'Ghost Rider' scares up $19.7M weekend
LOS ANGELES - The comic-book adaptation "Ghost Rider" burned the competition at the weekend box office, fending off a rush of new movies to rake in $19.7 million in its second week, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Sony film starring Nicolas Cage as a motorcycle stuntman turned Satanic bounty hunter continued its momentum after debuting last week with $52 million over the four-day President's Day weekend, the biggest opening ever for that holiday.
"It set the bar so high last weekend that for any newcomers, it was going to be real tough film to beat," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
Premiering at No. 2 with $15.1 million was the New Line Cinema psychological thriller "The Number 23," starring Jim Carrey as a man obsessed with the mysterious power of that digit.
The other new movies included the 20th Century Fox police spoof "Reno 911!: Miami," which opened at No. 4 with $10.4 million and "The Astronaut Farmer," which debuted at No. 9 with $4.5 million. The Warner Bros. film stars Billy Bob Thornton as an ex- NASA astronaut who struggles to build his own rocket.
Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia," based on the children's fantasy novel, slipped to third place with $13.6 million, lifting its total to $46.2 million. Dreamworks' Eddie Murphy comedy "Norbit" rounded out the top five with $9.7 million.
Despite bad reviews, "Ghost Rider" lifted Hollywood out of its box-office slump, with revenues up for the second straight week this year. The top-12 movies grossed $101.8 million, up 1.5 percent from the same weekend last year. However, movie attendance to date this year is down 2.2 percent.
"Ghost Rider" is based on the Marvel Comic books about motorcycle stunt driver Johnny Blaze, played by Cage, who sells his soul to the devil and gains fiery superpowers.
"It's an accessible movie to everyone," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "Not only does it have action and special effects, it also has a tremendous sense of humor to it."
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Ghost Rider," $19.7 million.
2. "The Number 23," $15.1 million.
3. "Bridge to Terabithia," $13.6 million.
4. "Reno 911!: Miami" $10.4 million.
5. "Norbit," $9.7 million.
6. "Music & Lyrics," $8 million.
7. "Breach," $6.2 million
8. "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, $5.3 million.
9. "The Astronaut Farmer," $4.5 million.
10. "Amazing Grace," $4.3 million.
Dan's Predictions
Well, for the third straight year it looks like there will be few - if any - surprises when the 79th Annual Academy Awards are handed out.
And for the third straight year, I will stick with my predictions, as I posted them the day the nominations themselves were announced.
So, for better or for worse, enjoy the show, cross your fingers for a few surprises, and here is that post:
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www.anythingbut.com - January 23rd, 2007.
Early Predictions
The nominations for the 79th annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning and they confirmed what all prognosticators already knew: the only open race is for "Best Picture."
Even prior to the Golden Globes, and their nominations, the following five of the big six races were already determined, due to buzz, the fact that the people themselves were showing contrition regarding winning an Oscar, and their performances themselves.
It is true that these people can lose their Oscars between now and Tuesday, February 20th when the Oscar Ballots are due, but as of today, those guaranteed to win on Oscar night are:
Those guaranteed to win on Oscar night are:
Best Actress
Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN
Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, DREAMGIRLS
Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy, DREAMGIRLS
And
Best Director
Martin Scorsese, THE DEPARTED.
So now, out of the five nominees, who wins Best Picture?
Well, BABEL was a surprise Golden Globe winner, so it has to make the final two; THE DEPARTED has no buzz at all in this category, but it will (finally) give Marty his Award, and Mark Wahlberg's nominations shows the academy notices a great performance - yes "Marky Mark" is now an Academy Award nominee - but no one thinks it was the Best Picture last year; the Academy loves Clint Eastwood, but LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA doesn't have the momentum of his previous Oscar winners MILLION DOLLAR BABY or UNFORGIVEN; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was the surprise winner of the top feature film award presented by the Producers Guild of America last weekend, confirming that voters are aware of this wonderful little film, so that gives it momentum; and THE QUEEN is also wonderful, and the nomination for Best Director for Stephen Frears is proof again that voters are aware of the movie, but it is getting all of it's buzz for Helen Mirren, not for the film itself.
So now, who wins Best Picture?
At this point, it looks like it is a race between BABEL and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, with the latter poised to be the only surprise on Oscar night, February 25th.
That is a surprise I would enjoy.
Hollywood poised for its big day
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The limousines have been charged up, the hairdressers and stylists have worked their magic and the stars are ready to stroll down the red carpet in dresses that have been begged, borrowed or -- perish the thought -- bought.
And, of course, the champagne is on ice and the trendy parties booked.
Hollywood was ready for its big night on Sunday -- the Oscars. And this year there are a couple of notes of suspense in proceedings that have become been cut and dried and downright boring over the years.
The experts agree that no one knows who is going to win best film, adding some tension in the rarefied Oscar air.
Will it be that cute homage to dysfunctional family life, "Little Miss Sunshine," or that depressing tale of pain and suffering around the world, "Babel?"
Does "The Queen" stand a chance, or will Clint Eastwood walk off with the big award for his Japanese language masterpiece, "Letters From Iwo Jima?" Might the Oscar go to Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," a cops and gangsters film that could triumph if votes split between "Sunshine" and "Babel."
It has been years since the best picture nomination was as much of a toss-up as this year.
In addition, in the last 10 days, several experts have moved away from predictions that all the best acting nominations are locked up and are predicting close contests in three of the four -- best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress categories.
ALL HAIL THE QUEEN
Only Helen Mirren is regarded as a shoo-in for best actress for her regal work as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen."
In the days leading up to the Oscars, some heavyweight critics have thrown their support to "Sunshine," while some Oscar voters have turned their noses up at the movie, saying it is too lowbrow to merit an Oscar.
Then again, it is not hard to find fault with all the nominees. Some found "Babel" too dark, "The Departed" too much of a genre film, "The Queen" interesting for Brits but not Yank Oscar voters, and "Letters from Iwo Jima" is a terrific film -- if you speak Japanese.
Martin Scorsese is expected to win the best director for "Departed," and if so, it would be his first Oscar for an individual film after seven previous nominations. The sentiment around town is that it is "Marty's turn."
Regardless of who wins or loses, a lot of people will be glued to their TV sets to see what the stars are wearing on the world's most famous red carpet.
Although most stars have multiple designer gowns from which to choose -- making last-minute decisions based on whim and weather -- best actress nominee Mirren has said she will be wearing Christian LaCroix on the big night.
Many have speculated that Giorgio Armani will dress best supporting actress nominee Cate Blanchett, while others have cited fashion atelier Chanel as a likely choice for Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, a best actress nominee for "Volver."
Whatever the final choices, the Academy Awards are one evening in the flurry of Hollywood awards events where elegance and opulence, rather than in-your-face body-flaunting, are celebrated.
Many eyes will be on Ellen DeGeneres, the comedian who is hosting her first Oscars. She promises a kinder, gentler show.
L.A. Weekly Hollywood columnist Nikki Finke said viewers should expect at least one major change: all the acting awards may be given in the last third of the show instead of a couple at the start.
An Academy spokeswoman had no comment. You can tune in to find out, she said, adding another note of suspense to this year's Academy Awards.
'Basic Instinct 2' wins 4 Razzies
LOS ANGELES - Sharon Stone should have trusted her first "Basic Instinct" and left it alone, according to voters of the Razzies, which mocks the worst of Hollywood.
"Basic Instinct 2" won four Razzies on Saturday, including worst picture and worst actress for Stone.
The Wayans brothers comedy "Little Man" placed second with three Razzies, including shared prizes by Shawn and Marlon Wayans for worst actor and worst screen couple.
A follow-up to Stone's career-making 1992 hit, "Basic Instinct 2" revived her femme-fatale predator for a murder thriller set in London, with relatively unknown British actor David Morrissey inheriting the victim's mantle from Michael Douglas, the star of the first film who did not return for the sequel.
Razzies founder John Wilson said that while Stone still looked good in her late 40s, the movie had no other reason to exist.
"Yes, she still has some excuse to drop her robe, but the dialogue, the story, the overall attitude of the character is cartoon-like," Wilson said. "You have to sort of wonder, is she vamping the movie or does she think she's giving a serious performance? Is she the lone person on the project who got the joke?"
The other Razzies for "Basic Instinct 2" were worst screenplay and worst prequel or sequel.
Along with the Razzies for the two Wayans, "Little Man" also won for worst remake or rip-off because it essentially took the premise of a Bugs Bunny cartoon about a pint-sized hoodlum masquerading as a baby and expanded it to feature length, Wilson said.
The images of Marlon Wayans' grafted head on a 2 1/2-foot man's body were creepy rather than comical, Wilson said.
"I will admit there is `so stupid it's funny,' but there is also `so stupid, get out of my face,' and that's what this movie is," Wilson said.
Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, a Hollywood darling a few years ago with such blockbusters as "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs," was named worst director and worst supporting actor for his fantasy flop, "Lady in the Water."
Unable to get Disney, which made his previous hits, to back "Lady in the Water," Shyamalan decamped to Warner Bros., which produced the movie that was based on a bedtime story the filmmaker dreamed up for his children.
The movie follows the plight of a mythical water nymph that turns up in a swimming pool at an apartment complex, whose residents band together to send her back to her otherworldly home.
Shyamalan has a pivotal role as a writer whose book will one day bring salvation to humanity.
"He cast himself as the savior role of the film on top of everything else," Wilson said. "Shyamalan falls into one of the traps that's almost guaranteed to win you a Razzie, when you let your ego run rampant as that man did."
Carmen Electra won for worst supporting actress for "Date Movie" and "Scary Movie 4," the latter featuring her as a character that spoofs Shyamalan's "The Village."
Robin Williams' road-trip comedy "RV" was chosen as worst excuse for family entertainment.