‘Mother!’ crumbles with $7.5 million opening, ‘It’ repeats No. 1

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) | “It” continues to post terrifyingly huge numbers, while “Mother!” opens with a thud.

“It,” from Warner Bros. and New Line, expects to finish its second weekend with $60 million from 4,103 locations. That would make its domestic gross so far $218.7 million — a record for the highest earning September release ever. The old record-holder was 1986’s “Crocodile Dundee” with $174.8 million.

Broken down by day, this past weekend “It” earned $19.4 million on Friday and $26.2 million on Saturday. Sunday’s take is estimated to be about $14.5 million. 389 Imax screens are expected to account for just over $3 million of the film’s take in North America this weekend.

Overseas, “It” is pulling in an additional $60.3 million in 56 markets. That raises its international total to $152.6 million and the worldwide tally to $371.3 million.

Based on Stephen King’s novel, “It” opened last weekend with an enormous domestic pull of $123.4 million. The R-rated title, reportedly made for about $35 million, stars Bill Skarsgard as an evil clown named Pennywise who terrorizes children.

The rest of the cast includes Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, Jaeden Lieberher, and Jackson Robert Scott.

Meanwhile “Mother!” is struggling. The Paramount release directed by Darren Aronofsky is expected to earn $7.5 million from 2,368 locations. That’s an all-time low for wide releases starring Jennifer Lawrence.

One contributing factor to the movie’s bottom line is that audiences entirely rejected it and bestowed an F CinemaScore. That’s despite a critical split that landed the polarizing movie a generally positive 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Women made up the bulk of the audience (56%), and slightly more than half of the audience (52%) was over the age of 35. The launch was driven by a marketing campaign that shrouded the R-rated movie in mystery and didn’t give much away regarding plot. In addition to Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer also star.

Another fresh R-rated launch, “American Assassin” — a joint production between CBS Films and Lionsgate — is expecting an opening of $14.8 million from 3,154 locations. The audience breakdown was 55% male and 29% under the age of 35.

The film is an adaptation of Vince Flynn’s 2010 novel, and stars Dylan O‘Brien as a CIA black ops recruit who is trained by a Cold War veteran (Michael Keaton). The film’s opening is comparable to 2014’s “John Wick,” which opened to $14.4 million on its way to launch a franchise with $43 million in domestic earnings.

“We feel that we’re off to a very solid start,” Shaun Barber, Lionsgate’s EVP and general sales manager of domestic theatrical distribution, said, pointing to the A CinemaScore the movie earned from the under 25 audience, and a strong September box office so far. As for plans to make the movie a franchise, he said “it’s very early in the run” and “too soon to call.”

Open Road’s “Home Again” should land in fourth this weekend with $5.3 million from 3,036 locations (only a 38% drop from last weekend). “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” from Lionsgate, continues to stay in the top five with about $3.6 million from 3,272 spots.

The rest of the top ten is made up of “Annabelle: Creation” ($2.6 million); Taylor Sheridan’s “Wind River” ($2.6 million), which has now out-grossed “Hell of High Water” in North America; “Leap!” ($2.1 million); “Spider-Man: Homecoming” ($1.9 million); and “Dunkirk” ($1.3 million).

In limited release, Annapurna and Amazon’s “Brad’s Status” is tracking to earn $100,179 this weekend from four locations. Mike White wrote and directed the movie starring Ben Stiller as a man who is constantly comparing his life to those of his college friends.

Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer, Luke Wilson, and Michael Sheen also star in the flick, which has been generally well-reviewed (83% on Rotten Tomatoes). The film is expected to expand to 100 locations next weekend.

Amazon Studios’ head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney noted that “fathers are really relating to the film” and Stiller’s performance.

After a catastrophic summer of moviegoing, a strong September so far (39.4% better than last year, powered by “It”) is leading a gradual recovery. The year to date box office is now 4.9% behind last year — up from 6.5% behind at the end of the summer. The domestic box office so far this year has earned $7.9 billion.

source: interaksyon.com

Disney hits industry-first $7 billion at box office

LOS ANGELES | A huge debut for “Rogue One” has seen Walt Disney Studios become the first distributor in history to hit $7 billion in annual global box office receipts, it said Monday.

The $290 million worldwide opening for the “Star Wars” spinoff puts Disney’s haul for 2016 at $2.7 billion in North America, also an industry record, and $4.3 billion elsewhere.

It is the first year in which all five of Walt Disney Studios’ top brands — Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm — have released movies.

“This historic achievement is possible because all of our film studios are bringing their absolute best to the table, telling great stories of all kinds that resonate with audiences across borders, gender and generations,” said Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

“These films work because each one has not only something for everyone, but everything for someone. It’s our honor to be able to create these experiences for audiences, and we’re thankful to them for continuing to come out to the theater with us.

Even before “Rogue One” came out, hits such as “Finding Dory,” “Captain America: Civil War” and “Zootopia” ensured the studio had beaten last year’s record $5.8 billion by the end of October and was comfortably on track to pass the record of $6.9 billion set by Universal in 2015.

Disney has set several records this year, becoming the fastest studio ever to hit $2 billion domestically and $5 billion at the global box office, both in July.

It has not been entirely plain sailing, as “Alice Through The Looking Glass” and “The BFG” were deemed commercial flops.

Coastguard drama “The Finest Hours” also sank without a trace, with Variety magazine reporting that Disney was expecting losses of around $75 million from the film.

On the other side of the ledger, the studio had three hits in 2016 that passed the illustrious $1 billion global mark — “Captain America” ($1.2 billion), “Finding Dory,” ($1.03 billion) and “Zootopia” ($1.02 billion).

“The Jungle Book” made $967 million, while “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which debuted in December last year, brought in $737 million of its $2.1 billion global take in 2016.

Those five films scored an average 94 percent rating on RottenTomatoes.com, which aggregates the reviews for all releases.

“Rogue One,” which is yet to open in the vast Chinese market, is expected to do better than all of these, although much of its global take will come in 2017.

source: interaksyon.com

New ‘Star Wars’ sets $57 million opening night record

LOS ANGELES | “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has set a new opening night record in the United States and Canada and was poised to become one of the biggest grossing movies ever, industry experts said Friday.

The latest instalment of the highly anticipated space epic raked in $57 million dollars for its opening night Thursday, beating the previous record — $43.5 million — held by “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ in 2011.

“This represents a new record for the industry and portends a massive and potentially record-breaking opening day and weekend for the film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, of box office tracker Rentrak.

The “Harry Potter” film holds the all-time record for opening day at $91 million, but the new “Star Wars” is expected to also force it out of that slot.

Overall, “The Force Awakens” has grossed some $130 million dollars worldwide since it opened overseas on Wednesday, setting records in Britain, Germany, Norway and Sweden.

Analysts predict that the seventh instalment of the iconic space saga, which cost Disney an estimated $200 million to produce, could score the biggest opening weekend ever and could even become the biggest film of all time.

The opening weekend record is currently held by “Jurassic World” which premiered earlier this year to $208.8 million at the box office.

As far as all-time box office sales, two films by James Cameron hold the record — “Avatar” ($2.78 billion) and “Titanic” ($2.18).

“The potential for ‘The Force Awakens’ to ultimately break into the $2 billion club worldwide is certainly in the realm of possibility,” Dergarabedian said.

Added Jeff Bock, box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations: “As far as breaking records go, it’s the strongest candidate weve seen in a long, long time.

“It might join the $2 billion club worldwide, and maybe, just maybe, be the highest grossing film of all-time.”

Disney, which bought the rights to the “Star Wars” franchise from its creator Georges Lucas for $4 billion in 2012, has built up the hype around “The Force Awakens,” rolling out a well-orchestrated marketing campaign that has left fans wanting more.

Early reviews of the movie have given it a thumbs up, and three more instalments are due in the coming years.

“The Force Awakens” picks up the intergalactic story of good versus evil 30 years on from “The Return of the Jedi,” the finale of the original trilogy.

The trio of heroes who appeared in the first of the blockbusters in 1977 — smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and her twin brother Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) — are all back and played by the actors that Star Wars first made famous.

The film is being screened in 4,134 theatres in North America, a record for a December opening.

source: interaksyon.com

PH’s obsession with ‘Fault in our Stars’ extends to box office

After Time magazine recently reported that the Philippines is the country that is most obsessed with John Green’s bestselling novel, “The Fault in our Stars”, expectations ran high that the film adaptation will do just as well in the box office here.

Based on gross receipts of its four-day opening weekend, the romantic comedy-drama about two cancer-stricken teenagers did very well, earning P52 million to add to its current worldwide take of over $65 million according to Box Office Mojo. It was made for only $12 million.

Considering that the film is targeted specifically for young adult audiences and is showing in only 137 cinemas, which is a fraction of the 400 screens that showed “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, this makes the early returns of “Fault” all the more remarkable.

Because of its strong Filipino fan base which trounces the following of both the book and the film in the U.S., Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Spain, a good number of local fans have reportedly watched the film not just twice but as many as four times.

Word-of-mouth and positive critical acclaim also didn’t hurt. “Fault” currently has an 83 percent approval rating at review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes; CinemaScore gave it an A rating on an A+ to F scale while it scored a 69 out of 100 score on Metacritic indicating “generally favorable reviews”.

With sold out tickets on its first day in the Philippines, it was Ayala Malls Cinemas’ Trinoma that landed the top spot among theaters with a P2.3 million gross followed by SM North Edsa/The Block (P2.13M), Glorietta4 (P1.9M); SM Mall of Asia (P1.8M) and SM Megamall (P1.6M).

The film also recorded highs in the following cinemas that are within the film’s top 20 list – Ayala Cebu (P1.6M); Eastwood (P1.5M); Greenbelt (P 1.4M); Powerplant (P 1.35M); Shang Cineplex (P1.31M); SM Cebu (P1.29M); Greenhills TheatreMall (P1.28M); Gateway Cineplex/Ali Mall (P1.22M); Alabang Town Center (P1.1M); Robinson’s Magnolia (P.916M); Robinson’s Ermita (P.888M); SM Southmall (P.842M); Bonifacio High Street (P.788M); Newport (P.776M); Festival (P.726M) and Market!Market! (P.723M).

Starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as the two teenagers who meet at a cancer support group and immediately form a powerful bond, “The Fault in our Stars” also boasts of a strong supporting cast that include Laura Dern, Nat Wolff, Sam Trammell and Willem Dafoe.

From 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros, the film is still showing in more than 100 screens nationwide.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Meatballs’ sequel gobbles up US, Canadian box office

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK | The sequel to “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” devoured the weekend box office competition.

The animated 3D “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2,” which tells the story of monster-sized fruits, vegetables and cheeseburgers that come to life as “foodimals,” earned $35 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday, easily beating all competitors.

“Cloudy 2″ outpaced car racing drama “Rush,” which pulled in $10.3 million from Friday through Sunday to finish third, behind last week’s winner, drama “Prisoners” starring Hugh Jackman, which made $11.3 million.

The “Cloudy” sequel features the voices of Bill Hader and Anna Faris and is a follow-up to a 2009 hit that saw the fictional island of Swallow Falls attacked by giant food that plunges from the sky.

In the new installment, the food comes to life and evolves into “foodimals” that include a hippopotamus, eggplanatee and cheespider, a cheeseburger with sesame-seed eyes and french-fry legs.

Some forecasters projected “Cloudy 2″ would gross up to $45 million, though Sony said it expected a lower debut of between $30 million and $35 million. The movie cost $78 million to produce.

“This is just a fantastic start,” said Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures’ worldwide president of distribution.

“We knew that people really loved the film from our early screenings, and it’s one of those times that the sequel is better than the first one,” he said.

Bruer also predicted that the film would resonate with audiences overseas, saying: “I’m certain it’s going to do even better internationally.”

“Rush,” from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, tells the story of the 1976 battle for the Formula One racing championship. Chris Hemsworth stars as Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as his rival, Austrian Niki Lauda.

The movie expanded to nearly 2,300 theaters after a very limited debut a week ago. It was produced for $38 million by Cross Creek Pictures and Exclusive Media and distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp.

Nikki Rocco, president for domestic distribution at Universal Pictures, said: “Although we started out on the low end of where we thought we would be, strong exit polls and good word-of-mouth will help it find its niche in the weeks to come.”

“Rush” won strong reviews from critics with an 88 percent positive rating from compendium website rottentomatoes, and an A-minus grade from CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers.

“Prisoners,” starring Jackman as a father on a desperate search for his missing daughter, brought its domestic sales total to $39 million after two weekends. The movie, which topped box office charts when it debuted a week ago, was released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.

New romantic comedy “Baggage Claim,” distributed by Fox Searchlight, a unit of 21st Century Fox and starring Paula Patton as a woman on a 30-day quest to find a mate, finished in fourth place with $9.3 million.

Raunchy comedy “Don Jon” debuted in the weekend’s No. 5 spot with $9 million. The movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man whose pornography addiction interferes with his relationship with a young woman, played by Scarlett Johansson. Gordon-Levitt also wrote and directed the film, which Relativity Media acquired for $4 million.

source: interaksyon.com

Ghosts beat minions as horror flick ‘The Conjuring’ leads box office

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES – “The Conjuring,” a low-budget horror movie about a haunted farmhouse, spooked two pricey competitors and the “Despicable Me” minions to win a crowded weekend box office contest at U.S. and Canadian theaters.

“Conjuring” soared past forecasts with $41.5 million in domestic ticket sales in its first three days, the highest take among four new films, according to studio estimates. The strong performance from “Conjuring” knocked two-time champion “Despicable Me 2″ to second place with $25.1 million.




Both movies topped the weak results for big-budget entries “Turbo” and “R.I.P.D.,” which both fell short of already low expectations from some box office analysts.

Animated film “Turbo,” the story of a racing snail, landed in the No. 3 slot with $21.5 million from Friday through Sunday. Sci-fi comedy “R.I.P.D.” floundered in seventh with $12.8 million.

“The Conjuring,” produced for just under $20 million, stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as a couple who investigate paranormal activity inside a Rhode Island farmhouse. The movie followed the successful path of other inexpensive horror films such as “Mama” and “The Purge” that grabbed big sales in their opening weekends this year.

“It so overperformed anybody’s wildest expectations,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros’ executive vice president for domestic distribution. “We originally thought if we open in the mid-20s, that’s a strong result and we’d be very happy with that.”

Family audiences kept coming for the animated “Despicable 2,” one of the summer’s biggest hits, which brought its global total through Sunday to $585 million, distributor Universal Pictures said. The film features the voice of Steve Carell as Gru, leader of the singing-and-dancing yellow minions.

Continued interest in “Despicable” stalled the debut of “Turbo,” which features the voice of Ryan Reynolds as a snail that acquires super-fast powers after a freak accident.

The movie, produced by “Shrek” creator DreamWorks Animation, turned in one of the studio’s lowest recent debuts. Its Friday-to-Sunday sales came in below last year’s box office disappointment, the holiday-themed “Rise of the Guardians.”

With a head start on the weekend, “Turbo” added $9.7 million on Wednesday and Thursday at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, plus $22.6 million from international openings, which only covered about one-quarter of all international markets. DreamWorks spent roughly $135 million to make the film.

“We’re in a very competitive marketplace but we have a ton of summer play time left, so we’ll see,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, the studio that released “Turbo,” speaking to the film’s opening numbers and its prospects.

Aronson said “Turbo” had “very strong openings” internationally, and an A-plus Cinemascore rating from moviegoers under age 25, which he said “bodes very well for its playability,” or future box office prospects.

“R.I.P.D.” was nearly as expensive as “Turbo,” costing Universal Pictures about $130 million. The movie features “Turbo” star Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as lawmen in the “Rest in Peace Department” who come back from the dead to fight crime.

“R.I.P.D.” added $6.8 million in international markets for a global total of $19.6 million through Sunday.

“In this crowded marketplace, R.I.P.D. did not find the size audience it needed and Universal is disappointed in the weekend result,” said Nikki Rocco, president for domestic distribution at Universal Pictures.

Rocco said it was offset by “a fabulous year for Universal,” which has now hit $1 billion at the box office for the year thus far, the earliest date the studio has ever reached that level.

Rounding out the top of the charts, the Adam Sandler comedy “Grown Ups 2″ took the No. 4 slot, pulling in $20 million during its second weekend.

Newcomer “Red 2,” an action comedy aimed at older adults, landed in fifth place with 18.5 million, which studio officials said was in line with their expectations. The film stars Bruce Willis as a retired CIA agent who reunites a group of operatives to track down a missing nuclear device.

“The Conjuring” was released by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. “Red 2″ was released by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp, distributed “Despicable Me 2″ and “R.I.P.D.” Sony Corp’s movie studio released “Grown Ups 2.”

source: interaksyon.com

Faster than speeding bullet, ‘Man of Steel’ sets June box office record

LOS ANGELES – “Man of Steel,” the big-budget reboot of the Superman franchise, leaped over the apocalyptic buddy comedy “This is the End,” collecting a muscular $113.1 million to lead the domestic box office with the year’s second-largest debut weekend and the biggest June opening ever.

“Man of Steel,” starring British-born Henry Cavill in the first Superman movie released in seven years, carried a hefty budget of $225 million and took in a total of $125 million through Sunday including early screenings, according to BoxOffice.com.

The special-effects laden film is the story of the infant Kal-El, who escapes his doomed home planet Krypton and grows up in the idyllic town of Smallville with his parents, played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Amy Adams plays the budding super hero’s girlfriend Lois Lane.

The film, directed by Zack Snyder, with Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight,” “Inception”) serving as co-writer and one of its producers, added $71.6 million from overseas box offices in 24 markets.

“Today is a big day for us,” said Warner Bros’ president of theatrical distribution Dan Fellman, noting the film’s record opening. He added that “Man of Steel” was now well-poised to reap big box office “in the heart of the summer play time.”

The studio was also pleased by 56 percent male, 44 percent female audience, which Fellman said bodes well being a higher-female makeup than was usual for superhero-centered pictures.

“The film is playing extremely well for fan boys as well as the family,” he said.

“This is the End,” written by star Seth Rogen and his childhood friend Evan Goldberg, collected $20.5 million at theaters in the domestic market comprised of the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates collected by Reuters.

“We’re off to a really good start,” said Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures’ president of worldwide distribution.

Citing “great word of mouth,” Bruer predicted the movie “is going to be one of those films that’s going to be around for a good part of the summer. It’s so fresh and original,” he added.

The comedy depicting the end of the world stars more than a dozen well-known Hollywood actors including James Franco, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera and Emma Watson.

In third place, the comedy heist caper “Now You See Me” continued its stronger-than-expected showing with ticket sales of $10.3 million, bringing its three-week total to $80 million.

“Man of Steel” came out of the gate roaring, with $9 million in midnight showings early on Friday morning, according to the box office division of Hollywood.com, adding $12 million in Thursday showings in association with retailer Walmart.

The film broke the record of $110.3 million held by 2010′s “Toy Story 3″ for a June opening and was this year’s second-biggest debut weekend after “Iron Man 3.”

“The Purge,” made for $3 million by the producer of the low-budget “Paranormal Activity” series, finished fifth with $8.2 million, behind the speeding car franchise sixth film, “Fast & Furious 6,” which took in $9.4 million in its fourth week in release for a total of $220 million since Memorial Day.

Starring Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey, “The Purge” is set in 2022 when the U.S. government reduces crime by allowing almost all crime to go unpunished during a 12-hour “purge” period.

“The Internship,” a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson based on the antics of nerds in search of a job at internet giant Google, continued its lackluster box office showing, selling $7 million worth of tickets to finish sixth.

“After Earth,” a $130 million post-apocalyptic thriller starring Will Smith and his teenage son Jaden, continued its weak showing at U.S. and Canadian box office with $3.6 million, in ninth place. “After Earth” did perform well overseas, selling $24 million worth of tickets outside the domestic market.

“Man of Steel” was released by Warner Bros. Sony/Columbia released “This is the End.” “The Purge” and “Fast and Furious 6″ were distributed by Universal, a unit of Comcast’s NBC Universal unit. “The Internship” was released by Fox, a unit of News Corp. “Now You See Me” was distributed by Summit Entertainment, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Iron Man’ beats strong ‘Gatsby’ in box office showdown

LOS ANGELES – Tony Stark’s superpowers lifted blockbuster “Iron Man 3″ back to the top of movie charts in the United States and Canada, beating out a strong debut over the weekend for lavish Jazz Age drama “The Great Gatsby.”

Coming off a gigantic opening a week earlier, “Iron Man 3″ commanded $72.5 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in its second weekend. “Gatsby,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio as millionaire Jay Gatsby in the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald tale, earned a strong $51.1 million, according to studio estimates.

Domestic ticket sales for “Iron Man 3″ dropped 58 percent from a week earlier, when the film hauled in $174.1 million for the second-biggest movie opening of all time. The film from Walt Disney Co’s Marvel Studios stars Robert Downey Jr. as Stark, a billionaire businessman with a superhero alter ego.

International sales for “Iron Man 3″ reached a massive $664 million through Sunday after adding $89 million from the weekend, Disney said. The film’s worldwide take now stands at $949 million.

“Gatsby” outpaced pre-weekend forecasts for an opening of up to $45 million. Directed by Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, it is the latest Hollywood rendition of Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, “The Great Gatsby.” A 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow fared poorly at the box office.

DiCaprio stars in the title role, a millionaire pining for a lost love, played by Carey Mulligan, during the height of the hedonistic 1920s. Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton also star. Rapper Jay-Z produced the soundtrack.

“We never expected to open this picture at this level,” said Dan Fellman, president of theatrical distribution for Warner Bros., the Time Warner Inc unit that distributed the film.

Fellman said the picture, which has been accorded the prestigious opening night slot at this week’s Cannes Film Festival, was now well-positioned for a long run into the summer as an alternative to traditional action movies.

The majority of ticket buyers were female by 59 percent to 41 percent, and 31 percent of ticket buyers were under age 25, Warner Bros. said.

“We’re going to have a nice, long healthy run,” he told Reuters.

DiCaprio’s performance was widely praised, but the movie, which cost about $105 million to produce, received a mixed reception from critics. As of Saturday, 48 percent of reviews recommended the film on the Rotten Tomatoes website.

But in its opening weekend, the film very nearly eclipsed the total $57.4 million take of Luhrmann’s most successful film, “Moulin Rouge,” which went on to win several Academy Awards.

Elsewhere over the weekend, dark action comedy “Pain & Gain” starring Mark Wahlberg placed a distant third with $5 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters.

Comedy “Peeples,” the other new nationwide release, finished fourth with $4.9 million. Produced by Tyler Perry, the film stars Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington in the story of a well-off family’s reunion that is interrupted when a man arrives to seek their daughter’s hand in marriage.

Baseball drama “42″ finished in fifth place with $4.7 million.

“Star Trek Into Darkness,” which opens domestically on Wednesday, took in $31.7 million in seven international territories including Britain, Mexico, Australia and Germany, Paramount Pictures reported.

“Pain & Gain” was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. Lions Gate Entertainment distributed “Peeples,” and Warner Bros. distributed “42.”

source: interaksyon.com

Disney’s ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ scores $80M in box office gold

LOS ANGELES – There was no place like “Oz” at the weekend box office.

Walt Disney Co’s big-budget 3D movie “Oz the Great and Powerful” amassed $80.3 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, the biggest domestic debut of 2013. The prequel starring James Franco added $69.9 million in international markets, Disney said, for a combined $150.2 million opening around the world.

“Oz” dominated all other movies over the weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Another family film, “Jack the Giant Slayer,” finished a distant No. 2 with $10 million domestically during its second weekend. Melissa McCarthy comedy “Identity Thief” landed third with $6.3 million from Friday through Sunday.

The opening numbers for “Oz” provided a strong start for the $200-million production, a prequel to 1939 Hollywood classic “The Wizard of Oz.” The movie stars Franco as a small-time magician who is whisked by hot-air balloon to a magical land where he is mistaken for a wizard. Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz play three witches the wizard encounters on his journey.

Disney spent up to $100 million on a marketing campaign that featured the cross-country tour of a bright blue, Oz-themed hot-air balloon, a commercial during the Super Bowl, and movie-related fashions sold on shopping channel HSN. [ID:nL1N0BRAKB]

The expensive gamble paid off as families turned out to see the story of how the famous wizard came to lead the colorful land of Oz.

Disney’s executive vice president for motion picture distribution Dave Hollis said the film hit a “sweet spot” in terms of timing; over the next few weeks, there will be little competition in the family film market, and many kids in the United States will be on school breaks and thus more likely to head to theaters.

He was mum on reports of a sequel. “It’s too early to say too much,” Hollis said. “I’m not really a part of that conversation at this time.”

Before the weekend, Disney had projected domestic sales of around $70 million, while some box-office analysts saw receipts hitting as much as $85 million.

The big debut for “Oz” outshined the sluggish opening a week earlier for “Jack the Giant Slayer,” another family-oriented film that puts a modern spin on a classic children’s tale. The new take on “Jack and the Beanstalk,” which cost $189 million to produce, pulled in $27.2 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters during its first three days.

Through Sunday, “Jack” had earned a total of $43.8 million domestically, plus $22.6 million from international markets.

The weekend’s other new release, thriller “Dead Man Down,” landed in fourth place on North American charts with $5.4 million. The movie stars Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace as two strangers who join together to seek revenge against a New York crime lord.

Drug drama “Snitch” took fifth place with $5.1 million in domestic sales.

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, released “Jack the Giant Slayer.” “Identity Thief” was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp. Privately held FilmDistrict released “Dead Man Down.” “21 and Over” was released by privately held Relativity Media.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Hobbit’ fever beats Tom Cruise at box office

LOS ANGELES – The dwarfs and elves of “The Hobbit” overpowered Tom Cruise to take the box office title for a second time, grabbing $37.6 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales as a crowd of new films fought for pre-holiday audiences.

Cruise’s crime drama “Jack Reacher,” a film about a fatal sniper attack, landed in second place with $15.6 million. In third place, adult comedy “This is 40″ pulled in $12 million, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday.

Domestic ticket sales for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” fell by about 57 percent during the film’s second weekend. Movie receipts typically drop 40 percent to 60 percent each week.

In international markets, “Hobbit” sales reached $284 million and brought the movie’s global take to $434 million, distributor Warner Bros. said.

“The Hobbit” is the first of three movies based on the classic J.R.R. Tolkien novel set in the fantasy world of Middle Earth. The films, produced by MGM and Warner Bros.’ New Line Cinema, are prequels to the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” franchise that brought in box office gold a decade ago.

Producers of “The Hobbit” and other films hope to enjoy a big boost this week around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The current crop will face competition starting on Tuesday, Christmas Day, from Quentin Tarantino’s Western “Django Unchained,” musical “Les Miserables” and comedy “Parental Guidance.”

Sales over the coming days are expected to push 2012 to a domestic box office record. The year is on track to finish with $10.8 billion worth of ticket sales in the North American (U.S. and Canadian) market, according to a projection from box office tracker Hollywood.com. The current record is $10.6 billion, set in 2009.

Over the weekend, “Jack Reacher” debuted just days after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting sparked new debate about the impact of movie violence. “Reacher” begins with a sniper killing a handful of seemingly random victims. A red-carpet premiere and a screening to promote the $60-million production were postponed after the Newtown tragedy.

“We opened pre-Christmas with our eyes wide open,” said Don Harris, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution, adding that he expected the film’s box office take to grow over the coming weeks. He said the Newtown shooting had “no effect” on the movie’s opening.

Before the weekend, the studio had predicted sales of $12 million to $15 million.

Adult comedy “This is 40″ stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as a middle-aged couple. The studio billed the $35 million production from “Bridesmaids” producer Judd Apatow as a “sort-of sequel” to 2007 comedy “Knocked Up.”

The president of domestic distribution for Universal, Nikki Rocco, said the film exceeded the studio’s estimates for opening prior to a mid-week Christmas, and dismissed talk of a Judd Apatow slump since his comedy “Bridesmaids,” which opened to $26.3 million in May 2011.

“Adults have choices at this time of year,” Rocco said, citing the broad slate of films already on

offer and those opening on Christmas day.

Comedy “The Guilt Trip,” starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen as a mother and son on a cross-country drive, pulled in $5.4 million over three days. The movie opened two days before the weekend, on Wednesday, scoring a five-day total of $7.4 million.

Also this weekend, Walt Disney Co re-released 2001 animated Pixar hit “Monsters Inc” in 3D. The movie earned $5 million at domestic theaters. Next June, Disney is releasing a prequel to the film called “Monsters University.”

Another new release, the 3D “Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away,” with performances by the famous acrobatic troupe, earned $2.1 million.

In five theaters in New York and Los Angeles, thriller “Zero Dark Thirty” about the hunt for Osama bin Laden grossed $410,000 in what box office analyst for Hollywood.com Paul Dergarabedian

described as a “huge limited release start for the film.”

The movie, considered an Oscar contender, will expand nationwide on January 11.

“The Hobbit” was distributed by Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros. studio. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, released “Jack Reacher,” “The Guilt Trip” and “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.” Comcast Corp’s Universal Studios released “This is 40,” and Sony Corp’s film studio distributed “Zero Dark Thirty.”

source: interaksyon.com

Vampires foil Tooth Fairy, Santa as ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 2′ stays at No. 1

LOS ANGELES – Teen vampire film “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2″ continued to take a bite out of the domestic box office, drawing $64 million in ticket sales over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend to finish ahead of James Bond film “Skyfall.”

After opening with a massive $141.1 million last weekend, the finale of the “Twilight” franchise brought in a holiday swarm of fans to see teen favorites Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, pushing “Breaking Dawn” to $227 million in total domestic ticket sales.

“Skyfall,” starring Daniel Craig in the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, finished second, collecting $51 million in weekend ticket sales in the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates compiled by the box office division of Hollywood.com.

“Lincoln,” Steven Spielberg’s historical film on the last days of President Abraham Lincoln, grabbed third with $34.1 million over the Wednesday-through-Sunday period.

Making its debut in fourth place with $32.6 million was the animated film “Rise of the Guardians,” featuring the voices of Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin as the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus and other childhood favorites who save the world.

“Life of Pi,” based on Yann Martel’s 2001 best-seller about a boy who survives on a raft with a tiger after his ship sinks, collected $30.15 million for a strong fifth-place finish.

“Rise of the Guardians,” produced by Dreamworks Animation for roughly $145 million, had been projected by distributor Paramount Pictures to gross $35 million in its first five days, according to Box Office Mojo.

Based on “The Guardians of Childhood” book series by children’s author William Joyce, the film will be the last Paramount will release for Dreamworks, whose films will be distributed next year by News Corp’s Fox studio.

Anne Globe, Dreamworks’ chief marketing officer, pointed to “the great parent reactions we’ve seen” to the film, and noting it was among the few choices for families through the end of year, said the studio was “hoping for very long legs through the holidays.”

The Ang Li film “Life of Pi,” on the other hand, performed stronger than expected. “We clearly exceeded our pre-release expectations,” said Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox.

“We’re seeing word of mouth in action, and a remarkably balanced demographic,” including strong ticket sales among those under 25, he said, adding “Many felt it was impossible to film, but Ang Li pulled it off.”

The remake of the 1984 Cold War film “Red Dawn,” finished seventh with $22 million in sales, behind animated feature “Wreck It Ralph”‘s $23 million take.

“Red Dawn” arrived at movie theaters four years after it was shot by MGM, but was delayed when the studio filed for bankruptcy in 2010. Last year, MGM decided to digitally alter the villains in the movie, inserting North Koreans instead of Chinese, after Hollywood began courting Chinese companies to help finance its films.

Propelled by the vampires, secret agents, presidents and nursery school favorites, Hollywood ticket sales totaled $290 million for the holiday weekend, beating the holiday weekend high mark of $273 million recorded in 2009. Hollywood studios often release their biggest holiday films on Wednesday to take advantage of school breaks the day before Thanksgiving.

The continued rush of fans to see teen favorites Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner pushed the “Twilight” installment to $227 million in total domestic ticket sales, making it the year’s sixth-largest, according to figures compiled by Box Office Mojo.

“Skyfall” with $221.7 million is just behind at number seven, while the year’s box office champ remains “Marvel’s The Avengers,” which has taken in $623 million to date.

source: interaksyon.com

‘The Possession’ tops N. America box office

LOS ANGELES – Horror flick “The Possession” exorcised A-list action romp “The Expendables 2″ from the top slot at the North American box office at the weekend, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

The newly released supernatural thriller, which stars Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as divorcing parents trying to rid their daughter of an evil spirit, raked in $17.7 million, said movie tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Another new release, Depression-era Western “Lawless,” took second place in the rankings but it lagged in takings – generating $9.7 million on a slow, late summer weekend which will be followed by the Labor Day holiday on Monday.

“The Expendables 2″ and “The Bourne Legacy” fell to third and fourth places, with $8.8 million and $7.2 million in ticket sales, respectively.

“Paranorman,” an animated movie about a boy who can speak to the dead, held onto its spot just behind the two action blockbusters, earning $6.5 million in box office receipts.

And quirky fantasy-comedy “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” held steady at sixth place, bringing in $6.1 million.

In seventh was “The Dark Knight Rises,” the latest Batman film, which took in $5.9 million. The final installment in the trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan has so far raked in more than $431 million.

Political spoof “The Campaign,” meanwhile, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, dropped to eighth place, with box office receipts of $5.4 million, while “2016: Obama’s America,” a documentary by conservative writer and commentator Dinesh D’Souza, came in ninth, with $5.1 million.

And rounding out the top 10 was Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones’s romantic comedy “Hope Springs,” with $4.7 million in ticket sales.

source: interaksyon.com

'Expendables 2' holds lead in N. America box office

LOS ANGELES -- A-list action romp "The Expendables 2" held onto the top rung of the North American box office for a second weekend, keeping "The Bourne Legacy" at bay, industry estimates showed Sunday.

"The Expendables 2", which stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jet Li as mercenaries, raked in $13.5 million a week after its debut, according to movie tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"The Bourne Legacy" -- starring Jeremy Renner as a secret agent threatened by his employers in the latest installment of the popular series that had starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne -- took in $9.3 million for second place.

Coming in third, also for a second week in a row, was "ParaNorman," an animated movie about a boy who can speak with the dead. It earned $8.5 million in ticket sales.

Political spoof "The Campaign," starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, remained in fourth place, with box office receipts of $7.4 million.

"The Dark Knight Rises," the latest Batman film, climbed back up to fifth place, earning $7.2 million. The final installment in the trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan has so far raked in more than $420 million.

Quirky fantasy-comedy "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" climbed to sixth place a week after its debut, bringing in $7.1 million.

"Premium Rush," an action film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a bike messenger being pursued by a corrupt cop, debuted in seventh at $6.3 million.

"2016: Obama's America," a documentary by conservative writer and commentator Dinesh D'Souza, shot to eighth place from a distant 13th last week, bringing in $6.2 million.

Rounding out the top ten were Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones's romantic comedy "Hope Springs," with $9.1 million in ticket sales, and action chase film "Hit and Run," which made $4.7 million in its opening weekend.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Ice Age 4′ puts chill on ‘Spider-Man’ at box office

LOS ANGELES – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” the fourth film in the animated series featuring a woolly mammoth and his prehistoric friends, trampled “The Amazing Spider-Man” and took the top spot at U.S. and Canadian box offices on Sunday with $46 million.

Featuring the voice of comedian Ray Romano as the warm-hearted mammoth Manny and John Leguizamo as Sid the fast-talking sloth, the 3D film’s opening weekend beat forecasts and topped the debut of the most recent movie in the series, 2009′s “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” which opened to $42 million.

The biggest opening in the series was 2006′s “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” which grossed $68 million in its first weekend. Overall the animated series, which was produced for Fox by its Blue Sky Studios, has collected $1.9 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to ticket tracking website Box Office Mojo.

“Ice Age” had been projected to gross around $40 million for the weekend, according to Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s box office division.

“Spider-Man,” the reboot of the blockbuster series that starred Andrew Garfield as the superhero’s alter ego Peter Parker, collected $35 million over the weekend, after selling $140 million in ticket sales during a six-day run that began with midnight shows the day before the July 4th holiday.

Its cumulative domestic ticket sales after roughly two weeks in theaters now stand at $201 million. Add another $320 million overseas, and worldwide ticket sales total $521 million, easily making it among the year’s top movies.

“Ted” a comedy about a man and his foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear, slipped to third place with domestic sales of $22.1 million from Friday through Sunday. Directed by “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, the Universal Pictures release has earned $159 million domestically since its June 29 debut and has become a Hollywood summer season surprise.

Disney’s animated fairy tale “Brave” weathered the entrance of the edgier “Ice Age” and landed in the No. 4 spot. The movie about a rebellious, red-haired Scottish princess, produced by Disney’s Pixar unit, grabbed $10.6 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters and has collected $196 million after four weeks.

Another surprise hit, Warner Bros. male stripper film “Magic Mike,” edged out Oliver Stone’s gritty drug drama, “Savages,” to claim the No. 5 spot. “Mike” rang up $9 million in ticket sales to boost its domestic total to $92 million.

“Savages, produced by Universal Pictures, totaled $8.7 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative sales to $31.5 million after two weeks in theaters.

source: interaksyon.com