‘The Butler’ works its way to second box office win

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK | Civil rights drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” took home its second U.S. and Canadian box office title, topping a Jennifer Aniston comedy and a newly released supernatural teen film.

“The Butler”, starring Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, earned $17 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. Jennifer Aniston comedy “We’re the Millers” came in second with $13.5 million.

Among three late summer newcomers, “Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” landed in third with $9.3 million, comedy “The World’s End” finished fourth with $8.9 million, while low-budget horror film “You’re Next” only managed the No. 7 slot, with $7.1 million.

“The Butler”, which also topped movie charts a week ago, is inspired by the real-life story of an African American man who served as a White House butler for eight U.S. presidents. Whitaker stars as the title character and Winfrey plays his chain-smoking, hard-drinking wife.

The movie distributed by The Weinstein Company has rung up sales of $52.3 million through its first two weekends, far surpassing its $25 million budget paid by 28 investors, and is drumming up buzz as an awards season contender.

“Mortal Instruments,” which stars Lily Collins as a teen who works to protect the world from demons, performed best among the weekend’s new entries. The movie, another bid to reach the teen audience that made “Twilight” a blockbuster, is based on a popular series of young adult novels written by Cassandra Clare.

German company Constantin Films produced “Mortal Instruments” for $60 million, and Sony paid for U.S. marketing and distribution. The movie opened Wednesday and added about $4.8 million ahead of the weekend, for a five-day total of $14.1 million.

Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures’ president of worldwide distribution, said that as the weekend progressed the film saw increasing business from its base of teenage girls, and had performed within the studio’s expectations.

“People are liking this film, so there’s more to this story as far as the future of the film goes,” Bruer said.

British sci-fi comedy “The World’s End,” which was accurately projected to haul in about $9 million, tells the story of five friends who reunite for a pub crawl and become the planet’s only hope for survival from an alien invasion.

Noting that the film “opened this weekend against a very competitive field of new titles,” Focus Features said in a statement that its fourth-place finish “indicates that the core fan audience, buoyed by strong word-of-mouth and social media buzz, helped to power the film to a successful weekend.”

“World’s End,” which has been playing in some foreign markets since July, cost $20 million to produce, according to the Box Office Mojo website.

“You’re Next,” the latest entry in the inexpensive horror film genre, performed the weakest among the new entries, falling far short of pre-weekend forecasts for a $15 million opening.

The movie, which tells the story of a gang of ax-wielding murderers who wear animal masks and terrorize a family reunion, was shot for under $1 million, with Lionsgate reportedly acquiring the rights for about $2 million.

Woody Allen comedy “Blue Jasmine” expanded to 1,200 theaters and earned $4.3 million over the weekend. The film stars Cate Blanchett as a woman falling apart after her husband’s financial misdeeds cause her to lose her posh New York lifestyle. Cumulative sales since its July 26 release have reached $14.8 million.

The Weinstein Company distributed “The Butler.” “We’re the Millers” was distributed by Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc. “You’re Next” was released by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Sony Corp’s movie studio released “Mortal Instruments” and “Blue Jasmine.” “The World’s End” was released by Focus Features, a unit of Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures.

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

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

‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’ cuts down ‘The Hobbit’ to size

LOS ANGELES – Slasher flick “Texas Chainsaw 3D” stole the top slot at the North American box office this weekend, driving “The Hobbit” from its three-week perch in first place, estimates indicated Sunday.

The latest offering in the horror franchise, first launched in 1974 but now in 21st century 3D gore, took in $23 million in its debut weekend, the first of the new year, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Not far behind in second place was Quentin Tarantino’s brutal Western “Django Unchained,” which earned $20 million it its second week. The film, which has already earned five Golden Globe nominations, is considered a top Oscars contender.

That left “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the long-awaited first part of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel trilogy, in third place. It racked up $17.5 million in its fourth week in theaters, for an international grand total of $263.8 million so far.

Another Oscar-tipped movie, “Les Miserables,” took fourth spot, raking in in $16.1 million at the box office in its second week in theaters.

The all-important Academy Award nominations are due to be announced Thursday, January 10.

In fifth place, “Parental Guidance,” a comedy starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler looking after their grandchildren, earned $10.1 million.

Tom Cruise action blockbuster “Jack Reacher,” in which the Hollywood A-lister’s character investigates fictional shootings by a trained military sniper, came in sixth with weekend earnings of $9.3 million.

And Judd Apataw’s comedy “This is 40,” billed as “a sort-of sequel” to the 2007 film romcom “Knocked Up,” stayed just behind with $8.6 million.

In eighth place was Steven Spielberg’s political drama “Lincoln” — another Oscar hopeful which topped the Golden Globe nominations with seven nods — earning $5.3 million on its ninth weekend.

“The Guilt Trip,” about a mother-son road trip starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan, earned $4.5 million, good enough for ninth place.

Joining the top 10 for the first time, with $4.3 million in box office receipts, was “Promised Land,” a drama starring Matt Damon and exploring the booming but controversial drilling process known as fracking.

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

Low-budget spooks scare off gore for Hollywood horror

LOS ANGELES – After almost a decade in which torture films dominated the box office, horror movies are returning to ghostly thrills with a new slew of low-budget productions making big money for studios.

The success of 2009′s “Paranormal Activity” – which was made for $15,000 and grossed more than $107 million at U.S. box offices – has fueled a thirst in audiences and movie studios for things that go bump in the night.

Halloween audiences previously gripped by the gory “Saw” franchise about a sadistic serial killer are flocking this season to see supernatural horrors, with “Sinister” and “Paranormal Activity 4″ providing otherworldly scares for the spooky festivities.

The supernatural trend, with very little blood, started this year with “The Woman in Black” and “The Apparition”, and will spill into 2013 with upcoming horror films including “Mama”, “Evil Dead”, “Carrie”, and ghostly spoof “Scary Movie 5″, which will parody “Paranormal Activity”.

“It’s a return to a more classic style of suspense,” Henry Joost, who co-directed the third and fourth “Paranormal Activity” films with Ariel Schulman, told Reuters.

“When you’ve just been obliterated with gore, having it slammed in your face for a decade, you respond by seeking the opposite.”

“Sinister”, currently playing in U.S. movie theaters for Halloween-loving audiences, features an author (Ethan Hawke) who discovers home videos of mysterious murders and soon finds himself pursued by an otherworldly presence.

Director Scott Derrickson said audiences were drawn to bloodless supernatural horrors as a means to escape from news about wars and violent killings.

“There’s something about the real-world pain and violence that has enveloped the American reality, that makes films like (“Saw”) not necessarily the catharsis that people are looking for,” Derrickson told Reuters in an interview.

“Saw”, made for $1.2 million, grossed more than $55 million at the U.S. box office in 2004 and spawned a franchise, leading a slew of films dubbed “torture porn” for the excessive use of gratuitous violence.

The trend produced the “Hostel” trilogy, 2006′s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning” and 2008′s “The Strangers”.

But while the “Saw” franchise initially brought in big money for movie studios – the second and third films each grossed more than $80 million at the domestic box office – the profits slowed by 2009, when the franchise’s seventh and final film “Saw 3D: The Final Chapter” was made for $20 million and grossed only $45 million.

“The torture porn stuff really played itself out, ‘Saw’ and ‘Hostel’, they were just too much. People want to be engaged with the story and not just grossed beyond imagination,” Bradley Jacobs, film editor at Us Weekly, told Reuters.







In comparison, the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, which relies on suspense and strange phenomena, has revamped the genre with a more cost-effective model since most of the scares are off-screen and on deliberately grainy footage, minimizing the need for costly special effects and action shots.

The second “Paranormal” film was shot for an estimated $3 million and made $84 million, while the third film, made for $5 million, has grossed more than $104 million in North America.

“The profitability of making a film for less than $5 million and hedging the bet of the financiers and the studios with a possible giant upside becomes extremely attractive,” Derrickson said.

“Sinister”, made for $3 million, has grossed $39 million after three weeks in U.S. theaters. “Paranormal Activity 4″, which cost $5 million, has made more than $42 million since it opened on Oct. 19.

“Audiences realized that the feeling of suspense and the anticipation of horror is actually more emotionally impacting than graphic horror itself in these low-budget movies,” Derrickson said.

The “Paranormal Activity” franchise was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, while Lions Gate Entertainment’s Summit studio distributed “Sinister” as well as the “Saw” and “Hostel” films.

source: interaksyon.com