Mayans, miners vie for box office supremacy
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – It’s likely to be a photo finish at the box office this weekend when three wide releases targeting adults — “Blood Diamond,” “Apocalypto” and “The Holiday” — are sent out into the marketplace.
Insiders think the female-oriented “Holiday” could break from the pack, if only because the romantic levity of the Kate Winslet- Cameron Diaz vehicle offers an alternative to the blood and guts of “Blood Diamond” and “Apocalypto.”
Warner Bros’ Oscar hopeful “Diamond” centers on “conflict diamonds” — those mined in a war zone and sold clandestinely to finance war. From director Edward Zwick (“The Last Samurai”), it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a “Rhodesian” mercenary, and Djimon Hounsou as a fisherman who has hidden a rare pink diamond in the jungles of Sierra Leone.
The film tracks their quest to recover the stone. Jennifer Connelly co-stars as an American journalist looking to expose the profiteering diamond traders.
Mostly aiming to attract males, “Diamond” is hoping to broaden its appeal to women, but with talk of the film’s violence, even DiCaprio’s good looks and acting chops might not be enough to bring in the girls.
Extreme violence also is the lure and the deterrent surrounding Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto.” Written, directed, produced and financed by Gibson before his public meltdown, “Apocalypto” has been lauded in early reviews for its sophisticated filmmaking and harrowing adventure. The R-rated film centers on the turbulent decline of the Mayan civilization and follows one man’s will to survive to rescue his family.
With no name actors, the film is all about Gibson’s moviemaking bravura, and its ultra-violent nature is sure to turn men on and women off. However, because of the curiosity surrounding the film, “Apocalypto” is sure to bring in audiences, and it will fight tooth and nail with “Diamond” for box office ranking.
And then there is “Holiday,” from director Nancy Meyers, the queen of romantic comedies. The PG-13 film, also starring Jude Law and Jack Black, centers on an American woman with man problems who trades houses with a British woman experiencing similar issues. Columbia Pictures is hoping for a repeat performance from Meyers, who in December 2003 grossed $125 million for the studio with “Something’s Gotta Give,” which opened to $16 million.
Warners will also open the family-oriented “Unaccompanied Minors,” which the studio hopes will be a holiday success in the vein of the 1990 hit “Home Alone.”
Based on essayist Susan Burton’s true-life story, which she told on NPR’s “This American Life” to host Ira Glass, the film revolves around a group of kids who create their own holiday when they become snowed in without supervision at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Lewis Black and Wilmer Valderrama co-star. Paul Feig directed.
Categories