Cinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.com/media/feedlogo.gifCinematicalhttp://www.cinematical.comen-usCopyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Dominate the Virtual Multiplex with 'FlickPicks'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/dominate-virtual-multiplex-flickpicks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/dominate-virtual-multiplex-flickpicks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/12/dominate-virtual-multiplex-flickpicks/#commentsFiled under: ,


As much as some people hate to talk about the box office side of the movie business, every film buff at least thinks about the opening haul at one point or another. There are those who idly glance at who landed in first place or who took third -- and then there are those who make financial predictions that require actual decimal placement. Regardless of which side you find yourself relating to, I at least guarantee that every single film geek has looked up showtimes at their local theater and groaned at the line-up, wondering why aren't they showing the new Indie X or how coming Blockbuster Y is still taking up two screens.

Well now there is a website that combines the fascination of what's popular with the frustration of trying to decide what's popular. It's called FlickPicks and it lets anyone who signs up become a virtual movie theater owner for free. It works a little like this: You have Monday through Thursday to choose what films you're going to show and how many screens each film is going to occupy. On Friday FlickPicks locks down your selections and then once the numbers roll in on over the weekend, invisible computer elves calculate how much money your hypothetical theater made and assign points accordingly.

Continue reading Dominate the Virtual Multiplex with 'FlickPicks'

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]]>box officeBoxOfficeflick picksFlickPicksmovie gamesMovieGamesPeter HallThu, 12 Nov 2009 19:18:00 ESTDiscuss: What Will Everyone Else Think About 'Precious'?http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/11/precious-movie-debate/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/11/precious-movie-debate/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/11/precious-movie-debate/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Oprah is pushing both Precious and the book it's based on, Push by Sapphire, on her show, and I'm seriously curious to know what her audience will think about it. How many people will be able to watch a film told from the point of view of an illiterate high schooler who is raped by her father, physically (and, in the book, sexually) abused by her mother, hates herself for not being white, has given birth to one child with Down's Syndrome who's nicknamed Mongo (short for Mongoloid), and is pregnant for a second time with her father's child?

Let's assume that Oprah's reach is strong enough and far enough to get her demographic to plunk down their eight to 12 dollars to see Precious - the Oprah Effect in full effect. (You can find out where and when Precious is playing near you on the official movie website.)

I'm not talking about critics and journalists or the people in big cities who like to participate in a friendly Oscar pool or want to be up on what was in the New York Times. They're already seeing the movie in droves; it made $1.8M in limited release its opening weekend. The latest numbers I could find on her demographic are from 2007, back when people were wondering if Oprah could help get a president elected. (Answer: Yes, she can.)

According to Nielsen via MSNBC, "Oprah's audience is predominantly female, white, and over the age of 55. Nationally 7.4 million people watch Oprah daily -- about 2.6% of American households. Four percent of American women (about 5.7 million) watch her daily, compared with 1.2% of men (1.7 million people). Overall, 2% of all 18- to 49-year-olds watch Oprah."

Continue reading Discuss: What Will Everyone Else Think About 'Precious'?

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]]>Gabourey SidibeGaboureySidibelee danielsLeeDanielsmariah careyMariahCareymarketingmoniqueoprahoscarPaula PattonPaulaPattonpreciousPrecious:BasedOnTheNovelPushBySapphirepushtyler perryTylerPerryJenni MillerWed, 11 Nov 2009 22:18:00 ESTIndie Roundup: Swanberg Sex, Veterans Day Docshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/11/indie-roundup-swanberg-sex-veterans-day-docs/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/11/indie-roundup-swanberg-sex-veterans-day-docs/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/11/indie-roundup-swanberg-sex-veterans-day-docs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Cinematical's Indie Roundup

Indie Roundup is your guide to what's new and cool in the indie film world.

On-Demand / Online Viewing. Love him or find him irritating, he's practically a category unto himself now. Joe Swanberg continues to explore the endlessly fascinating topic of twenty-something romantic relationships in Young American Bodies, a web series now on IFC.com. Season 4 debuted on Monday at IFC.com, and future episodes of the five-part series will premiere on a weekly basis. If you're a Swanberg fan, you'll want to check it out: it expands on his vision of sex and everything that leads up to it and follows afterward: elusive, kinda real, kinda fake, pretty messy.

In honor of Veterans Day, SnagFilms presents a selection of films appropriate for the occasion, covering a national shrine in Arlington: Field of Honor, dangerous missions in Baghdad Bound: Devil Dog Diaries, remembering the Battle for Midway, and so one. Truly, there's something for everyone to discover among the documentaries showcases. Similarly, Hulu has two films of interest: Jerabek, the tragic story of U.S. Marine Ryan Jerabek, and When I Came Home, which covers the troubling issue of homelessness among veterans.

Also newly available online: the enchanting "banjo player goes to Africa" doc Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart (on iTunes) and a close-up (sorry) view of artist Chuck Close (also on iTunes).

Deals. As always, our friends at indieWIRE has been tracking recent acquisitions. The latest: romance My Year Without Sex (Strand Releasing, due spring 2010); drama The Good Heart, with Brian Cox and Paul Dano, directed by the very talented Dagur Kari (Magnolia Pictures, due next year); and social satire The Joneses, with David Duchovny and Demi Moore (Roadside Attractions, due spring 2010).

After the jump: more than Precious at the box office.

Continue reading Indie Roundup: Swanberg Sex, Veterans Day Docs

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]]>bela fleck throw down your heartBelaFleckThrowDownYourHeartchuck closeChuckClosejerabekjoe swanbergJoeSwanbergmy year without sexMyYearWithoutSexthe good heartthe jonesesTheGoodHeartTheJoneseswhen i came homeWhenICameHomeyoung american bodiesYoungAmericanBodiesPeter MartinWed, 11 Nov 2009 18:02:00 ESTFun with Math: The Huge Box Office Numbers for 'Precious'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/fun-with-math-the-huge-box-office-numbers-for-precious/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/fun-with-math-the-huge-box-office-numbers-for-precious/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/10/fun-with-math-the-huge-box-office-numbers-for-precious/#commentsFiled under: ,

The final numbers are in, and the estimated $1.8 million earned by Precious in its limited-release opening weekend wasn't an exaggeration. In fact, it was a little short: The Sundance-prize-winning, Oprah-endorsed indie drama actually made $1,872,458 between Friday and Sunday. (Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo.) The reason that's so impressive is that it was only playing in 18 theaters, for an average of $104,025 per theater. For comparison's sake, A Christmas Carol made $8,159 per theater.

So let's put on our nerd hats and break down those Precious numbers. While it's only in 18 theaters, it played on 35 screens, because most cineplexes, anticipating the demand, booked two prints. (The per-screen average, therefore, was $53,499.) I looked at each theater's listings and added up how many showings the movie had over the weekend. That number was 507.

Then the math: It made $1,872,458 in 507 showings, for an average of $3,693 per showing. The average ticket price at the theaters in question is $11 (disregarding things like senior discounts and slightly cheaper prices for Friday matinees). That means each screening sold an average of about 335 tickets, which is surely the capacity for a lot of those theaters. That means a sell-out crowd for almost every screening. I guess I could have found out how many people each theater seats and determined exactly how many sell-outs there were, but that would be silly.

Box Office Mojo says the $104,025 per-theater average is the 12th highest ever -- but the 11 films ahead of it were all playing in no more than six locations. Precious played in 18 and still had a huge per-theater average. Any way you slice it, the delightful feel-good romp of the year opened with a splash.

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]]>featurednerderynumber-crunchingpreciousthings Oprah likesThingsOprahLikesEric D. SniderTue, 10 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Christmas Carol' and 'Precious' Bow Bighttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/09/weekend-box-office-christmas-carol-and-precious-bow-big/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/09/weekend-box-office-christmas-carol-and-precious-bow-big/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/09/weekend-box-office-christmas-carol-and-precious-bow-big/#commentsFiled under: ,

I was considering a title pun on Richard Kelly getting Box-ed out -- which works on multiple levels!! -- but I couldn't pull the trigger. That, though, is my main concern this weekend, to be honest: I am heartbroken (though not surprised) that Kelly's wonderful, hugely ambitious sci-fi flick couldn't get a foothold at the box office. People at my Thursday night screening thought they had seen one of the worst movies ever, which I guess is what happens when you're led to expect harmless PG-13 horror and get something so radically different. I also suspect that Donnie Darko would have been similarly received had it opened on 2,600 screens instead of building its cult cred in mini-release and on DVD.

Anyway, The Boxearned $7.9 million -- not a total disaster for a $25 million movie, but not exactly a resume-builder for Kelly to the extent he has commercial ambitions. It was roundly defeated by the rest of the weekend's newcomers, most notably A Christmas Carol, which took first place with $31 million. That may not seem like a lot, but note that Zemeckis's The Polar Express opened to even less on its way to $180 million. I predict that A Christmas Carol, which looks wonderful on IMAX 3-D, will hold up well.

The weekend's other big winner was Precious, which Lionsgate pushed to an impressive $100,000 per-screen average on 18 screens. Even accounting for the very limited release, that's pretty strong; Brokeback Mountain-like numbers ($80-90 million) are probably within reach.

More, and the weekend top 10, after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Christmas Carol' and 'Precious' Bow Big

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]]>A Christmas CarolAChristmasCarolpreciousprecious: based on the novel push by sapphirePrecious:BasedOnTheNovelPushBySapphirepush: based on the novel by sapphirePush:BasedOnTheNovelBySapphirerichard kellyRichardKellythe bourne ultimatumthe fourth kindThe men who stare at goatsTheBourneUltimatumTheFourthKindTheMenWhoStareAtGoatsweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficeEugene NovikovMon, 09 Nov 2009 09:02:00 ESTIndie Roundup: 'Splinterheads,' 'Ghost World,' 'Devil'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/indie-roundup-splinterheads-ghost-world-devil/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/indie-roundup-splinterheads-ghost-world-devil/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/04/indie-roundup-splinterheads-ghost-world-devil/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Cinematical's Indie Roundup for the Week of 11/3

Clockwise from upper left: Splinterheads, Ghost World, An Education, House of the Devil.

Opening. Amiable and pleasant, Splinterheads revolves around a romance between Justin (Thomas Middleditch), an aimless small town dreamer, and Galaxy (Rachael Taylor), a gorgeous grifter who (literally) bumps into him at a gas station. She's more interested in separating him from his money than getting to know the lunkhead within, while he quickly decides that he's met the love of his life -- or, even better, a reason to leave his upstate New York world behind and start living for himself instead of his mother and grandfather.

Brent Sersen (Blackballed) is a better director than writer; the characters hold few surprises and the plot's trajectory threatens to die of old age before it reaches its pre-ordained conclusion. Still, he takes advantage of a visiting carnival and the grifter's obsession with geocaching, a variation on treasure hunting, to string together several lyrical interludes and enough laughs to deserve a recommendation. Dean Winters, Lea Thompson, and Christopher McDonald provide reliable support. Splinterheads opens in New York on Friday and expands to other cities the following week; check the official site for theaters and showtimes. Also opening in New York the same day: Collapse, Chris Smith's latest doc (more from last week and the exclusive poster debut).

On-Demand / Online Viewing. Terry Zwigoff's adaptation of Daniel Clowes' graphic novel Ghost World departs from the source material quite abruptly, but still remains faithful to the dark spirit of loneliness that haunts the characters. Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannson, and Steve Buscemi star. It's now available on FilmBuff, Cinetic's cable on-demand channel; check local listings to watch this essential indie at home.

After the jump: Who educated the devil?

Continue reading Indie Roundup: 'Splinterheads,' 'Ghost World,' 'Devil'

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]]>brent sersenBrentSersenghost worldGhostWorldhouse of the devilHouseOfTheDevilindie roundupindie weekend box officeIndieRoundupIndieWeekendBoxOfficesplinterheadsterry zwigoffTerryZwigoffti westTiWestPeter MartinWed, 04 Nov 2009 17:10:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: Long Live the King of Pophttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/02/weekend-box-office-long-live-the-king-of-pop/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/02/weekend-box-office-long-live-the-king-of-pop/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/11/02/weekend-box-office-long-live-the-king-of-pop/#commentsFiled under: ,

Michael Jackson's This is It was the only new wide release this weekend, and essentially had the box office to itself. This may seem weird, but this is as it should be -- and it has more to do with Halloween falling on a Saturday than with any show of respect for the King of Pop. Predictably, This is It won the weekend, grossing $21.3 million for a total of $32.5 million since its Wednesday opening. That's a good number, and monumental for a documentary, though it is also an instance where the studio's hype machine may have led people astray.

Those who read the breathless press releases about the trumped-up advance ticket sales frenzy surrounding This Is It may be disappointed (or in any case surprised) by these figures. But over $30 million in five days for a concert documentary is nothing to sneeze at -- and I don't think that expecting much more was reasonable. (As a footnote, too, the movie made nearly $70 million outside of North America -- which also makes sense.)

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day bowed on 68 screens and grossed just under half a million in 16th place, which isn't bad, really -- confirming the small cult following for Boondock Saints that everyone already knew existed. Among holdovers, Paranormal Activity continued to add screens, and continued to hold up well -- it should break $100 million by this time next week. Saw VI and Where the Wild Things Are both suffered drops over 60%; Wild Things will top out around $70 million (pretty good for an art film), while Saw VI will wind up making around (or just over) half of the next lowest grosser in the franchise. Will the next one go straight to DVD? (Probably not, but it might be time to start asking the question.)

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: Long Live the King of Pop

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]]>featuredmichael jacksonmichael jacksons this is itMichaelJacksonMichaelJacksonsThisIsItparanormal activityParanormalActivitysaw viSawVithe boondock saints II: all saints dayTheBoondockSaintsIi:AllSaintsDaythis is itThisIsItWhere the Wild Things AreWhereTheWildThingsAreEugene NovikovMon, 02 Nov 2009 09:45:00 ESTIndie Roundup: Deals, 'Smithereens,' More 'Maid,' AFI Festhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/indie-roundup-deals-smithereens-more-maid-afi-fest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/indie-roundup-deals-smithereens-more-maid-afi-fest/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/28/indie-roundup-deals-smithereens-more-maid-afi-fest/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Cinematical's Indie Roundup

Indie Roundup, your weekly dose of what's happening (slightly) outside the mainstream.

Deals. Via our friends at indieWIRE, we learn that Brian Baugh's faith-based To Save a Life will be released by Samuel Goldwyn Films in January 2010. The film follows an "all-American teen" boy dealing with the aftermath of a friend's death. Cross-cultural romantic drama Cairo Time, starring Patricia Clarkson, will hit theaters and on-demand home viewing systems sometime in the new year, courtesy of IFC Films. Bradley Rust Gray's The Exploding Girl will open in early 2010 through Oscilloscope Laboratories. Zoe Kazan stars as a young college woman dealing with conflicting romantic feelings while home in New York for spring break.

Online / On Demand Viewing. Two recommendations this week, both for titles that are newly available through Amazon's VOD service. Susan Seidelman's Smithereens is a quintessentially New York picture and a fiercely independent experience from a time when indies were few and far between. It's a blast of fresh air about Wren (Susan Berman), a rough-talking young woman, and her travails through the seedier side of life as she tries to make something of herself. It's essential viewing, especially if you've been disappointed by one too many slick faux-indies. Musician Richard Hell is great, too.

Much less essential, but no less vital viewing, is Arlene Nelson's Naked States, which trails along as Spencer Tunick engineers massive works of art composed by live, naked human flesh. Tunick is a fascinating photographer / hustler, and so are the people who decide to bare all for the sake of art.

Activity of a different kind, Chilean cleaning, and AFI Fest -- after the jump!

Continue reading Indie Roundup: Deals, 'Smithereens,' More 'Maid,' AFI Fest

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]]>afi festAfiFestantichristindie roundupindie weekend box officeIndieRoundupIndieWeekendBoxOfficenaked statesNakedStatesparanormal activityParanormalActivitysmithereenssouth asian film festivalSouthAsianFilmFestivalspencer tunickSpencerTunicksusan seidelmanSusanSeidelmanthe maidTheMaidPeter MartinWed, 28 Oct 2009 19:32:00 ESTHow 'Saw' Got Its Groove Back ... If Not at the Box Officehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/26/how-saw-got-its-groove-back/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/26/how-saw-got-its-groove-back/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/26/how-saw-got-its-groove-back/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



This one is for the increasingly few of you who have steadfastly stuck with the Saw franchise through thick-and-thin in the aughts. The opening weekend numbers for Saw VI are the weakest since the first film, mostly thanks to some stiff competition from breakout hit Paranormal Activity. But box-office returns aren't everything. So: what'd you think?

I wrote this little piece before the release of Saw V last year, in the mode of a frustrated fan hoping for a revitalized franchise. It didn't happen; Saw V was boring and incomprehensible, and I was ready to skip the sixth film altogether. Then it got some decent reviews, and I thought what the hell. I'm glad I did. Saw VI, which sees editor Kevin Greutert take over directing duties, is easily the best Saw movie since the third. That may not be the most enthusiastic bit of praise I've ever issued, but miracle of miracles: the fifth sequel to a half-decent horror flick is legitimately pretty good. Here's how I think Saw got some of its bite back:
  • Thriller momentum. For the first time in three years, a Saw movie is exciting, in an old-fashioned what-happens-next sort of way. There are creative traps a-plenty -- some of the most ingenious ones in the series, for those who are into that sort of thing -- but the film doesn't depend on them: it has a semblance of a protagonist, and a story that moves forward, and draws you in, and makes the 90 minutes feel like less. Which is related to my next point, namely:

Continue reading How 'Saw' Got Its Groove Back ... If Not at the Box Office

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]]>kevin greutertKevinGreutertparanormal activityParanormalActivitysawsaw vsaw viSawVSawViEugene NovikovMon, 26 Oct 2009 12:02:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Paranormal Activity' Wins Weekend Horrorfesthttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/26/weekend-box-office-paranormal-activity-wins-weekend-horrorfes/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/26/weekend-box-office-paranormal-activity-wins-weekend-horrorfes/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/26/weekend-box-office-paranormal-activity-wins-weekend-horrorfes/#commentsFiled under: ,

Is the Saw bubble finally deflating for good? The sixth installment of the mainstay franchise played second fiddle to the still-surging Paranormal Activity this weekend, grossing only $14.8 million dollars -- less than half the bow of the previous four installments, and lower even than the original 2004 film. The competition from the plucky indie horror film likely has something to do with Saw VI's disappointing returns, waning interest is probably involved as well. Paranormal Activity, for its part, claimed the top spot for the first time in its impressive five-week run, hanging on to its momentum in its first weekend of legitimate wide release.

The Paranormal/Saw horror combo left the weekend's other newcomers floundering. Summit's Astro Boy didn't have the marketing muscle it needed, while Amelia was hurt by bad reviews and a lack of studio enthusiasm. But the weekend's real disappointment is Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, an obvious attempt by Universal to kick-start a new kiddie fantasy franchise, and a far, far bigger (albeit cheaper) fizzle than The Golden Compass. The Weitz brothers should no longer be permitted to work in this genre.

Where the Wild Things Are took a honking 55% hit in its second weekend, a victim of being an art film in mainstream guise. Law Abiding Citizen fared a little better -- it's now Overture's highest-grossing film.

The full top 11 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Paranormal Activity' Wins Weekend Horrorfest

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]]>ameliaastro boyAstroBoycirque du freak: the vampires assistantCirqueDuFreak:TheVampiresAssistantlaw abiding citizenLawAbidingCitizenparanormal activityParanormalActivitysaw viSawViEugene NovikovMon, 26 Oct 2009 09:45:00 ESTParamount Eyes 'Paranormal Activity' Sequelhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/25/paramount-eyes-paranormal-activity-sequel/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/25/paramount-eyes-paranormal-activity-sequel/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/25/paramount-eyes-paranormal-activity-sequel/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



We'll have our full box office report tomorrow morning, but we should let you know now that, as expected (and reported back on Saturday morning), Paranormal Activity has claimed its first weekend win, slicing and dicing its way through Saw VI (only $14 million) on its way to a $22 million take. Naturally, Paramount wasted no time in announcing that they may indeed pursue a Paranormal Activity sequel if it seems like the right move to make. Speaking to the LA Times, Paramount Chairman Brad Grey said, "We have the rights on a worldwide basis to do Paranormal 2, and we're looking to see if that makes some sense."

Well, considering that this little film with a budget of $11,000 could give the studio its greatest return ever, something tells me a sequel makes a whole lotta sense to the folks crunching numbers. That said, I'm not the only one who remembers the gigantic piece of moose crap that was Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, and so if Paramount is going to try to turn Paranormal Activity into some sort of franchise, they'll have to do so very carefully.

Personally, I'd rather see them invest in writer-director Oren Peli and his other fun, low-budget ideas than to see them throw a few million and some over-the-top special effects at a sequel that will never live up to the original. Let's face it, like Blair Witch before it, a lot of the fun with Paranormal Activity came in discovering it through word of mouth instead of through the normal Hollywood marketing system. It was (and still is) an underdog, and folks love the underdog. The same won't be said for the sequel.

What do you think they should do here?

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]]>cinematicalfeaturedoren peliOrenPeliparanormal activityparanormal activity 2ParanormalActivityParanormalActivity2Erik DavisSun, 25 Oct 2009 17:02:00 EST'Paranormal Activity' Beats 'Saw VI' at Friday Box Officehttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/24/paranormal-activity-beats-saw-vi-at-friday-box-office/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/24/paranormal-activity-beats-saw-vi-at-friday-box-office/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/24/paranormal-activity-beats-saw-vi-at-friday-box-office/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Just when you thought it was safe to assume the mega horror franchise would once again own another Halloween at the box office, Friday estimates are showing that Paranormal Activity ($7.5 million) beat Saw VI ($7 million), despite the fact that the latter is playing on over 1,100 more screens than the former. Could this finally be the year that a Saw film tanks at the box office? Could Paranormal Activity be the movie that keeps Jigsaw in check? And if Saw VI loses the weekend box office to Paranormal Activity (which early estimates are indicating), what will this mean for the Saw franchise moving forward?

Whether or not you liked Paranormal Activity, you really do have to give it props for being one of the most successful underdog flicks in history. Do you realize that if the film somehow manages to pull in a total of $100 million at the box office (after this weekend it could climb above $60 million), it will become the most successful Paramount film in modern history? As Deadline Hollywood points out, the movie was acquired for $300k and the studio only spent around $10 million on prints and advertising, so, says a DH "insider", "this will be the best return Paramount has ever had." I'd like to repeat that because it's definitely worth repeating: This little indie film could give Paramount the best return it has ever had. Remarkable.

View Poll



More on Paranormal Activity
Interview with Oren Peli, writer-director of Paranormal Activity
So what was Paranormal Activity's original ending?

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]]>paranormal activityParanormalActivitysaw viSawViErik DavisSat, 24 Oct 2009 10:43:00 ESTBox Office: Amelia's Astro Freakshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/box-office-amelias-astro-freaks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/box-office-amelias-astro-freaks/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/21/box-office-amelias-astro-freaks/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Things went wild this past weekend as Where the Wild Things Are took top honors. The action flick Law Abiding Citizen also premiered well and Paranormal Activity continues to astound, taking third place while only playing in 760 theaters. Here's the top five:

1. Where the Wild Things Are: $32.7 million
2. Law Abiding Citizen: $21 million
3. Paranormal Activity: $19.6 million
4. Couples Retreat: $17.2 million
5. The Stepfather: $11.6 million

Four new releases this week, three of which will be putting the Halloween spirit into people.

Amelia
What's It All About: Hilary Swank and Richard Gere star in this biopic of aviator Amelia Earhart who disappeared during an attempt to fly around the world.
Why It Might Do Well: A historical drama is a pretty good counter programmer to all the horror and fantasy movies currently in release.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Right now we're looking at 17% at Rottentomatoes.com.
Number of Theaters: 800
Prediction: $6 million

Astro Boy
What's It All About: Adaptation of the classic anime (that itself takes a page from Pinocchio) about a robot boy with incredible powers.
Why It Might Do Well: 73% at Rottentomatoes.com ain't too shabby.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will this character that originated in the 1950s translate well in the twenty-first century?
Number of Theaters: 3,000
Prediction: $16 million

Continue reading Box Office: Amelia's Astro Freaks

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]]>AmeliaAstro BoyAstroBoyCinemaCinematicalCirque du Freak: The Vampires AssistantCirqueDuFreak:TheVampiresAssistantMoviesSaw VISawViMatt BradshawWed, 21 Oct 2009 20:32:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Wild Things' a Hit with Grown-upshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/19/weekend-box-office-where-the-wild-things-a-hit-with-grown-ups/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/19/weekend-box-office-where-the-wild-things-a-hit-with-grown-ups/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/19/weekend-box-office-where-the-wild-things-a-hit-with-grown-ups/#commentsFiled under: ,

All the hand-wringing over whether or not Where the Wild Things Are is "for children," or "kid-tested, mother-approved," or whatever, turned out to be mostly academic: the kids didn't go. And the movie cleaned up anyway. According to figures cited by this David Germain piece in the AP, parents with kids made up only 27% of the $32.5 million Wild Things earned this weekend. The prevalence of adults (who I gather grew up on the book, unlike the current generation of tykes) probably bodes well, or at least better, for the box office staying power of the divisive, challenging film.

Gerard Butler's Law Abiding Citizen opened to $21.3 million in second place -- the highest ever opening gross for young distributor Overture. That may have been at the expense of Screen Gems' The Stepfather, the unscreened, bloodless PG-13 horror remake that debuted in fifth place with $12.3 million. That's still not bad given the total lack of expensive name-brand talent involved.

Paranormal Activity continued its slow roll-out charge, adding 600 screens (760 total) and adding $20 million to its gross. (That's around $26,000 per screen.) How much the idiotic "we-won't-open-in-your-city-unless-you-go-online-and-DEMAND-it" shtick had to do with this is debatable. (Would the movie have made even more had Paramount just held the film back and then put it into wide release this weekend?) But the "breakout hit" label is difficult to resist at this point. Good job everybody.

Down at number 21, the omnibus New York, I Love You goes on the probably-should-have-kept-it-in-the-arthouses category. Its predecessor-of-sorts, Paris Je T'aime, expanded to around 200 screens rather than starting there, and did considerably better than New York will, foreign language handicap and all.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Wild Things' a Hit with Grown-ups

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]]>i love youlaw abiding citizenLawAbidingCitizennew yorkNewYorkparanormal activityParanormalActivitythe stepfatherTheStepfatherweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficewhere the wild things areWhereTheWildThingsAreEugene NovikovMon, 19 Oct 2009 10:02:00 ESTBox Office: Stepping on Law Abiding Thingshttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/box-office-stepping-on-law-abiding-things/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/box-office-stepping-on-law-abiding-things/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/box-office-stepping-on-law-abiding-things/#commentsFiled under:

The comedy Couples Retreat led the box office this past weekend, but the big surprise was the scare flick Paranormal Activity which managed to take number four while playing only 160 theaters. Here's the top five:

1. Couples Retreat: $34.3 million
2. Zombieland: $14.8 million
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: $11.5 million
4. Paranormal Activity: $7.9 million
5. Toy Story / Toy Story 2: $7.7 million

We've got three new films going into wide release this Friday:

Law Abiding Citizen
What's It All About: Jaimie Foxx is the District Attorney and Gerard Butler is the crazed man determined to avenge himself upon the legal system that allowed his wife and daughter's murderers to go free.
Why It Might Do Well: Foxx is an Oscar-winner.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The plot feels like a recycled Death Wish for the twenty-first century.
Number of Theaters: 2,700
Prediction: $11 million


Where the Wild Things Are
What's It All About: Spike Jonze directs this feature adaptation of the classic children's book.
Why It Might Do Well: The book has been around since 1963 and has built quite a following.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Will kids go for the cool but non-digital characters?
Number of Theaters: 3,500
Prediction: $36 million




Continue reading Box Office: Stepping on Law Abiding Things

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]]>Matt BradshawWed, 14 Oct 2009 18:32:00 EST'Agora' Quickly Becomes Spain's Top-Grossing Film of the Yearhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/agora-quickly-becomes-spains-top-grossing-film-of-the-year/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/agora-quickly-becomes-spains-top-grossing-film-of-the-year/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/14/agora-quickly-becomes-spains-top-grossing-film-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: ,

Between Cannes and the Toronto International Film Festival, Agora cooked up a good deal of praise, and a lot of speculation that it would struggle at the box office and most likely not make back its price tag. It wasn't exactly unwarranted guessing -- the film had one of the biggest budgets for a European production, costing 50 million euros ($73 million). But so far, so good.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that after getting released on Friday in Spain, Alejandro Amenabar's epic has grabbed the top earning spot for Spanish films after only 4 days, and the best opening weekend for 2009. So far, the film has earned roughly $10.4 million, dethroning Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs for the #1 spot. In fact, it only missed the all-time high by $.3 million -- an honor held by Torrente 3: El Protector. THR says this comes after "an unusually aggressive advertising campaign," but even with that, this is an impressive feat. It's not every day that a cerebral and beautiful epic can surpass Hollywood family films, and almost beat the record box office of a crime comedy.

Will this mean good things for the U.S. as well? I'd hope a North American release date hits soon, with an equally prevalent marketing campaign. I completely adored this film when I saw it at TIFF, and this is the sort of fare we need to embrace of we expect moviemaking to be more than Hollywood spectacle. Or hell, if we want some solid female fare on the big screen.

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]]>AgoraAlejandro AmenabarAlejandroAmenabarCinematicalforeign box officeForeignBoxOfficeMonika BartyzelWed, 14 Oct 2009 14:45:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: 'Paranormal Activity' Rides Wave of Buzzhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/12/weekend-box-office-paranormal-activity-rides-wave-of-buzz/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/12/weekend-box-office-paranormal-activity-rides-wave-of-buzz/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/12/weekend-box-office-paranormal-activity-rides-wave-of-buzz/#commentsFiled under: ,

A slow-roll platform release is a high-risk strategy, but Paramount has really hit on something with Paranormal Activity. The movie expanded from 30 to 160 screens this weekend, accompanied by good reviews and hype that Paramount marketers almost killed themselves building on the internet, and was greeted with a $44,000 per-screen average, amounting to a fairly eye-popping $7 million weekend. It wouldn't have worked if the movie weren't pretty good, and the momentum is sure to fade as the movie expands further, but still: kudos all around. It would have been easy to dump this little gem into a few theaters and let it die (see: The Midnight Meat Train.)

The weekend's only new wide release, Couples Retreat, capitalized on its cast and bright-colored marketing to the tune of $35 million -- a strong October bow, and par for the course for Vince Vaughn, who can open a rom-com like nobody's business. Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair opened at 186 screens and lurks down at number 14 with just over a million bucks. I must admit it's hard to come up with a good analogy to a doc about black women's hair directed by a superstar comedian, box-office-wise. Maybe Dave Chappelle's Block Party? ($6.2 million on 1200 screens, with a similar per-screen average.)

The holdovers did respectably, with the possible exception of The Invention of Lying. Ricky Gervais's subversive comedy took a 52% hit, though it will still end up beating Gervais's last stateside star vehicle, Ghost Town. Zombieland, this fall's little horror comedy that could, held up quite well in second place, approaching $50 million after two weeks. And I wonder if Disney will hold true to its promise to pull the 3-D Toy Story double feature out of theaters after this week; the movies are still doing well, dropping less than 40% and pulling in $7.7 million in their second re-release weekend.

The full top 10 after the jump.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office: 'Paranormal Activity' Rides Wave of Buzz

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]]>couples retreatCouplesRetreatgood hairGoodHairparanormal activityParanormalActivitythe invention of lyingTheInventionOfLyingweekend box officeWeekendBoxOfficezombielandEugene NovikovMon, 12 Oct 2009 10:02:00 ESTGirls On Film: 'Whip It's Undeserved Box Office Busthttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/girls-on-film-whip-its-undeserved-box-office-bust/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/girls-on-film-whip-its-undeserved-box-office-bust/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/girls-on-film-whip-its-undeserved-box-office-bust/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



I picked a good year to start writing a column about women in film. More than ever before, women are gaining ground in Hollywood. We've got seasoned pros like Kathryn Bigelow finally getting mainstream clout. A number of high-profile projects are being made by women. And we're also seeing a distinct rise in the do-everything femmes like Felicia Day and Diablo Cody.

But it's not all roses. First Jennifer's Body went from long-term big-buzz to big-time flop, and now Whip It is sadly following suit. If you caught Eugene Novikov's Weekend Box Office, you might have noticed that while Zombieland kicks all sorts of living butt, and the 3-D Toy Story double feature grabbed spot #3, Drew Barrymore's kick-ass roller derby pic came in a supremely disappointing 7th Place.

One could argue that Body's questionable showing was at least partly due to the mixed reactions from critics and fans. Cody's horror pic couldn't even grab a half-and-half balance, nestling in at 42% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. Some loved it, others hated it. But even with some really bad reviews, it still beat Drew. Whip It! earned almost double the critical love (82% fresh), but pulled in a whopping $2 million less than the Body in its opening weekend ($4.85 million). 2 mil might not mean as much when you're in the hundreds, but it sure as heck means a lot when you can't even bring in 5.

What went wrong, and how can we fix it before this excellent cinematic momentum is halted?




Continue reading Girls On Film: 'Whip It's Undeserved Box Office Bust

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]]>CinematicalDrew barrymoreDrewBarrymorefeaturedGirls on FilmGirlsOnFilmJennifers BodyJennifersBodyWhip ItWhipItMonika BartyzelMon, 05 Oct 2009 20:02:00 ESTWeekend Box Office: It's 'Zombieland' versus the 'Toy Stories'http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/weekend-box-office-its-zombieland-versus-the-toy-stories/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/weekend-box-office-its-zombieland-versus-the-toy-stories/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/05/weekend-box-office-its-zombieland-versus-the-toy-stories/#commentsFiled under: ,

I was surprised at the number of people who proved willing to venture out to the limited-run Toy Story 3-D double feature. The attraction raked in $12.5 million on under 2,000 screens, a feat made even more impressive by the double feature aspect, which obviously reduced the number of available showtimes. Whether the success of the rerelease was due to the love for the films or the current obsession with 3-D isn't clear -- though of course the most likely answer is "some combination of the two." (Certainly a plain vanilla double feature rerelease wouldn't have put up these numbers, but would it have flopped?)

The weekend's top spot, though, went to Zombieland, the un-star-studded but well-marketed and well-reviewed horror comedy. If it does not sink in the coming weeks, it could turn into one of the fall's biggest success stories. I wonder, too, what it will do for the cachet of Jesse Eisenberg; unless you count his very minor turn in The Village, Zombieland is by far the biggest box office triumph in which he's taken part. The busy, hyperintelligent actor hasn't seemed too celebrity-minded, but his stock seems to be steadily rising.

More and the full top 10 after the jump.





Continue reading Weekend Box Office: It's 'Zombieland' versus the 'Toy Stories'

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]]>featuredjesse eisenbergJesseEisenbergtoy storyToyStorywoody harrelsonWoodyHarrelsonzombielandEugene NovikovMon, 05 Oct 2009 10:02:00 ESTParamount's 'Paranormal Activity' Pays Offhttp://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/04/paramounts-paranormal-activity-pays-off/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/04/paramounts-paranormal-activity-pays-off/http://www.cinematical.com/2009/10/04/paramounts-paranormal-activity-pays-off/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Paranormal ActivityParamount has been doing a really interesting campaign for the totally terrifying Paranormal Activity, which has been relying on packed midnight screenings from Thursday through Saturday, word of mouth, and a special Twitter feed, TweetYourScream, that reTweets viewers reactions, to spread the buzz. This gambit has paid off in a big way for the 2007 movie that was made for an estimated $11,000 according to IMDb Pro. [FYI: IMDb is not always the most reliable source of info, as Wikipedia reports that its budget was $15,000. Suffice it to say, it's super low-budget.]

Based on demand and earnings -- according to Paramount, its total gross has been $535,000 so far and its midnight screenings, which were only held from Thursday through Saturday nights, were sold out in the 33 cities where it was playing -- Paramount is going to expand Paranormal Activity's release to 40 markets, and not just at midnight, beginning Friday, October 9th.

Viewers can request the movie in their area on Eventful.

Have you seen Paranormal Activity? If so, how did you hear about it? Are you following or participating in its Twitter feed? I'm curious to see if other big-name studios will follow suit since this experiment has obviously paid off, for both horror fans who are ready to face their fears of things that go bump in the night (brrr!) and for Paramount.

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]]>Paramountparanormal activityParanormalActivitytwitterJenni MillerSun, 04 Oct 2009 20:02:00 EST