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5 articles from 2009

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Watchmen: When A Win May Be A Loss

10 March 2009 2:32 AM, PDT | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Although it took in $55.2 million at the weekend box-office, the news for Warner Bros.' Watchmen wasn't all that good. After reports came in of heavy pre-opening ticket sales on Internet sites, a theater count of 3,611 and a screen count of about 7,500, analysts had expected it to come close to or even exceed the $71-million opening gross for the previous Zach Snyder fantasy thriller 300. Moreover, sales fell off precipitously on Saturday and Sunday (the movie took in almost half its gross on Friday, including midnight screenings), and some pundits saw the result as an indication that the movie's appeal was limited to young adults who were fans of the graphic novel on which it was based. (Warner Bros. said that 65 percent of the audience was male and 54 percent older than 25.) They predicted that the movie, which some said had cost as much as $200 million to produce, would take a big tumble next weekend. Actually, the biggest tumble of the year already took place over the weekend as Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience dropped 71 percent in its second week to $2.8 million. Taking nearly as big a hit was Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, which dropped 69 percent in its second week to $1.5 million, bringing its total to a measly $7.3 million. On the other hand, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail and Taken each showed impressive legs, with Madea moving up to second place with $8.5 million in its third week and Taken pulling in $7.3 million in its sixth week. Meanwhile, total box office revenue for the year has already approached $2 billion. It now stands at $1.929 billion, up 16.61 percent from last year at this time, according to Media by Numbers. Attendance is up 14.85 percent.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):1. Watchmen, Warner Bros, $55,214,334, (New); 2. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, Lionsgate, $8,532,412, 3 Wks. ($76,237,739); 3. Taken, Fox, $7,334,814, 6 Wks. ($117,933,922); 4. Slumdog Millionaire, Fox Searchlight, $6,808,383, 17 Wks. ($125,324,813); 5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Sony/Columbia, $4,146,316, 8 Wks. ($133,588,995); 6. He's Just Not That into You, Warner Bros., $4,017,326, 5 Wks. ($84,644,583); 7. Coraline, Focus, $3,255,852, 5 Wks. ($65,627,777); 8. Confessions of a Shopaholic, Disney, $3,100,298, 4 Wks. ($38,335,114); 9. Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience, Disney, $2,832,454, 2 Wks. ($16,838,775); 10. Fired Up, Sony/Screen Gems, $2,478,381, 3 Wks. ($13,238,432). »

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Fewer Watchmen Watchers Than Expected

9 March 2009 2:35 AM, PDT | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Watchmen opened this weekend with the biggest take of any film this year. Its estimated $55.5 million domestic tally also represented one of the best showings ever for an R-rated film. Nevertheless, the total turned out to be far lower than analysts had forecast -- with many of them having predicted that it would exceed the $70.9 million that director Zack Snyder's previous film, 300, had grossed over the same weekend two years ago. Although Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman insisted that "our expectations were met," one website, BusinessInsider.com, headlined: "Watchman Flops!" While its gross was "nothing to sneeze at for a normal film," the website said, "given the expectations for this one and how much money it has to make to break even [the film reportedly cost $200 million to produce], this isn't great." An even bigger disappointment was the performance of Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, which opened unimpressively last weekend, then dropped a whopping 78 percent this weekend to place ninth with just $2.8 million. However, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail continued to hold up in its third week, placing second with $8.8 million. Third place was taken by Taken, which grossed $7.45 million in its sixth week, coming in just ahead of Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire with $6.93 million. Overall, the box office remained on the hot streak that began at the beginning of the year. Total ticket sales were about $115 million, up 7.5 percent over the $107 million gross a year ago. Although the movie played on 3,611 screens -- the most ever for an R-rated film -- 10 percent of the gross came from just 124 IMAX theaters, 3.4 percent of the total.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. Watchmen, $55.7 million; 2. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, $8.8 million; 3. Taken, $7.5 million; 4. Slumdog Millionaire, $6.9 million; 5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $4.1 million; 6. He's Just Not That Into You, $4 million; 7. Coraline, $3.3 million; 8. Confessions of a Shopaholic, $3.1 million; 9. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, $2.8 million; 10. Fired Up, $2.6 million. »

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Graphically Novel: Watchmen

4 March 2009 2:00 AM, PST | TribecaFilm.com | See recent Tribeca Film news »

Among comic book fanatics and casual readers alike, the Watchmen series stands as a paragon of comic book art. It is the medium's Citizen Kane - its reverence and place in history is no longer up for debate. Yet unlike Citizen Kane, its reputation is far from ubiquitous. If you care little for those dynamic, colorful books filled with word balloons, there is a good chance you have never heard of these Watchmen - that is, until ads for the upcoming motion picture sprouted up on billboards and TVs everywhere. Directed by the ostentatious Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead), Watchmen is a big-budget movie with huge box-office expectations. For those who are unfamiliar with the comic book, what is Watchmen, and why are nerds everywhere flipping out? Written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen is a 384-page, 'R-rated' comic book (a.k.a. graphic novel). It »

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Iran Demands Apology From Hollywood

1 March 2009 11:00 PM, PST | WENN | See recent WENN news »

Officials in Iran are demanding an apology from movie bosses in Hollywood over a string of alleged "insults and slanders" about the country in films such as The Wrestler and 300.

The art adviser to the country's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cites the two movies as having "unjustly attacking" the nation.

Javad Shamaghdari claims war epic 300, about history's Greco-Persian wars, portrayed Iran's ancestors as a bloodthirsty race.

Meanwhile The Wrestler recently came under fire in the country for a scene which saw lead actor Mickey Rourke tearing the Iranian flag.

Representatives of America's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, including President Sid Ganis, are currently visiting the country to meet with officials from the Iranian Alliance of Motion Pictures.

But government executives are urging the organisation to boycott the Hollywood group until an apology is given.

Shamaghdari says, "(Iranian) cinema officials will only have the right to have official sessions with... Hollywood movie makers when they apologise to the Iranians for their 30 years of insults and slanders.

"We will believe (U.S. President Barack) Obama's policy of change when we see change in Hollywood too, and if Hollywood wants to correct its behaviour towards Iranian people and Islamic culture then they have to officially apologise." »

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Butler Dating Beauty Queen?

18 February 2009 4:25 AM, PST | WENN | See recent WENN news »

Scottish actor Gerard Butler has reportedly found love with a former Miss World.

The 300 heart-throb was linked to a string of Hollywood beauties, including former Friends star Jennifer Aniston.

But he has now fallen for Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra - who was crowned Miss World in 2000 - after meeting her at a hotel opening in Dubai, according to British newspaper the Daily Record.

A source tells the publication, "Priyanka and Gerard hit it off really well in Dubai and have maintained their friendship ever since. They have kept in touch via phone calls and text messages." »

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2009 | 2008 | 2007

5 articles from 2009

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