Summer movie winners & losers

HOLLYWOOD -- Back at the beginning of May we surveyed a bunch of movies going into the summer season with something to prove -- in most cases, where their stars were concerned.

With the Labour Day finish line just around the corner, it's time to find out if the end results of their respective labours did the trick, or were merely laboured.

Here's a hint: There were more losers than winners.

Let's start with the May 14 arrival of MacGruber, the most recent Saturday Night Live sketch deemed worthy of a 90-minute running time.

While a number of respected critics conceded that it was better than some of the past SNL feature output (not exactly a ringing endorsement), Will Forte's bumbling special op was unable to diffuse this $8.5 million-grossing bomb, one of the worst in SNL history.

That same weekend Robin Hood rode into theatres, with Russell Crowe dispensing with the tights and the traditional dashing demeanour in favour of a darker, tougher rendition.

After lacklustre results from State of Play and Body of Lies, Crowe needed a hit, and although the $200-million production only made back about half that amount in North American theatres, it tended to attract larger audiences overseas.

The verdict: Call it a DRAW.

When Prince of Persia blew into the megaplexes at the end of May, considerable hope (along with a ton of special effects) was riding on audiences buying Jake Gyllenhaal as an action hero.

After all the sand cleared, the $200-million Jerry Bruckheimer production made a decidedly less than boffo $90 million, domestically, meaning Robert Downey Jr. isn't going to have to watch his back anytime soon.

The verdict: LOSER.

The third week of June was a crucial one for Tom Cruise, who was looking to reignite the old b.o. mojo with Knight and Day, a try-too-hard action-comedy pairing him with Cameron Diaz.

Following in the on-the-run heels of The Bounty Hunter and Killers, the intended romp opened on a Wednesday and went nowhere fast, taking in even less money than Cruise's Valkyrie.

The verdict: LOSER.

Discovering that acting his age didn't make for hit movies, Adam Sandler swapped recent, more grown-up efforts such as Funny People and Reign Over Me for goofing off in the reunion comedy, Grown Ups.

It didn't matter whether it was any good -- it wasn't -- the major factor was that it looked like it could be fun, and the fandlers responded by pushing the Grown Ups over the $160 million mark, taking on Big Daddy as Sandler's all-time top movie.

The verdict: WINNER.

So, in a summer filled with underachievers, who was the season's biggest loser?

That would be producer Bruckheimer, who, just a few months earlier was given the full-on red carpet treatment for a career-spanning Cinematic Celebration of Jerry Bruckheimer evening.

Good thing the big fete took place before the box office results for Prince of Persia, which, when combined with the returns for Bruckheimer's not-so-magical The Sorcerer's Apprentice, left the Disney studio about $200 million in the hole, give or take.

He's likely counting on Captain Jack Sparrow to get him back on course when Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sails into theatres next May.

Savvy?

'Exorcism' has slim box-office lead over 'Takers'

LOS ANGELES – The fright flick "The Last Exorcism" and the heist thriller "Takers" were in a photo finish for the top spot at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Lionsgate's "The Last Exorcism" had a thin lead with a $21.3 million debut, closely followed by Sony's "Takers" with a $21 million opening. They were close enough that rankings could change after final numbers are released Monday.

After two weekends in the No. 1 spot, Lionsgate's action romp "The Expendables" slipped to third place with $9.5 million, raising its total to $82 million.

Playing in narrower release, a 3-D special edition of "Avatar" pulled in $4 million, lifting the sci-fi sensation's domestic total to $753.8 million. The new version of the 20th Century Fox blockbuster adds nine minutes of footage.

Both "The Last Exorcism" and "Takers" debuted well above studio expectations, though the openings were modest compared with most big summer debuts.

Overall revenues came in at $115 million, down 8 percent compared with the same weekend last year, when the horror tale "The Final Destination" opened on top with $27.4 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"We've had two weeks of films being all stacked up very closely to one another, and that's a really tight margin between these two," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "But it's sort of a battle in a marketplace that really isn't setting the world on fire."

With summer blockbuster season generally over, late August often is a solid time to release scary movies such as "The Final Destination" and "Halloween II," which opened over the same weekend last year.

"You don't see many low-budget genre films released in June or July or even early August," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "You don't want to put 'The Last Exorcism' up against 'Inception' or these big blockbuster films."

"The Last Exorcism," about an exorcist trying to cast out a demon from a teenager, cost just $2 million to produce, and Lionsgate bought domestic distribution rights for less than $1 million.

"Takers," which cost a modest $32 million to make, features Matt Dillon, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker and Idris Elba in a thriller about bank robbers pursued by a tough cop.

Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution, said he expected "Takers" to remain in second place, slightly behind "The Last Exorcism," once final figures are released Monday. Yet the two movies were pacing Hollywood to a strong finish to the summer season, he said.

"I do think both pictures were pretty terrific for ending summer with," Bruer said. "To have two pictures at $20-plus million at the end of August is a good thing."

The extended version of James Cameron's "Avatar" played in just 812 theaters, compared with 2,874 for "The Last Exorcism" and 2,206 for "Takers."

Besides $4 million domestically, the "Avatar" special edition added $4.3 million overseas. The extra revenue is mere icing for the biggest modern blockbuster, whose initial release took in $2.7 billion worldwide.

"There is no unhappy attached to 'Avatar,' because it's the greatest. It's always done business. It's the biggest picture in history," said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "People bought tickets everywhere this weekend. There's no bad."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Last Exorcism," $21.3 million.
2. "Takers," $21 million.
3. "The Expendables," $9.5 million.
4. "Eat Pray Love," $7 million.
5. "The Other Guys," $6.6 million.
6. "Vampires Suck," $5.3 million.
7. "Inception," $5.1 million.
8. "Nanny McPhee Returns," $4.74 million
9. "The Switch," $4.7 million.
10. "Piranha 3D," $4.3 million.

Facebook film's drug scene faces cut

Producers of David Fincher's new movie The Social Network have made a series of changes to the film at the demand of disapproving Facebook executives.

Producer Scott Rudin gave bosses of the hit networking website an early preview of the film after they voiced concerns that company founder Mark Zuckerberg - played by Jesse Eisenberg - would be portrayed in a negative light.

Rudin tells the New York Times two top Facebook executives "saw the movie a while ago, and they do not like it".

Movie chiefs have agreed to make changes and are considering deleting a controversial scene in which Justin Timberlake, playing Napster co-founder Sean Parker, gives a speech while teenage girls in the background offer lines of cocaine for partygoers to snort off their bared breasts.

But Rudin has assured cinemagoers the film hasn't been completely transformed, adding: "We made exactly the movie we wanted to make."

The Social Network will hit theatres later this year.

"Avatar" returns to theaters with extra footage

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – It's ba-a-a-ck ... and longer than ever.

James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" revisits global multiplexes this weekend in a quest to pad its record $2.74 billion worldwide box office and hype DVD and Blu-ray Disc special editions planned for the fall. In fact, the theatrical rerelease is billed as a "special edition" of the eco-themed fantasy based on an extra 8-1/2 minutes of footage featuring additional action segments and other scenes.

The 2D DVD and Blu-ray Disc special editions expected to hit store shelves in November will feature at least 16 minutes of extra "Avatar" footage, a source told The Hollywood Reporter. A 3D version of the movie won't be available for home entertainment until next year.

"Avatar" producer Jon Landau said in an interview that new scenes included in the now 171-minute theatrical special edition involve action sequences and narrative-deepening extensions of key scenes involving the blue-skinned Na'vi of Pandora and their human visitors.

"We tried to look at what people have responded to in the film and give them more of that," Landau said. "There's a whole new scene that takes place in the (Na'vi) school, there's more night bioluminescence, there's new creatures, and there is a new action scene. The scenes don't just feel like added scenes -- they are very organic to the story and embellish it."

"Avatar" originally bowed in 2D and 3D on December 18, but the theatrical special edition will be shown only in 3D venues.

"About every 15 minutes you'll get something new that you haven't seen before, which is kind of cool," Fox domestic distribution chief Bruce Snyder said. "People want to go back to Pandora on the big screen."

Starting Friday, Fox will distribute the stretched "Avatar" in more than 800 U.S. and Canadian theaters, including roughly 125 Imax venues, though most of the latter specialty auditoriums will play "Avatar" for two weeks only. Cameron shot several "Avatar" scenes using Imax cameras, and the global blockbuster stands as the specialty exhibitor's top-grossing title with $236 million worldwide.

To date, "Avatar" has rung up $749.8 million domestically and $1.99 billion in foreign coin. Prerelease projections have "Avatar" fetching somewhere in the mid- to high-single-digit millions this weekend, but execs are more uncertain about what to expect from the rerelease in total.

The version 2.0 "Avatar" also is being released on more than 1,000 locations in 14 foreign territories including the U.K., Russia and Taiwan this week, including 50 overseas Imax sites. The pic's theatrical special edition will bow later in some other countries, with Japan set to get the super-sized "Avatar" in October.

Fox Home Entertainment released a 2D version of the original 162-minute "Avatar" on DVD and Blu-ray on April 22. Neither version offered any special features, yet the DVD remains the top-grossing disc release of the year, and the Blu-ray version set a format sales high in just its first four days. Fox hasn't announced a specific date for 2D special editions of "Avatar," which will feature even more extra footage and several bonus features.

The picture's release in 3D Blu-ray is delayed until 2011, because Fox and Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment want to allow time for the installed base of 3D capability home entertainment systems to grow. Similarly, Paramount Home Entertainment has yet to release Cameron's 1997 theatrical opener "Titanic" on Blu-ray, continuing to hold out for a bigger installed footprint of the high-def format. Plans now call for a 3D conversion of the disaster classic for a theatrical 3D rerelease in 2012, but Paramount remains mum regarding home-entertainment release plans for "Titanic."

LaBeouf in talks for ‘Indy 5’

Shia Labeouf is set to swing back into action in the fifth Indiana Jones installment - the actor has confirmed he's in talks to return to the franchise.

Harrison Ford reprised his role as the heroic archaeologist in 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which hit cinemas nearly 20 years after 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Ford has since confirmed movie bosses Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are working on a follow-up, but he's adamant he will only sign up if he likes the story.

And now LaBeouf, who played Jones' son Mutt in the latest film, is looking forward to the new storyline.

He tells Britain's Daily Express, "They're scriptwriting now. It sounds crazy. It sounds really cool."

The film is reportedly due for a 2012 release to coincide with Ford's 70th birthday.

'Avatar' returns to 3-D theaters worldwide Friday

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Before he takes moviegoers deep beneath the Pandoran sea, James Cameron hopes they'll go for an extended tour of the fictional planet he introduced in "Avatar."

"Avatar: Special Edition," which includes 9 minutes of new footage, opens in 3-D theaters worldwide Friday.

"I'm trying to use the technology to keep people interested and enthused about the `Avatar' universe, because it's going to be a long time before we get another `Avatar' movie done," the filmmaker said in a recent interview.

Cameron, 56, already has plans for the "Avatar" sequels.

He's also got a submarine to build, cameras for the Mars rover to design, an underwater 3-D camera to upgrade and maybe even an ocean-related feature to make.

But first, he had to select and perfect new "Avatar" footage and persuade distributor 20th Century Fox to rerelease the film theatrically in 3-D.

Cameron said there are "hundreds of thousands, if not millions" of people who wanted to see the movie in 3-D but didn't get the chance because "Avatar" was edged out of 3-D theaters by other scheduled 3-D releases. Since then, the number of available 3-D screens has doubled internationally, he said.

Fox executives said in a statement that they have been "inundated with requests to rerelease the film in theaters in 3-D" since it wrapped its original run in March.

"Avatar" boasts the biggest box-office take in history, collecting $2.7 billion worldwide.

Bringing the movie back to the big screen is an experiment inspired by initial fan response to the movie, Cameron said.

"It was the most pirated film in history at the same time it was the most attended film in movie theaters," he said, adding that some who saw the movie on DVD or on their computer screens may want to enjoy it in all its big-screen, 3-D glory.

The new footage is sprinkled throughout the movie. One bit focuses on the death of one of the planet's native humanoids, the tailed, blue Na'vi. His death is hinted at in the original film, but in the extended version, "We actually see him die," Cameron said.

"Not like he splats to the ground, but how they gather around him afterwards," he said. "It's this big emotional scene and it's actually the best CG we did in the whole movie."

Another scene follows a hunt for one of Pandora's bizarre creatures in a "rousing action-adventure, pulse-pounding kind of scene," he said.

The extended version will appear on a special-edition DVD to be released in November. It will also include a more expanded, "alternate reality version" of the film that is 16 minutes longer than the original, Cameron said.

He has already begun technical development on an "Avatar" sequel that will focus on the planet's ocean environment.

"I love diving," he said, "and if I'm making this movie, I'm not going to be diving as much as I'd like, so I'm going to give myself a kind of methadone fix by doing fantasy ocean."

He will also get a dose of underwater fun in the submarine he's building in Australia. Cameron plans to explore the Pacific's Mariana Trench in a two-seater sub that can go 36,000 feet below the surface.

He's working on upgrading his 3-D underwater camera and is helping build a space-age 3-D camera for the new Mars rover, Curiosity.

"You'll be able to see Mars going by, in 3-D," he said.

He's also working on a 3-D conversion of "Titanic," which he hopes to release in April 2012, the 100-year anniversary of its sailing and sinking.

Cameron is excited by the promise of 3-D and a future in which every screen is dimensionalized — which he thinks is just a few years away.

"You'll still need glasses in the movie theater, but you'll have video, you'll have laptops, all your small devices, the iPads and all that stuff will be without glasses," he said. "We're basically revolutionizing how people watch stuff.

"We're rewriting the contract between humans and screens. The whole world is defined by humans watching screens — we watch screens at work, we watch screens for entertainment — and we're changing it."

Summer Is Almost Over!!

After a less than spectacular Summer Movie Season, the Fall/Academy Awards Season will soon be upon us!!

Here is a sneak preview:

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Sept. 24)

Reception at Cannes was mixed. Director Oliver Stone updates his 1987 film, Wall Street, for a new economic crisis, with Shia LaBeouf as a young broker who comes under the wing of now-out-of-prison Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), while courting Gekko’s estranged daughter (Carey Mulligan).

Focus on: Douglas’s tricky portrayal of the rueful con man, Gekko, still the best character in this convoluted financial thriller.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (Oct. 1)

The grass is always greener in someone else’s bed in Woody Allen’s latest farce, which stars Anthony Hopkins as Alfie, a wealthy London business man, who ditches his superstitious wife (Gemma Jones) for a call girl. Meanwhile, their daughter (Naomi Watts) and son-in-law (Josh Brolin) struggle with extra-marital temptations.

Focus on: Hopkins, who squeezes genuine pathos out of this foolish old reprobate, while English newcomer Lucy Punch, as the gold digger, walks off with the comic scenes.

The Social Network (Oct. 1)

In a real revenge-of-the-nerd story, Jesse Eisenberg plays Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who improved his social life through computer programming, but became the youngest billionaire in history while facing legal and personal challenges.

Focus on: Director David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and writer Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), who bring Oscar-worthy weight to a topical story that already has half a million online friends.

Carlos (Oct. 21)

Too sexy for a terrorist? That was one knock against French director Olivier Assayas’s five-and-a-half hour epic, Carlos (starring Edgar Ramirez), a memorable portrait of a gun-for-hire as both an instigator and product of his times.

Focus on: Assayas’s taut storytelling as he turns a multi-language, decades-spanning drama into what feels like an intense dash across history from the sixties to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Hereafter (Oct. 22)

Clint Eastwood directs this supernatural thriller written by Peter Morgan (The Queen), following three near-death stories of an American factory worker (Matt Damon), a French journalist (Cécile de France) and twin English brothers.

Focus on: Eastwood’s no-nonsense aesthetic, which should make this afterlife story more about Zen detachment than New Age mush.

127 Hours (Nov. 5)

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle directs the real-life story of Utah hiker Aron Ralston (James Franco), who, in 2003, spent five days with his arm trapped by a boulder before he came up with an escape plan.

Focus on: Man, rock and prolonged silences, as Boyle assumes an atypically understated mode for this intense survival tale.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Nov. 19)

The second-last of the ultra-lucrative Potter movies finds the mature Harry, Hermione and Ron on the run from the snake-nosed Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), who has taken control of Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic.

Focus on: Hanging with your favourite characters. Before the big showdown of Hallows: Part 2 brings the 10-year film cycle to a close, we have a road movie concentrating on the three friends.

The King’s Speech (Dec. 10)

Colin Firth plays England’s wartime king, George VI, who hired an Australian therapist (Geoffrey Rush) to cure his stammer, in the latest Brit pic about the human side of royal personages.

Focus on: Very British acting excellence and a credible historic reconstruction, which should make this film (originally a play) like Masterpiece Theatre with a budget.

Love and Other Drugs (Nov. 24)

A free-spirited woman with health issues (Anne Hathaway) falls for a wheeler-dealer pharmaceutical salesman (Jake Gyllenhaal) in this adaptation of Jamie Reidy’s memoir, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.

Focus on: A literate script from director Ed Zwick that balances a sardonic take on the world of penile drug-pushing with romance and pathos.

Black Swan (Dec. 1)

Director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) is out to do for tutus and pirouettes what his last film, The Wrestler, did for body slams and barbed wire in this psychological thriller starring Natalie Portman as a New York dancer with Mila Kunis as her possibly illusory competitor.

Focus on: Aronofsky delivers brilliant visuals, and the image of Natalie Portman’s swan mask alone delivers an anticipatory thrill chill.

Miral (Dec. 3)

Based on the book by Rula Jebreal, the story traces the history of modern Palestine through the life of an orphan girl, Miral (Freida Pinto), raised to believe in peace through education, who falls for a political activist.

Focus on: Painter-turned-director Julian Schnabel’s track record (Basquiat, Before Night Falls, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is consistent in delivering emotionally powerful films.

The Tempest (Dec. 10)

Before there was Lost, there was the original castaway drama, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, here reworked by Julie Taymor, with Helen Mirren as the spell-weaving Prospera leading an international cast, including Djimon Hounsou (as Caliban), Russell Brand, Alfred Molina and Chris Cooper.

Focus on: The island designs supervised by Taymor (Frida, Across the Universe) and, of course, Mirren the Magician.

How Do You Know (Dec. 17)

Reese Witherspoon stars as a former pro athlete torn between an easy-going baseball pitcher (Owen Wilson) and a businessman facing criminal charges (Paul Rudd).

Focus on: The return of the king of the heartfelt comedy, director James L. Brooks, the man behind The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Terms of Endearment and As Good as it Gets.

Somewhere (Dec. 22)

Director Sofia Coppola’s new drama is set in Los Angeles’s Chateau Marmont and stars Stephen Dorff as a hard-partying celebrity reunited with his estranged 11-year-old daughter (Elle Fanning).

Focus on: Fans of Lost in Translation will instantly see the hook: Coppola directing a movie set in a strange hotel and the rarefied bewilderment of celebrity life; can lightning strike twice?

True Grit (Dec. 25)

A teenaged girl hires a hard-drinking deputy marshal to hunt down her father’s killer in this Western, based on the Charles Portis novel, previously adapted into an Oscar-winning John Wayne picture.

Focus on: The Coen Brothers, in a movie starring Jeff Bridges, which represents a hard-to-beat two-one combo.

Stallone's 'Expendables' retains crown with $16.5M

LOS ANGELES – Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables" fought off an onslaught of newcomers to finish on top of the weekend box office again.

Lionsgate's "The Expendables" remained No. 1 for a second straight weekend with $16.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Directed by and starring Stallone, the action romp about mercenaries aiming to overthrow a dictator raised its total to $64.9 million.

Five new wide releases debuted to crowd the market, but none managed to pack in huge audiences and knock off "The Expendables."

"Given all that competition in the marketplace, I don't think there was any guarantee we would hold this strong, but we did," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate.

Leading the newcomers was 20th Century Fox's "Twilight" spoof "Vampires Suck" with $12.2 million, raising its total to $18.6 million since it opened Wednesday. The movie mocks the blockbuster franchise with a parody about a moody schoolgirl in a love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf.

"Vampires Suck" was in a photo finish for the No. 2 spot with another holdover, Julia Roberts' drama "Eat Pray Love." The Sony film about a divorced woman traveling the world in search of fulfillment pulled in $12 million to lift its total to $47.1 million.

The Warner Bros. comedy "Lottery Ticket," featuring rapper Bow Wow as a young man besieged by neighbors after he wins a $370 million jackpot, opened in fourth place with $11.1 million.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's cop comedy "The Other Guys" held up well in its third weekend, with the Sony release taking in $10.1 million and boosting its total to $88.2 million.

"The Other Guys" was in a tossup for No. 5 with the Weinstein Co. horror remake "Piranha 3D," which opened with $10 million. Inspired by the low-budget 1978 "Piranha," the update is set at a lake where spring-break partiers are consumed by prehistoric man-eating fish.

Universal's sequel "Nanny McPhee Returns," with Emma Thompson back as the homely title character whipping a wartime family into shape, opened at No. 7 with $8.3 million. The first film, 2006's "Nanny McPhee," debuted in fewer theaters but managed to pull in $14.5 million over opening weekend.

Bringing up the rear among new wide releases at No. 8 was Jennifer Aniston's single-mom comedy "The Switch," which debuted with $8.1 million. The Disney release features Aniston as a woman whose drunken friend (Jason Bateman) switches her sperm specimen at a party to celebrate her artificial insemination.

Surprisingly, the overall box office was down only slightly compared with the same weekend last year, when "Inglourious Basterds" fired up the normally quiet late summer with a $38.1 million opening and "District 9" held up well with an $18.2 million second weekend.

Revenues this weekend came in at $125 million, down just 1.7 percent from the same weekend a year ago, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

"It was the collective strength of these five newcomers, plus the holdovers," said Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com. "Inglourious Basterds" and "District 9" were "so unusually strong for August that it should have made the comparison tough for this year. But the industry threw everything they had at the wall this weekend and tried to see what would stick."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Expendables," $16.5 million.
2. "Vampires Suck," $12.2 million.
3. "Eat Pray Love," $12 million.
4. "Lottery Ticket," $11.1 million.
5. "The Other Guys," $10.1 million.
6. "Piranha 3D," $10 million.
7. "Nanny McPhee Returns," $8.3 million.
8. "The Switch," $8.1 million.
9. "Inception," $7.7 million.
10. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," $5 million.

January Jones signs up for 'X-Men Origins: First Class'

Mad Men‘s January Jones will be suiting up as the telepathic Emma Frost in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Origins: First Class, according to Variety.

The action film, which is being directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass), will center on the friendship between two young mutants: Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), who will later become Xavier’s nemesis, Magneto. Also announced as part of the cast were Zoe Kravitz (It’s Kind of a Funny Story) as Angel, Jason Flemyng (Snatch) as Azazel, Bill Bilner (Son of Rambow) as an even younger Magneto, and Morgan Lily (2012) as a young Raven.

X-Men Origins: First Class will be released June 3, 2011.

Rooney Mara joins Daniel Craig for 'Dragon Tattoo'

LOS ANGELES – Newcomer Rooney Mara has landed one of the most-coveted roles in Hollywood, co-starring alongside James Bond star Daniel Craig in the English-language remake of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Sony Pictures announced Monday that Mara, 25, will play Lisbeth Salander, a fearless genius tormented by a terrible childhood, in the crime thriller based on the first book in Stieg Larsson's best-selling series.

Craig is portrating journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who teams up with Lisbeth to delve into a string of decades-old murders.

"Dragon Tattoo" is directed by David Fincher, who cast Mara in "The Social Network," a drama about the founders of Facebook due in theaters Oct. 1.

Along with television guest spots on "ER" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," Mara's credits include roles in this year's remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and the upcoming sports comedy "The Winning Season."

"Dragon Tattoo" begins shooting next month in Sweden and is due out Dec. 21, 2011.

Terry Fox doc headed to Toronto film festival

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) – NBA star-turned-filmmaker Steve Nash said his documentary about Canadian hero Terry Fox will receive its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

"In the Wind," a chronicle of cancer victim Terry Fox's charity run across Canada on one leg in 1980, will debut in Toronto before airing on ESPN as part of its "30 for 30" strand, Nash told the Globe and Mail newspaper.

A sudden return of cancer forced Fox to abandon his cross-country Marathon of Hope. His death nine months later in 1981 immortalized the young athlete.

Fox's story was earlier captured by the 1983 HBO/CTV movie "The Terry Fox Story," and a 2005 Canadian TV movie for CTV, "Terry."

'Expendables' seizes No. 1 spot with $35M debut

LOS ANGELES – Sylvester Stallone has proven that he's not quite expendable yet at the box office.

Stallone and his pumped-up pals lifted Lionsgate's 1980s-style action romp "The Expendables" to a No. 1 debut with $35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

While the macho "Expendables" lured male audiences, Julia Roberts delivered a crowd-pleaser for women with Sony's "Eat Pray Love," which opened at No. 2 with $23.7 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's cop comedy "The Other Guys," slipped to third place with $18 million, raising its 10-day total to $70.5 million. The Warner Bros. blockbuster "Inception" was fourth with $11.4 million, lifting its total to $248.6 million.

Opening in fifth place with $10.5 million was Universal's graphic-novel adaptation "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," starring Michael Cera as a slacker caught up in duels to the death with his new girlfriend's seven evil ex-boyfriends.

"The Expendables" continued a box-office uptick for Stallone, who has had a career resurgence in recent years revisiting his past with fresh sequels to his "Rocky" and "Rambo" franchises.

The movie features such action stars as Jet Li and Jason Statham — along with cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger — in a tale of mercenaries aiming to overthrow a dictator.

It's a throwback to the brawn and body counts of 1980s and '90s action, a genre whose top three stars were Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger. The cast also includes such actors with 1980s roots as Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Roberts' brother, Eric Roberts, as well as wrestler Steve Austin, ultimate fighter Randy Couture and former NFL player Terry Crews.

"By combining all that star power, they really had a strong debut," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Maybe star power doesn't work with just one star, but when you throw in a dozen, it really looked fun. In the action world, these guys are big names."

Adapted from Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir, "Eat Pray Love" stars Julia Roberts as a woman traveling the world in search of enlightenment after her divorce.

Lionsgate deliberately chose this weekend to open "The Expendables" since it would be aiming for a different audience than "Eat Pray Love."

"We figured anybody going to see 'Eat Pray Love' would not want to see 'Expendables,' and vice versa," said David Spitz, head of distribution at Lionsgate.

Still, the hunky-men factor brought in a solid female crowd for "The Expendables," whose audience was 39 percent women, a bigger ratio than many male-driven action flicks.

Women made up 72 percent of the audience for "Eat Pray Love." Older women dominated the crowds, with 56 percent of the audience over 35.

"We definitely had the women and they definitely had the men," Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony, said of the split between "Eat Pray Love" and "The Expendables."

Sony is counting on a long shelf life for "Eat Pray Love" because of its appeal to women, who are less likely than males to rush out to see a movie over opening weekend.

"This is the type of picture that really will hang in there. I would be very surprised if the picture doesn't play right into the fall," Bruer said.

The year's biggest hit, "Toy Story 3," took in $2.2 million over the weekend to climb to $400.8 million domestically. The blockbuster from Disney's Pixar Animation became the 11th movie to top $400 million and only the second animated film to hit that mark, after "Shrek 2" at $436.7 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Expendables," $35 million.
2. "Eat Pray Love," $23.7 million.
3. "The Other Guys," $18 million.
4. "Inception," $11.4 million.
5. "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," $10.5 million.
6. "Despicable Me," $6.8 million.
7. "Step Up 3D," $6.6 million.
8. "Salt," $6.4 million.
9. "Dinner for Schmucks," $6.3 million.
10. "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," $4.1 million.

"Toy Story 3" top-grossing animated film of all time

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Woody and his pals have elbowed aside the green ogre, with Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3" climbing above Paramount/DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" to become the top-grossing animated film worldwide.

Walt Disney Studios announced Friday that "Toy" has taken in $920 million at the global box office, topping "Shrek's" $919.8 million. Globally, it's Disney's fourth-highest-grossing film, trailing two of the installments in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland."

The 3D toon also has crossed the $400 million mark domestically, the second Disney film to hit that level, after 2006's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which took in $423 million domestically.

In 1995, Pixar launched the "Toy Story" franchise, with its central characters of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their fellow toys.

Released June 18, "Toy Story 3," directed by Lee Unkrich, recorded Pixar's highest-grossing opening weekend, taking in $109 million in North America, and was the 11th Disney/Pixar title to debut in the No. 1 position on its opening weekend of wide release. The movie will be released on Blu-ray and DVD November 2.

Do You Agree?

The Culture Brats have posted their list of John Cusack's Top 17 Roles.

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Ferrell's 'Other Guys' tops box office with $35.6M

LOS ANGELES – "The Other Guys" are the main guys at the box office, knocking off "Inception" to take the No. 1 spot.

The buddy-cop parody starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg made $35.6 million in its opening weekend, according to Sunday estimates from Sony Pictures.

It's the second-highest debut for a film in which Ferrell has starred, and yet another strong showing for the movies he's made with his frequent collaborator, writer-director Adam McKay. Their biggest opening was "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," which debuted at No. 1 with $47 million in August 2006. "Step Brothers" made $30.9 million and came in second place when it opened in July 2008. And their first film together, "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," opened in second place in July 2004 with $28.4 million.

"Inception," which had been the top film in the country the past three weeks, fell to No. 2 with $18.6 million. Christopher Nolan's mind-bending dream thriller from Warner Bros. has now made $227.7 million since its debut July 16.

Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution, said the studio had a good idea that "The Other Guys" would open at No. 1, but estimated it would make around $30 million. Ferrell plays a nerdy, uptight New York police detective who'd rather solve crimes from his desk than run into danger on the streets. Wahlberg is his hot-tempered, frustrated partner who's desperate for action, and the supporting cast includes Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson.

"The tracking on the film has been really terrific — just the buzz on the film, reviews are 80-percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes," Bruer said. "From all the screenings we had on the film, people just loved it and thought it was hilarious so we felt pretty good about it."

Ferrell-McKay productions have a solid track record, Bruer said, because "they're the ultimate funny."

"The chemistry between those two men in regards to comedy is at the top of their game," he said. "They bring out the best of each other."

The fact that "The Other Guys" and "Inception" are both so popular shows that audiences are hungry for a variety of ideas this time of year, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

"How much different could these two films be? They both have action elements but that's where the comparison between these two films ends," he said. "That's the cool thing about summer movies: They can run the gamut from silly, off-the-wall comedies to serious, intense fare."

The other new movie opening nationwide this weekend, the dance sequel "Step Up 3-D" from Disney and Summit Entertainment, came in third place with $15.5 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Other Guys," $35.6 million.
2. "Inception," $18.6 million.
3. "Step Up 3-D," $15.5 million.
4. "Salt," $11.1 million.
5. "Dinner for Schmucks," $10.5 million.
6. "Despicable Me," $9.4 million.
7. "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," $6.9 million.
8. "Charlie St. Cloud," $4.7 million.
9. "Toy Story 3," $3 million.
10."The Kids Are All Right," $2.6 million.

'Inception' outclasses 'Schmucks' at box office

LOS ANGELES – "Inception" is still kicking at the box office.

The mind-bending Warner Bros. thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio remained the No. 1 movie for the third-straight weekend with $27.5 million, bringing its total to $193.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Inception" edged out new releases "Dinner for Schmucks," "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" and "Charlie St. Cloud."

"'Inception' has seeped into the cultural zeitgeist," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's something that everyone is talking about right now. When a movie is able to do that and something just clicks, it becomes a national — even an international — discussion, and it's seemingly impervious to any of the newcomers."

"Dinner for Schmucks," the Paramount comedy starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd as unlikely dining companions, earned $23.3 million in the No. 2 position, while the Warner Bros. 3-D sequel "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" fetched $12.5 million in the No. 5 spot. "Charlie St. Cloud," the Universal Pictures drama starring Zac Efron, debuted at No. 6 with $12.1 million.

1. "Inception," $27.5 million.
2. "Dinner for Schmucks," $23.3 million.
3. "Salt," $19.2 million.
4. "Despicable Me," $15.5 million.
5. "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," $12.5 million.
6. "Charlie St. Cloud," $12.1 million.
7. "Toy Story 3," $5 million.
8. "Grown Ups," $4.5 million.
9. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," $4.3 million.
10."The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," $3.9 million.

Samuel L. Jackson announces 'Avengers' cast

SAN DIEGO – Comic book fans no longer have to imagine what it might be like to see all their favorite superheroes in one place.

They got the chance Saturday at Comic-Con, when the cast of the forthcoming "Avengers" film took the stage. Samuel L. Jackson surprised some 6,000 fans gathered for a Marvel Studios presentation when he stepped out just as it was ending and started introducing the cast of "The Avengers."

Jackson brought out stars Clark Gregg, Scarlett Johannson, Chris Hemsworth of "Thor" and Chris Evans of "Captain America."

He then introduced another surprise guest, Robert Downey Jr., who brought out the rest of the all-star cast, including Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.

"The Avengers" is based on the comic book series of the same name, which brings various Marvel superheroes together. The film is due in 2012.

'Inception' trumps 'Salt' with $43.5M weekend

LOS ANGELES – Leonardo DiCaprio's "Inception" has won a battle of superstar action thrillers over Angelina Jolie's "Salt" at the weekend box office.

"Inception" remained the No. 1 movie for the second-straight weekend with $43.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. thriller featuring DiCaprio as leader of a team that sneaks into people's dreams raised its 10-day total to $143.7 million.

Sony's spy caper "Salt" debuted a solid No. 2 with $36.5 million. The movie stars Jolie as a CIA operative who goes rogue after she's accused of being a Russian sleeper agent.

Coming in at No. 3 with $24.1 million was Steve Carell's family hit "Despicable Me." The animated comedy raised its domestic total to $161.7 million.

In a rare convergence of fresh ideas, the top three movies all were original stories, not sequels or adaptations of comic books, best-sellers, video games or other pre-existing material.

"Typically in summer, all we're seeing are rehashes and sequels and reboots, whatever you want to call them," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "To have original stories as the top-three films is a lesson to studios that maybe audiences are open to more originality in the summer and to perhaps not play it so safe, even though that goes against the grain of every fiber in every studio executive's being."

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's family comedy "Ramona and Beezus," took in $8 million to finish at No. 6. The movie is based on Beverly Cleary's children's books about a teenage girl and her accident-prone little sister.

"Inception" hung in strongly in its second weekend, its total down just 31 percent from its $62.8 million opening. During the busy summer, top hits often drop 50 percent or more in the second weekend and rarely repeat as the No. 1 movie.

The film will quickly shoot past the $200 million mark at the domestic box office and has a good shot at topping $300 million, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros.

Repeat business is accounting for a good share of "Inception" revenues as fans return to delve deeper into the labyrinthine story concocted by writer-director Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight").

"There's so much on the screen. It's so original and so smart that it raises questions that I think can be answered in different ways if you see the movie multiple times," Fellman said.

While young males usually make up the bulk of the action audience, women and older crowds were the core fans of Jolie's "Salt." Females accounted for 53 percent of viewers, while 59 percent of the audience was older than 25, according to Sony.

"What the movie really has going for it just a kick-ass performance by Angelina Jolie," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It just speaks well to the viability of our film for many weeks to come that you have such an incredible hold for 'Inception,' and we're still able to open our picture. We coexisted really nicely."

Overall revenues rose for the fourth-straight weekend as Hollywood continued to recover from a box-office swoon earlier in the summer. Receipts totaled $164 million, up 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "G-Force" was No. 1 with $31.7 million.

Revenues this season are at $3 billion, about 3 percent ahead of the record pace of summer 2009. But accounting for higher ticket prices, movie attendance is down 3.4 percent compared to last summer's, according to Hollywood.com.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Inception," $43.5 million.
2. "Salt," $36.5 million.
3. "Despicable Me," $24.1 million.
4. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," $9.7 million.
5. "Toy Story 3," $9 million.
6. "Ramona and Beezus," $8 million.
7. "Grown Ups," $7.6 million.
8. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," $7 million.
9. "The Last Airbender," $4.2 million.
10. "Predators," $2.9 million.

Metallica Say 2004 Documentary Was a Mistake

It's been six years since the Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster hit theaters, but the band is still sharing its reactions to the movie, which chronicled the band's bitter in-fighting and visits to a therapist while working on St. Anger. Their impressions? Not good. "Every time I see Noel Gallagher he quotes lines from that movie back to me," Ulrich told Australia's Herald Sun. "That thing has taken on a life of its own. I had to live that shit for three fucking years! The whole thing was a mindfuck. I am aware a lot of other musicians seem to have lived a lot of those moments. They weren't necessarily stupid enough to film them like we were and share them with the rest of the world."

Despite Metallica's squabbling earlier this decade, Ulrich says they've been getting along better than ever — they're already mapping out plans to prep their follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic. "There is a good vibe in the band now, everyone's having fun and getting along," Ulrich said. "Things are real easy and borderline pleasant. I know that doesn't sound very rock and roll, but it would surprise me if it'd be a year before we start making a new album. There's a good chance the turnaround would be less than it's been on previous cycles."

Before heading back into the studio, Metallica will finish up a string of dates in Australia in the fall and perform on June 22nd in Sofia, Bulgaria as part of the Big Four tour alongside thrash icons Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. For fans who can't make the trek, the concert will be simulcast in 450 movie theaters around the world.

'Inception' earns dreamy reception with $60.4M

LOS ANGELES – Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan's "Inception" is anything but a sleeper as the thriller opened big with $60.4 million and a No. 1 finish at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Warner Bros. action tale about a team that sneaks into people's dreams is DiCaprio's biggest opening weekend, topping his previous best of $41.1 million for last winter's "Shutter Island."

"Inception" falls far short of director Christopher Nolan's best, though. Nolan is the man who directed the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight," which opened over the same weekend two years ago with a record $158.4 million.

Warner Bros. has carved out a niche with this particular mid-July weekend. The studio followed "The Dark Knight" with a $77.8 million opening for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" over the same weekend last year.

"We like this spot. Not to sound superstitious, but stay away from this weekend. I own it," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

The final "Harry Potter" movie debuts on the same weekend next summer.

Warner plans to open Nolan's third "Batman" movie over that weekend two years from now, though Fellman said the studio could move it to an earlier date that summer.

Strong reviews helped "Inception," which stars DiCaprio as leader of a team that normally breaks into people's dreams to steal their secrets but now has been hired to do the opposite — plant an idea in a wealthy heir's subconscious.

Slipping to second place with $32.7 million was the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Steve Carell's animated hit "Despicable Me." The Universal release raised its 10-day total to $118.4 million.

Disney's family adventure "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was a dud, opening at No. 3 with $17.4 million, lifting its total to $24.5 million since premiering Wednesday.

"It's disappointing to say the least," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which had high hopes for the movie. "I'm perplexed. I have no response, because I honestly don't know what went wrong."

The movie reunites the team behind the hit "National Treasure" movies — Nicolas Cage, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub — for an action comedy about an ancient wizard training an awkward apprentice (Jay Baruchel) to take down an evil sorceress in modern Manhattan.

Bruckheimer has been a blockbuster producer for Disney with such hits as "The Rock," "Armageddon" and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.

But "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" was the summer's second Disney-Bruckheimer production to come up short at the domestic box office, following "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," which was unable to crack the $100 million mark.

"Jerry's working on 'Pirates 4' as we speak," Viane said of the Johnny Depp sequel due out next summer. "I'll go to bat with Jerry any day, because his track record is pretty darn good."

With "Inception" and "Despicable Me," the weekend marked a rare instance when two original stories — not sequels, spinoffs or adaptations of comic books, best-sellers or other properties — led the box office.

Hollywood relies on familiar titles such as "Iron Man 2," "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" and "Toy Story 3" for most of its big summer releases, though the occasional fresh idea manages to score with audiences.

"We let all of the sequels and popcorn films come out and get the summer rolling, then we come in here with this original concept," Fellman said of "Inception." "We're in a good place to run now for the rest of the summer."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Inception," $60.4 million.
2. "Despicable Me," $32.7 million.
3. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," $17.4 million.
4. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," $13.5 million.
5. "Toy Story 3," $11.7 million.
6. "Grown Ups," $10 million.
7. "The Last Airbender," $7.5 million.
8. "Predators," $6.8 million.
9. "Knight and Day," $3.7 million.
10. "The Karate Kid," $2.2 million.

British American announced as newest 'Spider-Man'

LOS ANGELES – There's a new Spider-Man in town.

Andrew Garfield, whose credits include last year's Heath Ledger film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," has been cast as Peter Parker, the average youth who transforms into a superhero, in the next "Spider-Man" movie, distributor Sony Pictures announced Thursday.

The as-yet-untitled "Spider-Man" film begins shooting in December and is due in theaters July 3, 2012. Marc Webb, who made the romance "(500) Days of Summer" is directing.

Garfield and Webb got the jobs after star Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi, who made three blockbuster "Spider-Man" films together, departed amid story and scheduling issues over a fourth movie.

"Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor's work understand his extraordinary talents," Webb said. "He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker."

Among Garfield's other credits are director David Fincher's upcoming "The Social Network," about the founders of Facebook, and Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan's upcoming drama, "Never Let Me Go." Garfield also starred in the acclaimed British drama "Boy A."

Garfield was born in the United States, but was raised in England.

"In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer," said Avi Arad, one of the producers on the "Spider-Man" franchise. "We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future."

The new film, which will be shot in 3-D, focuses on a younger Peter Parker, the Marvel Comics hero who gains superpowers after he's bitten by a radioactive spider.

'Paranormal 2' trailer too scary

The trailer for new horror movie Paranormal Activity 2 has been pulled from cinemas in Texas because of complaints it is too scary.

The promo for the film started to run in movie theatres prior to midnight screenings of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse on Wednesday.

The clip caused cinema-goers to complain to bosses at the Cinemark chain about the frightening footage.

U.S. host Ryan Seacrest even took to his Twitter.com page to warn film fans about the trailer, writing, "Paranormal Activity 2 teaser trailer... hold someone."

Officials at Cinemark have now removed the promo from a number of complexes in Texas, reports Variety.

Pee-wee Herman and Judd Apatow, Together at Last

Look who's joining Pee-wee Herman in the playhouse!

Bromance expert Judd Apatow has teamed up with Paul Reubens to develop a new Pee-wee film for the big screen, Daily Variety reports.

"Let's face it, the world needs more Pee-wee Herman," Apatow told the trade. "I am so excited to be working with Paul Reubens—who is an extraordinary and groundbreaking actor and writer. It's so great to watch him return with such relevance."

The venerable filmmaker says that he got the idea after taking in Reubens' sold-out live show in L.A. earlier this year. The Pee-wee Herman Show is headed to Broadway in October.

And Reubens is apparently just as honored to be working with Apatow.

"There is no one like Judd in our business—he loves comedy with emotion and heart, and he sees what we do as art," said the resurgent 57-year-old actor. "I can't believe I'm getting this opportunity to be working with him."

Reubens is working on the script with writer-actor Paul Rust. Apatow's going to produce, not direct and produce, but that didn't seem to hurt Superbad, Pineapple Express or Get Him to the Greek.

Besides, Pee-wee is technically a for-all-ages character, so they're going to want to avoid the automatic "R" that Apatow's films usually get. Especially considering…you know.

5 most memorable teen-angst movies

LOS ANGELES – The 'tween girls who are fanatical about the "Twilight" series may not be aware of this, but Bella, Edward and Jacob did not invent teen angst. Sure, every word and glance between them feels like the end of the world, but it's felt that way for a long time now.

With the release this week of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," the third film in the franchise, here's a look at some other movies in which, like omigod, everything was super-dramatic:

• "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955): The mother of all teen-angst movies, full of parents who just don't understand and kids who eloquently express their frustration and disillusionment. James Dean's performance as a young rebel who moves to Los Angeles and clashes with bullies is considered the best work of his short life, and since the film came out a month after his fatal car crash, it added further hype to his tragic persona. Looking at Robert Pattinson as teen vampire Edward Cullen in the "Twilight" films, it's clear Dean is the inspiration: the wavy hair and sideburns, the jeans, the perpetually sullen expression. If only Dean could have sparkled in the sun...

• "American Graffiti" (1973): Directed and co-written by pre-"Star Wars" George Lucas and inspired by his own teenage years in Modesto, Calif., this coming-of-age dramedy nonetheless has great universality. There's plenty of fun to be had here over an August night in 1962, with longtime friends cruising the main drag — joking, flirting, getting into trouble — one last time before heading off to college. But Lucas also keenly captures the sensation of being in flux, of having to carve out a new identity between adolescence and adulthood, and all the nervousness and nostalgia that go along with that. Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss lead a great, young cast.

• "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982): Bracingly honest about the way teens talk and relate, this comedy is an early demonstration of writer Cameron Crowe's excellent ear for dialogue. The plot basically follows a year in the life of a group of high-school students, but it consists of a series of perfectly observed moments. "Fast Times" seemed super-racy in its day, with its subplots about teen sex and pregnancy, but not gratuitously so. Between the soundtrack (Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, The Go-Go's) and the cast of then-unknowns (Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Forest Whitaker), it's a classic and a quintessential example of the genre.

• "The Breakfast Club" (1985): You could also insert "Sixteen Candles" in this space, or "Pretty in Pink," or any number of John Hughes movies. Teen narcissism was the man's bread and butter. But "The Breakfast Club" was the heaviest of them all; its characters took their navel-gazing the most seriously. It also had that star-studded Brat Pack cast of Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall, which makes it more representative of the era than other Hughes films. Lots of fun parts, for sure — Bender messing with Mr. Vernon, the whole crew of Saturday-detention misfits racing through the high-school halls. But the crying and confession on the library floor are what you remember most.

• "Say Anything ..." (1989): That image of John Cusack, holding a boom box over his head and blaring Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," has become iconic, shorthand, even a bit of a cliche, but it says it all. Once again from Crowe — this time directing as well as writing — but here he shows his romantic side. "Say Anything ..." is all about longing for that first love, even though, on paper, that person may not be right for you. Doesn't matter. The obsession and torment, the vulnerability and doubt are all part of the process. And by showing all those sides of his character, Cusack forged his on-screen persona as a leading man for the rest of us.

New "Twilight" film eyes $150 million-plus opening

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Box office sales are about to skyrocket as two summer sizzlers launch midweek ahead of the Independence Day holiday weekend amid fervid enthusiasm from their respective fan bases.

Summit's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" bows at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday in more than 4,000 locations, with the vampire-romance threequel likely to sink its teeth into more than $150 million across the United States and Canada through Monday.

The first sequel, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," bowed with $142.8 million during its first three days last November en route to a domestic haul of $296.6 million. The original "Twilight" opened in November 2008 with $69.6 million and wrapped with $192.8 million.

"The advance ticket sales are as good as for 'New Moon,' and certainly the tracking data is," Summit distribution president Richie Fay said. "But the real question is whether the moviegoers feel they need to catch the movie the first day or two or maybe think they can wait until the weekend. It's really difficult to say how the grosses will come in."

Additionally, Paramount on Thursday opens director M. Night Shyamalan's 3D family adventure "The Last Airbender," which should skew male as "Eclipse" preoccupies younger women. Based on the Nickelodeon animated kids series, "Avatar: The Last Airbender," the live-action movie was produced in 2D and converted to 3D to exploit audience enthusiasm for the format.

It is forecast to fetch as much as $50 million through Monday. The estimated production costs totaled $150 million.

"Eclipse" -- which totes a relatively modest $60 million budget -- also opens in 41 international territories, including several larger markets such as Russia, Italy, Spain and Mexico. "Airbender" unspools in foreign markets during July and August.

Meanwhile, Disney/Pixar's 3D threequel "Toy Story 3," the box office champ for the last two weekends, is likely to grab the bronze medal with upward of $35 million.

'Airplane!' keeps the funny after 30 years

If it weren’t for the talented trio Jerry Zucker, David Zucker and Jim Abrahams, we may never have gotten a number of post-“Airplane!” comedies, such as the Farrelly brothers' “There’s Something About Mary.”

And if it weren’t for the Z.A.Z. team we also wouldn’t have heard some of the funniest movie lines a person can commit to memory.

If you can read the “Airplane!” quotes below and not hear Peter Graves’ hilarious deadpan delivery in your head, then clearly you need to make it a blockbuster night.

Roger Murdock: "We've got Clearance, Clarence."
Captain Oveur: "Rodger, Roger. What's our vector Victor?"

Captain Oveur: "Alright, give me a Hamm on five, hold the Mayo."

Captain Oveur: "...And stop calling me surely."

Randy: "There's been a little problem in the cockpit."
Ted: "The cockpit? What is it?"
Randy: "It's a little room in the front of the plane, where the pilots sit, but that's not important right now."

Captain Oveur: "Ever been in a cockpit?"
Joey: "No, sir, I've never been up in a plane before."
Captain Oveur: "Ever see a grown man naked?"

Captain Oveur: "Joey, have you ever been in a...in a Turkish prison?"

Roger Murdock: "But just remember, my name is Roger Murdock. I'm an airplane pilot."

Elaine: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your stewardess speaking. We regret any inconvenience the sudden cabin movement might have caused. This is due to periodic air pockets we encounter. There is no reason to become alarmed and we hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?"

'Iron Man 2' leaves box office top 10 below original domestically, higher overseas

“Iron Man 2” is wrapping up its box office run in a surprising spot: behind the original “Iron Man.”

Marvel Entertainment’s superhero sequel dropped out of the box office top 10 this weekend, its eighth in theaters, and has grossed a total of $307 million in the U.S. and Canada.

The first “Iron Man” left the box office top 10 on its ninth weekend with a total of $309 million. Although the difference is tiny, it’s a remarkable swing given that "Iron Man 2" opened to $128.1 million in early May, and its predecessor opened to $98.6 million at the same time of year in 2008. Both were distributed by Paramount Pictures for Marvel, which was acquired by the Walt Disney Co. at the end of 2009.

“Iron Man 2” is now almost certain to end up with a final domestic gross lower than the original “Iron Man’s” $318.4 million, despite an 11% rise in average ticket prices over the last two years.

The reason: Although more people came to see “Iron Man 2” opening weekend, audiences apparently didn’t like the sequel as much as the original and weaker word-of-mouth caused its tickets sales to drop faster.

Foreign moviegoers seem to have a different view, however. The sequel's international tally is $303 million, higher than the original “Iron Man's” $267 million.

'Toy Story 3,' Sandler are hot, Tom Cruise not

LOS ANGELES – The "Toy Story 3" gang and Adam Sandler are finding plenty of playmates at movie theaters. Tom Cruise is not so popular, though.

The Disney-Pixar Animation smash "Toy Story 3" remained the No. 1 film with $59 million in its second weekend, raising its domestic total to $226.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sandler's "Grown Ups" debuted at No. 2 with a healthy $41 million. Released by Sony, the comedy costarring Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider did well despite a thrashing from critics.

Cruise's thriller "Knight and Day" fizzled at No. 3 with $20.5 million. It was the worst result for a Cruise action flick in 20 years and a sign that audiences still have not forgiven him for erratic behavior a few years back, which included his couch-jumping incident on Oprah Winfrey's show.

"He's one of the biggest stars of all time, but no question, this has impacted him," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's not like it's irrevocable or unchangeable. Look at all the stars who have been jailed or caught in compromising sexual situations and then came back. Many stars do recover. It just may take a lot of time for him."

Reviews were fair for "Knight and Day," which features Cruise as a charming spy who finds romance with a civilian (Cameron Diaz) on a globe-trotting adventure. Yet distributor 20th Century Fox could not pull in a big audience despite a heavy marketing push that included sneak-peak screenings a week earlier and a Wednesday debut designed to build fan buzz for opening weekend.

Since Wednesday, "Knight and Day" has taken in $27.8 million. It added $12.6 million in 12 overseas markets, but the movie has a long road ahead to recoup a production budget of around $107 million.

Playing in 4,028 theaters, "Toy Story 3" maintained a strong average of $14,647 a cinema. That compared to an average of $11,602 in 3,534 theaters for "Grown Ups" and $6,617 in 3,098 cinemas for "Knight and Day."

Even so, Chris Aronson, head of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, said the studio was happy with the results.

"I do think with the excellent reviews we've caught along with its playability, that it's going to be the movie of choice for smart audiences and will be for a while," Aronson said.

At the height of the Cruise backlash four years ago — sparked by odd behavior including rants about Scientology and his couch-bouncing proclamation of devotion to Katie Holmes — his "Mission: Impossible III" debuted with $47.7 million, well over twice the take for "Knight and Day." Granted, the latter is a harder sell compared to an established action franchise.

Even Cruise's Nazi Germany drama "Valkyrie," which arrived with modest expectations two years ago, did better with $21 million in its first weekend.

"Knight and Day" had Cruise's lowest action debut since the 1990 race-car thriller "Days of Thunder," which pulled in $15.5 million while playing in 800 fewer theaters. Factoring in higher ticket prices, "Days of Thunder" would have debuted with about $29 million in today's dollars.

After just 10 days in theaters, "Toy Story 3" is about to hurtle beyond "Shrek Forever After," now at $229.3 million after five weeks in theaters, to become the year's top-grossing animated movie.

Though $300 million blockbusters "Iron Man 2" and "Alice in Wonderland" had bigger opening weekends, "Toy Story 3" now is outpacing both and could be on track to become the year's biggest hit.

"Though I would never try to call that prematurely, it certainly is the kind of movie that plays so well that you would expect the legs to put it into a pretty lofty position," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "The storytelling is so superb that I think it's going to play forever."

"Toy Story 3" has added $100 million in 32 overseas countries to raise its worldwide total to $326.6 million. The film has yet to open in many major markets, including most of Europe.

While Cruise once was one of Hollywood's most-dependable draws, Sandler remains a steadfast box-office earner. "Grown Ups" was his 10th film to open in a consistent range from about $34 million to $48 million, dating to 1998's "The Waterboy."

"Grown Ups" features Sandler and his pals as boyhood friends reuniting as adults for the funeral of their old basketball coach.

Critics usually hate Sandler's movies, while fans keep turning up.

"They realize that they're the final judge, and they've chosen Adam over and over," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "They know what they want to see."

Overall business was down again as Hollywood lapsed back into a box office slide that persisted from May into early June. Revenues totaled $160 million, down 20 percent from a huge weekend last year, when "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" debuted with $109 million.

Summer revenues are at $1.7 billion, down 5 percent from the record pace of 2009, while attendance is off nearly 11 percent, according to Hollywood.com.

Business should rebound as "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" opens Wednesday for the Fourth of July weekend, one of the year's busiest times at theaters.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Toy Story 3," $59 million.
2. "Grown Ups," $41 million.
3. "Knight and Day," $20.5 million.
4. "The Karate Kid," $15.4 million.
5. "The A-Team," $6 million.
6. "Get Him to the Greek," $3 million.
7. "Shrek Forever After," $2.9 million.
8. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," $2.8 million.
9. "Killers," $2 million.
10. "Jonah Hex," $1.6 million.

'Knight & Day' Falls Flat on First Day

Right about now, one may feel the urge to riff on a Cole Porter tune: "Knight & Day, you aren't the one."

Ranking second for the day behind Toy Story 3's massive $13.5 million, Knight & Day landed with $3.8 million on approximately 4,100 screens at 3,042 locations on Wednesday. That was the least-attended opening day for an action-oriented Tom Cruise vehicle since his first, Legend in 1986, and it was his lowest-grossing first day in a leading role since Far and Away in 1992 (though that picture had greater attendance).

Mr. Cruise's last starring role, Valkyrie, made $8.5 million on its Thursday opening, although that was a Christmas day debut. His previous Wednesday launch was for War of the Worlds, which took off with $21.3 million five years ago, while the one before that, Mission: Impossible II, opened to $12.5 million (and the disparity only magnifies in terms of attendance). The last movie starring Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Vanilla Sky, generated $8.9 million on its opening day (a Friday).

It's not exactly apples-to-apples to compare Friday debuts to Wednesday ones for this type of movie, but the similar Killers grossed $5.7 million on its Friday opening day earlier this month. Other Wednesday opening comparisons include Tropic Thunder ($6.5 million) and Live Free or Die Hard ($9.1 million on June 27, 2007).

It's too early to write off Knight & Day just yet. Since it's not a sequel or a fan boy affair and it probably appeals mostly to adults, it's possible that its audience may not show up in force until the weekend. Awareness of the movie's Wednesday launch may have been relatively low, due to distributor 20th Century Fox's last-minute decision to shift to Wednesday after the picture had already been heavily marketed for Friday, June 25. Fox made the change on June 7.

'Toy Story 3' finds big play time with $109M debut

LOS ANGELES – Movie fans have not outgrown the "Toy Story 3" gang.

The animated sequel about toys that come to life leaped to the No. 1 spot with a $109 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Toy Story 3" became the third animated film to top $100 million in the first weekend, joining "Shrek the Third" at $121.6 million and "Shrek 2" at $108 million.

It was by far the best debut for a film from Disney's Pixar Animation, topping "The Incredibles" at $70.5 million.

Reuniting voice stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the movie has Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their toy pals facing their mortality, worried they will end up on the scrap heap now that their kid has grown up.

"Whether you're a kid or a parent, you always come to a fork in the road where you make the decision of what to do about your toys. Therein lies the appeal of the movie," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.

That, and the fact that Woody, Buzz and the gang have become like family to "Toy Story" fans, he said.

"Somehow these characters have worked their way in. When you go there, you can see the audience is vested in the movie from the start. It doesn't take any time to warm up. The minute it hits the screen, they're in," Viane said.

"Toy Story 3" took over the No. 1 spot from Sony's "The Karate Kid," which pulled in $29 million to raise its 10-day total to $106.3 million.

The weekend's other new wide release, the Warner Bros. action tale "Jonah Hex," bombed with just $5.1 million. Adapted from the comic book series, "Jonah Hex" stars Josh Brolin as a disfigured 19th century bounty hunter tracking a villain who aims to unleash a doomsday weapon.

"Toy Story 3" took in an additional $44.8 million overseas, giving it a worldwide total of $153.8 million. The movie has opened in such countries as Mexico, Argentina and China but will not debut in most major foreign markets until July and August.

The film also maintains the perfect track record of Pixar, whose 11 films all have opened at No. 1, starting with the original "Toy Story" in 1995 and continuing with such hits as "Finding Nemo," "Ratatouille," "WALL-E" and last year's "Up."
"Disney-Pixar is the best box-office insurance policy you can have," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's a brand that just resonates with audiences. If they go to a Pixar movie, they know they're going to be entertained. They're going to have a great time and also get a message. There's always a positive lesson you walk away with."

The film gave a nice boost to Hollywood, whose overall receipts had lagged in May. Domestic revenues totaled $198 million, up 31 percent from the same weekend last year, when "The Proposal" led with $33.6 million.

"Toy Story 3" continued Hollywood's streak of 3-D hits. The 3-D version of the film accounted for 60 percent of revenues, though it played on more 2-D than 3-D screens, according to Disney.

Tickets for 3-D movies typically cost a few dollars more than 2-D versions.

"Toy Story 3" took in $8.4 million in 3-D showings at huge-screen IMAX theaters. That beat the IMAX record for an animated film previously held by "Monsters vs. Aliens" with $5.1 million.

In limited release, Fox Searchlight's comedy "Cyrus" debuted strongly with $180,289 in four theaters, averaging $45,072 a cinema, compared to $27,061 in 4,028 locations for "Toy Story 3."

"Cyrus" stars John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei and Jonah Hill in the tale of a man whose new romance is jeopardized by his girlfriend's grown son, who wants his mom to himself. The film gradually expands to nationwide release through mid-July.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Toy Story 3," $109 million.
2. "The Karate Kid," $29 million.
3. "The A-Team," $13.8 million.
4. "Get Him to the Greek," $6.1 million.
5. "Shrek Forever After," $5.5 million.
6. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," $5.3 million.
7. "Killers," $5.1 million.
8. "Jonah Hex," $5.09 million.
9. "Iron Man 2," $2.7 million.
10. "Marmaduke," $2.65 million.

Vatican beatifies Blues Brothers ... well almost

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Jake and Elwood, the loveable if hapless characters played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in the classic 1980 film The Blues Brothers, have finally gotten Vatican recognition for their "Mission from God."

To mark this week's 30th anniversary of the film, which became a cult classic and spawned a fashion of wearing black hats and dark sunglasses to parties, the Vatican newspaper dedicated a full page and no fewer than five articles to it.
One of the articles says there is "no lack of evidence" that The Blues Brothers can be considered "a Catholic film."

It notes that Jake's release from prison and the commitment by him and Elwood to put their blues revival band back together to raise money to save an orphanage from forced closure has parallels with the Biblical story of the prodigal son.

Jake and Elwood -- who say they are on a "mission from God" to raise the money to pay a back tax bill for the orphanage -- and the band members, are symbols of "redemption obtained with sacrifice."

The newspaper also notes that the film is sprinkled with Catholic and moral references such as the nun Sister Mary Stigmata, who they call "The Penguin."
Elwood even passes up a chance for a one-night stand with a woman played by Twiggy in order to fulfill the mission, it says.

"This is a memorable film, and, judging by the facts, a Catholic one," the newspaper said.

'Karate Kid' opens at No. 1 with $56 million kick

LOS ANGELES – "The Karate Kid" has won a 1980s showdown at the box office against "The A-Team."

Sony's remake of 1984's "The Karate Kid" debuted at No. 1 for the weekend with a whopping $56 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The big-screen adaptation of the 1980s TV series "The A-Team" came in at less than half that, the 20th Century Fox release opening in second place with $26 million.

After three weekends at No. 1, DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Forever After" slipped to No. 3 with $15.8 million. The animated hit raised its domestic haul to $210.1 million, becoming the fourth movie released this year to top $200 million.

With a relatively modest production budget of $40 million, "The Karate Kid" far exceeded the studio's expectations. Early on, Sony executives would have been happy if the movie opened to half its $56 million debut weekend, said Rory Bruer, the studio's head of distribution.

Those expectations began to rise once the studio realized it had a crowd-pleaser on its hands, Bruer said.

"It's just an unmitigated grand slam hit," said Bruer, who also worked on distribution for the 1984 version. "I loved the original `Karate Kid,' but they took this beloved title, and they made it relevant, fresh and absolutely exciting."

The big opening for "The Karate Kid" gave Hollywood a boost after a weak start to the summer season. "Iron Man 2" opened big the first weekend in May, but the box office has lagged since then.

According to box-office tracker Hollywood.com, overall revenues came in at $153 million, up 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "The Hangover" led with $32.8 million.

"The Karate Kid" stars Jaden Smith as an American boy who moves with his mom to China, where he takes on a bully under the guidance of an unassuming martial-arts master (Jackie Chan).

With his first lead role, 11-year-old Smith had an opening weekend that stacked up well against the track record of his superstar father, Will Smith, who has had only two debuts bigger than "The Karate Kid" ("I Am Legend" at $77.2 million and "Hancock" at $62.6 million). Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are producers on "The Karate Kid."

"It's like, `Who's the biggest star now, dad?'" said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It proves the box-office apple doesn't fall far from the money tree in that household."

"The A-Team" features Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel in a tale of former Army Rangers trying to clear their names after they are framed for a crime they did not commit.

Chris Aronson, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, said the momentum of a strong weekend should benefit "The A-Team," which received high marks in exit polls from the under-25 crowd.

"It's good that the industry finally has an up weekend, so it's nice to be a part of that," Aronson said. "We're very optimistic that we're now in an upswing in the business and that we're going to play and play as our word of mouth spreads."

Hollywood looks to build on its momentum next weekend as Pixar Animation goes back to its roots with "Toy Story 3," the latest sequel to the 1995 hit that was the first feature-length computer-animated film.

In limited release, IFC Films' documentary "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" opened strongly with $171,500 in seven theaters, for an average of $24,500 per cinema. That compared to a $15,288 average in 3,663 theaters for "The Karate Kid."

Also debuting well in limited release was Roadside Attractions' drama "Winter's Bone," which took in $87,000 in four theaters for a $21,750 average. The top dramatic prize winner at January's Sundance Film Festival, "Winter's Bone" stars Jennifer Lawrence as a teenager desperately searching for her missing father in the backwoods crime culture of the Ozark Mountains.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Karate Kid," $56 million.
2. "The A-Team," $26 million.
3. "Shrek Forever After," $15.8 million.
4. "Get Him to the Greek," $10.1 million.
5. "Killers," $8.2 million.
6. "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," $6.6 million.
7. "Marmaduke," $6 million.
8. "Sex and the City 2," $5.5 million.
9. "Iron Man 2," $4.6 million.
10. "Splice," $2.9 million.

Mr. T blasts A-Team movie

TV hardman Mr. T has slammed the film remake of The A-Team for featuring too much sex and violence.

The 58 year old played the original BA Baracus in the hit 1980s TV show but rejected a cameo role in the upcoming movie, starring Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper.

And after seeing a preview of the film, he admits he's shocked with how graphic it is.

Mr. T says, "People die in the film and there's plenty of sex but when we did it, no one got hurt and it was all played for fun and family entertainment. These seem to be elements nobody is interested in anymore.

"It was too graphic for me. I've no doubt it will do big business at the box office but it's nothing like the show we turned out every week."

'Shrek' leads another slow weekend for Hollywood

LOS ANGELES – Hollywood is in a June swoon as a rush of new movies fails to grab audiences.

"Shrek Forever After" remained the No. 1 movie for a third-straight weekend with $25.3 million.

The best of the newcomers was the rock 'n' roll comedy "Get Him to the Greek," which debuted at No. 2 with $17.4 million. Opening at No. 3 was the action comedy "Killers" with $16.1 million.

The overall box office tumbled compared with last year's. The weekend after Memorial Day a year ago, the blockbuster "Up" premiered with $68.1 million.

That was more than the total for this weekend's four new wide releases — which included the family comedy "Marmaduke" at $11.3 million and the horror tale "Splice" at $7.5 million.

'Shrek' better than 'Sex' with $43M at box office

LOS ANGELES – Movie audiences are showing more appetite for Shrek than for sex over Memorial Day weekend.

DreamWorks Animation's sequel "Shrek Forever After" remained the No. 1 movie for a second weekend with $43.3 million from Friday to Sunday. The film raised its domestic total to $133.1 million.

That easily topped the Warner Bros. sequel "Sex and the City 2," which was No. 2 with a $32.1 million debut that came in far below the $56.8 million opening weekend of its predecessor two years ago. Along with a $14.2 million haul in its first day Thursday, "Sex and the City 2" has brought in $46.3 million.

Debuting at No. 3 with $30.2 million was Disney's action tale "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time."

Even with bad reviews and a running time of nearly two and a half hours for "Sex and the City 2," many in Hollywood had expected the sequel to open at No. 1.

But the fourth "Shrek" installment, itself opening far below the previous sequels, held up strongly in its second weekend. Family crowds continued to pack theaters for what is billed as the final big-screen tale featuring voice stars Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas.

Women made up 90 percent of the audience for "Sex and the City 2," which reunites the stars of the HBO series — Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon — for an adventure in Abu Dhabi.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., estimated that "Sex and the City 2" will have taken in about $53 million in its first five days once Memorial Day receipts are counted.

While that would be less than the three-day opening weekend for the first movie, the sequel still could match the $152.6 million domestic total of "Sex and the City" if it holds up well in subsequent weekends, Fellman said.

"The numbers are the numbers, but it's a little unfair to go in the direction of trouble in River City until we have an opportunity to see how we leg it out," Fellman said. "We might end up getting there. It's just a different pattern than the first one."

DreamWorks is hoping for a lengthy shelf life on "Shrek Forever After," a fourth installment in the franchise that had critics wondering if audiences finally were growing tired of the big green ogre.

"We always knew with the fourth entry in particular that we were in some kind of unprecedented territory," said Anne Globe, head of marketing at DreamWorks. "There was really no game plan to follow."

The box office for "Shrek Forever After" slipped 39 percent from its opening weekend, compared with a 56 percent drop in the second weekend for the third "Shrek" flick.

The modest results for "Prince of Persia" leave the movie's franchise potential in doubt. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose movies include the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "National Treasure" series, was aiming for similar franchise treatment on "Prince of Persia."

Set in ancient times, the movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a king's adopted son accused of treachery and murder, who obtains a magic dagger that can turn back time.

'Shrek Forever After' tops box office with $71.3M

LOS ANGELES – "Shrek Forever After" roared its way to the top of the box office, making $71.3 million in its opening weekend.

But the fourth film in the monster franchise from DreamWorks Animation had the weakest debut of all "Shrek" sequels, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Shrek 2," from 2004, opened with $108 million. "Shrek the Third," from 2007, made $121.6 million in its first weekend.

And the latest installment was available for the first time in 3-D and IMAX 3-D, where ticket prices are higher — up to $19 in Manhattan. "Shrek" made just under $5 million on IMAX screens, or 7 percent of the film's weekend gross.

This time, Shrek — voiced as always by Mike Myers — is experiencing a mid-life crisis, so he makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to live as a fearsome ogre again for one day. Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas return to the voice cast.

"We're obviously happy to be the No. 1 movie, which we anticipated," said Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation.

"It's a little lower than we anticipated but it's still No. 4 among all animated openings of all time, behind the first two `Shrek' sequels and `The Simpsons (Movie),'" which opened with $74 million in 2007.

In explaining the comparatively smaller debut for "Shrek Forever After," Globe said: "Part of it is the high bar the `Shrek' franchise has set for itself. With the fourth film, we're kind of in uncharted territory — there's never been a fourth in (an animated) series — and it's not where you start, it's where you finish."

Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com, said the cost of tickets may have been too high for some families.

"I think it's a very pragmatic situation. Families want to see `Shrek,' it's the summer, and right now for kids there's not a whole lot out there so it's kind of a no-brainer," he said. "Then people look in their pocketbooks and go, `Whoa.'"

Having said that, Dergarabedian said he expects "Shrek Forever After" will have legs throughout the summer, similar to another recent 3-D movie from DreamWorks Animation, "How to Train Your Dragon." It opened in March with $43.7 million and has gone on to make nearly $211 million.

Last week's No. 1 movie, "Iron Man 2," dropped to second place with $26.6 million. The superhero sequel from Paramount Pictures has now made over $251 million in three weeks.

The other new wide release, "MacGruber," opened in sixth place with a disappointing $4.1 million. Based on the "Saturday Night Live" sketch, the Universal Pictures comedy stars Will Forte as a bumbling version of the mulleted '80s television character "MacGyver," who was famous for his makeshift method of defusing threats.

But "MacGruber" was a relatively low-risk production because it cost under $10 million to make, which was offset by tax credits and foreign sales, said Geoffrey Ammer, head of worldwide marketing for Relativity Media, which produced the film.

"The honest answer is, it never expanded beyond its `SNL' audience," Ammer said. "We took the picture to (the) South by Southwest (film festival), it got a great response, we took a shot with the picture and we were disappointed but by no means were we at risk at any point."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com; final figures will be released Monday:

1. "Shrek Forever After," $71.3 million.
2. "Iron Man 2," $26.6 million.
3. "Robin Hood," $18.7 million.
4. "Letters to Juliet," $9.1 million.
5. "Just Wright," $4.2 million.
6. "MacGruber," $4.1 million.
7. "Date Night," $2.8 million.
8. "A Nightmare on Elm Street," $2.3 million.
9. "How to Train Your Dragon," $1.9 million.
10. "Kites," $1 million.

"Iron Man 2" set to outpace "Robin Hood"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Russell Crowe rides into movie theaters on Friday with "Robin Hood," but "Iron Man 2" should score a second weekend as the top film in North America.

Marvel/Paramount's "Iron 2" will likely ring up $50 million-plus, while tracking surveys have Universal's "Robin Hood" bowing in the $40 million-$45 million range.

Crowe's last big movie, "American Gangster," opened to about $44 million in November 2007. He struck out subsequently with "Body of Lies" and "State of Play."

Universal insists that tax credits on the U.K. production kept its tab to $155 million despite reports of higher figures. In the wake of its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, "Robin" opens simultaneously around the world, with studio executives expecting a significantly foreign-weighted global bow.

Early reviews have been mostly positive though hardly fervid.

"The target audience is across the board, but the strongest interest is with older and younger males," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said.

Other wide openers Friday include Summit Entertainment's female-targeting "Letters to Juliet," a wannabe crowd-pleaser of a romantic drama -- provided it's a mostly female crowd.

Summit produced the picture for an estimated $30 million and presold foreign territories heavily to offset its cost exposure. "Letters," starring Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave, should earn in the mid-teen millions through Sunday.

Fox Searchlight's romantic comedy "Just Wright," starring Queen Latifah, Common and Pam Grier, is tracking best with urban moviegoers and should open with $8 million-$10 million. The art-house studio spent slightly more than $12 million to produce the picture.

Weekend Box Office: 'Iron Man 2' bags $133.6 million

"Iron Man 2" blasted his way to the top of the weekend box office, raking in an estimated $133.6 million in its first three days out, according to estimates by Exhibitor Relations.

Although this wasn't enough to usurp "The Dark Knight's" throne for biggest opening weekend, it's still an auspicious start to the summer movie season.

Worldwide, "Iron Man 2" -- which stars Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell -- has earned $273.6 million.

Another notable opener is the Focus Features documentary "Babies," which not only starred real-life adorable babies, but was also wise to open on Mother's Day weekend. Although "Babies" only opened on about 500 screens (as compared to "Iron Man 2's" 4,000+ screens), it had taken in a higher per-screen average than No. 2 finisher "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and broke into the Top 10.

Here's the full three-day earnings from the Top 10 films over the weekend:

1. "Iron Man 2," $133.6 million
2. "A Nightmare on Elm Street," $9.2 million
3. "How to Train Your Dragon," $6.8 million
4. "Date Night," $5.3 million
5. "The Back-up Plan," $4.3 million
6. "Furry Vengeance," $4 million
7. "Clash of the Titans," $2.3 million
8. "Death at a Funeral," $2.1 million
9. "The Losers," $1.8 million
10. "Babies," $1.6 million

Fourth 'X-Men' movie gets release date, 'Kick-Ass' director

After some on-and-off negotiations, "Kick-Ass" director Matthew Vaughn has signed on to direct the next "X-Men" movie.

He'll be going to work pretty soon, too: 20th Century Fox has set a release date of June 3, 2011 for "X-Men: First Class," which will tell the story of how mutants Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr (aka Magneto) developed their powers and, before becoming bitter enemies, worked together to stop "the greatest threat the world has ever known," according to a release from the studio.

The movie will also feature some characters from previous "X-Men" movies, as well as some new ones.

Bryan Singer, who directed the first two "X-Men" movies, was initially set to do the same with "First Class" but instead is focusing on another project, "Jack the Giant." He'll be a producer, though, with Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg. "Chuck" co-creator Josh Schwartz and Jamie Moss ("Street Kings") wrote the screenplay.

"I've been a fan of Matthew's since 'Layer Cake,'" Singer says of Vaughn. "He has a deft hand with multiple characters and storylines, and a great love of the 'X-Men' universe. I feel the combination of this story and his vision will make for an exciting and original 'X-Men' film."

Production on the movie is set to begin in the summer.

Rourke talked into ‘Iron Man 2’

LOS ANGELES — Not so long ago, Mickey Rourke’s career belonged on a scrap heap. Now he’s starring in an Iron Man movie. Remind you of anyone?

So who better to spar with the similarly resurrected Robert Downey Jr. than Rourke, the 57-year-old hell-raiser whose resurgence was solidified by an Academy Award nomination for 2008’s The Wrestler?

Turns out, they even crossed paths “back in the day,” Rourke reveals. “I knew Robert a little bit ... and he really is a changed man — in every way. From the choices that he makes to what he’s putting in his body.”

Downey, not surprisingly, was key in convincing Rourke to accept the role of Ivan Vanko, Tony Stark’s Russian cybernetic nemesis in Iron Man 2, which opens everywhere Friday.

The two actors happened to be on the same awards circuit in early 2009 — Downey was Oscar-nominated for Tropic Thunder — as sequel casting was underway.

“(Robert) was lobbying him, every time they sat together, to try to get him to join the movie,” director Jon Favreau says.

Or as Downey, turning to Rourke during a news conference, remembers, “I really worked you like a rib, didn’t I? It was embarrassing. I was literally begging you in public.”

Fortunately for the filmmakers, Rourke had enjoyed the 2008 original — particularly Downey’s performance as an arms manufacturer-turned-weaponized superhero.

“I think it was a smart move for whoever was pulling for Robert (to play Stark) because usually they would have gone for a role like this with a younger, cleaner image kind of guy. It would have been like watching cardboard. Robert brought something to it and transcended the material. It wasn’t like watching,” Rourke pauses, considering his words, “whatever. Spider-Man.”

And there are perks to big-budget movies, after all. “I had come off working on a film where there was no budget. I didn’t even have a chair to sit in. I remember, the first day (on Iron Man 2), I asked for a cappuccino and they said, ‘What kind would you like?’ ”

Not so glamorous? Two months of training so he could not only wield two bullwhips simultaneously but maneuver in a 40-pound suit.

The resulting character — known as Whiplash — looks like Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises crossed with the Terminator. But Rourke, a well-known animal lover, also got his wish to humanize Vanko by giving him a cockatoo.

“I wanted him to have a pet. Everybody likes to make the Russian guy a really terrible bad guy. And I thought maybe he has his own point of view. I thought it was important to show he’s not a one-dimensional bad guy.”

That Rourke not only has creative clout, but is in demand at all, is remarkable, he realizes.

After a decade of being almost unemployable, he’s now fielding offers and shooting movies back-to-back-to-back.

“I had 14 years off, so I enjoy (working). I’m really fortunate that I got a second chance after the big mess I made.”

Already he’s wrapped the drama Passion Play with Megan Fox and he’s currently shooting the myth-based adventure The Immortals in Montreal. Later this year, he intends to reunite for a movie with Tony Scott (Domino).

But can he avoiding repeating the behavior that derailed his career two decades ago, after such memorable films as 91/2 Weeks, Angel Heart and The Pope of Greenwich Village? He sounds optimistic.

“The mistake I made before is I would wait so long to find a movie I was excited about and then I would get broke and have to take a movie to pay my bills. And if you take a movie to pay your bills, then you’re doing something you don’t want to be in. And that’s where the trouble would start,” he says, alluding to his bad-tempered reputation. “So it’s important for me to not have to go to work to pay for my lifestyle.”

Stallone scraps 'Rambo' plans

Sylvester Stallone has abandoned plans to bring his iconic Rambo character back for a fifth time - work on another movie in the action series has been scrapped.

The actor resurrected Rambo in 2008 to battle the Burmese army in the fourth installment, 26 years after the action hero made his big screen debut in 1982's First Blood.

Stallone previously announced plans for Rambo V and began scouting locations for the fifth film, but the star has now revealed the follow-up has stalled and he's "99 per cent sure" the character won't return.

He tells EmpireOnline.com, "I think Rambo's pretty well done. I don't think there'll be any more. I'm about 99 per cent sure.

"I was going to do it... But for Rambo to go on another adventure might be, I think, misinterpreted as a mercenary gesture and not necessary. I don't want that to happen.

"I'm very happy with the last Burmese episode, because I didn't pull any punches on it. I wanted it to be what civil war really is - rough. You can't candy coat it, and where do you go from there? So that's (Rambo V) going to go."

'Nightmare,' 'Iron Man' lead US, overseas bills

LOS ANGELES – Freddy Krueger is raking in cash at the box office again, while Robert Downey Jr.'s "Iron Man 2" got off to a big start overseas.

A remake of the slasher flick "A Nightmare on Elm Street" led the weekend with a $32.2 million debut domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Released by the Warner Bros. banner New Line, the movie features Jackie Earle Haley as Krueger, a psycho killer who stalks and slays victims in their dreams.

Paramount's "Iron Man 2" got an international head start on its domestic debut this Friday, pulling in $100.2 million in 53 foreign markets. While Hollywood blockbusters typically open around the same date in most countries, some get an overseas jump of a week or more on their U.S. debuts.

"Iron Man 2" brought in $12.2 million in Great Britain, $10.8 million in South Korea, $8.8 million in Australia and $8.2 million in France. According to Paramount, the sequel had bigger openings than 2008's "Iron Man" in every market.

"Iron Man 2" continues the story of Downey's billionaire superhero, a genius who builds himself a metal suit loaded with gadgets. Mickey Rourke co-stars as a new enemy with his own high-tech arsenal.

Fright films typically drop steeply in their second weekends, since hardcore horror fans rush out to see them in the first few days. But "A Nightmare on Elm Street" already is headed toward a solid profit after an opening weekend that roughly matched its modest production budget of just over $30 million.

Given the history of slasher sagas — the original 1984 "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was followed by seven sequels — the franchise likely has a long life ahead of it.

"It's certainly something we would entertain, the same with 'Friday the 13th,'" another New Line horror series that was revived last year and has a sequel in the works, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" was unable to match the fresh start of "Friday the 13th," whose remake had a $40 million opening weekend in February 2009.

This weekend's other new wide release, Brendan Fraser's family comedy "Furry Vengeance," bombed with just $6.5 million. The Summit Entertainment release stars Fraser as a housing developer assailed by the cute woodland creatures whose habitat is threatened by construction.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, DreamWorks Animation's hit "How to Train Your Dragon," slipped to second place with $10.8 million, raising its total to $192.4 million.

While "A Nightmare on Elm Street" opened well, overall business was modest, continuing a lull as theaters prepare for the summer season, Hollywood's busiest time.

With "Iron Man 2," new potential blockbusters will start arriving virtually every weekend through August. Downey's "Iron Man" premiered domestically with a whopping $98.6 million weekend, ranking No. 15 on the chart for best debuts.

"What 'Nightmare on Elm Street' did is bridge the gap between the middling last part of spring leading into the summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "'Iron Man 2,' I'm prepared to say, is going to be one of the biggest openings of all time. Interest is huge."

In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics' "Please Give" opened strongly with $128,696 in five theaters, averaging a healthy $25,739 a cinema. That compares with an average of $9,665 in 3,332 theaters for "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Please Give" stars Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt as a Manhattan couple who buy an elderly neighbor's adjoining apartment — with the stipulation that the old woman can live out her life there before the buyers can do any expanding and remodeling.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "A Nightmare on Elm Street," $32.2 million.
2. "How to Train Your Dragon," $10.8 million.
3. "Date Night," $7.6 million.
4. "The Back-up Plan," $7.2 million.
5. "Furry Vengeance," $6.5 million.
6. "The Losers," $6 million.
7. "Clash of the Titans," $5.98 million.
8. "Kick-ass," $4.5 million.
9. "Death at a Funeral," $4 million.
10. "Oceans," $2.6 million.

'The Hobbit' not delayed; on track for 2012

“The Hobbit” is coming to theaters sooner than you think, but later than you initially thought.

Let's clear it up.

Warner Bros. is scheduling Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro’s two-part adaptation of “The Hobbit” for December 2012 and December 2013.

A confusion over release dates surfaced earlier today when Imax announced an overall, 20-film, three-year deal with Warners. In outlining which films would be included, Imax incorrectly gave 2013 as the release date for the first “Hobbit” movie.

But 2013 is two years later than the 2011 release date that New Line and MGM targeted for the first installment when the two companies originally announced the movies in December 2007.

However, 2011 proved not to be a realistic date and instead served more as a guideline, according to insiders, because when it was first announced, no scripts were written, nor schedules or budgets drawn up.

While the project is taking a bit longer than the filmmakers anticipated, it is now on track for 2012 -- rather than the 2013 date mentioned in the Imax release.

The second movie’s script was turned in to the studio a couple of weeks ago, and all parties are starting to break down the financials for the movies now.

Warners moved quickly to set the calendar straight in the wake of the Imax release, and by midday, the giant-screen-format company said it was going to send out a correction, officially making 2012 the new date for the first “Hobbit” movie.

'Dragon' wings it back to No. 1 with $15 million

LOS ANGELES – "How to Train Your Dragon" continues to breathe fire at the box office, while newer releases are mostly blowing smoke.

The DreamWorks Animation adventure took in $15 million to reclaim the No. 1 spot in its fifth weekend of release. "How to Train Your Dragon" opened in first place in late March, then dropped back into the pack. But it has held up strongly and climbed to the top again amid a flurry of so-so new releases.

The tale of a Viking youth and his pet dragon raised its total to $178 million and is on its way to becoming a $200 million hit.

Premiering weakly at No. 2 with $12.3 million was Jennifer Lopez's romantic comedy "The Back-up Plan," released by CBS Films. Another comedy, Steve Carell and Tina Fey's "Date Night" from 20th Century Fox, held up well to finish at No. 3 with $10.6 million, raising its total to $63.5 million.

Among the weekend's other newcomers, the Warner Bros. action flick "The Losers" flopped at No. 4 with $9.6 million. Disney's nature film "Oceans" had a solid opening for a documentary, coming in at No. 8 with $6 million.

"How to Train Your Dragon" nearly regained the No. 1 spot the previous weekend but wound up a close second to Lionsgate's superhero comedy "Kick-Ass." In its second weekend, "Kick-Ass" slumped to No. 5 with $9.5 million, down 52 percent from its debut, lifting its total to $34.9 million.

Revenues for "How to Train Your Dragon" were off a scant 23 percent from the previous weekend.

"To be No. 1 in week five, it's an exciting time," said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks Animation. "Especially to be decisively No. 1 after last weekend's box-office shenanigans."

The box office had ended in rare photo finishes for two straight weekends as movies bunched up tightly in the rankings. Though "How to Train Your Dragon" was the clear winner this time, top movies again were crowded closely together as the weekend's newcomers failed to grab much attention.

Overall Hollywood revenues should top out at about $100 million, the lowest-grossing weekend of the year, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Fans may simply be watching their finances amid the slow economic recovery, saving their money for the onslaught of summer blockbusters that starts May 7 with "Iron Man 2."

"They may be saying, 'I want to see big summer movies, so I'm just going to wait,'" Dergarabedian said. "Then suddenly, we're going to have this massive weekend when 'Iron Man 2' opens after we've had these mediocre weekends."

While "The Back-up Plan" opened weakly, CBS Films was hoping it would hold up well in subsequent weekends, as romantic comedies often do.

"Jennifer Lopez's films have great legs, as does she," said Steven Friedlander, head of distribution for CBS Films.

"The Back-up Plan" stars Lopez as a single woman who gets pregnant through artificial insemination, then meets the man of her dreams.

"The Losers," whose cast includes "Avatar" co-star Zoe Saldana, is a comic-book adaptation about a Special Forces team looking for payback after a mission goes bad.

Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, "Oceans" offers up-close glimpses of blue whales, walruses, sea turtles, spider crabs and other aquatic life. Since opening on Earth Day Thursday, "Oceans" has taken in $8.5 million.

"Oceans" played in narrower release than other new movies, averaging $4,975 in 1,206 theaters, a fair result for a documentary. By comparison, "The Back-up Plan" averaged $3,735 in 3,280 theaters and "The Losers" averaged $3,271 in 2,936 cinemas.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "How to Train Your Dragon," $15 million.
2. "The Back-up Plan," $12.3 million.
3. "Date Night," $10.6 million.
4. "The Losers," $9.6 million.
5. "Kick-Ass," $9.5 million.
6. "Clash of the Titans," $9 million.
7. "Death at a Funeral," $8 million.
8. "Oceans," $6 million.
9. "The Last Song," $3.7 million.
10. "Alice in Wonderland," $2.2 million.

Nimoy visits Vulcan, Alta.

VULCAN, ALTA. – Spock came home Friday.

Leonard Nimoy, famous for his role as Star Trek’s Spock, was warmly welcomed Friday to the small rural Alberta town of Vulcan, where he told residents to live long and prosper.

People lined the streets of the town to catch of glimpse of Nimoy, who waved to the crowd from the back seat of an Escalade during a short parade through the town’s downtown.

The actor unveiled a bronze statue of Spock that will be displayed downtown and gave a brief speech in which he shared his appreciation for the reception he received.

“Wait till Bill Shatner (who plays Star Trek’s Capt. James T. Kirk) hears about this,” he told the crowd to a loud cheer.

Nimoy said he has had an “extraordinary experience” with the Spock character over the past 44 years, working around the world and many meeting extraordinary people.

“In all of these experiences I have never had an experience quite as touching here as I’m having here today and I appreciate it. Thank you,” said Nimoy.

Nimoy said he was delighted to be in Vulcan and thanked those who came for their warm welcome, big hearts and kindness.

Star Trek is a hopeful story about the future, and the Spock character - who Nimoy called dignified, intelligent and professional - has been a role model to many people

“I’m very proud to be associated with him,” he said.

Nimoy, who reprises his role in the 2009 Star Trek movie, helped secure a private screening for local residents after he learned that Paramount had told the town that it would not be getting the film's premiere.

“I can’t say it strongly enough, thank you, thank you, thank you, and may each one of you live long and prosper,” said Nimoy.

After his speech, Nimoy was presented with a key to Vulcan, which coincidentally shares its name with Spock’s home planet, so that “he’s welcome home anytime he wants,” said Vulcan Mayor Tom Grant, who gave him the key.

“I will cherish it,” said Nimoy. “It will hang in my office at home.”

Nimoy shook hands with local dignitaries, including Grant, and signed some autographs at the Vulcan Tourism and Trek Station before taking part in the parade. He also toured the building and saw the Star Trek memorabilia on display, including a pair of Spock ears that he has lent to the town.

Nimoy was looking forward to visiting Vulcan, said Dayna Dickens, Vulcan’s tourism co-ordinator.

“I can’t believe this happened today. So happy.”

Nimoy’s visit was the culmination of many residents’ dreams, she said.

“Leonard Nimoy’s visit is almost the holy grail of celebrities that could come.”

Dickens hopes that Vulcan businesses can continue to take advantage of the opportunities that come along with the town’s promotion the Star Trek theme.

The town’s main streets were filled with not only Vulcan-area residents but also fans from the two nearest cities, Calgary and Lethbridge.

Danielle French, who works for the City of Calgary, said her boss gave her the day off work after she jokingly suggested she would like to see Nimoy.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said French.

Cameron slams 'Titans' remake

James Cameron is calling for movie bosses to put together a special organisation to regulate the quality of 3D films - following the "stupid" decision to add effects to Clash of the Titans.

The director embraced the technique when making his hugely successful sci-fi epic Avatar, and he's been championing 3D movies ever since.

And he is convinced industry officials need to form a new organisation to publicise and protect 3D films - because poor quality effects will harm the new genre.

Cameron says, "What I'd love to do is put together some kind of a forum with the DGA (Directors Guild of America), let's say, and maybe the ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) and we'd have to do it in Canada, too. I think some quality standards do need to be discussed. I think the studios and big distribution companies need to be included in that dialogue. Let's not do stupid stuff that's going to hurt this burgeoning marketplace."

And Cameron uses the Clash Of The Titans remake as an example, because movie bosses behind the film delayed its release so they could add 3D effects at the last minute.

He adds, "They worked against themselves with that film. I've heard people say that they couldn't watch (Clash of the Titans) in 3D and thought it looked better in 2D and they enjoyed the film more. I haven't seen the film, so I don't want to say too much, but I heard from enough sources that it was borderline unwatchable. And I have to say, I predicted that. When they said they were going to try to convert it to 3D in seven weeks, I said it's not possible. You can't do it. You can slap a 3D label on it and call it 3D, but there's no possible way that it can be done up to a standard that anybody would consider high enough."

Smith And Jones Confirmed For MIB 3-D

Barry Sonnenfeld has confirmed to Roger Friedman that Will Smith and, after months of speculation, Tommy Lee Jones will star in Men In Black III.

Smith has been on board Sony’s threequel for some time, but Jones’ involvement was less clear, with Josh Brolin mooted as a replacement, while the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen had also been in the casting frame. However, Jones has been concentrating on smaller dramas, like In The Electric Mist and The Company Men, for some time, so the chance to exercise those blockbuster muscles (and pay for a new conservatory) was probably too good to pass up.

At the moment, little is known about the plot of the movie, which Sony will be aiming to get into cinemas by Memorial Day 2011 (that’s May 30, 2011 to the rest of us), but we imagine it’ll involve Agent Jay (Smith) and Kay (Jones) getting in way over their heads with some angry alien beasties. But Sonnenfeld did drop one more bombshell – MIB III will, like every single film in this or any other post-Avatar universe, will be in glorious 3D.

Actually, 3D should suit Sonnenfeld’s manic camerawork pretty well and, with the Smith/Jones deadpan dream team reunited, we’re now quietly optimistic about this one. Especially if they bring back Rip Torn – in full drunken bank-robbing mode – as Chief Zed.

Hayley Atwell will romance Chris Evans in 'Captain America'

Marvel Studios announced today that Brit Hayley Atwell will join the cast of Joe Johnston's "Captain America: The First Avenger."

The 28-year-old actress, who is best know for her role in AMC's mini-series "The Prisoner," will play Peggy Carter, Captain America's love interest. Late last month, Chris Evans beat out a slew of prime candidates for the film's leading role of Steven Rodgers, the U.S. military soldier who is transformed into America's greatest WW II hero. As for the rest of the cast, Hugo Weaving has been reported to be on board as the villainous Red Skull and "Gossip Girl's" Sebastian Stan has been recruited to play Cap's sidekick Bucky.

Alice Eve, best know for the recent comedy "She's Out of My League," was also in contention for the role.

In an official statement, the studio says "Captain America" will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America."

American audiences will next see Atwell in "Pillars of the Earth, an 8-part mini-series debuting on Starz July 23. She's also had supporting roles in "The Duchess," "Brideshead Revisited" and Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream."

Note, previously referred to as "The First Avenger: Captain America," the Disney division has seemingly decided to switch the monikers around for the film's official title as production ramps up.

"Captain America: The First Avenger" will begin shooting this summer. Paramount Pictures is currently contractually on board to release "Captain America" on July 22, 2011.

'Dragon,' 'Kick-Ass' tussle for box-office win

LOS ANGELES – It's another photo finish at the weekend box office, with the No. 1 spot too close to call between the animated adventure "How to Train Your Dragon" and the superhero comedy "Kick-Ass."

Distributor Paramount reported Sunday that DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" took in $20 million, while "Kick-Ass" distributor Lionsgate reported its movie debuting at $19.75 million.

With just $250,000 separating them, either movie could end up at No. 1 when studios release final weekend numbers Monday.

The previous weekend, 20th Century Fox's comedy "Date Night" led the Warner Bros. action tale "Clash of the Titans" by about the same amount based on Sunday estimates. But "Clash of the Titans" came out on top by $1.4 million when final numbers were reported Monday, with "Date Night" pulling in nearly $2 million less than 20th Century Fox had estimated a day earlier.

"I've never seen two weeks in a row like this where the top movies could easily flip-flop," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Weekend projections include fairly hard figures for Friday and Saturday, but studios have to estimate how much a movie will take in on Sunday. Final figures Monday can rise or fall once precise revenues for Sunday are calculated.

Executives for both DreamWorks Animation and Lionsgate said they were tracking their own movies ahead of the competition.

"Our information is indicating that we are at No. 1," said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks Animation, whose "How to Train Your Dragon" debuted in first place in late March and slipped to No. 3 the next two weekends before climbing the chart again.

Lionsgate head of distribution David Spitz said he had tracked "Kick-Ass" in first place over "How to Train Your Dragon."

"I don't see them grossing $20 million, but I've been wrong before. I can promise you 24 hours from now, we will know who's right and who's wrong," Spitz said. "It would have been neat to say, 'Hey, we're the clear-cut No. 1.'"

Other studios were divided on which film led, some giving the weekend to "How to Train Your Dragon," others to "Kick-Ass."

Finishing first at the box office is a valuable marketing tool, with the winning studio able to declare its movie No. 1 in advertisements through the following weekend.

"Kick-Ass" features Aaron Johnson as a teen comic-book geek who becomes a self-proclaimed superhero, eventually teaming up with a vigilante dad (Nicolas Cage) and his 11-year-old daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz).

The movie had a solid though unremarkable debut, yet box-office analysts expected "Kick-Ass" to open with bigger numbers. It received generally good reviews, but the R-rated movie's hardcore violence and language — much of it revolving around Moretz's character — was a drawback for some viewers.

While box-office photo finishes are unusual, "How to Train Your Dragon" also was a rarity as a holdover competing for the No. 1 spot. The movie about a Viking teen and his dragon pal has held on strongly week after week as the main family flick at theaters, raising its total to $158.6 million.

The No. 3 spot also was close, with "Date Night" at $17.3 million and Sony's comedy "Death at a Funeral" debuting just behind at $17 million.

"Date Night," starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey, raised its 10-day total to $49.2 million. "Death at a Funeral" features Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan in a romp about an extended family gathering to bury its patriarch.

Even closer was the No. 8 spot, with just $5,000 separating the estimates for MGM's "Hot Tub Time Machine" ($3.545 million) and Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" ($3.54 million).

In narrower release, Roadside Attractions' satire "The Joneses" debuted with $554,489 in 193 theaters, for a weak average of $2,873 a cinema. That compared with an average of $6,444 in 3,065 theaters for "Kick-Ass."

"The Joneses" stars David Duchovny and Demi Moore as heads of a fake family sent out to hawk merchandise to their new neighbors in an upscale community.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "How to Train Your Dragon," $20 million.
2. "Kick-Ass," $19.75 million.
3. "Date Night," $17.3 million.
4. "Death at a Funeral," $17 million.
5. "Clash of the Titans," $15.8 million.
6. "The Last Song," $5.8 million.
7. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?", $4.2 million.
8. "Hot Tub Time Machine," $3.55 million.
9. "Alice in Wonderland," $3.54 million.
10. "The Bounty Hunter," $3.2 million.

Satirical superhero film set to 'Kick' its way to the top

Lionsgate looks as if it will kick butt at the box office this weekend.

The independent studio Friday will release its satirical superhero film "Kick-Ass," which it acquired after a successful screening at last year's Comic-Con International, with healthy expectations.

People who have seen pre-release audience surveys said it should sell roughly $30 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada through Sunday.

"Kick-Ass," which stars Nicolas Cage along with a mostly young cast, has long been generating interest among young males, who have been excited since buzz started at the fanboy convention. Lionsgate recently focused more of its marketing on older males and young women, who may be attracted to the film's tween superhero Hit Girl.

The movie's R rating, however, could deal a blow to its weekend gross by limiting the size of the under-17-year-old audience.

Unless "Kick Ass" opens significantly below expectations, Lionsgate should end up in good financial shape on the movie, particularly if those who see it on its first weekend create positive buzz.

The studio paid $15 million for domestic distribution rights and is spending $25 million to $30 million on advertising and prints.

Barring a disaster, "Kick-Ass" will be this weekend's No. 1 movie. Sony Pictures' "Death at a Funeral" is on track to open at around $20 million, a decent figure given that the studio's Screen Gems label spent $21 million on production.

The remake of a 2007 British film stars Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan and is tracking stronger with African American audiences but is expected to draw a fairly diverse crowd.

It could be in a tight race for second place with "How to Train Your Dragon," which declined only 14% to $25.3 million last weekend and will probably have a similarly tiny drop on its upcoming fourth weekend in the market.

Much of the talk Thursday among executives who closely follow tracking surveys wasn't about any movies playing this weekend. Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 2," which opens May 7, showed up on the two major polling services used by studios this weekend.

The movie is generating huge pre-release interest, the executives said, and is nearly certain to far exceed the $98.6-million first-weekend domestic gross of the original "Iron Man" on the same weekend in 2008.

Although it won't get the benefit of higher ticket prices from playing in 3-D, "Iron Man 2" is expected to open to more than $100 million and has a shot at exceeding the all-time domestic record of $158.4 million set by "The Dark Knight" in 2008.

Sutherland confirms '24' movie series

Kiefer Sutherland has revealed that a 24 movie franchise will be launched now that the series has been axed.

The actor confirmed that a feature film and sequels are in the works, with the first taking Jack Bauer outside of the US.

"The film will be a two-hour representation of a 24-hour day, so all of a sudden, the restrictions of the real-time aspect are lifted. Which is huge," he told Total Film.

"To put it in context, in the series, every crisis had to come to us, because we couldn't move. Who wants to see Jack Bauer sit on a plane for four hours? But in the format of the film, it will be very feasible to go from Eastern Europe to London in the space of 24 hours, so all of a sudden there is so much more latitude. The skies have opened up!"

The final season of 24 is currently airing on Fox.

Iron Man, Bella, Robin Hood fan summer film action

LOS ANGELES – Hollywood heroes are expanding their age demographic this summer.

With a new karate kid, a middle-aged iron man, the return of the school girl-teen wolf-vampire love triangle, and a 1,500-year-old sorcerer, studios seem to have something for everyone from 9 to 999.

The busy season starts May 7 with Robert Downey Jr. in heavy-metal mode again in "Iron Man 2," as the billionaire inventor turned superhero fights public pressure to share his technology and faces a new enemy (Mickey Rourke) with his own arsenal of gadgets.

Things never get easier, for an action hero or an actor hoping his sequel can outdo his blockbuster original.

"I just thought it was going to be easier and more fun, but I thought, you know what? Maybe you've got to really roll up our sleeves," Downey said. "We had to really, really, really redouble our efforts to kind of make it something that seemed it would stand next to the first one."

Hollywood's onslaught continues with something new on the action and fantasy front virtually every weekend.

Along with Iron Man, there are other familiar characters, led by Bella, Edward and Jacob, the lovesick threesome played by Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (releasing June 30). Part three has Bella preparing for high school graduation amid a string of killings, vengeful bloodsuckers and her choice of a prom date — vampire Edward or werewolf Jacob.

Other old friends: "The A-Team" (June 11), an update of the TV show with Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel in a tale of ex-Special Forces soldiers trying to clear their names after a frame-up; "The Last Airbender" (July 2), M. Night Shyamalan's adaptation of the TV cartoon about a youth with mystical powers that can reunite four warring nations; "The Karate Kid" (June 11), a remake starring Jaden Smith as an American youth who becomes a martial-arts underdog with help from an unorthodox mentor (Jackie Chan); and "Robin Hood" (May 14), Ridley Scott's new take on the 13th century hero, with Russell Crowe as the wily bandit and Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian.

Scott said he aimed to tell a story about a real man coming home to England from the wars, rather than the glossy legend that Robin Hood has become.

"He's a guy who's been on the road, as opposed to a guy walking around with a feather in his hat and wearing a little green skirt. I never liked that Robin Hood. I couldn't buy it," Scott said. "The film starts to build the process of how Robin becomes Robin Hood. In a funny way, it's like a prequel to Robin Hood."

Amid the familiar titles, Hollywood has a few new heroes coming. Angelina Jolie stars in "Salt" (July 23) as a CIA agent out to prove her innocence after a defector denounces her as a Russian spy.

Also on the run is Jake Gyllenhaal in producer Jerry Bruckheimer's video-game adaptation "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (May 28), about an adopted royal falsely accused of murder and battling for a magic dagger that can alter time.

Nicolas Cage reunites with "National Treasure" creators Bruckheimer and Jon Turteltaub for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (July 16), playing an ancient wizard who takes on a protege (Jay Baruchel) in modern times to fight a scheming enemy.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz join up for "Knight and Day" (June 25), an action comedy about a rogue agent who drags a bystander into a deadly globe-trotting adventure of car chases, gunplay — and, of course, unexpected romance.

"There's a moment where he could let me go out of it. It's this moment that he decides. This is where the love story comes in," Diaz said.

With Leonardo DiCaprio's "Inception" (July 16), director Christopher Nolan returns to the same midsummer weekend that brought his blockbuster Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" two years ago. DiCaprio stars as a man using technology to enter people's dreams and steal their ideas.

Since Nolan conceived the story a decade ago, technology has advanced in a way that makes the central notion — sneaking into other people's minds — more resonant for audiences, he said.

"There are concepts in the telling of the tale to do with alternate realities, to do with the way you would navigate through somebody else's mind, that are very analogous to the way that you use even your iPod or menu systems. The way the Internet links people together," Nolan said. "I think it was a more alien idea 10 years ago."

Other action and fantasy highlights:

• "Predators" (July 9): Adrien Brody heads a band of human warriors stalked by alien hunters in this revival of the 1980s sci-fi franchise.

• "Jonah Hex" (June 18): Josh Brolin and Megan Fox star in a supernatural Western about a gunslinger tracking a villain who aims to unleash hell.

• "The Adjustment Bureau" (July 30): Matt Damon's a politician battling mysterious forces aiming to squelch his romance with a ballerina (Emily Blunt).

• "The Expendables" (Aug. 13): Sylvester Stallone directs and stars alongside Jet Li and Jason Statham in a tale of mercenaries betrayed on a mission.

• "Killers" (June 4): The honeymoon's over for newlyweds in this action comedy about a wife (Katherine Heigl) who learns her husband (Ashton Kutcher) is a hit man.

• "Takers" (Aug. 20): A cop (Matt Dillon) takes on a team of expert bank robbers (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, T.I., Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy).

• "Piranha 3D" (Aug. 27): Spring break becomes feeding time at a lake resort besieged by prehistoric man-eating fish.

• "Beastly" (July 30): A teen take on "Beauty and the Beast" stars Vanessa Hudgens as the key to salvation for a youth (Alex Pettyfer) hideously transformed by a curse.

• "Splice" (June 4): Genetic researchers (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) create a sexy but dangerous hybrid out of human and animal DNA.

'Titans' clashes with 'Date Night' at box office

LOS ANGELES – Steve Carell and Tina Fey are in a box-office clash with the gods of Mount Olympus.

Number One bragging rights for the weekend were too close to call Sunday, with 20th Century Fox estimating a $27.1 million debut for Carell and Fey's comedy "Date Night" and Warner Bros. reporting the action tale "Clash of the Titans" at $26.9 million.

Rankings will be sorted out Monday when studios release final numbers, which can vary by $1 million or more for some films compared with Sunday estimates.

Warner executives said they tracked "Clash of the Titans" as No. 1 for a second straight weekend, with "Date Night" trailing by about $1 million.

"I'm not complaining about it," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner. "They're certainly entitled to their own projection, and we'll see. Maybe they're right and we're wrong. Monday will tell."

Photo finishes are rare for the No. 1 spot at the box office, where one movie usually is the clear winner.

Weekend projections include fairly hard figures for Friday and Saturday but estimates for how much a movie will take in on Sunday. Studios base those estimates on such factors as how similar movies performed in past weekends.

Studios sometimes grumble that competitors inflate their Sunday numbers to make a debut look stronger.

"You can't do that," said Bert Livingston, a 20th Century Fox distribution executive. "What you do is you look up history, you come up with your best-guess scenario. The number is the number. Whatever it is, if it ends up being No. 1 or 5 or 6, we just estimate our numbers."

Winning the top spot at the box office is a valuable marketing edge, allowing a studio to proclaim its release as the No. 1 movie in advertising through the following weekend.

Even if rankings change on Monday, it's often the Sunday figures that linger in the minds of movie fans, who may not bother to check out the final numbers a day later.

"That's why everyone wants to be No. 1 on Sunday, because with the Internet, by Monday, it's kind of old news," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

"Date Night" casts Carell and Fey as a married couple whose attempt to spice up their romantic life leads to misadventure after thugs mistake them for blackmailers.

"Clash of the Titans" features Sam Worthington as a warrior caught in a battle between men and the gods in ancient Greece. The movie raised its 10-day total to $110.5 million.

Running a close No. 3 was DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon," which took in $25.4 million, lifting its 17-day total to $133.9 million.

In narrower release, Vivendi Entertainment's inspirational drama "Letters to God" opened at No. 10 with $1.3 million. The movie centers on a boy who writes letters to God to help cope with his fight against cancer.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Date Night," $27.1 million.
2. "Clash of the Titans," $26.9 million.
3. "How to Train Your Dragon," $25.4 million.
4. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?", $11 million.
5. "The Last Song," $10 million.
6. "Alice in Wonderland," $5.6 million.
7. "Hot Tub Time Machine," $5.4 million.
8. "The Bounty Hunter," $4.3 million.
9. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $4.1 million.
10. "Letters to God," $1.3 million.

Can 'Iron Man 2' beat 'The Dark Knight'?

Exactly one month from Wednesday, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts and the other personalities of "Iron Man" will return to make witty mayhem in the superhero sequel.

And exactly three days after that, we could have a new domestic box-office record.

Stark himself, never lacking in suave self-confidence, probably wouldn't make such a bold boast. But it's entirely feasible.

According to just-released tracking surveys, director Jon Favreau's second installment in the Marvel franchise is showing astonishing levels of interest and awareness well ahead of its three-day opening next month. There are enough statistical indications to think that the first-weekend gross could top the $158.4-million haul for "Dark Knightl", the current record-holder for the biggest (non inflation-adjusted) opening weekend and the gold standards for movie debuts.
Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel grossed that amount when it opened over a three-day weekend in July 2008. The same spring/summer period brought the release of "Iron Man." The character was new to mainstream audiences, star Robert Downey Jr. had yet to engineer his Hollywood comeback and Favreau was riding a cold streak ("Zathura: A Space Adventure," anyone?). The movie still opened to an impressive $98 million, and went on to gross more than $318 million domestically.

But this year's sequel opening on May 7 should pulverize that $98 million figure. Thanks in part to Downey, the Paramount-distributed film is drawing as much (strong) interest among women over 30 as it is among women in their 20s, the tracking surveys show. Males in their teens and 20s are so keen on the film they may as well be dressing up in an iron suit. About the only people who aren't fully sold are teen girls, but there are signs of robustness there too.

All this doesn't even count the intangibles. The movie generated a titanic reception at last summer's Comic-Con International in San Diego, the kind that happens only once every few years, if that. The "Iron Man 2" trailers have practically shut down YouTube. And according to one rival studio, "Iron Man" is now among the most-liked franchises in Hollywood, right up there with "Spider-Man." (It also doesn't hurt that ticket prices have inched upward in the past two years, although the 2-D "Iron Man 2" likely won't touch the domestic record of $742.5 million set by last year's 3-D "Avatar.")

Of course, shattering a box-office record isn't the same as making a creative breakthrough. "Dark Knight" was a singular cultural phenomenon, adored by critics, loved by the public and regarded in the fan universe as the great example of superhero movies, the Giselle Bündchen of the form. Whether "Iron Man 2" will be similarly embraced remains to be seen. From the advance material, we're expecting more humor than we got in the Batman follow-up but not necessarily the same level of grit or complexity.

Still, a combination of pop-culture awareness, hugely appealing (and promotion-minded) actors and a smartly waged marketing campaign could send "Iron Man 2" on the path to a record. That is, for now -- "Batman 3," after all, is currently in development. And given the tendency of superhero sequels to expand audiences as they go, that movie could eventually land with even more box-office force. It's your move, Nolan.

'Titans' battles to No. 1 spot with $61.4 million

LOS ANGELES – The gods of Mount Olympus are the new rulers of the weekend box office.

The ancient Greek action remake "Clash of the Titans" debuted at No. 1 with $61.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Adding Thursday night preview screenings, the movie totaled $64.1 million.

Released by Warner Bros., "Clash of the Titans" features "Avatar" star Sam Worthington as demigod hero Perseus and Liam Neeson as his dad, Zeus, king of the Olympian deities.

Opening at No. 2 with $30.2 million was Lionsgate's sequel "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?", reuniting filmmaker Perry with Janet Jackson and other co-stars for another comic drama about eight friends and their relationships.

The previous weekend's top movie, DreamWorks Animation's Viking adventure "How to Train Your Dragon," ran a close third with $29.2 million, raising its 10-day total to $92.3 million.

Miley Cyrus' teen drama "The Last Song" premiered at No. 4 with $16.2 million. The Disney release raised its total to $25.6 million since opening Wednesday. Written by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks specifically for the "Hannah Montana" star, the movie casts Cyrus as a sullen teen spending the summer with her estranged father.

"Clash of the Titans" continued Hollywood's hit run of 3-D movies, which has included "How to Train Your Dragon" and the blockbusters "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland."

With $8.3 million, Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" came in at No. 5 for the weekend, raising its domestic total to $309.8 million and its worldwide haul to $722 million.

"If three out of the top five films doesn't spell a mandate for 3-D, I don't know what does," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Like "Alice in Wonderland," "Clash of the Titans" was shot in 2-D format and converted to 3-D afterward. Critics gripe that such conversions provide lower-quality 3-D images, but audiences do not seem to mind.

"You can't tell the difference. A super-technician, somebody who does this for a living, if they look carefully enough, they can find some differences," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros. "I have to tell you, from my own personal experiences, I can't tell."

"Clash of the Titans" played on about 6,500 screens at 3,777 theaters, with 1,810 of those screens — or 28 percent — showing it in 3-D. Yet the movie did 52 percent of its business in 3-D format, with fans paying a few dollars more than 2-D tickets cost.

"Why Did I Get Married Too" was Perry's second-biggest debut, behind last year's "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" with $41 million. Lionsgate, which has distributed all nine of Perry's movies, had thought his latest might come in around $25 million for the weekend.

"Every time we do one of his movies, I wake up on Saturday and think, why do I always underestimate him?" said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "He's unbelievable. He knows his audience."

Cyrus' "The Last Song" had modest results compared with the last Sparks love story, "Dear John," which opened with $30.5 million in early February, bumping "Avatar" down a notch after seven weekends at No. 1.

Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, said "Dear John" opened in a less-crowded marketplace the weekend before Valentine's Day, when women are more in the mood to see a love story.

"The Last Song" held its own among a flurry of other big releases, establishing Cyrus as a box-office draw without her "Hannah Montana" alter-ego, Viane said.

"It unquestionably proves that she can step outside the role and continue to wow them," Viane said. "She's becoming a real actress. She's going to be an important name in this business."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Clash of the Titans," $61.4 million.
2. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?", $30.2 million.
3. "How to Train Your Dragon," $29.2 million.
4. "The Last Song," $16.2 million.
5. "Alice in Wonderland," $8.3 million.
6. "Hot Tub Time Machine," $8 million.
7. "The Bounty Hunter," $6.2 million.
8. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $5.5 million.
9. "She's Out of My League," $1.463 million.
10. "Shutter Island," $1.462 million.

"Clash of the Titans" set to win box office battle

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Easter weekend will be sweetened with yet another 3D release, as "Clash of the Titans" aims to exploit the format's surging popularity.

The remake of the 1981 cult classic, starring "Avatar" hero Sam Worthington, is on track to march north of $60 million through Sunday -- about half its production budget.

The Warner Bros. release opens Wednesday evening in about 3,000 2D and 3D theaters. Starting on Friday, it will play in roughly 3,700 theaters, with about half showing the action fantasy on at least one 3D screen and the others playing it in 2D only.

That represents about 17% fewer 3D venues than DreamWorks Animation's reigning champ "How to Train Your Dragon," which opened last weekend in 2,178 3D theaters and 4,055 locations overall. But it seems enough to validate a decision by Warners just a couple months ago to convert "Titans" to 3D.

"Dragon," meanwhile, will boast roughly the same number of 3D venues this weekend as the previous frame, when it bowed with a relatively disappointing $43.7 million.

Some had predicted that with the March 5 debut of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," the industry's still-limited base of 3D cinemas would prevent "Dragon" or "Titans" -- or both -- from scraping together enough extra-dimensional distribution. As it turns out, the latter two pictures have come out relatively unscathed, and "Alice" has shed hundreds of extra-dimensional playdates.

On Friday, Lionsgate will release Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?" Tracking shows Perry's first sequel should fetch upward of $25 million, or roughly midrange if measured against previous Perry openings. "Why Did I Get Married?" bowed with $21.4 million in 2007 and finished with $55.2 million in the U.S. and Canada, and the prolific filmmaker's most recent outing, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," opened to $23.4 million in September, en route to $51.7 million overall domestically.

Disney gets a two-day jump on the frame with a Wednesday bow for its Miley Cyrus starrer "The Last Song." The romantic drama should reach the teen millions for its first five days.

Easter weekend generally is a solid box office session, with Good Friday strengthened by kids and some adults having the day off. But this weekend will be compared with a non-Easter frame from last year, a $155 million session topped by the $71 million launch of "Fast & Furious."

Kal Penn Abandons Obama To Smoke Pot During Christmas

We’ve known a new Harold & Kumar movie was coming for awhile now, but the big question hanging over A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas was whether they’d be able to get Kal Penn involved since, Kal (who plays Kumar) quit acting about a year ago to work for Obama at the Whitehouse. Even though Penn’s best known for playing a lovable stoner, the guy actually doesn’t smoke weed at all and he’s really more into politics than tasty, tiny burgers. Well, he was for a year anyway.

Now he’s going back to the world of irresponsible drug use on screen. Deadline confirms that he’s leaving his position as the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement to co-star with John Cho in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas. And...get ready for this...Warner Bros. is considering releasing it in 3D and plan to start shooting this summer for an R-rated holiday release in 2011 or 2012.

Battlefield Earth Writer Apologizes And Blames Scientology

A few weeks ago The Razzies voted Battlefield Earth as the worst movie of the decade and the world pretty much responded with a “no duh”. In fact, even the movie’s screenwriter seems to agree and he’s responded by apologizing.

That’s right, he actually feels bad about the part he played in making an epic piece of crap. He could lash out at the world, blame film critics, blame studio marketing, or pretend the movie has fans; but instead J.D. Shapiro has decided to accept reality and face the music in an article posted on NYPost.com, where he says: “It wasn't as I intended -- promise. No one sets out to make a train wreck. Actually, comparing it to a train wreck isn't really fair to train wrecks, because people actually want to watch those.”

Shaprio explains how he came to the project and managed to get the job while wandering the halls of Scientology without actually becoming one of them. He also claims his script was different from what appeared on screen. He says, “My script was very, VERY different than what ended up on the screen. My screenplay was darker, grittier and had a very compelling story with rich characters. What my screenplay didn't have was slow motion at every turn, Dutch tilts, campy dialogue, aliens in KISS boots, and everyone wearing Bob Marley wigs.”

I buy it. There might actually be a decent sci-fi script in there somewhere. Apparently his script went through a lot of rewrites and by the time they were done they’d changed the entire tone. He blames a lot of on Travolta, refused to make the changes they wanted, and was fired so that they could do it anyway. He also theorizes that a lot of the changes had something to do with notes left by deceased Scientology founder and Battlefield Earth author L. Ron Hubbard, including some strange aversion to the color purple.

So maybe in the midst of all those explanations he’s kind of distancing from the movie. But give Shapiro credit, at least he’s owning up to how bad his movie is. That’s increasingly rare in Hollywood. Check out his full apology over at the NY Post.

'Dragon' stokes up box office with $43.3M debut

LOS ANGELES – "How to Train Your Dragon" breathed a bit of box-office fire with a $43.3 million opening weekend and a No. 1 debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Distributed by Paramount, the DreamWorks Animation adventure came in well behind the studio's last cartoon comedy, "Monsters vs. Aliens," which opened with $59.3 million over the same weekend last year.

With strong reviews and enthusiastic responses from viewers in exit polls, DreamWorks expects "How to Train Your Dragon" to have more staying power than "Monsters vs. Aliens" in subsequent weekends, though.

"People just love the film, so we're really anticipating we'll benefit from strong word of mouth going forward," said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks.

"How to Train Your Dragon," featuring the voices of Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera in the tale of a Viking youth who tames a fire-breathing reptile, did outperform some other recent animated movies, among them "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," which opened with $30.3 million last September.

Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," which had been No. 1 the previous three weekends, slipped to second place with $17.3 million. It raised its domestic total to $293.1 million and its worldwide haul to $656 million.

John Cusack's raunchy comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine" had a lukewarm No. 3 debut of $13.7 million. Released by MGM, the movie features Cusack as part of a group of losers hurled back by a time-traveling hot tub to the 1980s, where they have a chance to set their lives right.

"How to Train Your Dragon" pulled in 68 percent of its revenue from 3-D presentation, another triumph for the digital technology that allows theaters to show movies in three dimensions.

Yet it also highlights the limits on how much 3-D traffic theaters are equipped to handle. "How to Train Your Dragon" took over the bulk of 3-D theaters at the expense of Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," because the roughly 4,000 screens capable of showing digital 3-D movies is not enough to handle two full wide-release films at the same time.

"There's no question there are not enough screens yet," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "People who want to seek out 'Alice' in 3-D may have to travel a mile or two more than they used to. ... It's competition. I'm used to it."

After a phenomenal 15-week run, James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" lost most of its remaining 3-D theaters to "How to Train Your Dragon." The 20th Century Fox release finally fell out of the top 10, taking in $2 million to finish at No. 11, raising its domestic total to $740.4 million. Worldwide, the movie has taken in $2.7 billion.

Another new 3-D release, Warner Bros. action tale "Clash of the Titans," arrives Friday. While the success of 3-D movies has driven theater chains to speed up their conversion to systems that can project digital 3-D films, a screen shortage will remain for the near future.

"There is a limited amount of shelf space. It's like a traffic jam at the multiplex for these 3-D movies," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's a high-class problem to have, but it's still a problem."

Films playing in 3-D have topped the box office for nine of 13 weekends this year, Dergarabedian said.

Overall revenues were down for the first time in a month. Domestic receipts totaled $127 million, off 13 percent from the same weekend last year, according to Hollywood.com.

For the year, revenues are at $2.6 billion, 8.8 percent ahead of last year.

Results for "Hot Tub Time Machine" came in on the low end of distributor MGM's expectations.

"It's not great, but it's OK," said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for MGM. "It had a lot of Internet buzz, so we thought it might come in a little bit higher."

In narrower release, Sony Pictures Classics' sex thriller "Chloe" opened with $1 million in 350 theaters, averaging a weak $2,863 a cinema. That compared to an average of $10,678 in 4,055 theaters for "How to Train Your Dragon" and $4,956 in 2,754 theaters for "Hot Tub Time Machine."

Directed by Atom Egoyan, "Chloe" stars Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried in a drama about a woman who hires a prostitute to tempt her husband and find out if he's cheating on her.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "How to Train Your Dragon," $43.3 million.
2. "Alice in Wonderland," $17.3 million.
3. "Hot Tub Time Machine," $13.7 million.
4. "The Bounty Hunter," $12.4 million.
5. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $10 million.
6. "She's Out of My League," $3.5 million.
7. "Green Zone," $3.3 million.
8. "Shutter Island," $3.2 million.
9. "Repo Men," $3 million.
10. "Our Family Wedding," $2.2 million.

Bullock wanted as 'Wonder Woman'

Original Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter has slammed reports she branded Sandra Bullock "too old" to play the superhero siren in a big screen remake - insisting the Oscar winner would be "great" in the role.

A host of A-list ladies have been tipped to take over from Carter, who starred in the 1970s TV show, in Joss Whedon's movie revival, including Megan Fox, Eliza Dushku and Beyonce Knowles.

But when Bullock was suggested for the lead, Carter was rumoured to have slated The Blind Side actress - insisting a younger star should take on the action role.

But Carter is adamant she never made the comments - and would love to see Bullock front the film.

Speaking on U.S. TV show Good Morning L.A., she says, "There was an idea that Sandra Bullock should play Wonder Woman and I think it's a great idea. She's exactly the kind of a personality and somehow it got messed around that I had said she was too old. That's nonsense, it wasn't true. She's strong and feminine. And Wonder Woman has to be accessible."

'Dragon' set to open well below 2009's 'Monsters'

The dragon may not roar too loudly at the box office this weekend.

DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon," which is being distributed by Paramount Pictures, will probably sell $40 million to $45 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada, according to people who have seen pre-release polling.

That's significantly less than the $59.3 million DreamWorks' last animated feature, "Monsters vs. Aliens," opened to on the same weekend last year. The new film, which cost $165 million to produce, is coming into a crowded market for family movies, however. "Alice in Wonderland" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" are expected to do significant business this weekend after grossing $34.2 million and $22.1 million, respectively, last weekend.

Nonetheless, an opening in the predicted $40-million-to-$45-million range would be a blow for the movie, particularly given that it should generate significantly more money than "Monsters" for each ticket sold because of 3-D ticket premiums. "Dragon" is playing at about 2,150 theaters with 3-D screens, 600 more than "Monsters vs. Aliens."

In addition, a recent study by media analyst Richard Greenfield found that 10 theaters in major cities are raising their average price for 3-D tickets by 8% this weekend in response to the success of 3-D films "Alice" and "Avatar."

Television ads for the new DreamWorks film have focused heavily on 3-D and the titular creatures, referring to the film simply as "DreamWorks' Dragons." In billboards and print ads, the words "Dragon" and "3-D" dwarf the words "How to train your."

Unlike past DreamWorks Animation releases such as the "Shrek" and "Madagascar" series, "How to Train Your Dragon" is relying heavily on reviews, which have thus far been overwhelmingly positive. If audiences respond as well to the movie as critics have, it could have a long run at the box office and make up for a soft start.

Paramount is also hopeful that the new DreamWorks animated feature will do well overseas. The film already opened in Russia last weekend to $7.5 million, which is about 30% higher than the debut there of "Monsters vs. Aliens," which had a weak international performance. "Dragon" opens this weekend in Australia, Southeast Asia, several major European markets including Germany, and throughout Latin America.

The only other film opening nationwide this weekend is Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1980s time travel comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine." Produced for a modest $36 million, it's expected to have a decent opening of $15 million to $20 million based primarily on interest among young men.

A solid start for the film would be very welcome news for MGM, which is on the verge of being acquired, restructuring or filing for bankruptcy and hasn’t released a new movie since September’s underperforming remake of “Fame.”

"Hot Tub" will probably compete for second place at the box office behind “Dragon” with the fourth weekend of “Alice in Wonderland.”

'Alice' still reigns at box office with $34.5M

LOS ANGELES – Alice remains the queen of the box office.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" took in $34.5 million to remain the No. 1 movie for a third-straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Disney release raised its domestic haul to $265.8 million and its worldwide total to $565.8 million after just three weekends in theaters, a huge result for a film playing in the typically slow month of March.

"You rarely see this kind of domination by one movie at this time of year," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Normally at this time of year, films don't make this kind of money, and they don't hold in this long."

"Alice in Wonderland" easily beat a rush of new movies led by 20th Century Fox's family film "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," which opened at No. 2 with $21.8 million. The movie is adapted from Jeff Kinney's cartoon novel about a sixth grader maneuvering through the intricate social structure at his middle school, which includes its own "cooties" game known as the "cheese touch."

"I think cheese touch equals magic touch at the box office," said Chris Aronson, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox.

Debuting at No. 3 was Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler's action comedy "The Bounty Hunter" with $21 million. Released by Sony, the movie follows a bounty hunter chasing his ex-wife, a reporter with an arrest warrant over her head after she misses a court date while pursuing a story.

"We had figured an estimate in the high teens, so 20-plus million is a good number for us," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

Jude Law and Forest Whitaker's action thriller "Repo Men" flopped with a No. 4 opening of $6.2 million. The Universal release features Law as a repo man on the run in a future where organs are bloodily repossessed if patients miss their payments.

In narrower release, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning's Joan Jett music drama "The Runaways" opened weakly with $803,629 in 244 theaters, averaging $3,294 a cinema.

That compared to an average of $9,229 in 3,739 theaters for "Alice in Wonderland," $7,085 in 3,077 theaters for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $6,831 in 3,074 cinemas for "The Bounty Hunter" and $2,440 in 2,521 locations for "Repo Men."

Released by Apparition, "The Runaways" stars Stewart as Jett and Fanning as singer Cherie Currie as they opened doors for women rockers in the 1970s with an all-girl band.

Ben Stiller's comic drama "Greenberg" premiered strongly in limited release, pulling in $120,432 in three theaters for a huge average of $40,144 a cinema.

Released by Focus Features, "Greenberg" stars Stiller as a neurotic whose mean tongue jeopardizes a budding romance with his brother's personal assistant (Greta Gerwig).

James Cameron's science-fiction blockbuster "Avatar" remained in the top 10 three months into its run. The 20th Century Fox release pulled in $4 million to raise its domestic total to $736.9 million. Worldwide, "Avatar" has taken in $2.67 billion.

"Alice in Wonderland" continued to lift overall Hollywood revenues, which came in at $130 million for the weekend, up 23 percent from the same weekend last year, when the thriller "Knowing" debuted at No. 1 with $24.6 million.

So far this year, domestic revenues are at $2.43 billion, up 10.3 percent over 2009's, according to Hollywood.com. Factoring in higher ticket prices, movie attendance is 8.2 percent ahead of last year's.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Alice in Wonderland," $34.5 million.
2. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," $21.8 million.
3. "The Bounty Hunter," $21 million.
4. "Repo Men," $6.2 million.
5. "She's Out of My League," $6 million.
6. "Green Zone," $5.96 million.
7. "Shutter Island," $4.8 million.
8. "Avatar," $4 million.
9. "Our Family Wedding," $3.8 million.
10. "Remember Me," $3.3 million.

"Alice" eyeing box-office three-peat

LAS VEGAS/LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Get ready for a 3D three-peat at the weekend domestic box office.

Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" demonstrated its holding power during the previous frame, when it dropped just 46 percent as it took in an additional $62.7 million. Another 45 percent drop this weekend would see the Tim Burton-directed fantasy collect a mid-$30 million figure, which should enable it to dominate all competition -- and that's despite a trio of new pictures hitting multiplexes in wide release.

Still, the market should find room for a couple of the rookies to establish solid footholds.

Sony's action comedy "The Bounty Hunter," starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, is a good bet for second place with a debut of $20 million-$23 million. Rated PG-13, "Bounty" will be hunting the date-movie crowd with its battle-of-the-sexes tale, directed by Andy Tennant ("Fool's Gold"), with Butler playing a bounty hunter who takes on the assignment of bringing in ex-wife Aniston.

Fox, meanwhile, will be going after tweens with its comedy "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," based on the Jeff Kinney book that's given birth to a successful series about the trials and tribulations of middle school.

The PG-rated pic's weekend hinges primarily on interest among family moviegoers, who could reward it with an opening of $15 million or more. Zachary Gordon stars in the feature directed by Thor Freudenthal, who turned out last year's "Hotel for Dogs."

"It's very targeted and will appeal to 7- to 14-year-old kids," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said.

Universal, which launched "Green Zone" last weekend to a disappointing $14.3 million, should see that film drop to fifth place. But the studio is taking another turn at bat with the sci-fi thriller "Repo Men." Jude Law and Forest Whitaker star in the futuristic actioner, based on Eric Garcia's novel "The Repossession Mambo," which concerns trafficking in artificial body parts.

Prerelease interest in the R-rated pic, directed by Miguel Sapochnik, a storyboard artist making his feature directorial debut, has been slow to build, so a bow of somewhere north of $10 million appears likely.

In the specialty arena, Summit will expand the Roman Polanski-directed political thriller "The Ghost Writer" -- which has grossed $4.3 million through four weekends of limited release -- into 819 theaters.

Apparition will see whether Kristen Stewart's "Twilight" fans follow her to "The Runaways," in which she plays rocker Joan Jett and which will bow in more than 200 theaters.

And Focus will introduce Noah Baumbach's "Greenberg," starring Ben Stiller as a middle-aged slacker, in exclusive engagements in New York and Los Angeles.

Cameron confirms 'Titanic 3D'

Moviemaker James Cameron has confirmed he will bring Titanic back to the big screen in 3D.

The director recently joked about updating the 1997 blockbuster using the same technology, which brought his Oscar-winning epic Avatar to life.

And now he has confirmed he is serious about plans to re-release the historical film in 3D - but the new version won't hit cinemas until 2012, to mark 100 years since the legendary ship sank.

He tells USA Today. "We're targeting spring of 2012 for the release (of a 3D version of Titanic), which is the 100 year anniversary of the sailing of the ship."

Cameron also revealed he will be putting Avatar back into movie theatres by releasing a director's cut later this year.

He adds, "The wildcard is that we might be re-releasing the movie this fall. It's kind of gotten stomped out (in theatres since the release) of Alice in Wonderland. The word we're getting back from exhibitors is we probably left a couple of hundred million dollars on the table as a result. The question is the appetite still going to be there after the summer glut of movies. We're going to assess that. We're talking about maybe adding in additional footage and doing something creative."

Avatar made movie history this year by overtaking Titanic as the best-selling international movie release of all time.

'Alice' extends her No. 1 stay with $62 million

LOS ANGELES – Alice is still ruling the movie palace.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" easily remained the No. 1 weekend draw with $62 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Disney fantasy has climbed to a $208.6 million total domestically, becoming the first $200 million hit released this year.

In its second weekend in theaters, "Alice in Wonderland" pulled ahead of the $206.5 million domestic haul of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to become the top-grossing of Depp and Burton's seven films together, which include "Edward Scissorhands," "Sweeney Todd" and "Corpse Bride."

"I believe it's literally the magical, if you would, pairing of Tim and Johnny," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "When you take those two, they always seem to make something really out of the ordinary."

"Alice in Wonderland" added $76 million overseas to bring its international total to $221 million and its worldwide gross to $430 million.

A rush of new movies had so-so openings, led by Matt Damon's Iraq War thriller "Green Zone," which debuted at No. 2 with $14.5 million domestically. Released by Universal, "Green Zone" stars Damon as the leader of a U.S. Army team who stumbles onto a conspiracy over the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Paramount's romantic comedy "She's Out of My League" debuted at No. 3 with $9.6 million. The movie stars Jay Baruchel as a geek in an unlikely romance with a babe.

"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson's romantic drama "Remember Me" opened at No. 4 with $8.3 million. The Summit Entertainment release stars Pattinson and "Lost" co-star Emilie de Ravin in a dark story of young lovers with tragedy in their past.

In its fourth weekend, Paramount's "Shutter Island," the latest collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, was No. 5 with $8.1 million, raising its domestic total to $108 million.

Debuting at No. 6 with $7.6 million was Fox Searchlight's comedy "Our Family Wedding," starring America Ferrera as a Hispanic bride marrying a black man.

"Alice in Wonderland" took in nearly as much as the rest of the top-10 movies combined.

"It's like this great divide between the No. 1 and 2 films, which says that without `Alice in Wonderland' in the marketplace, we'd be hurting right now," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "By itself, it's really propelling huge box office."

Hollywood's business soared, with overall revenues at $144 million, up 43 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Race to Witch Mountain" led with a $24.4 million debut.

For the year, revenues are at $2.24 billion, up 9 percent compared to receipts last year, when Hollywood took in a record $10.6 billion.

Factoring in higher admission prices, movie attendance this year is running 6.7 percent ahead of 2009's, according to Hollywood.com. Before "Alice in Wonderland" opened, attendance was lagging slightly behind last year's.

"In just a couple of weeks, `Alice' has turned the entire marketplace around almost single-handedly," Dergarabedian said.

James Cameron's science-fiction sensation remained a strong draw after nearly three months in theaters, taking in $6.6 million to raise its domestic total to $730.3 million. The 20th Century Fox release has topped $2.6 billion worldwide.

Summit Entertainment's "The Hurt Locker," which beat "Avatar" for best picture at the Academy Awards, got a slight box-office bump from its Oscar triumph. The Iraq War drama, which is out on DVD but came back to theaters for Oscar season, pulled in $828,000, raising its box-office total to $15.7 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Alice in Wonderland," $62 million.
2. "Green Zone," $14.5 million.
3. "She's Out of My League," $9.6 million.
4. "Remember Me," $8.3 million.
5. "Shutter Island," $8.1 million.
6. "Our Family Wedding," $7.6 million.
7. "Avatar," $6.6 million.
8. "Brooklyn's Finest," $4.3 million.
9. "Cop Out," $4.2 million.
10. "The Crazies," $3.7 million.

'Alice' opens with $116.3 million, a 3-D record

NEW YORK – Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's trip down the rabbit hole drew huge crowds, as "Alice in Wonderland" earned a whopping $116.3 million in its opening weekend — a record for a 3-D film.

The surprisingly huge total easily surpassed all other films in release and gave Walt Disney Studios an even bigger opening than that of the hugely popular 3-D film "Avatar." It also marked the biggest opening weekend for a non-sequel.

"This is just one of those cultural phenomenons that has caught everybody's interest," said Chuck Viane, Disney's president of distribution. "They don't come like this very often."

The film beat forecasts that ranged between $65-$75 million, and the surprising results added some intrigue to Oscar Sunday. Before the weekend, Disney and 20th Century Fox competed over the available 3-D ready screens; screens outfitted for 3-D are rapidly rising, but still amount to fewer than 4,000 in the U.S. and Canada.

Before "Alice," many of those screens were still dedicated to Fox's box-office behemoth, "Avatar," which is up for nine Academy Awards on Sunday, including best picture.

In its 12th week of release, "Avatar" earned $7.7 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $720.2 million.

Asked whether fewer 3-D and IMAX screens hurt "Avatar," Chris Aronson, head of distribution for Fox, said, "No question."

"Are we disappointed? Sure," said Aronson. "But there are certain market forces that are beyond anything we can do. To have an 11-week window is pretty much unheard of. It certainly allowed this movie to be discovered and witnessed by so many people."

"Avatar" isn't disappearing, though, and it can be expected to regain 3-D and IMAX screens, especially if it wins best picture.

"We'll have that negotiation tomorrow morning with exhibition, without a doubt," said Aronson.

It also seemed likely that "Alice" benefited from the "Avatar"-effect in galvanizing audiences for 3-D movies. "Alice in Wonderland" is the first film released in 3-D since James Cameron's epic. "Alice" was shot in 2-D, but transferred to 3-D in post-production.

"In the wake of the impact of `Avatar,' there's a whole new audience that's been indoctrinated to 3-D," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "That paid off big for `Alice in Wonderland.'"

The weekend's second best performer at the box-office was Overture's "Brooklyn's Finest," Antoine Fuqua's gritty police thriller, which earned $13.5 million in its first weekend, according to studio estimates.

Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" for Paramount followed closely with $13.3 million in its third week of release, bringing its cumulative total to $95.8 million. Warner Bros.'s comedy "Cop Out" came in fourth, adding $9.1 million for a two-week total of $32.4 million.

But "Alice" thoroughly dominated the weekend, surprising even Disney. The film was expected to open closer to $65-75 million. Worldwide, it took in $210.3 million.

It was a record release for the first quarter of the year, typically a time of lower box-office expectations and critically acclaimed Oscar contenders. The previous first quarter record was Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ," which opened with $83.8 million in Feb. 2004.

"We went into Friday thinking that we really had a big hit with us, and then all of a sudden the numbers started to roll in," said Viane. "Alice" went on to make $41 million on Friday alone.

"We said, `Oh my gosh. This is bigger than any of us could have anticipated," said Viane.

Though reviews were mostly respectfully negative, much of the film's draw was surely in teaming director Burton and his frequent collaborator, Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter. It also presented moviegoers with a 3-D updating of Lewis Carroll's beloved classic. Though at times dark, it gained a PG rating from the MPAA (for, among other things, "a smoking caterpillar"), which meant a large number of kids could attend.

But it proved once again how significant the draw of 3-D is to moviegoers. The technology repeatedly has inflated box-office grosses for everything from "Avatar" to "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs."

"Alice" also played across 188 IMAX screens in North America and gave IMAX its best opening ever, with $11.9 million domestically. That beat the previous record of $9.5 million set by "Avatar."

IMAX chairman and president Greg Foster said the huge success of "Alice" was unexpected, but that "Avatar" would regain some of those IMAX screens, whether or not it wins best picture.

"The momentum on 3-D is so massive right now," said Foster. "They were ready for a new movie. They were ready for a new, cool 3-D experience."

Though most of the Oscar contenders weren't a big factor at the box-office Sunday, the boffo performance of "Alice" proved the good health of Hollywood, said Dergarabedian.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Alice in Wonderland," $116.3 million.
2. "Brookyn's Finest," $13.5 million.
3. "Shutter Island," $13.3 million.
4. "Cop Out," $9.1 million.
5. "Avatar," $7.7 million.
6. "The Crazies," $7 million.
7. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," $5.1 million.
8. "Valentine's Day," $4.3 million.
9. "Crazy Heart," $3.4 million.
10. "Dear John," $2.9 million.

"Shutter Island" still captivates moviegoers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Martin Scorsese's suspense thriller "Shutter Island" led the North American box office for a second consecutive weekend on Sunday, while all-time champ "Avatar" passed the $700 million mark.

A pair of newcomers, the comedy "Cop Out" and horror remake "The Crazies," outperformed expectations to join "Shutter Island" on the podium.

A week before the Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood, limited-release nominees such as "Crazy Heart" and "The Young Victoria" pulled in some moviegoers.

"Shutter Island" sold $22.2 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning Friday, taking its 10-day haul to $75.1 million, distributor Paramount Pictures said.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who has collaborated three other times with Scorsese, stars in the picture as a federal marshal stranded at a prison hospital for the criminally insane off the coast of Massachusetts in 1954.

The picture's $41 million debut last weekend set personal bests for both Scorsese and DiCaprio. It could have been an Oscar contender this year if the cash-strapped Viacom Inc unit had not delayed its release by four months.

"Cop Out," which stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as a pair of New York City cops, opened at No. 2 with $18.6 million, Warner Bros. Pictures said. Overture Films' conspiracy thriller, "The Crazies," an update of a 1973 George Romero picture, followed with $16.5 million. Both films had been targeting openings in the low- to mid-teen millions.

SNOWED UNDER

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said "Cop Out" played strongly in urban markets. Snowstorms on the East Coast reduced the haul by as much as $500,000, it added.

The film, budgeted in the mid-$30 million range, was directed by Kevin Smith, who was in the news recently after getting booted off an airline flight for being too fat.

"The Crazies," shot for $19 million, stars Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell in the tale of a virus that infects residents of a rural town. The film marks a comeback of sorts for its director, Breck Eisner, whose feature debut "Sahara" was a costly flop in 2005.

Overture recently said it was slowing down production while the three-year-old studio and its Liberty Media Corp parent weighed options for a financial restructuring, including a possible sale.

"Avatar" slipped one place to No. 4 with $14 million, taking the total for James Cameron's sci-fi spectacular to $706.9 million. It has now surpassed Cameron's previous record-holder "Titanic" by more than $100 million, thanks to higher ticket prices.

The 20th Century Fox release will vie for nine Oscars next Sunday, tied at the front of the Oscar field with "The Hurt Locker," which is already out on DVD.

The only other Oscar contender in the top 10 was "Crazy Heart," which fell two places to No. 10 with $2.5 million. The total for the Fox Searchlight release stands at $25.1 million. Its three nominations include best actor for front-runner Jeff Bridges, who played a washed-up country star. Fox and Fox Searchlight are units of News Corp.

Elsewhere, "The Young Victoria" passed the $10 million mark after a $221,000 weekend on 187 theaters. Emily Blunt received a nomination for her lead role as Queen Victoria. The drama was released by closely held Apparition Films.

Sandra Bullock is considered the favorite to win that race for her role as a driven football mom in "The Blind Side," which earned $1.3 million during the weekend. The Warner Bros. release has scored $248.8 million to date.

Paramount's "Up in the Air," with six nominations, earned $835,000 to take its total to $82.1 million.

Farrell harsh on 'Miami Vice'

Colin Farrell has slammed his 2006 movie Miami Vice, insisting the plotline was "style over substance".

The Irish actor was cast as Detective James Crockett in the crime drama, opposite Jamie Foxx, who played his colleague, Detective Ricardo Tubbs.

But Farrell is convinced the relationship between the pair was too intense for the movie - and admits he may have been at fault over his portrayal of the cop.

He tells Total Film magazine, "Miami Vice? I didn't like it so much. I thought it was style over substance and I accept a good bit of the responsibility.

"I understood that we were trying to paint a relationship with Tubbs and Crockett that was so grounded and familiar that there was no need for them to incessantly talk to each other - or look at each other - over two and a half hours.

"I did think we missed an opportunity. It was never going to be Lethal Weapon, but I think we missed an opportunity to have a friendship that also had some elements of fun."

'Shutter Island' makes waves with $40.2M debut

LOS ANGELES – Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's voyage to "Shutter Island" has landed them at No. 1 at the weekend box office.

Their creepy crime thriller set at a remote insane asylum opened with $40.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. A Paramount Pictures release, "Shutter Island" is the fourth collaboration for Scorsese and DiCaprio and the best opening yet for both the director and star.

Scorsese's previous personal best was $26.9 million with his 2006 Academy Awards champ "The Departed," which also starred DiCaprio. The biggest previous debut for DiCaprio was $30.1 million for 2002's "Catch Me If You Can."

Along with "The Departed," DiCaprio and Scorsese also worked together on "Gangs of New York" and "The Aviator," both of them earning best-picture nominations at the Oscars.

"The two of them have great chemistry, and you see it on screen," said Rob Moore, vice chairman at Paramount.

Roman Polanski's thriller "The Ghost Writer" got off to a big start in limited release, pulling in $179,000 at four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles for a whopping average of $44,750 a cinema. That compares to a $13,440 average in 2,991 theaters for "Shutter Island."

The film likely benefited from months of press coverage over Polanski's arrest in Switzerland last fall and his possible extradition to the United States, which he fled in 1978 after pleading guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

"If not for the notoriety in his public life, no, I don't think this would have done as well," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It put a spotlight on Polanski, maybe not for all the right reasons. But they say there's no such thing as bad publicity, especially when it comes to marketing a movie."

Released by Summit Entertainment, "The Ghost Writer" stars Ewan McGregor in the title role, a man hired to punch up the dreary memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) who has been accused of ordering the abduction of terrorism suspects and handing them over for torture by the CIA.

The previous weekend's top movie, the all-star romance "Valentine's Day," slipped to No. 2 with $17.2 million, falling a steep 69 percent from its $56.3 million debut. The Warner Bros. release raised its total to $87.4 million after 10 days in theaters.

The science-fiction sensation "Avatar" is still going strong after two months in theaters, coming in third with $16.1 million and raising its record domestic total to $687.8 million. Worldwide, the 20th Century Fox film has taken in $2.47 billion.

Adapted from Dennis Lehane's novel, "Shutter Island" stars DiCaprio as a U.S. marshal caught up in conspiracies and delusions while investigating the disappearance of a patient at a hospital for the criminally insane.

"Shutter Island" had been scheduled for release last October and was considered a potential Oscar contender given the awards success of Scorsese and DiCaprio's earlier collaborations.

Just six weeks before the planned release last fall, Paramount abruptly bumped "Shutter Island" to February, the studio calling it an economic decision that would increase the film's profit potential.

"We knew that more time was only going to help us get the word out and get a broader audience," Moore said.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Shutter Island," $40.2 million.
2. "Valentine's Day," $17.2 million.
3. "Avatar," $16.1 million.
4. "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," $15.3 million.
5. "The Wolfman," $9.8 million.
6. "Dear John," $7.3 million.
7. "The Tooth Fairy," $4.5 million.
8. "Crazy Heart," $3 million.
9. "From Paris With Love," $2.5 million.
10. "Edge of Darkness," $2.2 million.

"Shuttler Island" aims to be destination

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – The year's first big prestige film hits theaters Friday as Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio take moviegoers to "Shutter Island."

The suspense thriller was bumped from its previous holiday release slot, and Paramount has been seeking to stir must-see interest amid positive early reviews. And with a longish running time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and production costs totaling at least $75 million, executives will be anxious to open "Island" with a broad base of support.

But prerelease tracking surveys show strongest interest among men despite DiCaprio's traditional draw with women. Barring an eleventh-hour spike in female interest, an opening of $25 million-$30 million appears likely.

Both reigning champ "Valentine's Day" and "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" appear headed for hauls of $20 million or so in their second weekends. They claimed the top two spots during the Presidents' Day holiday weekend with respective four-day hauls of $63 million and $39 million.

The Benicio Del Toro monster picture "The Wolfman" will try to prove critics and other naysayers wrong by posting a better second session than might be expected for a picture that drew below-average results in exit surveys last weekend.

The horror redo needs to follow its relatively strong $36 million debut with a leggy-enough run to recoup production costs reportedly totaling $110 million or more.

Friday's limited openers include Summit Entertainment's political thriller "The Ghost Writer," from director Roman Polanski, in two Los Angeles theaters and two in New York.

The 2010 box office is off to a good start, with $1.49 billion in sales so far, up almost 6% from the year-ago period.

‘Taxi Driver’ sequel in the works?

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are planning a sequel to their hit 1976 movie Taxi Driver, according to industry gossip at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The new movie is rumoured to be a collaboration between Scorsese and Danish director Lars Von Trier, and will see De Niro reprise his role as troubled New York taxi driver Travis Bickle.

Von Trier and Scorsese, whose new movie Shutter Island premiered at the German festival on Saturday, have yet to confirm any plans.

But the rumours have been fuelled by Von Trier's production partner Peter Aalbaek, who has revealed an announcement about the project will be made shortly.

Meanwhile, Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader has provided some insight into the rumoured sequel's plot, revealing Scorsese has been considering a follow-up film for years.

Schrader tells the New York Post, "I was talking with Martin Scorsese about doing a sequel to Taxi Driver, where (Travis Bickle) is older."

Parton writing big screen biopic

Country legend Dolly Parton is eyeing a musical movie of her life - she's currently working on bringing her biopic to the big screen.

The superstar, 64, is putting plans into place for the story of how she went from a poor girl living in the mountains of Tennessee to one of the biggest-selling country singers in history.

And Parton, who has previously hinted she'd like Scarlett Johansson to play her in a movie, is on the lookout for an actress with similar charms to hers.

She says, "I'm working on my life story. I'm not decided if it's going to be a musical or a movie with music in it. I've not thought about who will play me - but we need someone little.

"And if they don't have enough up top we'll have to give them a big old boob job."

'Valentine's Day' courts $52.4M opening weekend

LOS ANGELES – The star-studded romance "Valentine's Day" has wooed audiences with a $52.4 million opening weekend.

The movie easily grabbed the No. 1 spot on Valentine's weekend. The cast of "Valentine's Day" includes Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Biel, Shirley MacLaine, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner.

Opening in a tight race for No. 2 were the action fantasy "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" with $31.1 million and the werewolf tale "The Wolfman" with $30.6 million.

The blockbuster "Avatar" was fourth with $22 million. "Avatar" raised its domestic total to $659.6 million and its worldwide haul to $2.3 billion.

"Valentine's Day" poised for box-office win

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Garry Marshall's "Valentine's Day," which opens Friday, is a prohibitive favorite to top the four-day frame that includes the movie's namesake holiday and Presidents Day.

The ensemble romantic comedy from Warner Bros. is expected to claim the weekend's box-office crown with $45 million or more in domestic receipts.

Two other big pictures also are set to bow wide. Twentieth Century Fox sends out kids' movie "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," while Universal debuts the Benicio Del Toro-starring horror remake "The Wolfman."

Date-movie couples will represent key support for "Valentine's," though the PG-13 movie is expected to skew heavily female. Figuring among "Valentine's" cast are Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Alba, Taylor Lautner, Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx.

"We're going to have a big weekend," Warners distribution chief Dan Fellman said. "All the stars are aligned, no pun intended."

Directed by Chris Columbus -- who's touted in "Percy" commercials as a "Harry Potter" helmer -- PG-rated "Percy" features teen Logan Lerman in the title role. Based on a series of youth adventure novels, "Percy" should pull in upward of $30 million through Monday.

"There could be a bit of a traffic jam this weekend," Fox distribution boss Bruce Snyder said. "But we're well positioned with a family movie, as there hasn't been one for a couple weeks."

The release of the Joe Johnston-directed "Wolfman," co-starring Anthony Hopkins, was delayed four times because of production and marketing considerations. The film originally was set to unspool in November 2008.

"That was something that was written about every time we did it, but it's had no bearing on anything," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said. "All you have to do is look at the tracking. The tracking is huge, and it's good with both younger and older demos."

Each of the debuting wide releases is uniquely positioned and "should be compatible with one another," Rocco added. R-rated "Wolfman" could wolf down $30 million or so during the holiday-bloated weekend.

Fox-distributed "Avatar" should ring up more than $20 million this session. That likely would land it in fourth place, after settling for second place for the first time last weekend, after seven weeks at No. 1.

Last weekend's No. 1 movie -- romantic drama "Dear John," from Sony Screen Gems and Relativity Media -- is expected to absorb a sizable drop from its opening grosses to post a sophomore-session tally in the teen millions.

Meantime, Fox Searchlight's "Crazy Heart" might be the sole film to enjoy a box-office bounce from its Oscar nominations, judging from last weekend's ho-hum grosses elsewhere. The Jeff Bridges-starring drama totes a $12 million-plus total into this weekend, when it will add a couple of hundred venues to its recent 819-theater distribution.

Hollywood will be looking to jump back into the win column after posting a 26 percent year-over-year weekend downtick last session. Year to date, the domestic box office is lagging the comparable period of 2009 by 2 percent at $991 million.

Biel, Garner as 'Laverne & Shirley'?

Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall is taking Jamie Foxx's advice and pushing forward with a movie remake of his hit TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley with new best pals Jessica Biel and Jennifer Garner in the title roles.

The actresses became bosom buddies on the set of Marshall's new film Valentine's Day, prompting their co-star to suggest they'd be perfect for a Laverne & Shirley remake.

And Marshall admits he's committed to making the movie, which will feature cameos from his sister Penny and Cindy Williams - the original Laverne & Shirley.

He says, "We're gonna work on that. My sister Penny and Cindy are going to be a guest cameo."

And Garner can't wait to work with her new best friend: "Are you kidding? We're dying to do it."

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's Chris Nolan! He'll Mentor Superman 3.0 And Prep 3rd Batman

Warner Bros is trying to ready its DC Comics stalwart Superman to soar again on the Big Screen, and the studio has turned to Chris Nolan to mentor development of the movie. Our insiders say that the brains behind rebooted Batman has been asked to play a "godfather" role and ensure The Man Of Steel gets off the ground after a 3 1/2-year hiatus. Nolan's leadership of the project can set it in the right direction with the critics and the fans, not to mention at the box office. Besides, Nolan is considered something of a god at Warner Bros and has a strong relationship with the studio after the success of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Though he wasn’t obligated to do so, he gave the studio first crack at his spec script Inception, and Warner Bros was able to buy it before other studios even got a sniff. While Nolan completes that Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer for a July 16th release, he's also hatched an idea for Warner Bros' third Batman installment. Now his brother and frequent collaborator Jonathan "Jonah" Nolan, and David Goyer who co-wrote Batman Begins and penned the story for The Dark Knight, are off scripting it. (See 'FlashForward' Showrunner Exits For Features).

Legendary Pictures will partner with Warner Bros on the next installment of Superman. Legendary also co-produced/co-financed Superman Returns in 2006. Legendary was partnered with Warner Bros as a co-producer/co-financier on the recent Batman films including Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and will be involved in Nolan’s 3rd Batman film.

Let us emphasize that Superman 3.0 is in the early stages of development. And we doubt Nolan would direct. This wouldn't be a sequel to Superman Returns but a completely fresh franchise. As one of our insiders reassures: “It would definitely not be a followup to Superman Returns." Nolan coming on board follows a hiatus period for Superman after that 2006 reboot as the studio tried to figure out whether or not to make a sequel to that version starring Brandon Routh directed by Bryan Singer. As recently as this summer, Warner Bros was still contemplating how to proceed. That's when we were told that "Bryan or Brandon are not completely out of it yet. But Warner Bros doesn't have a handle yet on it, either. [Producer] Jon Peters is trying to make something happen since he stands to benefit financially. But they [the studio] need to hear a great story that makes sense." Another insider explained to us, "We know what we don't want to do. But we don't know what we want to do. We learned a lot from the last movie, and we want to get it right this time."

Fans have long been yearning for Superman to finally get the big screen Nolan-ized treatment this classic superhero deserves.Warner Bros clearly has learned from all five Superman movies. Superman: The Movie and Superman II starring Christopher Reeve and produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind, were critical, fan, and financial successes. Their 1983 Superman III was mediocre. Then came a real dud in 1987, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace which continued wth Reeves but unfortunately was made by Golan-Globus's Cannon Films in association with Warner Bros. The inbetween period between that pic and 2006's Superman Returns was plagued by long delays and budget troubles and script misses. In 1997, original Batman director Tim Burton tried to make a Superman movie starring Nicolas Cage. Around 2004, J.J. Abrams wrote a film that was the first leg of a trilogy. Abrams wanted to direct, but had only directed episodes of his TV series (and wouldn't make his feature directing debut until 2006's Mission:Impossible III. McG and Brett Ratner separately were attached to that film. Ratner got closest, but Warner Bros was wary of a budget that swelled to $250 million, and which seemed risky after established star Josh Hartnett turned down the 3-picture deal that could have brought him $100 million in salary. After that, Warner Bros bosses didn't embrace Ratner's s choice of soap opera actor Matt Bomer to star.

Other prominent filmmakers were reportedly in the loop, but Warner Bros never pulled the trigger on the picture until Bryan Singer's involvement. Singer's Superman Returns was respectably reviewed for the genre. But it turned in only $52 million opening weekend, and $391 million worldwide gross. Problem was it cost too much (the budget was reportedly $270 million), and the promotion was lousy (Joel Silver was brought in at the last minute to inject macho into the marketing campaign). Worse, it left diehard fans only "meh" about a sequel starring Routh. Singer fared better, but it seems doubtful he'll be asked for an encore now. After all, Singer is now developing the spinoff X-Men: First Class for 20th Century Fox whose bosses were furious when he took on The Man Of Steel reboot instead of helming X-Men 3. But Singer and the studio subsequently made peace and he's back in the Fox fold and on board.

The restructuring of Warner Bros' business with DC Comics became Warner Bros Pictures Group president Jeff Robinov's first priority since having his contract reupped by Time Warner last summer. Problems have plagued the DC Comics-Warner Bros relationship for more than a decade. But the biggest failure has been to leave the most valuable DC Comics characters in movie development limbo by chaotically starting and stopping development on the high profile live action pics. Most recently, Warner Bros and DC Comics are finally getting their act together as evidenced by the progress on Green Lantern.

Superman 3.0 would test Warner Bros veteran executive Diane Nelson, the head of DC Entertainment Inc, that new company founded to fully realize and integrate the power and value of the DC Comics brand and characters across all media and platforms into Warner Bros Entertainment's content and distribution businesses. Nelson especially was charged with suping up Superman again because it's way too valuable to leave dormant like this. Besides, the clock is ticking.

Attorney Marc Toberoff, who keeps suing Warner Bros on behalf of creative rightsholders, warns that, in 2013, the Jerome Siegel heirs along with the estate of co-creator Joe Shuster will own the entire original copyright to Superman -- "and neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros will be able to exploit any new Superman works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters". He's also pointed out that, if Warner Bros does not start production on a new Superman sequel or reboot by 2011, the Siegels could sue to recover their damages on the grounds that the deal should have contained a clause in which the rights returned to the owners after a given time if no film was in development. The heirs of Siegel have already been awarded half the copyright for Superman. And in 2013 the heirs of co-creator Joe Shuster get the remaining half. After that, neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros will be able to use Superman without a financial agreement with the heirs. There are also stipulations on what parts of the origins story can be used in future Superman movies and which require re-negotiations with the creators' heirs or estates.

At first, Warner Bros felt no pressure to rush out another Superman pic. As Warner Bros chairman Alan Horn told a court hearing about rights to Superman, he hoped to make another Superman movie but no film was in development, no script had been written, and the earliest he foresaw another Superman film released would be 2012. He told the judge: "We had hopes to keep the character alive and to once again reinvent Superman. Our hope is to develop a Superman property and to try again. What hurt us is that the reviews and so on for the Superman movie did not get the kind of critical acclaim that Batman got, and we have other issues with Superman that concern us."

So Warner Bros is now bringing in Batman's saviour. What Nolan would do with the Superman character and story is intriguing to say the least. And he has the experience necessary of prepping and pepping a played-out franchise. The 2005 Batman Begins grossed $373 million worldwide on a reported $150 million budget. And of course 2008’s The Dark Knight crossed the $1 billion worldwide gross mark on a reported $185 million budget (and Heath Ledger posthumously won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).

Batman was rebooted according to Frank Miller's film noirish take on Batman. But there's a big difference between Superman's cinematic incarnations and comic book version. Warner Brothers and DC Comics for a long time weren’t sure which version they liked better. The cinematic version has been squeaky clean, occasionally campy, and has more-or-less unlimited power except when confronted with Kryptonite. The comic book version has some limits on his powers, can be darker, and fights aliens a lot more. Shortly after Dark Knight hit it big, fans assumed that Superman would be taken to the “dark” side as well. That's because Warner Bros mogul Jeff Robinov stressed post-Dark Knight that "we have to look at how to make these movies edgier". One of our insiders interpreted this to say: "He meant more sophisticated."

A more comic-accurate Superman seems like the way to go. No need to worry: Chris Nolan knows what he's doing.

Cruise suits up for `Mission: Impossible IV'

LOS ANGELES – Tom Cruise is starring in another impossible mission.

Paramount Pictures announced Tuesday that Cruise will be back in front of the camera for "Mission: Impossible IV," due in theaters over Memorial Day weekend in 2011.

Cruise and "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams previously agreed to produce a fourth movie in the action franchise. But it had not been known if Cruise would star again.

Abrams will stick to producing this time, with the search on for a director to shoot the new installment. Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are writing the script, based on a story idea from Cruise and Abrams.

The movie reunites Cruise and Paramount, which cut the actor loose from a long-term development deal in 2006.

'Dear John' bumps 'Avatar' with $32.4M debut

LOS ANGELES – A sci-fi love story has given way to an earthbound romance at the box office, livening up typically slow times at theaters over Super Bowl weekend.

Released by Sony's Screen Gems banner, "Dear John" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $32.4 million, knocking off "Avatar" after seven weekends in first place, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"It is very cool to know that it was our movie that audiences just totally embraced and made No. 1 for the weekend," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony. As for runaway blockbuster "Avatar," he quipped, "I think they're going to be fine in the long run."

"Avatar" slipped to No. 2 with $23.6 million, raising its domestic total to $630.1 million. Directed by James Cameron, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" surpassed his own "Titanic," which had held the domestic revenue record at $600.8 million.

With a record $2.2 billion worldwide, "Avatar" also has soared past the $1.8 billion "Titanic" took in globally.

Factoring in today's higher admission prices, however, "Avatar" has sold fewer tickets than "Titanic."

"Avatar" had been No. 1 domestically longer than any movie since 1997's "Titanic," which held on at first place for 15 weekends. The studio was unconcerned that "Avatar" finally fell out of the top spot.

"It had to happen sometime," said 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "There's nothing that could disappoint me with this movie."

By the eighth weekend, most Hollywood movies have long since dropped out of the top 10 rankings.

"Avatar" still is going strong after eight weeks, with the added luster of a monthlong buildup to the Academy Awards on March 7. Following the example of Oscar champ "Titanic," "Avatar" tied for the lead at the Academy Awards with nine nominations and is a front-runner to win best picture.

Fox executives would not speculate what number "Avatar" eventually might hit at the box office.

"Who knows what that is? It just keeps on going," Livingston said.

The weekend's other new wide release, Lionsgate's spy story "From Paris With Love," opened at No. 3 with $8.1 million. The movie stars John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as CIA men trying to crack a terrorist plot.

Fox Searchlight's acclaimed country-music tale "Crazy Heart" expanded from narrow release and broke into the top 10, coming in at No. 8 with $3.7 million. Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal have acting Oscar nominations for the film, which follows a boozy country star trying to turn his life around.

While "Avatar" features a human-alien romance light-years away, "Dear John" centers on a long-distance love story between a soldier (Channing Tatum) and his sweetheart (Amanda Seyfried) back home.

"Dear John" had a record opening for Super Bowl weekend, topping the $31.1 million debut for "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in 2008.

The movie was based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, whose Hollywood adaptations such as "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember" have been steady draws for women. Female crowds made up 84 percent of the audience for "Dear John," according to Sony.

Sparks "creates these stories that really pull at your heartstrings, and certainly that may be first and foremost for women rather than men, though I think a few of us have hearts, too," Bruer said. "But his stories really resonate and are very compelling for women."

That bodes well for the movie over Valentine's Day weekend, said Geoffrey Ammer, head of marketing for Relativity Media, which produced "Dear John." Valentine's weekend draws big date crowds, with women often picking which film to see.

Business on Sunday was predictably slow as football fans watched the Super Bowl instead of going to the movies. But "Dear John" already exceeded industry expectations with $26.2 million on Friday and Saturday.

"Super Bowl weekend isn't about men. It's about women," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "This counter-programming strategy just absolutely works, the female audience propelling a movie to unprecedented heights."

Hollywood could use more fresh hits like "Dear John" if it hopes to match 2009's record box office pace. The first couple of weeks this year, "Avatar" had revenue and attendance running well ahead of last year.

But revenues have now declined for four straight weekends. So far in 2010, domestic revenues are at $1.2 billion, 1.5 percent ahead of last year's, according to Hollywood.com.

Factoring in higher ticket prices this year, though, movie attendance is down 0.5 percent.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Dear John," $32.4 million.
2. "Avatar," $23.6 million.
3. "From Paris With Love," $8.1 million.
4. "Edge of Darkness," $7 million.
5. "The Tooth Fairy," $6.5 million.
6. "When in Rome," $5.5 million.
7. "The Book of Eli," $4.8 million.
8. "Crazy Heart," $3.7 million.
9. "Legion," $3.4 million.
10. "Sherlock Holmes," $2.6 million.

David Scarpa is feeling his inner 'Daredevil'

Another Hollywood entity is trying the daredevil move -- literally -- of rebooting a superhero franchise that hasn't really been away that long.

The Fox-affiliated production company New Regency, which produced the initial "Daredevil" back in 2003, is making another go of a movie headlined by that character. The company is interested in restarting the Marvel franchise and has hired David Scarpa, a writer best known for the script of the 2008 sci-fi remake "The Day the Earth Stood Still," to offer a new take. Former News Corp. executive Peter Chernin will also produce the project via his new production company.

Fox/New Regency have been rumored for some time to be interested in a new "Daredevil," but to this point had taken few concrete steps in that direction.

The first "Daredevil," which came out in 2003, starred Ben Affleck as the supersensory superhero and Colin Farrell as his nemesis Bullseye, with Jennifer Garner playing love interest Elektra Natchios. Despite some mixed reviews, that film performed reasonably well (about $180 million in global box office) -- enough to prompt the spinoff "Elektra" with Garner back in 2005 (which didn't perform as well). It's not yet established who from those casts might return if the new "Daredevil" moves forward.

The original Marvel comic book series "Daredevil" told of the adventures of Matt Murdock, a young man from the working-class neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan who acquired particularly keen touch and hearing senses after a bio-chemical accident left him blind. Those familiar with the reboot say that the new project would give Scarpa latitude to reinterpret plot points and character nuance.

Mark Steven Johnson, who also counts "Ghost Rider" among his credits, wrote and directed the 2003 "Daredevil." (He recently moved on to a less fannish realm, directing the Kristen Bell romantic comedy "When In Rome.") In addition to "Earth," Scarpa also wrote on the military-prison thriller "The Last Castle" that starred James Gandolfini.

New Regency is following a vogue for reboots of franchises that were, well, just booted. Sony is scrapping its existing Spider-Man franchise to start over with "(500) Days of Summer" director Marc Webb and screenwriter James Vanderbilt, who will tell a high-school-set origin story. The initial "Daredevil" did feature some details of the character's beginnings, though a new script would not be burdened down with nearly as much of the mythology that saddles the "Spider-Man" franchise, which over three films intensively explored the character's origins and development.

Studios generally are eager to continue development even on less-high-profile comic book characters. Fox, in particular, wants to ensure that it doesn't miss out on the superhero bounty ("X-Men" and its spinoff characters are currently its most vibrant superhero properties). Keeping comic book licenses in active development also legally prevents the characters from reverting to Marvel, which would happen over the coming years if new development work wasn't done on the Marvel-licensed titles.

A threat to 'Avatar's' reign

"Avatar" will have to fight off "The Hurt Locker" at next month's Academy Awards, but James Cameron's sci-fi blockbuster faces a more imminent threat this weekend: losing the top spot at the box office.

For seven consecutive weeks, "Avatar" has ruled the domestic charts. The film surpassed the writer-director's "Titanic" on Tuesday for the biggest domestic gross in Hollywood history, as "Avatar's" North American receipts of more than $601.1 million improved upon "Titanic's" haul of $598.5 million. "Avatar" previously beat "Titanic's" global record gross of $1.8 billion, with worldwide ticket sales of more than $2 billion and counting.

For all the records that the Pandoran fantasy has amassed, it will not outdo one of "Titanic's" most remarkable achievements: holding the No. 1 box-office position for 15 straight weekends.

In fact, while "Avatar" might lose its perch this weekend to the military romance “Dear John,” the film will definitely fall the following week to the fast-rising romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” -- which could gross more than $50 million in its four-day debut -- according to audience tracking surveys. Two events make "Avatar's" exact fall from first place difficult to predict: the Oscar nominations and the Super Bowl.

When "Titanic" collected a record-tying 14 Oscar nominations 12 years ago, the sinking superliner movie (then playing in its ninth weekend) improved more than 22% from the previous weekend. "Avatar" drew nine Academy Award selections on Tuesday, tying it with director Kathryn Bigelow's bomb defuser drama "The Hurt Locker" for the most Oscar selections overall.

But "Titanic's" post-nomination surge in 1998 didn't coincide with the Super Bowl, which typically deflates grosses for all movies but can be slightly more punishing for films aimed at men.

Ticket sales for movies in wide release typically drop about 45% from Saturday to Sunday. But when that Sunday happens to be the same day as pro football's championship, the decline can be more precipitous -- 70% or more. A year ago, "Taken" premiered the same weekend as the Super Bowl. The thriller grossed $9.4 million on Friday, $11.7 million on Saturday, but just $3.6 million on Sunday, when the Pittsburgh Steelers were beating the Arizona Cardinals.

"Avatar" has been remarkably consistent from week to week, and slipped just 10.5% last weekend from the previous weekend, grossing $31.3 million. If the movie drops an additional 10% to 15%, it would finish with a three-day take of about $27 million. That's close to the predicted opening of "Dear John."

The latter film, adapted from a novel by Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook"), stars Channing Tatum ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra") as a soldier on leave who falls in love with an idealistic college student played by Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia!"). Audience tracking surveys show that while most men would rather iron napkins than sit through the film, women -- particularly those younger than age 20 -- are eager to see it. Audience interest in the other new wide release, the John Travolta thriller “From Paris With Love” (from "Taken" director Pierre Morel) does not look especially strong. Neither film is attracting favorable early reviews.

Marty Bowen, one of the producers of "Dear John," says its appeal might be broader.

"Men are reluctant to say that they care about [romantic movies], just like they are to say they care about beauty products," Bowen says. " 'Dear John' is particularly unique to the male perspective, given that it's about the soldier. But the relationship he has with his father is compelling to any man."

"Valentine's Day" looks far more robust, thanks to a cast filled with popular performers -- "Twilight's" Taylor Lautner, singer Taylor Swift, "The Hangover's" Bradley Cooper and even Julia Roberts -- and the seemingly perfect marriage of title and release date. A trailer for the film benefited greatly from being attached to prints of "The Blind Side."

"It's a Garry Marshall romantic comedy," producer Mike Karz says of the film's director, who also made "Pretty Woman." "So you know it's going to appeal very strongly to women. But what we've really been happy about is how well it's been playing to men. And it's such a feel-good movie, the perfect film for the times that we are in. You walk out of the theater in a very good mood."

If it is indeed the movie that pushes "Avatar" out of first place, "Valentine's Day" will be the second straight New Line film to unseat a Cameron-directed smash -- 12 years ago, "Titanic" was finally dethroned by New Line's "Lost in Space."

Avatar flies over Titanic at domestic box office

Titanic's record as the biggest box office winner in U.S. history has sunk, pushed under by James Cameron's next blockbuster Avatar.

Avatar's domestic box office climbed to $601.1 million US on Tuesday, the same day it earned nine Oscar nominations including best picture. That includes Canadian and U.S. ticket sales.

That total pushes it past Cameron's earlier Oscar winner Titanic, which brought in $600.8 million US.

Avatar, a breakthrough in 3-D movie-making, has earned more than $2 billion US worldwide.

It stars Sam Worthington as a paraplegic marine who regains use of his body as an avatar on another planet, Pandora, and helps the blue-tinged residents battle developments that would destroy their environment.

After 47 days in cinemas, it continues to pack houses. Titanic had achieved only $311 million US after 47 days, but it sold at a lower ticket price.

Avatar's sales have been boosted by the fact that audiences pay a premium to watch the film in 3-D and Imax.

Kapuskasing, Ont.-born Cameron has as Academy Award nomination for a best director for the film. Avatar also won the Golden Globe for best drama.

'Avatar' wins box office, nears domestic record

NEW YORK – "Avatar" is on the cusp of toppling the domestic box-office record after leading all movies for a seventh straight week.

James Cameron's 3-D epic earned $30 million over the weekend, and its domestic total reached $594.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That puts the film only about $6 million behind the domestic record set by Cameron's "Titanic" in 1998 with $600.8 million.

Earlier this week, the 20th Century Fox blockbuster passed "Titanic" for the worldwide box-office record. It has now crossed the $2 billion worldwide mark with $2.039 billion, easily beating the $1.8 billion made by "Titanic."

"You have to do a double take when you see these numbers," said Paul, Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com, marveling that "Avatar" decreased only 14 percent from the previous weekend. "James Cameron is the king of the box office hold."

So close to the domestic box-office record, "Avatar" could pass "Titanic," interestingly enough, on Tuesday — when Oscar nominations are announced. The film is expected to be nominated for best picture, as well as numerous other categories.

Those nominations could mean an Oscar bump for "Avatar," further propelling its gross.

Whereas the sustained box-office performance of "Titanic" has typically been attributed to teenage girls seeing the film repeatedly, the demographics for "Avatar" are less clear. One draw for repeat business is surely the 3-D visual effects.

"It's everybody going repeatedly," said Dergarabedian. "At first it was more of a fanboy experience, and then the word got out."

Analysts believe the lengthy run from "Avatar" is likely hurting the business of other films.

Mel Gibson's revenge-thriller "Edge of Darkness," debuted this weekend with $17.1 million for Warner Bros., a respectable if slightly low total. Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., called it a "solid opening."

"On a normal weekend, we probably would have had the number one film," said Fellman, shrugging at the out-of-this-world competition from "Avatar."

"Edge of Darkness" had been widely seen as a test to whether Gibson can return to headlining a film, after eight years and damage to his image. The last movie he starred in was "Signs" in 2002. Four years later, he made anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken-driving arrest.

But "Darkness" has received mostly good reviews. Fellman said the studio's data showed approximately 70 percent of those seeing the film said they came to see Gibson.

"It certainly marks an interesting return for Mel Gibson," said Fellman. "When this film plays out, I think his star will shine a little brighter."

Also in its first weekend of release was "When in Rome," the Walt Disney romantic comedy starring Kristen Bell. It took in $12.1 million.

Many films will hope for a box-office boost from the Academy Awards after nominations are announced Tuesday morning. The Oscar effect, though, may be slightly different this year, since the academy has expanded best picture nominees from five to ten.

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. "Avatar," $30 million.
2. "Edge of Darkness," $17.1 million.
3. "When in Rome," $12.1 million.
4. "The Tooth Fairy," $10 million.
5. "The Book of Eli," $8.8 million.
6. "Legion," $6.8 million.
7. "The Lovely Bones," $4.7 million.
8. "Sherlock Holmes," $4.5 million.
9. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $4 million.
10. "It's Complicated," $3.7 million.

Fox Promises That Robert Rodriguez’s MACHETE Will Indeed Be a Feature Film

It may be that longest lasting impact of the double feature b-movie Grindhouse on film culture is interlude of five fake trailers between Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. One of the standouts was the Rodriguez-directed Machete, starring Danny Trejo as a Latino with a vendetta who is outfitted mostly in leather and cutlery Somehow, that trailer is set to be adapted into a real, legitimate feature film (no, really) through what I imagine to be a series of wacky circumstances. To add to the mayhem, Rodriguez assembled a bizarrely amazing cast including Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey, and Michelle Rodriguez. Oh, and Robert De Niro(!).

Now Deadline confirms that this is not an elaborate hoax, but something that will eventually hit theaters, as 20th Century Fox outlasted five other studios to distribute the film domestically.

Rodriguez independently financed the production, primarily by selling the international rights to Sony for $20 million. But there was still the question of how it would reach audiences domestically, and six candidates felt up to the task: Sony, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, and The Weinstein Co. Rodriguez screened 15 to 30 minutes of Machete for the interested studios, and after some back-and-forth between Fox and Paramount, the domestic distribution rights ended up in the hands of Fox.

The move makes sense, as Fox recently delved into the Rodriguez family business by funding Predators, the latest in the extraterrestrial manhunter franchise directed by Nimrod Antal and produced by Rodriguez. The film has been getting good early buzz, particularly after behind-the-scenes photos of the titular predators in costume leaked.

What is curious is that The Weinstein Co. was never in more serious consideration. The Weinstein brothers have been working with Robert Rodriguez since 1995, mostly via their genre label Dimension. In fact, the bulk of Rodriguez’s filmography, including Four Rooms, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, the Spy Kids trilogy, Sin City, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, and most recently Grindhouse were all made under Weinstein guidance.

Reportedly, a Weinstein Co. insider confided, “we saw the footage and it’s not very good at all”. Hopefully this is just sour grapes, but the sensationalism of the Machete story ensures that there are only two creative paths for the movie: wonderfully pulpy fun or nonsensical waste of time. I pray for the former.

'Avatar' tops box office for sixth-straight week

LOS ANGELES – James Cameron's "Avatar" is on a course to sink "Titanic" at the box office.

Number 1 for the sixth-straight weekend with $36 million, the 20th Century Fox sci-fi spectacle lifted its domestic total to $552.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Avatar" raised its worldwide total to $1.841 billion. That's $2 million shy of first place behind Cameron's last movie, the 1997 shipwreck epic "Titanic," at $1.843 billion.

"It defies all superlatives," said Chris Aronson, head of distribution for Fox.

The studio said "Avatar" has hit $1.29 billion in international ticket sales, passing the $1.24 billion mark set by "Titanic." The saga set on the alien world of Pandora is also en route to overtake "Titanic" in domestic sales. After 37 days in theaters, "Avatar" soared past "The Dark Knight" on Saturday to become the second highest grossing film.

"We're witnessing box office history," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "We're watching all of these big records fall, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight. 'Avatar' is dominating at a time where it has no big summer blockbusters to compete with it. It's perfectly poised to keep breaking all these records."

"Avatar" is also positioned to win acclaim during awards season. While the computer-assisted performances didn't earn any honors at Saturday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, it captured the best drama and director trophies at last week's Golden Globes and is considered a likely best-picture front runner when Oscar nominations are announced Feb. 2.

Screen Gems' apocalyptic thriller "Legion," featuring Paul Bettany as an Armageddon-fighting fallen angel, debuted behind "Avatar" at No. 2 with $18.2 million. Fox's family fantasy comedy "Tooth Fairy," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a hockey player who spreads his wings as a magical deity, took flight in the No. 4 spot with $14.5 million.

Warner Bros. grabbed the No. 3 position with "The Book of Eli" at $17 million in its second week, despite three other films debuting in wide release this weekend. The post-apocalyptic action flick stars Denzel Washington as a traveling prophet who battles a villainous gang leader played by Gary Oldman while protecting the last known Bible.

The medical drama "Extraordinary Measures," the first film from new distributor CBS Films, opened with a disappointing $7 million in the No. 7 position. The film features Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser as a doctor and businessman who collaborate to develop a drug that will treat a rare genetic disorder affecting children.

"It did well in middle America," said Steven Friedlander, head of distribution for CBS Films. "This is not a shoot-'em-up or fantasy film. It's the true story of people doing courageous things, and it's building good word of mouth. This is the kind of movie that plays well to a family friendly crowd who doesn't need to see the movie the weekend it opens."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Avatar," $36 million.
2. "Legion," $18.2 million.
2. "The Book of Eli," $17 million.
3. "Tooth Fairy," $14.5 million.
5. "The Lovely Bones," $8.8 million.
6. "Sherlock Holmes," $7.1 million.
7. "Extraordinary Measures," $7 million.
8. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $6.5 million.
9. "It's Complicated," $6.2 million.
10. "The Spy Next Door," $4.8 million.

Leaner New Line ready for a tentpole again

Two years ago, the 40-plus-year run of New Line as a largely autonomous film entity came to an abrupt end with the ouster of founder Bob Shaye and a restructuring that brought the company fully under the mantel as a unit of Warner Bros. After a run of films that had seen less-than-stellar B.O. returns ("Shoot 'Em Up," "Nativity," "Number 23," "The Golden Compass," "Tenacious D," "Domino," "Snakes on a Plane") and Shaye's attention diverted to his pet helming project, "The Last Mimzy," New Line was given a new mandate: Go through studio toppers Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov for greenlights, make about six pictures a year and focus mostly on bread-and-butter genre and comedy fare ... along with the occasional tentpole.

Now, with a leaner New Line having banked a run of solid performers (mostly romantic comedies such as "He's Just Not That Into You" and "17 Again") and a genuine blockbuster ("Sex and the City"), the division is looking to return to its glory days of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy with a pair of "Hobbit" prequels directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

In short, it's tentpole time at New Line again -- but with calculated bottom-line prudence shaping the rest of its slate.

Despite its longstanding reputation for seat-of-the-pants decisionmaking, president Toby Emmerich says the new New Line is a more calculating enterprise these days. With only six films a year -- about half the pre-2008 slate -- Emmerich and production president Richard Brener say no to much more than they used to.

The more discerning approach seems to have paid off: Of 17 total films released since the division was subsumed into Warner Bros., "Semi-Pro" and "Inkheart" have been the only underperformers.

"We've been incredibly consistent," says Emmerich.

Horn emphasizes that it was "sad and painful" to downsize New Line, but says he's pleased with Emmerich's strategic execution and his ability to remain calm and focused amid the seismic changes that reshaped what used to be the town's leading mini-major.

"We are feeling pretty good about our relationship with these guys," Horn says. "The proof is in the pudding, and the pudding tastes pretty good."

And the Warners chiefs say they have no plans to impose any changes on how New Line operates.

"They have their own sensibilities, and it gives us a diversified slate," says Horn. "This is very much a collaborative partnership so that if Toby wants to do a film it's a long way down the road toward getting a greenlight."

New Line took in more than $950 million in grosses worldwide last year from eight films, led by "He's Just Not That Into You," "17 Again," "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and "Friday the 13th."

The unit will release just five films in 2010, the first year for which its projects had to go through the greenlight process via parent Warner Bros. It's got four romantic comedies -- "Valentine's Day," "Sex and the City 2," "Going the Distance" and "Hall Pass" -- and a relaunch of "Nightmare on Elm Street."

Tracking on "Valentine's Day" is already looking promising with high awareness among young women.

New Line began putting more comedies into the pipeline when it elevated longtime exec Brener to production president three years ago. Brener's probably best known for shepherding "Wedding Crashers," which grossed nearly $300 million worldwide six years ago.

For 2011, New Line will likely include more horror films in the mix, with "Friday the 13th," "Orphanage" and "The Rite." It's also got two comedies -- "Horrible Bosses" and "Valentine's Day" spinoff "New Year's Eve" -- along with a "Journey to the Center of the Earth" sequel and a musical, "Rock of Ages."

And then there's "The Hobbit." Emmerich's on familiar turf when it comes to the two-pic project thanks to his extensive involvement with the "Rings" trilogy and the presence of producer-director-screenwriter Peter Jackson on all five films.

Emmerich was promoted to head of production at the point in 2001 when the first cut of "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the King" was prepped for post-production, and he oversaw the pic's reshoots.

"It's similar, though this is more expensive and much more of a known entity," says Emmerich of the "LOTR" ramp-up vs. the advance work being done on "The Hobbit."

JRR Tolkien's novel is set 60 years before "The Lord of the Rings," with Bilbo Baggins as its unassuming hero in an adventure that centers on his acquiring from the evil Gollum the all-powerful ring that figures into "LOTR." A few "Rings" cast members, such as Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen, will make return appearances in "The Hobbit."

New Line's "LOTR" financing scheme, in which foreign presales provided much of the budget for the trilogy, is not how "Hobbit" is being bankrolled. Instead, New Line shares financing rights with MGM/UA, which bought the original rights in 1969; the complication this time around is that the Lion could conceivably sell those rights as part of MGM's restructuring.

Once the script for the second film is in -- Jackson and his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are working on it with Del Toro -- New Line will work up a budget for both films and start casting. New Line exec Michael Disco, who was once Emmerich's assistant, will oversee for the studio.

Horn won't predict when the first of the two "Hobbit" films will be out, but says the most probable scenario would be a release in the fourth quarter of 2012.

"It's a big bet for us. But it's one we think will pay off given the success of 'Lord of the Rings,'" says Emmerich. "This is one of the few movies it feels like people are waiting for."

...Marc Webb to direct next 'Spider-Man'.

LOS ANGELES – Marc Webb has caught the job of "Spider-Man" director.

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced Tuesday that the "(500) Days of Summer" director will helm the next "Spider-Man" film following the departure of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire, the director and star who worked on the previous three Spidey films. The fourth installment is set for a 2012 release and will focus on a younger version of the superhero.

Webb said in a statement he was not taking over the series from Raimi but instead wanted the "opportunity for ideas, stories and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas and creative voice to 'Spider-Man.'" Webb previously directed music videos, including Green Day's "21 Guns" and The All-American Rejects' "Move Along."

'Paranormal Activity 2' rushing to theaters with 'Saw VI' director

A sequel to "Paranormal Activity" will be in theaters by Halloween.

Showing that Paramount intends to rake every dollar out of "Paranormal Activity" that it can, the studio has hired screenwriter Michael R. Perry and director Kevin Greutert to bring "Paranormal Activity 2" to theaters. And not only is it coming, it's coming quick. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio intends to have the sequel face off against the next "Saw" this Halloween weekend.

While Oren Peli won't be directing the he told the trade "These guys get it, an the fans won't be disappointed."

Peli, who is producing alongside original partner Jason Blum, is putting a lot of confidence in Greutert, who edited the first five "Saw" movies and directed the sixth. Perry, is a longtime TV writer ("The Guardian") who made waves on 2009's Black List (a competition where agents and execs select their favorite spec scripts).

No word on whether "Paranormal Activity 2" will be the film's actual title or what the storyline will be, but don't expect a massive increase in budget. Peli has kept busy with "Area 51" which Paramount will release later this year.

The last time a phenomenon like "Paranormal" rushed out a sequel was a decade ago when "Book of Shadows: The Blair Witch Project 2" was a massive disappointment without the original filmmakers involved. Peli and Blum appear to be involved to make sure that scenario doesn't repeat itself.

'Avatar' passes 'Star Wars' with $491.8M in US

LOS ANGELES – James Cameron's "Avatar" had a $41.3 million weekend to shoot past "Star Wars" as the No. 3 movie on the all-time domestic box office charts. Next stop, "The Dark Knight."

Number One for the fifth-straight weekend, Cameron's sci-fi saga raised its domestic total to $491.8 million and should top $500 million after revenues are counted on Martin Luther King Day, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Worldwide, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" lifted its total to $1.6 billion, second only to Cameron's last movie, 1997's "Titanic," at $1.8 billion.

"One guy makes two movies in 10 years, and they're by far the biggest movies of all time. That's remarkable," said Chris Aronson, head of distribution for the studio.

"Avatar" topped the original "Star Wars," which took in $460.9 million domestically in its original run and several reissues over the years. But factoring in today's higher admission prices, "Star Wars" remains well ahead of "Avatar" on actual number of tickets sold.

"Avatar" now is closing in on "The Dark Knight," No. 2 domestically with $533.3 million. After that, only Cameron's "Titanic" at $600 million will remain ahead of "Avatar" domestically.

"We'll be proud of our No. 3 slot," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight" and has hopes for more in the Batman franchise from its director, Christopher Nolan. "I can just give Chris Nolan a nudge that he's got to raise the bar."

Warner, which has Nolan's sci-fi tale "Inception" with Leonardo DiCaprio opening this July, had a strong No. 2 debut of $31.6 million for its action thriller "The Book of Eli." The movie stars Denzel Washington as a post-apocalypse prophet carrying the last known Bible to safe haven across a decimated America.

Expanding nationwide after a month in limited release, Paramount's drama "The Lovely Bones" came in at No. 3 with $17.1 million. Directed by "The Lord of the Rings" creator Peter Jackson, "The Lovely Bones" features Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci in the story of a murdered teen looking back on the world from the afterlife.

Lionsgate's family action tale "The Spy Next Door" debuted at No. 6 with $9.7 million. It stars Jackie Chan as a newly retired agent forced back into the spy game when bad guys come after him and his girlfriend's kids.

Like "Titanic," which dominated the Academy Awards 12 years ago, "Avatar" is expected to remain aloft in the box office charts as Oscar season progresses. "Avatar" was up for best drama at Sunday's Golden Globes and is considered a likely best-picture nominee when Oscar nominations come out Feb. 2.

"It's kind of the cherry on top of the cake for this movie to not only be a massive box office hit, but to get all this awards attention," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's hard sometimes to get a 50- or 60-year-old out of their chair to go see a science-fiction movie in 3-D. But if `Avatar' gets enough recognition from the critics, they may just do it."

Fox executive Aronson would not say if the studio expects "Avatar" to pass either the $600 million domestic total for "Titanic" or its $1.8 billion worldwide total. Some box office watchers say "Avatar" could climb as high $2 billion, though.

"`Titanic' was a ship. Batman had a motorcycle. `Avatar's' a rocket ship," Aronson said. "Is there a lot of fuel left in the tank? You bet."

Even if "Avatar" sets a new revenue record, it's doubtful it would sell as many tickets as "Titanic" did because of today's higher admission prices.

"Titanic" sold about 130 million tickets domestically based on average ticket prices of about $4.60 back in 1997 and 1998. Based on today's average domestic price of about $7.50, "Avatar" would be at around half that mark.

Average admission prices for "Avatar" likely run even higher, given that much of its business comes from a 3-D version, which costs a few dollars extra to see.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "Avatar," $41.3 million.
2. "The Book of Eli," $31.6 million.
3. "The Lovely Bones," $17.1 million.
4. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $11.5 million.
5. "Sherlock Holmes," $9.8 million.
6. "The Spy Next Door," $9.7 million.
7. "It's Complicated," $7.7 million.
8. "Leap Year," $5.8 million.
9. "The Blind Side," $5.6 million.
10. "Up in the Air," $5.5 million.

Broderick okays 'Bueller' remake

Matthew Broderick has given Hollywood bosses the green light to remake his classic movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but doesn't want any involvement in it.

Rumours have swirled for months suggesting studio chiefs are nursing plans to bring the cult 1980s comedy back to the big screen in either a sequel or a remake.

Broderick has now commented on the reports, insisting he would be "happy" with plans to bring back rebellious teen Ferris, as long as the project is handed to a completely new cast.

He tells Cinematical, "(A remake) would be fine. I would be perfectly happy for somebody to do that. I probably wouldn't enjoy (having a role in the film). I would rather leave what we did as our thing."

'Polytechnique' named top Cdn. film

TORONTO - Quebec cinema was the toast of the Toronto Film Critics Association Tuesday as Denis Villeneuve's "Polytechnique" was named best Canadian feature of 2009 and phenom moviemaker Xavier Dolan got a rising artist award.

"At least nobody can accuse us of being Toronto-centric," Brian D. Johnson, TFCA president and film critic for Maclean's, said at the awards gala attended by eminent directors including David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan.

"Polytechnique," which examines the murderous rampage at Ecole Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989, won the $10,000 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. It was up against another Quebec film, "The Necessities of Life" directed by Benoit Pilon, as well as Bruce McDonald's "Pontypool."

Johnson called "Polytechnique" "a film of astonishing courage," and Villeneuve said it was emotionally taxing to make.

"It was a very long and tough process to do this movie," he said in an interview on the red carpet.

"It was a fantastic, human voyage, but still it was a tough one and it was tough from the first interview until the last day of editing."

Dolan, 20, received the $5,000 inaugural Jay Scott Prize for emerging talent for his smash directorial debut, "I Killed My Mother" ("J'ai tue ma mere"), a semi-autobiographical portrayal of a teen's explosive relationship his single mom, Chantale (Anne Dorval).

Dolan also wrote, produced and starred in the searing drama, which won three awards at the Cannes International Film Festival earlier this year.

Opening Feb. 5 in Toronto, "I Killed My Mother" is now Canada's official entry for consideration for best foreign-language film Oscar - an honour that has Dolan feeling like a bit of a charlatan.

"I somewhat feel like an impostor being a contender aside many other people I admire so much," admitted the curly-haired, bespectacled prodigy, who got his start as a child actor.

"I wonder how it is that I belong there. But if people choose me, I'll be flattered and honoured."

His success, he added, has been "very unexpected."

"All I wanted with the film originally in the first place was to go to Cannes. There was no above-the-line perspective, like, I couldn't think of anything after.

"Beyond Cannes for me, there were like, no possibilities, but then there were many other festivals and things, and it's great."

Egoyan, who presented Dolan with the award that's named after the late Globe and Mail film critic Jay Scott, called "I Killed My Mother" a "remarkable piece of work."

"Jay would've loved this movie," said Egoyan. "It's a film that's raw, it speaks of an experience in a way you feel you've seen before but you've never seen it expressed this way.

"It's just so sincere and breathtakingly assured."

Canadian box office hits record in 2009

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) – Harry Potter's broom and Michael Bay's robots helped the Canadian box office soar past CAN$1 billion to reach a new record in 2009, according to data issued on Tuesday.

Canadians paid out CAN$1.01 billion ($970 million) for theater tickets last year, with most of the money going toward studio releases, said the Motion Picture Theater Associations of Canada and Zoom Services.

The Canadian performance mirrors the industry stateside, where a string of studio movie hits and raised ticket prices helped Hollywood find box office gold last year, despite the economic downturn.

Bay's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was the top-grossing movie in Canada last year with CAN$34.4 million ($33 million) in box office, followed by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" at CAN$31.5 million ($30.5 million) and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at CAN$28 million ($27.2 million).

James Cameron's "Avatar" brought in CAN$27 million ($26.2 million) over the Christmas break at the local multiplex, and continues to generate box office into 2010.

Local movie productions were virtual no-shows at the Canadian multiplex yet again in 2009, with locally-made movies accounting for just under 3% of receipts in 2009. Most of that business came in Quebec, where French-language movies enjoy some protection from Hollywood competition.

Among them, Canadian films -- including Emile Gaudreault's "De pere en flic," Mike Clattenburg's "Trailer Park Boys" and Michael McGowan's "One Week" -- earned CAN$26 million ($25.2 million).

'Avatar' remains in orbit with $48.5M weekend

LOS ANGELES – James Cameron's "Avatar" continues to race up the box office charts, remaining No. 1 domestically for the fourth straight weekend with $48.5 million and placing second among all-time top-grossing films worldwide.

The science-fiction saga from 20th Century Fox added $143 million overseas to raise its international haul to $906 million. With $429 million domestically, "Avatar" has pulled in $1.34 billion worldwide, behind only Cameron's "Titanic," which took in $1.8 billion.

In just 24 days, "Avatar" shot past the $402.1 million domestic total of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" to become the No. 1 release of 2009. Cameron's tale of humans and aliens in conflict on a distant world now stands at No. 6 on the all-time domestic chart.

The film has just over $100 million to go to pass the No. 2 domestic hit, "The Dark Knight" at $533.3 million.

"I think we'll get there very soon," said Bert Livingston, 20th Century Fox distribution executive. "I believe anything is possible with this picture. Nothing would surprise me. There's a still a long way to go, and it's going to keep on playing and playing."

The No. 2 and No. 3 box office draws remained unchanged from the previous weekend, with the Warner Bros. hit "Sherlock Holmes" in second place at $16.6 million and 20th Century Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" in third at $16.3 million. "Sherlock Holmes" raised its domestic take to $165.2 million, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks" lifted its total to $178.2 million.

Among new movies, Lionsgate's vampire thriller "Daybreakers" had the best premiere, coming in at No. 4 with $15 million. "Daybreakers" stars Ethan Hawke as a reluctant vampire racing to find a substitute for human blood in a world overrun by the undead in the near future.

Universal's romantic comedy "Leap Year" opened at No. 5 with $9.2 million. The movie stars Amy Adams as a woman who finds love in an unexpected place as she chases across Ireland to propose to her boyfriend.

The Weinstein Co. comedy "Youth in Revolt," debuted at No. 9 with $7 million. The film features Michael Cera as a teen going to extremes to win the heart of his dream girl.

"Avatar" had the best fourth weekend ever for a film, easily surpassing the previous high of $28.7 million for "Titanic," which dominated the box office for nearly four months.

The coming weekend likely will be another big one for "Avatar," with many people off next Monday for Martin Luther King Day.

Hollywood's box office roll has lingered in 2010. Overall domestic revenues came in at $156 million, up 6.6 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Gran Torino" led with $29.5 million, according to box office tracker Hollywood.com.

It was the eight-straight weekend of rising ticket sales.

"The winning streak just continues," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "The momentum of 2009 is just carrying over into 2010."

Hollywood put up record revenue of $10.6 billion domestically in 2009, easily surpassing the previous high of $9.7 billion in 2007.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Avatar," $48.5 million.
2. "Sherlock Holmes," $16.6 million.
3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $16.3 million.
4. "Daybreakers," $15 million.
5. "It's Complicated," $11 million.
6. "Leap Year," $9.2 million.
7. "The Blind Side," $7.8 million.
8. "Up in the Air," $7.1 million.
9. "Youth in Revolt," $7 million.
10. "The Princess and the Frog," $4.7 million.

"Avatar" ready for four-peat at box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "Avatar" is poised to become the first film to log four consecutive weekends atop the North American weekend box office since "The Dark Knight" managed the feat in summer 2008.

James Cameron's sci-fi phenom also is stalking "Dark Knight" and other all-time domestic top grossers, all while racking up an even more impressive global tally.

A 40% drop from last weekend's holiday-fueled total would mean a $40 million-plus haul for "Avatar" this session. That would take its domestic total well over $400 million, placing the Fox film smack in the midst of Hollywood's top 10 all-time grossers -- a list topped by the $600.8 million haul for Cameron's "Titanic" in 1997-98.

Fox also could wind up with the weekend's No. 2 picture as its family comedy "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" shows signs of sustained playability.

As for the weekend's wide openers, Lionsgate's futuristic vampire actioner "Daybreakers," starring Willem Dafoe and Ethan Hawke, should break into the mid- to high-teen millions through Sunday, and Dimension's teen comedy "Youth in Revolt" has good prospects of hitting double-digit millions.

But Universal's romantic comedy "Leap Year," starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode ("A Single Man"), is tracking softly and likely will open in the single-digit millions.

Also Friday, Paramount expands its George Clooney vehicle "Up in the Air" to a total of about 2,200 engagements. Through Sunday, the total for the awards-season favorite stood at $44.4 million after five weekends of a platform campaign.

Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," from Sony Picture Classics, will expand after four weekends of bicoastal exclusives to 550 U.S. locations. And Fox Searchlight broadens its Jeff Bridges vehicle "Crazy Heart" by 21 theaters to a total of 33, with the music-filled drama toting a haul of $702,188 through three sessions.

Spider-Man 4 Snags May Delay Big-Screen Debut

Our Spidey sense is tingling.

Just a few months ago, Tobey Maguire told us he was ready to don the Spider-Man suit again in March for the film's fourth installment, which was looking at a May 2011 release.

Now it looks like Spider-Man 4 is facing a foe worse than Doc Ock: a rejected screenplay.

Somewhere along the line, Marvel's record-breaking franchise hit a huge snag, reports Hollywood insider Nikki Finke. Director Sam Raimi is reportedly dissatisfied with the Spider-Man 4 script thus far, and without a script, filming on the long-awaited movie has been put on the back burner.

Sources tell Finke it's unlikely the originally scheduled release date will be made, but attempts are being made to secure a summer 2011 opening—although the franchise has traditionally hit theaters in the coveted May spot.

While Sony didn't directly confirm the delay, the studio did hint that it could be a while, telling E! News: "We are completely committed to the Spider-Man franchise and know audiences will find the next film worth the wait."

We'll take that as a yes.

Penn goes back to 'Stooges'

Sean Penn has backtracked on his decision to leave the Three Stooges - the actor has rejoined the upcoming film just months after dropping out.

Penn was due to star in the movie based on 1930s comedy icons Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine, which will be helmed by directing duo the Farrelly brothers.

The Oscar-winner had been lined up to play Larry opposite Benicio Del Toro as Moe, and Jim Carey, who was reportedly in talks to play Curly.

But Penn quit the project over the summer after reconciling with wife Robin Wright Penn, vowing to take a break from movies to help fix his marriage. The couple finally called it quits in August after Wright Penn filed divorce papers and now it seems her spouse is throwing himself back into work.

Bobby Farrelly has confirmed Penn is back on board the Three Stooges project, but they're still looking to fill the role of Curly, according to the Boston Herald.

Farrelly tells the newspaper, "We got him (Penn) back. He always said he wanted to do it after, you know, taking care of his family."

Keeping a lid on 'Iron Man 2'

SAN DIEGO — When we last saw Tony Stark, he was outing himself to the world — a superhero without secrets.

Jon Favreau isn’t buckling so easily. On this day at last summer’s Comic-Con, the actor-turned-director is jealously protecting Iron Man 2’s surprises in advance of its May 7, 2010 launch.

Even if he knows he has as much chance keeping his tightly-guarded sequel from springing leaks as he does constructing a battle suit in an Afghanistan cave.

“I got to tell you, all the secrets we thought we had the first time out — very few of them made it all the way to when the movie came out,” he admits, referring to the post-credits cameo by Samuel L. Jackson as SHIELD director Nick Fury.

“That Nick Fury thing was out there on (the website) Ain’t It Cool News less than a week after we did it. We shot with a skeleton crew on a dark day — nobody knew about it. We thought we were so clever, and then everybody knew.”

Still, there are worse things, he realizes. Such as directing a movie in which there is so little interest no one is bothering to spoil it. A few years ago, it’s a fate most observers believed would likely befall Iron Man — the umpteenth comic-book adaptation about a B-grade character, starring unconventional choice Robert Downey Jr. and bankrolled by Marvel Studios, in its first self-produced attempt at moviemaking. But reviews were excellent, and the film rocketed to a box-office haul of more than $585 million worldwide.

Now two years later, the sequel is 2010’s most-anticipated movie, with Downey Jr. back and joined by — in addition to returning Gwyneth Paltrow and Jackson — newcomers Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke and Don Cheadle, who replaces Terrence Howard.

Says Downey Jr. of the new cast members: “I feel really beholden to say to them, ‘I guarantee you and I promise you that we will work our asses off to really pay this character off.’ And I guess the problem is, or the challenge was this time I was essentially saying that to three or four new people. Jon and I were telling Mickey that he wouldn’t just play a two-dimensional nemesis. We were thrilled to get Scarlett, and we said, ‘You’re not just going to be like some kind of B Marvel spin-off.’ ”

Even if sometimes it meant accommodating the odd feathered co-star, says Favreau.

“We sculpt scenes and change them as we learn things about the characters. Or Mickey Rourke wants a pet. I’d seen a picture of him with a cockatoo that he used to own. And so he’s like, ‘How about that? That’s my favourite animal’ and he’s like, ‘Maybe it could humanize this guy.’ That wasn’t something in the script. You want the freedom that (Francis Ford) Coppola brought to The Godfather, where Marlon Brando finds the cat on the set and is playing with it in that scene. What you don’t want is Brando wearing an ice bucket on his head. That’s the balancing act.”

And so far it’s an act Downey Jr. seems pleased to be part of, exhibiting no symptoms of franchise fatigue.

“I tend to just think of (Marvel) as this kind of unspoiled area of activity in a very wonderful, treacherous industry.”

WHO’S WHO IN 'IRON MAN 2'

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.): With various forces aligning against him, the former care-free billionaire arms manufacturer now faces betrayal and danger from all sides.

Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow): She’s the CEO of Stark Industries now, but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t feelings between her and Stark - and a lot of romantic tension now that he has a beautiful new assistant named Natasha.

Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson): Lest you think the director of the spy organization SHIELD is going anywhere, Jackson has a nine-picture deal with Marvel.

Whiplash/Vanko (Mickey Rourke): This tattooed Russian villain builds himself a battle suit in prison and embarks on a mission of cybernetically-enhanced vengeance.

Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson): She has red tresses, curves - and a black cat-suit worth of secrets. Namely that she’s also the mysterious Black Widow.

Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell): A slick, amoral weapons inventor, he conspires to take out his chief rival, Stark, who is now pre-occupied with saving the world.

James Rhodes (Don Cheadle): “Next time, baby,” Terrence Howard promised himself at the end of the first film. Well, not quite. Instead it’s Cheadle - who landed the role after Howard and Marvel had a falling out - who gets to fly into action as the bullet-grey War Machine.

'Avatar' rules with $68.3M, tops $1B worldwide

LOS ANGELES – James Cameron's science-fiction epic "Avatar" had another stellar weekend with $68.3 million domestically, shooting past $1 billion worldwide, only the fifth movie ever to hit that mark.

No. 1 for the third-straight weekend, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" raised its domestic total to $352.1 million after just 17 days. The film added $133 million overseas to lift its international haul to $670 million, for a worldwide gross of $1.02 billion.

"Avatar" opened two weekends earlier with $77 million, a strong start but far below dozens of other blockbusters that debuted as high as $158 million. But business for other blockbusters usually tumbles in following weekends, while "Avatar" revenues barely dropped over the busy Christmas and New Year's weekends.

"It's like a runaway freight train. It just keeps doing business," said Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "Here's what's happening: I think everybody has to see `Avatar' once. Even people who don't normally go to the movies, they've heard about it and are saying, `I have to see it.' Then there's those people seeing it multiple times."

"Avatar" was Cameron's first film since 1997's "Titanic," the biggest modern blockbuster with $1.8 billion worldwide.

Cameron now is the only filmmaker to direct two movies that have topped $1 billion. Along with "Titanic," the others are "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" at $1.13 billion, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" at $1.06 billion and "The Dark Knight" at a fraction over $1 billion, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

With "Avatar" closing in on No. 2 film "The Return of the King," Cameron is in striking distance of having the two top-grossing movies globally.

"Avatar" has had a price advantage over those other billion-dollar movies. About 75 percent of its domestic business has come from theaters showing it in digital 3-D presentation, those tickets typically costing a few dollars more than admissions for the 2-D version.

Finishing at No. 2 for the weekend was Robert Downey Jr.'s crime caper "Sherlock Holmes" with $38.4 million. The Warner Bros. film lifted its domestic total to $140.7 million after 10 days in theaters.

In third place was 20th Century Fox's family tale "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" with $36.6 million. It raised its 10-day total to $157.3 million.

The top-three movies, along with solid holdovers that included Universal's "It's Complicated" at No. 4 with $18.7 million, steered Hollywood to a big start to 2010 after a year of record revenue.

Hollywood finished 2009 with $10.6 billion domestically, easily surpassing the previous record of $9.7 billion in 2007, according to Hollywood.com.

Factoring in today's higher admission prices, the year was strong but not a modern record-breaker for number of tickets sold. According to Hollywood.com, domestic admissions came in at 1.42 billion in 2009, the most in the last five years, though well below the modern record of 1.6 billion in 2002.

In Hollywood's glory years of the 1930s and '40s, before television eroded the movie audience, estimated movie attendance ran as high as 4 billion some years.

Studios began 2010 with a headstart over last year. Overall revenues came in at $230 million, up 50 percent from New Year's weekend in 2009, when "Marley & Me" was No. 1 with $24.3 million.

Like "Titanic" 12 years ago, "Avatar" has fairly clear sailing now that the holidays are over. Hollywood is entering a slow season, when fewer big movies arrive and competition is lighter.

"Titanic" lingered as the No. 1 film for months leading up to the Academy Awards, where it won 11 Oscars, including best picture and director.

"Avatar" also proved a critical favorite with strong Oscar potential. Cameron broke new ground in combining live-action, digitally-enhanced performances, visual effects and 3-D presentation to immerse viewers in his futuristic tale of humans and aliens on a distant moon.

"Leave it to James Cameron to do this. To not only set the technical world on fire, the visual world on fire, but also the box-office world on fire 12 years after `Titanic,'" said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Avatar," $68.3 million.
2. "Sherlock Holmes," $38.4 million.
3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $36.6 million.
4. "It's Complicated," $18.7 million.
5. "The Blind Side," $12.7 million.
6. "Up in the Air," $11.4 million.
7. "The Princess and the Frog," $10 million.
8. "Did You Hear About the Morgans?", $5.2 million.
9. "Nine," $4.3 million.
10. "Invictus," $4.1 million.

Theater owners name Sandra Bullock 2009's top star

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In the eyes of U.S. movie theater owners, Sandra Bullock shined as 2009's top Hollywood star at the box office, as the actress nicknamed "America's Sweetheart" scored with audiences after a two-year absence from screens.

Quigley Publishing Company's annual list released on Thursday of top money making stars, based on a poll of hundreds of theater executives, had Bullock beat out such stars as George Clooney and Denzel Washington, on the strength of her roles in "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side."

Romantic comedy "The Proposal" made $315 million at worldwide box offices following its June release, and football drama "The Blind Side" has made $193 million only in the U.S. and Canada since its November 20 release, with its roll-out in other countries still to come.

Bullock, who also starred in the 2009 comedy "All About Steve" with its $34 million take in the U.S. and Canada, is the eighth woman to top Quigley's list of top money making stars, which the company has put out each year since 1932.

Quigley Publishing said the list does not rank stars only on how much cash their films made, but on what theater owners say about who attracts audiences on their star power alone.

For instance, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was the top movie at U.S. and Canada box offices in 2009 with more than $400 million, but many in Hollywood attribute that to the appeal of the franchise itself and the toys it's based on.

The last woman to top Quigley's list was Julia Roberts in 1999. She failed to make Quigley's 2009 top 10 this year, after her turn in romantic comedy "Duplicity" bombed at the box office.

Bullock scored her first smash hit with 1994 action movie "Speed" and became one of Hollywood's biggest stars, but before "The Proposal" she had not starred in a film since 2007.

"Public Enemies" star Johnny Depp came in at No. 2 on Quigley's top 10 list, followed by Matt Damon, George Clooney, Robert Downey Jr, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Denzel Washington.

Best New Year's Eve Scenes in Movies

Whether it's about fresh starts, uncertain futures or the end of an era -- or, more importantly, who's kissing who at midnight -- New Year's Eve is inherently cinematic with its showers of fireworks, confetti and balloons. No wonder so many films fade out with a countdown, a kiss and the implied "... and they lived happily ever." Of course, not all new years begin in a lip lock with the love of your life; sometimes all that merriment is just a set-up for epic-sized disaster.

So bring on the kazoos and pop that champagne: Just in time for 2010, Moviefone has rounded up 10 of the best New Year's Eve scenes in movie history.

Happy New Year!!

The top 10 sleeper movie hits of the decade

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Sleepers come seemingly out of nowhere. They are the little films that confound expectations, attracting enthusiastic audiences that happily spread the word.

Sometimes they come from the studio system, produced almost as an afterthought, but mostly they're produced well off the radar. On occasion, they upend the established order by opening at No. 1 at the box office.

But more typically they start small, building over time, hanging on in theaters as more heralded movies come and go. Often the filmmakers involved meet with initial rejection before wildly triumphing in the end. And in the process, they expose the limitations of Hollywood's conventional thinking about what makes a hit.

Sleepers, when everyone wakes up to their potential, tend to be wildly successful, resulting in box office returns that dwarf their modest budgets. And so, top sleepers of the past decade, take another bow.

10. "CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON" (SONY PICTURES CLASSICS, 2000)

Budget: $17 million

Domestic gross: $128 million

Except for a handful of martial arts fans, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was indeed hidden from sight during its production. Most Westerners weren't familiar with stars Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh. Taiwanese director Ang Lee, coming off the commercial failure of "Ride With the Devil," wasn't exactly known for burning up the box office, either. Even its rollout was uneventful: "Tiger" was first shown out of competition at Cannes and made its U.S. premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival. But after an Oscar-qualifying run in December 2000, it opened wide January 12, 2001, to $8.6 million. And then, the subtitled movie became a sensation. While it never made more than $10.5 million during a single box office weekend, it clawed its way to a $128 million domestic cume. It became the highest-grossing foreign-language film in U.S. history, won the Oscar for best foreign-language film, made an international star of Zhang Ziyi and ushered in an Asian movie revival in the West.

9. "DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN" (LIONSGATE, 2005)

Budget: $5.5 million

Domestic gross: $50.4 million

"Tyler who?" most folks in Hollywood were asking each other the Monday morning after the Atlanta-based filmmaker's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" opened in first place to the tune of $21 million. The answer was Tyler Perry, and he was already well-known by the extensive black fan base he'd cultivated during his years writing and performing plays on the so-called Chitlin' Circuit. Several Hollywood studios gave him the cold shoulder before Lionsgate struck a deal for Perry's first feature, in which he also appears as his signature big mama character, Madea. The relationship has spawned a whole series of consistently profitable films, two TV series and a potential Oscar winner in "Precious," which Perry joined as executive producer after Lionsgate acquired it at this year's Sundance.

8. "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" (FOX SEARCHLIGHT, 2008)

Budget: $15 million

Domestic gross: $141.3 million

This could easily be at the top of the list when taken as a whole. Not just because it was very nearly buried by Warner Bros. before anyone ever had a chance to see it. Not just because it is essentially a foreign film with unknown actors and multiple languages. Not just because it's violently R-rated and yet went out into the world to gross $362 million worldwide. That certainly would have been enough. But it did all of this and then won eight Oscars, including best picture, for good measure. Jai ho!

7. MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (WARNER INDEPENDENT/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, 2005)

Budget: $8 million

Domestic gross: $77.4 million

Penguins sure are cute, but a whole movie about a bunch of birds who do nothing but march inland, canoodle, fish, lay eggs and huddle together for warmth among ferocious winter storms? After the French-made production played Sundance in 2005, new -- and ultimately short-lived -- Warner Independent, along with National Geographic, acquired U.S. rights for $1 million and released it in only four theaters in June. But it steadily warmed moviegoers' hearts, played all the way to November, won the documentary Oscar and became the top-grossing nature documentary ever.

6. JACKASS: THE MOVIE (PARAMOUNT, 2002)

Budget: $5 million

Domestic gross: $64.3 million

True, the TV series "Jackass" had run for two seasons on MTV before MTV Films, at the time something of a poor stepchild at Paramount Pictures, greenlighted a movie version starring Johnny Knoxville and his whacked-out crew and directed by Jeff Tremaine. Seemingly embarrassed to be stooping to a slapdash mix of skits involving urine-soaked snowballs, soiled trousers and unpixelated private parts, Paramount kept the movie away from the censorious eyes of critics. But the fans couldn't have cared less. Opening to a $22 million weekend, "Jackass" stunned Hollywood by arriving in first place, spawning a 2006 sequel and surely an even-grosser 3D version set to let it all hang out this coming October.

5. "JUNO" (FOX SEARCHLIGHT, 2007)

Budget: $7.5 million

Domestic gross: $143.5 million

Diablo Cody's quirky little gem about cinema's hippest accidentally pregnant teenager may feel like it's always been with us, but for a while it was just a buzzed-about script from an unknown writer with a titillating backstory. Director Jason Reitman, stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera and distributor Fox Searchlight then spun an early Toronto International Film Festival success into a cultural phenomenon, complete with its own striped color scheme, hit soundtrack and invented lexicon. Like its ballooning pint-sized protagonist, "Juno" eventually swelled to 19 times its original body weight in grosses (plus $83.5 million overseas).

4. "SAW" (LIONSGATE, 2004)

Budget: $1.2 million

Domestic gross: $55.2 million

Like its madman protagonist, "Saw" succeeded with an intricate, moralistic premise executed with precision and no small amount of blood. The low-budget horror film, co-written by director James Wan and actor Leigh Whannell, screened in a midnight slot at Sundance and then rode a slow burn to a surprise $20 million opening the weekend of Halloween. Thus, a franchise was born that has grossed more than $650 million worldwide in relentless yearly installments (No. 7 hits in 2010). It also birthed Jigsaw, the first new top-tier horror villain in more than a decade.

3. "MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING" (IFC, 2002)

Budget: $5 million

Domestic gross: $241.4 million

At first, Hollywood insiders referred to it simply as "the small comedy Tom Hanks produced with his wife," but it became one of the biggest independent movies of all time. An ethnic-flavored rom-com, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" began life as a one-woman stage show performed by Nia Vardalos, which Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, discovered and championed. Adapted for the screen by Vardalos and director Joel Zwick for only $5 million, it opened in April 2002 bolstered by a carefully targeted campaign that resulted in unprecedented word-of-mouth. It stayed in theaters for almost a year, an unheard-of length of time in an era of wide releases when movies are in and out of theaters in a matter of weeks. It never made more than $15 million on any given weekend, and never reached No. 1 during the run, but it enjoyed a take of $241 million domestically and $127 million abroad. The movie's title became part of the lexicon, spawned a host of imitators, and made Vardalos an Oscar-nominated screenwriter.

2. "NAPOLEON DYNAMITE" (FOX SEARCHLIGHT/PARAMOUNT 2004)

Budget: $400,000

Domestic gross: $44.5 million

A geek comedy, directed by Jared Hess, that seemed to divide along generational lines, "Napoleon Dynamite" was made for only $400,000 and became the poster child of Sundance 2004 when it got picked up by Fox Searchlight for $3 million. With the help of a promotional push from partners Paramount and MTV Films, the distributor orchestrated a slow rollout over the summer and watched as the movie collected more than $44 million over the course of months, even though the movie never attracted more than $4 million on any weekend during its lengthy box-office dance-off. Audiences related to the title character and took to wearing "Vote for Pedro" T-shirts, inspired by the movie, just to prove their hip quotient.

1. "PARANORMAL ACTIVITY" (PARAMOUNT, 2009)

Budget: $15,000

Domestic gross: $107.6 million

First-time director Oren Pali's homemade ghost story could have disappeared at any step along the way. Shot for only $15,000 on a camcorder over the course of seven days, it found no buyers after appearing at Screamfest in 2007 and then Slamdance in 2008. DreamWorks picked it up with plans to remake it rather than release it. Then it almost got lost amid the Paramount/DreamWorks divorce. Finally, Paramount released it at midnight screenings in only 12 theaters, supported by a stealth marketing campaign that convinced fans they were discovering the movie for themselves. It climbed the charts until, by its fifth weekend, it reigned at No. 1. What "The Blair Witch Project" was to the '90s, "Paranormal" was to '00s. The cheapie project became a gold-plated ghost(block)buster.

Merry Christmas in Hollywood: Box-office record falls

NEW YORK – It was a memorable and merry Christmas in Hollywood as moviegoers shattered box-office records, responding in droves to a diverse array of high-profile releases over the holiday weekend.

The estimated $278 million in weekend box-office revenue broke the previous record of roughly $253 million set in July 2008, the weekend "The Dark Knight" was released.

A diverse group of films drew throngs to the multiplexes: James Cameron's "Avatar" pushed strongly into its second week while "Sherlock Holmes," "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" and "It's Complicated" all opened.

"Avatar," the 3-D epic, topped them all, earning $75 million for 20th Century Fox, according to studio estimates Sunday. Remarkably, that was only a 3 percent drop from its opening weekend total of $77.4 million. (Blockbusters typically drop 30-50 percent in the second weekend.) In its 10 days of release, "Avatar" has made $212 million domestically — and could be on its way to a worldwide gross of over $1 billion.

"This thing is going to be playing and playing, I can tell you that," said Bert Livingston, 20th Century Fox distribution executive. "There's a lot of business out there. Everybody's got good movies out."

In second was "Sherlock Holmes," Guy Ritchie's reboot of the franchise with Robert Downey Jr. starring as Arthur Conan Doyle's detective. The Warner Bros. film opened with a weekend total of $65.4 million, including a record Christmas Day debut of $24.9 million.

It was a start that seemed sure to pave the way for sequels. Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., called the result "sensational."

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," which opened Wednesday, took in $50.2 million on the weekend and $77.1 million in its five days of release. The film, also from Fox, earned an impressive $18.8 million on Wednesday alone. The strong start suggested that "Squeakquel" was likely to surpass its 2007 original, which made $217 million.

Also opening was Nancy Meyer's "It's Complicated," the romantic comedy starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. With an audience 72 percent female, the Universal film took in $22.1 million, a solid debut.

The sparkling Christmas weekend results spelled good things for all the films in release in the coming week — one of the most lucrative of the year.

"We all know what next week means to the industry. This is ... huge," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "Christmas is past us. No more shopping, no more returning. College kids are home. ... I'm so optimistic about what the next weekend holds for us."

Said Livingston: "Starting this Monday, every day is a Saturday."

Two films with Oscar aspirations also released wide over the weekend: Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" (Paramount) and Rob Marshall's "Nine" (Weinstein Co.).
"Up in the Air," which has some of the best awards momentum, grossed $11.8 million, bringing its cumulative total to $24.5 million — already nearly earning back its production budget.

"For us, this movie was always the movie that we felt was going to be a real focus during the awards season," said Rob Moore, Paramount vice chairman. "It feels like this should have a long run as awards season continues."

"Nine," the adaptation of the Broadway musical (which itself was a riff of Federico Fellini's classic film "8 1/2") earned $5.5 million in 1408 theaters.

"It's an absolutely fitting end to the biggest box office year of all time," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's just been a total roller coaster ride. It's like audience members are on board."

2009 still has several days to go, but the year is already a record for domestic ticket sales with more than $10 billion at the box office. That surpassed the $9.7 billion mark of 2007.

While some of the credit has to go the recession (movies historically do well in hard times when a trip to the movie theater is a relatively cheap form of entertainment and escapism), there was a feeling Sunday that Hollywood had put forth a better product this Christmas.

"People say it's the recession," said Dergarabedian. "It's the movies — it's really the movies. It seems like when people aren't at home, they're at the movies."

He added: "You're going to find a smile on the face of every studio chief out there today."

Hollywood also seemed to be offering good ol' spectacle to moviegoers. "Avatar" grossed $8.8 million in IMAX theaters, actually increasing from its opening weekend. IMAX chairman and president Greg Foster said they were operating essentially at capacity.

"There is no context," said Foster. "It's so far beyond where we've ever been. It's not eking past a record, it's shattering it."

Christmas weekend was also neatly organized around various demographics. There was science-fiction, romantic comedy, family fare, action-packed thriller and serious awards-contender.

"That's what fueled this Christmas, the diversity of the films," said Dergarabedian. "It was like a cinematic buffet line. If you can't find a movie that you like in the marketplace right now, you don't like movies."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Avatar," $75 million.
2. "Sherlock Holmes," $65.4 million.
3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," $50.2 million.
4. "It's Complicated," $22.1 million.
5. "Up in the Air," $11.8 million.
6. "The Blind Side," $11.7 million.
7. "The Princess and the Frog," $8.7 million.
8. "Nine," $5.5 million.
9. "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" $5 million.
10. "Invictus," $4.4 million.

Hollywood eyes first $10 billion box office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Audiences have given Hollywood a big present in advance of Christmas, as U.S. and Canadian movie ticket sales for 2009 were expected to cross the $10 billion mark on Tuesday for the first time.

Through Sunday, the total U.S. and Canadian box office stood just $36 million short of crossing the $10 billion mark, said tracking firm Hollywood.com Box Office.

With Monday generating $29 million in ticket sales, led by strong results for "Avatar," the industry was expected to cross $10 billion on Tuesday.

"We're looking at some huge numbers for the next 10 days or so that will put us well over that $10 billion mark" for the full year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box Office.

Dergarabedian said he expected the 2009 total to come to more than $10.4 billion.

Last year's total was $9.63 billion.

Christmas Day is among the busiest days of the year for box offices. Ticket sales on Christmas Day last year was $76 million, and Dergarabedian said he expects this year's total to surpass that, with "Sherlock Holmes," "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" and comedy "It's Complicated" hitting theaters.

Big Sunday raises `Avatar' weekend to $77.35M

LOS ANGELES – James Cameron's "Avatar" has jumped out to a faster start than projected.

Distributor 20th Century Fox says Cameron's sci-fi saga did far more business Sunday than the studio had estimated, raising the film's domestic weekend total to $77.35 million. That's $4.35 million more than the studio first forecast.

That also should give a bump to the movie's worldwide total, which has topped $230 million.

Fox still is counting final numbers, but if the figure holds, "Avatar" will go in the record book for biggest December opening ever, a fraction ahead of the $77.2 million for Will Smith's "I Am Legend" two years ago.

But factoring in higher ticket prices today, "I Am Legend" sold more tickets than "Avatar" over opening weekend.

"Avatar" earns $73 million in box office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "Titanic" director James Cameron's "Avatar," a 3-D extravaganza hyped as a giant leap in cinematic prowess, earned an estimated $73 million during its first weekend at the North American box office, distributor 20th Century Fox said on Sunday.

The opening for the costly sci-fi film fell short of industry forecasts in the $85 million range. But the News Corp unit said the tally beat its internal projections, and noted that an enormous snow storm along the East Coast crippled business for all movies.

The weekend haul ranks as merely the sixth-biggest of the year in the United States and Canada. The 2009 record was set last month by "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," with $143 million. The all-time record of $158 million was set last year by "The Dark Knight."

On the other hand, ticket sales for "Avatar" were inflated by premium pricing for screenings in venues equipped with 3-D technology. Such venues accounted for 59 percent of the total cinema count and 71 percent of sales, Fox said.

The film also earned $159.2 million from 106 foreign markets. Individual-market tallies were not immediately available.

"Avatar" garnered almost as much attention for its reported budget of at least $300 million budget as for its eco-friendly tale of a soldier from Earth sent to infiltrate an alien race of 10-foot (3 meter)-tall blue people in order to save the polluted planet.

It marks Cameron's first dramatic feature since 1997's "Titanic," the biggest film of all time before accounting for inflation. He spent the intervening years waiting for moviemaking technology to catch up with his vision for the follow-up. Production took two years.

The film won breathless reviews from critics. "You've never experienced anything like it, and neither has anyone else," said the Los Angeles Times.

"Avatar" box office seen topping $75 million in debut

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Box office watchers expect widely-anticipated sci-fi movie "Avatar" to make more than $75 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters this coming weekend following its debut on Friday.

Industry analysts told Reuters that if the movie from "Titanic" director James Cameron sets cash registers ringing as much as they predict, it will be a victory for the movie and its studio 20th Century Fox, as well as for Hollywood in its latest push into 3D movies.

"For a lot of older people, it's going to be the first film that they see in 3D," said Jeff Bock, box office analyst with Exhibitor Relations Co.

"Don't be surprised if it hits that billion dollar mark (worldwide during its entire run) if it really takes off and becomes the event film of the season," he said.

But for "Avatar's" opening weekend, Bock expects the less astronomical figure of $75 million in the U.S. and Canada, although he said a $100 million opening is possible.

Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box Office, said the film, which will begin playing in midnight screenings Friday, could earn between $85 million and $100 million.

That would be far short of 2009's biggest three-day weekend debut, the $142.8 million raked in by vampire romance movie "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" last month.

Cameron's "Avatar" tells of a soldier from Earth sent to infiltrate members of an alien race and the bond he forms with them, including one attractive woman in particular.

Fox said this week that "Avatar" will open in more than 3,300 theaters domestically, including 2,100 3D locations.

Online ticket seller MovieTickets.com has said 78 percent of its advance ticket buyers for "Avatar" were male, while rival outlet Fandango.com said 68 percent of its "Avatar" customers were men.

Cameron's 1997 film "Titanic" made a record $1.8 billion worldwide, in large part by appealing to women who went more than once to see the film's emotional tale of ill-fated love.

While more has been made of "Avatar's" 3D look than its romance, Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan wrote that the film is "a boys' adventure with a major romantic element" and he predicted that people will see it more than once.

"Avatar" has received many positive reviews, and as of Thursday afternoon it had an 83 percent approval rating at critic aggregating website RottenTomatoes.com.

'Princess and the Frog' hops to No. 1 with $25M

LOS ANGELES – "The Princess and the Frog" earned a big wet kiss from family audiences as the animated musical leaped to No. 1 with $25 million in its first weekend of nationwide release, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Disney musical is the studio's first hand-drawn animated tale in five years, a contrast to the computer-animated films that now dominate the cartoon world.
"I've always believed that when you start with great storytelling, then the format aside doesn't mean anything," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney.

The movie also is a return to Disney's reinvention of classic fairy tales, offering a 1920s New Orleans twist on the Brothers Grimm story "The Frog Prince," following the adventures of a young woman turned into a frog by a kiss from an amphibian.

Despite its No. 1 finish, "The Princess and the Frog" drew modest crowds compared to many big animated tales, which can open with two or three times as much business. Those films typically open during the busy summer season, though, and Disney is counting on the long shelf life that many films manage during the holidays.

"The Princess and the Frog" took over at No. 1 from the inspiring sports tale "The Blind Side," which slipped to second-place with $15.5 million. Released by Warner Bros., "The Blind Side" raised its total to $150.2 million.

A surprise box-office sensation, "The Blind Side" is on its way to a domestic total of about $230 million, said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. head of distribution.

"The Blind Side" chronicles the real-life story of Baltimore Ravens rookie lineman Michael Oher, who had been a homeless teen taken in by a wealthy couple (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw).

"It's the heartland that's pulling the strings of the movie," Fellman said. "While it's performing well everywhere, the response in smaller marketplaces and Christian communities has been outstanding."

The film opened the same weekend as "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," but with only a fraction of that movie's blockbuster business. Audience word-of-mouth has kept crowds coming for "The Blind Side," while "New Moon" has waned to the No. 4 spot with an $8 million weekend, raising its domestic haul to $267.4 million.

Warner Bros. also had the No. 3 film with a $9.1 million debut for another inspirational sports drama, Clint Eastwood's Nelson Mandela saga "Invictus," featuring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Freeman stars as the South African leader, who uses an underdog World Cup run by the country's rugby team to help unite the racially divided nation.

Though it had a modest start, "Invictus" debuted in the range of Eastwood's sober drama's "Mystic River" and "Million Dollar Baby" in their first weekends of wide release. Eastwood's films draw older audiences and tend to have a long life at the box office, Fellman said.

"The Lord of the Rings" creator Peter Jackson had a strong opening in limited release for "The Lovely Bones," which pulled in $116,000 in three theaters.

The Paramount Pictures release features Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Stanley Tucci in an adaptation of Alice Sebold's best-seller about a murdered girl looking back on her grieving family from the afterlife.

The Weinstein Co. drama "A Single Man" also started well with $216,328 in nine theaters. The film stars Colin Firth as a gay academic in the early 1960s who's planning to end his life amid grief over his lover's death.

Hollywood is poised for a big finish to its record box-office year, with James Cameron's science-fiction epic "Avatar" opening Friday, followed Christmas week by the family comedy "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," Robert Downey Jr.'s action tale "Sherlock Holmes" and the nationwide expansion of George Clooney's comedy "Up in the Air."

With nearly three weeks left in the year, 2009 domestic revenues already have set a new record of $9.79 billion, surpassing the previous high of $9.68 billion in 2007, according to Paul Dergarabedian, Hollywood.com box-office analyst.

Domestic grosses should top $10 billion for the first time within the next 10 days or so. Dergarabedian estimates that Hollywood will finish the year with $10.5 billion domestically.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Princess and the Frog," $25 million.
2. "The Blind Side," $15.5 million.
3. "Invictus," $9.1 million.
4. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," $8 million.
5. "Disney's a Christmas Carol," $6.9 million.
6. "Brothers," $5 million.
7. "2012," $4.4 million.
8. "Old Dogs," $4.39 million.
9. "Armored," $3.5 million.
10. "Ninja Assassin," $2.7 million.

Natalie Portman to slay zombies

Given Natalie Portman’s elegant demeanor, a turn in a period Jane Austen adaptation was inevitable.

Portman will star in and produce “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” a film that is based on the bestselling book written by Seth Grahame-Smith and Austen. Lionsgate will finance and distribute. Quirk Books published the tome.

Though Austen’s name is on the book, Grahame-Smith took the liberty of adding bloodthirsty flesh-eating zombies to the mix.

Portman will produce through her handsomecharlie shingle with Annette Savitch, plus Darko Films’ Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick and Ted Hamm.

Described as an expanded version of the Austen classic, the book tells the timeless story of a woman’s quest for love and independence amid the outbreak of a deadly virus that turns the undead into vicious killers.

Portman will play feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet, who is distracted from her quest to eradicate the zombie menace by the arrival of the arrogant Mr. Darcy. Darko just released “The Box,” “World’s Greatest Dad” and “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.”

Portman stars in the Jim Sheridan-directed drama “Brothers” for Relativity Media and Lionsgate. Her handsomecharlie banner recently set up “Booksmart” at Fox and is partnered with Plan B at Paramount on an adaptation of the Leanne Shapton book “Important Artifacts,” a potential screen vehicle for Portman and Brad Pitt.

Her shingle just wrapped production on “Hesher.”

“Natalie and I are longtime passionate fans of Jane Austen’s books and this a fresh, fun and thought-provoking way to approach her work,” Savitch said. “The idea of zombies running rampant in 19th Century England may sound odd, but it lends a modern sense of urgency to a well known love story.”

"Blind Side" tackles top spot at movie box offices

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Football film "The Blind Side" tackled the top spot at North American box offices with $20.4 million in ticket sales for a rare climb up the charts in its third week, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

Vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" dropped one place from last weekend to No. 2 with $15.7 million in ticket sales, and new release "Brothers," about soldiers returning home from war, landed in third place with $9.7 million.

The rise of "The Blind Side" bucks the accepted Hollywood wisdom that a new film will claim the No. 1 spot in its first week, then drop down the charts in subsequent weeks.

But "Blind Side," starring Sandra Bullock in the feel-good movie based on a real-life story about a woman who takes a homeless boy and helps turn him into a football star, opened at No. 2 three weeks ago. Its cumulative ticket sales now stand at $129 million in the United States and Canada.

"Blind Side" was released by Time Warner studio Warner Bros. and made by privately held Alcon Entertainment.

"New Moon" pushed its North America ticket sales total to just over $255 million, and worldwide the movie has now raked in $570 million, according to tracker Hollywood.com Box Office. It was distributed by independent Summit Entertainment.

"Disney's A Christmas Carol" also rose up the charts one notch, landing at No. 4 and adding $7.5 million to its coffers. Its gross domestic ticket sales now stand at $115 million.

After five weeks in theaters "A Christmas Carol" swapped places over the weekend with another Walt Disney Co movie, comedy "Old Dogs," which fell one place to No. 5 with $6.9 million in ticket sales.

NEW RELEASES

Along with "Brothers," only two other new releases made the top 10. Action flick "Armored" tied for No. 6 spot with $6.6 million, and "Everybody's Fine," starring Robert De Niro and Drew Barrymore, was No. 10 showing $4 million in ticket sales.

Disaster movie "2012" also took in $6.6 million, and after four weeks in theaters has now collected $149 million in domestic theaters and $517 million internationally for a worldwide total of $666 million, its distributor said.

Martial arts flick "Ninja Assassin" and animated comedy "Planet 51," took in $5.0 and $4.3 million, respectively, to land in the No. 8 and No. 9 spots and round out the top 10.

Elsewhere, George Clooney movie "Up In the Air," about a man who fires people for a living, opened in 15 U.S. theaters this past weekend after being named the year's best film by the U.S.-based National Board of Review earlier this week.

It took in nearly $1.2 million for a per screen average of roughly $79,000, according to distributor Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.. It will expand broadly around the U.S. in coming weeks.

"Brothers" was released by Lionsgate Entertainment. "Armored," "2012" and "Planet 51" were released by divisions of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of Sony Corp.. "Everybody's Fine" was released by Disney's Miramax Films, and "Ninja Assassin" was distributed by Warner Bros.

'Bourne' director confirms he won't do fourth film

Paul Greengrass, who directed the second and third installments of the $945 million grossing franchise — The Bourne Supermacy and The Bourne Ultimatum — has confirmed that he will not be making the fourth film. Greengrass, who also directed the controversial 9/11 drama, United 93, issued this statement: “You won’t find a more devoted supporter of the Bourne franchise than me. I will always be grateful to have been the caretaker to Jason Bourne over the course of The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. I’m very proud of those films and feel they express everything I most passionately believe about the possibility of making quality movies in the mainstream. My decision to not return a third time as director is simply about feeling the call for a different challenge. There’s been no disagreement with Universal Pictures. The opportunity to work with the Bourne family again is a difficult thing to pass up, but we have discussed this together and they have been incredibly understanding and supportive. I’ve been lucky enough to have made four films for Universal, and our relationship continues. Jason Bourne existed before me and will continue, and I hope to remain involved in some capacity as the series moves on.”

The story, which originally broke earlier this week on the blog The Playlist, cited script challenges and Greengrass’s schedule as mitigating factors. (Greengrass has been busy making Green Zone, a big-budget Iraq-based thriller, with Bourne star Matt Damon.) Variety’s Michael Fleming reports today that Damon is not yet attached to make the fourth Bourne film, either, and posits that Tony Gilroy, who wrote all three previous Bourne films and recently directed Michael Clayton and Duplicity, could now possibly step in to write and direct. It’s also possible that Georg Nolfi –who co-wrote Ultimatum with Gilroy and is now making his directing debut, Adjustment Bureau (based on a Philip K. Dick short story) with Damon in the lead — might also consider stepping in as director. Nolfi has already written a version of the script for the fourth Bourne, but when he left to do Adjustment, the studio brought in writer Joshua Zetumer to script a different version. It remains to be seen which script, and which director (if any), will persuade Damon to sign his name on the dotted line.

Saskatchewan town of red paper clip fame readies for movie premiere

REGINA - Actor Corbin Bernsen has learned two things: first, that Saskatchewan in February is a really cold place to make a movie, and second, that his latest film wouldn't have happened without a red paper clip and the people of a small Prairie town.

Bernsen's new movie "Rust," about a priest who undergoes a mid-life crisis of faith and returns to his hometown to heal, was shot in Kipling, Sask., a two-hour drive southeast of Regina.

"It was like shooting at the North Pole," Bernsen says with a laugh.

"It was freezing, but it created a beautiful look for the movie and exactly the feel that I wanted."

Bernsen recalls shooting one day when it was - 45 C with the windchill - his lips froze and he could barely speak.

It was "unbelievably cold" for a "southern California surfer boy," he says. But the effort will pay off Thursday when "Rust" holds its premiere in Kipling. (SCN will air the broadcast premiere of "Rust" on Dec. 5 and will re-broadcast it Boxing Day).

The story of how Bernsen ended up in Kipling not once, but twice, could itself be a movie.

Back in July 2005, blogger Kyle MacDonald used a red paper clip to set off a series of trades in his bid to get a house. The trades eventually landed MacDonald with a limited edition KISS snow globe and then Bernsen, an avid snow globe collector, offered a role in one of his movies in exchange for the snow globe.

The town took the movie role in exchange for a two-storey house given to MacDonald. Bernsen then came to town and held auditions for that role, in his movie "Donna on Demand."

But Bernsen, who is perhaps best known for his role in the hit '80s television show "L.A. Law," was also inspired to return.

"I fell in love with the town and the people there," he told The Canadian Press in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "There's a simplicity there that appealed to me and I think that's really what attracted me to the place."

The town started its own film company and raised about $250,000 after Bernsen promised to come back.

He wrote "Rust" with Kipling in mind. Bernsen's character in the film must make sense of the aftermath of a tragedy - his childhood friend has confessed to burning down a house that has taken the lives of the family within.

The film crew burned down an abandoned farmhouse. "Corner Gas" star Lorne Cardinal, who plays a police officer in "Rust," says it a cathartic moment since the farmhouse was where convicted pedophile Peter Whitmore abused two boys in the summer of 2006.

"One of the victims actually showed up for the burning of it," says Cardinal. "It was palpable energy for sure because everyone wanted to see it gone because it was a blight on Kipling. It was something that everyone knew about but didn't like to talk about."

Beyond the raw emotion, Cardinal says there was "a lot of great magic on the set happening."

Among the locals cast for the film were a mentally challenged man named Lloyd Warner in a key role. People opened up their homes as sets and local businesses donated equipment including heaters.

"I've never seen a town come alive like that before," says Cardinal. "Everybody was involved in it, everyone was doing their bit to fulfil their end and they did great. The on-camera performances were pretty great for people with no training."

Brad Kearns with Kipling Film Productions says he still can't believe it all happened, adding there's a lot of excitement in the community.

"That's a good thing, it's a good excitement," says Kearns, who also portrays the fire chief in "Rust."

"It so easy to have negative publicity on things these days ... this is a positive thing and I think people are really excited and happy. I think it's one of those 'feel good' things. It was a lot of work at the time and you pretty much have to say everybody pitched in some way or another.

"They always used to talk when I was a kid, always talked about the magic of Hollywood. Well, guess what I've seen it now and it truly is."

But Bernsen says it was the community's faith that got the job done.

"This is their movie, they did it," says Bernsen.

"I just offered the opportunity for them. Did I spearhead it? Yeah, but I offered the opportunity. Without the people it wouldn't have come together."

Bernsen would like to work in Saskatchewan again and already has a surprise in mind for Kipling. Ironically, the town where Bernsen shot his movie doesn't actually have a movie theatre and he'd like to change that.

"They used to but it burned down," he says. "That'll be one of the first things that I'm going to suggest they do for themselves and I'll help them design it."

"New Moon" shines on record holiday box office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" rose to the top of movie box office charts for the second straight week on Sunday with a three-day haul of $42.5 million on a record-breaking holiday weekend in North America, according to studio estimates.

Over the five-day U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, the vampire romance starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner took in $66 million, pushing its two-week total in theaters to $230.7 million in North America, said independent studio Summit Entertainment, which backed the movie.

Internationally, the high-profile sequel to last year's monster hit "Twilight," based on the best-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer, has taken in $243 million for a worldwide total just under $475 million in two weeks.

Richard Fay, president of domestic distribution for Summit, said the movie continued to do strong repeat business from mostly teenage girls who are fans of the movies and books, and it was able to expand its audiences to include older women.

Total movie ticket sales for the five-day holiday period in North America reached a record $278 million, beating the old figure of $244 million set back in 2000 when "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Unbreakable" were the two top films, according to sales tracker Hollywood.com Box-Office.

Coming in at No. 2, also for the second straight week, was Sandra Bullock football film "The Blind Side" with three-day sales of $40.1 million and a two-week total of $100.5 million. Disaster film "2012" rounded out the top three with $18 million in three days, boosting its three-week total to $139 million.

SEEING "BLIND"

"Blind Side," produced by Alcon Entertainment and released by Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros,, played well to all audiences. Bullock helped draw women, sports lured men and the feel-good tale about a woman played by Bullock who helps a homeless boy become a football hero attracted families.

"This is a movie that plays equally to both genders," said Andrew Kosove, co-chief executive of Alcon Entertainment. "A great deal of moviegoing is consensus driven (among families) and we were the consensus movie for the weekend."

Natural disaster flick "2012" also continued to score well. Internationally, its ticket sales now stand at $456 million, boosting its global haul to $595 million, said distributor Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.

Among new movies, Disney comedy "Old Dogs" with John Travolta and Robin Williams was No. 4 in North America with $16.8 million on the weekend and $24 million for five days. Warner Bros' "Ninja Assassin" with Korean superstar Rain was No. 6 with $13.1 million and $21 million for the 3-day and 5-day periods, respectively.

Other noteworthy titles include Disney's "A Christmas Carol," which claimed the No. 5 spot with $16 million, pushing its North American cumulative ticket sales to $105 million.

Twentieth Century Fox expanded the release of its animated movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox," widely around the United States and it climbed to the No. 9 spot with $7 million on the weekend.

Top 10 movie flops of the decade

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Movie flops aren't just about losing money. Yes, big budgets that go bust are one consideration. But flops are also about lofty expectations dashed and high profiles brought low. They trigger embarrassing catcalls from the peanut gallery and a general whoever-thought-that-was-a-good-idea-in-the-first-place bewilderment.

Any judgments of flopitude are necessarily subjective, but here are 10 movies from the past decade that made those few moviegoers who saw them cringe. Disagree? Talk among yourselves.

10. THE SPIRIT
* Release date: December 25, 2008
* Estimated cost: $60 million
* Domestic gross: $19.8 million
Frank Miller, the man who created the comics "300" and "Sin City," and who redefined Batman and Daredevil for the modern age, directed this adaptation of Will Eisner's comic-strip hero. Starring Samuel L. Jackson and a bevy of beauties, it may have looked good on the page. But onscreen, the heavily stylized, nearly black-and-white results were disastrous. The expensive movie was killed by comic fans, who wanted Miller to go back to comics, and critics, who trashed the movie's over-the-top tones and aesthetics. Consequently, the partners at the company behind the production, Odd Lot Entertainment, parted ways after 23 years together. It even killed plans for a Miller-directed version of "Buck Rogers."

9. GRINDHOUSE
* Release date: April 6, 2007
* Estimated cost: $67 million
* Domestic gross: $25 million
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez managed to turn twice the filmmaking firepower into half the box office (and a third of the critical praise). With "Grindhouse," what began as an explicit exercise in joyous B-movie cinema homage -- a double bill of '70s-style schlock, one film from each director -- ended up aping its scuzzy genre ancestors a little too closely in the receipts department. After the three-hour-plus "Grindhouse" opened to a mere $11.6 million, Harvey Weinstein split the film's two parts -- "Death Proof" and "Planet Terror" -- and shuttled them to international markets individually. While that recouped a little of the Weinstein Co.'s money, it incurred the wrath of purists who were angry that the original film had been corrupted. Tarantino and Weinstein are famously loyal to each other, and while the writer-director eventually made good on the losses with the $120 million-grossing "Inglourious Basterds" this year, "Grindhouse" was one instance where loyalty nearly brought down the house.

8. ROLLERBALL
* Release date: February 8, 2002
* Estimated cost: $70 million
* Domestic gross: $19 million
Norman Jewison's 1975 comment on violence, corporatism and spectacle has its place in the paranoid '70s-era cult film pantheon. John McTiernan's remake, on the other hand, would be totally forgettable if it weren't so spectacularly misconceived in every way. The cast -- Jean Reno, Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos -- was a C-list mishmash closer to reality TV than big-budget studio moviemaking. McTiernan had long since dented his box-office bona fides with "Last Action Hero" and "The 13th Warrior." And the studio releasing it -- MGM -- was so aware of its bomb-worthiness that it pushed the release back four times, out of the summer 2001 field and into the barren wasteland of February. In a last act of desperation, the movie was also re-edited from an R to a PG-13 rating, sabotaging any last chance it had at an audience. Ultimately, it pretty much wrecked McTiernan's career (he has directed only one film since).

7. THE INVASION
* Release date: August 17, 2007
* Estimated cost: $80 million
* Domestic gross: $15.1 million
Nicole Kidman couldn't have started the decade any hotter, scoring with "Moulin Rouge," "The Others" and "The Hours." But after 2002, her career went cold in the U.S. ("Stepford Wives," "Bewitched," "Australia" and "The Golden Compass"); it's as if the actress was abducted by some sort of soul-draining body snatcher. But wait, isn't that what she's fighting in "The Invasion," Hollywood's latest remake of the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"? This time around, the eerie premise, based on a novel by Jack Finney, failed to catch fire. The Wachowski brothers' second unit director, James McTeigue, was called in to shoot additional scenes written by the "Matrix" whiz kids after original director Oliver Hirschbiegel was sent packing, having filmed the bulk of the movie. In an omen of things to come, Kidman suffered an on-set fender-bender during the reshoots. When the film arrived in theaters more than a year late, Kidman's regal bearing took another dent.

6. CATWOMAN
* Release date: July 23, 2004
* Estimated cost: $100 million
* Domestic gross: $40 million
It was inevitable after Michelle Pfeiffer stole scenes as Catwoman in "Batman Returns" that her black-latexed anti-heroine would get a spinoff of her own. But when the inevitable occurred in 2004, this time with Halle Berry playing the character, audiences tried hard to cover up the kitty litter. No one involved with the movie came out unscathed. Not Berry, who just two years earlier had won an Oscar for "Monster's Ball"; not Sharon Stone, who chewed up the scenery as the movie's villainess; and not Pitof, the French filmmaker making his American directorial debut. He went back to his native land and hasn't directed a theatrical feature since. The movie is another example cited by studios in their long-held contention that female superhero movies just don't work.

5. TOWN & COUNTRY
* Release date: April 27, 2001
* Estimated cost: $90 million
* Domestic gross: $6.7 million
Twenty-five years after he seduced audiences in "Shampoo," Warren Beatty decided the time was ripe for another sex comedy, albeit one with a somewhat older circle of friends. He somehow persuaded New Line, which usually concentrated on the youth market, to foot the bill. And what a bill it was: With the script still furiously going through rewrites, Peter Chelsom began shooting in June 1998; 10 months and take after take after take later, the film was still shooting. That's when co-stars like Diane Keaton and Gary Shandling had to leave to fulfill other commitments. A full year later, the whole cast regrouped to finish the shoot, which had escalated to more than twice its original $44 million price tag. The completed film was actually something of a tepid affair. Beatty dithers as a New York architect who cheats on his wife with several women; Shandling's his best pal trying to come out as gay. And then there's Charlton Heston, playing against type, as a gun nut.

4. GIGLI
* Release date: August 1, 2003
* Estimated cost: $54 million
* Domestic gross: $6.1 million
If the course of true love rarely runs smoothly, then "Gigli" is an object lesson in how rocky it can get. As the new century dawned, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- tabloid code name: Bennifer -- were the couple of the moment. With an Oscar for writing "Good Will Hunting" and starring roles in "Pearl Harbor" and "The Sum of All Fears," his movie career was in high gear; she could boast a solid-gold music resume and rom-com appeal in movies like "The Wedding Planner" and "Maid in Manhattan." Onscreen romantic sparks seemed made to order. So what went wrong? Start with that title, "Gigli," that no one was sure how to pronounce. Add lots of lovey-dovey media appearances that erased a bit of their mystique. And then there was Martin Brest's film itself: a low-rent-mobster-boy-meets-enforcer-chick tale complete with a kidnapping, severed thumbs and Al Pacino in high dudgeon. Bennifer split in 2004, just before sharing the bill in another film not too far away on the flop-o-meter, "Jersey Girl."

3. LAND OF THE LOST
* Release date: June 5, 2009
* Estimated cost: $100 million
* Domestic gross: $65 million
Producer/puppeteers Sid and Marty Kroft were masters of the weird and cheesy; their old Saturday morning TV show, "Land of the Lost," is remembered fondly by kids who grew up in the '70s. But the material experienced something of a time warp when director Brad Silbering tried to give it a hipster spin this summer with the help of Will Ferrell, playing a paleontologist who journeys to a parallel universe where he meets the Sleestaks. Normally, any movie with a rampaging Tyrannosaurus (see "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "Night at the Museum") can't miss, but "Lost" was, well, lost in translation. The movie's PG-13 rating wasn't a comfort to many families when word got around of its toilet humor. Older moviegoers weren't interested, and Kroft purists weren't amused. Over the years, Disney and Sony had both held remake rights, but ultimately this hot potato landed at Universal, where it was one of the factors that resulted in the ouster of the studio's two top executives in October.

2. BATTLEFIELD EARTH
* Release date: May 12, 2000
* Estimated cost: $75 million
* Domestic gross: $21 million
Blame it on the Thetans if you want, but John Travolta's space oddity "Battlefield Earth" virtually imploded on the launching pad. Travolta's career was enjoying a resurgence in the wake of "Pulp Fiction" when he wagered a big chunk of his newfound credibility, as well as some of his own coin, on this passion project. "Battlefield Earth" was based on a 1972 sci-fi novel by Scientology guru L. Ron Hubbard, which Travolta promised would be "like 'Star Wars,' only better." Studios shied away, but Travolta found financing from Franchise Pictures, which would later be sued by investors for overstating the movie's costs as $100 million. Originally, Travolta hoped to play the young hero who leads a rebellion against the alien race that enslaves Earth, but the film took so long to assemble he ultimately opted instead to don dreadlocks and platform shoes to play the villain, barking lines like "Execute all man-animals at will, and happy hunting!" A planned sequel, which would have covered the second half of the novel, never materialized. "Some movies run off the rails," observed Roger Ebert. "This one is like the train crash in 'The Fugitive.'"

1. THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
* Release date: August 6, 2002
* Estimated cost: $100 million
* Domestic gross: $4.4 million
Eddie Murphy is some kind of miracle. Five of his recent films lost more than $250 million, and yet he not only still gets hired but also commands his salary quote. But on the flop-o-meter, one Murphy title towers above even "Meet Dave," "Showtime" and "I Spy": Trumpets, please, for "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," whose release was delayed for 14 months. It instantly became the "Cleopatra" of our age. A sci-fi gangster comedy, complete with robot sidekick, set on the moon, "Pluto" was neither fish nor fowl -- but mostly foul. But unlike most stars who are tarnished by a mega-flop, Murphy -- who did take time off from broad comedies to redeem himself with his Oscar-nominated turn in "Dreamgirls" -- just keeps going and going and going.

Carrey's 'Christmas Carol' wraps up $31M weekend

LOS ANGELES – Jim Carrey's Scrooge collected holiday donations from movie fans with his new take on "A Christmas Carol," which took in $31 million to open as the weekend's top movie.

The Disney animated version of the Charles Dickens classic knocked the King of Pop out of the No. 1 spot as "Michael Jackson's This Is It" slipped to second place with $14 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony's "This Is It," presenting rehearsal performances Jackson shot before his death last June, raised its domestic total to $57.9 million. Worldwide, "This Is It" has taken in $186.5 million.

Featuring Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge and also as the three holiday ghosts that show Scrooge the error of his miserly ways, "A Christmas Carol" came in on the low end of Disney's expectations for opening weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, Lionsgate's acclaimed drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" had a spectacular start, pulling in $1.8 million in just 18 theaters, averaging $100,000 a cinema. That compares with an $8,418 average for "A Christmas Carol" in 3,683 theaters.

"Precious" had a record average for films opening in 10 or more theaters. Others that have averaged $100,000 or more typically debut in only a few cinemas.

The weekend brought a rush of other new movies, led by George Clooney's comedy "The Men Who Stare at Goats," which finished at No. 3 with $13.3 million. The Overture Films release is a satiric look at U.S. military efforts to create "warrior monks" who can predict the future or walk through walls.

Debuting in fourth place with $12.5 million was Universal's "The Fourth Kind," starring Milla Jovovich as a psychologist studying alien abductions in Alaska.

Cameron Diaz and James Marsden's sci-fi tale "The Box" opened at No. 6 with $7.9 million. The Warner Bros. thriller centers on a couple given a mysterious box that can provide them $1 million, but at the cost of a stranger's life.

With nearly two months of playing time through the holidays, Disney is counting on steady business for "A Christmas Carol," particularly over Thanksgiving weekend and in the buildup to Christmas itself.

"You have to play these things for the long term," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution. "You've got to have the patience and you've got to pick the right weekend. For us, the days when the malls turned to Christmas stores is when we wanted to go."

Director Robert Zemeckis shot the movie using the same performance-capture technology used on his 2004 holiday offering "The Polar Express." Carrey and his co-stars acted on a bare soundstage as digital cameras caught their performances, with computer animators later adding costumes, sets, props and other effects.

"A Christmas Carol" came in ahead of "Polar Express," which had an opening weekend of $23.5 million. But it fell well short of the $55.1 million opening for Carrey's previous holiday tale, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" in 2000.

Holiday-themed films tend to hold up well through the season, among them Disney's "The Santa Clause" comedies. After its modest start, "The Polar Express" went on to become a $160 million hit by the end of its run and has become a holiday perennial in rereleases in huge-screen IMAX theaters.

"A Christmas Carol" did three-fourths of its business in theaters showing 3-D versions. Huge-screen IMAX theaters, which represented only 5 percent of the theater count, accounted for $4.5 million, or 14.5 percent, of the movie's total gross, said Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president.

"Precious," which won the top awards at last January's Sundance Film Festival, stars newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as a Harlem teen who gradually rises above an upbringing of incest, abuse and illiteracy.

After Sundance, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry signed on as executive producers, helping to spread the word on "Precious," which has earned acclaim from critics and audiences at other film festivals. The film has Academy Awards buzz as a best-picture contender, along with Oscar prospects for Sidibe, co-star Mo'Nique and director Lee Daniels.

The movie started in only four cities — New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago. Lionsgate plans to expand it this Friday to five more — Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Dallas and Houston, then take it into wide release Nov. 20.

"A lot of movie-goers are not happy with the release plan right now, because it's not in their cities yet," said David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate. "That's always a good sign."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "A Christmas Carol," $31 million.
2. "Michael Jackson's This Is It," $14 million.
3. "The Men Who Stare at Goats," $13.3 million.
4. "The Fourth Kind," $12.5 million.
5. "Paranormal Activity," $8.6 million.
6. "The Box," $7.9 million.
7. "Couples Retreat," $6.4 million.
8. "Law Abiding Citizen," $6.2 million.
9. "Where the Wild Things Are," $4.2 million.
10. "Astro Boy," $2.6 million

Portman picky about nude scenes

Natalie Portman always thinks twice before agreeing to strip off on film - because she fears her naked image will end up on pornography websites.

The actress admits she struggled with the decision to appear nude at the start of her career, and even asked filmmakers to rewrite a scene in her 1999 movie Anywhere But Here because she felt uneasy about baring all.

She tells America's V magazine, "I was figuring out my own sexual identity, likes and dislikes and all that stuff, and it's weird to be doing stuff on film as you're figuring it out. Also being a sexual object when you're a kid is really uncomfortable. After The Professional, I was already getting creepy letters."

Portman insists she would sign up for more film roles that require her to shed her clothes - but she worries the footage will eventually hit the web.

She adds, "It's annoying because online bulls**t interferes with what I want to do artistically. I'm not opposed to sexuality or nudity in a film, but I'm very opposed to pornography sites and you're pretty much giving them material if you do any of that. It's always a big dilemma for me."

Canadian movies increase box office take: Telefilm report

Telefilm Canada's annual report contained a good news-bad news scenario, with Canadian films increasing their take at the box office but at the same time, experiencing less of a share of the total market.

The government-funded agency, which develops and promotes Canadian film and online projects, released its 2008/2009 report on Friday.

It revealed that Canadian movies raked in a total of $919.6 million at the box office compared to $857.4 million from the previous fiscal year. However, their share of the market dropped from 3.3 per cent to 2.9 per cent.

The report said the agency sought more collaborations overseas, resulting in bigger sales.

"We are placing a great deal of importance on forging alliances with foreign partners and promoting co-production activities which help to build industry capacity and ensure its long-term viability," stated Michel Roy, chair of Telefilm's board of directors.

"In terms of results for our international activities, it's worth noting that in 2008, each dollar Telefilm invested in markets generated close to $12 worth of foreign sales."

In total, the organization produced 21 films in French and 20 films in English.

Its top three earners were:

- Passchendaele ($4.4 million).
- Cruising Bar 2 ($3.5 million).
- Babine ($2.2 million).

Over in the interactive section, the news wasn't good. The report says page views slid from 5.5 million in 2007 to 4.4 million in 2008. The agency said the slide was a consequence of fewer online projects being supported this time around through its Canada New Media Fund.

Wayne Clarkson, Telefilm's executive director, pointed out that "Telefilm-supported productions received a total of 119 awards while a number of films achieved impressive commercial success."

Carrey's Scrooge rings in Hollywood holiday spirit

LOS ANGELES – Hollywood loves money. So does Ebenezer Scrooge. So what better way to launch the holiday season than putting the old money-grubber at the head of the line to separate movie-goers from their cash?

The latest version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" features Jim Carrey as Scrooge. Coming on Ebenezer's coattails will be everything from vampire romance ("The Twilight Saga: New Moon") and end-of-the-world stories ("2012," "The Road") to epic science fiction ("Avatar") and a new incarnation of the world's greatest detective ("Sherlock Holmes").

Presented in 3-D, "Disney's A Christmas Carol" is the latest from Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump"), who presents Dickens' London with the same performance-capture technology he used on "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf."

Carrey and such co-stars as Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, Colin Firth and Bob Hoskins worked on a bare soundstage, their bodies covered with sensors so digital cameras could record their performances in 360 degrees. Sets, costumes and other details were filled in later by computer animation.

The process allowed actors to take on multiple roles, with Carrey playing Scrooge and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come that teach him the meaning of the season.

While Zemeckis loves Alastair Sim's 1951 "A Christmas Carol," he said previous adaptations never captured the full impact of Dickens' surreal images. As he made "Beowulf," Zemeckis realized he now had the tools to bring "A Christmas Carol" to the screen the way he imagined it on the page.

"It was the idea of being able to actually recreate London and not have any limitations whatsoever. Anything that existed at the time we could present," Zemeckis said. "Then the idea that Jim could play Scrooge in all the different ages, and the ghosts, they could be his alter-ego, and he could play those. Everything just fell into place."

With "Sherlock Holmes," Robert Downey Jr. and director Guy Ritchie also recreate old London while reinventing Arthur Conan Doyle's brainy, monkish detective as an action hero, verbal quipster — and even a bit of a lover.

Downey's Holmes fights with fists, clubs, pistols and hammers, trades odd-couple banter with best buddy and roommate Watson (Jude Law), and shares romantic moments with the one woman (Rachel McAdams) who never got the better of him.

It was a nice change of pace for Downey after he leaped to the box-office A-list with last year's comic-book blockbuster "Iron Man."

"It was such a radical departure," Downey said. "A period piece. A very, very established kind of iconic image comes to mind when you think of Sherlock Holmes. Whereas Iron Man was a relatively unknown quote-unquote second tier superhero ... until last year."

Another series that jumped to blockbuster status last year was Hollywood's take on author Stephenie Meyer's love story between a sensitive schoolgirl (Kristen Stewart) and her immortal vampire boy toy (Robert Pattinson).

The second installment, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," is a lesson in teen heartache as Pattinson's Edward dumps Stewart's Bella, realizing the danger he represents to his human girlfriend.

The brooding Bella finds solace with a school chum (Taylor Lautner) and his werewolf gang and eventually winds up pulling Edward out of a jam.

"Edward breaks up with Bella for her own protection, but Bella believes it's because he doesn't love her any more, and she goes into a terrible depression," said "New Moon" director Chris Weitz. "In the end, there's kind of a lovely turnaround whereby Bella has to go and save Edward, having been saved by him throughout their past."

Also in the fantasy realm, James Cameron is back with his first fictional film since 1997's "Titanic" swamped Hollywood to become king of the Oscars and the biggest modern blockbuster. "Avatar" also marks Cameron's return to his science-fiction roots and a reunion with "Aliens" star Sigourney Weaver, who joins Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana among the cast of the filmmaker's 3-D epic about humans taking on the form of extraterrestrials as they explore a distant world.

"What we have on the screen right now is 150 percent of what I imagined. The other 50 percent is the part I could not have imagined without having the actors there, without working with a team of artists who come up with all these amazing, outlandish designs," Cameron said. "My job was really kind of herding the cats, getting the artists to kind of be cohesive about the aesthetic decision, so it was all one world, so it seemed like part of an evolutionary or ecological system."

Hollywood has dozens of other films, big and small, coming before year's end. Here's the lowdown on some highlights:

HUSBANDS, WIVES AND LOVERS:

"Chicago" director Rob Marshall orchestrates his latest musical with "Nine," based on the Broadway adaptation of Federico Fellini's foreign-language classic "8 1/2."

It's the story of a filmmaker (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his many, many women: His wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his mom (Sophia Loren), his film star (Nicole Kidman), his costume designer (Judi Dench), a lover from his youth (Stacy Ferguson), and a fashion journalist (Kate Hudson).

Singing in a recording studio was a new challenge for some of the cast, including Cruz.

"You feel very vulnerable, because you can't hide anything," Cruz said at this year's Cannes Film Festival. "But it was so much fun. After you are there and you start singing and everything starts to come together, if you can really be in the moment and enjoy it, it's an amazing experience."

Also in the mood for love:

"Did You Hear About the Morgans?" — A Manhattan couple (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant) in a rocky marriage find new twists in their relationship after they see a murder and are hustled into witness protection.

"It's Complicated" — A messy love triangle develops among a bakery and restaurant owner (Meryl Streep), her ex-hubby (Alec Baldwin) and an architect (Steve Martin) in the latest from director Nancy Meyers ("Something's Gotta Give").

FOXES, FROGS AND RODENTS:

Meryl Streep also joins George Clooney and Bill Murray among the voice cast of Wes Anderson's animated comedy "Fantastic Mr. Fox," the tale of a wily fox waging war with human farmers.

Anderson gave his voice actors a taste of rustic life by taking them to a real farm to record the vocals.

"It was like going to camp," Clooney said at October's London Film Festival, where "Fantastic Mr. Fox" was the opening-night movie. "We were out in the middle of nowhere on people's farms, doing sound effects and rolling around in the fields."

Also among the menagerie:

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" — The followup to the family hit about critter crooners Alvin, Simon and Theodore has the threesome finding their hearts and singing talents tested in a battle of the bands against a trio of female chipmunks.

"The Princess and the Frog" — Disney animation goes old-school as the studio releases its first hand-drawn cartoon in five years with this update of "The Frog Prince" fairy tale, set on the jazzy Louisiana bayou.

THE END OF THE WORLD:

The Mayan calendar predicted an end of days in 2012.

Director Roland Emmerich makes good on that prophecy with his latest doomsday story "2012," featuring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton and Danny Glover in a tale of a world devastated by cataclysm and struggling with a terrible quandary: Who do you choose when you can save only a fraction of humanity?

"It's like a Noah's Ark story in a way," Cusack said. "It mirrors a few of the ethical dilemmas that are posed by asking the question of who gets to go and who doesn't."

Also on the apocalypse front:

"The Road" — Author Cormac McCarthy's starkly poetic vision of doom comes to the screen in this adaptation starring Viggo Mortensen as a father on a desperate road trip across the wreckage of America, seeking some hope of a future for his young son.

INSPIRATION ON THE PLAYING FIELD:

Clint Eastwood taps "Million Dollar Baby" and "Unforgiven" co-star Morgan Freeman to play Nelson Mandela in "Invictus," a post-apartheid drama about the South African president rallying black and white behind his country's rugby team during an underdog run in the 1995 World Cup.

Matt Damon, who co-stars as the captain of South Africa's rugby squad, said Freeman was the only choice to play Mandela.

"Someone would have been keelhauled if he hadn't played that role," Damon said.

Also from the wide world of sports:

"The Blind Side" — Just in time for his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens comes this real-life drama about Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a black youth surviving on his own who gets a shot at a better life after he's adopted by a white couple (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw).

FAMILY AFFAIRS:

"Lord of the Rings" mastermind Peter Jackson turns to the homefront while keeping a foot in otherworldly realms with "The Lovely Bones," an adaptation of Alice Sebold's novel about a slain girl (Saoirse Ronan) watching over her family from heaven.

The cast includes Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci.

Jackson said he cried when he read the novel.

"If the things that I was imagining that made me cry could be put on screen, I thought this would be really amazing," Jackson said. "Because I think the book is an incredible book, but it's very personal. And I think what you get out of that book depends a lot on what experience you've had in your life and what experience of death that you've had, and losing loved ones."

Also in a family way:

"Up in the Air" — Happily living life without connections, a corporate hatchet man (George Clooney) travels the country aiming for a 10 million-mile frequent-flyer milestone only to discover that family bonds might be the greater value, after all.

"Old Dogs" — A divorced guy (Robin Williams) enlists his womanizing best buddy and business partner (John Travolta) to help care for the twin kids he never knew he had.

"Brothers" — Jim Sheridan directs this reversal-of-roles drama about siblings (Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal), one a Marine presumed dead in Afghanistan, the other a black sheep who becomes man of the house for his brother's wife (Natalie Portman).

"Everybody's Fine" — Robert De Niro co-stars with Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell in the story of a widower who sets off to reconnect with his grown kids in this remake of the Italian original from Giuseppe Tornatore.

"This Is It" tops charts with $101M worldwide

LOS ANGELES – "Michael Jackson's This Is It" pulled in $101 million worldwide in its first five days, and distributor Sony is extending the farewell performance film beyond its planned two-week run.

The film was the No. 1 Halloween thriller domestically with a $21.3 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's low-budget horror sensation "Paranormal Activity," slipped to No. 2 with $16.5 million, lifting its total to $84.8 million.

"This Is It" raised its domestic total to $32.5 million. The movie pulled in $68.5 million overseas, including $10.4 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Germany, $5.8 million in France and $3.2 million in China.

"He's just loved everywhere on the planet," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It doesn't matter if it's Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America. Every continent in the world loved him and his music."

In Great Britain, where Jackson had planned a marathon series of 50 London concerts starting last July, the movie earned $7.6 million.

"This Is It" captures Jackson in behind-the-scenes performances in the weeks before his death last June, as he rehearsed his biggest hits for the London shows.

"This Is It" originally was scheduled for a theatrical run of only two weeks. The studio has extended it a few more weeks domestically, leaving it in theaters through Thanksgiving weekend, one of the year's busiest moviegoing times.

Sony plans to extend the run of "This Is It" overseas on a country-by-country basis, with most territories probably getting one to three weeks of extra playing time, Bruer said.

The studio paid $60 million for film rights to Jackson's rehearsal footage, an investment the movie recouped in days.

"They bet $60 million on this and got $101 million in just five days," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It was a gamble and a bet that paid off."

The movie fell far short of last year's $31.1 million opening weekend domestically for "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert." But Bruer said "This Is It" has a shot at surpassing the $65.3 million domestic total during the entire run of Cyrus' movie, which tops the all-time charts for music documentaries.

Worldwide, "This Is It" already has shot past Cyrus' concert film. Cyrus mainly appeals to American teens, and her movie got only a limited release overseas, where it took in about $5 million to give the film a global total of just over $70 million.

"This Is It" played in 3,481 theaters domestically, about five times the number for Cyrus' movie. But "Best of Both Worlds" ran in 3-D, for which theaters typically charge a few dollars more.

And Cyrus' young fans are an audience segment that tends to rush out to see movies over opening weekend, the movie doing nearly half its business in the first few days.

Sony hopes for a longer shelf life for "This Is It," which drew older crowds that catch movies on their own schedule, with less regard for the opening-weekend frenzy. Fans older than 25 accounted for 62 percent of the audience, according to Sony.

While "Paranormal Activity" led Halloween's scary movies, an established horror franchise lost its fear factor as Lionsgate's "Saw VI" fell sharply in its second weekend after an anemic debut.

"Saw VI" came in at No. 5 this weekend with $5.6 million, raising its total to just $22.8 million after 10 days. Previous sequels in the serial-killer series all had topped $30 million during opening weekend alone.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com; final figures will be released Monday:

1. "Michael Jackson's This Is It," $21.3 million.
2. "Paranormal Activity," $16.5 million.
3. "Law Abiding Citizen," $7.3 million.
4. "Couples Retreat," $6.1 million.
5. "Saw VI," $5.6 million.
6. "Where the Wild Things Are," $5.1 million.
7. "The Stepfather," $3.4 million.
8. "Astro Boy," $3.04 million.
9. "Amelia," $3 million.
10. "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," $2.8 million.

Theron revs up for 'Mad Max 4'

The Mad Max franchise has a new big name star - Charlize Theron.

The Oscar-winner has signed up to appear in Mad Max: Fury Road, which will see Brit Tom Hardy taking over the role made famous by Mel Gibson.

Director George Miller will start shooting next summer in Australia, according to Daily Variety.

The film will be the first Mad Max movie in over 20 years.

It won't be Theron's only upcoming post-apocalyptic new movie - she also plays Viggo Mortensen's desperate partner in the movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

Adults lead `Wild Things' $32.5M box-office rumpus

LOS ANGELES – "Where the Wild Things Are" proved a bigger hit with adult audiences than family crowds as the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book debuted at No. 1 with $32.5 million.

Moviegoers 18 and older accounted for 43 percent of the audience, while parents with children made up 27 percent, according to distributor Warner Bros.

Overture Films earned the No. 2 spot with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler's vengeance thriller "Law Abiding Citizen," which debuted with $21.3 million.

Expanding into wider release, Paramount's low-budget horror sensation "Paranormal Activity" moved up to No. 3 with $20.2 million.

Shot for a reported $15,000, "Paranormal Activity" outdid the premiere of Sony's fright flick "The Stepfather," which cost $19 million and played in nearly four times as many theaters but managed just a No. 5 opening with $12.3 million.

The results for "Where the Wild Things Are" matched the intent of director Spike Jonze, who viewed his take as a story about a child, but not necessarily a children's movie.

During production, Jonze had clashed with Warner Bros., which had wanted a more kid-friendly film. The studio gave Jonze more time and money to finish the film and ultimately backed his vision with a huge marketing campaign for "Wild Things."

"I think all sides reached a very happy compromise, and certainly Spike delivered a movie that was so true to the book, yet it generated the emotion that we felt strongly about to bring in our family audience, as well," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner.

Jonze's adaptation features newcomer Max Records as Sendak's misbehaving young protagonist, a boy who journeys to a make-believe island of monsters torn between hugging him and eating him. The live-action and voice cast includes Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini and Forest Whitaker.

A cheap acquisition at the Slamdance Film Festival, "Paranormal Activity" came out of nowhere, riding online fan buzz to a domestic total of $33.7 million so far. The movie expanded to 760 theaters, up 600 from the previous weekend, and has plenty of room to grow.

Paramount plans to expand the movie to between 1,800 and 2,000 theaters next weekend, then widen its release even farther for Halloween. It will go head-to-head with an established horror franchise as Lionsgate opens "Saw VI" on Friday.

Shot in a raw documentary style, "Paranormal Activity" is a twist on the haunted house story as a couple tries to capture on camera the strange phenomena and apparitions afflicting them.

"Paranormal Activity" might have a shot to duplicate the success of "The Blair Witch Project," a 1999 Sundance Film Festival discovery that rode Internet buzz to a $140 million domestic total.

"When you have a movie playing this well and it has such a broad appeal, it certainly tells you that is a possible outcome," said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount. "I certainly couldn't predict it yet, but nothing with this movie has been predictable so far."

Hollywood had its strongest weekend yet this fall, with overall business at $141 million, up 41 percent from the same weekend last year.

"All the top five movies all did really well. It's kind of exciting to see the box-office get reignited and to see consumers excited about what's available," said Kyle Davies, head of distribution for Overture.

Fans had a good range of choices among horror tales, action, family fare and romantic comedy, including the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Universal's "Couples Retreat," which slipped to fourth-place with $17.9 million. "Couples Retreat" raised its 10-day total to $63.3 million.

"This is why the fall is such a great time to be not only a studio executive, but a moviegoer. It's really an eclectic mix out there. You don't get this in summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Where the Wild Things Are," $32.5 million.
2. "Law Abiding Citizen," $21.3 million.
3. "Paranormal Activity," $20.2 million.
4. "Couples Retreat," $17.9 million.
5. "The Stepfather," $12.3 million.
6. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $8.1 million.
7. "Zombieland," $7.8 million.
8. "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" in 3-D, $3 million.
9. "Surrogates," $1.92 million.
10. "The Invention of Lying," $1.9 million.

Fans feast on 'Zombieland'

LOS ANGELES - The undead were alive and well at movie theatres as Woody Harrelson's horror comedy "Zombieland" opened on top with $25 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Yet the general box office was less lively as a flurry of new wide releases did solid to ho-hum business. Overall Hollywood revenues came in at $113.4 million, down 4 per cent from the same weekend last year.

Sony scored a one-two punch with "Zombieland" and the animated family tale "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," which took in $16.7 million, slipping to second-place after two weekends at No. 1. The movie raised its domestic total to $82.4 million after three weekends.

Mixing gory action with laughs, "Zombieland" teams Harrelson with Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone as a band of humans fighting legions of undead - and taking a road trip to a supposedly zombie-free amusement park.

"What really clicked was the humour of it," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "Truly, there were points in this movie that were so funny, I thought I was going to throw up. I'm serious. It really is a blast."

Taking a big bite of the family audience with $12.5 million was a double-feature reissue of Disney's "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" in 3-D, which came in at No. 3. Playing for a limited two-week run, the double-feature sets the stage for the release of "Toy Story 3" in 3-D next year.

The Warner Bros. comedy "The Invention of Lying," with Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner, had a soft opening of $7.4 million, finishing at No. 4. Taking place in an alternate reality where everyone tells the truth, the movie stars co-director and co-writer Gervais, who plays a man that discovers how to profit by fibbing.

Fox Searchlight's roller-derby tale "Whip It" - featuring Ellen Page, Juliette Lewis and Drew Barrymore, who also directed - made a weak debut at No. 6 with $4.85 million. The movie casts "Juno" star Page as a beauty-pageant queen who shifts gears to become a roller-derby star.

Female crowds accounted for 70 per cent of the audience for "Whip It," according to Fox Searchlight parent 20th Century Fox. Audiences and critics gave the movie high marks, so the studio is hoping it has a longer shelf life than its opening weekend would indicate.

"Like the story, the movie's an underdog, and we think audiences are going to continue to discover it," said Fox distribution executive Chris Aronson.

Tied for sixth-place with $4.85 million was Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story," which expanded nationwide after a week in limited release. The Overture Films documentary, Moore's exploration of the roots of the economic meltdown, raised its total to $5.3 million.

"Capitalism" played in just 962 theatres, compared to 3,036 for "Zombieland" and about 1,700 cinemas each for "Invention of Lying," "Whip It" and the "Toy Story" movies."

This was Moore's second-best nationwide debut, behind his 2004 sensation "Fahrenheit 9/11," which had a $23.9 million opening weekend.

Overture is counting on "Capitalism" to stick around for an extended box-office run, as did "Fahrenheit 9/11" and other Moore hits such as "Sicko" and "Bowling for Columbine."

"Where most movies are a two-week story, Michael's movies play for a long time," said Kyle Davies, Overture head of distribution.

In limited release, Joel and Ethan Coen's comic drama "A Serious Man" had a big opening with $251,510 in six theatres, averaging a whopping $41,918 per cinema. That compares to an $8,235 average in 3,036 theatres for "Zombieland."

Released by Focus Features, "A Serious Man" follows the domestic and professional troubles of a physics professor in a 1960s Midwest Jewish community.

Lionsgate's basketball documentary "More Than a Game" - which explores the high school years of NBA star LeBron James - opened solidly with $196,681 in 14 theatres, averaging $14,049 a cinema.

Paramount Pictures' fright flick "Paranormal Activity" continued to do strong business, taking in $535,000 from midnight-only screenings in 33 cities. The studio plans to expand the movie to all-hours show times on Friday.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Zombieland," $25 million.
2. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $16.7 million.
3. "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" in 3-D, $12.5 million.
4. "The Invention of Lying," $7.4 million.
5. "Surrogates," $7.3 million.
6 (tie). "Capitalism: A Love Story," $4.85 million.
6 (tie). "Whip It," $4.85 million.
8. "Fame," $4.8 million.
9. "The Informant!", $3.8 million.
10. "Love Happens," $2.8 million.

'Meatballs' sticks to movie menu top with $24.6M

LOS ANGELES – Movie fans lined up for a second helping of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," which took in $24.6 million to remain No. 1 at the box office for a second straight weekend.

The Sony animated tale raised its domestic haul to $60 million after 10 days in theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" fended off Bruce Willis' action thriller "Surrogates," a Disney release that debuted at No. 2 with $15 million.

Opening in third place with $10 million was MGM's "Fame," a new take on the 1980s music and dance hit about students at a school for performing arts.

Michael Moore's documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story" opened strongly in limited release with a $240,000 weekend haul in just four theaters, raising its total to $306,586 since premiering Wednesday. The Overture Films release expands nationwide Friday.

Overall business dipped, with Hollywood's total domestic gross at $100.5 million, down 4.5 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Eagle Eye" opened at No. 1 with $29.2 million.

While it was generally quiet for new movies, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" held up strongly, its receipts dropping just 19 percent from a $30.3 million opening weekend. Revenues for many films fall 50 percent or more in their second weekends.

"We've seen that not only families but teens seem to be embracing it, as well," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "To only drop 19 percent, it's just one of those movies that's playing to everybody."

Some Hollywood analysts had expected "Surrogates" to open in first place. With a production budget reported at $80 million, the movie's $15 million weekend was a blow to Disney.

"Unfortunately, I don't think this was a great moviegoing weekend, for whatever reason," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "I'm disappointed we're not No. 1, but very happy we beat the other films we opened against."

While "Fame" opened even lower, it cost far less to produce, with a budget of just $18 million.

"Do I wish it was better? Yeah. But are we going to lose money? No," said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for "Fame" distributor MGM.

"Capitalism" opened in four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, its big weekend putting it on track to become the latest documentary hit from Moore ("Fahrenheit 9/11," "Bowling for Columbine").

With "Capitalism," Moore examines the roots of the economic meltdown, mixing interviews from people losing jobs and homes with his trademark stunts, such as wrapping crime-scene tape around Wall Street.

"People are frustrated, and I think Michael points some things out that are pretty thought-provoking and pretty eye-opening," said Kyle Davies, head of distribution for Overture. "It's timely. People want to see what's going on, but the movie's funny and entertaining at the same time. Michael's one of the unique people able to point to some topical issues and make it extremely interesting."

Here are the estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $24.6 million.
2. "Surrogates," $15 million.
3. "Fame," $10 million.
4. "The Informant!", $6.9 million.
5. "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $4.8 million.
6. "Pandorum," $4.4 million.
7. "Love Happens," $4.3 million.
8. "Jennifer's Body," $3.5 million.
9. "9," $2.8 million.
10. "Inglourious Basterds," $2.7 million.

Zellweger to wear 'Bridget' fatsuit?

Renee Zellweger won't be piling on the pounds to reprise her role as Bridget Jones - the actress is reportedly planning to don a fat suit for filming.

The petite star has signed on for a third film about the hapless diary-keeper, after the first two movies grossed more than $544 million worldwide.

But instead of embarking on a high-fat diet as she did for the 2001 and 2004 pictures, Zellweger will turn to the wardrobe department to make her appear larger.

A source tells Britain's Reveal magazine, "Renee will be wearing a fat suit in the third film as it took her a while to lose the weight last time. She's also thinking about the effect quickly putting on and then losing 30 pounds has on her body."

Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are also expected to return to the movie franchise - the upcoming film is rumoured to chart Jones' quest to have a baby in her 40s.

Sony Will Bring Machete To The Masses

When he first teased his Grindhouse spin-off movie Machete, Robert Rodriguez seemed to think it would never be anything other than a direct-to-DVD feature.

The movie has since become a reality, a much bigger reality than anyone ever really imagined. The picture’s been filming in Austin with a star-studded cast including the likes of Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, and Cheech Marin, and now it has worldwide theatrical distribution. Bottom shelf DVD this isn’t.

Variety says Sony Pictures has acquired the international distribution rights to Machete, which they’ll release through their Hyde Park Entertainment appendage. Apparently the movie is also now about a police officer. How did I miss that?

No really. For some reason I’d thought it was about a Mexican assassin but Variety says the “story centers on a former Mexican police officer who turns the tables on the masterminds who double-crossed him.” I liked this idea better when I (mistakenly) thought it was about hiring illegal immigrants as hired killers. Back your pickup to Home Depot and hire a Mexican ninja is cooler than Federale revenge. It’s also not entirely a Robert Rodriguez film. He’s co-directing again, this time with Ethan Maniquis whose only previous work was as an editor on Rodriguez’s other movies.

'Chance of Meatballs' tops weekend box-office

NEW YORK – The forecast was bright at the box-office for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," which earned $30.1 million to lead this weekend's films.

Sony's 3-D animated family comedy was adapted from the popular 1978 children's book by Judi and Ron Barrett. Despite schools being back in session, the film still was able to draw kids and their parents to the multiplexes.

"The meatballs have cleared, so to speak," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It really is a feature where everything aligned perfectly."

That's good news for other adaptations of classic children's books on the horizon, namely the much anticipated big screen version of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." The Spike Jonze directed adaptation will be released Oct. 16.

"It really does pave the way for a really strong opening for that film," said Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "It's such a beloved book that the anticipation is really high."

He added that the strength of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" showed that 3-D is proving to be a significant draw for moviegoers. The film also was released on IMAX at 127 venues, which accounted for $2.5 million, or 8 percent of its box-office.

Steven Soderbergh's "The Informant!" came in second with $10.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That was slightly better than expected for the Warner Bros. comedy, which stars Matt Damon as a bipolar whistle blower.

Last week's box-office topper, Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," saw a 57 percent drop for Lionsgate. It still earned $10 million, good enough for third place. That brought its cumulative total to $37.9 million.

Jennifer Aniston's "Love Happens" (Universal) came in fourth with $8.5 million, suggesting that audiences may be tiring of the actress in romantic comedies. It's her third film this year.

Coming in a distant fifth was "Jennifer's Body," the R-rated horror film written by Diablo Cody, the scribe of "Juno" fame. It earned just $6.8 million for 20th Century Fox. "Jennifer's Body" is viewed most significantly as a test of its star, Megan Fox, to headline a movie.

"You always hope for more, but it's a modestly budgeted film that will ultimately be profitable for us," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of domestic distribution for Fox.

Dergarabedian said the number was somewhat low for what looked like "a fan boy's dream," but said the R-rating and niche potential of "Jennifer's Body" wasn't ideal for a coming-out party for the actress.

"It may be a matter of just choosing the right projects for her," said Dergarabedian. "She's trying to find a world beyond `Transformers,' and she will. She's young and has a lot of promise."

On the whole, it was an "up" weekend for Hollywood, said Dergarabedian. The weekend's total box-office gross was approximately $100 million, which compares favorably with the $88 million that was made on the corresponding weekend last year.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," $30.1 million.
2. "The Informant!" $10.5 million.
3. "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $10 million.
4. "Love Happens," $8.5 million.
5. "Jennifer's Body," $6.8 million.
6. "9," $5.5 million.
7. "Inglourious Basterds," $3.6 million.
8. "All About Steve," $3.4 million.
9. "Sorority Row," $2.5 million.
10. "The Final Destination," $2.4 million.

Tyler Perry has good opening with 'Bad'

LOS ANGELES – Being bad is good for Tyler Perry, whose latest movie, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," opened at the top of the box office this weekend with more than $24 million.

The Lionsgate comedy stars Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") as a hard-drinking nightclub singer forced to care for her delinquent niece and nephews. Besides directing and writing the film, based on his stage play of the same name, Perry co-stars as his brash, cross-dressing alter ego, Madea.

It's Perry's second film this year to open at No. 1. In February, "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" debuted at the top spot with $41 million, which stands as the biggest opening of his eight films.

"Tyler Perry has a special way of speaking to his audience, and it's unbelievable," David Spitz, Lionsgate's executive vice president and general sales manager, said Sunday. "He always knows what his audience wants, and I never underestimate him."

Spitz said the presence of the popular Madea character, plus a cast that included Henson, Mary J. Blige, Gladys Knight and Pastor Marvin Winans, helped put the movie on top. It also had the best critical reception of all of Perry's films, with 58 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site.

Perry, who's known for his productivity, has the sequel "Why Did I Get Married Too" coming out next spring. And in a rare adaptation of someone else's work, he's preparing to go into production on a film version of the Ntozake Shange stage play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf."

Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian joked that his latest movie should have been called, "Tyler Perry's I Can Do No Wrong at the Box Office."

"Eight theatrical films, five No. 1 debuts — Lionsgate has a perpetually successful franchise in Tyler Perry," Dergarabedian said. "He is the brand. He's a very rare example of a director-writer-actor who is completely synonymous with his work and with the success of his movies."

Coming in second was the dark, animated "9" from Focus Features, which made $10.9 million this weekend, according to Sunday estimates. Since its Wednesday opening — on 9-9-09 — the movie has made about $15.3 million. The voice cast includes Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Christopher Plummer and Jennifer Connelly as hand-stitched dolls who represent the last vestige of humanity after a war between man and machine.

In what is traditionally a slow time at the box office between the summer blockbusters and the fall prestige films, two other new releases had so-so openings. The Summit Entertainment horror flick "Sorority Row" came in at No. 6 with about $5.3 million, while the Kate Beckinsale thriller "Whiteout" from Warner Bros. followed in seventh place with $5.1 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com.

1. "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself," $24.03 million.
2. "9," $10.9 million.
3. "Inglourious Basterds," $6.5 million.
4. "All About Steve," $5.8 million.
5. "The Final Destination," $5.5 million.
6. "Sorority Row," $5.3 million.
7. "Whiteout," $5.1 million.
8. "District 9," $3.6 million.
9. "Julie & Julia," $3.3 million.
10. "Gamer," $3.15 million.

The Dude in True Grit Talks

In what is shaping up as a potential “Big Lebowski” reunion, Jeff Bridges is in discussions with Paramount to star for Joel and Ethan Coen in “True Grit,” playing the role that won John Wayne an Oscar in the 1969 film.

Bridges, who last worked with the Coens when he turned in a heralded performance as Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, is in talks to play the lead role in the iconic Western that the Coens are mounting as their next project.

The picture, which also reunited the Coens with their “No Country for Old Men” producing partner Scott Rudin, has been redrafted by the Coens to be more faithful to the Charles Portis novel that the original film was based on.

In it, a 14 year old girl tags along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman to track the outlaw who killed her father. The trail leads them into hostile Indian territory. The original told the story from Cogburn’s vantage point, but the new version will work from the viewpoint of the young girl. Kim Darby played the young girl in the original, and Glen Campbell played the other lawman.

The Coens premiere “A Serious Man” at the Toronto Film Festival. Bridges most recently starred in “The Men Who Stare At Goats” and reprised in “Tron Legacy.”

Depp back for new 'Pirates' film coming in 2011

ANAHEIM, California – Avast! Disney says a new "Pirates of the Caribbean" film is on the horizon.

Johnny Depp sailed onstage Friday on a pirate ship at the Anaheim Convention Center to help announce the forthcoming installment of Disney's blockbuster film franchise. He was welcomed with a rousing standing ovation.

Depp will reprise his role as Capt. Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," slated for summer of 2011. It's the fourth in a series.

Dressed as Sparrow, Depp staggered around the stage and embraced Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook, who announced the news to about 5,000 fans on hand for the D23 Expo, Disney's answer to Comic-Con.

"Has anyone else witnessed a talking frog?" Depp's Sparrow asked the crowd, who had been treated to a performance by the Muppets moments earlier. "Where has the frog gone?"

Cook noted that it was likely time for some rum.

"Sounds good!" Sparrow predictably replied.

In his presentation of upcoming Disney films, Cook also announced that Depp would play Tonto in an upcoming big-screen adaptation of "The Lone Ranger."
The first all-things-Disney convention runs through Sunday.

Timothy Dalton Is In Toy Story 3!

Just when you thought that Toy Story 3 couldn’t get any more exciting: enter Timothy Dalton!

The former 007, Hot Fuzz star and all-round nice guy, will be lending his voice to the Disney/Pixar threequel, Disney president John Lasseter announced today at a London-based Disney Animation Showcase.

Dalton will voice Mr. Pricklepants, a hedgehog toy with thespian tendencies. How he fits into the story, we’re not sure (could he be the story’s villain?), but if Dalton is allowed to keep his accent, he will be the first Brit to grace the Toy Story franchise, unless you count Andi Peters’ cameo in Toy Story 2. But we don’t. We really, really don’t. And neither should you.

Lasseter also gave us a sneak peek at a sequence from the film and the as-yet unreleased trailer. The clip showed Andy packing from college, and emptying all his toys into a black bin bag for storage in the attic. He hesitates over Woody and Buzz, finally putting Woody in the box of things to take for college. But all the toys are panicked - especially Woody, who's worried for his friends. When Andy is distracted by his little sister and leaves the garbage bag on the landing instead of upstairs in the attic, his mother takes it out to the kerb - and a frantic Woody has to save his friends from a rapidly approaching bin lorry.

We also saw the as-yet unreleased trailer, which showed bits of the same scene, but developed the story. Clearly the toys end up being sent to a daycare centre, where they are horribly abused by the little kids - and after that it's time for a break-out attempt to find a safe haven, and hopefully a new owner, in a cruel world. It looks every bit as good as its titanic predecessors.

Rambo 5 Details Revealed By Rambo

After the unexpected success of Rambo, it’s likely that Sylvester Stallone will release Rambo movies until his dying days. Why wouldn’t he? How old is that dude now? Like 76? And he was able to successfully act in, write and direct an action movie? I would do that until I was 105 if I were him. But I’m not.

Now details for Rambo 5 are starting to come out, and they’re straight from Sly’s mouth. As reported by AICN, who got an exclusive interview with Stallone, the movie will take place in the Pacific Northwest, where experiments are being done on soldiers in an effort to tap into man’s inherent “savagery” and create “killer soldiers.” As one can expect, things don’t go entirely well with the experiments, so Rambo is brought in to clean up the government’s mess. But can Rambo take on someone even deadlier than Rambo?

Sure, it isn’t all that creative, but the thought of Rambo hunting down the perfect human killer is completely intriguing. As with all Rambo movies, I’m sure both men (or maybe it will be GASP a woman!) will end up in torn up rags, bandanas and dirty faces, but no one watches a Rambo movie for the plot, character development and direction. You watch them to see people get blown up.

'Final Destination' sustains fear factor with $12M

LOS ANGELES – Fear has trumped romance at the box office over Labor Day weekend.

The Warner Bros. fright flick "The Final Destination" remained the No. 1 movie for the second-straight weekend with $12.4 million for the first three days of the long holiday weekend. "The Final Destination" raised its 10-day total to $47.6 million.

It came in ahead of Sandra Bullock's romantic comedy "All About Steve," a 20th Century Fox release which debuted in second-place with $11.2 million from Friday to Sunday. Bullock plays a woman who sets out on the road in pursuit of her soul mate.

Among other new movies, Lionsgate's action tale "Gamer" debuted at No. 4 with $9 million. The movie stars Gerard Butler in a thriller about real humans controlled by players in lethal games.

Opening at No. 10 with $4.2 million was Miramax's comedy "Extract," starring Jason Bateman as a businessman whose personal life heats up just as he's trying to sell his flavor-extract company to General Mills.

Studios will release estimates for the four-day weekend on Monday.

Marvel Exploring Converting Iron Man 2 to 3D

Iron Man has taken flight in 3D. At least he has in a 1-minute demo reel which is said to be "hot" stuff and triggering all sorts of crazy ideas at Marvel, Paramount and now Disney.

Ain't It Cool News broke the news claiming 1 minute from Jon Favreau's Iron Man 2 was recently converted to high quality digital 3D. Everyone who has seen this clip is so enamored by it that Marvel is soliciting bids from three companies to covert not only all of Iron Man 2 into 3D, but the first Iron Man for a spring 2010 re-release as well.

The conversion process utilized would be identical to how Disney is handling Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The big difference is that film was created with 3D not only in mind but built into the budget. Turning Iron Man 2 into 3D will pile onto what is already probably a budget well north of $100 million.

Of course Iron Man 2 will gobble up mounds of cash next summer so it will be up to the studios to decide whether the investment is worth the up-charge on a ticket to a 3D movie. Now that 2009 has delivered several 3D films that outperformed their 2D counterparts, cinema's future is looking more and more three-dimensional whether filmmakers intend so or not.

Movie sequels lift summer box office to new record

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Summer box office sales narrowly hit a new record in North America -- with a little help from an angry memo written by "Transformers" director Michael Bay.

The filmmaker in May accused Paramount Pictures executives of fumbling the marketing campaign for his June 24 release "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

"Right now we are not an event. We are just a sequel, which is very different," he wrote in the missive that was leaked to the media.

Fortunately for both parties -- if not for the overwhelming majority of critics who eviscerated the big-bang spectacle -- Paramount's marketing plan kicked into high gear and the movie became the top draw at the summer box office in North America.

The movie grossed $399 million in the United States and Canada, well ahead of the No. 2 choice Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" with $294 million.

When overseas sales are included, the rankings are reversed. "Harry Potter" earned $905 million worldwide, and "Transformers" $828 million.

The two franchise pictures helped the summer moviegoing season reach another record -- barely.

North American ticket sales totaled $4.18 billion for all films from May 1 through September 2, according to tracking firm Rentrak Corp. This represents a 0.01 percent rise from the year-ago haul of $4.14 billion.

"Even in a tight economy, consumers seeking a great entertainment value continued to flock to movie theaters to see blockbusters across action, comedy, drama and family-friendly genres," said Ron Giambra, Rentrak's executive vice-president of Theatrical Worldwide.

Summer is the most lucrative season for the studios, with ticket sales accounting for as much as 40 percent of annual theatrical income. With their target audience of young males in mind, they unleash costly "popcorn" pictures loaded with explosions and special effects.

The top five was rounded out by the Pixar cartoon "Up" ($290 million), the surprise Warner Bros. bawdy hit "The Hangover" ($270 million) and Paramount's "Star Trek" reboot ($257 million).

That's not to say other demographic groups were completely ignored.

Counterprogramming efforts such as "The Ugly Truth" ($86 million) and the early Oscar bait "Julie & Julia" ($71 million and counting), both from Columbia Pictures, scored with female audiences. Sandra Bullock enjoyed the biggest movie of her career (before adjusting for inflation) with Disney's "The Proposal" ($160 million), the No. 9 movie of the summer.

At the other end of the scale, notable bombs included Paramount's Eddie Murphy comedy "Imagine That" -- a $55 million project that grossed $16 million.

Universal struck out with such disappointments as the costly Johnny Depp gangster drama "Public Enemies," which grossed $97 million, Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" ($60 million), and Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost" and director Judd Apatow's "Funny People" with about $50 million each.

Universal, a General Electric Co unit, lags the six major studios in market share so far this year, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros, leading in No. 1 openings this year, rules the pack with 20.6 percent, followed by Viacom Inc's Paramount (18 percent), News Corp's 20th Century Fox (12.5 percent), Walt Disney Co (12.1 percent), Sony Corp's Columbia (11.9 percent) and Universal (9 percent).

Fox Re-Boots Marvel's Fantastic Four

Some have questioned whether Disney overpaid when it bought Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. After all, its best known Marvel Comics superhero franchises are parked at other studios, and Universal's Islands of Adventure is as dominated by Marvel attractions as it is Dr. Seuss.

But one thing to remember about Marvel assets is, they don't seem to wear out. We're about to see the second example where successful Marvel movie franchises are going to be reinvented.

20th Century Fox is the latest studio to start the process of overhauling one of its big Marvel Entertainment franchises, “Fantastic Four,” which has already hatched two films. The studio has hired Akiva Goldsman to oversee the re-boot as producer.

New script will be written by Michael Green, the “Heroes” co-executive producer who co-wrote “Green Lantern,” the Martin Campbell-directed Warner Bros. film that will star Ryan Reynolds.

Fox would not comment on its plans, and neither would Columbia Pictures when BFD revealed a couple weeks its plan to potentially re-boot the studio's most valuable franchise, "Spider-Man."

With “Spider-Man 4” moving toward an early 2010 production start, the studio recently hired James Vanderbilt to write a fifth and sixth installment of the web-slinger franchise, with the understanding that one or both could give that franchise a makeover with a new director and cast (Daily Variety, Aug. 16, 2009). Whether director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire return or not, Sony smartly has given itself the chance to shorten the gap between its superhero installments.

And with state-of-the-art visual effects on superhero franchises pushing these pictures toward the $250 million-$300 million range, reshuffling the creative cast gives the studio a chance to save money, since actors and directors usually have a pre-negotiated option or two before the studio is held over a barrell by talent and their reps.

Marvel Studios has eliminated that problem by making talent sign as many as nine options, which was the case with the supporting cast of "Iron Man 2."

The 2005 “Fantastic Four” and 2007 sequel “Rise of the Silver Surfer” were directed by Tim Story, and starred Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis. Since the deals are just getting made, it is unclear at present if any of them will return.

Though Marvel Entertainment owns and finances properties like “Iron Man” and “Thor,” Fox controls “Fantastic Four” in perpetuity—as long as it continues making the films. Fox has the same arrangement on Marvel Comics properties “X-Men,” “Daredevil,” and “Silver Surfer” --which, despite an appearance in the "Fantastic Four" sequel, is still a Fox priority for a solo film.

Marvel is a producer and financial participant through a licensing agreement signed before Marvel franchises had the drawing power they have now. In fact, the original deal was made back when Marvel was struggling to pull itself out of bankruptcy in 1997.

Fox has been extraordarily effective in mining its Marvel franchises. The studio made three “X-Men” films, and then a hit summer spinoff in “Wolverine.” Fox is working on a sequel to that film, and has scripts for “X-Men Origins: Magneto," and “X-Men Origins: First Class," the latter of which could bring original "X-Men" helmer Bryan Singer back to the fold. Potential spinoffs for the Gambit and Deadpool characters seen in "Wolverine" have also been discussed.

As producer, Goldsman is involved with several DC Comics transfers, including “Jonah Hex,” “The Losers” and “Teen Titans.” He was also producer on the Will Smith-Charlize Theron-superhero film “Hancock,” a film that has a sequel in development.

Rambo 5 gets the green light

The punch-drunk Rocky may have finally wobbled into the sunset, but it seems Sylvester Stallone isn't quite ready to send his second-most famous character out to pasture.

A fifth Rambo movie has officially been given the go-ahead, Variety reports. The storyline this time has John Rambo "fighting his way through human traffickers and drug lords to rescue a young girl abducted near the U.S.-Mexico border."

Though the self-titled fourth film in the series, released last year, grossed a relatively modest $42 million in the U.S. and Canada, its overseas take was considerably higher. Variety pegs it at $113 million, though BoxOffice.com says that figure represents the film's total worldwide gross, including $70 million overseas.

Stallone, who turned 63 in July, can at least be credited with keeping the movies' settings timely, if not downright prescient. Last year's entry was set in war-torn Burma. The preceding film in the series, released in 1988, took place in Afghanistan.

Regardless of the setting, Stallone will have a tough time ratcheting up the series' escalating kill count. In figures collated by the movie website FirstShowing.net, that statistic has risen from 1 in the first movie to 69, 132 and a 236 in last year's entry. That works out to 2.59 kills per minute (3.04 if you don't count the time taken up by the end credits).

The number of sex scenes in each film, meanwhile, has remained constant: 0.

Rambo No. 5 is scheduled to start shooting next spring. The Internet Movie Database reports that Mickey Rourke is rumoured as Stallone's co-star. It gives a projected release date of 2011.

Before that, Stallone will show up as star, writer and director of The Expendables, whose cast includes Rourke, Jason Statham and Jet Li, as well as a veritable who's who of '80s genre stars: Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts and Steve "Stone Cold" Austin. Those luminaries portray a band of mercenaries trying to overthrow a dictator in South America. It hits theatres April 23.

'Final Destination' arrives at No. 1 with $28.3M

LOS ANGELES – Movie fans have made fear their top destination at the weekend box office.

The horror tale "The Final Destination" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $28.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Warner Bros. sequel is the latest installment in the franchise about people stalked by death after a premonition saves them from their destined demise.

"Final Destination" took over the top spot from Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt's World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds," which slipped to second place with $20 million. The Weinstein Co. release raised its total to $73.8 million after 10 days in theaters.

Weinstein also had the No. 3 slot with the horror flick "Halloween II," which opened with $17.4 million. The movie is Rob Zombie's sequel to his update of the slasher franchise about crazed killer Michael Myers.

It's unusual for two horror movies to open over the same weekend. While "Final Destination" and "Halloween II" competed for the same audience, both managed solid receipts.

"They got their $17 million, we got our $28 million. That's a lot of business all around," said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for Warner Bros.

"Final Destination" continued Hollywood's streak of 3-D successes. The 3-D component accounted for 70 percent of the movie's revenues, even though only 54 percent of the 3,121 theaters where it played offered the movie in 3D.

The Weinstein Co. plans to release "Halloween 3" in 3-D next summer, said Bob Weinstein, who co-founded the company with brother Harvey. While Zombie will not be back to direct, the next sequel will pick up from his story and give a new twist on slasher Myers, Weinstein said.

"Halloween II" did far less business than Zombie's "Halloween," which opened at No. 1 with $30.6 million two years ago. But Weinstein noted that the sequel took in more than its $15 million production budget over opening weekend.

"It's like hitting a single or a double," Weinstein said. "There are going to be bigger ones like 'Inglourious Basterds,' but for the Weinstein Co., we don't mind having two or three of these a year."

The weekend's other new wide release, Focus Features' music romp "Taking Woodstock," opened a weak No. 9 with $3.7 million. Directed by Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Brokeback Mountain"), "Taking Woodstock" is a nostalgic look behind the scenes at the mammoth 1969 rock concert.

Though Hollywood's summer season historically does not end until Labor Day, the holiday comes late this year, adding an extra week to the movie schedule and skewing comparisons to past summers.

Hollywood.com box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian is using this Monday to mark the end of the season, since this weekend corresponded to Labor Day weekend last year. Dergarabedian estimated that through Monday, Hollywood will have taken in $4.26 billion, 1.5 percent ahead of the revenue record the industry set in summer 2008.

While receipts ran at an all-time high, attendance was off 2.2 percent compared with last summer factoring in this year's higher ticket prices, he said.
Revenues had lagged compared to last year's because of a midsummer skid, but Hollywood finished with an unusually strong lineup in August, typically a quiet time at the box office.

"August gave us the record," Dergarabedian said. "Virtually every summer crosses the finish line with a whimper. This year, we crossed with a bang."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Final Destination," $28.3 million.
2. "Inglourious Basterds," $20 million.
3. "Halloween II," $17.4 million.
4. "District 9," $10.7 million.
5. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $8 million.
6. "Julie & Julia," $7.4 million.
7. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $6.7 million.
8. "Shorts," $4.9 million.
9. "Taking Woodstock," $3.7 million.
10. "G-Force," $2.8 million.

Aykroyd hopeful about 'Ghostbusters 3'

TORONTO - Dan Aykroyd says that seeing this year's "Star Trek" reboot has convinced him that a renewed "Ghostbusters" franchise could also live long and prosper.

But Aykroyd warns that until he has a script for "Ghostbusters 3" in his hands, nothing about the sequel is certain.

"I think this last 'Star Trek' was great, they did a really fine job of revivifying those characters," Aykroyd told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview from his farm in Kingston, Ont.

"I'd like to see the torch get passed in sort of a 'Star Trek' manner so that the franchise lives on."

Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky - scribes for NBC's "The Office" - have signed on to write "Ghostbusters 3." Aykroyd has said that he and other members of the original cast - including Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson - are on board to reprise their roles.

But Aykroyd still sounds cautious about the prospect of another film.

"As ('Ghostbusters' director) Ivan Reitman says - and I quote him now - 'It's all just talk,"' Aykroyd said.

"That's pretty much what we can say. Until we can see a script, until we have casting, until we've got a production number," he added before trailing off. "I'm the biggest cheerleader. I think it's going to happen, but really it's just theory until the production number is stamped."

If the film does get made, Aykroyd figures it's time to crown a new generation of Ghostbusters.

"The old generation of Ghostbusters, we're getting hip replacements now, we can't lift the equipment anymore, the eyesight's fading, we can't drive the car, there's so many things that are just physically breaking down," he said.

"We need a whole new cadre of cadets to get us through to a new generation."

Given Aykroyd's unwavering passion for the franchise, he's just as anxious about a sequel as the series' ardent fans.

The idea for the first film - which was released in 1984 and went on to fetch a North American gross of almost $240 million - grew from Aykroyd's own fascination with the paranormal, which he inherited from his family.

His great grandfather was a dentist and also an "Edwardian spiritualist." Aykroyd's father is preparing to release a book called "A History of Ghosts," which tracks the development of spiritualism from the mid-19th century.

Aykroyd wrote his own treatment of a third "Ghostbusters" movie in the 1990s - it centred on a "Ghostbusters in hell" motif, where there was an alternative version of Manhattan full of demons and ghouls - and Ramis has given him credit in interviews for keeping the flame for the franchise alive.

"I'm sitting right in the farmhouse right now hoping to get that first draft and I will sit down and go through it, but it all really came from my family so I originate it, and I will continue to be the chief cheerleader on it," Aykroyd said.

Melanie Laurent: All the hoopla hardly fazes French star

NEW YORK — Most folks would get starstruck around Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Not Mélanie Laurent, Pitt's French co-star in the war flick Inglourious Basterds.

Being on the red carpet at the film's premiere with the couple was "completely crazy," concedes the slightly standoffish actress. "But you don't feel like, 'Oh my God.' Everybody is crazy, hysterical, but it's not real. You just have fun. They are so cool. They always say to me, 'Hi, you look great.' "

She's also doing pretty great. In Basterds, Laurent, 26, plays one of the film's pivotal roles. She's the young Jewish girl Shosanna, who witnesses the massacre of her family by Nazis and flees to Paris, where she runs a cinema and develops her own revenge plan.

"I'm very close to her," Laurent says of her character. "You need to be strong to do that job, to have an actor's life. And you need to be fragile. I'm a little bit French and rebel sometimes, a little bit like Shosanna, and I'm Jewish."

Basterds might be the first time domestic viewers see Laurent, but she's an established actress and director in her native France. She directed 2008's De moins en moins, which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, and in 2006, Laurent won the most promising actress César, France's version of the Oscar, for her film Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas (Don't Worry, I'm Fine). And she's been acting since 1999's Un pont entre deux rives (The Bridge), where she starred opposite Gérard Depardieu.

So the hoopla surrounding a starring turn in a splashy war drama, directed by Quentin Tarantino and co-starring Pitt, leaves her a little flummoxed. She says she has no intention of making Hollywood movies just to be famous, or generate quick cash.

"It's not that I do not care. I have amazing parts in France. The dream was just to make a movie with Tarantino," she says.

The experience, Laurent says, was "so beautiful. Shosanna was a great part and very important. I was stressed out for the first meeting, and Quentin told me he was more stressed out than me. He's been looking for his Shosanna for eight years. She's so typically Tarantino's heroine. She's strong and fragile at the same time. She wants to kill Hitler. She's my favorite woman in the world."

Back home in Paris, Laurent is a workaholic. "Holiday? Is like, what? I'm a hyperactive girl, so it may be boring for me to be on the beach doing nothing. I just need to find a place for three weeks and work but sleep in the morning, maybe write a little bit, have a glass of red wine," the single actress says. "That's my perfect holiday. But it's not in my plan right now."

She's recording and producing a rock music CD. Plus, she plans to complete another screenplay in September but doesn't reveal the title. In the future, "I want to direct again. The perfect life would to be have an amazing part every year and to spend all my free time to just write," she says.

Surely, she has down time for something fun? "I'm dreaming of a day off, with my friend, shopping for my apartment. I just need to have time to buy little details. Oh, and my cat is here. Do you remember me, baby? He doesn't want to talk to me again."

Pitt calls Cruise film 'ridiculous'

Brad Pitt has declared battle against Tom Cruise for the title of best World War II movie - branding the Hollywood actor's recent film Valkyrie "ridiculous".

Pitt teamed up with director Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, which was released this month - less than a year after Cruise's 2008 drama about a plot to kill Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

However, the actor insists his portrayal of Nazi hunter Aldo Raine in Tarantino's violent film is no comparison to his rival Cruise's character.

He tells German magazine Stern, "The second World War could still deliver more stories and films, but I believe that Quentin put a cover on that pot. With Basterds, everything than can be said to this genre has been said. The film destroys every symbol. The work is done, end of story... (Valkyrie) was a ridiculous movie."

Pitt, Tarantino's 'Basterds' earns glorious $37.6M

LOS ANGELES – The war effort by Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt has paid off as their history lesson "Inglourious Basterds" claimed victory at the box office with a $37.6 million debut.

It was Tarantino's best opening ever, exceeding the $25.1 million haul for 2004's "Kill Bill — Vol. 2." Overseas, "Inglourious Basterds" added $27.5 million in 22 countries, giving it a worldwide total of $65.1 million.

Released domestically by the Weinstein Co. and overseas by Universal, "Inglourious Basterds" features Pitt and an international ensemble in a sprawling tale of Jewish commandos and a plot to take out Nazi leaders at a movie premiere during World War II.

The film provided a much-needed hit for Harvey and Bob Weinstein, who have managed only lackluster receipts at their new outfit since departing Disney-owned Miramax four years ago.

At Miramax, the Weinsteins balanced prestige and profit with a string of Academy Awards triumphs such as "Shakespeare in Love" and "Chicago" and hits such as Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" and the "Scary Movie" and "Scream" franchises.

"Tarantino helped build the house of Miramax. He's proving right now that he's helping to build the house of Weinstein," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

So far, the Weinstein Co. has been unable to reproduce that Miramax success, its lineup burdened by box-office underachievers such as last year's "Soul Men" and 2007's "Grindhouse," Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's B-movie double-feature.

Harvey Weinstein said critics continually write off him and his brother, including a magazine piece in 2002 "saying we were the flavor of the '90s but we were kind of over in the new millennium."

Weeks later, he noted, Miramax scored 40 Oscar nominations, among them three of the five best-picture nominees, including eventual winner "Chicago."
Weinstein said his new company has a strong lineup ahead, including next weekend's horror sequel "Halloween II" along with "Chicago" director Rob Marshall's musical "Nine" and the post-apocalypse saga "The Road" late in the year.

Rodriguez, Tarantino's "Grindhouse" partner, did not fare so well with "Shorts," his Warner Bros. family comedy that debuted at No. 6 with just $6.6 million. The movie features William H. Macy, James Spader, Leslie Mann and a cast of kids in a series of loosely linked adventures centered on a magic rock that grants wishes.

Fox Atomic's comedy "Post Grad," with Alexis Bledel as a college graduate who moves back home with her eccentric family after she's unable to land her dream job, tanked with $2.8 million, coming in at No. 10.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's sci-fi thriller "District 9," slipped to second-place with $18.9 million. With a domestic total of $73.5 million, the movie is on its way to becoming a $100 million sleeper hit.

Hollywood's revenues were up for the third-straight weekend, a late-season surge that has helped the industry recover from a monthlong slide in receipts. Overall ticket sales were $134 million, up 27 percent compared to the same weekend last year.

The weekend put Hollywood back on track to break last summer's revenue record of $4.2 billion, though receipts this season are up only a fraction.

Factoring in higher ticket prices this year, movie attendance is running 3 percent below last summer's, according to Hollywood.com.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Inglourious Basterds," $37.6 million.
2. "District 9," $18.9 million.
3. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $12.5 million.
4. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $10 million.
5. "Julie & Julia," $9 million.
6. "Shorts," $6.6 million.
7. "G-Force," $4.2 million.
8. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $3.5 million.
9. "The Ugly Truth," $2.9 million.
10. "Post Grad," $2.8 million.

Paramount bumps `Shutter Island' to February

LOS ANGELES – Paramount Pictures has moved Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" from an October release date to February, which takes it out of awards consideration for this year.

Studio chairman Brad Grey said Friday that the scheduling change was a financial decision.

The thriller marks the latest pairing of Scorsese and star Leonardo DiCaprio, following "Gangs of New York," "The Aviator" and Scorsese's Oscar-winning "The Departed." It also stars Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley and Michelle Williams.

Based on a novel by "Mystic River" author Dennis Lehane, "Shutter Island" follows the investigation into the disappearance of murderess from a mental institution.

'District 9' lifts off with No. 1 weekend at $37M

LOS ANGELES – The first-time director and cast of unknowns of the acclaimed sci-fi thriller "District 9" have given Hollywood a late-summer box-office boost.

The Sony release produced by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson led the weekend with a $37 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"District 9" is the debut feature from commercial and music-video director Neill Blomkamp, who co-wrote the tale about extraterrestrials forced by humans to live in squalor in a ghetto in South Africa.

The movie built audience interest with a clever marketing campaign playing up the theme of prejudice against aliens, including posters instructing citizens to report non-humans and ads on bus benches stating that the seats are for humans only.

"Everybody was like, 'What is this?' There was a big question mark in people's minds," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It did really pique their interest and drove them to the Internet and elsewhere to discover what's going on."

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," slipped to second place with $22.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $98.8 million.

Another sci-fi tale, the Warner Bros. romance "The Time Traveler's Wife" starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, opened a solid No. 3 with $19.2 million. The film joined the previous weekend's "Julie & Julia" as a choice for women, with females accounting for 76 percent of its audience.

"District 9" and "Time Traveler's Wife" led a wave of five new wide releases for mid-August, when Hollywood's summer output normally is petering out. The rush continues next weekend with another surge of new releases, led by Quentin Tarantino's World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds."

"It's getting very crowded, and it's these films that want to compete in the summer time frame but can't compete in the sweet spot of summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Opening 'District 9' against 'Star Trek,' that would not be a good strategy. But to release it now makes sense. August is the month of opportunity for films that in other months of summer would get slaughtered."

The weekend's other debuts: Paramount Vantage's used-car comedy "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," opening at No. 6 with $5.4 million; Disney's animated adventure "Ponyo" from animation master Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away"), coming in at No. 9 with $3.5 million; and Summit Entertainment's teen rock 'n' roll tale "Bandslam," which tanked at No. 13 with just $2.3 million despite a cast that includes Vanessa Hudgens of "High School Musical."

It was Hollywood's second weekend in a row of rising revenues after a monthlong slide compared with summer 2008, when the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" was smashing box-office records.

Overall receipts came in at $142 million, up 14 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Tropic Thunder" debuted at No. 1 with $25.8 million.

Revenues since the summer season opened the first weekend of May are at $3.77 billion, just a fraction below where Hollywood was last summer, according to Hollywood.com.

Factoring in higher ticket prices, admissions are off 4 percent compared to summer 2008, though movie attendance remains strong given how "The Dark Knight" dominated a year ago. The biggest blockbuster since "Titanic," "The Dark Knight" topped out with a domestic haul of $531 million.

"Considering we had a movie of that magnitude in the mix, I think this summer has held up very well for itself," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight."

Here are the estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "District 9," $37 million.
2. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $22.5 million.
3. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $19.2 million.
4. "Julie & Julia," $12.4 million.
5. "G-Force," $6.9 million.
6. "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," $5.4 million.
7. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $5.2 million.
8. "The Ugly Truth," $4.5 million.
9. "Ponyo," $3.5 million.
10. "500 Days of Summer," $3 million.

Myers plays it straight in 'Basterds'

TORONTO - It's not the role you might expect Canadian actor Mike Myers to play.

Myers, perhaps best-known for his work in comedies like "Austin Powers" and "Wayne's World," plays a general in the new war movie, "Inglourious Basterds."

Director Quentin Tarantino was in Toronto Wednesday night for the Canadian premiere of the film and said Myers was a great fit for the part.

"He's a big fan of mine and he just let it be known that he's a fan and if there was something in the movie that would be proper for him, he would love to do it," Tarantino said, adding that Myers is a huge Second World War buff and has always wanted to play an older British general.

"It was a perfect storm for getting Mike Myers, a perfect storm for a yes."

"Inglourious Basterds" also stars Brad Pitt and Eli Roth and is scheduled for wide release on Aug. 21st.

John Hughes doc finds distributor

Until a few days ago, "Don't You Forget About Me" was just another Canuck feature documentary with no distributor and an uncertain future.
But that changed Thursday, with the death of its subject -- John Hughes.

When Toronto helmer Matt Austin-Sadowski woke up Friday morning, the first email in his inbox was from CNN requesting an interview. By noon, world rights to the low-budget doc had been snapped up by Alliance Films of Montreal with a U.S. deal in the offing.

The doc looks at the life and work of the filmmaker behind teen hits "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles."
But "Don't You Forget About Me" -- a nod to the Simple Minds pop song featured in "The Breakfast Club" -- is hardly a standard biopic.

Rather it's a 75-minute, "Roger and Me"-like road trip in which Austin-Sadowski and his producers Kari Hollend, Mike Facciolo and Lenny Panzer head to suburban Illinois in their van to try to find the reclusive Hughes.

It was made without public funding, something extremely rare in Canadian cinema.

Austin-Sadowski, an actor best known for his role in the "Power Rangers: S.P.D." TV series, is thrilled his film is getting so much attention, but it's a bittersweet feeling given it took Hughes' death to spark the interest.

Austin-Sadowski, 31, said Hughes' films had a huge impact on him when he was in high school.

"He inspired me as a person, going through an awkward adolescence, as many people do," Austin-Sadowski said. "He took affairs of the heart very seriously, and no other director gave teenagers that sort of treatment at that time."

Thesps interviewed in the doc include Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Mia Sara, Kelly LeBrock and Andrew McCarthy. Molly Ringwald, perhaps the actress most associated with Hughes' hits, refused to take part in the project.

Austin-Sadowski said he hopes the buzz translates into renewed interest in Hughes' films. "That's what's important to us. It's not the deal. It's not more exposure for us."

'G.I. Joe' commands box office with $56.2M debut

LOS ANGELES – G.I. Joe is the latest toy to invade Hollywood and plant its blockbuster flag.

Inspired by the Hasbro action figure, Paramount's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" took command of the weekend box office with a $56.2 million debut domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday. "G.I. Joe" also took in $44.3 million overseas for a worldwide total of $100.5 million.

Meryl Streep's Julia Child tale "Julie & Julia" opened a solid No. 2 as an alternative for adult crowds with $20.1 million. While "G.I. Joe" was the first choice for young males, women 35 and older were the main audience for "Julie & Julia."

"G.I. Joe" follows Paramount's "Transformers" franchise as the latest toy story to find success on the big screen.

Harsh reviews for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" earlier this summer prompted Paramount to skip critic screenings for "G.I. Joe" and put the movie in theaters sight-unseen by most reviewers.

Critics generally trashed the "Transformers" sequel, yet it had a colossal opening and is on its way to joining the handful of movies to top $400 million domestically. Based on that disparity between critical and commercial reaction, the studio decided it could do without reviews for "G.I. Joe."

"The thing we saw from 'Transformers' is that with these kind of movies, at times critics have a hard time getting their arms around them," said Rob Moore, Paramount vice chairman. "But the audience got exactly what it was. A fun summer movie, a great way to end your summer. You just relax and have a good time. You don't have to worry about global politics or global warming."

Critics who went to see "G.I. Joe" after it opened gave it mixed reviews at best, with many branding it mindless action but some finding it fun and entertaining.

The weekend's other new wide release, Universal's slasher thriller "A Perfect Getaway" with Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich, opened weakly at No. 7 with $5.8 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen's "Funny People," tumbled to No. 5 with $7.9 million, down a whopping 65 percent from its opening weekend. The Universal release has taken in $40.4 million so far.

"G.I. Joe" pulled Hollywood out of a monthlong box-office swoon compared with last summer. The overall box office came in at $147 million, up 22 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" still was the No. 1 flick after four weeks in release.

"'Joe' kind of saved the day," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "We needed a box-office hero to turn things around, and we certainly got it."

But summer revenues continue to lag behind last year's, with receipts this season down about 1 percent.

"G.I. Joe" features Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a globe-trotting adventure about an elite military unit taking on a corrupt arms dealer.

While the G.I. Joe action figures started out as all-American heroes, the movie expands their story to include an international team of good guys to capitalize on overseas box office, which nowadays can equal or exceed domestic receipts for Hollywood movies.

"One of the best markets on the movie was Russia," Moore said. "How far G.I. Joe has come. He was incredibly popular in Russia."

"Julie & Julia" casts Streep as celebrated chef Child and Amy Adams as a woman trying to revitalize her own life by cooking every recipe in Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Sony opened it opposite "G.I. Joe" to give adults a fresh option after a summer of action adventures, family flicks and comedies.

"We felt the audience we were going to start with was going to be very hungry by this point," said Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution. "It's a really fun movie with heart and humor and good food."

Child was also a hit on Amazon.com this weekend. "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was the Web site's top seller Sunday, while Child's memoir "My Life in France" was No. 9.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $56.2 million.
2. "Julie & Julia," $20.1 million.
3. "G-Force," $9.8 million.
4. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $8.9 million.
5. "Funny People," $7.9 million.
6. "The Ugly Truth," $7 million.
7. "A Perfect Getaway," $5.8 million.
8. "Aliens in the Attic," $4 million.
9. "Orphan," $3.73 million.
10. "500 Days of Summer," $3.7 million.

"G.I. Joe" set to storm weekend box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Get ready for a slew of military metaphors in box office reports this weekend.

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," the first pure action release in several weeks, will open at No. 1, unencumbered by a single mainstream review.

In an unusual gambit generally reserved for obvious stinkers, Paramount decided that critics likely would bash the film and perhaps dent moviegoers' must-see interest. Yet prerelease tracking is strong, and "Joe" seems headed for an opening of $45 million-$50 million.

Its core support will come from male youngsters, although its unclear if the coveted demo will be able to help Hollywood end four weeks of year-over-year box office declines.

"'G.I. Joe' is tracking well, so maybe it will get people interested in going back to the movies. But right now, the interest is pretty low," said an industry observer.

Two other films are opening in theaters on Friday. Sony's Nora Ephron-directed "Julie & Julia" -- about famed TV chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and a woman (Amy Adams) who blogs about preparing her recipes -- is also tracking well with a narrow swath of prospective patrons; older females should make a $20 million debut reachable.

But the weekend's third wide opener is tracking much more softly. The R-rated horror thriller "A Perfect Getaway," which Universal will distribute on behalf of indie producer Relativity's Rogue Pictures unit, might get away with $5 million-$7 million through Sunday.

The most-scrutinized holdover performance will be Universal's "Funny People," which opened at No. 1 last weekend with a sub-par $22.6 million. A (modest) 50% drop would see "People" potentially nab the weekend's bronze medal.

Meanwhile, the industry's year-to-date box office performance has taken a battering from the recent weekend downticks -- the result of comparisons with year-ago frames stuffed fat with "Dark Knight" sales.

Just three weeks ago, 2009 was pacing ahead of the same portion of last year by a healthy 6%, putting admissions (the number of tickets sold) on course for an annual uptick as box office sales exceeded the roughly 4% increase in average ticket prices. After the latest year-over-year decline -- which saw the last session off a hefty 25% from the year-earlier tally -- domestic box office now is up only 4% at $6.13 billion, according to Nielsen EDI.

John Hughes defined a genre and a generation

LOS ANGELES – "Saturday, March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062.

"Dear Mr. Vernon: We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. And what we did was wrong. But we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us."

Those are the opening lines from "The Breakfast Club," voiced by Anthony Michael Hall, accompanied by Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)." And even though it's been nearly a quarter-century since John Hughes' seminal high-school drama came out, I still know them by heart. I probably still know the entire movie by heart. Any self-respecting child of the 1980s does.

"The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" may not qualify as the greatest movies ever, but we're talking favorites, the ones that still engage you no matter how many times you've seen them.

And so the news that Hughes died of a heart attack at 59 Thursday will, for many, strike the same sort of cultural chord that Michael Jackson's did: It prompts more than just a passing feeling of nostalgia but an active longing for a happier, more prosperous time. As both a writer and director, Hughes defined not just a genre but a generation.

His movies didn't exactly represent high school as it was (seriously, who ever went to a blowout bash at a mansion like Jake Ryan's in "Sixteen Candles" or got away with as much as Ferris Bueller?) but rather, high school as we wished it could have been — funnier, weirder, sweeter, full of kids who have just the right zinger or poignant thing to say:

"Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?"

"How about a nice, greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?"

"Blane? His name is Blane? That's a major appliance, that's not a name."

"I can't believe I gave my panties to a geek."

After watching "The Breakfast Club" with me on cable for the millionth time when I was a chubby 13-year-old, my mom suggested that we go to the video store and rent the teen-angst movie of her generation: "Rebel Without a Cause." I would like it, she said — they were similar. And she was right in that they both captured the frustrating feeling that nobody understands you when you're young, that your problems are unique and insurmountable. Hughes took that raw energy and made it ironic and idiotic, self-referential and self-deprecating.

Every teen movie that's come out since the mid-1980s owes a debt to John Hughes. He was that influential. Some acknowledge this willingly, as director Nanette Burstein did with last year's "American Teen," which was essentially a documentary version of "The Breakfast Club." Bill Paxton has said that of the dozens of character roles he's played over his lengthy career, he's still best known as Chet, the bullying older brother from 1985's "Weird Science." And "Some Kind of Wonderful" (which Hughes wrote) plays a pivotal part in the recent romantic comedy "He's Just Not That Into You."

Others have parodied him endlessly in such varied settings as raunchy Kevin Smith comedies, the spoof "Not Another Teen Movie" and the animated TV series "Family Guy." (In the episode where Peter goes undercover at Meg's high school as Lando Griffin, he walks across the football field and defiantly thrusts his fist in the air at the end, just as Judd Nelson did in the last image of "The Breakfast Club.")

Granted, Hughes' work dwindled once the 1990s arrived and he lost his insight, his edge. His scripts for "Dennis the Menace," "Beethoven" and "Flubber" can't exactly compare with the ones he wrote for "National Lampoon's Vacation," "Home Alone" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."

But if it weren't for Hughes, there would never have been a Brat Pack, that clique of sizzling young Hollywood actors who dominated the 1980s after "St. Elmo's Fire" (a Joel Schumacher film, but one with clear links to Hughes).

Imagine the career trajectories of Hall, Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy and Jon Cryer without him. Or just try to think of Macaulay Culkin without conjuring the image of him slapping his hands to his wholesome face in horror.

And so there's nothing wrong with wallowing in some unabashed '80s nostalgia upon the passing of John Hughes. As Ferris Bueller himself might have said at a time like this, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

'G.I. Joe' not screening for most critics

LOS ANGELES - It's the biggest movie of the summer that practically no one has seen.

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" opens Friday, but Paramount Pictures isn't screening the blockbuster for critics beforehand. Only a select few writers from blogs and movie Web sites have seen it for review - such as Harry Knowles, the self-professed "Head Geek" from Ain't It Cool News - and their opinions have been mostly positive.

Instead, the studio says it's intentionally aiming the movie at the heartland, at cities and audiences outside the entertainment vortexes of New York and Los Angeles. Paramount held a screening Friday for 1,000 military service members and their families at Andrews Air Force Base; it's also focusing marketing efforts in places like Kansas City, Charlotte, N.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

While appealing to a sense of patriotism nationwide, the plan also is inspired by the disparity that existed between the critical trashing "Transformers: Rise of the Fallen" received and the massive crowds it drew at the box office.

"'G.I. Joe' is a big, fun, summer event movie - one that we've seen audiences enjoy everywhere from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to Phoenix, Ariz.," said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures. "After the chasm we experienced with 'Transformers 2' between the response of audiences and critics, we chose to forgo opening-day print and broadcast reviews as a strategy to promote 'G.I. Joe.' We want audiences to define this film."

With a reported production budget of $175 million and a cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "G.I. Joe" follows the adventures of an elite team using high-tech spy and military equipment to take down a corrupt arms dealer. It comes from director Stephen Sommers, whose previous films include "The Mummy" and "Van Helsing."

Long before anyone saw the completed product, though, "G.I. Joe" drew mixed buzz at best for its trailer, which premiered during the Super Bowl. Now it's the final action picture of the summer - and it has a lot in common with the highest-grossing film so far this year, the "Transformers" sequel. Both are effects-laden spectacles based on Hasbro toys and both are Paramount releases from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.

"Transformers" has gone on to gross more than $388 million in the United States alone since its opening six weeks ago, despite receiving just 20 per cent positive reviews on the Web site Rotten Tomatoes, a critical aggregator. The withholding of "G.I. Joe" from mainstream critics suggests that the studios believe they can succeed at the box office without them.

It's a tactic normally reserved for horror movies or other genre pictures with built-in fans who don't necessarily care about reviews - ones based on video games, for example - not summer blockbusters. Still, "G.I. Joe" has been tracking well because it represents the last big bang of the season, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

"They don't need (to screen) it and there's no upside to negative reviews. The film is going to open well no matter what," Dergarabedian said. "They're being very strategic in who they show the movie to. If they can win over their core audience from these reviews, that's good for the movie."

Devin Faraci from the film Web site CHUD.com is one of the few writers who have seen it for review purposes, and not just for junket interviews. He's among the critics who've contributed to the movie's 88-per cent positive rating as tabulated by Rotten Tomatoes, saying: "If I was 10 years old, 'G.I. Joe' would be one of the best movies I had ever seen."

Faraci said he was in Toronto recently when he received a phone call at 8:30 a.m. Los Angeles time, asking if he could come to the Paramount lot that day for a "G.I. Joe" screening. He flew back, got off the plane and headed right over.

"It's silly. It's a film that plays on its own terms," he said. "I don't think reviews will kill it but I think it'll get a more positive response than they expect. It's a big, silly, pulpy, cartoony action film and it makes no apologies for being that way."

'The Hobbit' films still in limbo

Director Peter Jackson has warned Lord Of The Rings fans not to get too excited about The Hobbit prequels - because they have yet to receive the go-ahead from movie studio executives.

Jackson has signed on to co-write and co-produce two Hobbit movies, based on the fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, which will be directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Reports suggest the first film is slated for release in 2011, while the second part will follow in 2012.

But Jackson insists the projects are still in their very early stages - and they've yet to come up with a script, let alone secure funding for the movies, reports Starpulse.

Speaking at Comic-Con in San Diego, California at the weekend, Jackson said, "I mean, people assume that we have a green light and we're making the movie which we don't. I mean, we have to deliver the script. The studio obviously has to approve the script and then we have to budget that script because we have no budget yet. They're not going to make the film with an open cheque book so we have to figure out how much it's going to cost and if that's going to be okay."

And Jackson is refusing to begin speculating about casting until the script is finished - despite Lord of the Rings actors Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis already expressing their desire to reprise their roles in the franchise.

He adds, "We have a process to go through that really, once we get the script delivered, we can break it down, we can do the budgeting, we can figure out schedules and we can move onto the second script that we have to obviously start writing immediately (after) the first one's done. Then we can start casting the movie once we have a budget and once the studio greenlight the movie."

'Potter' film tops bloopers list

Eagle-eyed filmgoers have named and shamed the newest Harry Potter release as the most error-filled movie of 2009 so far.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth instalment of the wizard franchise, was released to North American theatres less than two weeks ago on July 15 but has already notched up a whopping 57 mistakes, each detailed on website MovieMistakes.com.

In one scene, Rupert Grint's character Ron Weasley can be heard speaking but his mouth doesn't move, while in another, Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter appears with a windswept and messy hairstyle just seconds after his locks were neatly combed.

The number of blunders means the latest Harry Potter movie is leading a list of the year's most mistake-ridden films, toppling Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which was littered with 53 bloopers.

Mila Kunis dances to 'Swan' song

At long last, we'll know: Is Mila Kunis for real?

Kunis has joined the cast of Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" as a mysterious (and possibly not real) dancer, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The role will place Kunis opposite Natalie Portman, who signed on in June to play a New York ballerina contending against a possibly supernatural rival.

"Black Swan" is a bit of a pet project for Aronofsky, whose films ("Pi" and "The Fountain," among others) had largely languished in arthouse theaters until the mainstream popularity of 2008's "The Wrestler."

Filming begins this fall in New York City.

Tron's time has finally come

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- There's a term for movies that are ahead of their time.

Flops.

Take, for instance, 1982's Tron, heavily hyped for its groundbreaking computerized graphics only to be snubbed at the box office by the then-pre-digital masses.

Still, the film managed to cultivate a fanbase so enthusiastic that reports have long persisted of a possible sequel.

Even star Jeff Bridges remembers hearing recurring rumours of a Tron 2.

"Over the years, somebody would say, 'So I hear they're making a new Tron' and I'd say, 'What are you talking about?' They'd say, 'Oh yeah, you're kind of lost in the world, kind of Apocalypse Now -- you're (Marlon Brando's) Kurtz or something' and I'd say, 'What are you talking about?' And here it is, 30 years later. It's quite amazing."

First announced at last year's Comic-Con, Tron Legacy, which has been shooting in Vancouver, is due out in the fall of 2010.

Bridges returns -- as multiple versions of himself, no less -- alongside Garrett Hedlund and House's Olivia Wilde.

"It's kind of bizarre," says Bridges, 59. "I'm kind of reticent to discuss this stuff because it's like a magician shows up and tells you how he's going to do his trick."

Behind the camera is Joseph Kosinski, a commercial director who is making his feature-film debut under the aegis of Tron creator Steven Lisberger.

Kosinski believes the plot -- in which Hedlund, as Bridges' son, enters the cyber-scape to locate his missing father -- will appeal to more than just the die-hards that have been salivating decades for a sequel.

What both demos -- newcomers and fans -- will discover is that "the world of Tron has evolved kind of on its own like an aquarium, disconnected from the outside world for 20, 25 years," Kosinski says. "The simulation has gotten more perfect and more realistic so the scale of the world is much bigger than it was before ... The line between what's real and what's not should be blurred so that you can't tell the difference."

All of which should please Lisberger most of all. What does he think of this chance at a better-appreciated version 2.0? "It's a generational thing," he says philosophically. "Part of the reason Tron is happening now is that it feels like the generational wheel has aligned."

'G-Force' topples `Harry Potter' at box office

LOS ANGELES – An elite squad of guinea pigs has worked its own brand of magic at the box office, taking the No. 1 spot from boy wizard Harry Potter.

The 3-D "G-Force" was the top movie at the box office this weekend, opening with $32.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Walt Disney release from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with its mixture of live action and computer-generated animation, is a "Mission: Impossible"-style adventure. It features voiceover work from Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan and Penelope Cruz as resourceful rodents.

Last week's No. 1 film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," came in a close second with an estimated $30 million. That's a whopping 61-percent drop from its huge opening last weekend of $79.5 million.

Coming in third was another of the week's wide releases, the battle-of-the-sexes romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," which had a $27 million opening.

The sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise has now made $222 million total, which is $14 million ahead of where part five, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was after 12 days in theaters in 2007. And this week, "Half-Blood Prince" will start showing on 166 IMAX screens, which the last "Harry Potter" movie did from the start.

"So we're coming in with this one (in IMAX) a little bit late, but it's going to be a great addition and it'll keep our momentum going," said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.' head of distribution.

"G-Force" triumphed in a crowded summer marketplace with its combination of 3-D effects and the Disney and Bruckheimer brands, said Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group.

"You never go into a situation where you're competing against two important movies — the second weekend of 'Harry Potter' and the opening weekend of 'The Ugly Truth' — you never go in cocky," Zoradi said.

The one-two of PG-rated movies reinforces the fact that summer is prime family movie time, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.

"This summer is all about packaging and escapism," Dergarabedian said of the strong showing for "G-Force." "People were scratching their heads and dragging their kids to go see this thing. They were watching the trailers with absolute shock going, 'Is that really happening?' But as a kid you're like, 'I gotta go see it.' This is a testament to the fact that Jerry Bruckheimer, like ('Transformers' director) Michael Bay, knows exactly what summer movie audiences want."

With $27 million, "The Ugly Truth" performed at the high end of Sony Pictures' expectations, said head of distribution Rory Bruer.

"The chemistry between Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler is a blast. It's really a lot of fun, everything we'd hoped it would be," Bruer said. "From sneak previews to word-of-mouth screenings we had on the movie, we knew people liked the movie."

Critics weren't so enamored, though: "The Ugly Truth" received just 15 percent positive reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site.

"If I have a choice of deciding between what the audience's opinion is going to be versus the critics', I'll definitely go with the audience's every day, and they spoke loud and clear," Bruer said.

Also opening nationwide this weekend was another Warner Bros. release, the horror movie "Orphan," about a couple who adopts a little girl who's not nearly as sweet as she seems. It came in fourth place with $12.8 million.

Expanding in its second week of limited release, the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer" made $1.63 million. Going from 27 screens to 85, it's grossed just over $3 million. The critical hit stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel in an out-of-order tale of boy-meets-girl.

On the other end of the cinematic spectrum, the dominant movie of the summer, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," is now the 10th-highest grossing film of all time with just over $379 million. The Paramount sequel made $8 million this weekend, pushing it past 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which made just over $377 million.

Dergarabedian said movies like "Transformers," "Harry Potter" and the R-rated, surprise-hit comedy "The Hangover," which has now made over $247 million, have kept this summer's revenues right in line with 2008, when "The Dark Knight" was all the rage.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "G-Force," $32.2 million.
2. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $30 million.
3. "The Ugly Truth," $27 million.
4. "Orphan," $12.8 million.
5. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," $8.2 million.
6. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," $8 million.
7. "The Hangover," $6.5 million.
8. "The Proposal," $6.4 million.
9. "Public Enemies," $4.2 million.
10. "Bruno," $2.7 million.

Johnny Depp Crashes Comic-Con—Then Splits!

Los Angeles (E! Online) – There had been murmurs that Johnny Depp, one of the stars of Tim Burton's way weird live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, would drop by this morning's Disney 3-D panel.

And—would you look at that!—he did.

In fact, Depp stopped by, said five words and then totally just left.

Here's what went down:

After screening a custom-made trailer for his Comic-Con fans, director Burton asked the crowd if they would like to meet the "imaginary friend" that follows him around.

The crowd cheered and Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter, walked onstage in a button-up shirt and fitted black vest. He had long bangs sweeping the side of his face, and wore a thick leather bracelet.

After several moments of cheering, Depp whispered into the mic:

"Hey. Happy to be here."

And then, poof, he was gone.

Moderator Patton Oswalt told the crowd that Depp could reappear later in the day, so "be nice to every guy you see dressed like Jack Sparrow."

Meanwhile, Burton said he's still filming the CGI-heavy fantasy flick, due next spring, and that he feels there's a "white rabbit with a stop watch" timing him.

In terms of plot, he also dished that there was an effort to make Alice (Mia Wasikowska) more active in the story rather than a bunch of "weird scenes" happening to her. Oh, and remember that Depp isn't the only person in this movie: Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter also star.

"Potter" prepared to fend off trio of newcomers

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is on course to be crowned king of the domestic box office again this weekend.

With $200 million in its cauldron at the start of just its second weekend, Warner Bros.' "Prince" could fall 60 percent from its first-frame tally and still produce a $31 million sophomore session. Bolstering the film's prospects is its expansion from four high-grossing Imax venues to 162.

Although three films opening in wide release Friday are expected to do solid business, none is likely to compete for the weekend title.

Sony's romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," helmed by Robert Luketic ("21") and starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, might be the strongest of the new pictures, with prerelease tracking surveys showing prospects for an opening north of $20 million.

Produced for less than $40 million, "Truth" carries an R rating but is likely to draw best among older females, who executives hope will rope in a few guys for a date-night outing. Sony offered 160 sneak previews of "Truth" last weekend and attracted 90 percent capacity audiences.

Meanwhile, Disney's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced family action-comedy "G-Force," featuring a mix of CGI and live action, also is looking good amid signs that its hefty marketing campaign is taking hold.

Helmed by effects supervisor-turned-director Hoyt Yeatman, "G-Force" also could top $20 million this weekend. Premium ticket prices in more than 1,600 3D auditoriums will help the cause. The studio's May release of Pixar's "Up" boasted 1,540 3D locations.

But there's little doubt the still-strong interest in the Potter pic will affect "G-Force," which carries the same PG rating. The question is whether the impact will be minimum or severe. "Prince" and "G-Force" target a similar audience, but the latter plays much younger.

Set for 3,693 playdates, "G-Force" totes a negative cost of $80 million-plus.

Warners' R-rated horror film "Orphan" should do midteen millions this weekend, with solid interest evident among younger moviegoers. The story of a demon-seed orphan on a tear is female-oriented, but the question remains whether young female moviegoers will be turned off by the restricted rating. "Orphan" was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra ("Goal II: Living the Dream").

'Potter' conjures up $159.7 million in 5 days

LOS ANGELES – Harry Potter continues to work box-office alchemy, turning his latest movie adventure into an overnight blockbuster. The sixth installment, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," took in $79.5 million domestically over opening weekend and $159.7 million since debuting last Wednesday, according to estimates from distributor Warner Bros. on Sunday.

With some of the best reviews of any "Harry Potter" movie, "Half-Blood Prince" was off to the fastest overall start in franchise history.

The sixth movie about the young wizard came in $20 million ahead of the last movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which grossed $139.7 million in its first five days two years ago.

The new film had the second-highest start ever for a movie premiering on Wednesday, trailing the $200 million five-day opening for last month's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

"Half-Blood Prince" already has surpassed the $157.3 million "Order of the Phoenix" pulled in during its entire first week. By the end of its seventh day Tuesday, "Half-Blood Prince" will be in the $180 million range on its way to becoming the franchise's first $300 million domestic smash since the original movie, 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.

The audience was a bit older for the new movie, with more elder teens turning out to see Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and pals Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) as they deal with adult concerns such as heartache, jealousy and romantic triangles.

Fans have grown up with the franchise, from young readers whose parents had to debate whether the early movies might be too intense for their children to see.

"When the first movie came out, they fought to go. The mother was like, well, should I take them, should I not take them?" Fellman said. "Now they're driving themselves to this and going to the midnight show."

Sacha Baron Cohen's mock documentary "Bruno" plummeted after its No. 1 debut the previous weekend. The Universal Pictures comedy fell to fourth-place with $8.4 million, down a whopping 73 percent from its $30.6 million opening.

Crowd-pleasing movies typically dip 50 percent or less in their second weekends. But "Bruno" has had mixed reviews and failed to earn the audience buzz that made a $128 million hit out of Baron Cohen's 2006 comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

After 10 days in release, "Bruno" has climbed to $49.6 million and will finish far below $100 million domestically.

While "Harry Potter" had a healthy start, the overall box office plunged compared to the same weekend last year, when the Batman juggernaut "The Dark Knight" had its record opening weekend of $158.4 million.

The top-12 movies this weekend combined for less than that, taking in $153.9 million, down 39 percent from a year ago.

"We got kind of slaughtered even with the 'Potter' movie, but we knew that was going to happen," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "When one movie last year makes more than what the top-12 movies did this year, you're going to have a down weekend."

Fox Searchlight's romantic comedy "500 Days of Summer," starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, got off to a big start in limited release with $837,588 in 27 theaters. That amounted to an average of $31,022 a cinema, compared to $18,376 in 4,325 theaters for "Half-Blood Prince."

A hit with critics, "500 Days of Summer" expands gradually into wide release over the next few weekends.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $79.5 million.
2. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," $17.7 million.
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," $13.8 million.
4. "Bruno," $8.4 million.
5. "The Hangover," $8.32 million.
6. "The Proposal," $8.3 million.
7. "Public Enemies," $7.6 million.
8. "Up," $3.1 million.
9. "My Sister's Keeper," $2.8 million.
10. "I Love You, Beth Cooper," $2.7 million.

Crowe considering new Master & Commander movie

LONDON – Russell Crowe is in the early stages of negotiations to reprise the role of Jack Aubrey as a British sea captain in a new movie version from the Master & Commander series of novels.

Crowe told The Associated Press on Friday that a script based mostly on the eleventh novel of Patrick O'Brian's 20-novel series, The Reverse of the Medal, had been written, but that discussions were at a very early stage.

"There's still a long way to go," the New Zealand-born actor told AP at a cricket match between England and Australia in London. He said talks had been taking place with the owner of the rights to the novels.

The 44-year-old Crowe, who won a best actor Oscar for his starring role in Gladiator, is a keen cricket fan. His two cousins, Jeff and Martin, are former captains of the New Zealand national team. Jeff is now a senior cricket official and is in charge of the team of officials at the England-Australia match.

The AubreyMaturin novels consists of 20 books and one partly written before his death in 2000 by O'Brian, all set during the Napoleonic Wars.

The 2003 movie Master and Commander took material from several of the novels. The Reverse of the Medal, published in 1986, sees Aubrey in the Caribbean in his ship HMS Surprise, where he meets his illegitimate son Samuel Panda, a Catholic priest born from an illicit liaison.

Crowe gave no indication of when filming could start but said it was one of a number of projects he is considering.

NASA restores moon landing video

With the help of Hollywood, those historic, grainy images of the first men on the moon never looked better.

NASA unveiled refurbished video Thursday of the July 20, 1969, moonwalk restored by the same company that sharpened the movie Casablanca.

NASA lost its original moon landing videotapes and after a three-year search, officials have concluded they were probably erased. That original live video was ghostlike and grainy.

NASA and a Hollywood film restoration company took television video copies of what Apollo 11 beamed to Earth 40 years ago and made the pictures look sharper.

NASA emphasized the video isn't "new" — just better quality.

"There's nothing being created; there's nothing being manufactured," said NASA senior engineer Dick Nafzger, who's in charge of the project.

But some details seem new because of the sharpness.

Original tapes likely erased

Originally, Armstrong's face visor was too fuzzy to be seen clearly. The refurbished video shows his visor and a reflection in it.

The $230,000 US refurbishing effort is only three weeks into a months-long project, and only 40 per cent of the work has been done.

But it does show improvements in four snippets: Armstrong walking down the ladder, which includes the face visor image; Buzz Aldrin walking down the ladder; the two astronauts reading a plaque they left on the moon; and the planting of the flag on the moon.

The original videos beamed to Earth were stored on giant reels of tapes that each contained 15 minutes of video, along with 13 other channels of live data from the moon. In the 1970s and 1980s, NASA had a shortage of the tapes and erased about 200,000 tapes and reused them. That's apparently what happened to the famous moon landing footage.

Nafzger praised the restored work for its crispness. The restoration company, Lowry Digital of Burbank, Calif., also refurbished Star Wars and James Bond films, along with Casablanca.

The company noted that the latter film had a pixel count 10 times higher than the moon video, meaning the moon footage was fuzzier than that vintage movie and more of a challenge.

Lowry president Mike Inchalik said of all the video the company has dealt with, "This is by far and away the lowest quality."

Recession hits Toronto film festival, filmmakers

TORONTO (Reuters) – The effects of the global recession are forcing big cutbacks in the world of film and could also hamper independent filmmaking for years to come, organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival said on Tuesday.

Festival chief executive Piers Handling said sponsorship funding is down from previous years, meaning cuts to travel and entertainment budgets.

"We've actually had to make some very, very hard decisions, some very difficult decisions," Handling told a news conference announcing some of the top movies.

"We literally looked at every single part of the organization, every facet, and we tried to squeeze every single piece of money."

But Handling said the stars will still show up at the premiere-studded 10-day event, which starts on September 10, and the internal cuts would likely not be obvious to audiences.

He hoped the same number of international stars and filmmakers would attend.

Last year, more than 500 stars and special guests attended the festival, which showed over 300 features and short films.

The organizers broke with tradition this year, picking a British film to open the festival, rather than a Canadian selection.

"Creation" tells of Charles Darwin and his struggle to bring the idea of evolution into a world still rooted in faith. It stars real-life husband and wife Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly as Mr. and Mrs. Darwin, and pits them on opposite sides of the divide between reason and faith.

"We fell in love with this movie and this is the one we felt really sets the tone for the conversations we hope will happen around the films at the festival," said festival co-director Cameron Bailey.

The films showing this year were in production before the global recession hit and the organizers had plenty to choose from. But Handling said that is about to change as funding dries up for mid-sized productions in the $5 million to $30 million range.

"It's those smaller, more personal works by filmmakers in mid-career ... established film makers. They are having a tough time right now funding their projects for next year," he told Reuters.

The recession is not hitting blockbuster movies and low budget works as hard, he said.

Natalie Portman Abandons Art House, Thunders to Thor

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Natalie Portman is nothing if not an equal-opportunity fanboy pleaser.

Both comic-book nerds and summer blockbuster connoisseurs have reason to rejoice today, as the actress—not one typically associated with the grand tradition of green screen, save for her reign as Queen Amidala in Star Wars and surprisingly flattering foray into head shaving in V for Vendetta—has formally signed on to star as the requisite damsel-in-distress love interest in Marvel Studios' upcoming Thor.

Portman will play Jane Foster, the nurse who develops romantic feelings for the Norse god of thunder's earthbound alter ego, Donald Blake. Aussie star Chris Hemsworth, who recently honed his action-star skills as James Kirk the elder, will play the titular superhero.

The film is due out May 20, 2011.

Mel Gibson To Star In Jodie Foster’s ‘Beaver’

Fifteen years ago Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster starred together in Maverick. Now the pair are set to reunite in The Beaver.

It is believed that Foster will also direct the quirky drama that is expected to shoot this Fall in New York.

According to Variety:

“Gibson will play a depressed man who finds solace in wearing a beaver hand-puppet. On top of helming, Foster will play the role of the man’s wife.

The budget for the film is $18-19 million, which is pretty economical when you consider that Gibson and Foster could conceivably each ask for that kind of salary when making a studio blockbuster. Financing for the film isn’t in place yet; it could be made independently or shopped to a studio now that the two A-listers are attached.

The much-lauded script by Kyle Killen has been included on “the black list” (a list of Hollywood’s best unproduced screenplays) and has made rounds around town with Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey both circling the project at various stages.

The Beaver sounds like an odd film (the script has been compared to Charlie Kaufman’s work), but Gibson has enough screen presence and quirky personality to make the role work, while Foster should have the required directing chops for it, having directed Little Man Tate and Home for the Holidays.

Gibson will next be seen in Edge of Darkness, his first film as an actor since 2002’s Signs.

The Beaver is tenatively slated for release in 2011.

'Bruno' sashays to box-office fame with $30.4M

LOS ANGELES – Gay Austrian fashion devotee Bruno has landed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, though it's uncertain how much staying power he has.

Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" started big on opening day Friday but had a huge drop the rest of the weekend, with the Universal Pictures mock documentary finishing with $30.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The movie took in nearly half of its weekend total — $14.4 million — on Friday, then tumbled with just $8.8 million Saturday and an estimated $7.2 million Sunday.

Revenues for hit movies typically go up on Saturday, so the nosedive for "Bruno" could be a sign that it lacks the shelf life that made Baron Cohen's "Borat" a $100 million smash.

"It is unusual for a film to drop on Saturday. Normally, you expect the film at least to be even on Saturday or above compared to Friday, because Saturday is the biggest moviegoing day of the weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It's going to be interesting to see how it does over the long run."

"Bruno," which features Baron Cohen as a wannabe going to extremes to achieve celebrity, finished ahead of 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," which took second with $28.5 million. The "Ice Age" sequel raised its domestic total to $120.6 million.

Finishing third after two weekends in the No. 1 spot was Paramount's sci-fi blockbuster "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" with $24.2 million, raising its domestic haul to $339.2 million. The sequel passed the $319 million total of 2007's "Transformers."

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's romantic comedy "I Love You, Beth Cooper" opened weakly with $5 million, finishing at No. 7. The movie centers on a high school valedictorian who uses his graduation speech to declare his love for a bombshell classmate (Hayden Panettiere).

"Bruno" outpaced the $26.5 million opening weekend for Baron Cohen's surprise 2006 hit "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." "Borat" started with $9.2 million on opening day Friday then climbed to $10.1 million Saturday, a sign that fans were talking it up to friends.

That good word-of-mouth propelled "Borat" to a long run at theaters, the movie climbing to a $128.5 million domestic total.

"Borat" also scored its big opening weekend in far fewer theaters. "Bruno debuted in 2,756 cinemas, more than three times the number for "Borat."

Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal, said comedies such as "Bruno" typically drop off over opening weekend this time of year, while "Borat" opened in November, when audiences are less fickle than summer crowds.

The studio will have to wait until next weekend for a sense of how well "Bruno" can hold up for the long haul.

"I don't know. That crystal ball just isn't on my desk this morning," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "Zany comedies tend to be like that, so I'm hoping that in the scheme of things, it just plays out the way zany comedies will play out."

Reviews on "Bruno" were not as strong as those for "Borat," which critics generally liked. There also had been questions about whether Baron Cohen's flamboyantly gay persona might prove off-putting to audiences.

"Bruno" did most of its business in cities on the East and West coasts, while revenues were "softer, much softer in middle America," Rocco said.

Even if revenues continue to plunge, "Bruno" is well on its way to turning a profit for Universal, which paid $42.5 million for rights to distribute it domestically and in eight other territories. "Bruno" took in $25 million in overseas markets so far, including $20 million in those Universal acquired, among them Great Britain, Australia and Germany.

Modi Wiczyk — co-chief executive officer of Media Rights Capital, which financed "Bruno" — said the movie exceeded the company's expectations. Wiczyk said he had anticipated "Bruno" would finish in the range of $25 million domestically for the weekend.

"We don't have talking robots or karate in our film," Wiczyk said. "For that increasingly small subset of films that don't have robots, we did terrific."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Bruno," $30.4 million.
2. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," $28.5 million.
3. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," $24.2 million.
4. "Public Enemies," $14.1 million.
5. "The Proposal," $10.5 million.
6. "The Hangover," $9.9 million.
7. "I Love You, Beth Cooper," $5 million.
8. "Up," $4.7 million.
9. "My Sister's Keeper," $4.2 million.
10. "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," $1.6 million.

Jackson skit officially cut from 'Bruno'

The filmmakers behind Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy Bruno have officially axed scenes featuring La Toya Jackson from the movie's final cut in the wake of her brother Michael Jackson's death.

Jackson made an accidental cameo in the film after British funnyman Cohen convinced her he was an Austrian fashion journalist, called Bruno, for a skit in his new film.

During La Toya's appearance, the comedian jokes about the Thriller hitmaker and attempts to steal his contact details from his sister's cell phone.

Producers omitted the scene when it was screened at the Los Angeles premiere on June 25 - the same day the King of Pop died.

And they've decided to leave it out altogether, fearing its inclusion would be in bad taste.

A spokeswoman for the Bruno movie says, "Out of respect for the Jackson family, the filmmakers have decided to remove a small scene involving La Toya Jackson."

Meanwhile, a similar move has been made by producers of new Bollywood movie Short Kut: The Con Is On - they've removed a scene ridiculing Jackson's dance style after receiving complaints about the sketch.

Lohan turned down 'Hangover' role

Lindsay Lohan is reportedly reeling after turning down a starring role in hit comedy The Hangover - because she believed the script had "no potential".

The star has struggled to land work in Hollywood since her days as Disney's golden girl following her wild partying ways and arrests for drinking under the influence.

She was also reprimanded by movie bosses on 2006's Georgia Rule for "irresponsible and unprofessional" behaviour as her personal life became front page tabloid news.

But director Todd Phillips was reportedly set to take a risk on Lohan by asking her to play stripper Jade in his bachelor party movie.

However, Lohan wasn't impressed by the film's screenplay, and rejected the part, which eventually went to Heather Graham, according to Us Weekly.

A source tells the magazine that the star's agent "tried hard to get Phillips to consider her," but "Lindsay said she didn't like the script".

And it seems Lohan made a huge mistake - the movie has been a surprise smash hit at the box office, pulling in over $265 million worldwide.

"Ice Age" sequel heats up worldwide box office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In a rare tie, reigning champ "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and the new cartoon "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" shared the top spot at the holiday weekend box office in North America.

According to studio estimates issued Sunday, the movies each sold about $42.5 million worth of tickets during the three-day U.S. Independence Day holiday weekend.

But "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," the third movie in 20th Century Fox's family franchise, was clearly the top pick on a worldwide basis. It earned $148 million from 101 foreign markets, which the News Corp-owned studio said was the sixth-biggest opening overall.

Including its North American tally of $67.5 million since opening Wednesday, the global total stands at $215.5 million.

Paramount's "Transformers" sequel earned $55 million from 62 markets during its second weekend, taking the foreign haul to $298 million. The global total stands at $591 million, taking the robot sequel past Columbia Pictures' "Angels & Demons" ($474 million) to become the biggest film of the year.

In North America, the lucrative summer season is 5 percent ahead of last year's record-setting haul in terms of ticket sales with $2.3 billion banked so far, said industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com Box-Office. But he doubted the number of tickets sold (currently 319 million) would exceed the modern record of 653 million set in 2002.

He said it appeared to be unprecedented for two films to be tied, but noted that an eventual victor will be determined on Monday, when the studios release their final data.

Johnny Depp's gangster saga "Public Enemies" got off to a strong start at No. 3 with $26.2 million, a rare adult-oriented drama in a summer field dominated by effects-driven action movies. As with "Ice Age," Universal Pictures' $100 million release opened Wednesday to get a foothold ahead of holiday distractions. Its five-day total stands at $41 million.

Both Fox and Universal declared themselves thrilled with the initial results.

Comparisons with the first two "Ice Age" movies, released in 2002 and 2006, are difficult because they came out on Fridays in March. They eventually earned $176 million and $195 million domestically, respectively. The new film cost $90 million to make, said Fox.

Some question marks did surround director Michael Mann's "Public Enemies," in which Depp plays Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger, because moviegoers have opted for fantasy over serious dramas in recent months.

"Good news for people who like films about grown-ups. The genre is not dead," said Adam Fogelson, Universal's president of marketing and distribution.

"Transformers" has earned $293 million after 12 days of release in the United States and Canada, about $100 million more than its 2007 predecessor had earned in the same period. The sequel also surpassed Paramount's "Star Trek" ($250 million) to become the biggest movie of the year in the markets.

TWENTY YEARS AFTER 'DO THE RIGHT THING,' LEE AND HIS CO-STARS REFLECT ON HOW THEIR MOVIE MADE HISTORY

On Christmas Day, 1987, 30-year-old Brooklyn-based filmmaker Spike Lee started working on the script for his third feature, "Do the Right Thing." The film would examine the racial tension that enveloped New York City at the time, most of which was due to an incident that occurred in the predominantly white section of Howard Beach in Queens a year earlier: A group of white youths attacked three black men outside a pizza place for simply being the wrong color in the wrong neighborhood. One of the black men, 23-year-old Michael Griffith, was chased onto the Belt Parkway, where he was struck by a car and killed.

The movie wound up detailing how a single block in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant -- one with the white-owned Sal's Famous Pizzeria at its heart -- erupted in racial violence on the hottest day of the year. It featured a striking visual style, an idiosyncratic blend of comedy and tragedy, and an extraordinary ensemble cast including Danny Aiello as Sal, the pizzeria owner; Lee as Mookie, an unambitious deliveryman; and Ossie Davis as Da Mayor, the local drunk. It also instantly established Lee as a major talent who couldn't be ignored or dismissed.

When the film was released, audiences and critics were divided. Vincent Canby hailed it in the New York Times as "a remarkable piece of work," and Roger Ebert, in his four-star Chicago Sun-Times review, added that it came "closer to reflecting the current state of race relations in America than any other movie of our time."

On the flip side, Lee was criticized for presenting a crack-ravaged neighborhood as drug-free, and for being recklessly incendiary. In his review in the June 26, 1989, issue of New York magazine, David Denby said, "The end of this movie is a shambles, and if some audiences go wild, [Lee's] partly responsible." Jack Kroll in Newsweek called the film "dynamite under every seat." The critics' fears underestimated the audience -- no riots resulted.

The movie received two Oscar nominations (Supporting Actor for Danny Aiello and Original Screenplay), but no awards. The motion picture academy's political timidity was reflected in its choice for best picture, "Driving Miss Daisy," which featured Morgan Freeman as a Southern chauffeur. Lee, however, would have the last laugh. When the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time, neither "Driving Miss Daisy" nor "sex, lies, and videotape," which beat out Lee's film for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, were anywhere to be found. "Do the Right Thing" came in at No. 96.

On June 30, the film celebrates its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Universal is releasing a two-disc special-edition DVD with hours of extras, including a never-before-seen documentary and new commentary from Lee. Since making "Do the Right Thing," Lee has averaged nearly a film a year -- his latest is the basketball documentary "Kobe: Doin' Work." But "Do the Right Thing" continues to be his most celebrated movie.

In this oral history, key members of the cast and crew, including Lee, who sat down for two lengthy interviews, were eager to discuss the controversy that accompanied the film, the tensions on the set and how the movie played a role in bringing our president and first lady together.

'It's gonna be a scorcher'

Spike Lee [Mookie], actor, writer, producer and director: The Howard Beach incident had happened, and I wanted to explore the love-hate relationship between African-Americans and Italian-Americans. I also wanted to do something that took place on the hottest day of the summer.

Ernest Dickerson, cinematographer: Spike and I were sitting together on a plane to Los Angeles and he was writing a script on a legal pad. The title at that point was "Heat Wave." He then asked me, "How do you portray heat on film? How do you get the audience to really feel it?" I remember we talked about having car radiators boiling over, hot asphalt and steam.

Lee: Paramount was on track to make the film. Then, at the last moment, out of nowhere, they didn't like the ending. They wanted Mookie and Sal to hug, all happy and upbeat. I wasn't doing that, so I called up Universal executive Sam Kitt, who I had kn