For most of 2009 the domestic box office has been experiencing record-level grosses, but that wasn’t the case in the month of July. After new monthly records were set by the combined box office takes of April, May and June, the combined box office of $1.17 billion for July 2009 fell well short of matching the current July record of $1.30 billion set in 2007. Though to be fair, the possibility of July 2009 breaking that record felt highly unlikely at the beginning of the month. This July fell 6.5 percent short of matching the $1.25 billion combined gross of July 2008. That was a more achievable goal, but was still difficult in its own right given the enormous success of The Dark Knight last July.
Read moreThe upcoming Garry Marshall film Valentine’s Day features a who’s who of who’s hot in Hollywood. You’ve got Oscar winners (Jamie Foxx, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine), Oscar nominees (Anne Hathaway, Queen Latifah), hunky men (Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane) and gorgeous gals (Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba). They’re all signed up for the upcoming romantic comedy which follows a gaggle of romantic relationships based in the City of Angels. The multiple-star formula worked to modest effect with this year’s He’s Just Not That Into You, which squeezed in Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper and Scarlett Johansson into the rom-com mix.
Read moreAs a child, Thirst director/writer/producer Chan-Wook Park found the subject of transubstantiation disturbing. “During mass the priest drinks this wine that represents the blood of Christ," says Park via a translator. "So, in other words, you can say a priest drinks blood every day. From when I was very young I found this to be something quite scary.” Part of the clutch of Korean filmmakers often referred to as the Korean New Wave, Chan-Wook Park began, in Cahiers fashion, as a film critic. His films are singular in vision and represent a unique niche in what is sometimes called “K-Horror.
Read moreIn the trailer for the new animated film Ponyo, a deep, serious voice makes a statement few animation would dispute. “He has been hailed as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.” But it would be fair to say that most Americans, especially the younger audiences who flock to animated films, have never heard of the Japanese pioneer Hayao Miyazaki. The Walt Disney Co. Is trying to change that. The Mouse House is hoping that Miyazaki’s latest, which it is already proclaiming a “masterpiece,” will propel the visionary animator form the art house to the multiplex.
Read moreThe marketing campaign for the new indie film Cold Souls is heating up on the internet. The Samuel Goldwyn feature stars Paul Giamatti, playing himself, who decides to temporarily store his soul rather than own up to a poor acting performance. The studio has undertaken an ambitious online campaign including a fictional corporate site for the company at the heart of the film as well as the film’s own Facebook and Twitter pages. Visitors to the various Cold Souls sites can upload their own souls to the web and post it on one‘s Twitter page, steal the souls of friends and even sign up to win movie posters signed by Giamatti.
Read moreFor a while, it looked like Judd Apatow was involved with every funny movie in theaters. After The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Apatow’s directorial debut, his name was used to market about any comic title with which he had association, making him look like the seal of approval for the modern American comedy. His friends figure prominently into his projects. Paul Feig, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Martin Starr and Jason Segel are familiar faces, most of whom he worked with on his television shows Undeclared and the wildly adored Freaks and Geeks. Apatow’s humor consistently marries crassness and sweetness and always, always focuses on the plight of the adolescent man.
Read moreFactoring in box office grosses from 52 reported territories across the globe from last weekend along with the domestic grosses up until Tuesday, Rentrak is reporting that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has reached a staggering worldwide gross of $587.8 million. The sixth installment in the popular wizard series added $106.6 million in worldwide ticket sales during its second weekend of release. 20th Century Fox can happily brag that Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs has already reached the $600 million worldwide plateau. The third installment in the animated series has grossed $632 million across the globe after only four weeks of release. Ice Age 3 added $44.
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