The box office results for the weekend of July 22nd – 24th sees a traditional hero trump this decade’s phenom. “Captain America” opened solid while the record-breaking Potter finale nearly disappeared in round two. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Captain America: The First Avenger ($65.8 million) 2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($48 million) 3. Friends with Benefits ($18.5 million) 4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($12 million) 5. Horrible Bosses ($11.7 million) 6. Zookeeper ($8.7 million) 7. Cars 2 ($5.7 million) 8. Winnie the Pooh ($5.1 million) 9. Bad Teacher ($2.6 million) 10. Midnight in Paris ($1.9 million) Analysis Dropping 72% from its opening weekend  [ Read More ]

It all ends here? Maybe not. After a $169 million start, there’s a good chance Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 could hang on to that #1 spot. Even if Harry falls 60%, it’ll still come in with another $67 million, an amount newcomer Captain America: The First Avenger might have a tough time matching as so far this summer, the highest opening superhero film is Thor and it only posted a $65.7 million at the end of week one. There’s no reason to think Captain America will make any less, but Potter certainly has a very good shot at trumping whatever The First Avenger does pull in.  [ Read More ]

A week or so ago I got the chance to go to the press junket for the new movie “The Help.” Along with that, I got the awesome chance to speak to producer Chris Columbus. He may be just the producer on “The Help,” but a couple of films he’s most noted for directing is the first two “Harry Potter” movies. Now that we’re on the opening weekend of the final film in the whole franchise, I was able to chat with the filmmaker and have him reflect back on those first movies being the great building blocks for one of the most profitable fantasy franchises within the past couple  [ Read More ]

Happy Sunday! Or should I say, happy Harry Potter week? After seven days of madness courtesy of the grand finale of the eight-film franchise, the web world is drenched in Potter news, discussion pieces, lists, photos and more. It’s a wonder there was room for any non-HP news. However, we did get quite a bit of information on some other highly anticipated upcoming projects, particularly in the image department. Not only did we get a look at The Amazing Spider-Man and Underworld: Awakenings, but Total Recall and The Hobbit, too. It was also a busy week for trailers as far too many debuted to even squeeze into this Cheat Sheet.  [ Read More ]

The box office results for the weekend of July 15th – 17th is the most magical one we’ve seen in three years. Harry Potter’s grand finale has vanquished The Twilight Saga and The Dark Knight respectively from the record books on its opening weekend. Here are the studio estimates: 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($168.5 million) 2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($21.2 million) 3. Horrible Bosses ($17.6 million) 4. Zookeeper ($12.3 million) 5. Cars 2 ($8.3 million) 6. Winnie the Pooh ($8 million) 7. Bad Teacher ($5.2 million) 8. Larry Crowne ($2.5 million) 9. Super 8 ($1.9 million) 10. Midnight in Paris ($1.8 million) Analysis  [ Read More ]

Strangely, the box office chatter about possible record-breakers seemingly excluded “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” Well all that is about to change. The final Potter flick trounced the all-time opening midnight record set by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ($30 million and change) with a magnificent $43.5 million. This guy was on the seen in Tampa, FL and saw costumed lines forming around 6 p.m. for the highly-anticipated midnight opening at local theaters. Let’s just say it was the perfect storm with a heralded franchise finale, along with 3D ticket prices. Budgeted at $250 million, attention now turns to the all-time domestic opening weekend record held by 2008′s  [ Read More ]

Can Transformers: Dark of the Moon go three for three? Fat chance. In fact, there’s a good chance Dark of the Moon could lose its highest earner of 2011 title fairly soon, too. The release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is packing an incredible amount of hype all of which is about to explode throughout a whopping 4,200+ locations. Should Part 2 debut with the same $30,300 per theater average as Part 1, we’re looking at a $130 million weekend which would make The Deathly Hallows Part 2 the strongest opener of the franchise. Winnie the Pooh is also set for a wide release this week,  [ Read More ]

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Directed By: David Yates Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davis, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Isaacs, Helen McCrory, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray, Bonnie Wright, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, Gary Oldman, Robbie Coltrane After ten years and seven films, it’s a near impossible task to wrap up the Harry Potter franchise. As someone who’s never read the books, I sat down for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 expecting to say goodbye to the gang in their graves  [ Read More ]

Sure May sort of marks the start of the summer movie season, but now that we’re past the summer solstice, June 21st, things are really starting to heat up. Not only are trailers and posters pouring in, but major updates on upcoming projects, too. Academy Award nominated director David O. Russell is loading up his next cast with famous faces as is Woody Allen and the director of Snow White and the Huntsman, Rupert Sanders. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Joel Courtney is seizing opportunities that came his way, likely courtesy of Super 8, and looks to lock in two upcoming projects. Sure, there’s an abundance of casting news this week, but as  [ Read More ]

Today was the day Potter fans have patiently waited for…well, one of the days Potter fans have waited for (we still have the premiere of the last film left!). “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has finally revealed what her site, Pottermore, actually is. According to the press release, Pottermore is a site that will have new information on the Potter characters and will also act as a hub where people can buy the “Harry Potter” e-books: For this groundbreaking collaborative project, J.K. Rowling has written extensive new material about the characters, places and objects in the much-loved stories, which will inform, inspire and entertain readers as they journey through the  [ Read More ]

Happy weekend and a happy Father’s Day to all you Shockya.com readers out there with kiddies. What better way to come down from a day packed with love, presents and good BBQ food than a Movie News Cheat Sheet? Not only do we have updates on plans for San Diego Comic Con and a wrap up of all the material that emerged from the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, but the latest on two much-talked-about projects that have yet to reach the green light, the Hot Wheels movie and Jurassic Park 4. We’ve also got some casting news to share for both the Percy Jackson sequel and The Hobbit, plus  [ Read More ]

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has a new “Harry Potter” project in the works, this time in the form of a website. The site, called “Pottermore”, is, at least for the rest of us, is just a purple “coming soon” site with two owls (one of them being Hedwig even though she’s *SPOILER ALERT* dead?) on either side, sitting on branches. Also, according to Entertainment Weekly, Rowling will have an announcement about the site and what it means in five days’ time. While EW figures the site is some type of MMORPG (and, in a way, it seems the most logical idea), some, like me, have a feeling there will  [ Read More ]

When you saw Wizard Chess in the first “Harry Potter” film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”, did that make you wish you had your own special chess set (a non-moving kind, of course)? Well, now you may be able to own your own “Harry Potter” chess set! Time Life has created their very own version of an “enchanted” wizard chess set. The set includes pieces that are interactive: queens glow, knights neigh, bishops crash and rooks float on the board. The chess board itself lights up in order to show your progress across the board. Also in the chess set are 32 easy-to-read manuals that teach how to play  [ Read More ]

While the Movie News Cheat Sheet is generally geared towards brightening up your work or school week with the best in movie news, this time around, utilizing the info will be that much more fun as you’ve still got a whole day left of the weekend. When your mouth isn’t full with Memorial Day BBQ fare, you’ll have all the latest in film news to keep the conversation flowing. Of course everyone will be talking about the hottest thing in theaters this weekend, The Hangover Part II, but you can take it one step further by learning the stats in the Box Office section of the piece. And how about  [ Read More ]

Are you a “Harry Potter” gaming fan? Well, pay attention! EA Games’s EA Play label has officially started their “E.A. Reporters” competition! the competition will select fans to win a trip to EA’s UK-based Bright Light Studio to meet the development team behind the “Harry Potter” video games, as well as actor Tom Felton (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)! Here’s what fans must do to enter: Fans need only create a short, original video, highlighting both their love of the Harry Potter franchise and the video games, and then submit online. Finalists will be selected by an EA internal panel, and winners (as voted by the community)  [ Read More ]