'Exorcist' Scares Up No. 1 Slot at Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Exorcist: The Beginning," a film that had to be re-shot with a new director because the first version was not scary enough, led the North American box office over the weekend, as moviegoers once again flocked to the resurrection of an aging franchise.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the fourth installment in the 30-year-old "Exorcist" series sold about $18.2 million worth of tickets in the three days since its Aug. 20 opening.
Another new entry, the comedy "Without a Paddle," launched at No. 2 with $13.2 million. The teen romance "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" slipped to No. 3 with $13.2 million in its second weekend.
Last week's champ, the monster saga "Alien vs. Predator," combining the characters from two tired movie series, fell to No. 4 with $12.5 million.
The shark thriller "Open Water" jumped 12 places to No. 5 with $11.8 million in its first weekend of wide release. Also expanding this weekend was the quirky drama "Garden State," which rose three places to No. 10 with $3.2 million.
Sales for the top 12 films totaled $102.9 million, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The figure represented a 16 percent decline from last weekend, but a 21 improvement over the year-ago period, when "Freddy vs. Jason" -- yet another horror franchise combo -- ruled for a second weekend with $13 million.
"Exorcist" stars Stellan Skarsgard as titular hero Father Merrin, who uncovers mysterious goings-on while drifting through Cairo in 1949 in an alcoholic haze. The film was originally shot by Paul Schrader, the "Taxi Driver" screenwriter who left the project a year ago after turning in an edit not to the liking of its producers. Finnish filmmaker Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger") was then hired to start afresh. His version cost about $20 million to make.
The opening was better-than-expected, according to Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc., which is handling the film's release for a fee on behalf of producer Morgan Creek Prods.
"Without a Paddle" also exceeded the modest expectations of its distributor, Paramount Pictures. The film stars Matthew Lillard, Dax Shepard and Seth Green as three urban adventurers who get into trouble with wacky locals while on a rafting expedition. It cost less than $20 million to make, said a spokeswoman for the Viacom Inc. -owned studio.
After 12 days, Walt Disney Co. 's "Princess Diaries" sequel has hauled in about $61.4 million. Anne Hathaway returns as a modern-day princess who must find a consort in order to secure her succession to a mythical kingdom.
"Alien vs. Predator" has earned $63.1 million after 10 days. Its precipitous 67 percent drop was the steepest in the top 10, but not surprising for a genre film that had a big $38 million opening. The film was released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc .
"Open Water," loosely based on the true story of two divers accidentally left behind in shark-filled waters by their tour operator, has earned $14.8 million after three weekends. It was released by Lions Gate Films, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, which acquired the film for a little over $2 million at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It cost under $500,000 to make.
"Garden State," the writing and directing debut of its star, Zach Braff (of NBC's "Scrubs"), has earned about $6.7 million after four weekends. It was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, the arthouse arm of Fox Entertainment.
Munch Paintings Stolen From Norway Museum
OSLO, Norway - Armed men stormed into an art museum Sunday, threatened staff at gunpoint and stole Edvard Munch's famous paintings "The Scream" and "Madonna" before the eyes of stunned museum-goers.
The thieves yanked the paintings off the walls of Oslo's Munch museum and loaded them into a waiting car outside, said a witness, French radio producer Francois Castang.
Police spokeswoman Hilde Walsoe said the two or three armed men threatened a museum employee with a handgun to give them the two paintings, including one of four versions of "The Scream" — Munch's famed depiction of an anguished figure with its head in its hands.
"No one has been physically injured, and the suspects escaped in an Audi A6. We are searching for the suspects with all available means," Walsoe told The Associated Press. "We found the escape car, and we have found many pieces of the frames."
Many museum visitors panicked and thought they were being attacked by terrorists.
"He was wearing a black face mask and something that looked like a gun to force a female security guard down on the floor," visitor Marketa Cajova told NTB public radio.
"What's strange is that in this museum, there weren't any means of protection for the paintings, no alarm bell," Castang told France Inter radio.
"The paintings were simply attached by wire to the walls," he said. "All you had to do is pull on the painting hard for the cord to break loose — which is what I saw one of the thieves doing."
Castang said police arrived on the scene 15 minutes later. Visitors were ushered into the museum's cafeteria.
"We don't have all the details on the situation, but we are searching for the suspects in the air and on land," Police Spokesman Kjell Moerk told the public radio network NRK.
The stolen "Madonna" was painted in 1893-1894, depicting an eroticized madonna with a blood-red halo in a dark, swirling aura. Munch later produced woodcut lithographs with a similar depiction.
There are four versions of "The Scream." The Munch Museum had two of them, a private collector owns the third and the fourth is on display at Oslo's National Gallery.
"They were all painted by Munch, and they are all just as valuable," museum spokeswoman Jorunn Christoffersen told the AP. "Still, these paintings are not possible to sell, and it is impossible to put a price tag on them."
It was the second time in 10 years that "The Scream" has been stolen. In February 1994, the version on display at Oslo's National Gallery was taken and remained missing for nearly three months. Police ultimately recovered the work, which is on fragile paper, undamaged in a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40 miles south of the capital, Oslo. Three Norwegians were arrested.
At the time, investigators said the trio tried to ransom the painting, demanding $1 million from the government. it was never paid.
Munch, a Norwegian painter and graphic artist who worked in Germany as well as his home country, developed an emotionally charged style that was of great importance in the birth of the 20th century Expressionist movement.
He painted "The Scream" in 1893, as part of his "Frieze of Life" series, in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central themes.
The National Art Museum owns 58 paintings by Munch, who died in 1944 at the age of 81.
'Spider-Man 2' Heads for Home Video Release
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Blockbuster comic book adventure "Spider-Man 2," one of the year's highest-grossing movies, is headed for a home video release on Nov. 30, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment said on Friday.
The superhero sequel with Tobey Maguire returning as the mild-mannered photographer turned web-spinning crime fighter will be issued in time for the holiday shopping season as a two-disc DVD set and double VHS cassette video, Columbia said.
"Spider-Man 2" has generated $361 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales since its release June 29, making it the third-highest-grossing film in North America this year after "Shrek 2" and "The Passion of the Christ."
The critically lauded "Spidey" has grossed more than $700 million in theaters worldwide. Kirsten Dunst co-stars as Spider-Man's love interest, Mary Jane Watson, and Alfred Molina plays his evil arch foe, Doctor Octopus.
The DVD release will contain more than 10 hours of all-new content. Bonus features include a blooper reel, a "Spidey Sense 2" trivia track, four original online featurettes, a documentary on the making of the film, and a multi-angle, behind-the-scenes look at the climatic fight sequence between Spider-Man and Doc Ock. A wide-screen version also will be available on DVD.
Columbia TriStar, a unit of Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Entertainment, said it expects sales of its "Spider-Man 2" DVD release to surpass home video revenues from the first film. The original 2002 movie initially shipped 6.5 million VHS tapes and 19.5 million DVD copies for gross revenues of $423 million combined, according to Adams Media Research .
DVDs in particular now constitute a key market for movie studios, generating annual revenues of more than $16 billion worldwide.