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Third ‘Clash of the Titans’ TV Spot
The third TV spot for Warner Bros. Pictures’ Clash of the Titans has been released. The film stars Sam Worthington as Perseus along with Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. Clash of the Titans is set to release April 2. If you missed the second trailer for the film, you can view it here.
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Shutter Island Fends Off Cop Out and The Crazies
Despite winter storms in some areas of the country keeping people home the top five movies accounted for over $80 million. For the second straight weekend Shutter Island topped the box office. Falling a reasonable 45% from its massive opening last weekend it was able to pull in $22.2 million. The movie has already made back its budget which was a relatively modest $75 million in just 10 days. The openings for Cop Out and The Crazies were solid but unspectacular.
Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan provided director Kevin Smith with his biggest gross ever drawing $18.6 million for Cop Out. Despite terrible reviews it was an appealing option with a lack of comedies out and the star power. The moviegoers have been more receptive to it than the reviewers giving it decent scores on sites such as IMDB and Yahoo Movies. It doesn’t have a lot of long term potential and won’t thrive off word of mouth but it also doesn’t appear it will see drops in coming weeks like those of Valentine’s Day or The Wolfman either.
The remake of the 1973 George A. Romera film The Crazies opened above most expectations with $16.5 million. Good reviews and a subject matter that tends to consistently draw out crowds helped as the film didn’t have any big names involved. Movies such as this tend to fall off quicker than others but having the support from reviews and good word of mouth could soften the blow. Regardless, with a budget of just $20 million, it’s already viewed as a big success.
Meanwhile Avatar just continues to astonish as it has surpassed the $700 million mark domestically. The question now is how much further can it go. Alice in Wonderland opens next week and will be taking many of the 3D screens it has owned since December. Winning Best Picture at the Oscars would also provide it another boost with many surely to wanting to catch the film in theaters one last time before it makes its way to DVD late this year.
1- Shutter Island $22.2 ($75.1)
2- Cop Out $18.6 (OPEN)
3- The Crazies $16.5 (OPEN)
4- Avatar $14.0 ($706.9)
5- Percy Jackson $9.8 ($71.2)
6- Valentine’s Day $9.5 ($100.3)
7- Dear John $5.0 ($72.6)
8- The Wolfman $4.1 ($57.2)
9- The Tooth Fairy $3.5 ($53.9)
10- Crazy Heart $2.5 ($25.1) -
Review: Hot Tub Time Machine
There is something endearing about how Hot Tub Time Machine is completely upfront about its ridiculous scenario and the events that take place throughout. The cast is likable and the 80s setting is refreshing and nostalgic. There are some big laughs here but it just swings and misses a little too often to put it in the class with some of the more highly regarded comedies released in the last few years.
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Weekend Box Office Predictions 2/26
Coming off an exceptional opening for Shutter Island it will face some competition for the top spot this time around. The comedy Cop Out and the horror remake The Crazies arrive this weekend.
Starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan the buddy cop comedy Cop Out hopes to be a fun option for moviegoers. The stars appeal to different demographics which should provide increased potential at the box office. Reviews have been horrible, which should have some impact, but probably will not hurt the opening weekend too much. In enters the marketplace as a fresh comedy option with no real direct competition to deal with.
Director Kevin Smith has a history of sparking controversy right around the release of his films and that was the case again this year with his public battle against Southwest Airlines. That, though, seems unlikely to make for additional interest in the film. Marketing has been heavy and awareness appears to be high. Cop Out could finish with about $20 million.
A remake of the 1973 George A. Romero film, The Crazies is receiving generally positive reviews which could boost its take. Horror, zombie-like pictures tend to have a built-in audience with the opportunity to attract a larger audience should there be good reviews or good word of mouth. There is no big star power here but that isn’t necessary for this type of movie to do well.
Competition wise The Crazies will have to deal with last week’s #1 Shutter Island, which also has a heavy, dark feel to it. Also the original isn’t all that well known so as a remake it may not have the same pull as others have. Despite that I think it will do well based on being a quality offering with an always attractive subject matter. Look for The Crazies to make around $15 million.
Opening Predictions
Cop Out: $20 million
The Crazies: $15 million -
Bruce Willis On Die Hard 5 and Unbreakable 2
As always actors promoting opening films during the press junket are peppered with questions about future projects. In this case Bruce Willis, with Cop Out opening tomorrow, addressed possible sequels for Die Hard and Unbreakable.
Willis actually states that he believes the fifth installment of the Die Hard series will film next year though nothing has been set in stone. He would like for the story to be taken “worldwide” and already has a director in mind.
He then went on to discuss a potential sequel to Unbreakable, having talked with director M. Night Shyamalan over the holidays. He describes it as being a “fight story” with a clash between now archenemies David Dunn and Samuel L. Jackson’s “Mr. Glass”. This however would likely be a few years away from coming together.
Live Free or Die Hard was a critical and commercial success so there is no surprise that the franchise would continue. Unbreakable is one of my favorite films, but with 10 years already having passed I wonder how much interest people would have in the sequel. Continue on to watch the video interviews.
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Top DVD Sales and Rentals for Week Ending February 21, 2010
Law Abiding Citizen topped all DVD sales last week, knocking Couples Retreat from the top spot after one week. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, that didn’t stop people from buying the film that stars Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. Couples Retreat did keep it’s spot as the most rented DVD last week though. Below is the list of DVD sales and rentals for the week ending February 21, 2010:
Rentrak Top 10 Selling DVDs:
1 Law Abiding Citizen (Anchor Bay)
2 Couples Retreat (Universal)
3 The Time Traveler’s Wife (New Line)
4 Halo Legends (Warner Bros.)
5 Michael Jackson’s This Is It (Sony)
6 The Hangover (Warner Bros.)
7 Zombieland (Sony)
8 The Stepfather (Sony)
9 Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself (Lionsgate)
10 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Sony)Rentrak Top 10 Renting DVDs:
1 Couples Retreat (Universal)
2 Law Abiding Citizen (Overture Films)
3 The Time Traveler’s Wife (New Line)
4 Zombieland (Sony)
5 The Stepfather (Sony)
6 Love Happens (Universal)
7 Surrogates (Touchstone)
8 The Hangover (Warner Bros.)
9 The Invention Of Lying (Warner Bros.)
10 Gamer (Lionsgate) -
Second Trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street
It was nearly five months ago that the teaser trailer for the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street made its way out. With the release of the film nearing the full theatrical trailer arrived today. Starring Jackie Earle Haley as the iconic Freddy Krueger the story will be similar in nature to the original from 1984 but will delve deeper into the psychology of the nightmares and Freddy Krueger’s background. A Nightmare on Elm Street is slated to release on April 30th.
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David Goyer To Write ‘Superman’ Reboot?
Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. has turned to Batman Begins co-writer David Goyer about writing the script for a brand-new ‘Superman’ movie. Superman Returns director Bryan Singer and star Brandon Routh aren’t expected to return.
Warner Bros. is under a timeline to get another film in production by 2011 or risk having to pay the heirs of Superman-creator Jerome Siegel millions for the studio’s exploitation of the character over the years. The Siegel heirs and the heirs of co-creator Joe Shuster will own the entire Superman copyright in 2013.
Goyer pitched a more action-packed idea that involves Superman battling arch nemesis Lex Luthor and super villain Brainiac.
Earlier this month it was reported that Christopher Nolan would be brought on to mentor development of the film. After hearing today’s news that Goyer would pen the script, it makes sense since the two have worked together previously. Goyer has made it clear he’s a fan comics, and has been involved in such comic films as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Blade, Ghost Rider, and theX-Men Origins: Magneto script. Needless to say today’s news is huge for any fan of the “Man of Steel”.
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