Like it or not, the Paranormal Activity franchise is here to stay.
Paramount's low-budget cash cow has been providing reliable thrills to horror buffs around the world for the last four years. While cynics and horror snobs are quick to label the films as corny and contrived, the masses continue to eat them up. Critics might as well stay home as well. The fact that Paranormal Activity 4 currently has a weak 33% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes will not stop it from raking in tons of cash this weekend.
North America is where the franchise has made the bulk of its money. 2009's Paranormal Activity made $107.9 million domestically compared to $85.4 million internationally.
Tyler Perry is ready to step outside his self-made universe in a starring role for the first time with this weekend's release of Alex Cross. Based on the popular James Patterson novels, Perry is taking the character torch over from Morgan Freeman (who portrayed Dr. Alex Cross in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider). The question is: where's the buzz at?
Compared to the over-shadowing release of Paranormal Activity 4 this weekend, it might be hard to tell. But our indicators are pointing to some strong interest in the flick among Perry's fan base. While that's not altogether surprising, it is a critical sign when considering that even his own biggest successes have usually relied upon his famous Madea character.
Though not due to release for another two weeks, Disney has been ramping up the promotion for Wreck-It Ralph over the last few days and it seems to be paying off in a big way. As of last Thursday, October 11, Ralph boasted 602,185 Facebook fans (up less than 1,400 from the previous day). Within 24 hours, that figure shot up to 673,257 and continued to gain more than 100,000 fans per day over the course of the weekend.
Through Monday, October 15, the fan total was a huge 971,146 with 18 days before release. What's behind the sudden jump?
In one way or another, most of the demented killers in Seven Psychopaths slaughter for love. This got us thinking: the film's six psychopaths—yes, there's one less psychopath than advertised—might need some extra TLC so they'll cease their murderous ways, or at least have a special someone to share their mayhem with. Thus, we played movie yenta and conjured up some love matches for those six lonely psychopaths—and one for a seventh psychopath the movie failed to identify. Here are our picks for Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, and company:
Warning: Heavy spoilers below.
Billy (Sam Rockwell) and Annie (Kathy Bates) from Misery
The horror craze just doesn't seem to ever completely go away, and maybe that's why it has remained one of Hollywood's go-to genres for (usually) inexpensive cash cows. The trend came to the forefront thanks to filmmakers like George A. Romero and his Night of the Living Dead series of films over the decades. A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween and Scream had their days of carrying the horror banner, and in 2004 Saw began its run of seven films over the course of seven years.
Stealing Saw's thunder in 2009, however, was the phenomenon of Paranormal Activity.
Last night, Joe Biden and Paul Ryan had their turn in the spotlight when they duked it out at the vice presidential debates. But let's face it: political events just aren't the same without Barack Obama's charismatic magnetism and what it is that brings people close enough to Mitt Romney to glimpse the outline of his Mormon underwear. Whatever you may think of the commander-in-chief's job performance, POTUS definitely has the makings of a star, from his supersonic ascent in the political world to his historic achievement as America's first black president to his incredibly photogenic family. In the last few years, Hollywood has been spinning its gears trying to explain and capitalize on Obama's star power. Here's what it has come up with so far:
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Banner: BVG Films, ASA Production and Enterprises
Producers: Vikram Bhatt
Director: Bhushan Patel
Cast: Aftab Shivdasani, Tia Bajpai, Vidya Malvade, Sharad Kelkar
Music: Chirantan Bhatt
Plot: Set in 1920, the film is about two lovers. They have been writing to each other and have fallen in love but have never met. Jaidev is a noted poet who lives in a mansion with his sister and housekeeping staff. He meets a girl who is unconscious near a lake and takes her home. Soon, bizarre things start to happen and someone who lives in a cemetery tells Jaidev it's the handiwork of an evil spirit who inhabited the girl's body.
