"Taken" slays box office; Hollywood old guard slays "Selma"

Finale to Fox’s vengeance franchise powers to $40 million triumph as Oscar hopeful “Selma” stumbles in expansion

Liam Neeson and “Taken 3” went out with a loud bang at the box office this weekend, opening to a better-than-expected $40.4 million as the highly regarded civil rights drama “Selma” stumbled in its national expansion.
The final installment of the EuropaCorp vengeance movie franchise that turned the 62-year-old Neeson into an action star knocked “The Hobbit” out of the top spot after three weeks with the second-best January opening ever, and easily outpaced the weekend’s other wide opener, the awards hopeful “Selma.” And with another $41 million in grosses from overseas, “Taken 3″ had an $81 million weekend globally.
Paramount Pictures expanded “Selma” from 22 to 2,179 theaters and it wound up second with an estimated $11.2 million three-day total, under the expectations of analysts and the studio. By comparison, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” opened to $24.6 million last year, but that was in far more theaters (2,933) and August, a less-competitive slot for awards hopefuls.The underwhelming debut capped a tough week for the Ava DuVernay-directed drama, which was overlooked for top honors at the British Academy Film Awards nominations Friday, after being similarly snubbed by the Producers Guild earlier in the week.

“Selma” was expected to land in the mid to high-teen millions by analysts and the studio. It had performed strongly and earned $2 million in limited release since opening in 23 theaters on Christmas Day. But making the mainstream leap may take some time for the historical drama based on the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights marches in Alabama. The film has been drawn into a controversy after questions surrounding the historical accuracy of the relationship between Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon Johnson.

Rumours of Doom were greatly exaggerated

Well, amid the gloomy reviews of the just ended summer movie season, it turns out that overall, things reeeeeallly weren't too bad for Hollywood after all, as this report from the Atlantic Monthly attests.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/09/why-sequels-will-never-die-hollywoods-summer-of-flops-was-actually-its-best-year-ever/279352/

"Man of Steel" Proves Its Box Office Mettle

Haven't seen it yet (plan for this week), but clearly the folks at Warner Bros. are breathing a sigh of release that this Superman soared - as this LA Times (via the Gleaner) report makes the point.

Man of Steel leaped over box office expectations in a single weekend.

The Warner Bros superhero film earned US$113m in its opening weekend at the box office, according to studio estimates yesterday. The retelling of Superman's backstory earned an additional US$12m from last Thursday's screenings, bringing its domestic total to US$125m. Original expectations for Man of Steel ranged from US$75m to US$130m.

"They finally got the Superman formula right," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "Superhero movies really are the bread and butter of the summer box office. The fact thatIron Man 3 has the biggest opening of the year so far and Man of Steel has the second biggest opening of the year just proves that."

Man of Steel, which stars British actor Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane, also toppled the record for biggest opening in June. It was previously held by the Disney-Pixar film Toy Story 3, which banked US$110m when it opened in 2010. Superman Returns, the previous Superman film which starred Brandon Routh in the title role, launched with a respectable US$52.5m in 2006.

Sony's This Is the End opened in second place behind Man of Steelwith US$20.5m in its opening weekend. The comedy, starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson as versions of themselves trapped in a mansion during the apocalypse, opened Wednesday, earning a domestic total of US$32.8m. The film cost just US$32m to produce.

OUTSTANDING FLICK

"We knew we were going to have competition, but we felt our movie stood on its own and had its own voice," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "I believe we've absolutely proven that. To have this amount of money in the bank with its cost of production, good reviews and word of mouth really puts our feet on solid ground."

In its third weekend at the box office, the Lionsgate illusionist heist filmNow You See Me fleeced US$10.3m in third place, bringing its total domestic haul to US$80m. Universal's Fast & Furious 6 arrived in fourth place, with US$9.4m, while the studio's invasion horror film The Purge, starring Ethan Hawke, scared up US$8.2m in the fifth spot.

The super openings of Man of Steel and This Is the End helped to lift the box office 50 per cent over last year, when Madagascar 3 andPrometheus held on to the top spots. Man of Steel will face off against stiff competition next week, when Paramount's zombie thriller World War Z and the Disney-Pixar's prequel Monster's University both debut.

These are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through yesterday at United States and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com.

1. Man of Steel, US$113m

2. This Is the End, US$20.5m

3. Now You See Me, US$10.3m

4. Fast & Furious 6, US$9.4m

5. The Purge, US$8.2m

6. The Internship, US$7m

7. Epic, US$6m

8. Star Trek: Into Darkness, US$5.6m

9. After Earth, US$3.7m

10. Iron Man 3, US$2.9m

"Out The Gate" takes off; #13 nationally in per-screen average

From a list of 112 movies currently playing in United States theaters the weekend of May 13th, box office gross reports show the indie film, "Out The Gate"  starring Paul Campbell and Oliver Samuels at the position of #13 in the nation, in a ranking of average gross per screen. The action/drama also starring Shelli Boone and Everton (E-Dee) Dennis, opened in New York City at AMC Theaters and National Amusement Multiplex Cinemas last Friday in the first multi-theater opening for a Jamaican film in decades.

            Paul Campbell, best known for his riveting performances in ‘Dancehall Queen’, ‘Shottas’, and ‘Third World Cop’, reportedly gripped the audience with his vicious portrayal of Badz, the don of LA, while Oliver Samuels, surprised audiences in a serious role, proving his talent extends beyond the traditional comedic roles that have made him a legend.

            Well pleased with the weekend turnout, AMC Theaters, America’s largest theater chain, has booked the film for a second week. “Word of mouth is definitely spreading”, stated Keith Lewis, one of the films producers, “seeing the reaction of the audience has been the most rewarding part of this journey” he continued. The musically driven picture was directed by first time directors R.Steven Johnson and Qmillion under the name ‘The Village Brothers”.  Produced and distributed by Jamaican/American company Far I Films, the triumphant movie is set to open in Jamaica this summer, and then return to North America for openings in Miami and Toronto, before moving on to London.

Which Summer Movie Will Be the Biggest Blockbuster?

Fast Five will be the year's highest-grossing movie by the end of next weekend, but it has plenty of competition in the weeks to come, since this summer-movie season is jam-packed with sequels and expensive would-be blockbusters. So we put it to you: When all is said and done, which 2011 summer movie will be the biggest box-office hit? Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformersboth have an amazing track record, but can their latest movies come out on top in such a crowded summer? And then there's the last Harry Potter film, which is poised to score big even if last year's Potter installment was only the fifth biggest film of the year, coming in well over $100 million behind summer champ Toy Story 3 (a precedent that might bode well for Pixar's 2011 sequel, Cars 2). Give us your prediction, and don't forget about all the potential dark horses!

Your bashing Can't harm Me....I'm the Green Hornet!!! movie claims #1 spot int'l

The latest iteration of The Green hornet has so far proven impervious to scathing reviews, including from this blog, taking the top spot in international box office returns, and holding for a tight number two in the US, behind the new Anthony Hopkins occult thriller, The Rite.

Foreign gross total for the Seth Rogan vehicle, a 3D reworking on a popular radio series about a masked vigilante and sidekick Kato, stands at $61 million. Weekend highlights were No. 1 openings in Taiwan ($1.195 million from 158 sites for a per-screen average of $7,563), Singapore and Malaysia. Worldwide, Hornet has grossed $139.8 million so far.

Blessed with 10 Oscar nominations, True Grit made its overseas debut in Australia, drawing $2.3 million from 197 situations. The figure exceeds the comparable market opening of same directors Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country For Old Men in 2007 by 200%, said distributor Paramount. A Mexico debut for Grit is set for this week.

With its 12 Oscar bids, The King's Speech sailed to the No. 2 position in the U.K. with an estimated $5.5 million garnered from 546 locations in its fourth round. In Australia and New Zealand, via Paramount, The Weinstein Co. co-production starring Colin Firth secured $2.1 million from 246 screens. A No. 5 Italy opening looks to provide about $1 million from about 140 sites.

No. 1 in Russia was The Mechanic, director Simon West's remake produced by Millennium Films/Nu Image Ent. of the 1972 Charles Bronson action vehicle. Universal, which handled the Russian release with Jason Staham as a ruthless hit man, reports the opening market gross was $4.2 million drawn from 478 locations. Opening No. 4 in the U.K. via Lionsgate, The Mechanic drew an estimated $3.9 million there from 301 sites.

Opening a muscular No. 1 in the U.K. ($7.3 million from 750 venues) was Disney Animation'sTangled, which collected $14.7 million overall from 4,073 locations in 43 territories. It ranks No. 2 overall on the weekend.

Overseas gross total for the 3D animation reworking of the classic Rapunzel tale stands at $254.3 million with about 20% of the international market yet to play. Worldwide, Tangled has grossed $443.9 million, ranking it as the 25th biggest-grossing animation title ever released.

Taking the top spot in Germany ($4.8 million from 454 sites) – as well as the No. 3 slot on the weekend overall -- was Disney's Tron: Legacy, which grossed $12 million from 4,763 situations in 53 markets. With about seven% of the international market yet to play, the 3D sequel to 1982's Tron has accumulated $196 million so far on the foreign theatrical circuit, and $362.7 million worldwide.

Fourth was Fox's Black Swan, which pushed its early foreign box office total to $29.1 million thanks to an $11.4 million weekend at 1,292 screens in 16 territories. The Natalie Portmanvehicle from director Darren Aronofsky opened in third place in the U.K. with $4.2 million garnered from 429 screens.

No. 5 on the weekend was director Clint Eastwood's supernatural drama Hereafter from Warner Bros., which tallied $9.9 million from about 2,200 screens in 32 markets. A No. 1 second weekend in France drew $3.5 million from 482 screens for a market cume of $9.8 million. Total foreign cume is $42 million.

20th Century Fox's Gulliver's Travels, grossing $9.1 million from $3,380 situations in 41 territories, has compiled an overseas cume of $125.7 million. A No. 1 opening in South Korea for the Jack Black vehicle produced $4.5 million from 492 situations, which Fox said was its eighth biggest weekend opening in the market ever.

Warner's family-oriented animation title Yogi Bear grossed $6.9 million at some 2,700 screens in 26 markets, hoisting its foreign cume to $33.6 million. A Mexico debut is due this week.

Sony and other distributors' The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie grossed $6.6 million on the weekend from 2,640 situations in 57 markets for a foreign cume of $151.1 million. Fox's romantic comedy Love & Other Drugs came in with $6.5 million from 2,802 screens in 39 territories for an overseas gross total of $53 million.

RED, Summit International's spy-action with Bruce Willis, resurfaced in Spain and Japan for a weekend tally of $4.4 million. The Japan bow, handled by Disney, drew $2.7 million from 297 spots. The Spain figure was $1.7 million from 348 sites, for a market rank of No. 2.

Paramount's comedy Little Fockers pushed its foreign cume to $153 million thanks to a $4.2 million weekend at 3,043 screens in 55 markets. Sony's romantic comedy How Do You Knowdrew $4.1 million from 1,550 sites in 11 markets for a foreign gross total of $6.9 million.

Universal's The Dilemma, the comedy from director Ron Howard and costarring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, secured $4 million from 1,217 sites in 21 markets for a foreign cume of $11 million. Sony's Burlesque with Cher bagged $4 million from 1,640 screens in 40 territories for a cume of $37.2 million.

Nothing to do but wait for the summer (2011)

The above line is from a Leif Garrett song (remember him?), but slogging through this Christmas, and taking note of the gigantic slate of sequels and other massive movies due next year, it could sum up the Hollywood mood right now

Among the expected box-office heavy hitters for 2K11 are:

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On stranger Tides;
The Hangover 2;
Kung Fu Panda 2
Thor

X-Men: First Class;
Cars 2
Green Lantern

Transformers 3;
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part II (series finale ?)
Captain America

looks to be an epic summer

Still Wild About Harry: "Deathly Hallows" opens big

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The Potter Trio: From left, actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.

The first part of the two-part finale to the long-running Warner Bros. film series took in $125.12 million at the domestic box office, according to early estimates from Hollywood.com. Final numbers are due out on Monday.
“These numbers on ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1′ prove that even a decade into the franchise, ‘Potter’ is as relevant and compelling today as it was back in 2001,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office division of Hollywood.com, said in an email.
The animated film “Megamind” (Paramount/DreamWorks Animation) took the second slot with $16.2 million; “Unstoppable” (Fox), an action-drama with Denzel Washington, placed third with $13.1.
The starting numbers for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1″ represent the best-ever opening weekend for the franchise.
The new “Potter” movie had enjoyed a mostly positive reception from critics. The next and final installment of the series, due out in the summer of 2011, is scheduled to be in 3-D, which could add to its box office totals.