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12 articles from 2008

15 July 2008 12:03 PM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Abba musical Mamma Mia! has landed the UK box office number one. The Meryl Streep romantic comedy knocked Will Smith's superhero vehicle Hancock into second place. Elsewhere, Brendan Fraser's adventure romp Journey To The Centre Of The Earth debuted at number five, while Jet Li's The Forbidden Kingdom entered at six. The top ten in full: 1. (-) Mamma Mia! - £6,594,058

2. (1) Hancock - £3,666,398

3. (more)

By Alex Fletcher

20 May 2008 10:12 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Like last week, the top film at the box office, having already brought in less than analysts had predicted on Sunday, when the studio announced its weekend estimate, earned even less than that when the actual ticket-sales figures were finally disclosed on Monday. Although The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was not the unmitigated disaster that Speed Racer was last week, the movie's $55.03 million take was $1.6 million below Sunday's estimate. By contrast, the No. 2 film, Iron Man earned $31.84 million, somewhat more than the $31.20 million that the studio had calculated. Overall, the weekend's top 12 films grossed $125.8 million, 28 percent below last year's $173.6 million for the comparable weekend. 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. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Disney, $55,034,805, (New) ); 2. Iron Man, Paramount, $31,838,996, 3 Wks. ($223,124,385); 3. What Happens in Vegas, Fox, $13,883,874, 2 Wks. ($40,341,516); 4. Speed Racer, Warner Bros., $8,117,459, 2 Wks. ($30,284,073); 5. Made of Honor, Sony, $4,702,950, 3 Wks. ($33,903,519); 6. Baby Mama, Universal, $4,680,610, 4 Wks. ($47,343,255); 7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $2,786,220, 5 Wks. ($55,313,405); 8. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, Warner Bros., $1,997,450, 4 Wks. ($34,098,389); 9. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $1,073,856, 5 Wks. ($50,368,985); 10. The Visitor, Overture Films, $672,448, 6 Wks. ($3,388,821).

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19 May 2008 10:19 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Although a few box office analysts had predicted that The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian would gross as much as $100 million over the weekend and the general prediction was that it would do about $70-80 million, the film fell far short of those predictions. According to studio estimates, it opened with $56.6 million. It was the second week in a row that a big-budget film had failed to fulfill expectations -- although Prince Caspian did not match the disastrous performance of last week's Speed Racer, which opened with just $18.6 million. That film sold only $7.6 million in its second week and dropped to fourth place. Iron Man, which had held the top spot for the previous two weeks, dropped to second place with $31.2 million, as it crossed the $200-million mark to finish the weekend with $222.5 million. What Happens in Vegas slipped to third place with $13.9 million, to bring its domestic total to $40.3 million. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $56.6 million; 2. Iron Man, $31.2 million; 3. What Happens in Vegas, $13.9 million; 4. Speed Racer, $7.6 million; 5. Baby Mama, $4.6 million; 6. Made of Honor, $4.5 million; 7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $2.5 million; 8. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, $1.8 million; 9. The Forbidden Kingdom, $1 million; 10. The Visitor, $687,000.

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16 May 2008 6:06 PM, PDT | From fantasymoguls.com | See recent Fantasy Moguls news

May 16-18 Actuals 1. New The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Disney) — $15.24 million Sunday, $55.03 million three-day, $55.03 million cume 2. Iron Man (Paramount) — $9.74 million Sunday, $31.83 million three-day, $223.12 million cume 3. What Happens in Vegas (20th Century Fox) — $3.71 million Sunday, $13.88 million three-day, $40.34 million cume 4. Speed Racer (Warner Bros.) — $2.66 million Sunday, $8.11 million three-day, $30.28 million cume 5. Made of Honor (Sony) — $1.24 million Sunday, $4.7 million three-day, $33.9 million cume 6. Baby Mama (Universal) — $1.18 million Sunday, $4.68 million three-day, $47.34 million cume 7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Universal) — $873,000 Sunday, $2.78 million three-day, $55.31 million cume 8. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo (Warner Bros.) — $646,000 Sunday, $1.99 million three-day, $34 million cume 9. The Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate) — $355,730 Sunday, $1.07 million three-day, $50.37 million cume 10. The Visitor (Overture Films) —...

Steve Mason

6 May 2008 10:36 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Moviegoers did not stay at home to play the latest Grand Theft Auto videogame over the weekend, as some analysts had predicted. Indeed the only grand theft evident was the one committed by Paramount/Marvel's Iron Man, which took in $98.6 million domestically over the three-day weekend, according to figures released Monday by Media by Numbers. The film averaged a stand-out $24,024 per theater. Nevertheless, it failed to meet the studio's expectations on Sunday. While it raked in $35.23 million on Friday and $37.35 million on Saturday, its Sunday receipts fell to $26.03 million. Sony's Made of Honor opened in second place with $14.8 million, while last weekend's winner, Universal's Baby Mama slipped to third with $10.07 million. While, taken on its own, the total weekend box-office take of $150.7 million seemed impressive, it paled in comparison to last year's, when Spider-Man 3 debuted over the comparable weekend with $151.1 million alone. The overall box office was down 16.92 percent from last year. Since the beginning of the year, total revenue is down 3.4 percent, while attendance is down 6.1 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. Iron Man, Paramount, $98,618,668, 1 Wks. ($102,118,668); 2. Made of Honor, Sony, $14,756,850, (New); 3. Baby Mama, Universal, $10,065,010, 2 Wks. ($32,062,480); 4. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, Warner Bros., $61,143,73, 2 Wks. ($25,369,337); 5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $6,059,920, 3 Wks. ($44,732,340); 6. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $4,187,897, 3 Wks. ($45,112,303); 7. Nim's Island, Fox, $2,677,543, 5 Wks. ($42,471,660); 8. Prom Night, Sony, $2,403,313, 4 Wks. ($41,350,731); 9. 21, Sony, $2,002,471, 6 Wks. ($78,959,237); 10. 88 Minutes, Sony/Tristar, $1,545,084, 3 Wks. ($15,368,925).

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5 May 2008 10:36 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Box office analysts marveled at the weekend performance of Iron Man over the weekend as the superhero movie starring Robert Downey Jr. hauled in an estimated $100.7 million. The film earned nearly that amount -- $96.7 million -- in its overseas debut as well to bring its worldwide total to $201 million, including late-night screenings on Thursday. Adding to the industry-wide celebration was word that Sony's counterprogramming strategy -- pitting the romantic comedy Made of Honor opposite the superhero thriller -- also paid off, as the movie brought in $15.5 million. Nevertheless, the combined amount did not equal what Spider-Man 3 earned on its own a year ago, when it debuted over the comparable weekend with $151.1 million domestically. No one, however, expressed disappointment. Noting that Iron Man did better than expected -- Paramount, its distributor, had predicted it would make about $60 million; most analysts had forecast about $70 million -- Paul Dergarabedian, head of the box-office tracking firm Media by Numbers, told the Ap: "This is certainly the shot in the arm the marketplace has needed." The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. Iron Man, $100.7 million; 2. Made of Honor, $15.5 million; 3. Baby Mama, $10.3 million; 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $6.1 million; 5. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, $6 million; 6. The Forbidden Kingdom, $4.2 million; 7. Nim's Island, $2.8 million; 8. Prom Night, $2.5 million; 9. 21, $2.1 million; 10. 88 Minutes, $1.6 million.

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29 April 2008 10:32 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

For the second week in a row, the box office was up a bit over the comparable week a year ago, but it did not perform quite so well as studio estimates had originally presumed. The top film, Baby Mama, from Universal, wound up with $17.4 million versus the $18.2 million that had been forecast. On the other hand, the No. 2 film, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantánamo, drew a bit more than was expected, posting $14.9 million compared with the $14.6 million that had been expected. 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. Baby Mama, Universal, $17,407,110, (New); 2. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, Warner Bros., $14,908,404, (New); 3. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $11,212,364, 2 Wks. ($38,237,498); 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $11,028,060, 2 Wks. ($35,090,955); 5. Nim's Island, 20th Century Fox, $4,548,792, 4 Wks. ($38,977,518); 6. Prom Night, Sony, $4,508,122, 3 Wks. ($38,222,732); 7. 21, Sony, $4,018,064, 4 Wks. ($75,792,625); 8. 88 Minutes, Sony, $3,593,890, 2 Wks. ($12,625,951); 9. Horton Hears A Who!, 20th Century Fox, $2,486,903, 6 Wks. ($147,959,806); 10. Deception, 20th Century Fox, $2,312,146, (New).

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28 April 2008 10:31 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Audiences were apparently in a mood to laugh as three comedies, two of them new, opened with solid results during what is usually a droopy weekend ending the spring season. The Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama from Universal topped the box office with an estimated $18.3 million, followed by Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, which opened at No. 2 with $14.6 million. Last week's top film, Universal's Forgetting Sarah Marshall grossed about $11 million, a touch below The Forbidden Kingdom, which opened with $11.2 million. (Those two films might reverse positions when final results are reported later today.) Another new film, 20th Century Fox's Deception, starring Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams performed even worse than most analysts had expected. It pulled in only $2.2 million, but nevertheless wound up on the top-ten list -- albeit in tenth place. That so many comedies could do so well surprised many analysts. "This pokes a huge hole in that old myth that you can't open two comedies back to back or one comedy against another," Nikki Rocco, the distribution chief for Universal, which had Baby Mama competing against Sarah Marshall, told the Los Angeles Times. "The market did expand," she said, adding separately in an interview with Variety: "We had 40 percent of the market share this weekend, which is nice for any studio." Overall, the box ended on an up note, producing better results than a year earlier for the second week in a row. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. Baby Mama, $18.3 million; 2. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, $14.6 million; 3. The Forbidden Kingdom, $11.2 million; 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $11 million; 5. Nim's Island, $4.5 million; 6. Prom Night, $4.4 million; 7. 21, $4 million; 8. 88 Minutes, $3.6 million; 9. Horton Hears a Who!, $2.4 million; 10. Deception, $2.2 million.

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22 April 2008 10:31 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

A major-studio feature starring two Chinese actors -- something that in itself would have been unthinkable even a few years ago -- wound up at the top of the U.S. box office over the weekend. Not only did The Forbidden Kingdom bring together Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but it was also produced entirely in China mostly with Chinese crews, again something that would have been unheard of until recently. Finally the martial arts film was aimed at a family audience -- without the bloody violence of virtually all previous films of the genre. Nevertheless, it wound up with $21.4 million, at the high end of analysts' expectations, handily beating Universal's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which many analysts had suggested was the film most likely to come out on top. Instead, the R-rated comedy settled for second place with $17.7 million. Together the top 12 films grossed $82.88 million, up 13.46 percent from last year's $73.05 million. This was only the second week out of the past ten that the box office has seen a rise. 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. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $21,401,121, (New); 2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $17,725,330, (New); 3. Prom Night, Sony, $8,670,364, 2 Wks. ($32,133,926); 4. 88 Minutes, Sony, $6,957,216, (New); 5. Nim's Island, 20th Century Fox, $5,687,072, 3 Wks. ($32,894,115); 6. 21, Sony, $5,520,362, 4 Wks. ($70,004,505); 7. Street Kings, Fox Searchlight, $4,179,505, 2 Wks. ($20,058,143); 8. Horton Hears a Who!, 20th Century Fox, $3,511,834, 5 Wks. ($144,418,495); 9. Leatherheads, Universal, $3,049,465, 3 Wks. ($26,605,235); 10. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, $2,970,848, (New).

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21 April 2008 10:33 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Forbidden Kingdom, the martial-arts family film that brought together Jackie Chan and Jet Li for the first time, wound up at the top of the domestic box office over the weekend with an estimated $20.9 million in ticket sales. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers, said, "The film is a good, solid action movie and audience, especially young audience, is looking for that shot of adrenaline. ... This was kind of warming up to summer." Coming in second was the Judd Apatow R-rated comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, written by and starring Jason Segel, which brought in $17.3 million. Several analysts had predicted that it would emerge as the weekend winner, citing its much-talked-about billboard campaign that had heightened awareness of the movie. Two other newcomers flopped. Sony's 88 Minutes, starring Al Pacino, which had been mercilessly drubbed by critics, opened in fourth place with just $6.8 million, while the Ben Stein documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, which argued on behalf of "intelligent design" -- that is, the biblical view of creation -- failed to bring out church groups in big numbers and settled for just $3.1 million to wind up in ninth place. Overall, the box office was up for the first time in five weeks, with the top 12 films earning $82.1 million, up 12 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago. "There is a collective sigh of relief in Hollywood," Dergarabedian told the Associated Press. So far this year, revenue is down 3.4 percent from last year while attendance is down 6.5 percent. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. The Forbidden Kingdom, $20.9 million; 2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $17.3 million; 3. Prom Night, $9.1 million; 4. 88 Minutes, $6.8 million; 5. Nim's Island, $5.7 million; 6. 21, $5.5 million; 7. Street Kings, $4 million; 8. Horton Hears a Who!, $3.5 million; 9. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, $3.1 million; 10. Leatherheads, $3 million.

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18 April 2008 10:27 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The traditional violence of martial-arts films has been toned way down for the family film The Forbidden Kingdom, starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Critics are expressing mixed reaction about the results. Kyle Smith in the New York Post says that the film amounts to "chop-socky bordering on chop-schlocky, but it's good-natured myth-making cut into kid-size pieces." Most other critics have a similar take. "The story is thin as a bamboo reed, but it works," writes Rafer Guzmán in Newsday. A.O. Scott in the New York Times offers this lukewarm recommendation: "If you've never seen a movie like this, it might satisfy your curiosity." "Kung fu light," is the way Kenneth Turan describes it in the Los Angeles Times, concluding, "If you've been looking for a martial arts film to take granny and the kids to, this might be the one, but a Jackie Chan-Jet Li collaboration deserves better than that."

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18 March 2008 5:13 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Martial arts giants Jackie Chan and Jet Li formed such a close bond on new film The Forbidden Kingdom, they're already planning a second movie collaboration.

Chan admits he was reluctant to sign up to the $75 million (GBP37.5 million) Hollywood production, but didn't hesitate when he found out Li was on board - because he's always dreamed of teaming up with his pal on screen.

He says, "The first day we started filming, it felt like we had worked together for many years. After filming this movie, we didn't have enough fun."

An equally enthusiastic Li adds, "In four months (of filming), we went from friends to becoming brothers."

And now they've sampled life on-set together, they're eager to bring a script they've been working on for 15 years to the big screen - although neither actor is prepared to divulge any plot details.

The Forbidden Kingdom is due for release next month.

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12 articles from 2008