Monday, 27 January 2014
Ride Along Tops The US Box Office Again While I Frankenstein Bombs
Sunday, 26 January 2014
'Ride Along' pulls away from N. American box office rivals
Monday, 20 January 2014
Ride Along beats Jack Ryan to US box office number one
Monday, 13 January 2014
Seal drama Lone Survivor shoots to top of US film chart
Weekend Box Office Wrap Up: January 12, 2014
Friday, 10 January 2014
'Catching Fire' makes $409.4M at the U.S. box office
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 10 (UPI) -- "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" was the highest-grossing 2013 film at the U.S. box office, Lionsgate announced Friday.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, the movie is the second installment in the franchise.
"Catching Fire," which has earned $409.4 million in its first 49 days of release, set a record for the biggest November opening weekend of all time with $158.1 million. It has already become the 13th highest-grossing North American release in history and remains in wide release.
"Catching Fire" has also grossed $428.8 million internationally for a worldwide box office total of $838.2 million in its first seven weeks of release compared to $691 million worldwide box office generated during the entire run of the first "Hunger Games" film.
"'The Hunger Games' franchise continues to evolve into a truly global phenomenon," Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer said in a statement Friday. "The success of 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' is a testament to the vision of author Suzanne Collins, the sure hand of director Francis Lawrence, the brilliant performances of a remarkably talented cast led by the amazing Jennifer Lawrence and superb execution by our motion picture production, marketing and distribution teams. We will continue to grow the transformative 'Hunger Games' franchise in the years to come even as we continue to develop a dynamic portfolio of premium new brands."
The next two installments of "The Hunger Games" franchise -- "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I" and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" -- are currently in production for release Nov. 21, 2014, and Nov. 20, 2015, respectively.
Thursday, 9 January 2014
'Lone Survivor' Set to Ambush 'Frozen' at Top of Box Office
The Afghan War saga should beat out "Legend of Hercules" and handful of expanding awards hopefuls
"Lone Survivor," the Afghanistan War drama starring Mark Wahlberg, is primed to knock Disney's animated juggernaut "Frozen" out of the top spot and win the box office this weekend.
The tale of the failed 2005 Navy SEALS mission to capture a Taliban leader is likely to land in the high-teen millions and could hit $20 million, say the analysts, though distributor Universal is a bit less bullish. In any case, it should easily outpace the weekend's other wide opener, Summit Entertainment's sword-and-sandals saga "The Legend of Hercules," and a handful of expanding awards hopefuls.
The Weinstein Company is broadening "August: Osage County" from five to roughly 900 theaters, Warner Bros. is increasing the screen count on Spike Jonze's computer love story "Her" from 47 theaters to around 1,700 and CBS Films will have "Inside Llewyn Davis" in roughly 500 theaters, up from 161 locations.
Also read: 'Lone Survivor' Producers Have Cocaine Convictions, Russian Ties, Movie Losses
"Lone Survivor" was adapted and directed by Peter Berg and is based on the book of the same name by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson. Taylor Kitsch, Eric Bana, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster co-star in the R-rated action drama, which will be in roughly 2,650 U.S. theaters.
The last time director Berg, Kitsch and Universal went into box-office battle together was in summer 2012, with the pricey aliens-at-sea saga "Battleship." That one was a hit overseas but ran aground at the U.S. box office. The stakes aren't as high on "Lone Survivor," which cost less than a quarter of the $200 million-plus that "Battleship" did, and its prospects look good.
Universal has given "Lone Survivor" Oscar qualifying runs on single theaters in New York and Los Angeles the past two weekends and it has played strongly, averaging more than $43,000 per screen. The reviews have been good (71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and the social media signs are solid.
Also read: 'Lone Survivor' Review: Mark Wahlberg Shines in Powerful Drama About Hellish Wartime Decisions
Males are the target audience for "Lone Survivor,' and the tale of patriotism and courage should resonate in the Heartland. It's been getting plenty of attention from the news networks with Luttrell, whose story is the basis of the movie, front and center in the feature segments.
Akiva Goldsman, Sarah Aubrey, Randall Emmett are among the producers on "Lone Survivor," along with Berg and Wahlberg.
The PG-13-rated "The Legend of Hercules" is directed by Renny Harlin and stars "Twilight" alum Kellan Lutz. The script, from Sean Hood and Daniel Giat, focuses on how the half-man, half-god son of Zeus gained his powers and became a hero.
Distributor Summit will have the 3D action adventure tale, which was produced and mainly financed by Millennium Films to the tune of $70 million, in 2,014 theaters. Projections are for an opening of $10 million or less, way under what you want to see for a movie with that sort of budget.
Also read: 'Hercules' vs. 'Hercules': 6 Box-Office Battles Between Movies That Were Awfully Alike
It is the first of two movies about the ancient hero set for this year. Paramount and MGM's "Hercules: The Thracian Wars," directed by Brett Ratner and starring Dwayne Johnson, will hit theaters in July.
It hasn't been screened for critics, so there aren't any reviews, and social media isn't encouraging. It's pacing ahead of "Conan the Barbarian" on Facebook, but isn't matching the Twitter count of that film, which opened to $10 million and topped out at a disappointing $48 million worldwide in 2011.
Danny Lerner, Les Weldon and Boaz Davidson produce, along with Harlin. Avi Lerner, Trevor Short and John Thompson are executive producers.
Also read: 'August: Osage County' Reviews: Mixed Response for Meryl Streep Drama
The expanding Oscar hopefuls probably aren't on enough screens to rank among the weekend's leaders, especially since "The Wolf of Wall Street" - which topped the box office on Tuesday - "American Hustle" and "Saving Mr. Banks" have all been playing solidly.
"August: Osage County" is tracking at around $10 million and "Her" is at $8 million, but their per-screen averages may be a better indicator of how well they're connecting.
With the star-power of Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts and John Wells directing, "August" probably has the best chance to take off. The dark comedy about a dysfunctional Oklahoma family, adapted by Tracy Letts from his Pulitzer Prize winning play, has averaged $35,000 and nearly $28,000 in two weeks on five screens.
But social media is middling, and the critics haven't been overly impressed; it's at 64 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes.
The starry ensemble includes Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Bresin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Sam Shepard and Margo Martindale.
It is produced by George Clooney, Jean Doumanian, Grant Heslov, Steve Traxler and Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and has a $20 million production budget.
Also read: Can 'Inside Llewyn Davis' Find Another Gear at the Box Office?
The sci-fi romance "Her" is one of the better-reviewed movies of the year, with a 91 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But whether that critical appeal - it shared the L.A. Film Critics' best picture honors with "Gravity" - will translate to mainstream success is a different question, owing mainly to the film's offbeat plot.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as a lonely writer who develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need. Scarlett Johanson provides the voice, and does it so well that some have seen her ineligibility in the Golden Globes supporting actress race as an injustice.
After averaging $43,000-plus on six screens in for its opening, "Her" has averaged nearly $14,000 and more than $16,000 on 47 screens for the past two weeks.
Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, Olivia Wilde and Rooney Mara co-star in the film, which Jonze wrote and directed. He also produced, along with Megan Ellison.
Last week's runner-up movie, "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones," is expected to take a big dive, but Warner Bros.' blockbuster "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is likely to be among the leaders.
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Misses Out On Box Office Top Spot
By Joanna Crawley On January 6, 2014
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones may have been the film tipped to lead the US box office for the opening weekend of 2014 but in the end the hyped horror flick failed to topple the hugely successful Disney animation Frozen.
Frozen is now the second most successful title of all time from Disney behind The Lion King, racking up huge ticket sales of over $600 million worldwide. Over the weekend it added another $20.7 million to it's US revenue and has accomplished the almost unheard of feat of climbing back to the top spot more than six weeks into its run.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones couldn't match the film's family friendly credentials but did appeal to the teen market in the last days of the Christmas holidays, pulling in an impressive $18.2 million.
Overall box office takings took a slight hit in the US thanks to the bad weather currently ravaging the East coast, with Marked Ones opening below any of the previous Paranormal Activity movies.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones just missed out on an opening weekend top spot in the US (Paramount)Overseas, Marked Ones performed well, debuting to $16.2 million from 24 markets, with the U.K. leading with $3.2 million.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug fell to number three over the weekend with $16.3 million with the movie's domestic total in the US now standing at $229.6 million.
Two Oscar tipped movies, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese team-up The Wolf of Wall Street and the all-star drama American Hustle rounded out the top five.
Keanu Reeves' fantasy thriller 47 Ronin continued to falter over the weekend though falling to number 11 in the box office chart.
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Monday, 6 January 2014
Frozen Returns To Top Of U.S. Box Office
Frozen has returned to the top of the U.S. box office, a month after it was released.
Frozen has already been a #1 hit in the U.S. and now it has held off the challenge from Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
The latest Disney movie has now grossed over $639 million at the global box office and is one of the most successful Disney animation movies of all time.
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones was the only new entry inside the top ten this week as it opened at number two.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug saw its run at the top of the box office end as it dropped two places to number three.
The Wolf of Wall Street was up one place this week at four, while American Hustle fell a single place to round off the top five.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues was this week's biggest faller as it dropped three places to number six. Saving Mr Banks was also down as it dropped one place to seven.
The Secret Life of Walter mitty and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire were both also down a single place at eight and nine.
Grudge Match was the second movie on the up this week as was back in the top ten from last week's eleven.
1. (2) Frozen - $20,722,0002. (-) Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - $18,200,0003. (1) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - $16,250,0004. (5) The Wolf of Wall Street - $13,400,0005. (4) American Hustle - $13,200,0006. (3) Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - $11,100,0007. (6) Saving Mr. Banks - $9,057,0008. (7) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - $8,200,0009. (8) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - $7,400,00010. (11) Grudge Match - $5,410,000
by Helen Earnshaw for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Disney's 'Frozen' Returns to Top Box Office in Seventh Week (1)
Bloomberg News
"Frozen," 's animated movie about two princesses in an icy world, returned to the top spot in ticket sales in its seventh weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
"Frozen" generated $20.7 million for the weekend, toppling "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," which had held the lead for three weeks, researcher said in an e-mailed statement today. "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones," the horror sequel from 's Paramount Pictures, had $18.2 million second place in its debut.
With this week's haul, "Frozen" has taken in $297.8 million in domestic theaters, second to only Universal Pictures' "Despicable Me 2" for an animated movie released in 2013. The film benefited from favorable reviews and a holiday release schedule light on family-friendly competition.
"People are getting from the movie exactly what they wanted," said Phil Contrino, chief analyst for researcher BoxOffice.com. "It's very impressive."
"Frozen," which last led the box office on the weekend ended Dec. 8, was made for $150 million, according to Box Office Mojo. It was projected to take in $20 million this past weekend, according to BoxOffice.com. It's only the seventh movie in 30 years to finish or jump back into the top position while in its seventh week of release, putting it in the company of such films as "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Silkwood."
Only Debut
The film is the biggest hit for Disney's namesake animation division since "The Lion King" in 1994, highlighting a resurgence at the studio, which is churning out hits again after the success of "Tangled" in 2010 and "Wreck-It Ralph" in 2012.
"Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones," the fifth installment in the low-cost horror series, was the only debut in wide release this weekend. Like its predecessors, the movie eschews gore and special effects for suspense.
The new film introduces new characters by shifting to a group of Latino teenagers in an apartment complex. When a reclusive woman in the complex dies, the teenagers discover a sinister plot.
The film garnered a 45 percent positive rating by RottenTomatoes.com, a review aggregator.
'Hobbit' Film
Low-cost horror has been an effective strategy for Paramount and for Hollywood. The first four films in the "Paranormal Activity" franchise cost about $13 million total and generated $720.7 million in worldwide ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo.
The new movie was projected to take in $13 million for Paramount, according to BoxOffice.com.
Among returning films, "The Desolation of Smaug," the second of three films based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, made $16.3 million to take third place for Warner Bros. and MGM Holdings Inc. The film, released on Dec. 13, has generated $756.6 million worldwide. Its predecessor produced $1.02 billion in its theatrical run, with 70 percent from international markets.
"The Wolf of Wall Street," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, collected $13.4 million in its second weekend to place fourth. The movie, featuring DiCaprio as the central character, follows the real-life rise and fall of Jordan Belfort, who founded the 1990s firm Stratton Oakmont Inc. and spent 22 months in prison for securities fraud.
'American Hustle'
The movie has garnered Golden Globe nominations for best comedy and best actor in a comedy.
"American Hustle," a fictionalized account of a 1970s scandal, took in $13.2 million for Sony Corp. in its fourth weekend to place fifth. The movie, featuring Christian Bale, was nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards.
Weekend revenue for the top 10 films rose 30 percent to $123 million from the year-earlier period, Rentrak said.
The following table has U.S. movie box office figures provided by studios to Rentrak Corp. The amounts are based on gross ticket sales from Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 and estimates for today.
Rev. Pct. Avg./ Total Movie (mln) Chg. Theaters Theater (mln) Wks =============================================================== 1 FROZEN $20.7 -28 3,318 $6,245 $297.8 7 2 PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 18.2 -- 2,867 6,348 18.2 1 3 THE HOBBIT 16.3 -44 3,730 4,357 229.6 4 4 WOLF OF WALL STREET 13.4 -27 2,557 5,241 63.3 2 5 AMERICAN HUSTLE 13.2 -29 2,518 5,242 88.7 4 6 ANCHORMAN 2 11.1 -44 3,407 3,258 109.2 3 7 SAVING MR. BANKS 9.1 -33 2,110 4,292 59.3 4 8 SECRET LIFE OF MITTY 8.2 -36 2,922 2,806 45.7 2 9 HUNGER GAMES 7.4 -26 2,143 3,453 407.5 7 10 GRUDGE MATCH 5.4 -23 2,856 1,894 24.9 2 Top 10 Films Grosses: This Week Year Ago Pct. (mln) (mln) Chg. =================================== $122.9 $94.7 +30 Year-to-date Revenue: 2014 2013 YTD YTD Pct. (mln) (mln) Chg. =================================== $228.5 $217.6 +5 Source: Rentrak Corp.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Livesey in San Francisco at blivesey@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net
Frozen beats Paranormal Activity at US box office
Frozen has beaten Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones at the US box office.
The highly acclaimed animated feature was able to jump from second to first place this week with $20.7m, foiling the Paranormal Activity sequel's debut.
Stars Kristen Bell and Indina Menzel recently told Digital Spy that the film's main message is unconditional love.
Despite higher projections, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones finished in second place, making $18.2m in its first weekend of release.
Meanwhile, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug stayed in the top five, coming in at third with $16.25m in takings.
Leonardo DiCaprio's The Wolf of Wall Street and Christian Bale's American Hustle round out the top five.
Ben Stiller's latest film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty dropped another spot this weekend to number eight with $8.2m, while Stallone and DeNiro's Grudge Match came in at ten.
The US weekend box office top ten in full (studio estimates, all figures in US dollars):
1. (2) Frozen - $20,722,0002. (-) Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - $18,200,0003. (1) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - $16,250,0004. (5) The Wolf of Wall Street - $13,400,0005. (4) American Hustle - $13,200,0006. (3) Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - $11,100,0007. (6) Saving Mr. Banks - $9,057,0008. (7) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - $8,200,0009. (8) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - $7,400,00010. (11) Grudge Match - $5,410,000
Watch a trailer for Frozen below:
Frozen beats Paranormal Activity at US box office
Frozen has beaten Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones at the US box office.
The highly acclaimed animated feature was able to jump from second to first place this week with $20.7m, foiling the Paranormal Activity sequel's debut.
Stars Kristen Bell and Indina Menzel recently told Digital Spy that the film's main message is unconditional love.
Despite higher projections, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones finished in second place, making $18.2m in its first weekend of release.
Meanwhile, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug stayed in the top five, coming in at third with $16.25m in takings.
Leonardo DiCaprio's The Wolf of Wall Street and Christian Bale's American Hustle round out the top five.
Ben Stiller's latest film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty dropped another spot this weekend to number eight with $8.2m, while Stallone and DeNiro's Grudge Match came in at ten.
The US weekend box office top ten in full (studio estimates, all figures in US dollars):
1. (2) Frozen - $20,722,0002. (-) Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones - $18,200,0003. (1) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - $16,250,0004. (5) The Wolf of Wall Street - $13,400,0005. (4) American Hustle - $13,200,0006. (3) Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues - $11,100,0007. (6) Saving Mr. Banks - $9,057,0008. (7) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - $8,200,0009. (8) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - $7,400,00010. (11) Grudge Match - $5,410,000
Watch a trailer for Frozen below:
As Deep Freeze Hits, Moviegoers Return 'Frozen' to Box
Walt Disney Pictures
"Frozen" became the rarest of hits over the weekend: Instead of shuffling off toward DVD, as most movies playing in wide release do after about a month, the Disney musical surged back to the top spot at the North American box office by selling an astounding $20.7 million in tickets. "Frozen" - benefiting from top-notch reviews, a shortage of family-friendly movies and, perhaps, the thematically appropriate extreme winter weather in much of the United States - has now taken in roughly $297.8 million over its six-week domestic run, for a global total of $639.9 million.
A new entry, "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones," from Paramount Pictures and the producer Jason Blum, took in about $18.2 million, according to Rentrak, which compiles box office data. Paramount spent about $5 million to make the horror film, a spinoff aimed primarily at Hispanic moviegoers and designed to pump fresh life into the cooling "Paranormal Activity" franchise.
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (Warner Brothers) chugged along in third place, taking in about $16.3 million, for a four-week total of $229.6 million. Martin Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street" (Paramount), which may set a record for the use of extreme language in a mainstream film, was fourth; it had ticket sales of about $13.4 million, for a two-week total of $63.3 million. "American Hustle" (Sony) was a whisker behind, taking in an estimated $13.2 million, for a four-week total of $88.7 million.
Brooks Barnes writes about Hollywood with an emphasis on Disney. Follow @brooksbarnesnyt on Twitter.
Box Office Report: Frozen Back On Top, The Hobbit Sequel Enters Top 10 For ...
Frozen continued its amazing box office run this weekend, taking the number one spot at the U.S. box office. In its sixth weekend of wide release, Frozen took in $20.7 million from Friday through Sunday. With $297 million total at the U.S. box office, Frozen is Disney Animation's second highest grossing film ever, trailing only The Lion King.
Among films released in 2013, Frozen is now ranked as the fourth highest grossing movie of the year in the U.S., moving past Man Of Steel. At the worldwide box office, Frozen has taken in $639.9 million, placing it as the ninth highest grossing movie of the year.
Ranking second at the U.S. box office was new release Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, which took in an estimated $18.2 million over the weekend. The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug continued its strong run as well, bringing in $16.2 million to take third place. With $229 million total at the U.S. box office, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug moved past Star Trek Into Darkness to become one of the ten highest grossing films in the U.S. released in 2013.
Saturday, 4 January 2014
Lessons from the 2013 Box Office: Top 20 movies of the year
Hollywood had a lot to celebrate at the end of 2013. Box office grosses were up to a record $10.9 billion, a .7% increase over 2012. Of course, that's partially due to the fact an average ticket price is now $8. Tickets sold were actually down to 1.35 billion or .4% below last year's pace. Comparatively, however, that really isn't too bad. This year was somewhere in the middle of tickets sold when looking over the past six years. And while it's been 12 years since the modern mark of 1.575 billion sold, the industry is relatively healthy in the U.S. Much more importantly, emerging markets such as China and Russia continue to pump up international grosses which has almost single-handedly helped the movie industry survive the collapse of DVD and home entertainment sales. Sequels dominated the top 10 movies of the year, but there was some room for an original blockbuster or two when the finally tallies were counted. Before you check out the final ranking of the top 25 in the story gallery below, here are some important lessons Hollywood took in at the turn of the new year.More comedies please It seems to be a common refrain, but Hollywood just can't seem to make enough good broad comedies. Movieogers are demonstrating their desire for funny flicks by making mediocre comedies such as " Identity Thief" and "We're The Millers" into mega-hits. Five films that were "straight" comedies (not animated family films) earned over $100 million and a sixth, "Anchorman 2," came incredibly close at the end of the year. More disturbing were the weeks on end where there were no comedies released whatsoever. If Hollywood is concerned about getting the public to go to the movies on a regular basis more, fixing the lack of real laughers would be a huge step. Teenagers are turning their nose at the movies (aka the return of the adult moviegoer) Shocker, the American teenager is over the movies. Well, yes and no. In the summer and holidays when pop culture event blockbusters are in play they are going. During the school year? Not so much anymore. It used to be Hollywood could count on teenagers and college students to dominate Friday nights at the movies as "date nights." Instead, following a gradual trend over the past few years, their parents and older brothers and sisters are taking back the local theater. In fact, some of the over 25 and even over 35 fueled hits this year were almost inconceivable five years ago. In fact, outside of " Gravity" and "Bad Grandpa," studios almost told teens to stay away this fall as "Lee Daniels' The Butler," "Last Vegas," "Captain Phillips" and "Prisoners" ruled the multiplex.Scares still play Horror franchises come and go, but if there is one thing you can count on it's that there is something about getting scared with a bunch of other strangers in a dark theater which is increasingly compelling. 2013 - aka the year of James Wan -- saw the birth of two new possible franchises with "Mama" and " The Conjuring," a remarkable continuation of smart horror with "Insidious Chapter 2" and a wonderfully marketed concept flick in "The Purge" which Universal believes is franchise worthy (here comes "The Purge 2" this summer). So, want to get your big break in Hollywood young filmmaker? Come up with a slam dunk horror franchise. It's your best way in the front door.Realizing that a star is a superstar no more Fans love their favorite movie stars and will be insanely loyal to them to a fault (cough, Adam Sandler, cough), but every star fades. Often, it's difficult for the star in question or the studios behind them to figure out when they won't be able to open a movie just on their presence in a motion picture. 2013 saw both Johnny Depp and Will Smith tumble with two of the biggest bombs of their career. Both "Lone Ranger" and "After Earth" were sketchy projects that got the final green light in large part due to the participation of each actor. It goes without saying that outside of playing Captain Jack or Jay the red carpet icons no longer have that pull with the powers that be. You can't underestimate the right release date Studios are even more analytical in their decisions than you fear, but just like personal decisions in sports these days the numbers don't always tell you the true story. Some of 2013's biggest disappointments came from strictly opening the right movie at the wrong time. "Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas" and "Saving Mr. Banks" both suffered from debuting in the middle of just a three-week shopping season when their core audiences were unavailable. Summit Entertainment tried to take "Red 2" to the summer after the original killed in October. Huge mistake. "The World's End" would have been a more potent finale earlier in the summer as opposed to the now dregs of August. "Don Jon" could have made much more in the spring as opposed to September. "Out of the Furnace" should have been sold as a thriller in the early fall or spring. "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"? That's a February, March release, not awards season fare. Often these decisions are dictated on when the film is actually finished or the needs of international distributors. But, executives who still believe you can open a good movie at any time? Just not the case.Superhero fatigue has not set in...yet It's got to come at some point right? Moviegoers have increasingly made superhero movies part of their pop culture mix since the first "X-Men" in 2000. Last year included three superhero flicks in the top 11 (four if you count the former "super villain" Gru in "DM2") and four in the top 25 ("The Wolverine"). No matter what the genre, the public will always tire of it at some point. It's a cyclical process seen in the business for over 100 years. It's happened with Westerns, action flicks, thrillers -- you name it. Don't be shocked if we see the first signs of wear and tear in 2014.What do you think Hollywood learned from 2013? Share your thoughts below.
With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3's on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.
Thursday, 2 January 2014
Disney's FROZEN Kicks Off 2014 at Top of U.S. Box Office
Disney's FROZEN, which recently surpassed the $500 million mark worldwide, will kick off 2014 at the top of the U.S. box office, according to Variety. The animated film, featuring the voices of Broadway stars Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Josh Gad, topped the box office take on Wednesday, January 1 with $8.7 million for a six-week total of $271.9 million. The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug followed with $7.8 million for $209.3 million in 20 days.
FROZEN earned approximately $250 million both domestically and internationally making it the fourth Disney film to reach the milestone. Domestically, the movie is Disney's most successful animated film in North American following The Lion King, which earned $422.8 million.
Hitting theaters on November 27th the film, which recently received a Golden Globe nomination, pulled in $93.6 million for its five-day holiday debut, setting a new record for the largest Thanksgiving debut in history. It will also hits the record books for being the largest opening ever for a Walt Disney Animation Studios film.
About FROZEN:
Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind "Tangled" and "Wreck-It Ralph," presents FROZEN, a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey-teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven-to find her sister Elsa (voice ofIdina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad), Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.
The film is directed by Chris Buck ("Tarzan," "Surf's Up") and Jennifer Lee (screenwriter, "Wreck-It Ralph"), who also wrote the screenplay. It is produced by Peter Del Vecho ("Winnie the Pooh," "The Princess and the Frog"). Featuring original songs from Tony winner Robert Lopez ("The Book of Mormon," "Avenue Q") and Kristen Anderson-Lopez ("In Transit," "Winnie the Pooh"), and an original score by Christophe Beck ("The Muppets," Oscar-winning short "Paperman"), "Frozen" hits theaters in 3D on Nov. 27, 2013.
In "Frozen," fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice ofJonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf (voice of Josh Gad)in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter.
Read more about Disney's FROZEN Breaks $500 Million at Worldwide Box Office - BWWMoviesWorld by www.broadwayworld.com
featuring the voices of Broadway's "Frozen" led the way on Wednesday with $8.7 million for a six-week total of $271.9 million, followed by "Smaug" with $7.8 million for $209.3 million in 20 days.
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