Monday, February 29, 2016
Box Office
From boxofficemojo, It was another stellar weekend for Deadpool as the R-rated superhero feature dropped only 44.2% and is now the third highest grossing R-rated movie of all-time. Meanwhile, Gods of Egypt conjured a second place finish while Triple 9 and Eddie the Eagle battling for fifth place with single-digit openings.
With an estimated $31.5 million first place finish,Deadpool's domestic cume now stands at an estimated $285.6 million. Stacked against previous R-rated releases, only American Sniper and The Passion of the Christhave taken in more at the domestic box office and it will be interesting to see how close to Sniper's $350.1 millionDeadpool can get. Overseas the Merc with the Mouth added another $40+ million as the film's worldwide cume is now over $600 million.
When it comes to comic book adaptations, Deadpool will be leap-frogging Man of Steel ($291m) shortly for twelfth position on BoxOfficeMojo's comic book adaptation chart and will then be passing both Iron Man ($318.4m) and Iron Man 2 ($312.4m) with Guardians of the Galaxy ($333.1m) next on the list. No matter how much more it takes in, everything is gravy at this point for the $58 million budgeted release. Deadpool's impact will surely be felt in the years to come as studios begin to reconsider just how widespread their audience is when it comes to the superhero/comic book genre.
Coming in second, Lionsgate and Summit's Gods of Egypt brought in an estimated $14 million, which is either above or below expectations depending on how you look at it. Mojo was expecting a weekend closer to $12-13 million, while pre-weekend tracking suggested a $15 million weekend was likely. Either way, the $140 million budgeted feature, which is reportedly also carrying a $30 million marketing budget, isn't likely to be making up that money at the domestic box office. The Alex Proyas-directed feature did bring in an estimated $24.2 millioninternationally, for a $38+ million global debut, but with a budget of that size and a domestic run that could struggle to reach $35 million, there's a lot of ground to cover in the post-theatrical market.
In a battle for fifth place is where we find the weekend's other two new wide releases, Eddie the Eagle andTriple 9. Eddie currently holds the edge with an estimated $6.3 million opening, just ahead of Triple 9 at an estimated $6.1 million.
For Eddie the Eagle this weekend's results were, more-or-less, right on target. Budgeted at $23 million, the family-friendly feature starring Hugh Jackman and Kingsman's Taron Egerton was expected to make something in the range of $7 million. The film did score an "A" CinemaScore as it played to an audience that was 50/50 male to female, 75% of which were over the age of 25.
The big question that will be left floating in the wind is whether Fox, and even Universal with Race, would have been better off waiting to release these films closer to the 2016 Olympics later this year, where marketing tie-ins could have proven valuable. As it stands, both films will probably make around $19-22 million over the course of their domestic runs.
As for John Hillcoat's corrupt cop, heist thriller, the star-studded Triple 9 did not inspire audiences. Heading into the weekend it appeared Gods of Egypt could possibly falter enough for Triple 9 to pick up some steam over Saturday and Sunday if opening day audiences took to it. They didn't. In fact, while Gods of Egypt may have a 13% RottenTomatoes rating to Triple 9's 54%, opening day audiences gave a slight edge to the Gods.
Triple 9 scored a lackluster "C+" CinemaScore to Gods of Egypt's "B-". Neither of which are impressive, but heading into the weekend it seemed the roles would be reversed. Given this opening, Triple 9 is likely looking at a $15-17 million domestic run.
Other weekend highlights include another strong hold for Kung Fu Panda 3, which is now up to $128.4 million domestically with another sub-30% drop in its fifth weekend. Next weekend it will take a hit, however, as Disney'sZootopia arrives in theaters after an impressive international performance where it has brought in an estimated$81.4 million so far in its third weekend of release.
Sony's Risen dropped 40.7% for a second weekend in the top five, bringing in an estimated $7 million as its cume now climbs to $22.7 million in two weeks of release. Also in its sophomore session, A24's The Witch dipped only 43.1% for an estimated $5 million weekend as its cume now stands at $16.6 million.
This weekend also serves as the first weekend since its release 11 weeks ago that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has finished outside the top ten. Landing in eleventh position with an estimated $3 million weekend, the film has now crossed $925 million domestically.
Edging out Star Wars for that tenth slot was The Revenant with an estimated $3.8 million and a cume that now stands at an estimated $170.5 million. Taking that cume into consideration, The Revenant is heading into tonight's Oscars with a strong chance at scoring a Best Picture win. Should it win, it will be the ninth highest grossing Best Picture winner of all-time, though not for very long. By the end of next weekend it will pass Chicago ($170.6m), A Beautiful Mind ($170.7m) and most likely Rain Man ($172.8m), placing it in sixth position behind Dances with Wolves ($184.2m).
Releasing next weekend, along with the aforementioned Zootopia, Gerard Butler will get another chance at box office success on the heels of Gods of Egypt with the sequel London Has Fallen and Tina Fey will be arriving in 2,300+ theaters with Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
For a complete look at this weekend's results click here and we'll have weekend actuals for you tomorrow afternoon.
Also, if you're interested in knowing a little more about how this evening's Oscar nominees performed at the box office we have a complete breakdown of their pre and post-nomination performances right here.
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Friday, February 26, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Daily Spider-Man! "Holy crud! Am I going to spend all week lurking around!?!"
I love how Xandu settles into the right foreground corner of the third panel like it's a comfy chair...
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
‘Wolverine 3’ Confirmed to Shoot for R-Rating, But Not Because of ‘Deadpool’
THR reports that Wolverine 3 has always been presumed to be a movie that would end up getting an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association of America when the time came. This is apparently because the level of violence in the script byMichael Green, and presumably language, would end up making the movie something that probably isn’t best for kids to see.
The trade notes that the initial teaser poster that debuted at Comic-Con, featuring Wolverine sticking up a middle claw, seems to be indicative of the plan to go for a more intense sequel for adults. But then again, you can flip people off and drop an f-bomb once and still get a PG-13 rating
There’s no way of knowing for sure, but the decision to make Wolverine 3 R-rated surfacing after the success of Deadpooldoes feel a little like that kid on the playground who got a cool new Chicago Bulls Starter jacket just because another kid was wearing one earlier in the week. Sure, I know that reference to a Starter jacket shows my age, but they were all the rage in the ’90s, so you’re just going to have to deal with it. Either way, an R-rated Wolverine 3 sounds like it could be something cool to see.
But at the same time, there’s a part of me that feels bad for the parents who will have to deny their kids seeing the final movie that will have Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. For 16 years there have been kids who grew up with Wolverine in theX-Men movies and in his own franchise, so to all of a sudden make a movie that is expressly for adults seems a little unfair. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to see an R-rated Wolverine movie, but I can’t help but think of the disappointment for the kids. The good news is that the kids who grew up on early Wolverine are over 17 now, but there may be some younger fans who aren’t so lucky.
Anyway, The Wolverine director James Mangold will be back at the helm for Wolverine 3, and the movie is slated for release on March 3, 2017.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
The Witch
Not so much horror but more of a historical suspense thriller, The Witch is refreshingly plot heavy with a complex build of characters and delightful lack of CGI. As the film begins, we witness a Puritan family being exiled from the village where they lived. The find a clearing with good soil and see it as a blessing from God so they establish a humble farm to carry out their days. Paradise is short lived when a witch from the woods steals away with their infant child while under the care of their eldest daughter. Suspicions arise and there is talk of the devil being afoot.
The film focuses on the Puritan beliefs and irrational fears of the times. The breakdown of the family unit and betrayal is brilliantly done. The loss of the infant is compounded by the very real threat of not having enough crop yield to sustain them through the winter adding a measure of desperation to an already tragic situation. I found the story to be engaging and enjoyed the complexity as the tension slowly build to a climactic ending. Perhaps not the film for everyone especially the loudly snoring gentleman seated behind us. If you enjoy well acted, plot heavy, complex character type films I recommend The Witch. If you are seeking a face paced with lots of CGI scares this is not for you.
Black Philip approves.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Box Office
From ew, The fans have spoken and you really can’t silence the Merc with a Mouth. Following its record-shattering opening weekend, Deadpool is now officially the highest-grossing X-Men film in the U.S.
In a weekend that saw the premieres of the Biblical epic Risen, the Jesse Owens biopic Race, and horror film The Witch, Deadpool earned an estimated $55 million to claim the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive week. X-Men: The Last Stand ($234.36 million), X-Men: Days of Future Past ($233.9 million),X2 $214.95 million), X-Men: First Class ($146.4 million), and The Wolverine ($132.6 million) all fell beneath the film’s 10-day domestic gross of $235.39 million.
Deadpool’s international numbers are equally impressive – this weekend brought in $85 million, which brings its international sales to $256.3 million and worldwide total to $491.9 million.
Risen, though landing in third place behind Kung Fu Panda 3 ($12.5 million), marks another success for a faith-based film following War Room. Telling the story of a Roman soldier investigating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it brought in $11.8 million from screenings in 2,915 theaters.
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The Witch, director Robert Eggers’ Puritan New England horror story, struck a nerve with audiences with fourth-place earnings of $8.69 million. Race, on the other hand, failed to hit its stride. Falling behindHow to Be Single ($8.2 million), the film about Owens — the track-and-field star who won four gold medals at the Berlin Summer Olympics in 1936 — earned a mere $7.3 million.
Rounding out the top 10 are Zoolander 2 ($5.5 million), Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($3.84 million), The Revenant ($3.8 million), and Hail, Caesar! ($2.6 million).
See the weekend’s top five below.
1. Deadpool — $55 million
2. Kung Fu Panda 3 — $12.5 million
3. Risen — $11.8 million
4. The Witch — $8.69 million
5. How to Be Single — $8.2 million
Friday, February 19, 2016
Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Of 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' Dies At 89
From huffingtonpost, Celebrated American writer Harper Lee, best known for penning the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, has died at the age of 89.
The city clerk of Monroeville, Alabama, confirmed Lee's death to The Huffington Post.
Lee's seminal novel, which became required reading in many middle and high schools, focused a critical lens on themes of racial injustice and traditional class and gender roles. Published in July 1960, the book was an international bestseller. Lee was awarded the Pulitzer Prize the following year.
Nelle Harper Lee was born and raised in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama, on April 28, 1926. She was the youngest of four children born to newspaper editor and lawyer Amasa Coleman Lee and homemaker Frances Cunningham Finch.
Lee grew up a tomboy. She was close childhood friends with Truman Capote, an eccentric child who would later become the famed writer of the acclaimed 1966 non-fiction work In Cold Blood and a lifelong friend to Lee.
Lee graduated high school in the spring of 1944. The following fall, she enrolled in the all-female Huntingdon College before transferring to the University of Alabama. Lee, set on pursuing a career in writing, dropped out of college in her senior year to move to New York City.
The city had a profound effect on the trajectory of Lee's writing career, connecting her with Broadway composer Michael Martin Brown who would become an important financial backer and one of her most avid supporters.
In 1956, she reunited with Capote and began work as his research assistant for a New Yorker article that later evolved into the book In Cold Blood.
That same year, Brown generously offered to financially support Lee for a year so she could focus on writing full time.
To Kill a Mockingbird found immediate success in literary circles. Peppered with autobiographical elements, Lee's debut novel was set in the mid-1930s in small-town Alabama and follows the story of precocious child Scout Finch and her father, Atticus. Atticus, a lawyer reminiscent of Lee's own father, is appointed by a judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young white woman.
To Kill a Mockingbird documents Robinson's trial and tackles the themes of racial injustice and traditional class and gender roles. The book was enthusiastically received, with the New Yorker touting it as "totally ingenious," and became an international bestseller.
The film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was released in 1962 and starred Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. The film won three Academy Awards and earned a spot in the American Film Institute's list of the greatest American movies of all time.
In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Lee to the National Council on the Arts. Though Lee invested time in researching and preparing new work after To Kill a Mockingbird, including a true-crime novel called The Reverend, she didn't publish another book until more than 50 years later.
In 2007, President George W. Bush awarded Lee the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first of several high honors. She received the National Medal of Arts, presented to her by President Barack Obama, in 2010.
Lee left New York City in 2007 and moved into an assisted-living facility in her hometown of Monroeville after suffering a stroke.
Last July, Go Set a Watchman, a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, was released. The highly anticipated novel was Lee's second and final published book. The manuscript, thought to have been lost, was discovered in one of Lee's safety deposit boxes by her lawyer Tonja Cater in 2011.
Lee's failing health, including severe hearing and vision loss, led many tospeculate that the author wasn't competent enough to sign off on the publication ofGo Set a Watchman.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources launched an investigation in 2015 to examine whether elder abuse influenced the release of Go Set a Watchman, but ultimately determined the claims to be "unfounded."
Go Set a Watchman revisits a now 26-year-old Scout, who encounters intolerance in her small Alabama hometown while visiting from New York. Readers -- and Scout herself -- are surprised to find that her father, regarded by many literary critics as a fictional crusader for racial justice, has a less-than-progressive stance on race issues. Atticus argues with Scout about civil rights, telling his daughter that "the Negroes down here are still in their childhood as a people" and that black people aren't ready to vote.
The book received mostly negative reviews, as readers were shocked to find their once beloved civil rights-defending protagonist exposed as a "racist." Many critics agreed the novel could have used several more rounds of edits, calling it "unfit for print" and a "mess." Some said the "rough draft" was published only for the sake of constructing a "phony literary eve
Lee is pre-deceased by her parents, two sisters and one brother.
The author lived a private life. She never married or had children, and she rarely gave interviews.
"I want to do the best I can with the talent God gave me," Lee said in 1964. "I would like to leave some record of the kind of life that existed in a very small world."
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Temporary layoffs, Good Times movie!
From slashfilm, Back in 2014, a Good Times movie was announced. The show, which aired on CBS from 1974 to 1979, is to be adapted by Kenya Barris (Black-ish), with Scott Rudin and Eli Bush producing. News has been slow on that project, but now another Good Times movie is in the works, and you can fund it on Kickstarter.
Find out more about the Good Times revival below.
The remaining cast members of the show have gone to Kickstarter to raise $1 million dollars. Original cast mates John Amos, Ja’Net Dubois, Ralph Carter, Jimmie Walker, and Bern Nadette Stanis have been talking about doing a reunion for years now, and they made their case for why they want to make a Good Times movie on Kickstarter:
This is it, we’re making a Good Times Movie. The only question is:
How big can we make it? We need your help.
From the day we walked off the set of Good Times, forty years ago, all we have heard is When are you going to have a Good Times reunion? Our audience have told us they need completion. They tell us we are not finished with the first Black T.V. family show. What happened? We want to see our favorite family show back on T.V.
Well, here it is a chance to make that happen. We as a cast have always said maybe one day, we will have a reunion. That one day is here now. It is not just up to us, it is up to our millions of fans who have the power to make it happen.
During these forty years as a cast we have been giving a numerous amount of scripts that were written about what happened to the Evans’ family. The ideas are countless, but as a group we have made a decision on where each character should go and what this long awaited script should be about. We are bursting at the seems to bring this exciting movie to you. All that we can tell you at this point is that it will be exactly what you expect from us and more.
I am sure you will agree that the ones who can tell the stories of each character are those who have lived with those characters for forty years. That would be each one of us in the cast. Therefore in this movie we will have great input into what our characters will be about now. The success of kick-starter will give us as a cast control of what this movie will be about. Therefore bringing great satisfaction to our audience and to us as a cast who wants to bring nothing but the best to you.
We as the cast have decided to go on the Kick-starter website because we had heard this would be excellent in making the dream of a Good Times Movie Re-Union happen. We checked it out, studied the success of some of our favorite artists who have decided to bring their projects right here on kick-starter and have been very successful in seeing their projects become a reality through the help of their fabulous fans. This is exactly what we want our fans and Good Time lovers to do for our project. Support us in making this movie happen. You will become an active part of bringing this generational movie to the big screen.
You can read more of the explanation over at Kickstarter. How does this potential Evans’ family reunion conflict with Sony’s adaptation/remake? According to Deadline, the original cast and all involved are not infringing on copyright or trademark, because the characters have never been copyrighted or trademarked.
There are 16 days left for this Kickstarter. Currently the Good Times movie has only raised $4,000, but that number should grow soon.
Star Wars fans leak painstaking restoration of 1977 original film
From ew, Some anonymous Star Wars fans have gone rogue!
Longing to see an unaltered edition of 1977’s A New Hope — without the decades of special edition makeovers — a group reportedly spent thousands of dollars and years of effort to restore to a faded print ofStar Wars to the best-seen-yet high-definition version of the original cut of the film — and then leaked it online.
Calling themselves Team Negative1, the group (at least, their leader claims there’s a group) quietlyreleased their “Silver Screen Theatrical Version” last month to message board acclaim. Then on Tuesday, film writer Corey Atad posted a lengthy interview with the primary fan behind the restoration, chronicling his extensive frame-by-frame efforts to recreate a version that’s quite close to what fans first saw in theaters 39 years ago.
The Silver Screen version is without the special editions’ dialogue tweaks, visual polish, and Mos Eisley’s added CGI creatures, and Han naturally shoots first (Atad points out that it’s actually jarring to realize that not only does Han fire first, but Greedo doesn’t shoot at all). There have been similar renegade restoration attempts in the past (such as the fan-made Despecialized Edition), and the Silver Screen edition still has plenty of visual flaws (pops, scratches, color issues). But connoisseurs of bootleg Star Wars video claim this edition is the most impressive they’ve seen so far.
George Lucas has famously refused to release a high-quality 1977 version of his classic film. He defended the decision to Today in 2004: “The special edition, that’s the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it’s on VHS, if anybody wants it. … I’m not going to spend the, we’re talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn’t really exist anymore. It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I’m sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I’m the one who has to take responsibility for it. I’m the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they’re going to throw rocks at me, they’re going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.”
Even back when the sci-fi hit was re-released in theaters in 1981, the print had already been changed, with Lucas adding the A New Hope title — the first of many tweaks to come in subsequent home video versions on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray. There’s now a generation of Star Wars fans who have never seen the original, scrappy, handmade-feeling Star Wars. “We know that anyone under 30 kind of prefers the clean, sharp, detailed look,” the Silver Screen version’s restorer explained. “Then the older crowd, the retro crowd, is like, ‘give me the grain and give me the matte boxes and give me a little weave in the picture.’ It’s kind of like CD vs. vinyl.”
Of course, this online version isn’t available by any legal means. A representative for Lucasfilm declined to comment. For more, check out Atad’s full deep-dive interview.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
'Deadpool' kills at the box office!
From thehollywoodreporter, In a sea change for Hollywood's go-to genre — comic book adaptations — Ryan Reynolds' very R-rated and irreverent Deadpool grossed a record-breaking $132.7 million over the three-day Valentine's Day/Presidents Day weekend, one of the best showings of all time for a superhero movie and shattering all expectations.
The Marvel-branded Deadpool is an enormous victory for Fox and Reynolds, who spent more than a decade convincing the studio to let him make the X-Men spinoff his way, i.e., with a hard R rating. Fox finally said yes but kept the budget at a relatively modest $58 million. Every other studio superhero movie in recent times has been rated PG-13 and cost much more; Deadpool alters the game. It also catapults Reynolds to major stardom, much as Iron Man reinvigorated Robert Downey Jr.'s career.
For the four-day holiday weekend, Deadpool earned a colossal $150 million, a Presidents Day best that beats the $93 million grossed a year ago by sensation Fifty Shades of Grey (official four-day estimates will be released Monday morning, so it's possible the final number could come in higher). Among other North American records broken, Deadpool boasts the biggest R-rated opening of all time, the biggest opening for the month of February and the top opening in history for Fox. It's also the biggest debut for a first-time feature director (Tim Miller).
"Deadpool is wildly creative and new, and that’s what audiences want," said Fox domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson. "I think a lot of credit goes to [Fox CEO] Jim Gianopulos for having the courage to make this movie."
The movie — replete with foul language, nudity, sex and graphic violence — succeeded in getting a heavy turnout among younger males, an elusive demo in recent years. At least 62 percent of ticket buyers were male, while a hefty 47 percent of ticket buyers were under the age of 25.
The studio made the well-reviewed Deadpool with Marvel Enterprises via its licensing deal for the X-Men universe of characters, and, along with Reynolds, spent months aggressively marketing the movie. Sometimes, the campaign was as irreverent and out there as the film itself, but the studio was also savvy in marketing the film as a broad offering in line with other superhero movies, which draw families. Deadpool is playing in 3,558 theaters, including Imax locations.
The tongue-in-cheek movie, which often pokes fun of the superhero genre, follows Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool), a witty mercenary nicknamed the Merc With the Mouth who is bestowed with special healing powers after undergoing an experimental treatment for cancer. But he vows to get revenge after he's quickly betrayed, and horribly disfigured, separating him from his girlfriend (Morena Baccarin). The actor first appeared as the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Reynolds' film received an A CinemaScore from all age groups. And 92 percent said they would recommend it to a friend, while 76 percent checked off the excellent box, on par with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, according to ComScore's PostTrak exit polling service. Other characters from the X-Men comic book universe who appear in the film include Colossus (Sefan Kapicic) and Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand).
The crown for biggest R-rated opening previously belonged to The Matrix Reloaded ($91.8 million), set in 2003 and one of the longest held records in box-office history.
Overseas, Deadpool is also doing huge business, opening to $132.1 million from 61 markets over the three-day weekend for a global bow of $282.1 million, including scoring the biggest opening of all time in Russia with $12.4 million, besting Star Wars: The Force Awakens. On Monday, the movie is expected to cross $150 million, putting its global tally at $300 million.
Deadpool is Fox's biggest opening of all time in 13 markets, including Australia ($10 million) and Taiwan ($8.3 million), and the top opening for a film with the equivalent of an R rating in 11 territories, including the Philippines ($2.8 million), known to be a conservative marketplace. Overall, the U.K. led with $20.1 million.
Heading into the weekend, Deadpool was tipped to earn $65 million to $75 million North America, but it quickly turned into a sensation at the multiplex, with estimates constantly being revised upward. Deadpool's three-day number makes it the No. 7 comic book opening of all time behind the two The Avengers movies, Iron Man 3, the final two Dark Knight films and Spider-Man 3, not accounting for inflation.
Reynolds' movie made the going tough for the other two holiday offerings, Zoolander 2 and How to Be Single as adults and teenagers largely focused on Deadpool. That left an opening for Fox and DreamWorks Animation's family animated offering Kung Fu Panda 3 to come in No. 2 in its third weekend with $19.8 million for the four days and $26 million for the four, putting Panda's domestic total at $100.3 million through Monday.
How to Be Single, an R-rated romantic comedy starring Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie and Leslie Mann, placed No. 3 with a three-day take of $17.9 million and four-day gross of $20.6 million. That's in line with New Line and MGM's hopes for the $38 million movie heading into the holiday weekend. The raunchy rom-com skewed heavily female (82 percent), with 61 percent of ticket buyers under the age of 35.
Overseas, How to Be Single opened to a solid $10.5 million million from roughly 35 percent of the marketplace for a global bow of $31.1 million.
From Paramount, Zoolander 2, reuniting Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell, took in $14 million for the three-day weekend, putting its four-day gross at $16 million, a disappointing start considering the studio had hoped for a four-day gross north of $25 million based on the strength of prerelease tracking. The sequel, coming in No. 4, cost just north of $50 million to produce. (On Sunday, Paramount was bullish in estimating a four-day take of $18 million.)
Even with an aggressive marketing campaign, Zoolander 2 needed better than a C+ CinemaScore to weather withering reviews. The first Zoolander (2001), debuting to $16 million, likewise got a C+, but sported far better notices. How to Be Single earned a ho-hum B CinemaScore overall, but fared better among it core demo, the under 35 set, who gave it a B+.
Zoolander 2 also began its international rollout, opening to $9.3 million from 20 markets and coming in well ahead of the first film for a worldwide start of $25.3 million.
"Deadpool was always going to be big, but because of its hard R rating, we felt like we could be the date-night choice for Valentine’s Day and get teenagers with our PG-13 rating. Deadpool was able to everybody in a way that was difficult to anticipate,” said Paramount worldwide marketing and distribution chief Megan Colligan.
In North America, Fox and New Regency's The Revenant rounded out the top five. Alejandro G. Inarritu's awards frontrunner took in $6.6 million for the three days and $7.8 million for the four days. Through Monday, the movie's domestic cume is $160.1 million.
Disney and Lucasfilms' Star Wars: The Force Awakens followed with $6.2 million for the three days and $7.6 million for the four, putting its domestic total at $916.3 million and worldwide cume at $2.026 billion through Monday. Elsewhere, Disney began rolling out animated tentpoleZootopia in three foreign markets where school holidays are underway ahead of its March 4 release in North America.
From Disney Animation Studios, Zootopia grossed a total of $4.5 million, including $2.8 million in Spain and $1.7 million in Belgium, where it scored the biggest opening of all time for a Disney Animation or Pixar title.
Ethan and Joel Coen's Hail, Caesar! held relatively well in its second weekend after a subdued opening last weekend, grossing $6.4 million for the three days and $7.2 million for the four days for a domestic total of $22 million.
Friday, February 12, 2016
‘Twin Peaks’: Who Else Is Returning & Other Tidbits About Showtime Reboot
From deadline, David Lynch’s upcoming new installment of his groundbreaking 1990 supernatural mystery series Twin Peaks for Showtime will feature a lot of familiar faces. As usual, no one is commenting, but I’ve compiled a list of original cast members believed to be stopping by, appearing with leading man Kyle MacLachlan and returning co-stars Sheryl Lee, Sherilyn Fenn, Mädchen Amick, Michael Horse, Dana Ashbrook and Miguel Ferrer, among others.
I hear the Palmer clan will remain intact, with Ray Wise and Grace Zabriskie reprising their roles as Leland and Sarah Palmer alongside Lee, who plays their slain daughter Laura.
Also said to be coming back are Peggy Lipton, who played Double-R diner owner Norma Jennings; Everett McGill, who played her lover Ed Hurley; Wendy Robie, who played his one-eyed wife Nadine Hurley; and James Marshall, who played his nephew, James Hurley. I hear also appearing in the sequel are Al Strobel, who played Mike, the One-Armed Man; Kimmy Robertson, who played the ditzy Lucy Moran; Harry Goaz, who played her occasional boyfriend, Deputy Andy Brennan; Charlotte Stewart (Bobby Briggs’ mother Betty Briggs); Gary Hershberger (Bobby’s friend Mike Nelson); Jan D’Arcy (Sylvia Horne); and Harry Dean Stanton (Carl Rodd).
New Twin Peaks cast additions include Grant Goodeve, Larry Clarke and Caleb Landry Jones, joining Amanda Seyfried, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Laura Dern, Robert Knepper, James Belushi, Tom Sizemore, Balthazar Getty and Lynch.
Other tidbits I’ve heard about the the third season ofTwin Peaks:
I hear Las Vegas will be a major setting.
Like he did in the original series, I hear co-creator Mark Frost will likely make a cameo.
I hear new cast addition Jennifer Jason Leigh may be playing the mysterious Judy.
I also hear fellow Twin Peaks newcomers James Belushi and Robert Knepper may be playing brothers.
Additionally, rumor is that Catherine E. Coulson, who played the beloved log lady in the original, may have filmed a handful of scenes before her death in September. It’s unclear if they would be used.
Twin Peaks, which Lynch is directing from a script he co-wrote with Frost, is slated for debut on Showtime in early 2017.
I'm digging the new Coldplay video!
I'm generally ambivalent about Coldplay but their new single is so damn catchy (which means I will probably be sick of it in an hour)!
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Lee Majors, Ted Raimi Join "Ash vs. Evil Dead"
From darkhorizins, Lee Majors and Ted Raimi have joined the cast of the second season of Starz's horror-comedy series "Ash vs. Evil Dead".
Majors will play Brock Williams, the father of Ash (Bruce Campbell). Raimi plays Ash's childhood best friend Chet Kaminski. Majors is new to the series.
Raimi previously appeared in all three of the original films which were directed and written by his brother Sam Raimi who produces the show. The ten-episode second season premieres later this year
Expendables-Like Horror Movie Lines Up An All-Star Cast
Now only a mind truly twisted and versed in the hallow halls of haunted Hollywood would be able to dream up a nightmare such as Death House, and as luck would have it, that mind happened to belong to the recently departed Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen. As iHorror reported in their coverage of the project, Hansen crafted the script as a sort of coffee klatsch for the likes of Robert Englund, Doug Bradley, andKane Hodder to all unite under. Except instead of trading gossip, these guys would be comparing body counts.
So out of all of the baddies housed in Death House's walls, there's a select group of "Five Stars" that represent the most vicious of the lot. They also happen to be the only hope for two unlucky government agents that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then again, there isn't a place on Earth that seems like a "right spot" for an EMP attack, but Death House probably ranks as one of the top 2 places you wouldn't want to be during such a event. The other option, naturally, being on an island of dinosaurs.
If you think Death House sounds a little familiar, then you're probably thinking of the project as a sort of weird hybrid of Suicide Squad and The Expendables. Both are team-up pictures, with a wide variety of characters, and both involve teams that are good at what they do – whether they fight for good or bad. However, unlike either of those properties, Death House sounds like it takes the team-up aspect and flips it to the other side of the table, meaning we'll be focused on the two agents who will be forced to face down the forces of pure evil.
Also along for the ride in the who's who of horror luminaries that inhabit Death House are folks such as Bill Mosley (The Devil's Rejects,) Ken Foree (the originalDawn of the Dead,) Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator,) and Dee Wallace (The Howling.) With a line-up that promises even more surprises in store for those who dare to dig a little deeper, we've got our hopes up that once the cells are open, with doors unlocked and alarms blaring, we'll see some brutal action. Of course, Death House isn't set for release until at least sometime next year, so for now we'll just have to sit back and wait for everything to come together.
Tuesday, February 09, 2016
Star Wars: The Force Awakens crosses $2 billion worldwide
Disney reported that as of Saturday, The Force Awakens has officially made more than $2 billion worldwide, making it only the third film in history to hit that number. The other movies to have made more than $2 billion are Titanic ($2.19 billion) and Avatar($2.79 billion), unadjusted for inflation.
On Friday, Disney announced The Force Awakenshad made $900 million domestically, becoming the only film in history to hit that number.
“This is a historic moment for Star Wars, for Lucasfilm, and for Disney, and all of us here are extremely gratified to be a part of this journey with fans around the world who have made Star Wars: The Force Awakens such an extraordinary success,” Disney chairman Alan Horn said in a statement. “The film’s achievements are truly astounding, and it’s our great honor to relaunch this cinematic galaxy not only for all the devoted decades-long fans but for a new generation who will keep the Star Wars legacy alive for many years to come.”
The Force Awakens’ new global total is one more accomplishment it can add to its long list of box office achievements. Since opening in mid-December, The Force Awakens has set multiple records, including the biggest domestic opening day of all time ($119.1 million), the biggest domestic ($247.9 million) and global ($528.9 million) opening weekend ever, and the fastest film to $1 billion (12 days of global release).
The next adventure in a galaxy far, far away will hit theaters later this year, as Rogue One is released on Dec. 16. Episode VIII will premiere on Dec. 15, 2017.
To no one's surprise, Jughead comes out "asexual"
From flavorwire, Representation of the LGBT community has come a long way in the past decade or so, but one group that’s gone almost entirely unrepresented — in life, media, and the aforementioned acronym — is asexuals. Characters who outwardly identify as asexual are rarely seen in film, TV, literature, or comic books, and they’re rarely even mentioned outside of a joke. That’s about to change, though, in an upcoming issue of Jughead.
Vulture points out the page from the forthcoming book, in which Jughead’s gay (yes, gay characters in comics are fairly commonplace now) buddy casually mentions Jughead’s asexuality, and then Jughead, in a statement that confirms the asexual comment as more than a joke, goes on to say on how his asexuality allows for clarity throughout his day.
Whether or not Jughead’s statement is merely an elaboration on a stereotype — that asexuals don’t think about sex at all, and so have heightened mindfulness — is up for debate. Anyway, check out the page below, and decide for yourself. The book will be available on stands and digitally this Wednesday.
Monday, February 01, 2016
David Prowse reveals Darth Vader’s actual helmet 30 years late
Box Office
Thanks to a hold over of strong performers from 2015, new movies have had a hard time breaking into the top three, much less the number on spot. Kung Fu Panda 3 is only the second new movie of the month to land number one along with Ride Along 2 which held the position for one weekend two weeks ago. The latest based-on-a-true-story-inspirational-hero-story from Disney/Buena Vista had a hard time staying afloat. The Finest Hours opened in fourth place with just $10 million, a hard start against its reported $70 million production budget. That's a tough break for director Craig Gillespie whose past movies have not only been better, but also cheaper and more financially successful.
There's probably a really good reason why a movie like Fifty Shades of Black makes as much as $6 million, enough for ninth place this weekend, but it's hard to come up with anything plausible. Since taking up the mantle of writer/producer as well as actor, this marks the worst performance for a Marlon Wayan's project which still doesn't seem strong enough of a rejection for what has become an embarrassment to the parody genre.
Natalie Portman's latest offering Jane Got a Gun opened in more than 1,000 venues but made less than $1,000 per screen, leaving it without sufficient box office steam to break into the top ten. With less than a million dollars in sales it took a very distant 17th place this weekend.
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