News for
Pride & Prejudice (2005)

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Pike Set To Marry Wright
16 October 2007 (WENN)
British actress Rosamund Pike will marry Atonement film director Joe Wright next May, according to reports. The pair - who met on the set of period drama Pride And Prejudice two years ago - got engaged at at Lake Como in Italy on the eve of the Venice Film Festival last month. A source tells British newspaper the Daily Mail, "Rosamund is obviously very excited. She and Joe want to get married in May in England."

Wright & Pike Engaged
3 September 2007 (WENN)
Film couple Rosamund Pike and Joe Wright are engaged to be married, after the director proposed during a romantic break in Italy. The pair stopped off at Lake Como, on their way to the Venice Film Festival, where Wright asked Pike to be his wife. The couple met on the set of 2005 film Pride & Prejudice, which Wright directed and Pike starred in alongside Keira Knightley. Wright announced the news to friends and family during a dinner in Venice. The couple were greeted with applause after the film maker said, "I have asked Roz to be my wife she, thank God, said yes." They will marry next year, after finishing pending film projects.

An "Instant Classic" Opens Venice Film Fest
30 August 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The Venice Film Festival opened Wednesday night with several critics predicting that the opening-night film, Joe Wright's Atonement, will not only capture the festival's Golden Lion award but numerous Oscars as well. Ray Bennett in the Hollywood Reporter describes it as "an instant classic" and predicts it will capture "rapturous audiences and major awards." Writing in the London Daily Telegraph, David Gritten praised the film as "a triumph" and forecast that the film will garner numerous awards, especially for stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy's "impeccable performances" and for Wright's "bravura direction." Gritten concludes: "Truly, here is a British film worth celebrating." Nevertheless, Gritten and other critics question the commercial viability of the movie. Gritten remarked that it "might prove a little too rarefied for large mainstream audiences." Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian wrote, "It is clever, sophisticated: though perhaps multiplex audiences might find it a little too tricksy." Comparing the film to Wright's earlier Pride and Prejudice, Christopher Tookey in the Daily Mail wrote that while that film "was accessible enough to involve a mainstream international audience, I have my doubts about Atonement's ability to do the same." Nevertheless, he remarked, "the film is always gripping." Geoffrey McNab in the Independent calls the movie "a formidable achievement" for director Wright, adding, "The strength of the film lies in its extraordinary visual imagination and in the intensity the young actors bring to their roles." In the Times, James Christopher comments that Knightley's performance gives her "a tilt, at least, at an Oscar nomination." However, he goes on to call the film itself a "grim slog."

Knightley Settles Libel Lawsuit
25 May 2007 (WENN)
Keira Knightley has settled a lawsuit against a British tabloid for $6,000 in damages, after the newspaper accused her of lying about having an eating disorder. Earlier this year, the Daily Mail published a photograph of the Pride And Prejudice actress on the beach with an accompanying article commenting on her slender figure. Knightley began legal action against the newspaper in January, claiming the article was libelous because it implied she had been dishonest about suffering from anorexia. The beauty has frequently been forced to deny she has an eating disorder, and recently admitted the accusations have left her "completely devastated." In the suit, Knightley also challenged the positioning of the story - published beside an article about a girl who died from anorexia - because it suggested she was responsible for the teen's death by setting a bad example. Following the ruling at London's High Court yesterday morning, the star said she would donate the money to charity.

Macfadyen and Hawes Expecting
26 May 2006 (WENN)
Pride & Prejudice heart-throb Matthew Macfadyen and his actress wife Keeley Hawes are expecting their second child together. Macfadyen, 31, and Hawes, 28, met on the set of BBC drama Spooks (also known as MI-5) and married in 2004. Hawes, who has a six-year-old son Miles from her first marriage to Spencer McCallum, is expecting the newest addition to the family in September.

New Movies Available for Downloading -- At a Price
3 April 2006 (StudioBriefing)
In their latest experiment in making movies available over the Internet, several studios today (Monday) will be using such sites as Movielink and CinemaNow to provide top-drawer films on a download-to-own basis. They include Brokeback Mountain, King Kong and Pride & Prejudice. Today's Los Angeles Times observed that the downloaded films could cost as much as twice what the DVD versions do, can only play on a personal computer, and cannot be "burned" to disc. The newspaper commented, "As they experiment with offering online video on demand, studios are keeping prices high and restrictions tough so they don't alienate retailers, whose DVD sales still provide the vast majority of revenue."

Universal To Allow Movie Downloads in the U.K.
24 March 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Buy the DVD and get the download first. That will apparently be the sales pitch of the British online DVD rental company Lovefilm, which announced on Thursday that it had reached a deal with Universal Pictures to make some 35 movies available online to customers who buy the DVD version. The service is set to launch in the U.K. on April 10 and include King Kong and Pride & Prejudice in the initial package.Users who pay $36 will receive the regular DVD in the mail plus two digital copies that they can download to their home computer (PCs only) and a hand-held device (only those using Windows software). In a statement, Universal Pictures U.K. chairman Eddie Cunningham said that the service "gives instant access, it gives portability and it gives much greater flexibility for the consumer to consume the product any way they want."

Uni Names Two Equal Chairs -- But One's More Equal
17 March 2006 (StudioBriefing)
As expected, Marc Shmuger and David Linde were named co-chairmen of Universal Pictures on Thursday, replacing Stacey Snider, who is leaving the company to become co-chairman and CEO of Paramount's DreamWorks unit. In fact, in what appeared to be a contortion of corporate linguistics, Shmuger was named chairman and Linde co-chairman. The apparent subtle difference was not explained, but Daily Variety commented, "Shmuger got the chairman moniker due to his longer tenure at Universal." The New York Times described the distinction this way: "The two executives will share the job, but Mr. Shmuger will be senior to Mr. Linde." Previously, Shmuger headed the studio's worldwide marketing and distribution division, while Linde served as co-head of Focus Features, Universal's art-house unit that released such films as Brokeback Mountain, Lost in Translation, Pride & Prejudice and The Constant Gardener. Several analysts observed that neither one has ever overseen the production of a major studio film.

Knightley Calls On Miller with Pre-Oscar Nerves
5 March 2006 (WENN)
Tearful Oscar-nominee Keira Knightley was comforted by Sienna Miller just hours before the Academy Awards ceremony yesterday, after the pressure became too much for the 20-year-old star. Knightley, who has been nominated in the Best Actress category for her turn as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, became so overwhelmed by photographers and fans, she fled LA restaurant The Ivy to meet up with Miller at the Chateau Marmont hotel. And the blonde star did a good job of cheering her chum - just hours later Knightley was all smiles, gracing the red carpet in a glamorous Vera Wang creation. Knightley previously expressed her Academy Award horror, she said, "You get trotted out like as Britain's prize poodle and they give you marks out of 10 for what you are wearing and what your jewels are like. It's a bit scary."

'Kong' Dominates Empire Awards
3 March 2006 (WENN)
Peter Jackson's Academy Award-shunned remake of King Kong is leading the nominations for Empire Magazine's 2006 film awards. The New Zealand-shot epic has been named in five categories including Best Film. Pride & Prejudice, Crash, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, follow closely behind with four nominations each. The awards are the only film accolades to be voted for solely by the British public. Jackson, who is nominated for Best Director, will go head-to-head with Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg (War Of The Worlds), Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice), Ron Howard (Cinderella Man), Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins) and Nick Park and Steve Box (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit). Stars Matt Dillon, Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Andy Serkis and Viggo Mortensen are all vying for Best Actor, while Naomi Watts, Keira Knightley, Thandie Newton, Renee Zellweger and Hilary Swank have all been nominated as Best Actress. The ceremony will be held in the Hilton London Metropole on March 13, with British comedian Bill Bailey hosting.

Bevan Proud for Knightley After BAFTA Snub
1 February 2006 (WENN)
Pride & Prejudice producer Tim Bevan feels vindicated by star Keira Knightley's Academy Award nomination, after being enraged by the British Academy Film Awards failure to acknowledge the actress last month. The Working Title Films co-founder was thrilled when yesterday's announcement saw Knightley's role in the Jane Austen-adaptation pit her against Judi Dench, Felicity Huffman, Charlize Theron and Reese Witherspoon in the Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role category. He says, "It was a little frustrating that our own organization (Bafta) doesn't recognize that they've got a great young actress who's proving herself." Bevan also worked with Knightley when she starred in Love Actually, which he also produced.

The Nominees
31 January 2006 (StudioBriefing)
The nominees in the top categories are:

Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, Good Night, and Good Luck, and Munich

Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain), Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line), David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck) and Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)

Best Actress: Felicity Huffman (Transamerica), Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Charlize Theron (North Country), Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents) and Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice)

Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man), George Clooney (Syriana), Matt Dillon (Crash), Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain) and William Hurt (A History of Violence)

Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener), Amy Adams (Junebug), Catherine Keener (Capote), Frances McDormand (North Country) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

Best Director: Paul Haggis (Crash), Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), Bennett Miller (Capote), George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck) and Steven Spielberg (Munich)

Best Original Screenplay: Crash, Good Night, and Good Luck, Match Point, The Squid and the Whale, and Syriana

Best Adapted Screenplay Brokeback Mountain, Capote, The Constant Gardener, A History of Violence and Munich.

Bergman's 'Gaslight' To Be Updated
30 January 2006 (WENN)
Classic Ingrid Bergman thriller Gaslight is set to hit the big screen again, with British film-maker Joe Wright at the helm. In the 1944 thriller Charles Boyer played a husband trying to drive his wife (Bergman) to insanity. The new Gaslight will be Pride & Prejudice director Wright's first Hollywood venture. The original movie, set in Victorian England, co-starred Joseph Cotten and a teenage Angela Lansbury in her film debut. It garnered seven Oscar nominations and won two. Cast details for the updated remake, to be set in California, have not been announced.

The Lion Roars at the Box Office
13 December 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Although analysts had predicted that the weekend gross for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would exceed Disney's estimate of $67.1 million once the Sunday churchgoer crowd made its presence known, the film actually took in somewhat less than the estimate, $65.6 million. Still, the total represented the second-biggest weekend opening ever in December, topped only by the $72.6 million debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003. The strong showing of the movie helped boost the overall box office by nearly 17 percent over the comparable weekend a year ago. The movie also earned an estimated $42 million in 14 overseas markets, Disney said.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Disney, $65,556,312, (New); 2. Syriana, Warner Bros., $11,737,143, 3 Wks. ($13,236,572); 3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Warner Bros., $10,265,443, 4 Wks. ($244,069,305); 4. Walk The Line, 20th Century Fox, $5,738,176, 4 Wks. ($76,991,362); 5. Yours, Mine & Ours, Paramount, $5,051,879, 3 Wks. ($40,819,218); 6. Aeon Flux, Paramount, $4,561,619, 2 Wks. ($20,218,288); 7. Just Friends, New Line, $3,808,637, 3 Wks. ($26,372,794); 8. Pride & Prejudice, Focus Features, $2,579,523, 5 Wks. ($26,473,313); 9. Chicken Little, Disney, $2,306,627, 6 Wks. ($127,280,176); 10. Rent, Sony, $2,004,157, 3 Wks. ($26,915,863).

'Brokeback' Gallops Into the Lead
13 December 2005 (StudioBriefing)
The gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain has received the most nominations for Golden Globe awards, receiving nods in the top drama categories including best film, actor, actress, and director. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which bestows the Globes, also nominated four other relatively low-budget independent films in the drama group, including The Constant Gardener; Good Night, and Good Luck; A History of Violence; and Match Point. Nominated for best musical or comedy were The Producers; The Squid and the Whale; Walk the Line; Mrs. Henderson Presents; and Pride & Prejudice. The strong showing for Brokeback among the Globes nominees was further enhanced by the announcement on Monday that it had been named 2005's top film by the New York Film Critics Circle. (It also received top honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Saturday.) On CBS's The Early Show Jess Cagle commented, "Right now, Brokeback Mountain really is the movie to beat." Winners of the Golden Globes are scheduled to be announced on Jan. 16.

'Narnia' Has Heavenly Opening
12 December 2005 (StudioBriefing)
In the end, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe turned out to be everything that Disney had prayed for -- and more. In its opening weekend, the family film grossed an estimated $67.1 million, far exceeding analysts' predictions. The total box office was reportedly swollen by large numbers of adults paying full-ticket prices. "The movie is playing to everybody," Disney distribution chief Chuck Viane told today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times. "We always knew it would. But thinking something would happen and seeing it come together are two very different things." Some industry observers suggested that the film's actual gross could turn out to be substantially higher once Sunday's ticket sales are counted. (Weekend estimates are based on actual sales for Friday and Saturday but only an educated guess for Sunday.) Some reports indicated that churchgoers packed theaters on Sunday to see a film which some describe as a Christian allegory. Narnia also opened strongly overseas, taking in $40 million in 14 countries. Narnia took in $14 million in the U.K. alone, far surpassing Disney's biggest opening -- $12.3 million for Finding Nemo in 2003. Also opening well was the George Clooney starrer Syriana, which managed to take in $12 million despite what critics described as a dense plot. After three weeks in first place, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire fell to third place with $10.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $244.1 million. In a remarkable opening in just five theaters, Brokeback Mountain earned $544,549 or $108,910 per theater. It was the strongest limited opening in recent memory and seemed to allay concerns that the public would not accept a film dealing with the ill-starred romance of two gay cowboys.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $67.1 million; 2. Syriana, $12 million; 3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $10.3 million; 4. Walk the Line, $5.75 million; 5. Yours, Mine & Ours, $5.15 million; 6. Aeon Flux, $4.6 million; 7. Just Friends, $3.9 million; 8. Pride & Prejudice, $2.5 million; 9. Chicken Little, $2.3 million; 10. Rent, $2 million.

Harry's Fire Isn't Doused Yet
5 December 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire became the only film of 2005 to hold on to first place at the box office for three consecutive weekends, taking in an estimated $20.5 million, a drop of 63 percent from a week ago. It has now earned $229.9 million domestically since its opening. Overseas, the Warner Bros. film has grossed $330.6 million. Surprisingly, Paramount's sci-fi flick Aeon Flux, which the studio declined to show to critics, opened in second place with about $13.1 million, beating out Walk the Line, which had been holding strong for its first two weeks, particularly at midweek screenings. The Johnny Cash biopic dropped 48 percent to $10 million. The family comedy Yours, Mine and Ours took the fourth spot with $9.4 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $20.45 million; 2. Aeon Flux, $13.1 million; 3. Walk the Line, $10 million; 4. Yours, Mine & Ours, $8.4 million; 5. Just Friends, $5.9 million; 6. Pride & Prejudice, $4.62 million; 7. Rent, $4.6 million; 8. Chicken Little, $4.5 million; 9. Derailed, $2.4 million; 10. In the Mix, $1.9 million.

IMAX Has Its Biggest Weekend Ever
29 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
The combination of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Polar Express produced the biggest sales in history last weekend at IMAX theaters, according to IMAX executives. "As we kick off one of our most exciting holiday seasons yet with our partners at Warner Bros. Pictures, we're thrilled to report a record-breaking week and weekend at IMAX theatres," IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler said in a statement. "The sustained box office performance of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The IMAX Experience and the better-than-expected opening weekend results of The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience proves that the two films play very well together, maximizing IMAX theater show schedules at all times of the day. We are confident that both films will generate healthy financial returns for Warner Bros. Pictures and the growing IMAX theatre network." The Harry Potter movie brought in $1.85 million on 66 IMAX screens (bringing its total on the giant screens to $6.9 million), while the year-old The Polar Express took in an additional $1.2 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Warner Bros. $54,727,138, 2 Wks. ($201,010,207); 2. Walk the Line, 20th Century Fox, $19,212,273, 2 Wks. ($54,008,042); 3. Yours, Mine & Ours, Paramount, $17,461,108, 1 Wk. ($24,321,341 -- From Wednesday); 4. Chicken Little, Disney, $12,568,113, 4 Wks. ($118,398,441); 5. Rent, Sony, $10,016,021, 1 Wk. ($17,138,943 - From Wednesday); 6. Just Friends, New Line, $9,191,331, 1 Wk. ($13,243,107 - From Wednesday); 7. Pride and Prejudice, Focus Features, $7,158,119, 3 Wks. ($16,032,282); 8. Derailed, Weinstein Co. $4,609,066, 3 Wks. ($29,307,115); 9. In the Mix, Lions Gate, $4,448,491, 1 Wk. ($6,138,207 - From Wednesday); 10. The Ice Harvest, Focus Features, $3,740,799, 1 Wk. ($5,047,783 - From Wednesday).

Revenue High for 'Harry'; Low 'Rent'
28 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
The latest Harry Potter movie may have dropped 47 percent in its second weekend; five new films couldn't do as well as two new ones a year ago; one of them, Rent, may have opened like a house on fire, but it quickly fizzled out; Daily Variety may have reported that for the first time in eight years, only one film earned more than $20 million over the Friday-Sunday period. And yet, despite all that bad news, if estimates hold, the Thanksgiving box office will rank second only to 2000's as the highest ever for the holiday. No one doubted that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire would lead the pack. It took in $81.3 million over the five-day holiday period, bringing its 10-day total to $201.1 million. (The BBC reported that worldwide ticket sales have topped $408 million.) What surprised many was the strong second-week performance of Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, which earned $27.6 million over the holiday to bring its total to $54.7 million. And while the critics may have dumped on Yours, Mine & Ours, moviegoers spent $24.5 million to see it, making it the leader among the five films released wide over the weekend. Opening in limited release in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto, the George Clooney-Matt Damon thriller Syriana took in an astounding $553,372 in just five theaters over the five days. Its three-day take of $372,725 ($74,429 per theater) was the best ever for a Thanksgiving weekend, Variety observed. The film is due to go nationwide on Dec. 9.

The top ten films for the Friday-Sunday period of the holiday weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $54.9 million; 2. Walk the Line, $19.7 million; 3. Yours, Mine & Ours, $17.5 million; 4. Chicken Little, $12.4 million; 5. Rent, $10.7 million; 6. Just Friends, $9.3 million; 7. Pride & Prejudice, $7 million; 8. Derailed, $4.7 million; 9. In the Mix, $4.5 million; 10. The Ice Harvest, $3.7 million.

Movie Reviews: 'Pride & Prejudice'
24 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Also opening wide this holiday weekend will be Focus Features' Pride & Prejudice, which in limited release has been packing them in. (Last weekend, it had the second-highest per site average in the top ten, behind only Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.) Some critics have fairly swooned over this latest remake of the Jane Austen novel -- and especially over star Keira Knightley. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times writes that her "performance is so light and yet fierce that she makes the story almost realistic; this is not a well-mannered Masterpiece Theatre but a film where strong-willed young people enter life with their minds at war with their hearts." Stephen Holden in the New York Times seems downright smitten: "When this 20-year-old star is on the screen, which is much of the time, you can barely take your eyes off her," he writes. Jami Bernard in the New York Daily News writes a sort of star-is-born review: "Keira Knightley, all of 20 years old, takes her place in the sun," she proclaims. Wesley Morris in the Boston Globe concludes his review by remarking, "Those of us who put ourselves through King Arthur and Domino looking for signs of a great actress can leave Pride & Prejudice ecstatic. We finally get what we paid for." Indeed, writes Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post, moviegoers may not be attracted by the familiar story, but by the actress who carries it. "Lord God, can this little gal take control of a scene, dominate a movie, project to the last seat, radiate power and personality unto the rafters. For this movie really is far more about Knightley than it is about Austen."

Five New Films Served Up for Holiday
23 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Five movies debuting over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend aren't expected to earn together what Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will earn on its own. Harry, which brought in $102.7 million in its first three days of release -- then added another $7.9 million on Monday -- is expected to gross about $85 million over the Wednesday-Sunday period. All five of the new releases: Sony's Rent; Paramount and Sony/MGM's Yours, Mine and Ours; Focus Films' The Ice Harvest; New Line's Just Friends; and Lions Gate's In the Mix (not shown to critics) are each opening to mostly poor-to-lukewarm reviews. Focus Films' Pride and Prejudice, which opens wide after two weeks of limited release, is expected to outdraw several of the newcomers. So is Fox's Walk the Line, which had a surprisingly strong opening last week, when it took in $22.4 million.

Potter Hotter Than Thought
22 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
As many analysts had expected, more families turned out at the multiplex on Sunday to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire than Warner Bros. had forecast. Final figures indicated that the movie earned $102.3 million over the weekend versus the studio's estimated $101.4 million. (Estimates released by the studio on Sunday are based on actual revenue reported on Friday and Saturday but only an educated guess for Sunday.) Tickets purchased at IMAX theaters accounted for $2.9 million of the total. All of the other films in the top-ten list performed about as expected, with 20th Century Fox's Johnny Cash bio, Walk the Line, debuting in second place with $22.3 million and the third week of Disney's Chicken Little placing third with $14.7 million. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. International said today (Tuesday) that the Harry Potter film took in $25,516,137.66 in the U.K. over the weekend, making it the biggest opening in British box-office history.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Warner Bros., $102,335,066, (New); 2. Walk the Line, 20th Century Fox, $22,347,341, (New); 3. Chicken Little, Disney, $14,711,378, 3 Wks. ($99,093,096); 4. Derailed, Weinstein Co. $6,506,669, 2 Wks. ($21,817,607); 5. Zathura, Sony, $5,133,592, 2 Wks. ($20,316,508); 6. Jarhead, Universal, $4,753,335, 3 Wks. ($54,280,420); 7. Get Rich or Die Tryin', Paramount, $4,420,706, 2 Wks. ($24,547,483); 8. Saw II , Lions Gate, $3,961,863, 4 Wks. ($79,918,817); 9. The Legend of Zorro, Sony, $2,355,095, 4 Wks. ($42,840,410); 10. Pride and Prejudice, Focus Features, $2,141,554, 2 Wks. ($6,000,723).

Cash Biopic Walks Away with $22.4 Million
21 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Although it was overshadowed by the latest Harry Potter movie, 20th Century Fox's Johnny Cash bio, Walk the Line, debuted in second place with a far-higher-than-expected $22.4 million. Daily Variety observed that no other film has opened as strongly against a Harry Potter flick, and it quoted Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder as saying, "It was selling out in towns I've never seen sell out and doing business in the upscale marketplace." Two other family films, however, couldn't compete against Potter. The box-office take for Chicken Little dropped 53 percent to $14.8 million; the take for Zathura dropped 62 percent to $5.1 million. Get Rich or Die Tryin' also was shot down, falling 64 percent to $4.4 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $101.4 million; 2. Walk the Line, $22.4 million; 3. Chicken Little, $14.8 million; 4. Derailed, $6.5 million; 5. Zathura, $5.1 million; 6. Jarhead, $4.8 million; 7. Get Rich or Die Tryin', $4.4 million; 8. Saw II, $3.9 million; 9. The Legend of Zorro, $2.3 million; 10. Pride & Prejudice, $2.1 million.

Austen Society Outraged by "Sexy" New 'Pride & Prejudice'
16 November 2005 (WENN)
Jane Austen academics have slammed a sexed-up Hollywood adaptation of classic novel Pride & Prejudice - insisting the movie is "totally inappropriate." The Jane Austen Society in North America, which also berates Keira Knightley's posture and Matthew MacFadyen's looks, have even threatened to cancel a special screening of the film at their annual convention. President Joan Klingel Ray says, "The film is full of sexual imagery which is totally inappropriate to Austen's novel. In one scene, a wild boar, which I assume is supposed to represent Darcy, wobbles through the farm with its sexual equipment on show." However, director Joe Wright is unperturbed by the criticisms: "They can go jump in a lake."

Pundits Cry Fowl
15 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
Once again box-office analysts found themselves trying to explain why their predictions were so far off the mark as Disney's Chicken Little dropped only 20 percent in its second weekend to wind up with an additional $31.6 million, about twice what analysts had forecast. It was the smallest second-week drop for any box-office winner all year and compares with a 40.5 percent drop for the second week of DreamWorks Animation's hit Madagascar earlier this year and a 36-percent fall for The Polar Express last year. (Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles also surprised analysts by dropping only 28 percent in its second week at this time last year.) Other films on theater marquees did not fare nearly so well. Newcomer Zathura came in second with just $13.4 million, even lower than original estimates, while Derailed opened with $12.2 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Chicken Little, Disney, $31,653,590, 2 Wks. ($80,401,485); 2. Zathura, Sony, $13,427,872, (New); 3. Derailed, Weinstein Co. $12,211,986, (New); 4. Get Rich or Die Tryin', Paramount, $12,020,807, 1 Wk. ($17,723,544 (From Wednesday); 5. Jarhead, Universal, $11,738,160, 2 Wks. ($46,539,505); 6. Saw II, Lions Gate, $9,125,604, 3 Wks. ($73,876,511); 7. The Legend of Zorro, Sony, $6,381,648, 3 Wks. ($39,270,385); 8. Prime, Universal, $3,874,375, 3 Wks. ($18,918,950); 9. Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story, DreamWorks, $3,728,510, 4 Wks. ($28,853,998); 10. Pride and Prejudice, Focus Features, $2,865,017, (New).

'Little' Gets Bigger
14 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
For the second weekend in a row, Disney's Chicken Little ranked highest in the pecking order at the box office as it took in an estimated $32 million, down just 20 percent from its opening week. It was the smallest second-week drop for any film this year and brought its 10-day total to $80 million. The strong performance came despite an overall slide at the box office, where ticket sales were down 15 percent from a year ago. (It's expected to get a big bump next weekend, when the latest Harry Potter movie opens.) The second-place film, Sony's Zathura, which debuted with mostly positive reviews, earned an unimpressive $14 million. Derailed, the Weinstein Company's first release, bowed in third place with $12.8 million. Paramount's Get Rich or Die Tryin', which opened on Wednesday, placed fourth with $12.5 million, bringing its five-day total to $18.2 million. Opening on only 215 screens, Focus Features' Pride & Prejudice produced the strongest per-theater debut, averaging $13,041 per screen. In many multiplexes it outdrew the big-budget competition. The film is due to expand to about 1,300 theaters on Nov. 23.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Chicken Little, $32 million; 2. Zathura, $14 million; 3. Derailed, $12.8 million; 4. Get Rich or Die Tryin', $12.5 million; 5. Jarhead, $12.3 million; 6. Saw II, $9.4 million; 7. The Legend of Zorro, $6.6 million; 8. Prime, $4 million; 9. Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, $3.8 million; 10. Pride & Prejudice, $2.8 million.

Blethyn To Quit Acting?
17 September 2004 (WENN)
British actress Brenda Blethyn is planning to quit acting next year, so she can spend more time with her long term partner. The Oscar-nominated actress is keen to leave Hollywood behind and fulfill her ambition to tour the world in a camper van with boyfriend Michael Mayhew. Blethyn, 58 - currently shooting a new version of Pride And Prejudice - says, "I shocked myself yesterday by the realization of all the roles I've had. I've gone from one to another. So I thought, 'Why don't I retire?' What's wrong with that? It would be nice to read a book, to potter about." As for her financial situation, Blethyn adds, "I'm sensible with money and with what's left I am generous and a little bit frivolous. Economic stability is important to me. I don't borrow money. I can't bear to be in debt. As soon as I could, I paid off my mortgage."