re calling the movie an attempt to “bash Christianity and promote atheism. To kids.” In the book, the Church plays a central role, part of a weird group that’s determined to discover the nature of sin by experimenting on children. In the movie, however, the Church isn’t referenced…at all. Kidman, who is Catholic, won’t even be part of any film that’s anti-religious.
Reviews of the movie have already been released, many singing Nicole’s praises, but fans of the book are disappointed in the differences. Don’t worry. The Golden Compass - a very diluted version of Northern Lights - won’t step on any toes.
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In Theaters This Weekend (11/16)
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Magnolia, New Line, Paramount, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Family, Independent, Period, Religious, Romance, Comedy, Lists, New Releases,
Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:
- Beowulf (PG-13): starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Anjelina Jolie (directed by Robert Zemeckis)
- Love in the Time of Cholera (R): starring Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt, Liev Schrieber (directed by Mike Newell)
- Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G): starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman (directed by Zach Helm)
- Margot at the Wedding* (R): starring Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black (directed by Noah Baumbach)
Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend (11/16)
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
This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 2, 2007
Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Classics, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Independent, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Distribution, Home Entertainment, Lists, New Releases,
This Tuesday brings the release of some great titles, new and old. As expected, the studios are rolling out some Halloween-inspired classics, filled with zombies, vampires and serial killers; though sadly, only Blu-ray supporters seem to be taking advantage of the upcoming holiday.
HD DVD studios chose instead to use this week to re-release a bunch of titles that were previously only available in those obnoxious HD DVD/DVD Combo discs. You know, the $40 releases that were appealing to neither the HD owners nor the standard-definition owners? Those of you who rightly refused to make such a silly purchase can now have some great HD titles for a lower price, thanks to Warner Home Video coming to its senses. Any of the following films with an asterisk (*) in the title are the re-released versions.
Check out this Tuesday’s HD DVD and Blu-ray releases after the jump.
To see this week’s standard-definition DVD releases, click here.
To see this week’s TV-On-DVD releases, click here.
Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 2, 2007
DVD REVIEW: God Grew Tired Of Us
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Documentary, DVD Reviews,
Every once in a while you are fortunate enough to watch a movie that really shakes you to your core. Afterwards, you feel compelled to grab any and everyone you see to tell them about it. I had that experience just last week—and since then, my friends have had to bear the brunt of my enthusiasm.
Earlier this year, I caught a Nightline piece about the film, God Grew Tired of Us. This documentary about the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’ was having it’s Los Angeles premiere. But the road to completion required a lot of celebrity assistance along the way. Actor Dermot Mulroney sought Brad Pitt‘s help when his director friend (Christopher Quinn) was running low on funds. Pitt provided financial assistance and took on an executive producer role. Nicole Kidman also contributed as narrator after being asked by actress Catherine Keener.
Click to continue reading DVD REVIEW: God Grew Tired Of Us
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Box Office Breakdown: Geeks Fight Off Statham, Jet Li
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Weinstein Company, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Drama, Foreign, Horror, Music, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists, New Releases,
No, you are correct. Superbad is one of the few movies that has managed to stay at #1 for more than one week this summer. The movie that only cost $20 million to make now shares the Two-Timers title with Spider-Man 3 and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End. (And I’m guessing those movies cost a bit more to produce).
Not only did the high-schoolers hold back the action-packed War (starring Jason Statham and Jet Li), but so did the aging Bourne Ultimatum and British goof Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean’s Holiday).
Unfortunately, the Top 5 was so testosterone-laden that it didn’t leave any room for the film adaptation of The Nanny Diaries. I’m wondering if more women were eager to see that hunky Statham than be reminded of their bratty kids waiting at home…
1. Superbad, Sony, $18,044,369
2. The Bourne Ultimatum, Universal, $12,472,215
3. Rush Hour 3, New Line, $11,706,643
4. Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Universal, $9,889,780
5. War, Lionsgate, $9,820,089
6. The Nanny Diaries, Weinstein Co., $7,480,927
7. The Simpsons Movie, Fox, $4,317,689
8. Stardust, Paramount, $3,872,560
9. Hairspray, New Line, $3,265,384
10. The Invasion, Warner Bros, $3,093,428
Couples With The Worst On-Screen Chemistry
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Lucasfilm Ltd., Casting, Lists,
Chemistry, schmemistry. If you know people are going to be watching your movie anyway—does it really matter? Whaddya say, George Lucas?
Film advertising company Pearl & Dean polled 3,000 British moviegoers to see which couples they felt had the worst on-screen chemistry. Based on the results, it’s hard to say whether or not those opinions had any affect on the eventual box office receipts. While I completely agree that Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen fizzled as secret-lovers, I don’t know that the movie’s storyline (or final numbers) could have improved with a different twosome.
Take a look at the poll results and see what you think. Which couples would you add to this list? Three pairings that come to my mind: Julia Roberts/ Nick Nolte (I Love Trouble), Julia Roberts/ Brad Pitt (The Mexican) and Julia Roberts/ John Cusack (America’s Sweethearts).
- Natalie Portman & Hayden Christensen - Stars Wars: Episode II
- Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck - Gigli
- Keira Knightley & Orlando Bloom - Pirates of the Caribbean
- Madonna & Adriano Giannini - Swept Away
- Catherine Zeta-Jones & Sean Connery - Entrapment
- Andie MacDowell & Hugh Grant - Four Weddings and a Funeral
- Kate Beckinsale & Ben Affleck - Pearl Harbor
- Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise - Eyes Wide Shut
- Jake Gyllenhaal & Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
- Kate Winslet & Leonardo DiCaprio - Titanic
Box Office Breakdown: It’s Super To Be Bad
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, New Line, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Musicals, Romance, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Books, Lists, New Releases,
The Judd Apatow train is bound to hit a roadblock at some point—but for the time being, it’s full steam ahead. Superbad opened impressively with over $30 million this weekend making it the third Apatow-related project in a row to accomplish this feat (the others being Talledega Nights and Knocked Up). This is, of course, not taking into consideration the uber-sleeper hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
Meanwhile, there was nothing super about Nicole Kidman’s latest outing. The Invasion, the latest version The Body Snatchers, scared up a dismal $5.9 million (and that’s despite Daniel Craig’s hunky presence). But I predict a much stronger outing for these two later this year with The Golden Compass.
Click to continue reading Box Office Breakdown: It’s Super To Be Bad
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