Posts Tagged ‘Twilight’
Posted by dominic in News on December 22nd, 2008
Three new movies took the top box office spots this weekend, and though two were lead by largely bankable actors, and the third was animated, none of them managed to break $20 million in ticket sales. Blame the horrible weather all over the country if you’d like, or the economy, or Christmas shopping, but either way you look at it things were slow at the movies.
Jim Carrey’s Yes Man, or Liar Liar the Dyslexic version, opened with $18.2 million. The Warner Brothers release had a per screen average of $5,288 on 3,434 screens.
The Will Smith drama Seven Pounds debuted at number two with $16 million on 2,758 screens. The Sony picture had an on site average of $5,801, stronger than Yes Man but on fewer screens.
Universals The Tale of Despereaux, with the voice talents of Mathew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver and a boat load of other actors dropped in at third place with $10.5 million on 3,104 screens.
In fourth place was the Fox remake The Day the Earth Stood Still. Dropping from the number one spot the film took in $10.2 million, down a whopping 67.7%.
Four Christmases dropped 40.8% and claimed spot five with a take of $7.7 million. The Warner Brothers released comedy has crossed the hundred million dollar mark with a four week haul of $100,154,000 million.
Here’s the bottom of ten (almost like the backside of water).
In sixth place was the teen vampire love drama Twilight with $5.2 million. Bolt shot down to seventh place like lightning with $4.3 million. Slumdog Millionaire grabbed $3.2 million on 589 screens and eighth, not bad. Australia fell to ninth with a down under take of $2.3 million. Last but not least Quantum of Solace rounded out the bottom with $2.2 million.
We’ll see how these movies fare over the Christmas weekend with six new movies opening. Otherwise, I wish all of you a Happy Christmas, or whatever you’re into, and if you have nothing to do get out to the movies and contribute to my box office report.
Posted by dominie in Films, News on December 16th, 2008
Platinum Dunes will be ditching their plans to remake Kathryn Bigelow’s classic 1987 vampire western, Near Dark, due to the recent success of Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight film. In the original film, a young farmer falls in love with a girl who happens to be a vampire. Her vampire clan however, is much more dangerous than that of Edward Cullens, But still, the premise of the story would be too similar to that of Twilight’s said producer Brad Fuller.
In an interview with Empire online, Platinum Dunes producer Fuller says, “I think that Twilight was the same type of thing we were going for although Near Dark was a much darker, sexier, rated R version of that. But I’m concerned that, conceptually, that Near Dark and Twilight are too similar in terms of a vampire movie. For now, that movie is on hold…with the success of that film [Twilight], we would not measure up. It’s not the right time to make that.”
In the mean while, Platinum Dunes will focus on their recently announced project, an untitled supernatural thriller involving satanic cults. The film involves a girl investigating her brother’s death, but this time we won’t see the usual graphic gore—expect something in the more psychological realm.
Posted by dominic in Films, General, News on December 15th, 2008
Fox’s remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves landed on earth at the top of the US box office this weekend with an estimated gross of $31 million. The $80 million picture had a soft opening, and averaged $8,708 per screen.
Warner Brothers Four Christmases dropped to second with $13.2 million, raising its three week total to $87.9 million.
Twilight moved down to third with just over $8 million. Summit Entertainments release was down 38.6% with a four week total of $150.1 million.
Disney’s Bolt was fourth with $7.5 million. The computer animated movie has grossed $88.8 million in four weeks of release and was down 23.4% from last week’s number.
In fifth was Australia with $4.2 million. The Fox epic was down 39.2% and has only grossed $37.8 million in the States with a world wide total of $52.7 million. Not so good.
Sony’s Quantum of Solace was sixth with $3.8 million.
Debuting in seventh with a take of $3.5 million was Nothing Like the Holidays starring John Leguizamo and Debra Messing, the only other Christmas movie this season besides Four Christmases.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was close behind in eighth place with $3.2 million.
The Focus Feature Milk grossed a huge $2.5 million on 229 more screens than last week, raising its screen total to 328, and an on screen average of $8,037.
And Jason Statham and Lionsgate Films rounded out the top ten with Transporter 3’s haul of $2.2 million.
See you crazy kids next week.
Posted by dominie in Films, News on December 11th, 2008
Yesterday it was announced that Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) would potentially take over the helm in place of Catherine Hardwicke (after she got fired) for not only New Moon, the sequel to Twilight, but also Eclipse, the third film in the franchise. Entertainment Weekly published an article today with an update that practically confirms Chris Weitz will be taking over, citing that Summit Entertainment is no longer pursuing other directors.
Sources tell EW.com that Weitz has a solid relationship with Summit’s top brass; he’s considered easy to work with and has experience with special effects. “He’s the quality-of-life-choice,” says one source. While Summit insists “we have not yet signed Chris Weitz to do New Moon,” and Weitz’s agency says no deal has been signed, other sources say the deal is imminent, and that Summit has stopped negotiations with other potential Moon directors. Summit had planned to announce this hiring decision on Sunday, Dec. 14, and could have Weitz in Vancouver, B.C. as early as Monday to start pre-production on the film.
Also according to EW, Summit Entertainment has slated New Moon to hit theaters on November 20, 2009. This confirms that new (imminent) director Chris Weitz will need to be in Vancouver by Monday to begin the 12 weeks of pre-production in order to properly prep for principal photography which begins in mid-March.
The first draft of New Moon has already been turned it. Scripted by Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, the sequel will introduce the werewolf pack led by Sam Uley, of which Jacob, Bella’s best friend has become an integral member. One of Hardwicke’s main concerns with New Moon is the lack of Edward screen time and making sure the chemistry between Jacob and Bella must be strong.
Hardwicke told EW during opening weekend, “You have to get the chemistry as strong between Jacob and Bella as it was between Bella and Edward. You also have to do something with that arc: She’s in love with somebody, he disappears, she falls in love with someone else, and the first guy comes back. Movies like Pearl Harbor have tried it. It absolutely didn’t work.”
I hate to break it to ya Catherine, you didn’t do that great of a job yourself. This concern does raise another issue for New Moon however. Can Taylor Lautner fulfill the role of Jacob given the much larger role in Moon? (more…)
Posted by dominie in Films, News on December 8th, 2008
Officially confirmed and much to my pleasure, Twilight (review) director Catherine Hardwicke will NOT be returning to helm New Moon, the sequel following the hit phenomenon Twilight. Sources cite that Hardwicke was actually fired by Summit Entertainment and that production has quickly moved on to search for its new director.
According to author of Deadline Hollywood Daily:
The word from inside Summit is that Hardwicke, the acclaimed Thirteen director, “was ‘difficult’ and ‘irrational’ during the making of Twilight,” one insider explains to me. “That doesn’t mean anything when you’re talking about a filmmaker because they all are, but still…” (Indeed, Joe Roth and Sony kept saying those things about Julie Taymor on Across The Universe. Yet she made a cult classic and is now directing Marvel/Sony’s Spider-Man for Broadway.) From another of my sources, “Summit didn’t like her. They’re saying the DP [director of photography] Elliot Davis is the one responsible for the film’s sumptuous visual look, that the editor Nancy Richardson had to save the film in post-production, and Summit thought Hardwicke’s [CAA] agent Beth Swofford was alternately ineffectual and hysterical [when it came to controlling her client].”
Good. Glad. Yay! I have no personal angst against Hardwicke, but I’ve seen Twilight for a second time now, and I still feel where Twilight is lacking is hugely in the direction of character performances. And when combined with a hardly capable screenplay, the result, well the result is $160+ M to date, but its so frustrating to know that the movie could have been of infinitely better quality. While they’re at it, Summit may want to consider axing the screenwriter as well.
I’m still convinced the box office results reflect the pre-established fan base, and my fear was that Hardwicke’s continued involvement would have inevitably destroyed the franchise and raped the millions of fans who are hoping for good movies to come. Twilight, though enjoyable when taken with a light heart, was flawed in all its executions. Second chances are often offered (I would have seen a Hardwicke-directed sequel), but a third would be harder to negotiate. Good move Summit.
Read beyond the break for the nicer, official news release version of Summit Entertainment and Catherine Hardwicke’s departure. (more…)
Posted by dominic in Films, General, News on December 8th, 2008
Nothing new at the box office this weekend. Warner Brothers Four Christmases retained the top spot with a haul of $18.2 million bringing its twelve day total to $70.8 million.
Twilight jumped back to second place earning $13.2 million in its third week of release. The Summit Entertainment release was down 49.9% for a total $138.5 million.
Bolt switched to third after last weeks close tally nudged the animated movie just above Twilight. Disney’s release took in $9.7 million with a new take of $79.2 million.
The Fox epic Australia climbed a notch as well with a take of $7 million and fourth place. At just over $40 million dollars the film only has to make around $90 million dollars more to break budget.
James Bond and Sony rounded out the top five with Quantum of Solace. The movie grossed $6.6 million and is very close to passing the $500 million dollar mark world wide.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was sixth with $5.1 million. The DreamWorks picture has grossed $165.6 million in five weeks.
Holding on to the seventh spot was Lionsgate Films The Transporter 3 with $4.3 million.
Opening in a very week eighth place was the new Punisher: War Zone. Starring Ray Stevenson who took the reigns from Tom Jane the Lionsgate release about the Marvel Comics vigilante debuted with $4 million.
With a more impressive debut Sony’s Cadillac Records opened on 668 screens taking $3.5 million. The film boasts an all star cast including Adrien Brody, Beyonce Knowles, Jeffrey Wright, Cedric the Entertainer and Mos Def.
And rounding out the top ten was Universals Role Models which nabbed $2.6 million in its fifth weekend in release raising its total to $61.6 million.
See you crazy kids next week.
Posted by dominie in Films, News on December 1st, 2008
Rumor is there may be a Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie coming at you in the near future. Moviehole writes that page 51 of The Australian Herald Sun newspaper editorial piece reads: The monster success of girly vampire pic Twilight at the US Box office last weekend could kick open the door for a big-screen return of Joss Whedon’s much-loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Rumours are circulating in Hollywood that Whedon has a feature-film script based on his hit TV series ready to roll as soon as a studio is prepared to commit.. I’m just as excited as the next man by the author’s speculation, but keep in mind this is still only a rumor. Stayed tuned for any updates on the word.
New Superman Origin Tale: Newsarama reports that DC Comics is in plans to release a six-issue stand-alone series retelling of the origin of Superman. The series will be titled Superman: Secret Origin, which will retell the story for the modern day audience. Writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank have been hired for the task. Johns told Newsarama, “Unlike previous Superman origin stories, this will be told almost entirely from Clark’s eyes. We won’t be spending an issue on Krypton. We’ll be opening on one of Clark’s earliest memories as a kid and moving forward from there. This is his story of self-discovery and the world’s story of meeting Superman.”
Bloody Disgusting revealed the official synopsis for Nelson McCormick’s (Prom Night)The Stepfather remake from Sony Screen Gems which arrives in theaters October 16, 2009. The project was first announced in April 2007 and the script by J.S. Cardone (The Covenant, Prom Night) goes like this. “Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school to find his mother (Sela Ward) happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David (Dylan Walsh). As the two men get to know each other, Michael becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. Is he really the man of her dreams or could David be hiding a dark side?” The Stepfather arrives in theaters October 16th, 2009.
Shock Till You Drop reports on an update for Twilight sequel New Moon. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Twilight star Kristen Stewart told KiisFM that New Moon begins lensing in March 2009. She also reveals, “A lot of the book takes place in Italy, and I think we’re going to get to go to Italy, which is so cool. For a while there, they were like Oh, we don’t know if we have the money, but now I think we may have the money!”
Posted by dominic in Films, General, News on December 1st, 2008
Thanksgiving is over. I’m sure you’re all recovering from overeating and lounging around with family and traversing the holiday crowds, I know I am. According to box office estimates a lot of you also went to the movies over the holiday weekend. The top twelve movies this weekend at the box office grossed a total of $223.7 million, second only to $232.2 million take of 2000.
Four Christmases, the Warner Brothers comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn hauled in $31.7 million over the weekend for a five day total of $46.7 million. The comedy was the only Christmas themed film to open, and one of only two scheduled to open this Christmas season.
Bolt and Twilight were virtually neck and neck over the weekend, with Disney’s Bolt edging into second place with $26.6 million. Summit Entertainments Twilight suffered a second week drop of 62.1% and a take of $26.4 million, with a two week total of $119.7 million.
Sony’s Quantum of Solace sunk to number four with $19.5 million. The latest James Bond film has grossed $142.1 million domestically and $308.3 million overseas, bringing its seventeen day total to $450.4 million.
The Fox released Australia took in $14.8 million. The Baz Luhrmann directed WWII period piece starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman has pretty much flopped with a five day take of $20 million and a budget of $130 million.
The rest of the bottom recites a little like this: In sixth was DreamWorks Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa with $14.5 million. Opening in seventh was the Jason Statham lead Transporter 3 with a $12.3 million haul for distributor Lionsgate. Universals Role Models dropped to eighth with $5.3 million. At ninth was the Miramax release of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas with a weekend total of $1.7 million and a four week total of $5.1 million on 582 screens.
And opening in tenth was Focus Features bio-pic Milk, starring Sean Penn as the first openly gay elected official Harvey Milk who was murdered in November of 1978. The Gus Van Sant directed picture took in $1.4 million on 36 screens with on-sight average of $38,361.
See you next week you crazy kids.
Posted by dominie in Films, News on November 26th, 2008
According to The Sun Times, stars Robert Pattinson, 22, and Kristin Stewart, 18, will each receive salary boosts for the Twilight sequel New Moon—each is reportedly receiving $10 million more per film plus a percentage of the future movies’ box-office take. That’s six times the $2 million they each earned for Twilight.
The reported salary increase also comes with a much larger story. New Moon will include travels to both Alaska and Italy and in addition to vampires, werewolves are now introduced into the franchise.
I’m sure you’ve already heard the numbers. Twilight grossed $70.5 million over the weekend, which virtually guaranteed the greenlight for New Moon. Now it looks like the third film, based on Stephenie Meyer’s Eclipse novel is nearly sealed as well.
Director Catherine Hardwicke has also returned for the sequel reports People.com. Just yesterday we were still unsure when Hardwicke told the AP Sunday, “I want to be sure that [the second film is] going to be done right. I don’t want to rush into it. It’s not like ‘Friday the 13th’ or ‘Halloween,’ you can’t just do it super fast and knock another one out.” The director insisted to be sure that the film’s producers were on the same page going forward before any agreements were made.
Hardwicke has reportedly begun preparations for New Moon set to premiere in 2010. Not only the sequels, the movie’s projected net gross also ensured Summit Entertainment’s position in Hollywood. Prior to Twilight, the studio released only five films, the biggest known of the bunch being In the Valley of Elah which Tommy Lee Jones received an Oscar nomination.
Posted by dominie in Films, News on November 22nd, 2008
It’s official. Summit Entertainment has greenlit production on New Moon, the sequel to the Catherine Hardwicke-directed Twilight. This is no surprise after a reported Box Office growth of $7.5 million for Thursday midnight screenings that reached to a reported $33 million for opening day. Stay tuned as more detailed information comes in. For now, read on for the press release.
Summit Entertainment Announces TWILIGHT Sequel - NEW MOON
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22 — Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio is officially moving forward with the production of NEW MOON, the second installment of its filmed franchise TWILIGHT, the action-packed, modern day vampire love story. The movie will be based on the second novel in author Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series titled, “New Moon.” The first movie in the TWILIGHT franchise, the self-titled TWILIGHT, arrived in theaters this weekend to sold-out showings.
Stephenie Meyer stated, “I don’t think any other author has had a more positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had with Summit Entertainment. I’m thrilled to have the chance to work with them again on NEW MOON.”
Starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, TWILIGHT tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together … even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires. Their unorthodox romance puts her in physical danger when Edward’s nemesis comes to town and sets his sights on Bella.
Three new movies took the top box office spots this weekend, and though two were lead by largely bankable actors, and the third was animated, none of them managed to break $20 million in ticket sales. Blame the horrible weather all over the country if you’d like, or the economy, or Christmas shopping, but either way you look at it things were slow at the movies.
