This week:
Dragons get to Kick Ass at the box office again; Avatar breaks records…again; Olivia Wilde and Hugh Jackman spread some Butter; Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz play Deathgames; there is A Haunting in Georgia; Shawn and Robert Saitzyk’s listen to The Last Beat and is Jamie Kennedy Randy in Scream 4?
Box Office
It has been a tight weekend at the box office. Kick-Ass and How To Train Your Dragon are neck and neck for the number one position and we had to wait until Monday to discover if the violent superhero flick scored the top spot [See below for results]. At the very least, Kick-Ass has underperformed. The comic book adaptation was expected to maybe hit the high 20’s, dollar wise. With roughly $20 million in the kitty so far, it looks like Kick-Ass will be profitable – but international grosses will tell if we see the sequel or not.
How To Train Your Dragon is holding up well, and 3D ticket prices mean that the well-reviewed ‘toon is doing incredibly well in its fourth week.
Date Night scored just under $17 million, bringing the Tina Fey/ Steve Carell comedy up to $50 million.
[Update: Weekend Actuals are in – Kick-Ass was number one]
Weekend Actuals for the top three (domestic take):
- Kick Ass – $19,828,687
- How to Train Your Dragon – $19,633,320
- Date Night – $16,720,038
Death At A Funeral was another under-performer this weekend, taking only $16.5 million. The ensemble comedy was expected to hit the low $20’s. Even Danny Glover’s real-life arrest couldn’t stump up publicity.
Clash Of The Titans held up quite well because of its 3D gimmickry. The fantasy remake has amassed $133 million in coin. There might be a sequel – but that was promised to us with the original 1981 version and I’m still waiting on that!
Miley Cyrus’ The Last Song banked another $5.5 million. The Nicholas Sparks love story is now at just under $50 million. There’s an Achy Breaky Heart joke in there some where – I just can’t find it.
Why Did I Get Married Too? is doing what a Tyler Perry film should – it’s making money. The sequel has scored just under $55 million in total. This shows that the Perry brand is still strong.
The Bounty Hunter brought in another $3 million this weekend, giving the Jen and Gerard rom-com a $60 million total.
Hot Tub Time Machine is holding up surprisingly well. The John Cusack comedy has amassed $41 million so far. It won’t hit $50 million, but it’ll get close.
Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland rounded out the top ten. The 3D adventure brought in just over $3 million for a $323 million total. Johnny Depp and the others who have gross points will be happy with that. It’s a pity that the film is so disappointing.
Movie News
1. Avatar is a word that I’ve typed pretty much every week for the last few months. Now I’m doing it again. The James Cameron 3D epic has now amassed a staggering $100 million at the box office in international IMAX theaters. The international IMAX per screen average to roughly $1.2 million. Kaching!
The worldwide IMAX box office total for the film has reached $228 million.
IMAX CEO Richard L. Gelfond said:
“This historical box office milestone is a testament to the universal appeal of Avatar, which combines the magical vision of a passionate filmmaker with a committed studio and The IMAX Experience. The IMAX release of ‘Avatar’ introduced our brand to new audiences globally and many moviegoers in new international markets. The success from that initial introduction has continued beyond the first run of the film, which is encouraging as we increase our focus on growing the brand and network internationally.”
Screen Rant writer Niall Browne said:
“That’s some serious money. Who’d have thought that blue aliens in 3D could lead to so much bank. If I’d seen that coming I’d have bought shares in News Corp!”
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2. House star Olivia Wilde and Wolverine himself – Hugh Jackman – have joined the cast of Jennifer Garner’s Butter. Former Batgril Alicia Silverstone has also joined the cast, which now includes Yara Shahidi and Twilight actress Ashley Greene.
Jackman portrays an old flame of Garner’s character in the film, while “Wilde will be playing a tattooed stripper with a Betty Page hairdo who’s also the mistress to a term-limited butter-carving champion.”
Kate Hudson was originally being courted for the role before she settled on Something Borrowed.
Wilde will next be seen on in Paul Haggis’ The Next Three Days alongside Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson, the geek-tastic Tron Legacy with Oscar winner Jeff Bridges, and the brilliant sounding Cowboys and Aliens with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
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3. Samuel L. Jackson and Kellan Lutz are in negotiations to star in the action flick Deathgames.
“The story centers on a young man (Lutz) who is kidnapped and forced into the savage world of a modern gladiator arena, where men fight to the death for entertainment of the online masses. Jackson orchestrates the games, overseeing them from his computer lair with the help of twin ladies who see to his every desire.”
The Nick Fury actor and one-time Marvel hero hopeful will shoot the film next month in Louisiana under the watchful gaze of Jonah Loop.
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4. Did you enjoy A Haunting in Connecticut? If you did, then you’ll be pleased to know that a sequel is on the way.
A Haunting in Georgia will be directed by Tom Elkins, the editor of Wanted and The DaVinci Code.
The film, which has been written by David Coggeshall, “centers on the true story of a young family imperiled by mysterious entities inhabiting their property in the rural South.”
Um…ok.
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5. Shawn Andrews will star in writer-director Robert Saitzyk’s The Last Beat.
“Beat will track the final days of Jay Douglas, a famous American rock star in the early ’70s, as he navigates his relationships with two women in Paris — a glamorous French Countess named Clemence and his California “soulmate,” Valerie Eason.”
The film is inspired by the last days of Jim Morrison.
Andrews better be a good actor if he wants to top Val Kilmer’s powerhouse performance in Oliver Stone’s The Doors.
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6. It looks like Jamie Kennedy might return for Wes Craven’s Scream 4. Kennedy’s character, Randy (that’s his name, not his disposition) died in Scream 2, but according to CHUD plans are afoot to resurrect the Ghost Whisperer actor.
Nothing is solid yet, so don’t be too disappointed if Randy doesn’t show up.
I was tempted to fit a Jennifer Love Hewitt joke in here somewhere – but you’re reading Screen Rant not TMZ!
That’s it for now. See you at the movies.
