This week:
Toy Story shows Jonah Hex that making money at the box office isn’t child’s play; Miley Cyrus decides to Wake; Louis Leterrier loses Gravity; Robert Downey Jr. is the new Steve McQueen in Yucatan; Sam Worthington and McG Mean War and lots more.
Box Office
Toy Story 3 did the massive business that everybody anticipated. The second animated sequel in the fifteen year old franchise should score a massive $111 million over the weekend. The Disney/Pixar film has the added bonus of showing on 3D screens, but it should also enjoy strong legs and play quite well into the summer.
The Karate Kid is kicking serious butt at the box office. The Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan film should have a weekend take of just under $29 million. By the time alarm clocks go off on Monday morning the film should have accumulated $111 million.
The A-Team will rescue about $13 million over the weekend giving the big screen adaptation of the 80s show a modest $49 million.
The Russell Brand comedy Get Him To The Greek was fourth after laughing up another $5.7 million worth of green. The film has scored just under $50 million in total.
Shrek 4 took an expected hit from Toy Story during the weekend. The ogre tale has upped its cume to $223 after grossing only $5.5 over the weekend.
Debuting in a disastrous sixth place was Warner Bros.’ Jonah Hex. The Josh Brolin/Megan Fox film managed a terrible $5.2 million. The DC adaptation is a serious misfire for the water tower studio as it’s trying to figure out what to do with its stable of comic book characters. Is it too late for Megan Fox to beg for her Transformers role back? Apparently so.
Killers took in $5 million on its third week for upping its total to nearly $40 million.
Prince of Persia hit $80 million, Maramaduke has barked up $28 million and Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte have managed to get Sex and the City 2 up to $90 million.
Movie News
1. Miley Cyrus is attached to star in Wake for Paramount Pictures and MTV Films.
The film is an adaptation of the young-adult novel by Lisa McMann.
According to The Hollywood Reporter:
“Wake is the first of three novels written by McMann about a 17-year-old girl named Janie with the unwanted ability to become sucked into people’s dreams. Not surprisingly, she sees things she would rather not see. But when she gets pulled into a terrible nightmare, Janie dangerously goes from mere witness to participant. The edgy sequels, “Fade” and “Gone,” detail her investigations with boyfriend Cabel into the perverse activities of teachers at their school and the difficult fate that lies ahead for her.”
Everyone needs a franchise – even aging tween-stars.
2. According to rumors on the “tinter-web” Louis Leterrier is attached to a film titled Gravity. Regular Screen Ranters should know that this isn’t the same project that with Alfonso Cuarón and Robert Downey Jr. This project is something else, and I’m guessing the title will change once the Downey Jr. film starts shooting in a few months.
According to Pajiba:
“Gravity is being described as a disaster film in the vein of The Day After Tomorrow meets Taken. It’s about a father who has to search for his lost child as the world stops spinning and Earth begins to lose its gravity.”
I can’t even attempt to be witty about this. It’s just… insane.
3. Speaking of Robert Downey Jr., it seems like the star is about to turn his hand to producing and directing. Downey and his wife Susan have formed their own Warner Bros. based production company called Team Downey.
The first film that they intend to bring to the big screen is Yucatan.
Yucatan was originally being developed by Hollywood legend Steve McQueen before his death. Over 1, 700 pages of notes and storyboards were discovered in a trunk belonging to McQueen after his death.
McQueen’s son Chad will also produce the film.
Team Downey is also on the lookout for directing projects for Downey.
4. Someone out there must read a lot of scripts (or at the very least treatments) for Sam Worthington. It seems that every-other day the Avatar star is attached to a new film.
This time Worthington is being courted by his Terminator Salvation director McG to star alongside Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon in the romantic action comedy This Means War.
The film follows the fallout of two best friends (who are spies) when they both fall for the same woman.
I assume that laughs and other assorted hijinks ensue.
Worthing is far from a lock as he has about a gazillion other projects with his name pencilled on.
Also:
- Have you been looking forward to director Scott Stewart’s Priest opening in August? If you are there’s some bad news here.
- A bunch of actors saddle up for Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. Read about it here.
That’s it for now. See you at the movies.
