Although several box-office analysts had commented that Universal was being especially cautious when it estimated that its $200-million Evan Almighty would likely earn around $40 million in its opening weekend, the reality turned out to be that the movie earned substantially less -- just $32.1 million, according to estimates, less than half the $68 million that the original Bruce Almighty earned in its opening four years ago. The film had been promoted strongly in churches, and exit polls indicated that about half the audience identified themselves as frequent churchgoers. Studio executives predicted that these same audience members would spread the word about the film, thereby keeping it afloat. "I'm very optimistic about it playing out over the course of the summer," Universal distribution chief Nikki Rocco told the Associated Press. But today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times commented that it would likely become "the first big-budget bomb of the summer." Evan was not the only film that disappointed in its opening. Paramount Vantage's A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie, barely made it into the top ten as it earned just $4 million. On the other hand 1408, based on a Stephen King story, debuted in second place with a solid $20.2 million.

Meanwhile, Shrek the Third ruled overseas, raking in an impressive $48.6 million in 45 countries. In general the overseas box office performed far better than the domestic one and seemed especially stunning when compared with results for the same week a year ago when the total came to a third of last weekend's overseas figures. However, the Weinsteins' hope of offsetting its domestic losses for Grindhouse by separately releasing the two movies that made up the original "double feature" hit an apparent dead end, as an expanded version of Death Proof, Quentin Tarantino's half of the movie, failed to attract a substantial audience.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Evan Almighty, $32.1 million; 2. 1408, $20.175 million; 3. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, $20.15 million; 4. Ocean's Thirteen, $11.3 million; 5. Knocked Up, $10.6 million; 6. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, $7.2 million; 7. Surf's Up, $6.7 million; 8. Shrek the Third, $5.8 million; 9. Nancy Drew, $4.5 million; 10. A Mighty Heart, $4 million.

Disney's strategy of turning hit animated features into Broadway musicals has encountered its first setback. Thomas Schumacher, Disney's head of theatrical productions announced Friday that the company's ambitious stage version of its 1999 film Tarzan will shut down on July 8 -- "earlier than any of us had hoped" -- as a result of falling ticket sales. In an interview with the Associated Press, Schumacher said that after examining the show's advances, he concluded, "I am going to have a summer where I am going to be losing a substantial amount of money. ... And I don't artificially keep shows going." However, he noted that the show's Dutch production has been a big hit. "I would have loved for [the Broadway production] to have been as successful in New York as it now is in Holland," where it is playing in The Hague, Schumacher said. "This production is a loss. But the title of Tarzan within our catalog and within the Disney franchise will do just fine."

Disney's Buena Vista Home Video, which only weeks ago denied reports that it plans to release an unrated version of Bad Santa (called Badder Santa) in high-def DVD in November, said Friday that it would indeed release the movie in the Blu-ray format on November 20. (The original reports, which appeared on several websites that track hi-def releases, said that the movie would be released in both Blu-ray and HD DVD formats; however, Disney does not release films in HD DVD.) The original reports came shortly after Disney had announced that it was dropping the Buena Vista banner, leading to speculation that an unrated movie would be released under the Disney name and thereby spark controversy among family activists. The website High-Def Disc News said Friday that the Blu-ray version will be distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment "and words 'Walt Disney' will not appear anywhere on the packing or the disc." (A Disney spokesman had earlier suggested that the company's R-rated and unrated films might be released under the Miramax banner.)

Since Disney's acquisition of Pixar and the installation of John Lasseter and Ed Catmull as heads of Disney animation, morale at the Burbank studio has tumbled and some employees are privately hoping that the upcoming Pixar-produced Ratatouille flops, an unnamed Disney executive has told Disney watcher Jim Hill. On his website, Hill today (Monday) posted an email from the exec that says, "There are a lot of people here who are now actively hoping for a Pixar backlash. The transition has not been handled well, due mostly to the great care & attention that's being lavished on Pixar. Every attempt has been made to make sure that that animation studio's creative culture have been kept intact. Meanwhile, Disney Studio's own unique traditions & operating systems are being plowed under." Meanwhile, Disney has confirmed an earlier Jim Hill report that it will no longer produce straight-to-DVD sequels of its animated features.

A completed screenplay of Warhead, a movie that would have returned Sean Connery to the screen as James Bond in 1977, has been discovered by British writer Robert Sellers, together with pre-production sketches and photographs, according to Scotland on Sunday. The screenplay, it noted, was co-written by Connery himself as well as thriller writer Len Deighton and Kevin McClory, who worked with Bond creator Ian Fleming on the screenplay for Thunderball. Connery would also have served as executive producer. The story about the fate of Warhead is to be told in a new book, The Battle for Bond, due to be published this week, the newspaper said. Sellers was quoted as saying that his source "actually had the original script. ... This wasn't a proposal or a suggestion, this was an actual script, a full-fledged, finished screenplay." He added: "You had an underwater base that rises out of the sea, you had helicopter attacks on the Statue of Liberty. ... It would have been the most extravagant Bond film ever."

In what the trade publication Editor & Publisher described as an article of "epic" range, the New York Times today (Monday) described Rupert Murdoch's pursuit of Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, as a quest for power. "His vast media holdings give him a gamut of tools -- not just campaign contributions, but also jobs for former government officials and media exposure that promotes allies while attacking adversaries, sometimes viciously -- all of which he has used to further his financial interests," the article commented. It pointed particularly at Murdoch's success in 2003 in persuading Trent Lott, who had favored a TV ownership rule that would have had the effect of requiring Murdoch to sell off some of his Fox TV stations, to do an about-face on the issue. It turns out, the Times observed, that Lott had a business connection with Murdoch, having signed a $250,000 book deal with Murdoch's Harper Collins division for a memoir (which eventually sold about 12,000 copies). An aide to Lott said that the deal had no bearing on his vote on expanded ownership rules. The article points out that Harper Collins also signed book deals with Senators Arlen Specter and Kay Bailey Hutchison. All three, Lott, Specter and Hutchison, it noted, sit on either the Commerce or Judiciary Committees, which oversee the media business. Harper Collins has also given Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a $1-million advance for a book to be published next year. The Times article also describes an incident that took place during the Clinton administration when Preston Padden, Murdoch's chief lobbyist, confronted then-FCC chairman Reed Hundt about an investigation into deals Murdoch had made to acquire TV stations. Padden reportedly told Hundt that he would not be able to "get a job as dog catcher" if the FCC took away a single Murdoch license. Padden declined to be interviewed for the Times's article.

After days of speculation that NBC and ABC had been offering to pay Paris Hilton for an interview almost as much money as the Las Vegas Hilton earns on a single night, CNN and Hilton's representatives said Saturday that she will instead appear on Larry King's talk show on Wednesday night. In a statement, Hilton said, "I am thrilled that Larry King has asked me to appear on his program to discuss my experience in jail, what I have learned, how I have grown and anything else he wants to talk about. Larry King is not only a world-renown journalist, but a true American Icon (sic). It will be an honor to do his show." It was not clear whether King had offered to pay for the interview -- either directly (for Hilton's appearance), or indirectly (for rights to videos and photographs to accompany the interview). A spokeswoman for his program told today's (Monday) New York Times: "Larry King never pays for interviews." However, she added that she was unsure whether any fees would be paid for the use of photos.

Rosie O'Donnell has turned down an offer from The Price Is Right producers to host the show, according to FoxNews.com's Roger Friedman. Friedman reported today (Monday) that O'Donnell met with producers of the CBS game show on Thursday but refused to travel to Los Angeles, insisting that it be brought to New York or Miami, where she lives. "The location of the show -- Los Angeles -- was the deal-breaker," Friedman wrote. Separately, he added, ratings for The View have declined 13 percent since O'Donnell left. "Losing O'Donnell was an unmitigated disaster" for the network, he commented.

In the latest announcement of news media cutbacks, ABC said Friday that it plans to cut about 35 jobs and use the savings to boost its digital divisions. The strategy was outlined in an email to staffers by ABC News President David Westin and reported later by Broadcasting & Cable magazine. Westin said that the network's goal is to "redesign the division to reflect the growing importance of our digital offerings - and their centrality to our future." B&C observed that NBC News had earlier announced similar plans.