1-20 of 63 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
23 November 2009 | Cineman.ch/en | See recent Cineman.ch/en news »
Released this week around the world, "Twilight 2" continues to establish new records as it destroys the competition. During its first weekend in the United States, "Twilight 2 - New Moon" took in close to $140 million, which marks the 3rd best premiere in movie history, after "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3", and before "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". The box office number shrunk significantly from Friday to Saturday, however, which indicates the word-of-mouth buzz is in agreement with that of professional reviewers not so good. Various indicators do show that the sequel to "Twilight" was without a doubt one of the most anticipated movies of the last few years. The American advance ticket sites Fandango and Movietickets.com report that "New Moon" also broke records in ticket sales, with numbers beating those of "Batman", "Star Wars", "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings": on Friday, 10 tickets were sold every second! »
- Constantin Xenakis (Cineman)
22 November 2009 8:54 PM, PST | cinemablend.com | See recent Cinema Blend news »
There's good news and bad news this weekend. The good news is that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is no longer one of the top three biggest opening movies of all time. The bad news is, it was replaced by lullaby humming emo vampires and werewolves cast for their muscle tone, not their acting abilities. I'll admit to having read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. I'll even admit to having enjoyed most of the four book series. But, as books go they really don't have much to offer for a movie maker except undeliverably whiny teenage inner monologue and opportunities for Abercrombie and Fitch product placement. And yet, despite the fact that only 3 out of 10 critics thought the movie was any good, audiences turned out to hand over enough cash to make New Moon the film with the third highest grossing domestic debut ever. Easily number one over »
22 November 2009 7:06 PM, PST | Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news »
After breaking midnight record in its first day screening, "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" has topped the North American box office chart. This weekend, the "Twilight" sequel grossed an estimated $140.7 million domestically, making it the third biggest opening weekend of all time. Internationally, the film earned an approximately $118.1 million from 25 foreign markets.
Still, the amount raked by the second installment of the vampire drama movies from local theaters in the opening weekend was lower than the $158 million bowed by "The Dark Knight" and the $151 million summoned by 2007 "Spider-Man 3". Meanwhile, the third place initially belonged to "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" with $136 million.
Though so, "New Moon" has surpassed the previous November opening record for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" which collected $101.4 million in its debut weekend. Moreover, it gathered almost exactly twice the opening weekend gross of the first film, "Twilight", which earned only $69.6 million »
- AceShowbiz.com
22 November 2009 1:35 PM, PST | MTV Movies Blog | See recent MTV Movies Blog news »
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. "A Christmas Carol" ($12.2 million)
The only thing a vampire craves more than blood is box office gold, as proven by the decisive success of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" in theaters this weekend. The second installment of the "Twilight" series exceeded expectations by opening to record-smashing numbers, easily paving the way for a first place finish of $140.7 million domestically, $118.1 million from international markets and a worldwide total of $258.8 million.
"New Moon" successfully captured several records, including but not limited to: the best single opening day for a film at $72.7 million, outgrossing the previous record held by "The Dark Knight" at $67.2 million; the best gross for midnight showings at $26.3 million, a record previously held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at $22.2 million; and the biggest November opening in history, surpassing "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" at $102.7 million. »
- Josh Wigler
22 November 2009 9:07 AM, PST | bloody-disgusting.com | See recent Bloody-Disgusting.com news »
Marking the third best weekend opening of all time (thank god it wasn't the first), Summit Entertainment's sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon grossed an estimated $140.7 million from 4,024 theaters at the domestic B.O., according to insiders close to the numbers. Not only that, New Moon led what's expected to be the second-best weekend ever at the domestic B.O. in terms of overall ticket sales, trailing only the weekend that Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight" opened, and that was in summer. "New Moon's" boffo opening trails only Warners' "The Dark Knight" ($167.2 million) and Sony's "Spider-Man 3" ($151.1 million). "New Moon" bumped Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($135.6 million) from the No. 3 spot in terms of top opening for a three-day weekend. »
21 November 2009 10:00 AM, PST | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Sunday box-office update:
Summit Entertainment monster-mash sequel "Twilight Saga: New Moon" got off to the third biggest three-day start in domestic box office history this weekend, taking in $140.7 million at 4,024 theaters, according to studio estimates.
Surpassing "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," only "The Dark Knight" and "Spider-Man 3" have had bigger openings. The film cost Summit $50 million to produce, studio officials said.
The film, which also opened in 25 markets internationally, took... »
- Daniel Frankel
17 November 2009 3:14 PM, PST | FilmJunk | See recent FilmJunk news »
Here's another list for you to digest as we approach the end of the decade. Jason Kottke [1] recently took a look at the list of highest-grossing films from 2000-2009 courtesy of Wikipedia [2], and makes the observation that only one movie in the top 20 is based on an original screenplay. The rest of the movies are all adaptations of books or sequels to existing franchises. Now, it's pretty easy to jump on this list and whine and moan about how it means there is nothing original in Hollywood anymore. While I agree that there is a problem with studios valuing brand over concept, don't forget, we are talking about the movies that made the most money here. Of Course familiar characters and titles are going to attract more viewers than strange and unfamiliar ones... doesn't that make sense? A lot of people don't even see movies at the theatre, so they »
- Sean
17 November 2009 2:21 PM, PST | newser.com | See recent newser news »
Thanks to a Wikipedia contributor who put together a list of the 50 highest-grossing films of the decade, it’s easy to see Hollywood’s—and, apparently, America’s—obsession with rehashing old material. As The Wrap points out, only nine aren't sequels or adaptations, and you have to reach No. 15 before finding an original. Gawker says "only five are not terrible." The first 15: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: $1.12 billion Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: $1.07 billion The Dark Knight: $1 billion Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: $974.7 million... »
4 November 2009 5:26 AM, PST | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »
As long ago as March 2008, there was news that Jerry Bruckheimer was producing a live-action Lone Ranger movie and that Pirates of the Caribbean writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were working on the screenplay. Not much else was heard of the project until rumors started circulating in May of this year that Jack Sparrow, himself, Johnny Depp, would be starring in the film as Tonto, the Ranger's Native American partner.
In September, during a huge Walt Disney Pictures media blitz, Depp was officially announced to play Tonto. Recently, in a group interview in Santa Monica, Bruckheimer said that the project is still moving forward.
Elliot and Rossio worked on that also with some other writers and with Johnny. So they're creating something that has a kind of true-to-the-western [feel], but adding other additional elements like we did with Pirates so it won't be just a straight-ahead western.
According to some reports, »
- BrentJS Sprecher
28 October 2009 5:50 PM, PDT | FEARnet | See recent FEARnet news »
Riley Steele is best know for her work in adult films like Pirates 2: Stagnetti's Revenge, but the gorgeous twenty-two-year-old may soon win a bunch of new fans, and some mainstream success, with her supporting role in Alexandre Aja's upcoming 3-D remake of Joe Dante's cult classic Piranha. I met Steele on the Lake Havasu, Arizona set of Piranha this summer, on a day when she was filming her climactic scene – and swallowing a lot of water in the process. Needless to say she wasn't feeling very good that day. Being a trooper, however, she offered to chat with me later on the phone. Read on for the conversation that followed, in which Steele discusses making the transition from adult film star to... »
23 October 2009 12:55 AM, PDT | Aceshowbiz | See recent Aceshowbiz news »
Ever since Walt Disney Studios former Chairman Dick Cook took the D23's stage to announce "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", reports after reports have come in about the development of this fourth "Pirates" movie. But, during a press event for "Astro Boy", actor Bill Nighy told Sci Fi Wire that any announcement about the movie is premature.
"I understand that there was an announcement that there was going to be a fourth, and now I've been told since that that was not a reliable announcement," the actor who plays Davy Jones in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" said. Though so, he didn't completely rule out the possibility of a fourth film. "I'm pretty sure that there will be [a fourth]," he said. "I would be amazed if there weren't, given the success of the first three."
As for the »
- AceShowbiz.com
12 October 2009 1:07 PM, PDT | The Geek Files | See recent The Geek Files news »
The power of Michael Jackson lives on - and it's proving enough to conquer the mystical might of the Lord of the Rings.
The late singer's upcoming concert movie Michael Jackson's This Is It has overtaken Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - the first film in Peter Jackson's trilogy - in a league table of films with the highest advance ticket sales of all time.
MovieTickets.com said This Is It had knocked The Fellowship of the Ring of the 25th place in the chart.
The Jacko film documents the star's preparations for his planned 50-date concert series and will be released on October 28. Sony Pictures edited hundreds of hours of rehearsal footage to create the movie after paying $60million for the film rights.
A Michael Jackson single and album with the same title are also set to be released.
The highest grossing concert film »
- David Bentley
19 September 2009 3:53 AM, PDT | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »
Just last week at Disney's D23 Expo, actor Johnny Depp appeared on stage in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume and persona to help announce the next sequel in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. However, with the sudden departure of Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook this past week, Depp has admitted to feeling less enthusiastic about reprising the Pirates role because of his strong working relationship with Cook.
Depp said that he was "in" on the first movie "before there was a script or anything" after he had a conversation with Cook about the project. Depp also credited Cook with being "supportive" of his portrayal of Jack Sparrow when he was first formulating the character.
When things went a little sideways on the first Pirates movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. »
- BrentJS Sprecher
11 September 2009 10:40 AM, PDT | Reelzchannel.com | See recent ReelzChannel news »
Actor Johnny Depp hovered near the top of the list of Hollywood leading men for years, but it wasn't until his blockbuster portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean that he became a worldwide superstar. Now, his character is so linked with the franchise, it would be hard to imagine a Pirates movie without him. Thankfully, Depp's return to the role is no longer a concern, at least for one more movie. In a rare public appearance in costume, Depp sailed into Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, to help announce that the fourth installment in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, was beginning production and that he would be returning as Captain Jack Sparrow. The film is slated for a summer 2011 release.
Next Showing:
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Clip 6
"You're Mad"
Link | Posted 9/11/2009 by BrentJS
- BrentJS Sprecher
11 September 2009 3:53 AM, PDT | MTV Movie News | See recent MTV Movie News news »
Johnny Depp sails onstage as Captain Jack Sparrow to promote 'On Stranger Tides'; plus Miley Cyrus, Nicolas Cage and more at D23.
Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"
Photo: Touchstone Pictures
Anaheim, California — Nobody puts on a show like Walt Disney, a point proven once again Friday morning (September 11) in a massive event featuring appearances by Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Miley Cyrus and big news on the future of the "Pirates of the Caribbean," "National Treasure" and other franchises.
Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook took the stage after a live orchestra presented a tribute to Disney films new and old, addressing a crowd of 5,000 people at the Anaheim Convention Center as part of the studio's massive D23 fan convention.
Among the big news announced by Cook as he looked into the crystal ball at Disney's next several years on film: »
2 September 2009 2:29 PM, PDT | Filmicafe | See recent Filmicafe news »
Sept. 6: Comedian JoAnne Worley is 72. Country singer David Allan Coe is 70. Country singer Mel McDaniel is 67. Singer-bassist Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) is 66. Actress Swoosie Kurtz is 65. Comedian-actress Jane Curtin is 62. Country singer Buddy Miller is 57. Country drummer Joe Smyth of Sawyer Brown is 52. Actor-comedian Jeff Foxworthy is 51. Actor-comedian Michael Winslow ("Police Academy") is 51. Guitarist Pal Waaktaar of A-ha is 48. Country singer Mark Chesnutt is 46. Actress Rosie Perez is 45. Singer Macy Gray is 42. Singer CeCe Peniston is 40. Singer Darryl Anthony (Az Yet) is 40. Singer Dolores O'Riordan (The Cranberries) is 38. Actor Dylan Bruno ("Numb3ers") is 37. Actress Anika Noni Rose ("Dreamgirls") is 37. Actor Justin Whalin ("Lois and Clark") is 35. Singer Nina Persson (The Cardigans) is 35. Actress Naomie Harris ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest") is 33. Rapper Noreaga is 32. Rapper Foxy Brown is 31.Sept. 7: Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins is 79. Singer »
1 August 2009 3:02 PM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
If you know your pirates and are a fan of classic cinema, then I'm sure I don't need to tell you about Captain Blood. The 1935 swashbuckling classic starred Errol Flynn as a doctor convicted of treason who escapes to the Caribbean to join forces with a French pirate, and was the role that made Flynn a star. But here we are 74 years later and suddenly the word 'remake' started to come up in conversation over at Warner Bros. That was almost a year ago, but not only is the film still in the works, the story is about to get one hell of a venue change. Variety now reports that Daybreakers duo Michael and Peter Spierig have been hired to direct an update that would transplant the action to outer space.
Back in December, Monika brought us the news that John Brownlow had been hired to pen a faithful remake, »
- Jessica Barnes
31 July 2009 7:48 PM, PDT | Cinematical | See recent Cinematical news »
One of the bigger surprises of the late-summer movie geekery is that Stephen Sommers' G.I. Joe is getting surprisingly positive reviews! I guess it's just that late-summer action flicks are assumed to be moronic by default, but that hasn't prevented a big fistful of online movie geeks from expressing their incredulous praise for the family-friendly action flick. Our own Todd Gilchrist saw and enjoyed the flick, and we'll throw you a teaser excerpt after the jump, but he reminded me that there's nothing really like hyper-kinetic and virtually mindless action films when you're in the mood for something fun.
With that in mind, I humbly offer a few of my favorite "Mindless Mayhem Moments."
The final car chase in Doomsday. Well-cut, well-scored, and wonderfully manic.
Any car chase in Death Race.
The alley brawl in Charlie's Angels.
The alley brawl in They Live.
The ridiculous car chase in »
- Scott Weinberg
26 July 2009 3:22 PM, PDT | The Geek Files | See recent The Geek Files news »
Where does the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise go after the previous trilogy? Back to basics with a reboot, according to Disney head of production Oren Aviv.
But he doesn't mean taking it back to being just a theme park ride or throwing Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow overboard. Aviv wants a simpler, less epic story.
Aviv spoke to ComingSoon.net at Comic-Con and said: "It's important to get the story right and it's important to me to scale it down, because we can't get bigger.
"The movies have subsequently gotten bigger and bigger and very complicated and they were satisfying on so many levels obviously, but I want to kind of reboot the whole thing and bring it down to its core, its essence, just characters."
He said there was a lot of Captain Jack Sparrow's back story that we hadn't yet seen.
Aviv added: "We're going to »
- David Bentley
19 July 2009 4:51 PM, PDT | The Geek Files | See recent The Geek Files news »
Filming on the remake of the 1981 ancient Greek epic Clash of the Titans is well under way - and we now have our first sighting of a mythical creature.
Fans of the original Ray Harryhausen creature classic will recall that Perseus and his men take on monster scorpions. They grow to gigantic size after beast-man Calibos stabs the severed head of Medusa and her blood spills on the ground.
Well, we can now see the form of a giant scorpion on Tenerife, in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa, where the remake is partly being filmed (and which also provided the location for the Raquel Welch classic One Million Years B.C.)
I've placed the new image above, at the top, with a scorpion shot from the 1981 adventure below it.
You can watch some footage of the giant scorpions in action below.
In an earlier interview, Sam Worthington - »
- David Bentley
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