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Disney’S Biggest Bomb Is Now The Most Pirated
17 hours ago
People may not have been willing to pay good money to see it, but John Carter, Disney’s biggest flop ever, was the most pirated movie online last week according to TorrentFreak.com, which tracks BitTorrent use. Like last week and the week before, Disney/Marvel’s The Avengers got no higher than No. 3 on the pirate list, with Warner Bros.’ Journey 2: The Mysterious Island debuting at No. 2. Last week’s most pirated film, Sony’s 21 Jump Street, jumped down to No. 4, while Relativity’s Act of Valor made its first appearance on the pirate list at No. 5. Meanwhile, Disney announced that people will be able to buy or rent The Avengers legally beginning September 25. Included in the package will be 9 deleted or extended scenes, a commentary by director Joss Whedon, a gag reel, and a feature titled “Assembling the Ultimate Team.” »
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The Avengers Is Now Disney’S Top Film Ever
18 hours ago
The Avengers set yet another record over the weekend. With $55.6 million in domestic ticket sales, it lifted its total to $457.7 million, while its worldwide earnings rose to nearly $1.2 billion — making it in just three weekends the highest-grossing Disney film in history. But what was good news for Disney was depressing news for Universal, which saw its $200-million-plus blockbuster Battleship open a distant second with just $25.5 million. Coming in third was the debut of Sacha Baron Cohen comedy The Dictator, which collected $17.4 million over the three-day weekend. Including screenings on Wednesday and Thursday, the film has now grossed $24.5 million. Moving into 354 theaters, Fox Searchlight’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel averaged $9,126 per theater — second only to The Avengers’ $13,096 average per theater — for a total of $3.23 million as it ascended to fifth place. Overall, however, the box office was down sharply from a year ago. Its $135.7 million total was down nearly 15 percent from last year’s $158.7 million when Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opened with $90.2 million.
The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Box Office Mojo (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):1. The Avengers, Disney, $55,644,102, 3 Wks. ($457,665,517); 2. Battleship, Universal, $25,534,825, (New); 3. The Dictator, Paramount, $17,435,092, 1 Wk. ($24476173 — from Wednesday); 4. Dark Shadows, Warner Bros., $12,583,338, 2 Wks. ($50,721,759); 5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Lionsgate, $10,547,068, (New); 6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Fox Searchlight, $3,230,584, 3 Wks. ($8,228,025); 7. The Hunger Games, Lionsgate, $2,950,331, 9 Wks. ($391,581,441); 8. Think Like a Man, Sony, $2,650,549, 5 Wks. ($85,838,460); 9. The Lucky One, Warner Bros., $1,778,453, 5 Wks. ($56,934,628); 10. Pirates! Band of Misfits, Sony Animation/Aardman, $1,578,632, 4 Wks. ($25,490,136). »
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Brad Pitt Blends Politics Into Crime Drama
18 hours ago
Brad Pitt’s Killing Them Softly – he’s both the producer and star – premiered at the Cannes Film Festival today (Tuesday) and promptly courted controversy from both the right and the left. The film is set in 2008 during the presidential election and features clips of president-to-be Obama promising reforms that never came about. As Michael Phillips put it in his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, “The transactions and grisly tactics we see in the story makes [Obama's] words taste ashen.” But the script also appears to take on America’s capitalist system — something that will arouse the anger of the right. “America’s not a country. It’s a business,” Pitt’s character remarks. It’s dialog like that that led Sasha Stone of TheWrap.com to comment, “There’s no getting around it. Killing them Softly is a deliberate indictment of the American capitalist system,” as it alludes to how the Obama administration wound up aiding the very people responsible for the economic collapse. At a news conference, Pitt denied that the film was a criticism of Obama but he implied that he is unhappy that the president has failed to punish those responsible for the mortgage collapse. “It was criminal, by the way, and there still haven’t been any criminal repercussions for that,” he said. Australian director Peter Dominick, who adapted the novel on which the movie is based, commented, “I always feel that crime films are about capitalism because it is a genre where it is perfectly acceptable for all the characters to be motivated by the desire for money. In some ways, the crime film is the most honest American film because it portrays Americans as I experience a lot of them, in Hollywood, as being very concerned with money.” »
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Battleship Submerged By Avengers‘ Force (Updated)
21 May 2012 1:50 PM, PDT
Universal’s Battleship promptly sailed into the doldrums as it opened domestically this weekend and promptly found itself swamped by the backwash of The Avengers, which continued to set box office records in its third week. The superhero blockbuster, which sold more tickets in its first and second week than any film in history, nabbed a third-week record of $55.1 million, according to studio estimates. It also added another $56 million from overseas, bringing its worldwide gross to $1.18 billion, the most ever earned by a Disney film. But Battleship, the boardgame-to-movie sci-fi epic, came in at the low end of forecasts with just $25.3 million. Ordinarily that figure would have been regarded as a disaster for Universal, which had reportedly pumped more than $200 million into the production and another $100 million into marketing it. But the film has already earned $220 million overseas, where it opened early, softening the blow to Universal. It is still likely to end up a loser, but not a shocking one. Slammed on each side by the two blockbuster productions, Paramount’s Sacha Baron Cohen spoof The Dictator wound up with around $17.4 million — $24 million if receipts for Wednesday and Thursday are included. Against such overpowering competition, the movie probably stood as much of a chance of becoming a hit as North African dictators have had of remaining in power.
The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo: 1. The Avengers, Disney/Marvel, $55.1 million; 2. Battleship, Universal, $25.3 million; 3. The Dictator, Paramount, $17.4 million; 4. Dark Shadows, Warner Bros., $12.8 million; 5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Lionsgate, $10.5 million; 6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Fox Searchlight, $3.3 million; 7. The Hunger Games, Lionsgate, $3 million; 8. Think Like a Man, Sony/Screen Gems; $2.7 million; 9. The Lucky One, Warner Bros., $1.8 million; 10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Sony/Aardman, $1.5 million.
Update
Final Figures for the Top Five Films
1. The Avengers, Disney/Marvel, $55,644,102
2. Battleship, Universal, $25,534,825
3. The Dictator, Paramount, $17,435,092
4. Dark Shadows, Warner Bros., $12,583,338
5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Lionsgate, $10,547,068 »
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Chinese Company Buys AMC Theater Chain
21 May 2012 10:47 AM, PDT
China’s flirtation with Hollywood took on the aspects of a full-scale marriage as one of its biggest exhibitors, Dalian Wanda Group, agreed to buy AMC Entertainment, America’s second largest theater chain after Regal Entertainment, for $2.6 billion in debt and equity and an additional $500 million to be used principally for renovations. The New York Times observed that the deal “represents a significant expansion of Chinese influence in the American film industry.” The Los Angeles Times noted that it gives Wanda “more clout in negotiating with major Hollywood studios eager to expand into the rapidly growing Chinese market.” The deal also follows reports that several studios are planning joint ventures with Chinese production companies to co-produce blockbuster movies in China. The deal calls for current AMC executives and managers to sign new contracts, but the length of those contracts was not disclosed. »
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Haneke’S Amour Is Not The Love Of Most Movies
21 May 2012 10:46 AM, PDT
Wouldn’t you know, the current favorite to win the coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes film festival this year is arguably the most depressing film that has thus far been screened. And the least Hollywood-like. Amour, Michael Haneke’s film about a woman dying from a series of strokes and the husband who lovingly cares for her, is brilliantly acted and directed — and unbearably painful to watch. It is hard to imagine a harsher death than the one imposed on the principal character, portrayed by Emmanuelle Riva, in Michael Haneke’s drama or a greater burden than that undertaken by her husband and caretaker, portrayed by Jean-Louis Trintignant. The film has received virtually unanimous praise from critics attending the festival. Peter Bradshaw in Britain’s Guardian newspaper described it as “a moving, terrifying and uncompromising drama of extraordinary intimacy and intelligence.” Deborah Young in the Hollywood Reporter called it “magnificent in its simplicity and its relentless honesty about old age, illness and dying.” At a news conference, however, Haneke denied that he was making a commentary on any of that. He was, he said, merely attempting to make a simple film about a long, loving relationship and its inevitable end.
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