Matt Damon 'Bourne' Again Atop Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Bourne Supremacy," a spy thriller starring Matt Damon as an amnesiac killer, was the No. 1 choice of moviegoers across North America over the weekend, selling about $53.5 million worth of tickets in its first three days, outpacing the launch of its 2002 predecessor, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.
Last weekend's champion, the Will Smith sci-fi thriller "I, Robot," slipped to No. 2 with $22.1 million, taking its 10-day total to $95.5 million.
The other new wide entry in the top 10, "Catwoman," a poorly reviewed movie starring Halle Berry as the feline superheroine, opened at No. 3 with a disappointing $17.2 million.
"The Bourne Supremacy," budgeted at a relatively modest $75 million, was directed by British filmmaker Paul Greengrass ("Bloody Sunday") for Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co. -controlled NBC Universal. Bourne plays an agent hunted both by his former CIA colleagues as well as by European thugs. Joan Allen co-stars.
Its predecessor, "The Bourne Identity," also starring Damon, opened at No. 2 in June 2002 with $27 million and finished with more than $210 million worldwide. That film, directed by Doug Liman, went onto become a big hit on home video. Both films were based on books by Robert Ludlum.
"Catwoman," budgeted in the high $80 million-range, has long suffered from bad buzz among comic-book purists, and critics' reviews were pretty catastrophic too. Berry, who won an Academy Award in 2002 for "Monster's Ball," dons bondage gear to take on an evil cosmetics tycoon.
Directed by Frenchman Pitof, a visual effects maven, the film also stars Sharon Stone, who has not had a hit since 1992's "Basic Instinct."
"We're a little disappointed," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Pictures, which released "Catwoman." He said he had hoped the movie would open in the $20 million range.
"I, Robot" was released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
Episode III Finally Has A Title
starwars.com is pleased to announce that Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith is the full title of the next Star Wars film, scheduled for release on May 19, 2005.
The Sith are masters of the dark side of the Force and the sworn enemies of the Jedi. They were all but exterminated by the Jedi a thousand years ago, but the evil order continued in secrecy. They operated quietly, behind the scenes, acting in pairs - a Master and an Apprentice - patiently biding their time before they could take over the galaxy. In Episode III, they'll finally exact their revenge on the Jedi.
The title was publicly revealed Saturday in a special presentation to a packed audience of Star Wars fans at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. "For some time now, the naming of a new Star Wars movie has taken on some special meaning among core fans, who love to take part in guessing games before a title is announced, and then engage in debate once it is," said Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm. "Let the debates begin."
The title wasn't the only surprise for those in attendance at the presentation.
While the Star Wars Trilogy is the biggest news for Force-fan videophiles, Sansweet announced the fall debut of Ewoks and Droids adventures on DVD. 20th Century Fox Home Video will release these animated adventures as well as the pair of made-for-television Ewok live action movies (The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor) this November and December.
September 21, of course, is the release date for the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD.
The presentation included clips of some of the bonus material found in the boxed set, as well as a first look at the animated menus that organize the wealth of information and options within. Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing for Lucasfilm and Executive Producer of the DVDs spoke about the upcoming release, and announced that the epic feature-length documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, would appear as a special edited-for-television edition on the A&E network this fall.
In other DVD news, Sansweet confirmed a projected release date for the much-asked-about Star Wars: Clone Wars DVDs. The incredibly successful 20 chapters of the Cartoon Network animated shorts will be making their home video debut next spring, around the same time as the airdate for the final batch of Clone Wars shorts from Genndy Tartakovsky and Paul Rudish.
But before that, an essential George Lucas film will make its DVD debut. Sansweet took the opportunity to screen the theatrical trailer to THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut , as well as premiere an all-new trailer to the Comic-Con audience. This video will soon make its way to the official THX 1138 website, which will soon be posting a theater list for the select cities that will be exhibiting the film prior to its DVD release.
On the Episode III front, the biggest news was the confirmation of the Episode III title, and the availability of a shirt with said title at StarWarsShop.com.
Sansweet also welcomed two very special Revenge of the Sith guests: Producer Rick McCallum, and the Chosen One himself, Hayden Christensen.
Fans in attendance also got a first look at Hasbro's forthcoming packaging design for Episode III product. The stylized visage of Darth Vader looms large over a chaotic field of molten lava.
Star Wars Spectacular debuted an advance look at two pieces of Episode III-related video that will be found as bonus material in the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. "Episode III: Making the Game" went behind-the-scenes on LucasArts' forthcoming tie-in video game. An edited version of "The Return of Darth Vader" revealed the gleaming Darth Vader armor from Episode III and showed Christensen donning the armor for the Dark Lord's debut.
FOR THE RECORD, HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT EPISODE III SO FAR
After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.