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2009 | 2008

5 articles from 2009

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Lorax Speaks For The Trees In 2012

29 July 2009 12:56 AM, PDT | EmpireOnline | See recent EmpireOnline news »

Recent attempts to bring Dr Seuss to the screen (The Cat in the Hat, The Grinch, Horton Hears a Who) have been patchy at best, but we're optimistic that Universal's 3D animated The Lorax could break the trend.The forest-dwelling Lorax first appeared in print in 1971, but his eco-friendly message - "I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees!" - is as relevant today as ever. Kind of a bleak message though. The Lorax' forest is destroyed by big industry, leaving only a polluted wasteland, and the Lorax buggers off into the smog, never to be seen again. Although it's ultimately revealed that the narrator has a single seed left, with which to start the forest again and tempt the Lorax back, we can probably expect that ending to be substantially cheered up.The script will be written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (who did Horton) according to Variety, »

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Mountain High; Box Office Low

16 March 2009 2:32 AM, PDT | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

For once, the box-office prognosticators were right. After often defying predictions by showing a steep rise in revenue and attendance every week this year, ticket sales fell sharply over the weekend, with last week's winner, Watchmen, dropping a whopping 67 percent to $18 million, according to studio estimates. Replacing it at the top was the Disney family film Race to Witch Mountain with about $25 million, a figure that was at the high end of forecasts. The collapse of Watchmen, which reportedly cost $150-200 million to make, had been predicted by several analysts, who said that by attempting to remain faithful to the original graphic novel on which the movie was based, the filmmakers had mounted a dark, dense and overlong work that would satisfy few beyond the most ardent fans of the book. Warner Bros. remained hopeful, however. In an interview with the New York Times, Dan Fellman, the studio's distribution chief, said, "There's been a history of movies that take a big hit in the second weekend and then settle in and do just fine." But analysts pointed out that there has been little history of superhero movies experiencing such a sharp drop-off in their second week. Only two, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Hulk, experienced steeper falls. Meanwhile, Universal's horror revival, The Last House on the Left, performed decently over the weekend, opening in third place with $14.7 million. But the Fox Atomic comedy Miss March, came in like a lamb with just $2.4 million, barely making it into the top ten. And the floor fell out from under Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience which dropped another 68 percent in its third weekend to just $906,000. Overall, the box office total fell 16 percent from the comparable week a year ago, when Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who opened with $45 million. It remains to be seen how the result will affect shares of the major movie exhibitors that many investors had begun to regard as recession-proof. (Shares in Regal Entertainment, the country's largest exhibitor, were up 20 percent last week.)

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers:1. Race to Witch Mountain, $25 million; 2. Watchmen, $18.1 million; 3. The Last House on the Left, $14.7 million; 4. Taken, $6.7 million; 5. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, $5.1 million; 6. Slumdog Millionaire, $5 million; 7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $3.1 million; 8. He's Just Not That Into You, $2.9 million; 9. Coraline, $3.3 million; 10. Miss March, $2.4 million. »

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Malkovich To Join Brolin On Hex

12 February 2009 4:05 AM, PST | WENN | See recent WENN news »

John Malkovich is set to go head-to-head with Josh Brolin - after joining the cast of the upcoming comic book movie Jonah Hex.

Milk star Brolin has already signed up to appear as anti-hero Hex - a badly-scarred American Civil War veteran - in the Warner Bros. big-screen adaptation of the DC Comics title.

And Malkovich has now agreed to take on the role of villain Turnbull, a wealthy Southern plantation owner who falsely blames Hex for the death of his son.

Horton Hears A Who!'s Jimmy Hayward is directing the film, which is slated to begin shooting in April. »

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Cyrus Dominates Kids' Choice Nominations

6 February 2009 4:05 AM, PST | WENN | See recent WENN news »

Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus is tipped to sweep the board at the upcoming Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards after garnering four nominations. The 16-year-old has received nods for Favourite Female Singer, Favourite TV Actress and Favourite Voice in an Animated Movie for her role in Bolt.

In addition, her hit teen programme is up for Favourite TV Show.

Cyrus will compete against Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Rihanna in the singing category, while the male award will be fought out by Chris Brown, Jesse McCartney, Kid Rock and T-Pain.

Cyrus will also go up against Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), and Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) for the Favourite TV actress gong. Her show, Hannah Montana, is nominated for a Kcw blimp statuette along with iCarly, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, and Jamie Lynn Spears' Zoey 101.

The star will face tough competition in the Animated Movie Voice category - squaring off against Hollywood stars Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda), Jim Carrey (Horton Hears a Who), and Ben Stiller (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa).

Elsewhere, Carrey is also up for Favourite Movie Actor for his role in Yes Man, along with Adam Sandler (Bedtime Stories), Will Smith (Hancock), and first-time nominee George Lopez (Beverly Hills Chihuahua).

Jennifer Aniston scored her seventh Kids' Choice nod with Marley & Me and will go up against Anne Hathaway (Get Smart), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical 3: Senior Year), and Reese Witherspoon (Four Christmases).

Films in contention for the Favourite Movie award include The Dark Knight, Bedtime Stories, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and Iron Man.

Favourite Music Group will be fought out between Daughtry, Jonas Brothers, Linkin Park and Pussycat Dolls. »

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Fox Moving Animation To Connecticut

23 January 2009 1:38 AM, PST | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

In the latest case of "runaway production," 20th Century Fox's animation company is moving to Greenwich, CT, 27 miles Ne of New York City. Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age: The Meltdown, Horton Hears a Who!) said that it has signed a lease to occupy approximately 105,000 square feet of studio space at the Greenwich American Center, bringing more than 300 jobs to the area. In a statement, Fox Animation President Vanessa Morrison said that the site had been selected because "the recently enacted production tax credit program introduced in January of 2007 made Connecticut the most attractive location for our new animation facility." Under the new program, production companies are eligible for tax credits of up to thirty percent on production expenses or costs incurred within the state." Studio executives and union officials in Los Angeles have been urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to push for legislation that would provide similar tax benefits for filmmakers who remain in California. »

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2009 | 2008

5 articles from 2009

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