“Jack the Giant Slayer” opened at #1, but failed to justify its monumental budget; will “Oz The Great and Powerful” meet the same fate? Absolutely not. This is the same weekend back in 2010 that “Alice in Wonderland” opened with an incredible $116 million, but it’s also the same weekend “John Carter” took just $30 million in 2012. While “Oz” doesn’t have a chance at matching “Alice,” it could find middle ground between the two, which would give it a rock solid $80 million to start. Unfortunately for our second newcomer, “Dead Man Down,” it’s only going to take the smallest fraction of that amount, perhaps just $7 million. Then  [ Read More ]

The box office results for the weekend of March 1st – 3rd sees Jack the Giant Slayer crowned the winner. Meanwhile, 21 and Over tries to get into the mix and The Last Exorcism Part 2 seemingly lost its hold on the niche audience. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Jack the Giant Slayer ($28 million) 2. Identity Thief ($9.7 million) 3. 21 and Over ($9 million) 4. The Last Exorcism Part II ($8 million) 5. Snitch ($7.7 million) 6. Escape from Planet Earth ($6.7 million) 7. Safe Haven ($6.3 million) 8. Silver Linings Playbook ($5.9 million) 9. A Good Day to Die Hard ($4.5 million) 10. Dark Skies ($3.5  [ Read More ]

Summer is still two months away, but we’re creeping closer to some of the bigger movies of the year and this first weekend of March proves it. We’ve got four new wide releases making their way into theaters – “21 and Over,” “Jack the Giant Slayer,” “The Last Exorcism Part II,” and “Phantom” – and while some may post semi-solid earnings, the abundance of competition could keep each from taking as much as they were likely intended to. With 3,525 theaters, it should be an easy win for Bryan Singer’s “Jack the Giant Slayer.” The film’s enjoyed a strong promotional campaign as well as some fairly positive reviews thus far,  [ Read More ]

Goodbye, 2012. Hello, 2013! Now that we can officially dub 2012 the year of “Argo,” it’s time to look to the future and revel in what the film industry will have to offer down the line. Odds are “Ender’s Game” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” won’t be winning any Oscars, but the new promotional material unveiled for both does hint at some major potential. And for folks bummed about the news that James Franco likely won’t be back for “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” don’t you worry because director Matt Reeves just recruited a pair of equally talented stars. Ready for an Oscar rundown and updates on  [ Read More ]

The box office results for the weekend of February 22nd – 24th sees a balanced attack as audiences spread the wealth among newbies and holdovers. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Identity Thief ($14.1 million) 2. Snitch ($13 million) 3. Escape from Planet Earth ($11 million) 4. Safe Haven ($10.6 million) 5. A Good Day to Die Hard ($10 million) 6. Dark Skies ($8.8 million) 7. Silver Linings Playbook ($6 million) 8. Warm Bodies ($4.7 million) 9. Side Effects ($3.5 million) 10. Beautiful Creatures ($3.4 million) Analysis Out of the two new releases, Dark Skies looks to be in the best shape despite a mid-pack performance. With a production budget  [ Read More ]

While “Snitch” may feel the effects of an overabundance of recent action hero thrillers, “Dark Skies” is bound to benefit from the distance between it and “Mama.” While it won’t match “Mama’s” $28.4 million start, it does have a good shot at doing so with the 2010 release, “Legion,” which kicked off its run with about $17 million. As for “Snitch,” without the backbone of a powerful franchise like “A Good Day to Die Hard,” it could be heading towards a lackluster start, something along the lines of “The Mechanic’s” $11 million. We go back to “A Good Day to Die Hard” for a look at the box office veterans.  [ Read More ]

Another week, another load of big casting updates to report! We’ve got major moves happening on the villain front for both “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and “Tomorrowland.” “Guardians of the Galaxy” is also near to securing another cast member while news surfaced that the new “Star Wars” trilogy might have locked Harrison Ford to return as Han Solo. Think those are big? Wait until you what else we’ve got coming your way in your weekly Movie News Cheat Sheet. 1. Jennifer Lawrence Reteams with David O. Russell and Bradley Cooper: Looks like David O. Russell is eager to stick with a good thing, and who could blame him? As  [ Read More ]

The box office results for 2013′s Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day extended weekend sees a threesome fighting for dominant position. A Good Day to Die Hard and Safe Haven led the four new releases, yet are still having a pillow-fight with last week’s winning attraction Identity Thief. Here are the studio estimates for the 3-day weekend: 1. A Good Day to Die Hard ($25 million) 2. Identity Thief ($23.4 million) 3. Safe Haven ($21.4 million) 4. Escape from Planet Earth ($16 million) 5. Warm Bodies ($9 million) 6. Beautiful Creatures ($7.4 million) 7. Side Effects ($6.3 million) 8. Silver Linings Playbook ($6 million) 9. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ($3.4 million) 10.  [ Read More ]

Who’s going to get the most love at the box office on Valentine’s Day? “Beautiful Creatures,” “A Good Day to Die Hard,” and “Safe Haven” are all arriving early in honor of the holiday. Should “Safe Haven” keep in line with “Dear John” and “The Vow,” it could be heading towards a strong start. However, with Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel being less of a draw than Channing Tatum and “Safe Haven” going up against what could be solid competition, it may fall shy of “Dear John’s” $30 million opening with something more along the lines of $22 million. However, tack on its Valentine’s Day start, and that could mean  [ Read More ]

Apologies in advance for drowning you in anticipation, but this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet is loaded with updates on promising new projects. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star Quvenzhane Wallis might ride the Oscar wave straight towards a big, new role, possibly leading Will Gluck’s remake of “Annie.” The futuristic thriller “Young Ones” just loaded up on star power, casting Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, Elle Fanning, and Kodi Smit-McPhee while the atomic bomb drama, “Midnight Sun,” did the same, locking in Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Kruger and Emile Hirsch. Check out the details of those stories as well as the plan for Ellen Page’s directorial debut, the latest on Laika’s  [ Read More ]

The box office results for the weekend of February 8th – 10th has comedy stealing money away from the rest of the pack. Identity Thief snagged more loot out of the proverbial safe than expected while Steven Soderbergh’s apparent swan song, Side Effects, may have the director going out on a depressing financial note. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Identity Thief ($36.5 million) 2. Warm Bodies ($11.5 million) 3. Side Effects ($10 million) 4. Silver Linings Playbook ($6.9 million) 5. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ($5.7 million) 6. Mama ($4.3 million) 7. Zero Dark Thirty ($4 million) 8. Argo ($2.5 million) 9. Django Unchained ($2.2 million) 10. Bullet to  [ Read More ]

We’ve got a pair of new wide releases hitting theaters this weekend and while neither faces much in-genre competition, they also don’t pack the power to pull in much money. “Identity Thief” is due in over 3,000 theaters, but should it find itself in a similar place as the February 2011 comedy release, “Hall Pass,” it’ll only take $14 million opening weekend. As for “Side Effects,” even with solid reviews, a decent promotional effort, and four very famous faces, the appeal of the material may not stretch wide enough for the film to make much of a dent at the box office. It could wind up with a “From Paris  [ Read More ]

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Not into the obligatory big game celebration? No plans to talk about the event after the final whistle is blown? Your weekly Movie News Cheat Sheet has your back, coming at you with movie industry highlights for after the grand finale of the football season comes and goes. We’ve got the latest on the game-to-film adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment’s “Warcraft,” all the new additions to the SXSW lineup, the details of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” shooting schedule and casting process, and more. Scroll down for your must-know movie news of the past week. 1. Duncan Jones to Direct “Warcraft:” Sadly sure this video game-to-film adaptation would  [ Read More ]

The box office results for Super Bowl weekend sees something familiar – with a clever twist – easily rise above something old – that’s just going through the tired motions. Zombie-themed Warm Bodies came to life while throwback action flick Bullet to the Head barely registered a pulse. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Warm Bodies ($20 million) 2. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ($9.2 million) 3. Silver Linings Playbook ($8.1 million) 4. Mama ($6.7 million) 5. Zero Dark Thirty ($5.3 million) 6. Bullet to the Head ($4.5 million) 7. Parker ($3.2 million) 8. Django Unchained ($3 million) 9. Lincoln ($2.4 million) 10. Les Miserables ($2.4 million) Analysis For those  [ Read More ]

After closing out January on a rather weak note, “Warm Bodies” could manage to turn things around, even during Super Bowl weekend. Between the persistent promotional campaign and solid reviews, the book-to-film adaptation could wind up matching “The Woman in Black.” The two certainly aren’t tonal matches, but “Warm Bodies” will tap into the young adult fan base just like anything starring Daniel Radcliffe. This time last year, “The Woman in Black” opened surprisingly big, taking the #2 spot with $20.9 million and considering “Warm Bodies” doesn’t have a “Chronicle” to go up against, it could easily secure #1 with the same intake. Based on “The Last Stand” and “Parker’s”  [ Read More ]