David O. Russell’s next film, Silver Linings Playbook starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, and Jacki Weaver, is set to have its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this month. The poster has just dropped showcasing the half-faces of hearthrobs Jen and Brad (isn’t that a throwback, eh?).
While many pundits, including myself, have backed off the film as far as Oscar prospects are concerned, the film could still surprise in a big way and get lots of people on board especially for Lead Actor hopeful Bradley Cooper. Jennifer Lawrence will be competing in a weak category but also has herself as competition for the Spring hit, The Hunger Games. There is still some hope for her with Lionsgate putting a lot of emphasis and push for her.
The final book in all of the big franchises these days seems to be getting as much as possible milked out of them when they hit the big screen. Much like ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ did, and much like Twilight is doing with ‘Breaking Dawn’, studios are splitting these books up into 2 movies, and Collider is reporting here that Lionsgate is following the trend with their Hunger Games franchise. ‘Mockingjay’ will now be 2 flicks, and after the jump you can see when both of these films will be coming out. I’m not big on this type of move, but I certainly understand why it’s being done. The dates to mark down on your movie calendar can be found below…
It took only 19 days for Disney/Marvel’sThe Avengersto pass the $1 billion pinnacle worldwide. The film also became the first ever to pass the $100 million mark (domestically) in its second week. Its earnings of $103.2 million shatters the previous second week record held by Avatar ($75.6 mil). The Avengers domestic box office now stands at $372.3 million, and the film is certain to pass the current 2012 box office champ (The Hunger Games; $386.9 million) sometime this week.
Read the rest of the box office report after the jump…
There are simply no words that can describe the performance of Marvel/Disney’s The Avengers. For a studio long suffering for any kind of success, Disney/Buena Vista have delivered the greatest opening weekend of all time domestically, eclipsing an unthinkable $207.4 million in three scant days. The Avengers has already outgrossed Thor, Captain America:The First Avenger, and both Hulk films in domestic gross and could catch and surpass both Iron Man films by the end of next weekend. Our own Joey Magidson broke the story yesterday, but we are well on our way to seeing this film become one of the Top 5 biggest grossing films of all time, both domestic and internationally.
Whether this incredible pace holds up or not is obviously something that waits to be seen, but if you burn off 50% of the opening weekend audience, The Avengers still earns approximately $100-$105 million. When considering a very conservative $70-80 million week (Monday-Thursday), we may be looking at a film with a domestic 10-day box office gross up near $400 million. The current 10-day record belongs to The Dark Knight which amassed $313.8 million in its first 10 days. Lastly, The Avengers would have to lose more than 65% of its opening weekend audience to fall short of Avatar‘s record second weekend gross. James Cameron’s box office king banked $75.6 million in its second weekend. For curiosity sake, Avatar‘s 10-day total? $212.7 million.
Sony’s Think Like a Man remains at the top of the box office report after its second week in theatres, though the film dropped its total by 46% down to $18 million. Sony also managed to take the runner-up spot this week with The Pirates! Band of Misfits.
The Oscars are far behind and in front of us. As we start rattling our minds around awards season prospects like “Lincoln,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “The Hobbit,” MTV is gearing up to announce their nominees for the 2012 MTV Movie Awards on May 1. Read more on MTV Movie Awards – Fiction or Rubbish?…
After being sited on a short list of directors that included Alfonso Cuaron, David Cronenberg and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Variety is reporting that Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend and Water for Elephants) has been offered Catching Fire, sequel to the massively popular film The Hunger Games.
Lawrence had been rumored the past few days as a finalist along with Moneyball director Bennet Miller for the director’s chair.
Did I just hear a cannon? It looks like Gary Ross will not be returning to direct Catching Fire, even though The Hunger Games will probably clean up at the box office for the fourth week in a row. It will be challenged by three new releases, one of which is apparently much better than anticipated…
Not only has the new creature feature from Drew Goddard and Joss “horror with a wink and a nudge” Whedon been receiving a lot of online buzz for a low-budget Lionsgate horror flick not called Saw, but it has been attracting some serious rave reviews. Critics have been calling The Cabin in the Woods a stupendously clever and genuinely frightening movie comparable to genre-bending classics like Evil Dead II. Because I am one of those who wants to see this movie with as little knowledge of the plot as possible, I’m not even going to publish a bare-bones synopsis beyond speculating that it has to do with a cabin located somewhere in a woodland area. For box office, I’m predicting a respectable $13-18 million opening just slightly below The Hunger Games. Read more on Weekend Openings (April 13-15)…
A few days ago I posted a piece from The Playlist on Gary Ross potentially not returning to direct the sequel to ‘The Hunger Games’, but now we have confirmation that ‘Catching Fire’ is not going to have Ross at the helm. I’ll share that new article after the jump with you all, but if this is true, then I’m starting to wonder if we won’t end up with someone even better directing (and/or co-writing) it? One of you guys suggested Paul Greengrass in the comments section of that last post, and I saw my colleague Matt Singer suggest Joe Cornish on Twitter. I’d actually, off of the top of my head, suggest either Joe Carnahan, Gavin O’Connor, or Matt Reeves for the job, but that’s just me. You can see the article below, and then feel free to discuss potential replacements for Ross. Take a gander…
This week the staff and I discuss several topics which you can see on the agenda below. I also reveal the Awards Circuit Community Award Nominees for Year 2002.
Hunger Games big 2 weeks. Do we have Oscar potential – Adapted Screenplay, Picture, Lead Actress
“Bully” opens this past weekend – Documentary front runner?
2 Snow White movies this year? – Is it necessary?
First images of Les Miserables. – Oscar prospects?
Power Hour Questions
Awards Profiles – Hyde Park on Hudson, Life of Pi, On the Road, Rock of Ages
ACCA 2002 Nominations!
Editor Movie of the Week – Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report”
It’s clear now that ‘The Hunger Games’ is an absolute smash, but it’s the fact that it’s breaking records that I find so interesting. This weekend it became only the 5th film ever to break the $200 million mark in its first 8 days of release. I was tipped off to this by Cinema Blend in their post, and you can see what they wrote after the jump, but I’m just fascinated by how well this movie is doing. Check out the news below…
This weekend, the odds will not be in favor of the two opening titles vying against The Hunger Games at the box office. Strong word-of-mouth and momentum of ticket sales throughout the weekdays could see it score a jackpot that may even challenge Avatar’s record for second-weekend grosses.
That’s not to say its take won’t fall a little, primarily due to competition from films like Wrath of the Titans. This sequel to Clash of the Titans finds Hollywood butchering Greek mythology yet again, with the Austrailian-accented Perseus leaving his quiet life as a fisherman once more to save the world when the Titans overthrow Zeus. Despite expressing a desire to continue this franchise, Louis Leterrier is not returning for this installment, instead ceding to Jonathan Liebesman of Darkness Falls and Battle: Los Angeles…which, you know, whatever. At least according to critics the special effects are an improvement, even if most of them say it is just as soulless and incoherent as the first film. Audience enthusiasm seems to be weaker than the last one as well, with online activity relatively weak and advance ticket sales being swamped by The Hunger Games, though it does have the advantage of being in more 3D and IMAX theaters. I’m expecting a $35-40 million weekend take. Read more on Weekend Openings (March 30-April 1)…
Elizabeth Banks and Jennifer Lawrence in Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games"
Banking on broader appeal than the Twilight franchise and delivering the third-largest opening weekend of all time, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games surpassed even the most optimistic of expectations, with a $152.5 million opening weekend. In a snap of one’s fingers, Jennifer Lawrence will forever be associated with Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson will likewise forever be linked to Peeta Mellark. Their anonymity is gone. Next November 2013, Liam Hemsworth will likely join them in being branded as Gale, with his role exponentially increased in the sequel Catching Fire, and the lives of these three young actors have been irrevocably changed forever. Most who saw the film were in favor of Gary Ross’ adaptation, with yours truly giving it, admittedly, one of the strongest reviews of the lot. Audiences were thrilled, the record books rewritten and Lionsgate’s all in gamble on the franchise rivals that of New Line’s investment in “Lord of the Rings” and Summit’s daring risk on “Twilight”. Everyone knew this franchise would be a success, but third-biggest-opening-of-all-time success? Lots of jaws are still falling open as numbers are continually crunched.
THE HUNGER GAMES BREAKDOWN
Lionsgate’s Biggest Grossing Film Of All Time
Largest Spring Seasonal Opening Of All Time
Largest March Opening Of All Time
Second Fastest Film to Gross $100 million
Third Fastest Film to Gross $150 million
Biggest Grossing Film in the “Reality TV” genre
Largest Per Screen Average of the Weekend ($36,871 @ 4,137 screens)
I don’t think anyone expected ‘The Hunger Games’ to be a failure, but I’m not sure that anyone expected quite as big an opening weekend for the film as it appears to have achieved. It’s looking like an opening of over $150 million, which is of historic proportions, especially for a non-sequel, though of course it is a franchise starter. I personally liked the film quite a bit, if not nearly as much as my colleague and friend Mike did here at The Awards Circuit. It’s good to see quality cinema rewarded at the box office, and this could be the start of a new franchise that critics, tweens, and the average filmgoer alike can fawn over. Here’s the full report from Box Office Guru on the take for the flick (along with the entire weekend at the box office), which you can view after the jump…
With Oscars 2012 officially a month behind us (*sobs*), The Awards Circuit has kept itself busy as usual, giving you readers the latest in film news, reviews, and early Oscar prognostication. This week was no exception. We began the week with a brand new episode of Awards Circuit Power Hour! Clayton, Anna, Joey, and Michael discussed the recent bout of March movie blues, some TV talk, and most importantly debated the Oscar potential of films already released (The Lorax, The Grey, etc.). Listen to the podcast episode if you haven’t gotten the chance already. It’s a doozy!
So there’s this little film coming out this weekend. I’m not sure you’ve all heard of it. It’s called TheHunger Games, and um…yeah, I suggest checking it out. Oops, turns out my one million friends on Facebook already saw it, and gave it nearly $20 million in midnight show earnings. Never mind, things aren’t looking so bad for this small film after all. If you see it, great. If not, don’t sweat it. It’s not like it’ll break records or anything.
As a film reviewer, I seem to stumble into the same conversations time and time again when I share my thoughts on a film adaptation of a widely acclaimed and/or massively successful book I have yet to read. I often find the talk comes to rest with the individual who has read the book informing me…”Well, you haven’t read the book, so…”.
In the case of a film like The Help for example, several folks made mention that I simply did not like the movie near to the level of someone who experienced the book. In the case of Twilight, I am often told that I simply don’t get it. And now we have The Hunger Games, a cinematic adaptation of the massively popular Suzanne Collins trilogy, which is also the most eagerly anticipated film to arrive in months. And I have yet to read the book. So, pardon me “Hunger Games” fans as I tread ever so lightly through the next few paragraphs.
And to those Twilight Saga fans out there… This is how you make a proper book-to-film adaptation.
This week Editor-in-Chief Clayton Davis is joined by Joey Magidson, Michael Ward, and Anna Belickis speaking about everything entertainment. Here’s the profile of what is discussed:
March blues?
Any contenders so far? “The Grey” “The Lorax” “The Hunger Games”
Box Office Numbers (The Artist crossing 40 million)
Big weekend for 21 Jump Street – Golden Globe?
News & Trailers (Dark Shadows, Promethus, World War Z pushed back)
Oscar Night is February 24 (Nominations on 1/15)
TV Talk (American Idol, DWTS, Emmy and Critics Choice Television Awards)
Awards Profiles: Contenders (Gravity, Brave)
Veterans looking for some due in 2013! (Frank Langella, Billy Crystal, Julianne Moore, Laura Linney, Tom Cruise, Ian McKellen, Gena Rowlands, Kristin Scott Thomas)
NEW! Editor Movie Pick of the Week – Junebug (2005)
The Harry Potter movie franchise as we know it has officially ended. I know — it’s a tough pill to swallow. We have to just move on with our lives, love each and every moment we spent with those brave and lovable magic-wielding wizards from Hogwarts, and thank the films’ cast, crew, and multiple directors for the incredible movie-going experience we were privileged to be a part of for ten years (2001-2011). With over $7.7 billion dollars in earnings across that ten year span, the Harry Potter movie franchise cements itself as the current highest grossing movie franchise of all time, defeating the likes of Star Wars ($5.5 Billion) and James Bond ($3.6 Billion). The real question for the film industry and blockbuster audiences is this: With Harry Potter now behind us, what’s next? What is going to be the new movie franchise that has the capacity to spark such international popularity, even non-mainstream contrarians won’t be able to ignore its impact? In a post-Potter world, the answer may lie with Suzanne Collins’ popular book franchise, The Hunger Games. After all, who controls the success of popular movie franchises more so than hardcore novel devotees of the original source material? Let’s take a look at this brand new franchise, opening worldwide March 23rd, and see if it has what it takes to take the world by storm. Read more on Goodbye ‘Potter,’ Hello ‘Hunger Games’…
Want to see a preview of Lionsgate’s ‘The Hunger Games’ before the Superbowl? Check out the exclusive brand new trailer for “The Hunger Games,” releasing wide on March 23rd, 2012:
I was expecting almost nothing from this flick (or else I would have posted this earlier), but it doesn’t look bad at all, save for the silly hair on Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson…
David O. Russell’s next film, Silver Linings Playbook starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, and Jacki Weaver, is set to have its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival this month. The poster has just dropped showcasing the half-faces of hearthrobs Jen and Brad (isn’t that a throwback, eh?).
