Box office: ‘Harry Potter’ hits new heights, Russell Crowe flops….

Harry Potter has cast his biggest opening-weekend spell yet, thanks largely to fans who rushed to midnight screenings late Thursday.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” sold $125.2 million of tickets this weekend, according to an estimate from Warner Bros. That’s 23% higher than the previous biggest first weekend for a “Potter” film, though ticket prices have risen over the years and the last two sequels opened on a Wednesday, not a Friday. Also, the new movie benefited by playing in more digital and large-format theaters, which carry higher ticket prices.

The only other new movie to open nationwide, the Russell Crowe thriller “The Next Three Days,” flopped, debuting to a weak $6.75 million. That’s the worst start for a movie starring Crowe since the 2006 bomb “A Good Year.”

For “Deathly Hallows,” Saturday and Sunday ticket sales were nearly identical to the last series entry to start on a Friday, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” which launched in November 2005. The major difference came from Thursday’s midnight shows, when the new film raked in $24 million, compared with $6 million for “Goblet of Fire.” That accounted for $18 million of the $22-million advantage for this year’s picture.

That reflects changing moviegoing habits as it has become increasingly common in the past five years for moviegoers to rush to see a film as early as possible, noted Warner domestic distribution chief Dan Fellman.

It also shows the changing demographics of the Potter audience, as more fans are now old enough to see the movie late at night rather than in a matinee. About 25% of the audience for “Deathly Hallows” was between 18 and 35, compared with 10% for “Goblet of Fire.”

 

This weekend at the Movies……..The 1980's all over again….

Two reshoots of  olde’s are back this weekend at the Movie’s……

This weekend, two 1980s retreads hit theaters, aiming to tap into the themes that made the originals so popular as well as to draw the nostalgic. The Karate Kid crane-kicks its way onto at least 5,400 screens at 3,663 locations, while The A-Team marches onto approximately 5,200 screens at 3,535 locations.

Produced by Will Smith and featuring his son, Jaden, in the title role and Jackie Chan as the martial arts mentor, The Karate Kid remake seems less faithful to its source material than The A-Team. The titular Kid is a pre-teen verus Ralph Macchio’s teenager from the 1984 smash, arguably lowering the dramatic stakes and relatability for older audiences. The Kid moves to a new location: China instead of Los Angeles, so now only the Kid is a cultural outsider, whereas, in the original, the mentor was as well. What’s more, the martial art is now kung fu instead of the titular karate.

The original Karate Kid debuted nearly 26 years ago in June, grossing $5 million at 931 sites (or the equivalent of around $12 million adjusted for ticket price inflation) and ended its run at $90.8 million (or around $215 million adjusted). The Karate Kid Part II, in which the Kid goes to karate’s native land Japan (like the Kid goes to kung fu’s native land in the remake), made even more in 1986, but the franchise fell apart with The Karate Kid Part III in 1989. The 1994 revival The Next Karate Kid, featuring the original’s Pat Morita and Hilary Swank as his new student, failed, grossing $8.9 million in its entire run.

Though the franchise faded, martial arts continued to be a facet of action movies, and Jackie Chan rose to prominence in America. Mr. Chan mined similar material (albeit in the fantasy genre) with The Forbidden Kingdom, which opened to $21.4 million in 2008 and closed with $52.1 million, and he’s generally been popular among the kids the new Karate Kid has targeted. Recently, Never Back Down, which was essentially a Karate Kid remake, delivered modest numbers ($24.9 million total), but it shot for teens and young adults.

The new Karate Kid‘s remake is banking on its universal underdog, fish-out-of-water and culture clash elements that help made the original such a success, and distributor Sony Pictures’ has cut trailers and ads designed to rouse moviegoers with those themes. In Box Office Mojo‘s reader polling, 12.9 percent have voted to see The Karate Kid on its opening weekend. That’s a relatively strong number given the type of movie it is.

The A-Team is the latest television show adaptation, and the sub-genre has had a mixed track record. The first two Mission: Impossible movies were huge as was the first Charlie’s Angels and the less-well-known S.W.A.T.. On the other hand, pictures like I Spy and The Mod Squad fizzled, while the comediesThe Dukes of Hazzard and Starsky and Hutch and the serious Miami Vice were mid-range performers. An unrelated blast from the ’80s, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, posted a $54.7 million opening last summer on its way to $150.2 million.

More….

This weekend at the Movies……..The 1980’s all over again….

Two reshoots of  olde’s are back this weekend at the Movie’s……

This weekend, two 1980s retreads hit theaters, aiming to tap into the themes that made the originals so popular as well as to draw the nostalgic. The Karate Kid crane-kicks its way onto at least 5,400 screens at 3,663 locations, while The A-Team marches onto approximately 5,200 screens at 3,535 locations.

Produced by Will Smith and featuring his son, Jaden, in the title role and Jackie Chan as the martial arts mentor, The Karate Kid remake seems less faithful to its source material than The A-Team. The titular Kid is a pre-teen verus Ralph Macchio’s teenager from the 1984 smash, arguably lowering the dramatic stakes and relatability for older audiences. The Kid moves to a new location: China instead of Los Angeles, so now only the Kid is a cultural outsider, whereas, in the original, the mentor was as well. What’s more, the martial art is now kung fu instead of the titular karate.

The original Karate Kid debuted nearly 26 years ago in June, grossing $5 million at 931 sites (or the equivalent of around $12 million adjusted for ticket price inflation) and ended its run at $90.8 million (or around $215 million adjusted). The Karate Kid Part II, in which the Kid goes to karate’s native land Japan (like the Kid goes to kung fu’s native land in the remake), made even more in 1986, but the franchise fell apart with The Karate Kid Part III in 1989. The 1994 revival The Next Karate Kid, featuring the original’s Pat Morita and Hilary Swank as his new student, failed, grossing $8.9 million in its entire run.

Though the franchise faded, martial arts continued to be a facet of action movies, and Jackie Chan rose to prominence in America. Mr. Chan mined similar material (albeit in the fantasy genre) with The Forbidden Kingdom, which opened to $21.4 million in 2008 and closed with $52.1 million, and he’s generally been popular among the kids the new Karate Kid has targeted. Recently, Never Back Down, which was essentially a Karate Kid remake, delivered modest numbers ($24.9 million total), but it shot for teens and young adults.

The new Karate Kid‘s remake is banking on its universal underdog, fish-out-of-water and culture clash elements that help made the original such a success, and distributor Sony Pictures’ has cut trailers and ads designed to rouse moviegoers with those themes. In Box Office Mojo‘s reader polling, 12.9 percent have voted to see The Karate Kid on its opening weekend. That’s a relatively strong number given the type of movie it is.

The A-Team is the latest television show adaptation, and the sub-genre has had a mixed track record. The first two Mission: Impossible movies were huge as was the first Charlie’s Angels and the less-well-known S.W.A.T.. On the other hand, pictures like I Spy and The Mod Squad fizzled, while the comediesThe Dukes of Hazzard and Starsky and Hutch and the serious Miami Vice were mid-range performers. An unrelated blast from the ’80s, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, posted a $54.7 million opening last summer on its way to $150.2 million.

More….

Memorial Day Weekend Movie Box Office is the worst in 17 Years…….

Could it be the Movie Ticket Princes?

Blame the playoffs, blame the economy or just blame the movies, but this was a Memorial Day weekend that Hollywood would like to forget.

With new releases “Prince of Persia” and “Sex and the City 2” failing to generate big box office, total movie ticket sales for the four-day holiday weekend were an estimated $186 million, the lowest total since 2001.

(For details on the performances of those two movies and “Shrek Forever After” this weekend, see our initial post.)

Accounting for ticket price inflation, the numbers are much worse. The actual number of tickets sold — about 23.4 million — was the lowest since 1993, according to data compiled by Hollywood.com.

Movie studio distribution executives pointed to several factors that may have depressed this weekend’s box office: the NBA and NHL playoffs that this year feature teams from major cities — Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia — and the Indianapolis 500 race. Another possible reason could be the improving economy, as more people have been going on vacation this year compared with last year.

There’s no precise way to measure just how much of a factor was played by simple disinterest in the available films. Moviegoers who saw “Prince of Persia” and “Sex and the City 2” liked them better than did most critics, giving the films average grades of B+ and B, respectively, according to market research firm CinemaScore. But there’s no denying that the level of excitement was far lower for the two films than for “Night at the Museum 2” and “Terminator Salvation” last year or “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008.

So far, the high-stakes summer movie season, which starts on the first weekend of May, hasn’t been a good one for the entertainment industry. “Shrek Forever After” had a soft start, though it held relatively well on its second weekend, and “Robin Hood” flopped almost as badly as “Prince of Persia.” Only “Iron Man 2” has achieved the blockbuster status that studios strive for with big-budget summer releases.

More……..

Here are the top 10 movies in the U.S. and Canada, based on their four-day grosses. Percentage drops are based on three-day grosses. International grosses are through Sunday only.

1. “Shrek Forever After” (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount): $55.7 million on its second weekend, down 39%. $18.5 million overseas in 15 foreign markets. Domestic total: $145.5 million. International total: $53.5 million.

2. “Prince of Persia” (Disney): Opened to $37.8 million. $59 million overseas in 47 foreign markets. International total: $87.5 million.

3. “Sex and the City 2” (Warner Bros./New Line/Village Roadshow): $37.1 million for the four-day weekend, plus $14.3 million on its opening Thursday. $27.6 million overseas in 15 foreign markets. Domestic total: $51.4 million. International total: $27.6 million.

4. “Iron Man 2” (Marvel/Paramount): $20.6 million on its fourth weekend, down 38%. $6.8 million overseas in 61 foreign markets. Domestic total: $279.2 million. International total: $281.5 million.

5. “Robin Hood” (Universal/Relativity): $13.6 million on its third weekend, down 44%. $17.6 million in 56 foreign markets. Domestic total: $86.3 million. International total: $154.6 million.

6. “Letters to Juliet” (Summit): $7.3 million on its third weekend, down 34%. Domestic total: $37.9 million.

7. “Just Wright” (Fox Searchlight): $2.7 million on its third weekend, down 50%. Domestic total: $18.7 million.

8. “Date Night” (Fox/Dune): $2.3 million on its eighth weekend, down 38%. $1 million overseas in 32 foreign markets. Domestic total: $93.9 million. International total: $52.8 million.

9. “MacGruber” (Rogue/Universal): $1.9 million on its second weekend, down 62%. Domestic total: $7.6 million.

10. “How to Train Your Dragon” (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount): $1.5 million on its 10th weekend, down 44%. $4.7 million overseas in 62 foreign markets. Domestic total: $213.1 million. International total: $243 million.

Aishwarya Rai……..

Aishwarya Rai is famous for her stuning blue eyes and winning Miss World in 1994. After her Miss World reign, she got into modeling and acting as has been gracing us with her natural beauty in more than 40 films.

Will 'Shrek' lead at the Boxoffice this weekend?

Enough of the Green guy already!

He, he, he……

This weekend, the fourth and presumably final Shreklumbers into 4,359 theaters, surpassing Shrek 2 as the broadest release ever for an animated movie. Included in that sum are 2,373 3D sites, topping Alice in Wonderland (2010) as the biggest release yet for the format. Also opening is Saturday Night Live-based action comedy MacGruber at 2,551 theaters.

Shrek is one of the few franchises to gross over $1 billion, and it did it with only three movies. Shrek Forever After follows the series’ pattern of opening on the weekend before Memorial Day and arriving three years after the last movie. Whether it continues the series’ tradition of breaking the animation opening weekend record with each release is another matter, but it will have an uphill battle following audiences’ mixed reaction to Shrek the Third and Box Office Mojo reader polling that indicates far less interest thanShrek the Third had. In the “When will you see it?” polling, Shrek Forever After has landed closer toKung Fu Panda and other lower-grossing-but-still-popular titles.

The first Shrek kicked off the franchise with a tremendous $42.3 million on its first weekend in 2001, or the equivalent of nearly $60 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. It went on to gross $267.7 million (or over $375 million adjusted).

Good will from the first movie plus the shrewd addition of Puss in Boots took Shrek 2 to the next level in 2004: it raked in $108 million its first weekend (over $138 million adjusted), despite opening on a Wednesday, and went on to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time with over $440 million (around $565 million adjusted).

The party cooled with Shrek the Third in 2007, but it would have been unrealistic for it to maintain the franchise’s pace, even if it was deemed up-to-snuff in terms of quality. It debuted to $121.6 million (over $140 million adjusted) and burnt out quickly, closing with $322.7 million (around $373 million adjusted)…….

Boxoffice numbers for May 21……

May 21
Updated Thursday afternoons

<< Prev. Week < Last Year	View Index	Next Year > Next Week >>
Rank LW Title Distributor Theater Count Change % Change Week # > NEW RELEASES 1 – Shrek Forever After Paramount (DreamWorks) 4,359 – – 1 5 – MacGruber Universal 2,551 – – 1 29 – Racing Dreams Hannover House 33 – – 1 38 – Solitary Man Anchor Bay Films 4 – – 1 41 – After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United Variance Films 1 – – 1 43 – Father of My Children IFC 1 – – 1 45 – Perrier’s Bounty IFC 1 – – 1 > EXPANDING 3 2 Robin Hood Universal 3,505 +2 +0.1% 2 4 4 Letters to Juliet Summit Entertainment 2,975 +7 +0.2% 2 15 19 Alice in Wonderland (2010) Buena Vista 411 +8 +2.0% 12 27 46 Princess Kaiulani Roadside Attractions 47 +14 +42.4% 2 31 53 Human Centipede IFC 19 +1 +5.6% 4 32 57 Vincere IFC 19 +2 +11.8% 10 More……..…….

Will ‘Shrek’ lead at the Boxoffice this weekend?

Enough of the Green guy already!

He, he, he……

This weekend, the fourth and presumably final Shreklumbers into 4,359 theaters, surpassing Shrek 2 as the broadest release ever for an animated movie. Included in that sum are 2,373 3D sites, topping Alice in Wonderland (2010) as the biggest release yet for the format. Also opening is Saturday Night Live-based action comedy MacGruber at 2,551 theaters.

Shrek is one of the few franchises to gross over $1 billion, and it did it with only three movies. Shrek Forever After follows the series’ pattern of opening on the weekend before Memorial Day and arriving three years after the last movie. Whether it continues the series’ tradition of breaking the animation opening weekend record with each release is another matter, but it will have an uphill battle following audiences’ mixed reaction to Shrek the Third and Box Office Mojo reader polling that indicates far less interest thanShrek the Third had. In the “When will you see it?” polling, Shrek Forever After has landed closer toKung Fu Panda and other lower-grossing-but-still-popular titles.

The first Shrek kicked off the franchise with a tremendous $42.3 million on its first weekend in 2001, or the equivalent of nearly $60 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. It went on to gross $267.7 million (or over $375 million adjusted).

Good will from the first movie plus the shrewd addition of Puss in Boots took Shrek 2 to the next level in 2004: it raked in $108 million its first weekend (over $138 million adjusted), despite opening on a Wednesday, and went on to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time with over $440 million (around $565 million adjusted).

The party cooled with Shrek the Third in 2007, but it would have been unrealistic for it to maintain the franchise’s pace, even if it was deemed up-to-snuff in terms of quality. It debuted to $121.6 million (over $140 million adjusted) and burnt out quickly, closing with $322.7 million (around $373 million adjusted)…….

Boxoffice numbers for May 21……

May 21
Updated Thursday afternoons

<< Prev. Week < Last Year	View Index	Next Year > Next Week >>
Rank LW Title Distributor Theater Count Change % Change Week # > NEW RELEASES 1 – Shrek Forever After Paramount (DreamWorks) 4,359 – – 1 5 – MacGruber Universal 2,551 – – 1 29 – Racing Dreams Hannover House 33 – – 1 38 – Solitary Man Anchor Bay Films 4 – – 1 41 – After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United Variance Films 1 – – 1 43 – Father of My Children IFC 1 – – 1 45 – Perrier’s Bounty IFC 1 – – 1 > EXPANDING 3 2 Robin Hood Universal 3,505 +2 +0.1% 2 4 4 Letters to Juliet Summit Entertainment 2,975 +7 +0.2% 2 15 19 Alice in Wonderland (2010) Buena Vista 411 +8 +2.0% 12 27 46 Princess Kaiulani Roadside Attractions 47 +14 +42.4% 2 31 53 Human Centipede IFC 19 +1 +5.6% 4 32 57 Vincere IFC 19 +2 +11.8% 10 More……..…….

BDog on the most successful Movie Franchise……

Franchise  = Everything made on the Movie…Box Office, Doll, Toys, Books (Ah, Ha! )….Comic Books , Clothing, etc……Everything

James Bond?…..Nope……

Star Wars?……..Nope…..

The answer is Harry Potter folks……

[ James Bond and Harry Potter characters….]

The most successful movie franchise of all time is the “Harry Potter” series, which recently edged out another famous Brit: James Bond.

According to Box Office Mojo, the first six adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s beloved books have earned a staggering $5.4 billion worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.

The 22 films considered part of the official Bond canon (the 1967 spoof “Casino Royale” and the 1983 out-of-continuity “Never Say Never Again” don’t count) have earned an estimated $5 billion globally. But even if the earnings of those two films were included, it still wouldn’t be enough to put 007 on top.

If only U.S. box-office totals are counted, then the six-film “Star Wars” saga would be the top draw, with $1.9 billion in receipts, compared to $1.7 billion for the “Harry Potter” movies and $1.6 billion for Bond films. (Worldwide, the “Star Wars” movies have earned $4.2 billion.)

But the box-office receipts may not tell the whole story. When other sources of money such as merchandising are included, then George Lucas’ Star Wars universe of Jedi, droids and Wookiees is Hollywood’s highest-grossing franchise. In 2005, Forbes estimated the Star Wars Empire had grossed $20 billion from movie tickets, books, games and anything else you could possibly license.

Still, Bond is certainly Hollywood’s greatest franchise in terms of endurance and longevity. Since the first Bond adventure, “Dr. No” in 1962, it has thrived for 48 years, although the 23rd Bond picture is reportedly on hold for now.

Bond may need to stick around awhile to have any chance of overtaking Potter.

The last of Rowling’s books, “The Deathly Hallows,” is being adapted into two films, the first of which is scheduled to arrive in November 2010. With millions of people still captivated by the Harry Potter phenomenon, the film series may pad its lead as the worldwide box-office leader.

It’s important to note these dollar amounts are not adjusted for inflation; otherwise, the Bond series and Star Wars would be well ahead of the boy wizard in terms of global box office earnings.

Meanwhile, Director James Cameron is reportedly working on two “Avatar” sequels…..

More……..

Note.…..Pictured above as James Bond is Daniel Craig……who IS actually British and  Harry Radcliffe who plays Potter….. and is also British……

Anna Paquin…….

Birthday: July 24, 1982
Hometown: Winnipeg, Canada

How You Know Her: At the modest age of 11, Anna won an Oscar for her part in the film The Piano. After a successful debut, she went on to roles in such acclaimed movies as Amistad, Almost Famous, Finding Forrester, and The Squid and the Whale. The child-star-turned-stunning-starlet also turned mutant for the X-Men trilogy. Now, Anna tackles TV with the HBO series True Blood. For those of you that missed it, the first season comes out on DVD today. On the show, she plays a telepathic barmaid whose life becomes drastically altered when she meets a vampire. Even if the show’s plot strikes you as a bit too fantastic, you can’t deny that its star is bloody gorgeous……

More……..

Iron Man II Tops the Weekend Box office numbers……

I told you Iron Man II was good!

Obviously a heck of a lot people saw what my wife and I saw…

Kudos’ to John Favreau and Robert Downey Jr . for a better second picture than the first……

Go SEE IT!

Striking with an estimated $133.6 million in a blazing start to the summer movie season, Iron Man 2 shot past the debut of the first Iron Man, which kicked off with $98.6 million on the same weekend in 2008. The sequel also rocketed to fifth place among the highest-grossing opening weekends of all time, slotting behindPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest‘s $135.6 million launch. In terms of estimated attendance, though, <b>Iron Man 2</b> would chart ninth on that list.

Iron Man 2 showed on close to 10,000 screens at a record 4,380 theaters and, in three days, already ranks as the fourth highest-grossing picture from 2010. Its gross included 181 IMAX runs, which generated an estimated $10.2 million. That set the 2D IMAX opening weekend record, eclipsing Star Trek‘s $8.5 million from last year.

While Iron Man 2 didn’t receive as much of a second movie bump as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Matrix Reloaded, The Dark Knight or even X2: X-Men United among others, it’s important to note that the norm is audience erosion for pictures performing at this level, making Iron Man 2‘s 35 percent increase over the first movie’s opening a success.

Iron Man 2 capitalized on the good will produced by the first movie, which was a rare happy superhero movie and propelled by Robert Downey, Jr. However, its marketing didn’t up the ante, essentially offering more of the same and lacking a strong villain or new conflict. A “hail the conquering hero” effect was assumed, but, as pictures like Dark Knight and Dead Man’s Chest have shown, the advertising still has to do more than simply announce a sequel if records are going to fall. What’s more, the first Iron Man was a broadly-appealing spectacle, not just something for young fans, so the sequel likely didn’t have the opening weekend urgency for an all time best.

According to distributor Paramount Pictures’ exit polling, 60 percent of Iron Man 2‘s audience was male and 60 percent was over 25 years old, skewing more female but older than the first Iron Man‘s opening. These demographics also partially explain why Iron Man 2 wasn’t poised to break any records out of the gate. The previous benchmarks, The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3, had younger and more female pull than Iron Man. Dark Knight‘s opening stats were 52 percent male and 50 percent under 25, whileSpider-Man 3 was 54 percent male and 63 percent under 25.

As is usually the case with summer openings, there was a huge gulf between the top movie and everything else……

More……..

And thanks John for the ‘shout outs’ to Queens and Flushing Meadows Park!

Both Faverau and Downey Jr. are native New Yorkers……