[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: August 9, 2009
August 9, 2009 | by Niall Browne

This week:
G.I. Joe shoots up the top spot at the box office; Jennifer Aniston goes to prison; Gunsmoke rides again; The Losers begin and Renny Harlin goes to Russia.

Box Office

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobrashot up the top spot with an estimated $56 million over the weekend. The film had a lot of bad buzz surrounding its release so this is seen as something of a coup. The $175 million price budget means that the film will need to do well abroad and sell a lot of toys before we see a sequel.

Meryl Streep shows that age isn’t a factor in her popularity as she scored her third $20 million-plus opener in three years with Julie and Julia. The film took $21.5 million over the weekend. If the film has the same legs as The Devil Wears Prada and Mama Mia then it could hit the $100 million mark.

Jerry Bruckheimer’s G-Force was third with a weekend take of $8.5 million giving the family film a strong $84 million total.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince banked more than $8 million giving the mega franchise film a huge $273 million total.

People just don’t seem to be finding Funny People funny. The Judd Apatow/ Adam Sandler film took just under $8 million this weekend. It’ll never see it’s $75 million production budget back on US screens.

The Ugly Truth banked another $7 million giving the R-rated comedy $69 million so far.

The Perfect Getaway failed to find an audience this weekend and made $6 million. It was cheap to make and should find an audience on DVD.
(500) Days Of Summer earned $4.3 million on just over 800 screens.
Orphan and Aliens in the Attic both took just under $4 million.
screenrant.com

[ZIA]

Midweek grosses boost summer B.O.

Jump in Monday-to-Thursday tallies is potent

By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

For decades, weekend grosses have fundamentally defined summer box office. But this year the studios are reaping a windfall from weekdays.
Revenues in June and July for Monday-Thursday playdates are up 7% from the same frame in summer 2008.

It may not be a dramatic jump, but it's a welcome gain at a time when other areas (even other entertainment sectors) are seeing drops.
Even tentpoles like the latest "Harry Potter" are seeing a bump in midweek grosses.

In a first for the franchise, July release "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" made slightly more in weekday revenues ($143.5 million vs. $139.3 million). Two summers ago, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" grossed $138 million in midweek ticket sales, compared to $154 million over the weekends.

But the gains are most evident in two genres that traditionally benefit from midweek traffic at the multiplex: female-driven fare and family pics.
Disney's "The Proposal," released July 19, has cumed $158 million domestically, one of the best grosses ever for a romantic comedy. Midweek grosses clocked in at $58.8 million, or 37% of the total.
That's in contrast to 20th Century Fox's "Bride Wars," which bowed in January. Midweek grosses accounted for just 21% of the pic's eventual $58.7 million domestic tally (or $12.6 million). While film companies are pleased at the results, they're not entirely surprised.

Moviegoing overall has been on the rise as people pare down travel/entertainment budgets during the recession. And during a period when kids are home from school and parents are taking vacation days from work, the price of a movie ticket is far cheaper than a journey to the theme park or sports stadium.

Outside of summer, weekday B.O. receipts generally make up 30% of the week's tally. This summer, they're 35%. "It boils down to this: There are simply more available bodies," says Warner Bros. prexy of domestic distribution Dan Fellman. "Demos change in summer."

And those demos can help smaller movies.

On Aug. 14, Warners opened romantic drama "The Time Traveler's Wife" while Sony launched "District 9." "Traveler" opened to a respectable three-day $19.2 million, compared to the $34.7 million for "District 9."
On Monday, Aug. 17, however, "Traveler" saw less of a decline from its weekend numbers than did "District 9." And on Tuesday, the romantic drama was up 6% vs. Monday while "District 9" was down 11%.

Disney is a master of midweek. Moms with kids trust the Disney brand and, during the summer months, they're looking for something to do.
Just one week after "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" opened, Disney bowed the toon "G-Force" on July 24. The pic kept pace with "Half-Blood Prince" in weekday grosses.

Fox also reaped big from midweek with its family-friendly "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." The pic shared its July 4 launch with Paramount's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

In its first week, "Dinosaurs" won the weekdays over "Transformers."
"Dawn of the Dinosaurs" saw 45% of its overall domestic gross come from midweek revenues. In contrast, the previous edition of the franchise, "Ice Age: The Meltdown," released in March of 2006, saw less than 23% of its cume from weekdays.

The two films ultimately grossed about the same domestically -- $191.3 million for "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and $195.3 million for "Meltdown" "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" has grossed north of $600 million internationally, making it the top title of the year. "Meltdown," by comparison, cumed $460 million at the foreign B.O.

variety

[RangerMel]

Has anyone seen The Time Traveler's Wife yet, and is it any good?

[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: September 6, 2009

This weekend:

It’s Gamer over as the box office has a Final Destination; Kevin Smith loses his Dicks; Blake Lively moves into Affleck’s Town; Liam Nesson and Bono are introduced to The Virgin of Las Vegas; Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy and Gabriel Byrne swim with Two Birds and Keanu Reeves helps solve Henry’s Crime. Woah!

Box OfficeIt’s Labor Day weekend again and that can only mean one thing - low box office. Horror franchise film The Final Destination 3-D held onto the top spot with a pretty decent $12 million 3-day take. It should have $15 million in the bag by the close of business Monday giving it a $50 million total. This is going to be the highest grossing film in the series, so expect another installment - soon.

Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper should capture the runner-up spot with the comedy All About Steve. The pair are both coming off summer comedy sleepers with The Proposal and The Hangover, both of which had significantly more positive critical response. The fact that those films played so long probably had an impact on this film’s opening box office. All About Steve should bank about $13 million by the end of play on Monday.
Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds continues to do well with another $13 million or so over the long weekend. The Brad Pitt flick is closing in on $100 domestically and it will become the highest grossing film in the director’s career. Unadjusted of course!

Gerard Butler’s Gamer had a soft $10 million opening, showing that his one for the girls and one for the boys means that The Ugly Truth is the actor’s highest grossing film since 300. I presume more romantic comedies are on the way.

District 9 crossed the magical $100 million marker this weekend giving the $30 million film some hefty profit.

Rob Zombie’s Halloween II went down like a friend of Hugh Grant’s. With less than $6 million over the four days and $25 in the till since it opened, it looks like this franchise reboot won’t run as long as the original series - unless they inject new blood into it. I hope Rob Zombie has signed on to his next film.

G.I. Joe. banked a little less than $7 million. This means that the film will happily clear $150 million. The sequel is a safe bet.

Julie and Julia shows that Meryl Streep still has that box office magic! The cooking comedy has just under $80 in the pot. It won’t hit $100 million but it shows that Streep still has the bankable chops.

The Time Traveler’s Wife should make just under $5 million this weekend. The film should finish its run with a little less than $70 million. Not too bad.
Poor Mike Judge. The guy can’t catch a break. A great cast and great reviews couldn’t help Extract make more than $4.5 million over the weekend. Ouch.

[Annie]

I'm reading The Time Traveler's Wife and I like it. As for the movie, I can't say because I don't want to see it until I finish
the book.

[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: September 13, 2009

This week:

Tyler Perry does Bad at the top of the box office; Timothy Dalton plays with Toys; Anton Yelchin gets some Beaver; Max Ryan gets involved in Sex and Eva Green and Ewan McGregor have the Last Word.

Box Office

I Can Do Bad All By Myself topped the box office with $25 million. While it’s not the best gross for a Tyler Perry opening it does show that he has an audience that shows up. The Tim Burton-produced 9 had a better than expected debut with $15.5 million. Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was third with another $6.5 million. With a total gross of $104 million the film has now become Tarantino’s highest grossing film - unadjusted of course.

Sandra Bullock’s All About Steve was fourth with $5.8 million. The film’s cumulative gross currently stands at $21 million. Final Destination dropped about 55% this weekend - but with $58 million in the bank so far it looks like this franchise will continue. Horror film Sorority Row did little business with just over $5.5 million for its debut.

Joel Silver’s Dark Castle release Whiteout starring Kate Beckinsale didn’t do well with a poor opening weekend gross of $5 million.

District 9 banked another $3,6 million. The $30 million film now has a total gross of $108 million.

Meryl Streep’s Julie & Julia managed another $3.3 million. The film has now grossed $85 million. It probably won’t hit $100 million, but it does ensure that Streep will make a few more summer comedies that are aimed at the older viewer.

Gerard Butler’s Gamer dropped a huge (but not unexpected) 65% with a weekend take of just over $3 million. With $16 million in the bank, this will need to find an audience on DVD.

Just outside the top ten was G.I Joe with a little over $2.5 million. The Stephen Sommers film now has $144 million.

Halloween 2 made just under $2.5 million. The slasher remake/sequel has a disappointing $30 million total. It was cheap so that’ll help matters but new blood is needed if they want the series to continue.


Movie News

1. Former James Bond star, Timothy Dalton, has signed on to voice a character in the forthcoming Toy Story 3. The Shakespearean actor will play Mr Pricklepants, a toy hedgehog with “thespian tendencies.”
It sounds like a suitable role for the star. It’s a shame that he hasn’t had better roles on the big screen.
Source: Empire

2. Star Trek and Terminator Salvation star Anton Yelchin has joined The Beaver. Yelchin will play the son of Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster in the dramedy about a depressed man who wears a glove puppet of the titular on his hand. Foster directs the film that also stars Jennifer Lawrence.
Summit Entertainment recently bought the distribution rights for the film that will open in late 2010 or 2011.
Source: Variety

3. English-born Max Ryan has joined the cast of Sex and the City2.
The actor, who will play the boyfriend of Kim Catrall’s Samantha has also starred in last years Death Race and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon also return for the sequel which opens next summer.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

4. Former Bond girl Eva Green will star opposite Ewan McGregor in Last Word.

Screen Daily reports that:
“Last Word is a story about two people who fall in love as the world begins to fall apart.” McGregor’s Trainspotting co-star Ewan Bremner also stars alongside Stephen Dillane and Connie Nielsen in the David MacKenzie directed film.

Source: Screen Daily

[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: September 20, 2009

The outlook for the box office is Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs; Scott Glenn delivers Zack Snyder a Sucker Punch; Rebecca Hall is a Liar; Gael Garcia Bernal and Kate Hudson are Earthbound and Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawk are Brooklyn’s Finest.


Box Office

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs hit the top spot at the box office this weekend with a hefty $30 million debut. It shows that animated films in 3D are big money.

Matt Damon and Stephen Soderbergh go together like er… George Clooney and Stephen Soderbergh. The Informant! had a $11 million-ish opening - which isn’t bad for an arty comedy film. Is Damon bankable without Bourne? Time will tell.

Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad By Myself dropped down to third place this weekend with a gross of $10 million. The total take for the film is nearly at $40 million, so it looks like another hugely profitable film for Perry.

Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart’s Love Happens had a disappointing start with a $9 million weekend. The terrible title and poster probably didn’t help.

Jennifer’s Body (the film, not Aniston’s) had a really bad start with just $7 million in the bank over the weekend. The much-hyped Megan Fox film shows that the actress isn’t a star and that Diablo Cody’s Oscar hype might be wearing off. I can only assume that Fox will be sending Michael Bay some flowers and an apology in the hope that he casts her in Transformers 3.

9 made another $5.2 million for a $22.5 million total. That’s a lot of numbers in a sentence that isn’t about math.

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds scalped another $4 million for a $110 million total.

The Final Destination banked another $3.5 million for an impressive $63 million cumulative tally, meanwhile All About Steve grossed a smidgen less giving the Sandra Bullock film a $26 million total. At least The Proposal still shows she can anchor a hit.

Sorority Row brought in just over $2.5 million giving the fright film a grand total of just $9 million. A spot on the DVD shelf awaits!

Movie News

1.The gruff and wrinkled Scott Glenn has joined the cast of Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch.
According to Variety:

“Set in the 1950s, the pic revolves around Baby Doll, a girl who creates an alternate reality to escape the every-day world after her stepfather commits her to a mental hospital with plans to have her lobotomized. Glenn will play a mentor and guide to Baby Doll and the other girls in the asylum.”

The actor will share the screen with the less gruff and wrinkly Jena Malone, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Amand Seyfried and Emily Browning.
Source: Variety

2. British actress Rebecca Hall has joined the cast of Richard Linklater’s Liars A-E. According to The Hollywood Reporter:

“The actress will play the role of Bacall Loomis, a woman who sets out on a road trip during the Obama inauguration to reclaim items that used to be hers from ex-boyfriends.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

3. Gael Garcia Bernal is in negotiations to star opposite Kate Hudson in Earthbound. The film follows a terminally ill woman who falls in love with her doctor. Is it just me or does this sound really, really terrible? I mean could they try and make it any more cliched? I think not.
Source: Variety

4. Overture Films has acquired the distribution rights to Anton Fuqua’s latest Brooklyn’s Finest for $2 million.

“(The film) follows three Brooklyn cops who end up at the same deadly location after experiencing diverging career paths.”

The action-thriller stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawk.
It sounds Fuqua and Hawk are trying to reclaim their Training Day mojo, while Gere is patrolling the same neighbourhood as 1990’s Internal Affairs.

Source: Variety

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: October 4, 2009

This week:

Woody Harrelson kicked Zombie ass and managed to reach number one of the top ten in the box office this week. The former Cheers actor stars in Zombieland and it should make about $25 million this weekend. That’s about a million more than its reported production budget!

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs should manage another $16 million or so giving the animated film a good $82 million total.

Toy Story I and 2 3D was third giving the animated combo a solid $13 million. Considering that these puppies have been available on DVD for over a decade bodes well for Toy Story 3 3D when it hits next year.

Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis, was fourth with a little over $7 million. With just $26.5 million in the pot it looks like Willis’ international appeal will have to help turn a profit.

Ricky Gervais’ Invention of Lying stole $7 million from audiences wallets over the past three days.

Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It, had a disappointing start with a paltry $5 million.

Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story should take in $5 million by Monday. I don’t really care - after what he did to Charlton Heston!

It looks like Fame won’t be living forever as it dropped almost 60% this weekend, giving the film a $16 million total.

The Informant was next after taking about $4 million over the weekend. Steven Soderbergh and Matt Damon should be happy.

Love Happens banked another $2.6 million for a $18.5 million total. It appears that Aaron Eckhart just isn’t a bankable leading man.

[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 1st, 2009
This week:

Michael Jackson’s This Is It topped the box office over the Halloween weekend with an estimated $21 million. The concert film has made $32 million in the US in the five days since it opened. It’s an okay start for the movie, but not the huge debut that Sony was hoping for. It’s doing twice as well overseas and has brought in about $100MM worldwide so far.

Paranormal Activity scared-up another $16.5 million over the spooky weekend giving the $11, 000 budgeted film a mind-boggling $84.7 million total.
Ka-ching!

Law Abiding Citizen banked another $7 million to give the Gerard Butler/ Jamie Foxx flick a solid $51 million.

The grand total for Vince Vaughn’s Couples Retreat now stands at $86 million after taking another $6 million.

Saw VI plunged 60% this weekend. The fright flick has taken just $22 million since its debut last weekend. Saw films normally open far above that figure!

Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are took in $5 million for a $61 million total, while The Stepfather nabbed another $3.4 for a $24 million total.

Astro Boy grossed another $3 million for a pretty shocking $10 million cumulative gross while Amelia took in the same number this weekend for a grand total of $8 million – yikes!


Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant saw its franchise hopes sink with a weekend take of just under $3million. With $10 million in the pot so far it looks like fans will have to read the books rather than check out the adventures on the silver screen.

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

[ZIA]

Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: November 15, 2009
Box Office

Say what you will about Roland Emmerich and his films, the director knows how to destroy the world on screen and make shed loads of money. His most recent disaster epic 2012 destroyed all competition and banked an impressive $65 million over the weekend to capture the number one position. The film has so far grossed an amazing $225million worldwide from a $200 million budget.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol is showing legs like a supermodel. The film dropped only 23% from last weekend for a $23 million take. It should play well in the run-up to Christmas and then have a decent life on DVD and with re-releases.

Precious was third with a highly impressive $6.2 million from just 174 locations. Oprah strikes again. *sigh*

George Clooney’s The Men Who Stare At Goats was fourth with just a smidgen over $6 million.

Michael Jackson’s This Is It banked $5.1 million. The film has now made over $67 million in the US and huge $200 million worldwide. Not bad for a film that is essentially a DVD special feature.

Meanwhile Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox grossed a mighty $250, 000 from just four screens!

Screenrant.com