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‘Alice’ Extends her No. 1 Stay with $62 million
March 14, 2010
 Alice is still ruling the movie palace.
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" easily remained the No. 1 weekend draw with $62 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Disney fantasy has climbed to a $208.6 million total domestically, becoming the first $200 million hit released this year.
In its second weekend in theaters, "Alice in Wonderland" pulled ahead of the $206.5 million domestic haul of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to become the top-grossing of Depp and Burton's seven films together, which include "Edward Scissorhands," "Sweeney Todd" and "Corpse Bride."
"I believe it's literally the magical, if you would, pairing of Tim and Johnny," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "When you take those two, they always seem to make something really out of the ordinary."
"Alice in Wonderland" added $76 million overseas to bring its international total to $221 million and its worldwide gross to $430 million.
A rush of new movies had so-so openings, led by Matt Damon's Iraq War thriller "Green Zone," which debuted at No. 2 with $14.5 million domestically. Released by Universal, "Green Zone" stars Damon as the leader of a U.S. Army team who stumbles onto a conspiracy over the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Paramount's romantic comedy "She's Out of My League" debuted at No. 3 with $9.6 million. The movie stars Jay Baruchel as a geek in an unlikely romance with a babe.
"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson's romantic drama "Remember Me" opened at No. 4 with $8.3 million. The Summit Entertainment release stars Pattinson and "Lost" co-star Emilie de Ravin in a dark story of young lovers with tragedy in their past.
In its fourth weekend, Paramount's "Shutter Island," the latest collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, was No. 5 with $8.1 million, raising its domestic total to $108 million.
Debuting at No. 6 with $7.6 million was Fox Searchlight's comedy "Our Family Wedding," starring America Ferrera as a Hispanic bride marrying a black man.
"Alice in Wonderland" took in nearly as much as the rest of the top-10 movies combined.
"It's like this great divide between the No. 1 and 2 films, which says that without `Alice in Wonderland' in the marketplace, we'd be hurting right now," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "By itself, it's really propelling huge box office."
Hollywood's business soared, with overall revenues at $144 million, up 43 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Race to Witch Mountain" led with a $24.4 million debut.
For the year, revenues are at $2.24 billion, up 9 percent compared to receipts last year, when Hollywood took in a record $10.6 billion.
Factoring in higher admission prices, movie attendance this year is running 6.7 percent ahead of 2009's, according to Hollywood.com. Before "Alice in Wonderland" opened, attendance was lagging slightly behind last year's.
"In just a couple of weeks, `Alice' has turned the entire marketplace around almost single-handedly," Dergarabedian said.
James Cameron's science-fiction sensation remained a strong draw after nearly three months in theaters, taking in $6.6 million to raise its domestic total to $730.3 million. The 20th Century Fox release has topped $2.6 billion worldwide.
Summit Entertainment's "The Hurt Locker," which beat "Avatar" for best picture at the Academy Awards, got a slight box-office bump from its Oscar triumph. The Iraq War drama, which is out on DVD but came back to theaters for Oscar season, pulled in $828,000, raising its box-office total to $15.7 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Alice in Wonderland," $62 million.
2. "Green Zone," $14.5 million.
3. "She's Out of My League," $9.6 million.
4. "Remember Me," $8.3 million.
5. "Shutter Island," $8.1 million.
6. "Our Family Wedding," $7.6 million.
7. "Avatar," $6.6 million.
8. "Brooklyn's Finest," $4.3 million.
9. "Cop Out," $4.2 million.
10. "The Crazies," $3.7 million.
Actress Brittany Murphy dies in LA at age 32
December 21, 2009
 The unexpected death of 32-year-old Brittany Murphy, who gained fame in such movies as "8 Mile" and "Just Married," appeared to be from natural causes but police are investigating, officials said.
Murphy died about 10 a.m. Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to the hospital.
She was transported to the medical center after the Fire Department responded to a call at 8 a.m. at the home she shared with her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, in the Hollywood Hills.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Murphy apparently collapsed in the bathroom, and authorities were looking into her medical history.
An official cause of death may not be determined for some time, since toxicology tests will be required, but "it appears to be natural," Winter said. He said an autopsy was planned for Monday or Tuesday.
Los Angeles police have opened an investigation into Murphy's death, Officer Norma Eisenman said. Detectives and coroner's officials were at Murphy and Monjack's home Sunday afternoon but did not talk to reporters. Paparazzi were camped outside the multistory home, located above the Sunset Strip.
Neighbor Clare Staples said she saw firefighters working to resuscitate the actress Sunday morning. She said Murphy was on a stretcher.
Murphy's husband, wearing pajama bottoms and no shoes, appeared "dazed" as firefighters tried to save her, Staples said. "It's just tragic," she added.
Murphy's publicist, Nicole Perna, said in a statement: "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."
Messages left for Murphy's manager and agent by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.
Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, said he learned of her death from his son, the actress's brother, and was stunned.
"She was just an absolute doll since she was born," Bertolotti said from his Branford, Fla., home. "Her personality was always outward. Everybody loved her — people that made movies with her, people on a cruise — they all loved her. She was just a regular gal."
He said he hadn't heard much about the circumstances of Murphy's death. Bertolotti divorced her mother when Murphy was young and hadn't seen Murphy in the past few years.
"She was just talented," Bertolotti said. "And I loved her very much."
Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy grew up in New Jersey and later moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in "Girl, Interrupted," "Clueless" and "8 Mile."
Her on-screen work had lessened of late, but Murphy's voice gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox's "King of the Hill" and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature "Happy Feet."
She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film, "The Expendables," set for release next year.
Her role in "8 Mile" led to more recognition, Murphy told AP in 2003. "That changed a lot," she said. "That was the difference between people knowing my first and last name as opposed to not."
Murphy credited her mother, Sharon, with being a key to her success.
"When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me," Murphy said. "I was really grateful to have grown up in an environment that was conducive to creating and didn't stifle any of that. She always believed in me."
She dated Ashton Kutcher, who costarred with Murphy in 2003's romantic comedy "Just Married."
Kutcher sent a message on Twitter Sunday morning about Murphy's death: "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine," Kutcher wrote. "My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon."
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
‘New Moon’ wolfs down $140.7M in opening weekend
November 23, 2009
"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" gobbled up $140.7 million the first three days the vampire romance was in theaters, while gaining $258.8  million worldwide, according to studio estimates.
"New Moon" placed third on the all-time domestic chart behind last year's $158.4 million opening weekend for the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" and 2007's $151.1 million haul for "Spider-Man 3."
Among the top-10 all-time openings, "New Moon" is the only one that came outside of Hollywood's busiest time, the summer season. The movie adaptation of Meyer's next "Twilight" chapter, "Eclipse," arrives in the heart of summer, next June 30.
The No. 1 domestic debut for Summit Entertainment's "New Moon" was more than twice the $69.6 million haul over the same weekend last year for "Twilight," the first in the franchise based on Stephenie Meyer's novels.
"Obviously, with the success of 'Twilight' itself, sequels being what they are will generate X-number of dollars more, particularly if it's a satisfying sequel," said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Summit.
On Friday, "New Moon" set an all-time domestic high for opening day with $72.7 million, topping the previous record of $67.2 million by last year's "The Dark Knight.
Overall, Hollywood had its second-biggest non-holiday weekend ever, with final numbers expected to come in slightly behind the $260 million the industry rang up over the weekend of July 18, 2008, when "The Dark Knight" opened.
Compared to the same weekend last year, business was up 59 percent.
"New Moon" continues the story of teen romance between a school girl and a vampire (Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson), with the sequel adding a love triangle with a werewolf (Taylor Lautner).
Opening at No. 2 domestically this weekend was the Warner Bros. football drama "The Blind Side" with $34.5 million. The film stars Sandra Bullock in the real-life story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher, who was a homeless teen taken in by a wealthy family and enrolled in private school.
The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's disaster tale "2012," slipped to third-place with $26.5 million, raising its domestic total to $108.2 million. Worldwide, "2012" has taken in $449.8 million.
In limited release, Penelope Cruz and director Pedro Almodovar's latest collaboration, "Broken Embraces," opened big with $107,597 in two theaters for a $53,799 average. The Sony Pictures Classics romantic drama centers on a blind screenwriter relating the story of a lost love.
Nicolas Cage and director Werner Herzog's dark crime thriller "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" opened with $257,267 in 27 theaters, averaging $9,528 a cinema. Released by First Look Studios, "Bad Lieutenant" is the story of a drug-crazed cop on a manic murder investigation.
The huge spike in business this weekend sets the stage for big crowds over Thanksgiving, one of the busiest periods of the year at theaters.
Along with "New Moon" and other holdover movies such as Jim Carrey's holiday-themed "A Christmas Carol," new releases for Thanksgiving include the Robin Williams-John Travolta comedy "Old Dogs" and the post-apocalypse drama "The Road."
After a strong run in limited release, George Clooney's animated comedy "Fantastic Mr. Fox" expands into nationwide release the day before Thanksgiving.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," $140.7 million.
2. "The Blind Side," $34.5 million.
3. "2012," $26.5 million.
4. "Planet 51," $12.6 million.
5. "Disney's A Christmas Carol," $12.2 million.
6. "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire," $11 million.
7. "The Men Who Stare at Goats," $2.8 million.
8. "Couples Retreat," $2 million.
9. "The Fourth Kind," $1.7 million.
10. "Law Abiding Citizen," $1.6 million.
"Where the Wild Things Are" tops weekend box office
October 19, 2009
 "Where the Wild Things Are" topped the North American box office, according to studio estimates on Sunday, a strong start for a film that, like its little boy hero, sailed into somewhat uncharted waters.
The Spike Jonze-directed movie -- which was based on a classic children's book, but marketed largely to adults -- stomped over that hurdle to beat most predictions and take home $32.5 million in ticket sales.
"Tribute must be paid to Spike Jonze, who took a brilliant book and created brilliant film from it," said Dan Fellman, president of theatrical distribution for Warner Bros Pictures, which released the movie.
Fellman said "Wild Things" notched the biggest opening weekend ever for an October release by Warner Bros, and dismissed critics who said it would prove too childish for adults and too dark or scary for kids.
"It looks like they were a little jealous," he said. "We knew exactly what we had. We spent 70 percent of our media buy toward adult audiences."
Finishing second for the weekend was Overture Films' vigilante movie "Law Abiding Citizen," starring Jamie Foxx, which also outperformed expectations to collect $21 million and become that studio's highest-grossing opening.
Third was the low-budget horror film "Paranormal Activity," which relied heavily on word of mouth promotion and scared up $20.2 million in tickets for Paramount Pictures.
"Wild Things" is based on Maurice Sendak's dark but beloved 1963 book, which uses just nine simple sentences to tell the story of a little boy named Max who dons his wolf suit and sails to a wilderness inhabited by fanged and furry monsters.
Jonze, who co-wrote the screenplay, spent five years making the film, which combines live action, puppetry and computer animation, and has said that he did not set out to make a traditional children's film.
It was shot near Melbourne, Australia, and features sand dunes, sea shores and fire-ravaged woods instead of the green forest that magically grows in Max's bedroom in the book.
The director reportedly came under pressure from Warner Bros, who were expecting a more family-friendly treatment, and media reports last year said the studio delayed the release for a year, asking for more work on the production.
‘Chance of Meatballs’ tops weekend box-office
September 21, 2009
 The forecast was bright at the box-office for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," which earned $30.1 million to lead this weekend's films
Sony's 3-D animated family comedy was adapted from the popular 1978 children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett. Despite schools being back in session, the film still was able to draw kids and their parents to the multiplexes.
"The meatballs have cleared, so to speak," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It really is a feature where everything aligned perfectly."
That's good news for other adaptations of classic children's books on the horizon, namely the much anticipated big screen version of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." The Spike Jonze directed adaptation will be released Oct. 16.
"It really does pave the way for a really strong opening for that film," said Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "It's such a beloved book that the anticipation is really high."
He added that the strength of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" showed that 3-D is proving to be a significant draw for moviegoers. The film also was released on IMAX at 127 venues, which accounted for $2.5 million, or 8 percent of its box-office.
Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" came in second with $10.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That was slightly better than expected for the Warner Bros. comedy, which stars Matt Damon as a bipolar whistle blower.
Last week's box-office topper, Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," saw a 57 percent drop for Lionsgate. It still earned $10 million, good enough for third place. That brought its cumulative total to $37.9 million.
Jennifer Aniston's "Love Happens" (Universal) came in fourth with $8.5 million, suggesting that audiences may be tiring of the actress in romantic comedies. It's her third film this year.
Coming in a distant fifth was "Jennifer's Body," the R-rated horror film written by Diablo Cody, the scribe of "Juno" fame. It earned just $6.8 million for 20th Century Fox. "Jennifer's Body" is viewed most significantly as a test of its star, Megan Fox, to headline a movie.
"You always hope for more, but it's a modestly budgeted film that will ultimately be profitable for us," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution for Fox.
Dergarabedian said the number was somewhat low for what looked like "a fan boy's dream," but said the R-rating and niche potential of "Jennifer's Body" wasn't ideal for a coming-out party for the actress.
"It may be a matter of just choosing the right projects for her," said Dergarabedian. "She's trying to find a world beyond `Transformers,' and she will. She's young and has a lot of promise."
On the whole, it was an "up" weekend for Hollywood, said Dergarabedian. The weekend's total box-office gross was approximately $100 million, which compares favorably with the $88 million that was made on the corresponding weekend last year.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," $30.1 million.
2. "The Informant!" $10.5 million.
3. "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $10 million.
4. "Love Happens," $8.5 million.
5. "Jennifer's Body," $6.8 million.
6. "9," $5.5 million.
7. "Inglourious Basterds," $3.6 million.
8. "All About Steve," $3.4 million.
9. "Sorority Row," $2.5 million.
10. "The Final Destination," $2.4 million.
‘G.I. Joe’ rolls to Box-Office Victory with $54.7M
August 10, 2009
"G.I. Joe" has claimed the box-office spoils of war with a $54.7 million opening weekend for the action flick based on the Hasbro toys. Meryl Streep baked up a hit with the Julia Child tale "Julie & Julia." The top 10 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com:
1. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," Paramount, $54,713,046, 4,007 locations, $13,654 average, $54,713,046, one week.
2. "Julie & Julia," Sony, $20,027,956, 2,354 locations, $8,508 average, $20,027,956, one week.
3. "G-Force," Disney, $9,870,594, 3,482 locations, $2,835 average, $86,183,076, three weeks.
4. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince," Warner Bros., $8,928,349, 3,455 locations, $2,584 average, $273,848,633, four weeks.
5. "Funny People," Universal, $7,986,435, 3,008 locations, $2,655 average, $40,537,755, two weeks.
6. "The Ugly Truth," Sony, $6,750,125, 2,975 locations, $2,269 average, $68,838,257, three weeks.
7. "A Perfect Getaway," Universal, $5,948,555, 2,159 locations, $2,755 average, $5,948,555, one week.
8. "Aliens in the Attic," Fox, $4,021,478, 3,108 locations, $1,294 average, $16,314,371, two weeks.
9. "(500) Days of Summer," Fox Searchlight, $3,739,702, 817 locations, $4,577 average, $12,357,265, four weeks.
10. "Orphan," Warner Bros., $3,674,306, 2,270 locations, $1,619 average, $34,766,199, three weeks.
Review: `People' is both funny, frustrating
July 27, 2009
If only Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen hadn't gotten in the car.
If only they hadn't left Los Angeles, where everything in "Funny People" was going so well, and driven north to Marin County, where everything falls apart. Judd Apatow would have had his most mature, accomplished film to date.
Instead, the last hour or so meanders interminably, its tone wavering all over the place, leading to a quickie conclusion that feels pat. And that is such a letdown when you consider the strength and ambition of the material that preceded it.
"Funny People" provides the eternally adolescent Sandler with yet another opportunity to show his serious side, following substantive turns in films like "Punch-Drunk Love" and "Spanglish." But it also allows Apatow, as writer and director, to display some previously unexplored darker instincts, with a story that mixes his typically raunchy guy talk with deeper discussions about mortality. Both men rise to the challenge.
(Shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, Steven Spielberg's longtime collaborator, "Funny People" also looks a lot more polished than the first two films Apatow directed, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up." You could think of it as "Sandler's List.")
But Apatow should have maintained his focus on the friendship that forms between Sandler (as superstar George Simmons) and Rogen (as aspiring stand-up Ira Wright) as well as the established comics and wannabes that surround them. Instead, he has his characters make an unnecessary road trip in search of George's long-lost love — with both George and the film losing their way.
We first see him as a rising comedian, courtesy of home movies Apatow injects of a young Sandler, his real-life roommate long before either of them made it big. Today, George has a thriving career based on his popular stage act and silly crowd-pleasers. The movies, which have titles like "Sayonara, Davey!" and require him to appear as a merman or grown-up in a baby's body, are a dead-on parody of the kinds of dreck on which Sandler has built his empire. You have to give him credit for so gleefully poking fun at his worst work.
But then George learns he has a terminal disease. Suddenly, his perspective on everything duly changes, from the stacks of scripts waiting to be read to the random women willing to jump in his bed. He still wants to work but lacks his former enthusiasm — hence his interest in Ira, who's young and hungry the way he used to be and who reminds him of a purer time. After seeing Ira do a set at an L.A. comedy club, George hires him to be his assistant, joke writer and friend — and the only person he initially tells about his illness.
Apatow handles their scenes together with surprising delicacy and zero sentimentality; Rogen, usually a bellowing bear of a screen presence, has slimmed down on the outside and nicely underplays it on the inside. The moments when he and George are harshly tooling on each other or confiding in one other are some of the film's most appealing, despite the heavy subject matter; so are the ones in which George, Ira and other comics bat around ideas and hone their craft. (Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman play Ira's roommates.)
Cameos from the likes of Ray Romano, Norm MacDonald, Dave Attell and Sarah Silverman as themselves add to the authenticity, but it's a scene with Eminem — someone who's experienced his own share of highs and lows — that crystallizes everything "Funny People" is about.
From there, though — not to give away too much — George drags Ira with him to chase after the one that got away: Laura, who's now married and living north of San Francisco with her rich, Australian husband (Eric Bana). Laura is played by Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann; the couple's daughters, Maude and Iris, play their girls, Mable and Ingrid.
Ostensibly, this overlong segment is meant to demonstrate the kind of traditional, satisfying life George might have had if he'd made different choices; instead, it plays like a self-indulgent showcase of Apatow's family at the expense of cohesion and momentum. And there's nothing funny about that.
"Funny People," a Universal Pictures release, is rated R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality. Running time: 145 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Review: ’Bruno’ quickly goes out of styles
June 29, 2009
The problem with "Bruno" is Bruno himself. Compared to Borat — and it's impossible to avoid the comparison — there simply isn't enough to the character to build an entire feature-length film around him.
Both spring from the brash and creative mind of British comic Sacha Baron Cohen, who unleashed them upon the world through his sketch comedy program "Da Ali G Show." Borat, the bumbling journalist at the center of the 2006 smash "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," provided a prism through which to explore people's prejudices, hypocrisies and foibles. Sure, Baron Cohen frequently shot fish in a barrel, but as Borat traveled across the United States trying to understand what makes us tick, the uncomfortable discoveries he made seemed endless. More importantly, for a comedy, they were usually funny.
Bruno is a one-joke character in a one-joke movie, and it's a joke Baron Cohen beats into the ground. He's a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion correspondent who repeatedly shocks people with his flamboyant gayness. The end.
In small doses — on the TV show and at the film's high-energy start — he can be a hoot. Here, big laughs come intermittently, and the longer "Bruno" drags on, the more apparent it becomes that there's nothing to him. He's as vapid as the celebrity culture he's stridently spoofing — which makes it hard to care about him.
Another fundamental flaw in "Bruno" is that it's much more obvious which gags are staged and which are truly spontaneous. Much of the fun in "Borat" came from watching the unpredictability of Baron Cohen's interactions with regular people, holding our collective breath to see how his unsuspecting victims would react to the awkward and politically incorrect things he did and said. While the structure and intentions of "Bruno" are nearly identical — both films come from director Larry Charles, with Baron Cohen among a team of writers — the supposedly daring moments play out a little too neatly.
What seemed likely when "Bruno" was announced appears to have happened: Baron Cohen is simply too famous to go undercover with his preferred modus operandi.
As the movie begins, Bruno is the host of the Austrian style and pop culture program "Funkyzeit." He determines what's in and what's out, schmoozes with celebs and parades around in a wild array of butt-hugging outfits. But after he crashes the stage of a Milan fashion show, he's banished from this glittering world. Naturally, he decides to reinvent himself as a superstar in the United States.
So he moves to Los Angeles with his put-upon but worshipful assistant, Lutz (Gustaf Hammarsten), but there isn't nearly the friction or chemistry Borat shared with his portly prodder, Azamat.
He copies some of the tactics he's seen other celebrities use to achieve and maintain a place in the spotlight, such as adopting an African baby or making a sex tape — seriously easy pickings. When Bruno undresses and hits on Ron Paul in a hotel room under the guise of interviewing him for a talk show, the former presidential candidate reacts to being ambushed by a stranger the way anyone would — male or female, gay or straight. No real revelations to be found there.
You have to give Baron Cohen credit for keeping a straight face regardless of the silly situation. But at the end, the cameos in a "We Are the World"-style anthem from Elton John, Bono, Snoop Dogg and others confirm what you may have suspected all along: Baron Cohen has become part of the very establishment he's parodying.
"Bruno," a Universal Pictures release, is rated R for pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity and language. Running time: 88 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
Review: Drag Me to Hell is Slimy, Slapstick Horror Fun!
May 28, 2009
Review in a Hurry: While you wait patiently for Sam Raimi to make Evil Dead 4, he gives you the next best thing: Alison Lohman taking a Bruce Campbell-style beatdown all movie long at the hands of an ugly old woman and some invisible demons. The story's a bit thin, but the over-the-top shocks are hysterical fun in every sense of the word.
The Bigger Picture: Opening with a retro Universal logo from the early '80s, Drag Me to Hell telegraphs early on that this is a bit of a throwback—the Spider-Man director's finally getting back to the scared-silly stuff that made him famous in that decade.
Almost immediately, a nerve-jangling, scratchy violin score (from genre veteran Christopher Young) kicks in, and the thrill ride begins as a little boy gets sucked into the underworld. This despite the best efforts of a helpful psychic, who can somehow afford to live in a mansion even though she's apparently quite useless at her chosen profession.
A couple of decades later, we focus on Christine (Lohman), a cute blonde who might just be in line for a promotion at the bank where she works...if she could only learn to make tough decisions. Alas, she decides to get tough for the first time with a nasty—and very unhygienic—gypsy woman, who can not only whup ass like Moe from the Three Stooges, but can also summon a dark curse that more or less goes like this: A shadow-demon will pull nasty pranks on Christine for three days, then, you guessed it, drag her to hell.
You know how in substandard horror movies, there are always cheap scares from loud stings on the soundtrack, or a cat jumping out, or someone suddenly standing behind someone else? Raimi pulls out one of those approximately every 30 seconds here, except he also jacks the volume up on them way beyond the level your average director would feel comfortable with.
Yes, it's a PG-13 movie, but the rating is meaningless—though the only blood comes from the most over-the-top, gushing nosebleed you've ever seen. Raimi layers on the muck, slime, mucus and icky bugs to a degree where you won't know whether to laugh or puke. Don't take the kids unless they're past the point of being prone to nightmares.
The 180—a Second Opinion: Though the style is awesome, the substance is occasionally weak: The plot's basically just a rip-off of Stephen King's Thinner, and Justin Long's tepid love-interest character has zero chemistry with Lohman.
"Hannah Montana" rocks box office
May 4, 2009
You can't keep a good X-Man down. Hugh Jackman's prequel "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaped to the top of the box office with an $87 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
That put the movie right in the pack with the three previous "X-Men" movies in which Jackman played mutant superhero Wolverine.
The trilogy's final chapter, "X-Men: The Last Stand," had the franchise's best opening with $102.8 million. But "Wolverine" came in ahead of the first two movies; "X-Men" did $54.5 million in its first weekend and "X2: X-Men United" took in $85.6 million.
"It's all systems go," said Chris Aronson, distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, which releases the "X-Men" movies. "Audiences have a huge appetite for Hugh and this character."
"Wolverine" also pulled in $73 million in 101 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide total of $160 million. The movie's debut in Mexico was delayed for two weeks because of the swine flu outbreak there.
The Warner Bros. romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, debuted in second place with $15.3 million.
The previous weekend's top movie, Sony Screen Gems' "Obsessed," fell to No. 3 with $12.2 million. The thriller starring Beyonce Knowles raised its 10-day total to $47 million.
Overall revenues were virtually even with the same weekend a year ago, when "Iron Man" surprised Hollywood with a bigger-than-expected $98.6 million debut. Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian estimated this weekend's total receipts at $160 million, up 0.8 percent from the "Iron Man" weekend a year ago.
Even if that estimate drops slightly once studios release final numbers Monday, the weekend maintained the industry's record box-office pace as consumers cut back on travel and other activities and turn to relatively inexpensive nights out at the movies.
"Nobody thought this weekend would beat or even come close to last year's comparable weekend," Dergarabedian said. "It's a testament to the kind of year we're having and this recessionary moviegoing fueling big box office."
According to Hollywood.com, 2009 revenues are at $3.25 billion, up 16.4 percent from last year's. Accounting for higher ticket prices, movie attendance is running 13.7 percent ahead of 2008's pace.
In limited release, Jim Jarmusch's moody crime drama "The Limits of Control" opened solidly with $54,233 in three theaters, averaging $18,078 a cinema, compared with $21,225 in 4,099 locations for "Wolverine." The Focus Features film about a mystery man on a murky assignment features Isaach De Bankole, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton.
It was not all good news for the weekend's new movies. Roadside Attractions' animated sci-fi adventure "Battle for Terra" flopped with $1.1 million, averaging just $916 in 1,162 theaters.
"Wolverine" does not have much breathing room at the box office. This Friday brings Paramount's relaunch of "Star Trek," with a new cast playing James Kirk, Spock and other characters from the 1960s TV series.
The rest of May is loaded with big films: Sony's "The Da Vinci Code" follow-up "Angels & Demons," with Tom Hanks; Warner's "Terminator: Salvation," starring Christian Bale; 20th Century Fox's sequel "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," with Ben Stiller; and "Up," the latest from Disney and Pixar Animation, makers of "WALL-E," "Ratatouille" and the "Toy Story" movies.
Aronson said there should be room for all, recalling box-office analysts' reservations when "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" opened within a few weeks of one another in May 2007.
"Everyone freaked out. How are these movies going to coexist? They all ended up grossing over $300 million, and I think everybody went home pretty happy," Aronson said. "When there are quality films to be seen, the marketplace will expand to accommodate everybody."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," $87 million.
2. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," $15.3 million.
3. "Obsessed," $12.2 million.
4. "17 Again," $6.4 million.
5. "Monsters vs. Aliens," $5.8 million.
6. "The Soloist," $5.6 million.
8. "Earth," $4.18 million.
7. "Fighting," $4.17 million.
9. "Hannah Montana: The Movie," $4.1 million.
10. "State of Play," $3.7 million.
"Hannah Montana" rocks box office
April 13, 2009
Sixteen-year-old actress Miley Cyrus became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood on Sunday as her first nonconcert movie topped the North American box office, earning twice as much as Disney had forecast.
Walt Disney Co's "Hannah Montana: The Movie" sold $34 million worth of tickets at the three-day Easter weekend, as fans of the perky starlet rushed to see the first big-screen adaptation of her hit Disney Channel TV series.
Cyrus returned the favor, turning up with her father and co-star, Billy Ray Cyrus, at theaters in Utah and Tennessee and blogging about her wild weekend on Twitter.
"omgomg! my fans rock! the movie is doing great you guys! omg AND its all cause of you!!!! I LOVE U ALL! IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT YET CHECK IT!," she wrote, using the "omg" acronym as shorthand for "Oh, my God."
As in her TV show, Cyrus plays a regular schoolgirl by day and a pop star by night. But her father (Billy Ray Cyrus) decides she needs to get back to her small-town roots, so takes her on a surprise trip to her old Tennessee home where love and other complications ensue.
Going into the weekend, Disney had hoped "Hannah Montana" would perform in the same range as 2003's "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," a vehicle for Disney Channel star Hilary Duff. "Lizzie" opened to $17.3 million in 2003, and ended its domestic run with $42.7 million.
DISNEY SURPRISED
On Sunday, the studio denied that it had deliberately set a low target. "It caught us by surprise. No doubt about it," said Chuck Viane, the studio's president of domestic theatrical distribution. "Outside of Wow! what can you say?"
Exit polling showed that women made up 80 percent of moviegoers, and 60 percent of the audience was aged between two and 17, Viane said.
Cyrus' previous big-screen outing, "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour," opened with $31 million last year, ending up with $65 million to become the biggest concert movie of all time.
Disney will soon begin shooting another Cyrus movie, "The Last Song," Viane said.
Cyrus is now a bigger draw than Oscar-winners like Julia Roberts and Jodie Foster, who each had $13 million openings with their last movies, "Duplicity" and "Nim's Island," respectively.
Last weekend's champion "Fast & Furious" slipped to No. 2 with $28.8 million, taking the 10-day total for Universal Pictures' race-car thriller to $118.0 million. The studio is a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal.
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc's "Monsters vs. Aliens" was down one at No. 3 with $22.6 million in its third weekend; its total rose to $141 million.
Also new was the dark comedy "Observe and Report," which opened at No. 4 with $11.1 million, falling short of the expectations of its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures. The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio had hoped for an opening in the $14 million to $15 million range.
The Japanese-inspired fantasy "Dragonball Evolution" opened at No. 7 with $4.7 million, also a little lower than the modest forecasts of its distributor 20th Century Fox. But the News Corp-owned studio said the film is doing better internationally with sales to date of $37 million.
"Knowing" tops weekend box office
Nicolas Cage proved again to be a self-fulfilling prophet of the megaplex as his latest big-screen thriller, "Knowing," topped the North American box office this weekend with an opening tally of $24.8 million, according to studio figures on Sunday.
The sci-fi adventure, starring Cage as an astrophysicist who decodes an encrypted prophecy of global doom and races to save the world from cataclysm, marked the fifth-biggest movie opening of his career and his ninth No. 1 film since 1997.
Besides underscoring Cage's enduring appeal as one of Hollywood's most bankable heroes, the film's end-of-the-world scenario seemed to offer an ideal antidote for moviegoers weary of gloomy economic news.
"In a doomsday scenario, dollars and cents don't really matter anymore, and I think that's really appealing to people," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "Who cares about mortgages anymore if the world's going to blow up?"
Cage clinched his biggest opening in 2007 with "Ghost Rider," which grossed $45.4 million its first weekend, followed by his two "National Treasure" adventures with $44.8 million and $35.1 million. Those three films went on to gross well over $500 million domestically alone.
"The audience has pretty much bought Nicolas Cage as a big movie star, and they like him in roles where he seems to be unraveling a mystery of some sort," said Richard Fay, head of domestic distribution for Summit.
Fay said the film also benefited from having opened when many college students are home on spring break, though exit polls showed moviegoers over age 25 accounted for 60 percent of its audience.
"Knowing," released by independent distributor Summit Entertainment, easily beat out two other movies opening in wide release -- the male-bonding comedy "I Love You, Man" from Paramount Pictures, and Universal Pictures' international spy thriller "Duplicity," co-starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.
"I Love You, Man," featuring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, opened at No. 2 with an estimated $18 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for Friday through Sunday. Rudd and Segel previously appeared together in last year's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," which Segel wrote, and the 2007 comedy "Knocked Up."
"Duplicity" grossed $14.4 million to land at No. 3 this weekend. Its co-stars, Roberts and Owen, previously appeared together in the 2004 romantic drama "Closer."
Last weekend's top movie, "Race to Witch Mountain," fell to fourth place with receipts of $13 million, while the superhero film "Watchmen" rounded out the top five at $6.7 million in its third weekend.
Horror remake "The Last House on the Left" slipped three notches to No. 6 in its second weekend with $5.9 million, while the kidnap thriller "Taken," starring Liam Neeson, grossed $4.1 million in its eighth weekend to fall to No. 7.
The Oscar-winning rags-to-riches hit "Slumdog Millionaire" eased two spots to No. 8 with $2.7 million. That brought its domestic tally after 19 weeks to $137.2 million.
"Mall Cop" stays on top at box office
The Kevin James comedy "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" captured the top spot at the North American box office for a second week in a row, beating back a challenge by the vampires and werewolves of "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans."
"Mall Cop," which stars James as a bumbling shopping mall security guard who takes on a gang of high-tech crooks, sold an estimated $21.5 million in tickets over the weekend and has now taken in a strong total of $64.8 million in two weeks, distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday.
James, the star of the sitcom "The King of Queens," also co-wrote and co-produced "Mall Cop," which was made for a modest $26 million and has become a major box office hit despite taking a drubbing from critics.
"This movie was not made for the critics, it was made for the audience, and that certainly paid off," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking and analysis firm Media By Numbers.
"Its going to be a $100 million-plus movie now and I don't think anybody thought that was possible," he said.
Dergarabedian said that the success of "Cop" meant that "Kevin James is now a bona fide movie star" after nine years on television and in mostly sidekick film roles.
"Underworld," the third film in an action series chronicling a centuries-old battle between vampires and werewolves, also had a strong debut, falling just short of the top spot with $20.7 million.
PAUL BLART VS VAMPIRES
Dergarabedian said "Underworld" had proven to be a reliable franchise, after the first two films claimed the top spot. "The only reason this one didn't was because the vampires and werewolves had Paul Blart to contend with," he said.
In third place was Clint Eastwood's gritty suburban drama "Gran Torino," which took in $16 million to run its total to date to $97.6 million.
This weekend's box office tally also reflected the Oscar nominations, which gave a significant bounce to most of the contending films.
"Slumdog Millionaire," the tale of an impoverished orphan's improbably game-show victory which received 10 Academy Award nominations, including best picture, saw ticket sales up 80 percent to $10.5 million, putting it in the fifth spot behind family comedy "Hotel for Dogs."
And "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which led all films with 13 Oscar nominations, returned to the top 10 by taking in $6 million over the weekend, good enough for 9th on the list and pushing the Brad Pitt star vehicle to $111 million total. Columbia Pictures, which released "Mall Cop," and Screen Gems, which released "Underworld," are both are units of Sony Corp.. "Gran Torino" was released by Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc.. "Hotel for Dogs" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. "Slumdog Millionaire" was released by Fox Searchlight, a unit of News Corp.
`Paul Blart: Mall Cop' nabs top box office spot
Kevin James bumbles and stumbles to take down the bad guys, but his "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" had no trouble nabbing the top spot at the box office this weekend.
The PG-rated comedy, starring James as a portly shopping center security guard who tries to foil a bank heist, made $33.8 million in its first three days and is expected to reach $40 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
That far surpasses expectations, said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony, which released the movie.
"We had a lot of screenings as well as tracking that was good on it. We were hopeful we could do in the range of $25 million for four days and that would have been a terrific result for us. But now it looks like we're going to do $40 million for four days, and that is just, like, a 'wow' number," Bruer said Sunday. "It totally speaks to just how much audiences love Kevin James, No. 1, and how hard he worked to promote this film."
After proving his value as a sidekick to Will Smith in "Hitch" and Adam Sandler in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," James shows here he can also be a reliable leading man, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracker Media by Numbers.
"In these tough, recession-laden times, you'd think people wouldn't want a movie that's based around a mall, but they totally do," Dergarabedian said. "Kevin James has that everyman quality. People relate to him."
Last week's No. 1 movie, "Gran Torino," dropped to second place but only by 25 percent. The Warner Bros. drama, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as a bigot who becomes a reluctant neighborhood hero, made $22.2 million this weekend for a cumulative gross of $73.2 million.
Among other new releases, the Lionsgate horror flick "My Bloody Valentine 3-D" opened at the No. 3 spot with $21.9 million.
Fourth was "Notorious," about slain rapper Notorious B.I.G., which made $21.5 million. That's the biggest opening ever for Fox Searchlight, which previously released such critical darlings and crowd-pleasers as "Juno" and "Little Miss Sunshine."
"It's a very high quality film, and it's a compelling look at a compelling cultural icon who, like many cultural icons, left way too early but left an indelible mark on society," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox.
The week's other new wide release, the Paramount family comedy "Hotel for Dogs," opened at No. 5 with $17.7 million. Over at Paramount Vantage, "Defiance," based on the true story of Jews who survived the Holocaust by forming a community in the forests of Belarus, did well in its nationwide expansion. The movie starring Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber made $9.8 million to reach the No. 8 spot.
The big winner at last weekend's Golden Globes, "Slumdog Millionaire," crept into the No. 10 spot with $5.9 million. The Fox Searchlight drama about a teen who rises from the slums of Mumbai to become a game show champion won awards for best picture, director (Danny Boyle), screenplay and original score.
Now playing in limited release in 582 theaters, "Slumdog" will expand to more than 1,200 theaters next weekend following Thursday's Academy Award nominations. It's made a total of $42.7 million in 10 weeks.
"You can see the impact of the Golden Globe winnings and, also, people are just discovering this film so we're able to keep growing our audience," said Richard Shamban, vice president of theatrical distribution for Fox Searchlight.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $33.8 million.
2. "Gran Torino," $22.2 million.
3. "My Bloody Valentine 3-D," $21.9 million.
4. "Notorious," $21.5 million.
5. "Hotel for Dogs," $17.7 million.
6. "Bride Wars," $11.75 million.
7. "The Unborn," $9.8 million.
8. "Defiance," $9.2 million.
9. "Marley & Me," $6.3 million.
10. "Slumdog Millionaire," $5.9 million
Holiday movies offer escape from economy's gloom
Looking for some holiday spirit to escape the economic gloom? Never fear, Hollywood is here.
This weekend marks the formal kick-off to the annual U.S. holiday season during which the major movie studios release many of their best films that will either lure huge audiences to theaters or gain traction in the race to February's Oscars.
Wednesday's debut of films such as relationship comedy "Four Christmases," action-packed "Transporter 3" and epic romance "Australia," as well as Oscar hopeful "Milk," provide the spark for six more weeks of red hot moviegoing that will account for nearly 20 percent of annual ticket sales.
"The thing about holiday movies, as usual, is that there really does seem to be something for everybody," said Dave Karger, movie writer for Entertainment Weekly magazine.
Already, the box office is on a roll with the latest James Bond flick "Quantum of Solace" and teenage vampire romance "Twilight" beating expectations two weekends in a row. Each took in about $70 million their respective opening weekends.
Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office watcher Media by Numbers, noted that only one weekend in the past two months has seen ticket sales dip from the same time last year.
"Momentum is with us, and momentum is key because the more people are in theaters, the more they see (promotion) trailers and marketing materials. It's a snowball effect," he said.
Overall U.S. and Canadian box office receipts are up only slightly at $8.34 billion this year compared to $8.32 billion at the same point one year ago. Attendance is down 4.2 percent, according to Media by Numbers.
But if the rule holds true that escapist movies do well in tough times, the gloomy economy could bring glad tidings for Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Keanu Reeves, Will Smith, Jim Carrey and many others.
ESCAPIST FLICKS AND OSCAR BAIT
After Jackman and Kidman finish romancing each other in epic "Australia," or Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn have had their fill of family issues in comedy "Four Christmases," along comes action-packed "Punisher: War Zone" on December 5.
The weekend of December 12 sees Reeves bring out "The Day the Earth Stood Still," a remake of 1951's classic sci-fi adventure about an alien whose presence on Earth causes a global stir. Also that weekend comes family comedy, "Nothing Like the Holidays" starring Debra Messing.
One week later, Will Smith brings audiences the drama "Seven Pounds" about an IRS agent with the ability to change the lives of seven strangers. Jim Carrey seeks laughter in comedy "Yes Man," which tells of a man who just can't say "no," and for families there is animated "The Tale of Despereaux."
The big movie onslaught continues December 25 with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in a comedy about a dog, "Marley and Me," and family adventure, "Bedtime Stories," which has Adam Sandler as a man who tells wild tales that start to come true.
Frank Miller's "The Spirit," also debuts on Christmas Day and is based on the comic books by Will Eisner about a rookie cop who returns from the dead to fight crime.
Throughout all those weeks, the movie studios will sprinkle theaters with Oscar contenders starting with "Milk," which has Sean Penn in a strong performance as San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk fighting for civil rights in the 1970s.
"There's not much light funny stuff among the Oscar movies. Thank goodness for 'Slumdog Millionaire'," said Karger, about the currently playing romance that has been tipped for awards.
Then again, Oscar watchers like dark dramas, and among the best this year may be "Frost/Nixon" which looks behind the scenes at the classic interviews of disgraced U.S. president Richard Nixon by British TV personality David Frost.
Tom Cruise brings out World War II drama "Valkyrie," about a Nazi officer who tries to kill Hitler, and Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett turn in strong work for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which tells of a man who ages backward.
Finally, there is Mickey Rourke making a comeback in festival favorite "The Wrestler"; "Titanic" stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio reuniting in "Revolutionary Road"; Oscar favorite Clint Eastwood with "Gran Torino," and Academy Award winners Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt."
Review: Quantum of Solace Packs Action - but Lacks
Review in a Hurry: It's like Casino Royale with cheese: Daniel Craig's second outing as 007 has all the action it needs and then some, but lacks the focus of its predecessor.
The Bigger Picture: A lousy time for stocks should be a good time for Bond. In times of economic turmoil, there's no better escapism than the exploits of a British superspy who solves complex geopolitical problems with nothing more than murderous chutzpah and a dinky little gun.
This time he's out for some simple vengeance, looking for the baddies who robbed him of his one true love. James Bond's heartache doesn't stop him from seducing his way past a lovely bureaucrat, though he does show admirable restraint in his dealings with fellow traveler Camille (Olga Kurylenko), a rogue agent who has her own score to settle.
The course of true revenge never does run smoothly, and Bond promptly stumbles across a mysterious network of powerbrokers looking to—what else?—take over the world. And so 007's off on another jet-set adventure that looks terribly modern (the architecture on display might be worth the price of admission) but carries a few too many reminders of how silly the series can get.
The parts that aren't silly—lean, muscular brawls and seemingly improvisational chase scenes—are entertaining enough but packed more thrills when we saw them first (and second, and third) in the Bourne films.
But at least Quantum of Solace never gets bogged down in tedious gunfights, thanks mostly to Craig's "horribly efficient" secret agent. His Bond remains the deadliest; his flinty stare and capacity for sudden brutality keep things engaging, as you honestly wonder what he'll do next. Most of the time it isn't what you'd expect, which these days is about all you can ask for.
The 180—a Second Opinion: Quantum of Solace suffers from major sequilitis and middle-third syndrome, with director Marc Forster doing just barely enough to resolve the last film and a little advance work for another. The whole thing looks more like a collection of afterthoughts than a film in its own right.
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