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Weekend Box-Office: Paranormal Activity 3 is a Real Scream
If there was one franchise almost guaranteed to turn a profit, it’s the Paranormal Activity franchise, and the third time was definitely the charm. At an estimated $54 million, Paranormal Activity 3 was far and away the best opening of all the Activity films, and miles ahead of its competition. It opened well above the two-week champion Real Steel, which was finally dealt a strong blow with only a...[Read More]
How Marvel Films Made Me a True Believer in The Avengers!
The folks behind the latest crop of Marvel superhero movies have done the impossible – they made me care about The Avengers. I’m a very cynical comic book fan (ed. Note: see Why I Hate the New Superman Costume!) and I’ve never really been keen on the heroes who make up the Avengers. I hate Captain America just as much as I hate Superman. Thor bores me, and as hard as I’ve tried, I could never get ...[Read More]
Interview with Craig Brewer and Kenny Wormald, director and star of Footloose
Nearly every day on the set of the new film Footloose, director Craig Brewer would warn star Kenny Wormald: “You know if this doesn’t work it’s just going to be you and me, they are going to blame you and me.” But their version of the 1984 Kevin Bacon classic is more than just a carbon copy, mainly due to Brewer’s Southern flair and Wormald’s fresh performance a...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Real Steel Keeps the Championship Belt!
It was almost a no-decision, but Real Steel remained the favorite for the second week in a row with an estimated $16.3 million. But even losing 40% of its previous week’s revenue, it still managed (though barely) to top the critically well-received remake of Footloose (which, budgeted at $24 million, opened well with an estimated $16.1 million), and scored well above the poorly received prequel/re...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Real Steel Punches Out The Ides of March
It was a knockout, a one-two punch, a…well, all boxing references aside, the big movie of the weekend was the sci-fi robot boxing spectacle Real Steel. While only garnering average reviews, it made a fine debut, earning an estimated $27.3 million. It more than easily won out over the rest of the list, including the George Clooney/Ryan Gosling political thriller The Ides of March. Ides only made ar...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Dolphin Tale Surfaces
With its theatrical run coming to a close, The Lion King 3D finally fell out of the top spot, earning third place with an estimated $11.1 million and an impressive $79 million in three weeks. However, it was a down week overall, meaning the new winner, Dolphin Tale, still dropped in revenue, getting into first with only an estimated $14.2 million. Still, it was enough for the family drama to break...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Lion King 3D Has No Successors!
Even with four new films this weekend, apparently there’s no Disney like old Disney…The Lion King 3D stayed in the top spot, earning an estimated $22.1 million. The 17-year-old film did have some stiff competition, however, in the Aaron Sorkin-written Moneyball, which edged into second place with an estimated $20.6 million, and the kid-friendly Dolphin Tale, which picked up an estimated $20.2 mill...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Lion King 3D Reigns at the Box Office
Four films debuted in the Top 10 this week…but leave it to a 17-year-old animated film to claim the crown. The Lion King 3D took the top spot with an estimated $29.3 million. Whether it was the gimmicky 3D or just the film’s reputation, it easily bested everything else for the weekend, including last week’s top movie, Contagion. The Steven Soderbergh thriller weathered well enough, only dropping t...[Read More]
The Tragic History of the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour
The fall of 1967 found The Beatles feasting on the critical and commercial success of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album and looking for a follow-up. Since the record’s June release, the group had become cultural and musical icons and had attained a form of rock sainthood. They were, by all accounts, perceived as infallible. Then, in early September, just a few weeks after the death o...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Contagion Stops The Help Cold
The Help finally appears to have met its match; the new Steven Soderbergh thriller Contagion lived up to its name and managed to outdo all comers this weekend, picking up an estimated $23.1 million, while The Help made a little over a third of that, an estimated $8.7 million. Nothing to feel bad about, though…in five weeks The Help has cleaned up at the box office with a $137 million gross (and li...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Help Shows No Sign of Slowing Down
The Help continues to hold the top slot for the third week in a row, adding an estimated $19 million to its running total of $123 million over the Labor Day weekend. It also makes waves in that, despite being at the box office for four weeks, it actually jumped in revenue from the previous week (even if one doesn’t count the holiday). The competition wasn’t even close: all three major newcomers ha...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Help Takes on All Comers – Stays On Top!
Despite the release of three new films, the competition paled in comparison to The Help, which entered a second week in the #1 slot…and for its third week made an estimated $14.3 million, with nearly $100 million in domestic profits. It was a fine showing compared to the ill-reviewed newcomers Colombiana, starring Zoe Saldana as an assassin seeking revenge on the criminals who murdered her parent...[Read More]