THE MEG Opens Wide And Takes Huge $44.5m Bite From Weekend Box Office!

Of course it opened huge - Jason Statham is no slouch! Ok, the megalodon has something to do with it too.

THE MEG opened this past weekend to the tune of $44.5 million with the overseas markets yet to come on stream. That's an impressive debut. Rottentomatoes.com critics has the movie at a 49% rotten rating while audiences gave it a 61%. Personally I liked it. I still haven't seen it in 3D yet (*GASP* I know right?!), but I will in the coming week or so. I had to catch the flat version as it was the only screening at the time and I was on a tight schedule. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of those action scenes in 3D because I think they nailed it. Some excellent editing really brings the Meg into your lap - even in 2D.

China played a large part in the making of the movie (very evident from the credits and content) and should open amazingly well in that country. Seriously. AMAZINGLY well. And that's a good thing for Warner Bros. - THE MEG cost $130m to make.

I think Shark Week on the Discovery Channel helped the cause - they even had a show entitled "Megalodon: Fact vs. Fiction" to help feed the frenzy.

You know, we should look into using old dino-DNA to bring back Meg. I mean, what could go wrong?

THE MEG is now playing.

BOX OFFICE: Pixar's INCREDIBLES 2 Headed To Est $180m Weekend - An Animated Record!

Brad Bird's INCREDIBLES 2 looks to give FINDING DOREY (sorry DORY) a superhero punch to the box office chops. FINDING DORY has held the animated box office crown since 2016 with a take of $135m in its opening weekend, and now I2 is looking to land with an estimated $180m!

In fact, I2 more than doubled FINDING DORY's record Thursday night previews ($9.2m) with a staggering $18.5m.

With its A+ Cinema Score and a current 94% fresh on RottenTomatoes (audiences have it pegged at 90%), there really is nothing holding the sequel back from many, many more records. If you haven't seen it yet - it's definitely something to add to your things to see.

INCREDIBLES 2 is now playing.

Source: BoxOfficeMojo 

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM - Apparently At The Theater! Great Movie!!

I thoroughly enjoyed FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM. It has enough Harry Potter DNA within it to give it some gravitas, yet it overflows with new ideas and dogma based on the magic community within North America.

The visual effects are jaw dropping in many scenes and some very imaginative minds were involved in creating them much to my pleasure! Good enough for an 'A' Cinema Score and Certified Fresh too.

If you are one of those movie goers who doesn't enjoy 3D unless it's dialed up a bit then you will enjoy BEASTS. In some areas, I felt it shouldn't be with so much depth, especially fast tracking scenes early on that may make you feel dizzy. But the movie as a whole does accomplish very nice things with 3D. I appreciated the effort. I felt the faces, even close up were superbly done.

BEASTS will apparently need more of those expanding suitcases for all the cash they are bringing in! $30 million on Friday to be exact - so that pegs the weekend at a potential $76m for the new "spinoff". Of course, being in the Potter universe doesn't hurt, does it? Clearly, sequels were set up as well. I am certainly looking forward to them.

And Eddie Redmayne? Superb as Newt Scamander!

Here's the movie's storyline:
The year is 1926 and Newt Scamander has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. Arriving in New York for a brief stopover, he might have come and gone without incident...were it not for a No-Maj (American for Muggle) named Jacob, a misplaced magical case, and the escape of some of Newt's fantastic beasts, which could spell trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is playing now in RealD 3D.

World Box Office: THE FORCE AWAKENS vs. AVATAR? Forget it... Look At All That Cheddar.

As I've been postulating for weeks now (other than the fact I knew there was no way AVATAR 2 would hit its latest release date), there is no way STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS challenges James Cameron's AVATAR in worldwide box office. Let's face it, worldwide box office is the number that matters most and while the domestic record is an awesome achievement, it's only a third of what really matters or in SWTFA's case, half. Yes, TITANIC may sink, but AVATAR is quite safe.

Was there really any doubt about this? Not to me. There's the old description of a four quadrant movie that sort of fits both movies: Males under 25, Males over 25, Females under 25 and Females over 25. I think SWTFA delivers admirably on this, but not in the league of AVATAR. But of course there is much more to the story than just four quadrants.

Many will argue that shiny new 3D technology helped push AVATAR to dizzying heights and while that is true to some degree, SWTFA has nostalgia and an extremely well established fanbase and, count 'em, SIX previous feature releases. SWTFA also has 3D revenue in MORE theaters. AVATAR was an original work. That more than balances the scales.

Here's why AVATAR will remain king of the world in my opinion:
1. James Cameron. The world loves him. They love his movies and love his environmental stance. That's a huge reason why AVATAR commanded the box office it did. SWTFA must measure up to this standard of relevance or fail in my opinion. Cameron is AVATAR's scientist to SWTFA's fantasy magic. It's a very interesting comparison to contrast AVATAR's environmental message to THE FORCE AWAKENS' well... force, and while I'm sure I'll hear from more Star Wars fans on this (I am one!), AVATAR much better aligns with true Science Fiction. Star Wars embraces the supernatural, albeit in a passionate, space opera setting. Don't underestimate the power of "James Cameron Presents". Just his name alone will bring in masses of people. Abrams is good and is getting better, but he doesn't command Cameron's respect yet in the theater - and very probably never will. Cameron IS Captain SciFi. I feel the pure SciFi play is a better option for box office when we're dealing with four quadrant movies.

2. Everyone can relate to AVATAR's story. Indigenous people's oppression. The environment. Corporate greed. Romance. The world responded to it. It had legs. With SWTFA however, the story continually evolves around the soap opera of grandparents, parents, siblings and children with unexpected gasps from audiences as lineages are revealed. There needs to be more at stake and more that relates to our world directly to connect as AVATAR has. THE FORCE AWAKENS needs more meat to move to the next level. Perhaps EP. VIII or the spin offs will.

3. The AVATAR sequels will punch up cinematic technology once again and potentially set the bar even higher in the coming years. You didn't think he was done with just 3D did you? You can bet Cameron will be marketing some new technology very, very hard for the sequels. AVATAR broke amazing ground with 3D, crossing the uncanny valley with photo realism, performance capture and virtual real-time cameras. You can expect more of the same for the sequels only with technology 10 years better. Imagine what he could and will do.

So if not SWTFA, then what will overtake AVATAR? AVATAR 2? Maybe. I suspect the movies will be BETTER than the original (as Cameron always shines in sequels) and will do massive box office, but AVATAR was a must see event for the world. It will be hard to replicate that again and re-energize that urgency. That being said, if there is one person in the world that can beat James Cameron, it's James Cameron. He's already proven that. And there's plenty of causes that are of urgent priority on this planet. Mine that cheddar.

THE MARTIAN Set To Overtake GLADIATOR As Ridley Scott's Top Box Office Draw

Ridley Scott has to be smiling broadly right now as his 3D space adventure THE MARTIAN continues to hold on to first place at the box office. In fact the Matt Damon starrer will overtake GLADIATOR as the top box office draw in all of Scott's releases sometime this week. THE MARTIAN currently stands at $182m and GLADIATOR did $188m worth of business back in 2000.

THE MARTIAN only dropped 27% this past weekend for an estimated take of $11.4m. Couple that with the bombs of SCOUT'S GUIDE, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS and BURNT (which I thought was very good) and voila - Martian Victory. Trouble is definitely on the horizon though as SPECTRE looms large this Friday. The latest James Bond installment just set records over in the UK during it's opening there. It'll open to huge business here as well and will hold it until THE HUNGER GAMES closes up shop with part 2 of MOCKINGJAY.

So congratulations to Ridley Scott for his achievement and continued success with 3D. An amazing accomplishment! Looking forward to ALIEN: PARADISE LOST and more native 3D from Scott and 3ality!!

3D Movie Review: JURASSIC WORLD: 8.8 Stars - 3D Box Office Explodes!!

This review is a bit late getting out I know, but I wanted to ensure I saw it again and I did - 3 times now (recently took the family)! It is indeed that great a movie and the 3D is well worth the extra surcharge at the box office. I personally guarantee it - and I've used my exclusive review format for you.

JURASSIC WORLD is continuing it's stellar success with 3D box office as audiences respond to the jawdropping 3D immersion in the movie. 47% of the box office continues to be 3D. Keep in mind that 3 out of the top 5 movies are 3D - including the top 2, and 5 out of the top 10. Massive numbers for 3D! As of yesterday JW sits at $981.3 million after just over a week in release - it WILL pass $1 billion today (~11 days). Stellar performance - and ANOTHER record as that bounty beats FURIOUS 7 (17 days) for fastest to $1 billion.

I'm astounded with the naysayers out there that continue to try and defend their positions on the movie. They say the CGI is rough, 3D isn't needed, poor character development, blah, blah, blah. I could go on. First of all I haven't seen the movie in 2D and won't until I get it on blu-ray. 3D is how to see it in theaters and if you don't you are truly missing out on the spectacle. Perhaps the CGI in 2D is not as impressive - that has happened before with me: I thought that the effects in a past movie viewed in 2D were unimpressive and not real enough, but when I saw THE EXACT SAME SCENES IN 3D - I was floored! Yes, sometimes visual effects are immensely better in three dimensions and that could be with JW because I see nothing wrong with the CGI performance. 3D does help with suspension of disbelief and in the case of JW - it's almost required.

The 3D conversion is not perfect, but certainly great enough to have a very good time at the show for 99% of audiences. I know what to look for as I have said many times before but for the masses it's perfectly fine. And as I say, 3D is required viewing for the movie - especially as it amps up the visual effects and let's face it, we're going to see dinosaurs here so the CGI and suspension of disbelief is very important. Native 3D still would have been a better choice by the filmmakers. One conversion error was trying to draw the audiences eye to the two boys in the massive crowd as they enter the main park building - they started far too early doing that so the boys appear to float above the others temporarily. Also it highlights the fact that the child actors were waiting for a cue to action before moving within the crowd (my interpretation anyway). So that brought me out of the movie. HOWEVER, other times the conversion seemed to take the time to do things right - like the close attention to detail when the screen was divided many times by thin lines (wires or plant branches) - usually in cheap conversions you can see ugly distortion there as automated conversions can't handle it. These JW scenes definitely had human hands touch them, to clean that up - well done!

Yes character development was not that great, but we're here to see dinosaurs so I cut Trevorrow significant slack in this department. We cared about the kids and they were the linchpin in this movie just as the original JURASSIC PARK. And the story was geared around the dinos again - so whatever. It's a popcorn movie, not freakin' GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS.

Probably the best thing about the movie was the Sound / Score. I thought it was perfect and a further tribute to the original movie. Plenty of "easter eggs" in JW referring back to JP - I won't spoil them, but keep an eye out! And they're not silly references either - some play a key role. Others are just meant as a smile as you nod your head.

Definitely see this movie in 3D and on the largest screen you can. These dinos are meant to be HUGE. Don't make a mistake and just see it in 2D - the world agrees; 3D is how to see it. If you have any questions about the movie before seeing it - the comments are open! :-)

JURASSIC WORLD is NOW PLAYING.

More Details On JURASSIC WORLD'S 3D Performance From RealD!!

JURASSIC WORLD IN 3D SINKS ITS TEETH INTO APPROXIMATELY 48% OF ESTIMATED $204.6 MILLION DOMESTIC OPENING WEEKEND

RealD 3D Equipped Theaters Generated An Estimated $71 Million Of Which $10 Million Was From RealD 3D Equipped PLF Auditoriums

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (June 14, 2015) – RealD Inc. (NYSE: RLD) announced today that Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s epic action-adventure, Jurassic World, continued the strong performance of recent 3D titles in the marketplace generating approximately 48% of its domestic opening weekend gross on 3D equipped screens. RealD 3D accounted for an estimated $71 million of the weekend’s total box office. RealD 3D equipped PLF auditoriums were also in high demand, delivering $10 million of the opening weekend’s total.

In addition to its record-breaking box office distinctions and achievements, Jurassic World is the highest grossing domestic debut ever for RealD. The film surpassed the first movie in The Avengers franchise, which earned more than $70 million in RealD ticket sales in May, 2012.

“Jurassic World’s dino-sized debut is another strong indication that moviegoers want excellent 3D experiences and the studios are providing the best 3D offerings in years…maybe ever,” said Anthony Marcoly, President of Worldwide Cinema at RealD. “2015 will be remembered as a watershed year for this format with one of the strongest 3D slates we have ever seen.”

“Jurassic World in 3D is a fantastic experience which brings the audience closer to the action," said Nicholas Carpou, President of Domestic Distribution for Universal Pictures. "It is no surprise to us that audiences are responding in big numbers to this fantastic film."

Even Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow believes the moviegoing experience is enhanced when his film is seen in 3D. Said Trevorrow, “My goal with this movie was always to make sure Jurassic World felt like a real place and in 3D you feel like you are there… For us, it was about creating the most visceral, immersive experience possible. And this kind of technology (3D) does what I hope the whole movie does, which is make everyone in the audience—regardless of their age—feel like a kid again.”

Recent 3D successes worldwide have included San Andreas, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Avengers: Age of Ultron, among others. Upcoming this summer and through the end of the year, there is growing excitement for 3D motion pictures as diverse as Inside Out, Terminator: Genisys, Minions, The Walk, The Martian, Pixels, Pan, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, among others.

The world’s most widely used 3D cinema technology, RealD 3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately 1,200 exhibitors in 72 countries around the world.

About RealD Inc.
RealD is a leading global licensor of 3D and other visual technologies. RealD's extensive intellectual property portfolio is and can be used in applications that enable a premium viewing experience in the theater, the home and elsewhere. RealD’s core business is the licensing of RealD Cinema Systems and the product sale of RealD eyewear to motion picture exhibitors to enable a premium viewing experience for 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content in the theater.

RealD was founded in 2003 and has offices in Beverly Hills, California; Boulder, Colorado; London, United Kingdom; Moscow, Russia; Shanghai, China; Hong Kong; Tokyo, Japan; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For more information, please visit our website at www.reald.com.

About Jurassic World
In the new film, when the massive and mysterious Indominus rex stages an escape and disappears into the jungle, order turns to mayhem and guests turn into prey. Dinosaurs escape into the open, skies and water to engage in an all-out war for survival, and no corner within the world’s greatest theme park is safe anymore.

Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong and Irrfan Khan star in the 3D epic action-adventure that is directed by Colin Trevorrow and based on characters created by Michael Crichton. The screenplay is by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Derek Connolly & Trevorrow, and the story is by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley are producers. Steven Spielberg and Thomas Tull are executive producers. For more information on the movie, please visit www.jurassicworld.com

Will update you as I get more information!!

Monster Opening Coming For JURASSIC WORLD

JURASSIC WORLD will be taking a huge bite out of the box office this coming weekend - but just how huge? HUGE. Estimates are now pegging the opening at $115 million and while still behind FURIOUS 7 and AGE OF ULTRON it's still a massive opening. I look for it to do more than that - in the $125 million range because I feel the 3D surcharge uplift will be greater than expected.

If you haven't secured your IMAX or premium large format 3D screen now for the weekend, do it SOON. It will be selling out and you don't want to miss this event.

From THR: "Fandango reports that the latest chapter in the “Jurassic Park” franchise is outselling all major 2014 summer blockbusters — a group that includes “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” — at the same point in those film’s sales cycles. The picture accounts for over 90% of all weekend ticket sales."

Here's the movie's storyline:
Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the long-awaited next installment of his groundbreaking Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World. Colin Trevorrow directs the epic action-adventure from a screenplay he wrote with Derek Connolly. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley join the team as producers.

JURASSIC WORLD opens this Friday!

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Throws Down Gauntlet, But Original Holds Box Office Opening Title

Yes, AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON is a force at the box office and justifiably so. It's an amazing movie - again offering up superb editing and character development despite the fact that this assemble cast is not only large, but growing. Was it perfect? No. More on that in my review coming up, but DEFINITELY worth while going to see. It's one of Marvel's top 5 movies.

Ultron opened to $187.7 million in North America, shy of the original's $207.4 million). Yes, the original had the uniqueness of being the first to show off all these heroes on the same screen, but I think even more importantly the villain was well known and adored. Loki. Ultron, while a fairly cool concept was not up to the Loki standard in my opinion. More on that this week.

Internationally Ultron is cleaning up! It's raked in $439 million and it hasn't even opened in China yet, the world's second largest (and soon to be largest) market. Japan's opening is coming up as well.

In total AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON has amassed a staggering $626.7 million already. One would think it has a lock on the yearly box office crown - but not so fast, or should I say fast and furious - FURIOUS 7 has hit $1.43 billion worldwide. I don't think it will have a problem surmounting that figure and perhaps hitting $1.5 or $1.6 billion worldwide, overtaking the original AVENGERS - good enough for third place behind the rare air of James Cameron's space: TITANIC and AVATAR. But we'll see. China will play a huge role in this.

One more movie to throw into the yearly competition is of course STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. That movie is just plain scary when it comes to projecting box office. It could be up in the top 2 of all time.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Eying $1 Billion - Opens To $50m In China!

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES has opened to $49.5m in China which is just about as much as the first Hobbit movie made during it's entire run in the country! Goes to show the recognition that the movie brings now to the Chinese as well as the further development of the theater industry there - especially 3D. With FIVE ARMIES being made in native 3D with world leading 3ality Technica rigs, these box office results underscore what great movie making can achieve.

Peter Jackson's finale to the Hobbit trilogy has raked in $866 million worldwide as of now and as China is it's last major market the echos of the release may be enough to push it to the magic billion dollar mark despite being obviously snubbed by the Academy for Oscars this year. The movie only managed to be nominated for Sound Editing. How it is not at least nominated for Visual Effects is beyond me.

Will THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES hit $1 billion? Will we ever return to Middle-earth again any time soon? I'd dearly love to see some spin offs from these movies - character origins stories, adventures and the like. I doubt the Tolkien estate would allow it, but there would definitely be a huge market for it. Even a bridge movie bringing Legolas together with Strider as described at the end of the movie would be huge.

Can't wait to get the extended trilogy versions on Blu-ray! All the behind the scenes action is what I really enjoy in these boxed sets. Stay tuned for further box office updates!

GOLD! THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Will Open $75M+, Already At $122M+ Overseas - Over 70% Of Total From 3D Screens!

This is it guys. The last trip we will have to Middle-earth for a long time. So go out and enjoy it! Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES opened last night to massive midnight screenings and is projected to hit north of $75 million for the weekend. Add on the $122 million it has already made overseas and we're well on our way to another gigantic release for Tolkien's imagination. Well mostly Tolkien and some kind liberty by a fella known as Peter Jackson.

After seeing the first two releases in this franchise series, it really makes me wonder what Guillermo del Toro's versions would have been like. More practical effects I'm sure, but what would be the big differences? I'm hoping that perhaps some of those concepts get included in the upcoming trilogy blu-ray set for THE HOBBIT next year. They've got my money already, but that would be the icing on the cake.

Back to the matter at hand - I won't be able to see the finale until the weekend, but Tim says he's seen it already so it will be great to see his review on the movie and the native 3D. Mine will be coming forthwith! Can't wait to see all that native 3D goodness, all from the amazing 3D rigs of 3ality Technica. Bring it on!

Here's the movie's storyline:
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES, the third in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.

Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain. As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES is now playing in 3D, HFR 3D, IMAX 3D and flat.

DWA Seeing The Bright Lights Of 3D Crood Oil Getting Refined! THE CROODS Own Number 1

Wow. Dreamworks Animation's (DWA) THE CROODS is really clubbing the competition this weekend! The family friendly movie is enjoying a massive reaction from fans on its first weekend of release, as OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL slips slightly to third at the box office. Still the two 3D movies are doing remarkably well.

In fact the only other 2013 opening weekend that has been better than OZ was THE CROODS; a great one-two punch for 3D so far this year.

What's up next? How about a little flick starring Bruce Willis, The Rock and Channing Tatum: G.I. JOE: RETALIATION in stunning 3D on March 28.

Here are the top five movies this weekend:
1. THE CROODS - $44,700,000 ($44,700,000 / $107,316,000)
2. OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN - $30,500,000 ($30,500,000 / $30,500,000)
3. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL - $22,031,000 ($177, 559,000 / $356,359,000)
4. THE CALL - $8,700,000 ($30,904,000 / $30,904,000)
5. ADMISSION - $6,446,000 ($6,446,000 / $6,446,000)

Stat Source: Box Office Mojo

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D Rips Into Competition **AND** Check The New Red Band Trailer For HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS

John Luessenhop's TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D buzzed the holdovers this Friday with an estimated $10.2 million take and heading for a low $20 million weekend - good enough for first place at the box office.

Meanwhile THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is still hiking up the box office record list very successfully. It may surpass THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING ($23 m) for the best 4th weekend of the Middle-earth Tolkien franchises. JOURNEY is looking at a potential $16 million haul this weekend. Already the movie has gathered $252 million domestically and $513 million for a worldwide total of $765 million.

Here's the top 5 performers on Friday:
1. TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D: $10.2 million
2. DJANGO UNCHAINED: $6.2 million
3. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY: $5.2 million
4. LES MISERABLES: $4.9 million
5. PARENTAL GUIDANCE: $3.1 million

HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS opens on the 25th and thus yet another 3D movie will be pushed into the top 5 - stay tuned for more results next week. In the meantime, have a look at the red band trailer (if you're of age!):



Here's the storyline for the movie:
Catching up with Hansel (Renner) and Gretel (Arterton) 15 years after the traumatic incident involving a gingerbread house, the siblings have evolved into vengeful bounty hunters dedicated to exterminating witches. Over the years, the siblings became expert hunters, famous for their proficiency at tracking and taking down their prey. Although still recovering from their ordeal, their work is relatively easy as for an unknown reason harmful spells and curses do not work well against them.

The Mayor of Augsburg recruits them to rid the town and nearby forests of an evil sorceress (Janssen) who is planning to sacrifice many local children at the witches’ gathering during the upcoming ‘Blood Moon’ night in two days time. To make things worse, the duo also has to deal with the brutal Sheriff Berringer (Stormare) who has taken power in Augsburg and conducts a very indiscriminate witch-hunt of his own.

Stats courtesy of Box Office Mojo
 

THE HOBBIT Pushes On At Box Office - Sees Mountain Of Gold Coming...

First Look At Bilbo In THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is doing very well at the box office thank you very much. After a solid week earning $113,152,900, Bilbo and company settled down to a cool $10.2 million yesterday solidly smacking the competition, namely the Goblin King, Jack Reacher and This is 40 - not necessarily in that order.

Here's the domestic breakdown:
1. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY  $10.2m
2. JACK REACHER  $5.1m
3. THIS IS 40  $3.7m
4. RISE OF THE GUARDIANS  $1.6m
5. THE GUILT TRIP  $1.5m

So how is THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY doing verses THE LORD OF THE RINGS franchise domestically? Very well again! It was the top of the family for Days 1 and 2 then slipped to second for Day 3. It was bringing up the rear for Days 4 to 7 and was third on day 8. Of course it's not a great comparison due to which days of the week were holidays and which were not, but at least we know THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is in the same ballpark as LOTR movies so that means that parity or beyond is certainly achieveable for the first outing of dwarves.

Worldwide is amazing too. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY has $123m from domestic coffers but also $138m from international tallies for a total of $261m already. Yes. $1 billion is reasonable and certainly $900m is achievable. JOURNEY also puts the follow up movies in a very good place and as the action picks up so should the business side of it's show business.

I'll have more numbers when they fall into place. Stay tuned!

Stats Source: Box Office Mojo

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA Sends Bruce Willis For A Loop!

Sony Pictures is enjoying a one - two punch at the box office this weekend with their new animation HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (HT) taking top spot. By a lot.

HT is looking at a potential $40 million weekend! I've liked the trailers leading up to it so I'm not all that surprised. I thought LOOPER would do a bit more and at least challenge, but it's not. A solid $6.9 million on Friday, but not enough to hold off HT with $11 million.

I expect to see HT keep up the momentum throughout the weekend and probably hit north of $40 m.

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION And FINDING NEMO 3D Own Box Office

Finally some action at the box office! It's been awhile since a movie has taken the bull by the horns but now we have a couple of 3D movies playing in the rodeo. Both movies have a history of course so that helps too. And are going #1 and #2 for the weekend right now.

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION  is the fifth installment of the Resident Evil franchise and it not showing much signs of slowing down at all. In fact, 3D has seemed to inject even further energy into the series starring Milla Jovovich. RE:R took in $8.4 million on Friday and is expected to bring in between $22-25 million this weekend which isn't far from it's last installment that brought in ~$26 million back a couple of years ago.

FINDING NEMO 3D is of course the re-release of the beloved Pixar tale this time being presented in 3D. NEMO brought in $5.1 million on Friday and is looking at a ~$18 - 20 million weekend. If you haven't seen the movie - by all means go see it. Especially in 3D!

So - a great weekend for 3D movie fans and seeing as though these are two movies I have been anxiously awaiting, I'm going to be busy this the next couple of days. Enjoy!

MUST WATCH: New Trailer For DWA's RISE OF THE GUARDIANS Displays Record Breaking Potential

Ok, I've seen enough and I'm calling it. This year will be a record breaker for animation movies. This summer Fox's ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT is going to do gangbusters around the world and set a very high bar, but I believe Dreamworks Animation's RISE OF THE GUARDIANS will rival it come this November.

It will surely be Dreamworks Animation's highest grossing movie of all time and that means the highest domestic grossing animation of all time as DWA's SHREK 2 is the current domestic record holder at $441m.

I have ICE AGE 4 as my most anticipated animation of 2012, but RISE OF THE GUARDIANS makes it tempting to revise that statement. The technical proficiency that DWA has acquired over the past 2 years is staggering. They are on par now with Pixar in my books and perhaps surpassing given their recent example of BRAVE (which I loved btw). Not all movies for these studios exhibit their best work of course, but for the most part DWA is rapidly going places. Pixar continues to excel and Sony and Fox seem to always surprise me with their creations. 

Will one of these movies surpass TOY STORY 3 ($1.06b worldwide)? I don't think so. But they will push it I'm sure.

Here's the official storyline:

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, based on the forthcoming books by William Joyce, will be released on November 21, 2012. It's directed by Peter Ramsey and co-directed by Joyce. The film is being produced by Christina Steinberg (Bee Movie, National Treasure) and Nancy Bernstein, long-time head of Production at DreamWorks Animation. Rise of the Guardians is being written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro and Michael Siegel. Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law stars. More than a collection of the well-known childhood legends, Rise of the Guardians is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes – each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.

The characters are well thought out. The worldwide appeal will be staggering and kids will demand to see it. This is such an easy slam dunk for DWA! Kudos to the development team. And I know their Head of Layout - Damon O'beirne (KFP2) and execution by Stereographer Willem Drees will deliver a top flight 3D experience for us. Look at the content! Flying creatures and free flowing sand? The screen is going to soak up the 3D for us and swallow us whole. Trust me, this thing is set to go ballistic.

Yes, I'm kinda putting my neck out there - but I know a winner when I see it and I'm not afraid of saying it. You should know that by now. Bring on the holiday season DWA! :-)

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS opens on November 21.

Here's the trailer - ENJOY!

Update On SPIDER-MAN And ICE AGE 4 Opening Overseas And An Impressive Run For MIB3

It always kind of bothered me that so many websites take the domestic tally at the box office as the primary measurement of success for a movie. Clearly that's wrong and yet so many still only cite domestic take as if it was the only one. Heck Canada is a foreign country and yet is thrown in with the domestic take.

That should soon fade away I hope as the international box office plays a larger and larger role. The studios have finally recognized it and have begun releasing their tentpoles in foreign countries weeks if not months prior to North American venues.

Take ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT which took in am impressive $78m and first place in ALL of its markets. Fox's marketing overseas has been done very well yet again, like with the "Sid Shuffle" being shot all over the world.


Or how about THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN which opened with $50.2 - it is doing better than THE AVENGERS in South Korea (which also opened overseas first). SPIDER-MAN also had the highest ever Hollywood launch in India ($6m) thanks to the appearance of Irrfan Khan, a Bollywood star.

Want more proof? How about MEN IN BLACK 3. It has grossed a HUGE $429.8m overseas and what did it do domestically so far? $169.6m. Clearly the foreign market is MORE important than domestic for some movies. MIB3 is now the highest grossing of its franchise.

We'll continue to watch these tentpoles as they open in more markets, including North America. SPIDER-MAN opens tomorrow here (midnight screenings tonight - free posters!) and ICE AGE 4 on July 13.

Stat source: Box Office Mojo

Weekend Movie Review: BRAVE 9 Stars, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER 7 Stars

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In a showdown of 3D movies opening this weekend (indeed 4 out of the top 5 movies are 3D), Pixar's BRAVE easily comes out on top. In fact another 3D animation holdover, MADAGASCAR 3 may very well win second place over Timur Bakmambetov / Tim Burton's ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER. It's a shame too because I was looking forward to seeing how well this "newer" type of mash-up genre film could perform.

There are some MINOR, minor spoilers in these reviews. Nothing to worry about in my mind.

BRAVE is an amazing movie. I live in Nova Scotia (Canada) means New Scotland - our landscape, music and culture is deeply tied to Scotland. Many have the accent to some degree as well here. So who knows, I may be a little biased toward the content of BRAVE, but I had my reservations about the movie right from the start. Pixar proved me wrong.

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I was actually a bit surprised by the intensity of the mother / daughter dynamics despite being slightly clued into it by the run up marketing. Perhaps because this type of movie is so rare. Certainly word of mouth within the female demographics should nicely ramp. Believe me, my surprise was a GOOD one and I really appreciated watching this movie.

I purposely studied the mother / daughter pairs in the theater after the film - very, very interesting. Some were hugging. Others wiping their eyes. Others were watching the credits, then seemed to gain some insight, turned to look at each other and smile, talking about the movie; seemingly talking for the first time in a long time. Seemingly so anyway. I feel BRAVE has that kind of power and it is so needed today. I hope the marketing team can push the affinity of the movie for mothers to take their daughters. Bravo to the team. Of course the visuals continue to improve and amaze, but BRAVE had me with the females.

The 3D is suitably used, but not to the degree I feel that they should be considering. Pixar could use more depth - like some scenes in PROMETHEUS, but it was a safe 3D movie. There should be no complaints. Bob Whitehill, Pixar's 3D supervisor contacted me last night to ask whether I had seen it yet and I let him know how I felt. A spectacular achievement and a must see for mothers and daughters out there.

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER on the other hand suffered. Suspension of disbelief was NOT achieved for me. I could not immerse myself in the movie at any time whatsoever so in that respect it was a total failure.

The redeeming qualities of the movie were that director Timur Bakmambetov has some skill so the action scenes were quite well orchestrated. I found the historical references interesting too - like the construction of the various Washington landmarks and what was on Lincoln's desktop in the White House.

Improvements? If the President were fighting criminals or some sort of normal human threat to the nation well then the movie would have scored significantly higher for me. But vampires? It never sold me. The madly waving axe all about Lincoln's body while he positioned for his next kill looked idiotic, just as it does in the trailers. A complete waste of energy and certainly not a offensive tactic. How he came to be able to chop down that tree in the trailer with a single blow is ridiculous too. Sorry doesn't work.

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The story and character development was flawed to me as well, even in the face of the best selling book of the same name. I found it incredulous that a young boy would remember the details of his mother's murder - that he wouldn't block out certain aspects of it. The movie would have been served to us so much more effectively had Lincoln had a breakdown as a young man and suddenly realized what really happened.  If he had inherited some sort of power from his father would have helped too. We are made to realize that ANYONE could be a vampire killer if they had a simple 2 minute instruction. **Sigh**

And the ending? Well I don't want to spoil that for you, but an obvious ending did NOT take place that would have set up a sequel - a sequel that MAY have improved the story quite a bit. In fact had this ending occurred, I would have rather seen the subsequent years afterward as a movie instead of this "prequel". We may never see this now. Anyway, it's hard to discuss something I can't divulge here. We can discuss in the comments if you wish!

Here are the anticipated box office returns for the weekend:
1. Brave - $64.7 million
2. Abraham Lincoln - $17.1 million
3. Madagascar 3 - $15.3 million (-55%)
4. Prometheus - $10.7 million (-48%)
5. Seeking a Friend - $8.2 million

Special thanks to Empire Theatres for the screening!

Box Office Estimates: Box Office Mojo

MADAGASCAR 3 A Little Scared By PROMETHEUS But In The End Wins Box Office

I haven't seen MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE'S MOST WANTED just yet, but I will this week. You can tell audiences were craving some family fodder as they haven't had a new entry in quite some time. In fact, my 6 year old son was invited to go see THE AVENGERS this past weekend because there was nothing else posted on the local theater site 2 weeks in advance. I'm sure they would have chosen MADAGASCAR 3 had they been aware of it. Anyway, we couldn't allow him to go as the movie just isn't appropriate for any child under 10, with a parent or not (in my books).

But I digress. MADAGASCAR 3 opened to the tune of $60,316,738 domestically and $135,816,738 worldwide. Impressive numbers and it just about matches the other two franchise entries that Dreamworks Animation has created for us.

Part of the reason for that excellent box office number is the 3D of course, but further than that MADAGASCAR 3 was the third widest theatrical release of all time! Yes, 4,258 theaters housed the animation and only SHREK FOREVER AFTER (4,359 theaters) and HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (4,325 theaters) had more. That helps. Clearly it is a beloved franchise worldwide.


Ridley Scott's PROMETHEUS did remarkably well too this weekend taking in $51,050,101 domestically and $142,550,101 worldwide thus far. This movie I have seen and believe me it is worth the trip to see it on the big screen! Domestically, it is the 10th best opening for an 'R' rated movie of all time. Not bad at all.

Word of mouth should keep PROMETHEUS rolling along as discussions turn to arguments! I know I will be seeing it again this week at some point.

I love seeing 3D movies at the top of the charts time and time again. In fact 4 out of the top 5 movies this weekend were 3D movies. Did you know that THE AVENGERS still raked in over $11m this weekend? Amazing. They'll be passing $1.4b this week.

Stats Source: Box Office Mojo