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Movie Reviews: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
14 July 2009 12:39 PM, PDT
Ordinarily reviews count for little when it comes to movie attendance these days. However, a laudable review by the official Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano may count for a lot, especially in Catholic countries. The newspaper said today (Tuesday) said that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince illuminated the age-old conflict between good and evil and treated the stirrings of adolescent love with "the correct balance." That's a more glowing review than many appearing in the mainstream American press. Typically, U.S. critics note that it helps to have a basic familiarity with the novel on which it is based; indeed, it helps even more to be a rabid fan of the novel. (Critics have made the same observation about all of the other Potter movies, too.) Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times concludes that he "admired" the movie, adding that "it opens and closes well, and has wondrous art design and cinematography as always, only more so." However, he writes, some of the scenes "may be especially valued by devoted students of the Potter saga. They may also be the only ones who fully understand them." Dan Kois in the Washington Post notes that the J.K. Rowling novel offered only one action sequence and focused on romance. "It must have seemed a daunting challenge to adapt for an audience of casual moviegoers who don't know a quaffle from a bezoar." Kyle Smith in the New York Post admits that in most of the Potter movies, "I dumbldoze through them as the suspicious new teacher shows up, the plot shuts off for several minutes of Quidditch and all problems get solved with the same old hocus-pocus. But HP6 is suspenseful and artfully realized." Likewise, Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel calls it "a satisfying film, just coherent enough, just engrossing enough to cover for the tedious by-the-book slog of even the best Harry Potter films." Nancy Churnin advises in the Dallas Morning News: "Be prepared. ... It would behoove viewers to catch up before plunging into a world where everyone speaks fluent Potter-ese, building on long-established relationships. Even the magic, fabulous as it is, is just part of the intricate fabric from which the story is woven." On the other hand, Michael Sragow writes in the Baltimore Sun that the movie "would be a first-rate fantasy even if the audience weren't invested in the fortunes of boy wizard and 'Chosen One' Harry Potter." Besides, as Kenneth Turan observes in the Los Angeles Times, the movies are not really produced for the uninitiated. "It's only the phenomenal success of the books that has made [the film series] possible, that has ensured a loyal audience for each film, an audience that has invested so much emotion, not to mention time, in the ongoing Potter saga that skipping an episode is out of the question. That's a kind of brand loyalty that's all but gone out of style." Spoilers? When it comes to a Potter movie, the critics seem to agree, who cares?
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Tickets Going Fast For Latest Potter Movie
14 July 2009 1:11 PM, PDT
Moviegoers hoping to have an early look at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which opens at midnight tonight, may have to search hard to find available tickets. Online ticket sellers Fandango said Monday that it had already sold out more than 1,000 showtimes across the country, saying that it has become one of the fastest-selling titles in its nine-year history and currently represents 96 percent of its ticket sales. According to the ticket sellers, 63 percent of the buyers are female and 62 percent said that they plan to see the movie with a group. In a statement, Fandango COO Rick Butler said, "Harry is tracking to match last year's juggernaut, The Dark Knight, in advance ticket sales. ... Showtimes are selling out at a very fast pace, and it's clear that the film's wider blockbuster appeal, solid word-of-mouth and positive Internet buzz on Half-Blood Prince are helping fuel the demand."
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Bruno Almost Fabulous
14 July 2009 1:39 PM, PDT
Although some box-office analysts had raised a skeptical eye when Universal estimated that Bruno would wind up with $30.4 million, it turned out that the studio was actually a tad conservative. The movie actually sold $30.6 million in tickets, according to final figures released Monday. Total ticket sales for all films came to $142.5 million, down 6 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago, according to Box Office Mojo. The box-office tracking service said that it was the slowest second weekend in July so far as numbers of tickets sold are concerned since 1991. However, moviegoers are expected to return to the theaters in droves after Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens at midnight tonight.
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Two Versions Of Bruno To Screen In U.K.
14 July 2009 1:25 PM, PDT
Hoping to boost attendance for Brüno in the U.K. and Ireland where it can only be seen by adults 18 and older, Universal plans to release a second version of the movie -- deleting about two minutes of footage that British censors had objected to -- so that it can be seen by anyone over the age of 15. The two versions will play in theaters at the same time, something apparently unprecedented in British cinema history. In a statement, Universal Pictures International President David Kosse said, "Both of these versions will allow many more of Brüno's fans in the U.K. to enjoy the film." No studio executive could remember any other film being released in both "18" and "15" versions. Daily Variety reported today (Tuesday) that the decision to release the two versions was made after U.K. exhibitors reported that they had turned away teenagers last weekend. Nevertheless, Brüno scored the best opening weekend ever for an 18-rated comedy in the U.K. last weekend, despite the fact that its $8.1 million in ticket sales was 8 percent below Borat's. That film had a 15 rating.
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Bruno Goes Out Of Fashion Fast
13 July 2009 2:18 AM, PDT
Like the title character in the movie, Brüno made a spectacular entrance on Friday, earning $14.4 million and leading some box-office forecasters who had predicted a $40-million weekend debut for the film to proclaim, “I told you so.” But between Friday and Saturday, Brüno took an outrageous 39-percent tumble to just $8.8 million. Universal estimated that it would sell about $7.2 million worth of tickets on Sunday, giving Brüno a $30.4-million total for the weekend, but given its huge Friday-Saturday slide, all bets were off; it could do far worse. Marc Lacter on the LABizObserved blog observed: “In an age when young moviegoers routinely text-message critiques to their friends while they’re still watching the film on a Friday, such a dropoff could signal some seriously bad buzz.” Nevertheless, the weekend total will unquestionably wind up being greater than the 2006 opening for Sacha Baron Cohen’s previous Candid-Camera-like feature, Borat, which debuted with $26.5 million, but analysts were quick to point out that while Borat opened in just 837 theaters, Brüno did so in 2,756, then went on to earn $28.3 million in its second weekend when it moved into a total of 2,566 theaters. Analysts see little hope that the new film will retain even 40 percent of its audience next weekend, when the discomfited queen of the realm will have to vie against The Half-Blood Prince, the latest Harry Potter sequel, as well as a new assortment of family, horror, and “chick flicks.” While this weekend’s box office was down about 5 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when Hellboy II: The Golden Army opened with $34.5 million, next weekend’s is expected to go through the roof. (This weekend’s wasn’t helped by the fact that the only other film to open wide, the teen comedy I Love You, Beth Cooper, found hardly any love at all as it took in just $5 million.) On the other hand, holdovers performed reasonably well. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs remained in second place with about $28.5 million -- pushing its total to about $120.6 million after 12 days. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen dropped to third place from first as it added $24.2 million to its gross, which now stands at $339.2 million. Public Enemies fell 44 percent in its second weekend to $14.1 million, while The Proposal rounded out the top five with $10.5 million, down just 18 percent from the previous weekend.
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Hong Kong And Disney Plan $465-Million Disneyland Expansion
13 July 2009 12:33 AM, PDT
Hong Kong and the Walt Disney Co. have agreed to give the struggling Disney theme park Hong Kong Disneyland an infusion of about $465 in cash in hopes of revitalizing the park with new attractions. As part of the deal, Disney has agreed to convert into equity about $350 million in loans to the venture as well as maintain a $40-million credit facility. As a result, Hong Kong's total stake is expected to fall from about 57 percent to 52 percent. The expansion plan, reportedly in the works for two years, calls for the construction of 30 new attractions and the addition of three new theme areas, Grizzly Trail, Mystic Point, and Toy Story Land, that will enlarge the park by about 25 percent.
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News Corp Denies Wiretap Allegations
13 July 2009 12:17 AM, PDT
News Corp on Friday denied allegations that its London tabloids, the Sun and the News of the World used illegal wiretaps to obtain personal information about actors, sports stars, politicians and other celebrities. The reports had appeared in the rival Guardian newspaper. In a statement, News Corp called the Guardian's claims "irresponsible and unsubstantiated." However, it did not directly address the claim by the Guardian that it settled a lawsuit by Gordon Taylor, the head of a professional soccer union, for more than $1 million to keep him quiet about the alleged wiretapping. The Guardian did not back down, calling for News Corp to publish the legal briefs related to the lawsuit and asking police to release details of their investigation. Meanwhile, the New York Times on Saturday commented that "perhaps the most surprising thing about the accusations ... is how widespread, even accepted, such dubious journalistic methods are in Britain." It quoted Jon Snow, a news anchor on Britain's Channel 4 network as saying that British tabloid reporters "will go to any lengths to get material: pretending to be someone they're not, dressing as the gasman to get into someone's home, paying neighbors, going through trash bins, convincing relatives that the person has given them permission to talk."
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