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.

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Read More | Variety

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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.

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Read More | Variety

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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

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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.

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Read More | Variety

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In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: FOCUS, Disney, IFC Films, Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate, Sony, Warner Bros, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Horror, Sequels, Comedy, Sports, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases

Here are a few selections in theaters this weekend:

• Capitalism: A Love Story** (R): starring Michael Moore (directed by Michael Moore)
• The Invention of Lying (PG-13): starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill (directed by Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson)
• Toy Story/Toy Story 2 in 3D (G): starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger (directed by John Lasseter)
• Whip It! (PG-13): starring Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis (directed by Drew Barrymore)
• Zombieland (R): starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone (directed by Ruben Fleischer)

Click to continue reading In Theaters This Weekend: October 2, 2009

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Woody Harrelson: Zombie Hunter

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Columbia Pictures, Horror, Comedy, Celebrity Gossip, Upcoming Releases

Woody Harrelson felt “accomplished” killing zombies.

The actor admitted he had a great time in Zombieland, which sees his character Tallahassee hunt down and kill the undead beings who feast on human flesh. “It was really fun and really cathartic. You get through the end of the day, you’ve killed a couple hundred zombies, you feel like you’ve accomplished something,” he said.

Woody relished the action and even had his favorite “killing.”

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Zombieland and the Red-Band Trailer

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, Horror, Comedy, Trailers, Upcoming Releases

Combine I Am Legend with a little Natural Born Killers, some 28 Weeks Later, and a giant heaping of Shaun of the Dead, and you might just get Zombieland.

In this new film from Ruben Fleischer, survivors of a zombie plague journey across the country to an amusement park. (Because we should always feel safe in a land of clowns.) The horror comedy stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin and features cameos from Bill Murray and Mike White.

It’ll be time to “nut up or shut up” on October 9.

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Casting Corner: Diane Kruger, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks, Universal, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Drama, Horror, Period, Comedy, Casting, Upcoming Releases

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

Quentin Tarantino has finally injected a bit of estrogen into his growing Inglorious Bastards cast. Diane Kruger - probably best known for her work in the National Treasure installments - has just been added to the WWII-era film.

Kruger, who was born in Germany, will play Bridget Von Hammersmark, a German actress who helps a group of American Nazi killers. (That group is lead by Aldo Raine, Brad Pitt’s character.) The role will allow Diane to speak in both English and her native tongue.

This will be the second time Kruger has worked with the father of six. The two both starred in 2004’s Troy.

Inglorious Bastards - also starring Eli Roth, Mike Myers and B.J. Novak - begins filming in Germany on October 13.

Click to continue reading Casting Corner: Diane Kruger, Woody Harrelson, George Clooney

Read More | Variety

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