Blog
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]
Weekend Box-Office: The Help is on the Way!
It was a switcharoo at the box office this weekend: The Help took the top spot from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with neither film suffering too handily much in estimated box office take. The Help received an estimated $20.5 million, while Apes made approximately $16.3 million. Both films are well on their way to being hits; Apes has already hit the $100 million mark, though Help isn’t very far...[Read More]
When Good Comics Turn Into Bad Movies: A Case Study of Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Comic book characters in movies have been around for a very long time, though not since the age of the serials have they been in such high demand as they seem to be today. Sure, Batman broke box-office records when it came out in 1989, and Superman before that had been a surefire winner (at least, until Superman IV: The Quest for Peace), but for many years, the two DC superheroes were the only one...[Read More]
Ten Great Summer Grindhouse Movies
The proliferation of midnight/cult movie programming at movie theaters great and small during the summer months has made it easier to catch up with the classics many of us were too young to see the first time around, discover new curiosities, and be reminded of the essential communal aspect in truly appreciating the intentions of genre filmmakers. Horror plays best late at night with an anxious an...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Apes Still in Charge
Truly, the planet is going to the apes…Rise of the Planet of the Apes held the top spot for the second week in a row, earning an estimated $27.5 million in weekend take. In only two weeks, the critically-acclaimed film has already broken the $100 million barrier in domestic gross, and even the typical drop in revenue from week to week was noticeably small, with a less than 50% loss. 2nd and 3rd pl...[Read More]
Why I Hate the New Superman Costume!
Last week, Warner Bros. released the first official picture of Henry Cavill as Superman in Zack Snyder’s franchise reboot Man of Steel. After looking at it a few times, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m just as underwhelmed with this reboot of the Last Son of Krypton as I was of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns in 2006 (although Brandon Routh at least resembled Christopher Reeve). Unfortunately,...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Apes Rise to the Top
Last week, we had two films that went neck and neck during the weekend estimates (contrary to my original assessment, Cowboys & Aliens was the winner by a little over $800K). This week, there is no comparison…Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the big winner, taking the top spot with an estimated $54 million. The PG-13 science fiction film, with CGI apes motion-captured by Andy Serkis (he of G...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: The Smurfs and Cowboys & Aliens Tied?
It’s one thing for a film to take the top spot, but two films at the same time? Newcomers Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs both took the estimated top spot this weekend, earning approximately $36.2 million each…however, with a higher average at a smaller number of theaters and 3-D ticket sales, The Smurfs may end up being the big winner once the final numbers are counted. On the minus side, the...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Captain America: The First Avenger Knocks Down the Competition
Despite its record-smashing debut last weekend, not even a parade of Wingardium Leviosa spells could keep the boy wizard in the top spot a second time…Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 fell to second place behind the debut of Marvel’s newest comic book-to-film adaptation Captain America: The First Avenger. The story of weakling-turned-superman Steve Rogers and his fight to safeguard Ame...[Read More]
Weekend Box-Office: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Smashes Box Office and Records
Move over, Transformers…Harry Potter is back, and is cleaning up all over the place. Not only did Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 take the weekend with $168.6 million, it also managed to land the #1 spot in numerous categories, including best opening day and best opening weekend of all time. With nearly $500 million worldwide, in one weekend it has made half of Pirates of the Caribbea...[Read More]