Catholics should fear no evil consequences from the release of Angels & Demons, the film adaptation of the Dan Brown novel of intrigue and conspiracy inside the Catholic Church. Even the Vatican, which strongly objected to the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code, has muted its criticism, calling the new film “two hours of harmless entertainment, which hardly affects the genius and mystery of Christianity." Sophisticated marketing on the part of studios and the enormous success of The Da Vinci Code, has helped dampen opposition this time around, say experts, who note that controversial films with religious themes hardly affect people’s faith.
Read moreStar Trek has officially grossed $79.2 million since opening on Thursday night. UPDATED (10:00 a.m. PT, Sunday) : Paramount's estimate for Star Trek is $76.5 million since it began playing on Thursday. UPDATED (7:59 a.m. PT, Saturday) : According to B OXOFFICE.com's Early Weekend Estimates, Star Trek is on pace to gross $75 million by Sunday, which easily gives it the strongest opening the franchise has ever seen even when adjusting for inflation. For more weekend numbers analysis click here .
Read moreTHURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: As of 6 a.m. PT, Star Trek is responsible for 91% of Fandango.com's sales. The film is still outpacing X-Men Origins: Wolverine at the same point in the sales cycle. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: As of 1 p.m. PT, MovieTickets.com is reporting that Star Trek is responsible for 83% of daily sales. TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: As of 2 p.m. PT, MovieTickets.com is reporting that Star Trek is responsible for 75% of today's sales. In addition, the ticketing site has tallied 344 sold-out showings so far.
Read moreHarold Ramis has written and directed many of this generation’s most formative comedies. Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Meatballs, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day —his filmography is the bible for every comedy director of today. With Year One, Ramis takes on the Bible itself in a provocative, goofball comedy starring Jack Black, David Spade, Michael Cera, Bill Hader and Hank Azaria that recalls the sprawling star-studded romps of his ancestors, Monty Python and Mel Brooks. Ramis talks to B OXOFFICE about turning golden calves into comedy gold.
Read moreFor the third time in four months, a new monthly box office record was set this year. The overall box office for the month of April totaled $694 million. That topped the previous record of $683 million set in April of 2006 (which was led by Ice Age: The Meltdown and Scary Movie 4 ). However, April of 2009 fell below the $749 million mark of April 2006 when adjusting for inflation, as well as the $740 million mark of April 2004 when adjusting for inflation. April of 2009 was up a very impressive 40 percent over the $496 million gross of April 2008 and up 7 percent over the $646 million gross for the month of March.
Read moreWEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: As of 10 a.m. PT, X-Men Origins: Wolverine represents 65% of sales on Fandango.com, while Star Trek represents 17%. MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: As of 2 p.m. PT, 200 showings of X-Men Origins: Wolverine are sold out between MovieTickets.com and Fandango.com. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is currently responsible for 38% of sales at MovieTickets.com, and 32% at Fandango.com. Meanwhile, Star Trek boasts 23% of sales at Fandango.com, and 22% of sales at MovieTickets.com.
Read more"The Bible truly is one of the funniest books I've ever read," declared David Cross on his Grammy-nominated comedy album “Shut Up You F***ing Baby.” Between starring in cult hits like Arrested Development, Mr. Show and—surprisingly— Alvin and the Chipmunks, the outspoken atheist has penned stand-up routines that have polarized the secular and devout. But with Year One, both can reach one point of agreement: the comic who once joked about being molested by the Virgin Mary is perfectly cast as Cain. B OXOFFICE caught up with Cross to discuss his role in the new Harold Ramis flick.
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