The Moviefone Blog

Robert Davi on 'The Great Chameleon,' and How It Pushes the Boundaries of Political Correctedness

Jason Gorber — 2013-06-19T14:34:00+00:00

Robert Davi has been in some of the biggest movies of all time, and you might not even know his name, or even remember his face right away. A long-standing character actor with an impressive résumé, Davi has made memorable turns in mainstream hits like "The Goonies," "Die Hard," and even played the Bond villain in "The Living Daylights." Born in New York, he was trained by Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, the husband/wife team that honed the likes of Brando, Pacino, James Dean and generations of Oscar-winning thespians.

So, what's a guy like that doing in a film that starts out with a man taking a poop on a bathroom floor while pretending to be mentally disabled in order to steal a hamburger? Davi was in town to talk about "The Great Chameleon," an offensive-to-the-max comedy that elicits few laughs.

Moviefone sat down with Robert in a Toronto hotel bar, and was soon joined by the film's writer/producer/star Victor Altomare, hours before their film's premiere.

Moviefone: Were you friends with Victor before this project began?
Robert Davi: We became friends. I looked him up online, thought he was pretty zany and had a lot of talent. I have kids that watch the Adam Sandler movies, "Borat," all of that stuff. I wanted to do something that was absolutely politically incorrect and go crazy.

I get a little upset with being too politically correct. You can't tell a woman she's got a nice set of wheels -- she gets offended. In the old days, all of those [Rat Pack] cats could make fun of each other.

What couldn't they make fun of? Where's the limit? What do you think is inappropriate?
RD: Oh, there is a limit. For me there is.

So what is your limit?
RD: Unfortunately, there's a lot of that breaking the limit in the film. I look at it like this: remember Picasso with cubism and Beethoven when he first came out? People couldn't understand the dissonance. Not that I'm comparing it to the high arts, but still, it's shocking. There's an attempt to try to shake up the egg and that's what it is.

As the writer and as the principal performer, how did you choose between funny as opposed to strictly going for offensive?
Victor Altomare: I actually didn't know, to be honest with you. These are characters that I studied over the years, Jamaican friends of mine that I took a character from, an [Asian] that I took from.
I hear some of that stuff [charges of racism] and it hurts my feelings because I'm not racial. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and they say that I'm stereotyping. These are real guys that I studied and I admired their characters and I took them and I put them here.

I'm an artist and I didn't do this to hurt anybody. We went a little far, a little over the top, but I mean, you know, it's a lot of fun, I'm not here to hurt anybody.

RD: You have a guy like Goran [Kalezic, the director], who likes mayhem, the more mayhem the better. And that's what he pushed. He's like Mephistopheles, he's nutty. We were pushing the envelope.

VA: We wanted to shrink the tone down and Robert was constantly helping me throughout the whole thing. He was being hard on me, which was hurting my feelings, but he was saying you need to do this, to shrink all of that mayhem and cut and don't push it to those places, you've got to be careful.

RD: It wasn't just a paycheque or a job, it became more wanting to help a talent that's been in Toronto for how many years and I think not recognized, a guy that has an ability to play these characters.

Did you see the film?

I did.
RD: What is your response? Honestly.

I saw at certain times it went further than I personally thought it should have gone, not because I was offended by the topics, but because for me it veered into indulgence. What do you guys think of the film? Can you watch it all the way through and still laugh at the jokes?
VA: I can criticize it until I'm blue in the face.

RD: Don't lie. He's a liar. He's full of shit. He will laugh at his stuff.

Who better to criticize it than the guy who wrote it and starred in it and produced it?
VA: I criticize it constantly because I'm too close to it, to be honest.It was hell because I had to go back into it and restructure it to make it a story and it was mayhem.

RD: That's where I tried to help you, because it was amorphous.

VA: I created a beginning, a middle and an end and that's what Richard was pushing me to do. Three editors differed, and at the end I hadn't slept for 30 or 40 days. Hopefully, there's some sort of story there.

Given the critical reception, is there anything you would have pulled back on?
RD: I didn't want the defecation. I fought against it, I thought it was in poor taste. What I did do, I said to [Victor] you've got to set up that you want that hamburger really bad, because there was no setup for the hamburger. We should have started talking about the hamburger early on.

Now you guys are friends -- are Hollywood friendships different than normal friendships?
RD: There are friends of yours that you can get in Hollywood that are fraternal. For instance, James Franco. Years ago, I did a show called "Profiler" for NBC and he was a guest star on that. He was on Howard Stern a few months ago and he talked about how during "Profiler" he got the script for "Freaks and Geeks" and I helped him with the audition.

All these years later I see him in New York, we had a big hug and now I'm doing his next film. I'm friends with Sly Stallone, but I've never worked with him. I was supposed to do "Rambo," but I did "Goonies" instead.

Looking back at your career, are there performances that really stand out that you wish to highlight that people have missed? Clearly working with Sinatra was a huge influence.
RD: There was no one bigger than Sinatra, nor is there nor will there ever be in terms of entertainment. He tackled everything from film to TV to records to voice, the gamut of entertainment. People ask what [my] favourite film is, but I haven't done it yet.

"The Great Chameleon" has a limited run at the Royal Cinema in Toronto.

'Man of Steel' vs. 'This Is The End': Which One Should You See? (VIDEO)

Dana Taddeo — 2013-06-14T10:35:00+00:00

It's a super-sized weekend for movies.

Superman epic "Man of Steel" and the apocalypse comedy "This Is the End" are the big releases this weekend. Both have A-list cast members, action, and colossal-sized plots, so which one should you take your dad to see this Father's Day?

Moviefone is here to help you decide. Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman, joined HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss the flicks, as well as the unexpected surprise Russell Crowe got from baby Kal-El on the "Man of Steel" set. Check out this week's Moviefone Live above!

Weekend Movies: 'Man of Steel,' 'This Is the End,' & 'The Bling Ring' (VIDEO)

Dana Taddeo — 2013-06-13T13:47:00+00:00

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... a really big weekend for movies.

Yes, the latest Superman adaptation, "Man of Steel," soars into theaters this weekend, and it's expected to have a heroic opening, with studio predictions in the $100 million range.

"Man of Steel" tells the story of Kal-El, aka Clark Kent, aka Superman (Henry Cavill), an alien born on the planet Krypton sent to Earth by his parents as a baby. After discovering his super-human abilities as a child, Clark keeps them a secret and tries to lead a semi-normal life. But when his new world is attacked by a force that humans are powerless to defend themselves against, led by General Zod (Michael Shannon), Clark assumes the identity of Superman and fights to protect the human race. Lawrence Fishburne, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Amy Adams (as Lois Lane) also star.

To combat the sure-to-be colossal box-office force that is "Man of Steel," apocalypse comedy "This Is the End" got an earlier release, hitting theaters June 12 instead of the previously planned June 14. The Seth Rogen / Evan Goldberg flick tells the story of a bunch of celebrity friends trapped in James Franco's Hollywood Hills home during a series of strange, world-ending events. The core cast consists of Franco, Rogen, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Jay Baruchel (all of whom play "themselves"), but the movie is overflowing with celeb cameos, from Rihanna to Emma Watson.

Speaking of Ms. Watson, she has another movie in theaters this week. The 23-year-old stars in "The Bling Ring," the true story of five teenagers-turned-burglars who targeted the lavish pads of celebrities for more than a year, starting in 2008, before they were caught. The fame-obsessed group tracked the whereabouts of the rich and famous online, and broke into the houses of stars like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Orlando Bloom, among others, while they were out of town.

Which movie are you going to see this weekend?

Weekend Movies: 'The Internship,' 'The Purge,' 'Much Ado About Nothing' (VIDEO)

Dana Taddeo — 2013-06-06T17:58:00+00:00

Comedy, horror, and Shakespeare all wrapped into one weekend? How could this be?!

This weekend marks the release of three very different movies: "The Internship," "The Purge," and "Much Ado About Nothing."

"Wedding Crashers" duo Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson re-team for "The Internship," the story of two out-of-work salesmen who take an internship at Google, hoping to eventually win a permanent job. Shawn Levy, who has directed numerous laugh-fests, such as "Date Night" and "The Watch," helms the comedy, so we're expecting every goofball trick in the book for this Owen-Vaughn reunion.

If you're looking to scream with fear rather than with laughter, "The Purge" also hits theaters this Friday. The sci-fi/horror/thriller is set in the not-so-distant future where prisons are overcrowded and the country is plagued by crime, so the government sanctions a 12-hour crime free-for-all that's meant to keep illegal activity in check the other 364 days of the year. Ethan Hawke stars as a father tasked with protecting his family after a group of crazed intruders breaks into his locked-down home. Word of warning, if you are not a fan of creepy, masked strangers, you may want to skip this one.

Joss Whedon took a break from making giant Marvel blockbusters to shoot, what he told The Daily Beast is his "passion project," "Much Ado About Nothing." The "Avengers" director shot the Shakespeare adaptation in just 12 days at his Santa Monica home and hired his friends -- like Nathan Fillion and Clark Gregg -- to star in it. While the black-and-white film is set in the modern-day, Whedon decided to keep Shakespeare's original verse as the dialogue. "Much Ado" can best be described as the original romantic comedy, filled with young lovers, mistaken identity, and bickering enemies who inevitably fall in love in the end.

Which movie will you be running to see?

(Photo Credit: Fox)

Weekend Box Office: 'Devil Inside' Scares Up Record-Breaking Debut

Gary Susman — 2012-01-08T14:45:00+00:00

Hard to say what's scarier: the downright hostile reviews and word-of-mouth for 'The Devil Inside,' or the fact that the pans didn't stop the new horror movie from a record-breaking box office debut. 'Devil' took possession of the box office crown with an estimated $34.5 million, about twice what was expected, setting a record for the biggest opening ever for the first weekend of the year.

No one expected much from the low-budget chiller, a star-free effort opening on just 2,285 screens. But the film had two things going for it: the marketing savvy of Paramount -- last year's top-grossing studio and the distributor of the similarly cheap, docu-style 'Paranormal Activity' horror franchise, which now owns October -- and audiences' fondness for exorcism movies, which seem to do especially well in January, when viewers want an antidote to the sugarplum sweetness of holiday fare. Past Januarys have seen such related hits as 'One Missed Call,' 'The Unborn,' and 'The Rite.'

Still, none of them did as well as 'The Devil Inside,' which is not only the top first-weekend debut but also the third best ever opening in January, topped only by fellow docu-horror movie 'Cloverfield' in 2008 ($40.1 million million) and the 'Star Wars' special edition re-release in 1997 ($35.9 million). Still, it's hard to account for such a huge opening for a movie so poorly received by audiences as well as critics. (Demonic influence, perhaps?) It'll be interesting to see how the movie holds up next weekend, when the movie won't face any new wide-release competition for the horror audience, and when its only obstacle will be its own negative buzz; audiences gave 'The Devil Inside' an almost unheard-of F-grade on Cinemascore.

The success of 'Devil' scared up crowds for other movies as well, judging by how well older movies held onto their audiences. Last week's champ, 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' slipped to second place but lost just 30 percent of last weekend's business, a shallow drop for a movie in its fourth week of release. It earned an estimated $20.5 million, for a total to date of $170.2 million.

In third was 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' another four-week veteran, which fell just 33 percent to an estimated $14.1 million. Its total so far is $157.4 million.

The smallest dip among wide releases belonged to 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' The thriller slid just 24 percent, taking in an estimated $11.3 million, good for fourth place. Despite a slow start three weeks ago, the film has earned $76.8 million so far, and distributor Sony believes it's on track to cross $100 million.

The top family movie was still 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' which finished in fifth place. Its estimated $9.5 million take, down 42 percent from last week, brings the film's four-week total to $111.6 million.

Moving into wider release, 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' broke into the top 10 by expanding from 57 screens to 809. It earned an estimated $5.8 million, good for ninth place and a five-week total of $10.4 million.

Awards buzz for 'Tinker' and several more limited-release movies was reflected in large per-screen averages for some year-end contenders playing in just a handful of theaters. 'The Iron Lady' averaged an estimated $34,420 on each of five screens. 'A Separation' earned an estimated $16,103 on each of its six screens. The per-screen average of 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' (six screens) was an estimated $16,000. 'Pina' scored an average estimated at $27,000 for each of three screens. By comparison, 'Devil Inside' enjoyed a per-screen average of $15,098.

Already, box office for 2012 is $283.8 million, some 12.6 percent ahead of the same period a year ago. Between last weekend's busy New Year's traffic and this weekend's successes, 2012 is off to a roaring start.

'The Devil Inside' - Trailer No. 1

The full top 10:
1. 'The Devil Inside,' $34.5 million (2,285 screens), new release
2. 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' $30.5 million (3,555), $170.2 million total
3. 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' $14.1 million (3,603), $157.4 million
4. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' $11.3 million (2,950), $76.8 million
5. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' $9.5 million (3,425), $111.6 million
6. 'War Horse,' $8.6 million (2,783), $56.8 million
7. 'We Bought a Zoo,' $8.5 million (3,170), $56.5 million
8. 'The Adventures of Tintin,' $6.6 million (3,006), $61.9 million
9. 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' $5.8 million (809), $10.4 million
10. 'New Year's Eve,' $3.3 million (1,864), $52.0 million

[Photo: Paramount]

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New Releases: 'The Iron Lady,' 'A Separation' and 'Pariah'

Moviefone Staff — 2011-12-29T13:10:00+00:00

It's almost 2012, which -- depending on your level of interest in Mayan civilization -- either means the start of the apocalypse or the start of a new year. (Fingers crossed for the latter!) Whether or not you're preparing for the end days, there are still plenty of good movies to check out in the theaters (don't worry, you won't have to spend your final hours watching 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked'). From 'The Iron Lady' to 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' to 'Hugo,' let's take a look at this week's new releases, along with some films that are already on the big screen.

LIMITED RELEASES

'The Iron Lady'
What's the story: With no new nationwide releases this week, we turn to former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. 'The Iron Lady,' which you may have already heard about if you're following this year's Oscar race, features Meryl Streep as Britain's conservative icon. While Streep's portrayal of Thatcher has riled some across the Atlantic, many have lauded her performance. Not to be completely outdone, critics have also praised actor Jim Broadbent's role as Dennis Thatcher, Margaret's husband. The movie focuses on the days leading up to England's involvement in the Falklands War.

Box office projection: Since 'The Iron Lady' is only in limited release this week, we're going to wait to make a box office projection until Jan. 12, when the film hits theaters nationwide.

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'A Separation'
What's the story: This Iranian film tells the story of a married couple who end up separating. Eventually, the husband is accused of attacking his father's elderly caretaker, and possibly causing her miscarriage. Iran's official candidate for the Best Foreign Language film at next year's Oscars, 'A Separation' has received critical acclaim from film festivals around the world -- pretty impressive for a movie with a reported budget of only $500,000.

[Showtimes & tickets]

'Pariah'
What's the story: Another film critic favorite, 'Pariah' follows Alike, a 17-year-old African-American coming to terms with her identity as a lesbian. Adepero Oduye, who plays Alike, has been nominated for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards. Earlier this year, 'Pariah' won the Excellence in Cinematography award at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

[Showtimes & Tickets]

IN THEATERS NOW

If any of the limited releases aren't up your alley (or aren't being shown in your hometown), fear not: there are plenty of movies already out in theaters. Fresh off last week's $44 million opening is 'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol,' the fourth film in the Tom Cruise film franchise. This time around, the mission deemed impossible features a jaw-dropping sequence where Cruise hangs from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Those looking for something a little more serious may want to check out 'War Horse,' the Steven Spielberg-directed flick based on the award-winning stage production, which follows the path of a horse during World War I. Speaking of Spielberg, there's also 'The Adventures of Tintin,' the animated film he directed and co-produced with 'Lord of the Rings' master Peter Jackson. Also for the kids, you have a choice of 'Hugo,' 'Arthur Christmas,' 'The Muppets' or (sigh) 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' (we'd go with 'Hugo,' our pick for best movie of the year). The dark murder mystery of 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' will attract adult audiences, while 'We Bought a Zoo' is good fare for the whole family. And, if you really want to go all out and celebrate the 2012 apocalypse, there's always 'New Year's Eve.'

[Photo: TWC]

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Weekend Box Office: 'Mission: Impossible' Takes Christmas Crown, as 'Dragon Tattoo,' 'Tintin,' 'Zoo' Stumble

Gary Susman — 2011-12-25T14:50:00+00:00

A return to the days when Tom Cruise was a top domestic box office draw might have seemed like an impossible mission, but 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' easily fended off several highly-touted newcomers, including 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' and 'The Adventures of Tintin,' to take the holiday box office crown.

After last week's successful IMAX-only debut, the fourth 'Mission: Impossible' installment expanded from 425 screens to 3,448, resulting in an estimated second-weekend take of $26.5 million. That's about $10 million less than most pundits predicted, but it was still far ahead of any other movie this weekend. Plus, with decent word-of-mouth and no new wide releases this coming weekend, the movie may well retain the top slot for another week or two. The movie's total to date comes to $59.0 million.

Last week's champ, 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' fell a sharp 55 percent to an estimated $17.8 million and a second-place finish. (No wonder, with as many as four new wide release movies elbowing into the action/mystery/adventure/thriller space.) In two weekends, it's earned a solid $76.6 million.

In third place, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' dropped 42 percent to an estimated $13.3 million. Those numbers have to be a huge disappointment for the franchise, whose first two installments grossed more than $215 million each. This one has earned just $50.3 million in two weeks. It'll be lucky to get anywhere near $100 million.

Debuting in fourth place, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' earned an estimated $13.0 million. That's well below expectations, which were at least $18 million on the low end. After all, the movie is based on a best-selling book, is tailored to the gifts of its A-list director (David Fincher) and has been riding a wave of hype and Oscar buzz for a year. Still, it's a long movie (nearly three hours), which limits the number of times per day it can screen, it has a lot of competition among current wide-release thrillers, and its pretty grim and horrific for moviegoers in a holiday mood. Still, its acclaim and uniqueness (nothing else in theaters is this dark) may give it some legs. Having opened in mid-week, it has earned a total so far of $21.4 million.

'The Adventures of Tintin' was already an enormous international hit by the time it opened here on Wednesday. Which is good because the Steven Spielberg family-friendly action tale earned only an estimated $9.1 million at the domestic box office over the weekend (finishing at No. 5) and $17.1 million total in North America for the week. That's about what was expected, given American audiences' lack of familiarity with the European comic-book adventurer. Having already earned $239 million overseas, the makers of 'Tintin' probably aren't too disappointed.

Debuting in sixth place was 'We Bought a Zoo,' which has grossed an estimated $7.8 million since it opened on Friday. Again, that's about all that was expected of the family-friendly film, despite some buzz-building sneak previews in recent weeks. Reviews were mixed, and Matt Damon isn't as bankable of a name outside the action genre.

Final figures for the crowded Christmas weekend, which included the Sunday releases of Steven Spielberg's period drama 'War Horse' and the alien invasion thriller 'The Darkest Hour,' won't be released until Tuesday. At this writing, there were no studio estimates yet for the first day's receipts for the two December 25 debuts. Before the weekend, pundits' predictions for 'War Horse' were in the $6-$7 million range for Sunday, while they expected just $2 or $3 million from 'The Darkest Hour.'

'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' $26.5 million (3,448 screens) $59.0 million total
2. 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' $17.8 million (3,703), $76.6 million
3. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' $13.3 million (3,734), $50.3 million
4. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' $13.0 million (2,914), $21.4 million
5. 'The Adventures of Tintin,' $9.1 million (3,087), $17.1 million
6. 'We Bought a Zoo,' $7.8 million (3,117), new release
7. 'New Year's Eve,' $4.0 million (2,225), $32.3 million total
8. 'Arthur Christmas,' $2.7 million (1,804), $44.2 million
9. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,' $2.1 million (1,603), $270.9 million
10. 'Hugo,' $2.0 million (1,236) $43.7 million

[Photos: Paramount ('Mission: Impossible'), Sony ('The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'), Paramount ('The Adventures of Tintin'), 20th Century Fox ('We Bought a Zoo')]

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New Releases: 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' 'The Adventures of Tintin,' 'We Bought a Zoo,' 'War Horse,' 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'

Christopher Rosen — 2011-12-21T09:30:00+00:00

Hopefully you want to spend at least some part of your Christmas holiday at the movie theater. A whopping six films open in wide release between now and Dec. 25, with another two arriving in limited-run availability. Toss in expansions for both 'The Artist' and 'My Week With Marilyn,' and you've got a checklist of movies that nearly everyone in your family can enjoy. Your Weekend Movie Preview is here.

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'
What's the story: Based on the international best seller by Stieg Larsson, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' follows the unlikely friendship formed between a disgraced journalist (Daniel Craig) and a damaged computer hacker (Rooney Mara) as they try to solve a decades-old murder on a secluded Swedish island. Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright and Stellan Skarsgard co-star in this adult thriller from director David Fincher.

Box office projection: The buzz on 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' has reached deafening levels, and with pretty good reason: the film is an expert bit of adult entertainment, that would feel like slumming for David Fincher if he didn't infuse so much of his immense talent into the airplane-read storyline. The property and Daniel Craig are international draws, while here in the U.S., it was assumed that women would come out in force to see Lisbeth Salander onscreen, like they did in print. That doesn't appear to be the case based on initial tracking, but despite its R-rating, you can assume 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' will clean up this week and right on through Christmas. Three-day weekend total: $25 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'The Adventures of Tintin'
What's the story: Based on the famed comic strip by Belgian artist Herge, 'The Adventures of Tintin' follows the adventures of Tintin, a young reporter who -- with his trusty dog, Snowy -- tries to solve a mystery involving a decades old ship and a lost treasure. Steven Spielberg directs with help from producer Peter Jackson.

Box office prediction: Thanks to almost $250 million in international grosses so far, 'The Adventures of Tintin' is performing well at the box office already -- and it hasn't even debuted stateside. Which is probably a good thing. Most Americans don't actually know Tintin from Snowy or Herge from Adam, but if 'Tintin' can catch on with families expect it to have long legs through the winter. Three-day weekend total: $12 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'
What's the story: Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, Impossible Mission Force extraordinaire who must team with a band of fellow agents (Simon Pegg, Paula Patton) and an analyst (Jeremy Renner) to stop a crazed bit of Eurotrash (Michael Nyqvist) from destroying the world.

Box office prediction: Buoyed by huge IMAX grosses last weekend, 'Mission: Impossible 4' is already the belle of the winter box-office ball. With a healthy international outlook and little competition from four-quadrant seeking ticket buyers, 'Ghost Protocol' could be the biggest hit of the holiday season. In Tom Cruise Hollywood trusts? Three-day weekend total: $38 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'We Bought a Zoo'
What's the story: Matt Damon stars as Benjamin Mee, a journalist who buys a zoo for his family after his wife dies. Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church co-star in this new film from Cameron Crowe.

Box office prediction: Could 'We Bought a Zoo' be the family film choice of the season? Perhaps. Twentieth Century Fox has done a fine job of building homestead buzz for the Crowe-directed film (the studio rank sneak previews over Thanksgiving weekend and again in early December), and 'Zoo' has the broad appeal that made 'Marley & Me' a hit during Christmas season in 2008. Also of note? Matt Damon, who is still a draw in the right material. Whether that's 'Zoo' remains to be seen, but don't sleep on what could become a leggy hit. Three-day weekend total: $14 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'War Horse'
What's the story: Because you don't have enough movie options over Christmas -- nor enough movie options directed by Steven Spielberg -- here comes 'War Horse,' a touching tale of a boy and his horse set against the backdrop of World War I. Expect many Oscar nominations.

Box office prediction: While the idea of spending almost two-and-a-half hours watch a horse that doesn't talk might not seem like the best way to spend Christmas day, 'War Horse' could be the exception. The drama is one of 2011's best films, rife with beautiful imagery, fantastic performances and an overall message that could only be described as earnest hope. Whether that connects with audiences on Christmas day remains to be seen, but figure 'War Horse' to linger in theaters well past the 2012 Academy Awards. Three-day weekend total: $4 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'The Darkest Hour'
What's the story: When aliens attack. Russia. By using the power grid.

Box office prediction: Despite arriving in over 2000 screens on Christmas Day, little is expected from 'The Darkest Hour.' The film isn't screening for critics and audiences don't seem all that interested in watching Emile Hirsch fight aliens. Sorry, folks. Three-day weekend total: $1 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

LIMITED RELEASES

Out in six theaters before expanding wide in January is 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,' the much-debated 9/11 drama starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Elsewhere, Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, 'In the Land of Blood and Honey,' arrives.

[Photo: Paramount]

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Weekend Box Office: Weak 'Sherlock Holmes,' Chipmunks Lead, But 'Mission: Impossible' Steals Thunder

Gary Susman — 2011-12-18T15:30:00+00:00

The biggest mystery facing Sherlock Holmes: how come he was so ho-hum at the box office this weekend? 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' was the weekend's top movie, with an estimated $40 million opening, but its performance was underwhelming considering it was expected to score as much as $60 million. Similarly, 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' disappointed despite an estimated $23.5 million, second-place debut, since it was expected to gross well over $30 million. On the other hand, the unusual, IMAX-exclusive opening of 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' outperformed modest expectations and premiered with an estimated $13 million on just 425 screens, good enough for third place.

Pundits predicted that the 'Sherlock Holmes' sequel would open in the ballpark of the original, which debuted with $62.3 million two years ago. But that opened on Christmas weekend, while this one opened earlier and against stiffer competition. Reviews have been just so-so, though that shouldn't really matter with this franchise. Also, there's the notion that audiences in recent months have been suffering from sequel fatigue, especially if the sequel brings nothing new to the table, though this one does introduce Holmes' nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

Sequel fatigue also seemed to affect the third 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' movie, which had been predicted to open between $30 and $38 million. The reviews were mostly scathing, but this franchise is also review-proof. Plus, there was no other kiddie competition this weekend. And the rude humor of the first two PG-rated installments was toned down to earn a G rating this time, so that should have drawn even more tykes. So it comes back to sequelitis, which has hit family movies especially hard this year, from 'Happy Feet Two,' to such seemingly unassailable titles as 'Cars 2' and 'Kung Fu Panda 2.'

Yet here's 'Mission: Impossible,' offering up its fourth installment, with a long-in-the-tooth star who's not the domestic box office draw he used to be, and it scores a stunning $30,588 per venue. (Compare that to $10,807 for 'Sherlock Holmes' and $6,312 for 'Chipwrecked.') What's the aging series' secret weapon? No, it wasn't Tom Cruise, nor the six-minute prologue for the even more eagerly-awated Bat-sequel 'The Dark Knight Rises' that accompanied 'Ghost Protocol' on just about 10 percent of its screens; it was the IMAX surcharge, which runs as high as $19 per ticket in Manhattan. Considering that predictions were in the $9 million range, the $13 million opening bodes very well for when the film expands into wide release over the next few weeks. Internationally, 'Ghost Protocol' grabbed almost $70 million.

Rounding out the top five were last week's champ, 'New Year's Eve,' which fell 43 percent (about what was expected) to take in an estimated $7.4 million, and 'The Sitter,' which had an even steeper second-week drop of 55 percent, to an estimated $4.4 million. In 10 days, 'New Year's Eve' has earned $24.8 million, while 'The Sitter' has earned $17.7 million over the same period.

Some pundits expected Charlize Theron's 'Young Adult' to crack the top five, as it expanded onto nearly 1,000 screens (after opening on just eight last weekend), with a possible take of $5 to $6 million. But it, too, underwhelmed, taking in just $3.7 million, according to estimates, finishing at No. 7. Also on the limited-release front, Oscar-hopeful 'Carnage' opened on just five screens but pulled an estimated $17,140 on each of them, for a total of $85,700.

In all, box office has been dismal this month, down a full 39 percent from the same period last December. Barring some unexpectedly huge blockbuster numbers for such upcoming wide releases as 'The Adventures of Tintin' and 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,' it seems unlikely that 2011's total box office will close the gap of more than 3 percent (about $330 million) between this year's earnings and last year's.

'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' $40.0 million (3,703 screens), new release
2. 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' $23.5 million (3,723), new release
3. 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol,' $13.0 million (425), new release
4. 'New Year's Eve,' $13.7 million (3,505), $24.8 million total
5. 'The Sitter,' $4.4 million (2,752), $17.7 million
6. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,' $4.3 million (2,958), $266.4 million
7. 'Young Adult,' $3.65 million (986), $4.1 million
8. 'Hugo,' $3.63 million (2,532) $39.1 million
9. 'Arthur Christmas,' $3.60 million (2,929), $38.5 million
10. 'The Muppets,' $3.5 million (2,808), $70.9 million

[Photos: Warner Bros. ('Sherlock Holmes'), 20th Century Fox ('Chipwrecked'), Paramount ('Mission: Impossible'), Sony Pictures Classics ('Carnage')]

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You Won't Believe How Much Money Alvin and the Chipmunks Make

Eric Larnick — 2011-12-16T09:20:00+00:00

As of now, the American public has access to a national treasure: 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.' The rambunctious rodents are at it again in another madcap musical adventure; this time Alvin, Simon and Theodore and their Chipette counterparts Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor, go on a cruise ship vacation with the always-irritable Dave Seville. But Alvin's hijinks result in all six of the cute and the cuddly chipmunks getting stranded on a deserted tropical island. They'll have to learn to work together to get back home ... and bust out some new songs along the way.

You may read that plot description and think it's mindless fluff designed to entertain only the smallest children, but you'd be scoffing at the selling point for a billion dollar juggernaut. Just how financially lucrative has the 'Chipmunks' franchise been since it began in 2007? Moviefone has put together a handy graph to show you!

(Since the singing chipmunks were once lonely little orphans who were rescued by their talent manager, Moviefone decided to compare the Chipmunks' movie dollars with some real charities devoted to animal welfare and art achievement. And in honor of the island setting of 'Chipwrecked,' we threw in an actual island for reference.)

[Click on image to enlarge]

The first 'Alvin' movie cost $60 million to make; the second one cost $75 million. Each movie then went on to make hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales. So if you're one of those weirdos that hates the 'Chipmunk' movies, you can now understand how much of an outcast you are; why would so many people willingly hand over their money to the 'Chipmunks' movies if they were a bad thing?

Watch the trailer for 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked'

[Photo: 20th Century Fox]

(Special thanks to Chris Spurlock for graph design.)

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New Releases: 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' 'Carnage,' 'Corman's World'

Moviefone Staff — 2011-12-15T15:50:00+00:00

Get ready, folks. This weekend, the great Sherlock Holmes takes on one of his greatest challenges ever: three tiny chipmunks. Both 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' open nationwide on Friday, though if intellectual Englishmen or small squirrels aren't up your alley, there's always 'New Year's Eve' (joking -- kind of) and a bevy of limited releases. To help you swift through this week's newest films, check out Moviefone's Weekend Movie Preview ahead.

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'
What's the story: The sequel to the 2009 blockbuster sees Robert Downey Jr. return as the always-brilliant-yet-slightly-neurotic Sherlock Holmes. This time around, he and his trusty sidekick, Watson (Jude Law), will face off against Holmes' greatest nemesis -- the evil Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) -- who is behind a spate of mysterious bombings.

Box office projection: The first movie made big bucks its opening weekend, grossing more than $60 million (on its way to over a half-billion ticket sales worldwide). Under normal circumstances, the sequel to a box office hit would be an even bigger success -- especially since its opening against the family friendly 'Chipmunks' -- but since movie groses last week were shockingly low, who knows how audiences will respond to 'Sherlock.' $56 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked'
What's the story: Another sequel! Don't worry, this isn't called 'Squeakuel' like the last 'Chipmunks' movie, but that doesn't mean you're going to escape the animal puns. In 'Chipwrecked' (groan), David (Jason Lee) and the crew (the Chipmunks and the Chippettes) go on a holiday cruise that gets your favorite furry animated critters stranded on a desert island. Singing lots of pop songs in extremely high registers will occur.

Box off prediction: Just like 'Game of Shadows,' 'Chipwrecked' is the sequel to another box office smash: the last two 'Chipmunk' flicks each grossed around $45 million opening weekend. Does that mean the third film in the franchise will be a hit? Considering the lack of family competition it faces this weekend, it's likely: $30 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

LIMITED RELEASES

Two buzzed-about films get limited engagements this week. First up is Roman Polanski's 'Carnage,' based on the play 'God of Carnage.' The movie follows two pairs of parents whose sons have gotten into a fight. Attempting to settle their differences the "adult way," the couples end up bickering and fighting (performances from stars Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet have already been nominated for Golden Globes). Also out is 'Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,' a documentary on the filmmaker Roger Corman, who's credited with mentoring esteemed filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Expanding to more theaters is 'Young Adult,' the Diablo Cody-written caustic comedy featuring Charlize Theron.

[Photo: Warner Bros.]

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The Best Quotes from James Franco's Review of 'Breaking Dawn'

Eric Larnick — 2011-12-12T14:00:00+00:00

James Franco can officially add "movie critic" to his multi-hyphenate job description of "Actor-director-author-painter-performance artist-musician," and he couldn't have picked a better movie to ply his new trade on: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1.' In his newest article for The Paris Review, the probably-one-time-Oscar-host compares and contrasts the blockbuster vampire soap opera with George Clooney's Oscar-hopeful 'The Descendants.' Franco makes some interesting points regarding both films' use of sex and the way they seem to "devalue motherhood"; it's worth a read if you have the time -- but if you're all interested in right now is Franco's excessively Franco-esque reaction to Taylor Lautner's abs, we've made it easy for you.

After the jump read our favorite lines from James Franco's 'Twilight' review.

1. "A few other forbidden territories are broken in as well. The protagonists finally marry, having waited until the wise old age of eighteen, and since the book and the film dutifully show them being wed, they are then allowed to f--- each others' brains out. For a film that claims to be sexually responsible, the 'Twilight' movies are awfully dependent on teenage sex to attract viewers."

2. "'The Descendants' and 'Breaking Dawn' were released on the same weekend. Undoubtedly one is making a play for an Oscar. Undoubtedly the other will dominate every MTV award category, including best kiss, best dude moment, best male shirtless scene, and whatever else the network that produces 'the Jersey Shore' celebrates."

3. "The actors prance about like pieces of meat, their disturbingly developed bodies on full display; Taylor Lautner's rippling teenage chest is just a little better than the child beauty-pageant stars at the end of Little Miss Sunshine.'"

You can also read Franco's thoughts on 'Restless' and 'My Own Private Idaho' at the Review; hopefully, his increasingly-busy schedule won't get in the way of writing more.

[via The Paris Review]

[Photo: Summit | FilmMagic]

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Weekend Box Office: 'New Year's Eve' Drops the Ball, Wins Anyway

Gary Susman — 2011-12-11T14:10:00+00:00

'New Year's Eve' was supposed to bring the party this weekend, but it played more like a New Year's Day hangover. It mustered an estimated $13.7 million, about half what it was expected to earn. Still, on one of the most lackluster box office weekends all year, that was enough for a victory.

'New Year's Eve' was director Garry Marshall's follow-up to his similar holiday-themed, all-star ensemble romantic comedy 'Valentine's Day,' which debuted with a huge $56 million two Februarys ago. Of course, that was on the biggest date weekend of the year; this was not (plus, it had the still-strong ''The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' to contend with for female ticketbuyers). No one expected it to open as big as 'Valentine's Day,' but most expected an opening around half the size, not a mere fourth the size. Besides the 'Twilight' vampires, blame scathing reviews and poor word-of-mouth.

Opening in second place, 'The Sitter' also performed below its already underwhelming expectations. Jonah Hill has never carried a comedy all by himself, and judging by the mild reception for the recent 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,' this isn't a time of year with a strong market for raunchy comedies. So pundits predicted an opening of around $12 to $13 million, but Sunday estimates came in at just $10.0 million. Director David Gordon Green, who has yet to regain the highs of 'Pineapple Express,' now enjoys the dubious distinction of having released two flops this year (the other was this spring's 'Your Highness').

After three weekends atop the chart, 'Breaking Dawn' finally slipped to third place, with an estimated $7.9 million. A decline of 52 percent from a week ago isn't that unusual for a four-week-old blockbuster. The supernatural romance has earned $259.5 million in North America to date.

'The Muppets' also dropped two spots, down to fourth place with an estimated take of $7.1 million. That represents a modest decline of 32 percent in the movie's third weekend. To date, Kermit & Co. are seeing green to the tune of $65.8 million.

The only Christmas-themed movie currently playing, 'Arthur Christmas,' saw the smallest decline among wide-release movies, just 11 percent in its third weekend. At No. 5, it earned an estimated $6.6 million, for a three-week total of $33.5 million.

Also opening this week were two movies that did very well in limited release, according to studio estimates. Charlize Theron's black comedy 'Young Adult' earned an enormous $40,000 per screen on eight screens (by comparison, 'New Year's Eve drew $3,505 per screen), and its total debut of $320,000 landed it at No. 15 on the chart. One notch below was Gary Oldman's espionage thriller 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,' which earned an even more astonishing $75,250 per screen at four venues, for a total of $301,000. Holding up well in limited release were 'The Artist' (up 38 percent this week with the addition of 10 screens, for a total of 16, with a per-screen average of $18,250 and an estimated weekend take of $292,000) and 'Shame' (down just 21 percent, to an estimated $276,000, or $13,143 per screen). All potential year-end awards contenders, these films should continue to do well as they expand into wider release.

Overall, the top 12 movies earned just $69.7 million this weekend, marking the third straight week of declining box office. Grosses for the year are more than 3 percent below where they were this time a year ago ($9.5 billion, compared to $9.8 billion), but that gap could widen if this month continues to see such lackluster performance.

'New Year's Eve' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'New Year's Eve,' $13.7 million (3,505 screens), new release
2. 'The Sitter,' $10.0 million (2,750), new release
3. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,' $7.9 million (3,604), $259.5 million total
4. 'The Muppets,' $7.1 million (3,328), $65.8 million
5. 'Arthur Christmas,' $6.6 million (3,272), $33.5 million
6. 'Hugo,' $6.1 million (2,608) $33.5 million
7. 'The Descendants,' $4.8 million (876), $23.6 million
8. 'Happy Feet Two,' $3.8 million (2,840), $56.9 million
9. 'Jack and Jill,' $3.2 million (2,787), $68.6 million
10. 'Immortals,' $2,4 million (2,286), $79.9 million

[Photos: Warner Bros. ('New Year's Eve'), 20th Century Fox ('The Sitter'), Paramount ('Young Adult')]

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Who is the Modern Jim Henson?

Eric Larnick — 2011-12-10T11:00:00+00:00

Now that 'The Muppets' has become a certified hit, Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang have returned to their pop culture pedestal. While older audiences are wrapping themselves in a nostalgia blanket, young viewers are discovering the jokes of Fozzie Bear and the mistimed stunts of Gonzo the Great for the first time. But for these children just now discovering the Muppets, their experience with the characters and movies will be completely different from the children of the 70s and 80s -- because of the absence of Jim Henson.

Jim Henson was such a distinct and caring presence for the young audiences that grew up with his projects, that they remain devoted to his work even after this passing. Storytellers like that are rare, and his too-soon departure raises the question: who can we call "the modern Jim Henson"?

If you're not aware of it, the touring exhibit 'Jim Henson's Fantastic World' offers incredible insight into the work he put into his storytelling (and if you're visiting New York City this holiday season, it's worth seeing the show at the Museum of the Moving Image, before it closes on Jan. 16). Henson's visual style is unmistakable and evident in every production he ever worked on. Even his TV show proposals -- that would only be seen by executives for business purposes -- are adorned with full-color sketches using a variety of textiles; Henson's vision was complete, no matter how early into the production process it may have been. His knowledge of world culture, joke telling and folk tales was evident in the music and scripting of his projects. His technical curiosity resulted in a continually-blossoming cast of artificial characters evoking real human connections with viewers. And most significantly, his outlook on the world and how we should all treat one another never wavered; it rooted itself in his upbringing and remained steady no matter the financial, professional or creative obstacle.

It's these traits that transformed his TV shows and movies into cultural touchstones. And it's a lot to live up to for anyone who wants to be considered a "modern Jim Henson."

Perhaps the title can be bestowed upon Hayao Miyazaki, the acclaimed director of anime like 'My Neighbor Totoro' and 'Spirited Away'; like Henson, the Japanese-born filmmaker tells earth-conscious tales involving fantastical characters. Although, to be blunt, Miyazaki -- who was producing work simultaneously alongside Henson -- has never quite broken down the mainstream cultural borders quite like a 'Sesame Street.'

So maybe that honor of "modern Jim Henson" belongs to Henry Selick, the stop-motion animator who directed movies like 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and 'Coraline.' Another possible candidate is Nick Park, the claymation wizard from Aardman Studios, who created 'Wallace & Gromit' and directed 'Chicken Run.' Both men use dazzling special effects and have literally hand-crafted beloved characters. But neither Selick, nor Park (or the entirety of Aardman for that mater) have ever reached as many viewers as Henson, and they remain largely unknown to a casual public.

Could the modern Jim Henson be someone like Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro? The blockbuster pair of directors possess idiosyncratic styles filled with other-worldly creatures; their eye for design is instantly recognizable. However, while Burton is imaginative, it has been a long time since he crafted a movie around an original idea; these days he seems content remaking popular favorites in his distinct, "plenty-of-merchandising-opportunity" style. And Del Toro still seems mostly concerned with the world of horror films; he's gotten more involved with Dreamworks' animated family features, but ultimately he's just not into making all-ages projects. (Slightly off-topic: this does make me wonder what a Jim Henson horror movie would look like.)

If I had to take my best guess at who has the same connection with audiences that Jim Henson had, it does not belong to one person, but an entire studio: Pixar. Beloved movies? Check. Colorful, comedic stories infused with heart and integrity? Check. Have the characters of Buzz Lightyear, Woody and their 'Toy Story' co-stars have reached the same pop culture pedestal as Kermit and Miss Piggy? Check. The only reason I wouldn't give them the nod is because they are a company -- a company with a strong commitment to excellent storytelling -- but ultimately, I don't think it's the right comparison. It's a different environment than the Muppet workshops of the 70s and 80s that were manned by Henson and a few close partners like Frank Oz or Richard Hunt. You could make the argument that Pixar head John Lasseter steers the ship in the same style as Henson, but Lasseter seems more content to be the businessman that Henson was itching to get away from.

Maybe the "modern Jim Henson" hasn't broken through yet, or maybe they never will. Perhaps Henson was a once-in-a-lifetime artist, the kind that is simply wired differently, like Mozart or Da Vinci; the reason he was able to create the things he did was because he was a genius in every sense of the word. Still, even if that's the case, it's a noble effort to try and create something as monumental as the Muppets.

Which filmmaker do you think is our modern Jim Henson?
Let us know in the comments.

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[Photo: Getty Images]

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The Muppets Are Brainwashing Your Children, According to Fox News

Eric Larnick — 2011-12-05T12:50:00+00:00

Get your pitchforks ready -- those wackos in Hollyweird are trying to brainwash your children into thinking terrible evil things. Using their agents of propaganda, they are attempting to corrupt an entire generation of impressionable viewers with false information, in an effort to lead this country's future into a perilous decline. Parents take heed: to protect your children, you must not take them to see 'The Muppets'; it may appear to be a holiday comedy for the whole family, an attempt to carry on the message and spirit of its creator Jim Henson, but that is mere deception. It is actually a weapon designed to trick your children into thinking that the oil industry -- and by proxy capitalism and America -- is evil. You can thank the good people at Fox Business Report for alerting us all to their dastardly motivation.

Since there's clearly no other economic news important enough to cover, 'Follow the Money' host Eric Bolling spoke with Dan Gainor of the Media Research Center, and asked the question that needed to be asked: "Is liberal Hollywood using class warfare to brainwash our kids?" And the answer is a resounding "YES!" In the new 'Muppets' movie, Chris Cooper stars as Tex Richman, an oil baron who plans to tear down the famed Muppet theater and drill for the precious oil percolating underneath. He also plans to buy out the Muppets name and re-package them for a group of low-life Reno troublemakers because he believes that we live in a "hard, cynical world" and it deserves a "hard, cynical act." And 'The Muppets' has the gall to imply that these are less than admirable character traits.

As Bolling and Gainor explain, the movie may deceive you into thinking that an unhealthy lust for personal wealth can you leave morally bankrupt, but don't buy it! 'The Muppets' -- like previous children's entertainment including 'Captain Planet,' Nickelodeon's 'Big Green Help' and 'Syriana' -- is trying to deceive your child into thinking capitalism is bad. Tex Richman is a successful businessman, and like Bolling reminds you, we should admire those people. Even though Richman blatantly flaunts his wealth in the Muppets' faces when they ask him for leniency, you shouldn't believe that someone with wealth would refuse to be charitable.

(And the fact that Bolling made his fortune on the NY Mercantile Exchange, trading crude oil among other things, has nothing to do with his motivation; if you're just going to use that "fact" to question his "objectivity" then you can hop on the first bus back to Cuba.)

Oil, that ever-lasting lifeblood of the planet Earth, provides an endless amount of benefits to the America people; if children believe the lies of 'The Muppets,' they could grow up with the ridiculous notion that there are negative consequences to the oil business.

Now that you've had your eyes opened, don't think that all is lost. There is still suitable entertainment you can share with your children this holiday season, like 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' -- which coincidentally is also produced by the Fox corporation. It's kind of funny that the movie that poses the biggest financial threat to the potential audience of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' just so happens to be mental poison to your child; it's a good thing the employees of the company were brave enough to point out this fact about their competition.

[via MediaMatters]

[Photo: Disney; Fox]

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Weekend Box Office: 'Breaking Dawn' Bests 'Muppets' for Threepeat Victory

Gary Susman — 2011-12-04T13:40:00+00:00

Don't underestimate vampires and werewolves when they go up against various frogs, pigs, and bears. That's this weekend's box office lesson. With no new wide-release movies in theaters, the box office competition was supposed to be a closely fought battle between holdovers ''The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' and ''The Muppets,' but it didn't end up close at all. 'Breaking Dawn' easily defended its crown for a third straight week at the top, while 'The Muppets' plummeted faster than expected to a distant second place.

After last weekend's repeat victory, 'Breaking Dawn' was expected to follow the path of past years' Thanksgiving blockbusters (including previous 'Twilight' installment 'New Moon' two years ago) and drop about 65 percent this weekend, which would have put it around $14.5 million. But it slipped just 59 percent, for an estimated weekend take of $16.9 million. In 17 days, the supernatural romance sequel has earned $247.3 million in North America and even more overseas, for a worldwide total of $532.3 million.

For 'The Muppets,' a 50 percent drop from last weekend's debut would have meant about $14.5 million and a neck-and-neck battle with the 'Twilight' neck-biters. Some pundits were even predicting a Muppet victory this weekend, given the film's enthusiastic reviews and word-of-mouth. Yet the movie fell a full 62 percent, to an estimated $11.2 million, nearly $6 million below 'Breaking Dawn.' Why the steeper than expected drop? It could be that more kids than expected went to see 'Hugo,' which expanded its release by about 50 percent this weekend, or to 'Arthur Christmas,' which is the only seasonal-themed holiday film currently in wide release. Still, 'Muppets' remained the top choice for family viewing, and its take so far comes to $56.5 million over 12 days.

'Hugo's second-week decline was a modest 33 percent, since it added 563 more screens, for a total of 1,840. Its estimated take of $7.6 million was good for a third-place finish. It had a per-screen average of $4,144, the largest of any of the current family films. ('The Muppets' earned $3,256 per venue.) That suggests strong word-of-mouth, which, along with rapturous reviews, should keep the Martin Scorsese 3D adventure afloat through the rest of the holidays. In 12 days, 'Hugo' has earned $25.2 million.

'Arthur Christmas' also held up well, sliding just 39 percent to an estimated $7.4 million. That landed the cartoon in fourth place, though its take is close enough to 'Hugo's that they may find their ranks reversed when final numbers are released on Monday. Its two-week total is slightly ahead of 'Hugo' at $25.3 million.

'Happy Feet Two' has the most tepid reviews and word-of-mouth among current family releases, but it held on to a spot in the top 5 with a take estimated at $6.0 million. That's down 55 percent from last week, not unusual for a cartoon in its third week of release, especially given the heavy competition in the family marketplace. In three weeks, the penguin pic has danced off with $51.8 million.

Elsewhere on the chart, 'The Descendants,' like fellow awards-season hopeful 'Hugo,' expanded its run by about 50 percent (to 574 screens) and was rewarded with a box office boost. It rose from 10th place to 7th and earned another estimated $5.2 million, for a three-week total of $18.1 million. And the much-buzzed-about 'Shame' opened on 10 screens and did very well, earning $36,100 per screen for a total of $361,000, good for a 16th-place debut. That per-screen average suggests stronger-than-usual commercial appeal for this NC-17 movie; if this weekend's numbers can persuade enough additional theater owners to book the film, it has a good chance of breaking the $5 million ceiling that no NC-17-rated film has cracked since 2004. Awards interest for Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan's performances in the sex-addiction drama won't hurt.

As the year winds down, box office is still about 3.2 percent behind where it was at this point in 2010. This year's estimated grosses to date are $9.4 billion, compared to $9.7 billion a year ago.

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,' $16.9 million (4,046 screens), $247.3 million total
2. 'The Muppets,' $11.2 million (3,440), $56.1 million
3. 'Hugo,' $7.6 million (1,840) $25.2 million
4. 'Arthur Christmas,' $7.4 million (3,376), $25.3million
5. 'Happy Feet Two,' $6.0 million (3,536), $51.8 million
6. 'Jack and Jill,' $5.5 million (3,049), $64.3 million
7. 'The Descendants,' $5.2 million (574), $18.1 million
8. 'Immortals,' $4,4 million (2,627), $75.6 million
9. 'Tower Heist,' $4.1 million (2.404), $70.8 million
10. 'Puss in Boots,' $3.1 million (2,750), $139.5 million

[Photos: Summit ('Breaking Dawn'), Disney ('The Muppets'), Fox Searchlight ('Shame')]

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Jim Henson & The Men Behind the Muppets

Eric Larnick — 2011-12-03T12:00:00+00:00

Now that the Muppets have made their big-screen comeback, it's the perfect time to learn how they reached such a prestigious place in film history. Whether you're wanting to share their story with your kids -- or you're a new fan who wants to learn everything about the men behind the Muppets, from their legendary creator Jim Henson to the guy that wrote 'Rainbow Connection' -- consider this your crash course in how the Muppets came to be.

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[Photo: Everett Collection]

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New Releases: 'Shame,' 'Answers to Nothing' and Many Holdovers

Christopher Rosen — 2011-12-01T19:00:00+00:00

Wondering what to see in theaters this weekend? Here's a hint: something you didn't see last weekend! Your (very limited) Weekend Movie Preview has arrived.

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

Take a picture of this weekend; it's one of the rare ones when no wide releases hit theaters for your viewing pleasure. The good news is that there are plenty of holdovers for you to enjoy. 'The Muppets' and 'Breaking Dawn' are expected to compete for the top slot at the box office, but don't sleep on 'Hugo.' The National Board of Review winner for Best Picture had a better-than-expected opening frame, and could see continued strong results. There are also plenty of limited release options to enjoy, like 'The Descendants,' 'The Artist' and 'My Week With Marilyn.' Get thee to a movie theater!

LIMITED RELEASES

2011 breakout star Michael Fassbender breaks out (of his clothes; hey-O) once again with 'Shame.' The searing drama from director Steve McQueen ('Hunger') focuses on a sex addict slowly sinking to bottom. The NC-17 flick has already received a fair share of publicity because of the frank nudity from stars Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, as well as some outrageous sex scenes, but don't think this is at all titillating. 'Shame' could be the most unsexy movie ever made about sex. Look for Fassbender to earn an Oscar nomination for his work, though whether 'Shame' busts through the art-house ghetto remains to be seen. Also debuting in limited release is 'Answers to Nothing,' the Dane Cook drama that you've been waiting for.

[Photo: Fox Searchlight]

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Is It OK to NOT Love 'The Muppets'?

Eric Larnick — 2011-11-30T15:50:00+00:00

I liked 'The Muppets.' I didn't love 'The Muppets.' I still laughed enough to consider it money well spent, but the movie had serious script problems that got in the way of it being a truly great comeback. I don't think I'm saying anything especially mean-spirited, so why does it feel like I'm uttering unforgivable heresy?

People love the Muppets; they have generations of fans who are ecstatic that these characters are back on the big screen in a prominent way. But if you're one of the people who thought the big-screen comeback was less than perfect, you have to duck and cover. We're not allowed to do anything less than love 'The Muppets,' and if we're just going to be so negative, we shouldn't say anything at all.

So what exactly were my problems with 'The Muppets'? (SPOILERS) I thought the movie spent more time telling us that the Muppets used to be funny rather than just showing them be funny. I don't think Jason Segel is a flawless screenwriter, and perhaps his sentimentality got in the way of crafting a story the Muppets needed in order to make them relevant to a generation unfamiliar with them; at times the movie feels like a fawning love-letter to how 'The Muppet Show' used to make Segal feel when he was a little kid.

It's a busy script. The movie tries to address the conflicts of: brothers Gary and Walter growing up and growing apart, Gary moving his relationship forward with his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Walter finding a place in this world where he can blossom, the Muppets coming back together after a break-up and saving their old theater. It doesn't spend enough time addressing each conflict at any given time; 'The Muppets' bounces around, leaving problems unaddressed for long periods, but apparently that's OK because it's the Muppets and remember how they made you feel when you were eight years old? It (unintentionally) coasts on this idea that your wistful nostalgia for the Muppets is enough to make you care about them now.

I better understand Frank Oz's complaints about the script not being true to the characters; you can make a movie that asks, "What would happen if the Muppets all turned into jaded cynics who grew apart from each other?" It just turns out that the answer is kind of boring for long periods of time and straining to find a joke. And for the record, it doesn't make Frank Oz a "sourpuss," it makes him the guy who is able to comment on the new corporately-owned direction of a creative project that he gave thirty years of his life to.

Watch the trailer for 'The Muppets'

I sat in an audience packed with kids and they grew restless for huge chunks of the first hour; they didn't grow up with 'The Muppet Show' and they didn't have this connection their parents had to it. They just wanted to see the cute, colorful talking animals do funny things, and it really doesn't happen until the last third of the movie when they finally put on another Muppets revue. That telethon segment is a blast, and there were other funny jokes during the course of the movie (I really liked 80s Robot), but "made me laugh" and "excellent movie" are not synonymous.

My concern, though, is that anyone who publicly offers criticisms of 'The Muppets' -- and other beloved properties -- gets labeled a grouch, a cynic, impossible to please, or -- my personal favorite -- as an over-thinker. This world doesn't address any theoretical problems the movie might have; it attacks the critic and ignores the criticisms.

This is a growing problem with movie fans and the conversation about movies. Let's all just admit there's no original ideas left in Hollywood; every movie is based off a pre-existing franchise: a comic book, an old cartoon, a book series, a video game, a toy, an amusement park ride or it's a sequel, a prequel or a reboot to something we already saw and liked. These franchises all come with built-in fanbases, and those fanbases support the product no matter what -- because when they discovered those characters, it really meant something to their personal development. When a dissenter comes along and offers his or her objective thoughts on the flaws of this new movie version of those characters you love, the fans take it as a personal attack.

And since the Internet has given everyone a chance to sound off and instantly get validated with a friend's "like" or "upvote" or "retweet," we don't ever have to get into debates defending the things we love anymore. All we need to do is find other people who already agreed with us. Another joy of the Internet: thanks to its anonymity, you can personally attack anyone who didn't see the movie with the exact same perspective as yours.

If this is the way pop culture is going, what's the point anymore? You have your thing, I'll have my thing, we'll never share. No one new will discover it because we're afraid to be confronted with flaws in this thing that means so much to us. So we'll only share it with other people exactly like us who have a slavish devotion to it -- rather than new or young audiences finding their own unique joy in it. And it will wither away when our generation dies because new kids won't understand that "thing" we loved so much when we were their age.

Way to totally understand Jim Henson's message!

[Photos: Disney]

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Weekend Box Office: 'Breaking Dawn' Still Rules, But 'Muppets' Win Family Movie Melee

Gary Susman — 2011-11-27T14:50:00+00:00

It's a new holiday pageant: a Thanksgiving feast where the Indians are werewolves and the white settlers don't even eat. During a weekend with three highly touted new family films, the family that a plurality of moviegoers chose to visit was the undead Cullen clan of 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1.' In its second weekend, the vampire romance easily held onto the top spot at the box office, while 'The Muppets' won the three-way battle for family film supremacy.

According to studio estimates, 'Breaking Dawn' earned another $62.3 million over the five-day holiday, or $42.0 million from Friday to Sunday. That's a sharp decline of 70 percent from last week's debut, but it's still on a par with the performance of earlier installment 'New Moon.' The film is playing in more venues than any other (4,066 screens) and is doing a smashing $10,330 per screen over the three-day weekend. In 10 days, it's earned $221.3 million.

Debuting in second place, 'The Muppets' made off with an estimated $29.5 million over the three-day weekend. Most pundits had expected a weekend haul above $30 million, given the multi-generational appeal of the fuzzy felt folks and the year-long parade of hype for the feature. Still, 'The Muppets' has earned a total of $42.0 million since Wednesday's debut, which is more in five days than every previous Muppet film except the first one earned throughout its entire theatrical run. (Of course, that's not adjusting for inflation; the $65.2 million take from 1979's 'The Muppet Movie' would amount to $210.1 million at today's ticket prices.) Besides positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth, 'The Muppets' also earned $8.576 per screen for the weekend, so the movie seems popular enough that it'll show some legs, even if the filmed-from-the-waist-up characters seldom do.

Including the two family films already playing, there are five movies in wide release vying for that same market; given that, it's no wonder that 'Happy Feet Two' slid 37 percent this weekend to an estimated $13.4 million. The penguin sequel, which opened weakly last weekend, has the weakest reviews of any of the current family releases. Still, it managed to finish in third place this weekend and has earned $43.8 million to date.

Opening at No. 4, 'Arthur Christmas' faced a few tough breaks. Besides competing with all the other family movies, it also had to open in 3,376 venues while fighting against four other wide-release movies for 3D screens. So while pundits expected it to open between $14 and $19 million, 'Arthur' settled for a three-day opening estimated at $12.7 million, for a total of $17.0 million over the five-day holiday. Sony issued a statement saying it expected the film to hold up well over the next few weeks because it's the only seasonal-themed family movie in the bunch, but a per-screen average of $3,762 (nearly identical to 'Happy Feet Two''s $3,711, after 10 days) doesn't bode well.

Conversely, 'Hugo' opened much better than its modest expectations. While critics adored Martin Scorsese's first stab at kiddie fare, some observers thought that a movie that's largely an homage to silent-film pioneer Georges Méliès might play above kids' heads. Predictions for the movie, which opened on just 1,277 screens, were in the $8 to $10 million range for the weekend. Yet the film earned an estimated $11.4 million from Friday to Sunday, for a five-day total of $15.4 million and a fifth-place finish. Its per-screen average of $8,888 is even higher than that of 'The Muppets,' meaning 'Hugo' could ride out the holiday season if it expands to a wider release.

On the indie front, three new movies did very well in limited release. 'My Week with Marilyn,' featuring Michelle Williams' much-buzzed-about performance as Marilyn Monroe, earned $1.8 million on 244 screens, with a respectable $7,266 per-screen average that suggests the movie will hold up well through awards season. Opening on just four screens each were silent-film tribute 'The Artist' and David Cronenberg's psychosexual period drama 'A Dangerous Method.' 'Artist' pulled in $210,414 (a whopping $52,604 per screen), while 'Method' did nearly as well with $181,852 ($45,463 per screen). Watch for these to become awards-season standouts at the box office as well.

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,' $42.0 million (4,066 screens), $221.3 million total
2. 'The Muppets,' $29.5 million (3,440), $42.0 million
3. 'Happy Feet Two,' $13.4 million (3,606), $43.8 million
4. 'Arthur Christmas,' $12.7 million (3,376), $17.0 million
5. 'Hugo,' $11.4 million (1,277) $15.4 million
6. 'Jack and Jill,' $10.3 million (3,029), $57.4 million
7. 'Immortals,' $8.8 million (2,677), $68.6 million
8. 'Puss in Boots,' $7.5 million (3,005), $135.4 million
9. 'Tower Heist,' $7.3 million (2.474), $65.4 million
10. 'The Descendants,' $7.2 million (433), $10.7 million

[Photos: Disney ('The Muppets'), Paramount ('Hugo')]

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Harvey Weinstein: My 'Marilyn' Is Sexy, Beautiful, and Fun to Be Around

Michael Hogan — 2011-11-23T15:10:00+00:00

In case you haven't noticed, this is Harvey Weinstein's time of year. All year long, he has been hoarding his awards-worthy jewels, and now they're finally being unveiled to the public. First up are 'The Artist' (a leading contender for Best Picture despite the fact that it's silent) and 'My Week With Marilyn,' which appears destined to earn Michelle Williams her third Oscar nomination.

Fifty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe lives on as an enchanting enigma. She was the most famous woman in the world, and perhaps the greatest movie star we'll ever know, but her true nature remained forever out of reach. 'My Week With Marilyn,' directed by TV veteran Simon Curtis and based on a pair of memoirs by Colin Clark, offers a new vantage point to consider where Norma Jeane Baker ended and Miss Monroe began. The film takes place in 1956 and follows the adventures of young Clark (Eddie Redmayne) on the London set of 'The Prince and the Showgirl,' as he goes from glorified gofer to superstar go-between, skinny-dipping with Marilyn and helping her cope with the vicissitudes of fame and the disdain of her director and co-star, Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).

Weinstein knows that the first step on the road to that podium is getting people to see the movie, so he took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with Moviefone about his love for Marilyn Monroe, his admiration for Michelle Williams, and his strategy for dominating awards season.

Let's start at the beginning. How did the project get off the ground?
Simon Curtis, who is the director, came to the company and said, "I want to make a movie of these books." I had read the books, you know, for fun, but I never actually thought about them as a movie. But he and Adrien Hodges had a script written and it was quite good. It was charming and fun.

I think the biggest misconception about this movie is that it's supposed to be something other than this entertainment, this slice of life. Simultaneously, Andrew Dominik ['The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'] was working with Scarlett Johansson at first, and then later with Naomi Watts, on a script called 'Blonde," [adapted from Joyce Carol Oates' fictional Marilyn memoir]. So somehow people get them mixed up a little bit. They didn't make 'Blonde,' and 'My Week With Marilyn' is a snapshot: it's funny, it's charming, it's entertaining, it's a fairytale. It's a boy who works on the set of a movie, 23 years old. She's 30. And through an argument she has with her husband, the playwright Arthur Miller, this guy gets very close to her.

It's kissing, skinny-dipping -- everything you want a week with Marilyn to be. You laugh. That's the misconception that I would love to clear up for everyone. This is just charming and fun, and today I'm just in a great mood. The reviews have been amazing. I mean, it's just been a gift. And the biggest gift is Michelle Williams.

Can you tell me a little bit about Michelle Williams' process, her transformation into Marilyn?
Well, you look like at her and you go, "Okay, she looks like Jean Seberg from 'Breathless.'" You go, 'How is Jean Seberg going to turn into Marilyn Monroe?' I think Jean Seberg is a knockout myself -- I'm much more of a Jean Seberg guy than a Marilyn Monroe guy -- but Marilyn's hot. Michelle practiced the wiggle, she practiced the walk, balanced things on her head. She had all the physical movements right.

Was this the first time you ever had to ask an actress to gain weight for a role?
She actually didn't gain the weight. Occasionally we added something to her butt, but that was about it. She's got a great figure and up on top, or whatever, she's in a good place [Laughs]. Anyhow, she met the physical demands of the role and she could sing, which we didn't know, and she could dance. Thank God she could, 'cause she dances four times, she sings four times in the movie. And that's all her -- she rehearses and she does it. She reads. She's like a school kid. You see her with books, you go, "Oh my god, we're back in college." It was like the smart girl walked into the room. When she takes her glasses off, she turns into Michelle Williams, but she's got her glasses on most of the time, her nose in a book. She's reading the biography of Arthur Miller, the first interview with Marilyn, Norman Mailer, looking at pictures -- she immersed herself.

Marilyn loved to be photographed with a book. She wanted to be taken seriously as an intellectual and that was sort of the tragedy of her life. She was the most famous actress in the world, and yet she felt like a failure.
Michelle treated Marilyn as a very serious role. Then I took her to see the movie during the making of 'Oz' in Detroit, because she had never seen it with an audience. "Just sit down, bring your girlfriends, hang out, whatever." The movie started and she couldn't believe how funny the movie was, how people were laughing -- and she knew we were trying for that. I mean, she walks into a bar and says, 'Buy a girl a drink?' The place explodes. Marilyn Monroe in a pub in England going, 'Buy a girl a drink?' It's like 'Casablanca,' you know? The line is so iconic. So it was reversed. Marilyn Monroe was kind of a flirtatious girl wanting to be serious. Michelle WIlliams is a totally serious, devoted-to-her-craft kind of actress, who had a good time, even though it was tough as hell to make this movie.

Watch the trailer for 'My Week With Marilyn'

What was she like on set? Was this your chance to finally make a movie with Marilyn?
The opposite. She was the most cooperative person. I think if you would've said, "Here's a broom, we're short one cleaner today," she would've done that. She would've polished the dressing room, made you lunch. She's a mommy too, on top of everything else, so she's good with white bread and sandwiches.

When people talk about Marilyn, often the actual movies get lost. What's your favorite of her movies?
Listen, I know it's a cliche, but it has to be 'Some Like It Hot.' It's the most artistic movie. The "nobody's perfect" line at the end of that film is just genius. Then from there I go to 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,' not everybody's second choice, and I do like 'River of No Return,' because I like Preminger and I liked her in that movie. I like a lot of things in 'Seven Year Itch,' but it was really stage-y for me. It was the least cinematic Billy Wilder movie I had ever seen. But her movies are great -- she comes on screen, she's amazing. She's a shot of energy.

Do you take issue with the idea that she was a tragic figure?
In our movie, she's not. She's smart, she's funny. And Michelle said that in her research she discovered that Norma Jeane created the Marilyn Monroe character for herself. This was a character that was created. She didn't walk around at 14 years old with that voice or that wiggle, you know? She was Norma Jeane her whole life. You see the calculation of her character, and you also see her sweetness too. You see what a good girl she was and why guys would be attracted to her. You just say to yourself, "Wow, there's a damsel in distress, I want to be a knight in shining armor, I want to rescue that woman." And then when you rescue her, you realize she's just as smart as anybody else. Or smarter.

It's an act.
It is. Michelle really plays three roles. She plays Norma Jeane, she plays Marilyn, and then she plays Elsie, the showgirl in the movie that they're making.

In the movie, Laurence Olivier calls her the "stupidest, most self-indulgent tart I've ever come across." What was he missing?
The movie details a huge battle, which was the method acting that Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift and Marlon Brando and James Dean and Paul Newman were all beginning to get into at the time versus the classically trained acting [favored by Olivier]. She wanted the method: "Please explain it to me. I want to live in it. I want to believe in it and make it about truth. I want to find the truth in the scene." And Olivier could care less about the truth: "Get on with it, you lazy cow." So the funniest scenes in the movie are Kenneth Branaugh as Olivier saying things like, "Get on with it! Just be sexy! That's what you do." It's just funny -- bitchy or whatever. I don't know if we can say this, but there's a great scene where he says, "Fuck!" and Marilyn goes, "I didn't know they had that word in England too!" So you clearly see how witty she is. Olivier thought she was going to fall madly in love with him, she didn't, and as a result he was left with a battle of wits.

You mentioned reviews earlier. A lot of people these days argue that reviews are irrelevant, but how important are they to you as someone who makes movies for adults?
I think they're extremely important. The way that this movie is received, especially today, will propel its box office and get it in front of audiences. I did an interview today where they asked, How come you don't do action movies? If I did, I wouldn't have to depend on journalists or reviews, but my movies' special effects are words. Therefore we live and die by the sword of words. Even if you as a journalist dislike something but you say, "I loved Michelle Williams" or "I loved Kenneth Branagh" -- whatever it is -- you give the audience a reason to see the movie. I can honestly tell the viewers if they like 'The King's Speech,' they're not going to be disappointed by this movie. They're really going to have a good time. This is even more of a romp than 'The King's Speech.' This is pure fun. It's sexy, it's funny, you'll have a great time, and it's smart.

Do you have any thoughts as to why there are so few people making movies for adults these days?
It's hard to market a movie when you're at the mercy of critics and journalists. People want to see big, escapist fare. They don't want to be challenged to think. It's a tightrope act. There are plenty of people who'd rather not be in the circus; they'd rather be doing the easier thing. Very often, I'm in the middle of it going, "Oh my god, why didn't I just do a romantic comedy? It's be so much easier!"

You're known for your skills in award season. After the Academy announced its new rules limiting campaign events, I jokingly asked someone there, "Is this the Harvey rule?" And he said, "They're all Harvey rules."
[Laughs.] Look, I've always loved politics. World politics, national politics, and I've always been involved in presidential elections. So organization just came naturally to me. And if I've learned one thing, just by watching the Republican Convention -- you've got to have a candidate. You have to have somebody or a movie that talks to people, and if you do, there's only one thing you can do to win an Oscar: Get all of the Oscar people to see the movie. If they don't see the movie, they can't vote for your movie. It's simple as one thing to do. People think I have a magic wand, but it's really the movies. And you insult the Academy's intelligence by thinking that you can campaign in any way. It's really just bringing it prominence and making you want to see 'Marilyn,' or 'The Iron Lady,' or 'The Artist.' Making you want to see 'W.E.' Or 'Coriolanus.'

Michelle and Meryl Streep [in 'The Iron Lady'] are both considered favorites for Best Actress. Does that create stickiness when you have two people going for the same award?
No. First of all, at least with the Golden Globes, thank God, they're both in different categories: Comedy/Musical and Drama. At least for the first round, there's no competition. Meryl's seasoned at this, and believe it or not, if Michelle gets nominated at the Oscars, it'll be her third. Here, I'll tell you an Oscar story. I have a great director who's the most self-effacing actor. In any universe, Ralph Fiennes' performance in 'Coriolanus' is a good as anybody's performance out there. It is just a great performance, but he'd rather campaign for Vanessa Redgrave or Gerard Butler.

That's my Oscar problem of the day.

Michael Hogan is the executive entertainment editor of The Huffington Post Media Group. A version of this article was published simultaneously on The Huffington Post.

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Viggo Mortensen: 'A Dangerous Method' Taught Me How to Talk in a Movie

Michael Hogan — 2011-11-23T12:10:00+00:00

David Cronenberg isn't necessarily the first director you'd expect to make a movie about the war of wills between two trailblazing 19th-century psychoanalysts, although on further reflection the idea starts to make sense. Cronenberg's movies have always featured plenty of disturbed individuals, so it stands to reason that he would not only know the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung but that he would ultimately become fascinated by the flaws and faults of the men themselves. The resulting film, 'A Dangerous Method,' out today in limited release from Sony Pictures Classics, asks what happens when two men committed to curing humanity of its mental diseases encounter destructive forces within themselves. Michael Fassbender plays Jung, the idealistic Austrian heir to Freud's legacy, who slowly becomes acquainted with -- and, at least temporarily, possessed by -- his own dark side. Freud, portrayed with an air of ironic wit by erstwhile 'Lord of the Rings' swashbuckler Viggo Mortensen, is the vain, impatient mentor who evolves over time into a disapproving rival.

I spoke to Mortensen last week about his ongoing collaboration with Cronenberg (this is their third collaboration), his frustration with the Oscar "popularity contest," and his initial reluctance to play a talkative old Jewish shrink.Here are some highlights from our conversation.

Were you surprised when Cronenberg called and said, "I want to make a movie about Sigmund Freud"?
It didn't surprise me. What surprised me is that he thought I was the right actor for Freud. I had to seriously think about it. In a lot of ways, it was the biggest stretch I've had as an actor in movies. More of a stretch in some ways in 'Eastern Promises.' Doing the role, with David's help, made me feel more confidant about playing characters who are a lot more verbose. Now I realize, I can do it. I accepted the challenge because I trusted David. The last thing he wants to do is miscast his movies, when it's someone like me who's his friend. He thought I could do it and didn't let go of the idea, so I thought there must be something to it.

Had you heard from other people that this type of role wouldn't be right for you? Or did you just kind of assume that wasn't your thing?
I just hadn't done anything quite like it. I hadn't played a character who spoke that much. And on the surface, looking at the script, I think I had preconceived ideas about this apparently very serious, dry, elderly, white-haired Jewish scientist. I thought, "That's not me." Physically, I'm more of an Aryan type to start with. But once I understood more about his ironic tone and his wit, once I started finding out how much appetite for life he actually had, I started thinking, "Well, maybe there's a way in."

Do you have the sense that you and Michael Fassbender are working in a similar tradition? That he could in some ways be an heir to your style of acting?
As an actor? I don't know, I hadn't thought of that. I mean, we got along well. He's got a really good sense of humor and he was easy to work with. He was well prepared. I think we have a little bit different approach, at least in this movie. His work is based on finding some kind of rhythm or music in the text. I think that the way Kiera works is a little more similar to mine -- you know, doing a tremendous amount of research on all kinds of things you would think are quite peripheral.

Watch the trailer for 'A Dangerous Method'

On a completely different side of the spectrum, do you ever think, "Oh man, I'd like to do another 'Lord of the Rings' style action franchise"?
No. I mean, I don't really have a game plan. I've never really had one. Some people say, "Hollywood prefers this now," and I always go, "What is Hollywood? I really don't know what that is." I don't plan to do big or small movies. [For any movie to be successful,] you've got to be lucky. The director has to be good. They've got to know what they're doing on the set and then they've got to know what they're doing in the editing room, and then you need a distributor who's not stupid. I've been in movies that I thought were quite good, that weren't released properly, or just had bad luck. Whether it be 'Appaloosa,' [Ed] Harris' movie, or 'The Road' --

'The Road' was one of my favorite movies of 2009.
I've heard that from so many people. Most of them had seen it after the fact, certainly North Americans, because Americans and Canadians didn't really get a chance at all to see that movie in theaters. It wasn't promoted very well, and we got the shaft. A lot of people looked forward to seeing that movie. But unless the distributor does a little leg work to generate some kind of buzz and keep that buzz through -- say, in case of 'The Road' -- the autumn, it might as well never have been released.

I've had that happen several times, where afterwards people are saying, "Shit, that was great, I saw it on DVD, I saw it on the airplane -- why didn't that get nominated for Best Movie? Why didn't David Cronenberg get nominated for Best Director for 'History of Violence'? Or 'Eastern Promises'?" Tell you what: David Cronenberg has never been nominated for an Oscar, ever. Which is absurd when you think of, not only some of the people that get nominated every year, but some of the people who win for Best Director. Seriously, so many times, you see a movie, you see a win, and you go, "How many people are going to care to rent that thing a year from now?" In some cases, nobody.

And yet we're still watching 'A History of Violence' and 'The Fly.'
I have no explanation as to why he's never been nominated as a director. I would've nominated him for all three movies I've done with him. No question. This one, I don't know what the general feeling is out there about this movie -- we'll see when it comes out -- but it already seems like other movies I've seen, that I know don't hold a candle to this one, are already getting on those lists and it seems like David, once again, is disappearing. Maybe you can explain it me.

Well, I do think that they're harder-edged than the usual Oscar fare.
People still classify him as a horror director, maybe. I have no idea why.

Yeah, that's probably a part of it too. But let me ask you about Kiera Knightley --
I was just gonna say -- I think that is a performance that will go down in history as one of the great performances, certainly of this year. But I don't know if she'll be able to break into that popularity contest or not. Certainly in Britain, it seems to be ingrained in critics that she can do no right. I don't know what the hell that's about.

All I can do is enjoy what I do. I always enjoy the research process. I can always count on that for a good time. Unless I'm working with Cronenberg, where I know the shoot's going to be fun and enjoyable, a good learning experience, calm, professional, with some laughs along the way, and the movie's going to turn out to be one I'm proud of -- in other cases, it's a crapshoot. Many times, the research is all I have, as far as what was really fun. You make friendships on the shoot if you want to, but a lot of shoots don't turn out to be well managed, well thought out, well executed, or pleasant, and the end results can be almost unwatchable sometimes, you know? Despite the best efforts of everybody involved, it's just the way it goes.

Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics.

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'The Muppets' Cast Does the Manha Mahna Song (VIDEO)

Chris Harnick — 2011-11-23T11:30:00+00:00

From AOL TV: It's safe to say we're pretty flipping excited for 'The Muppets' movie.

Not only does the new film star Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, but some of our favorite TV stars like Rashida Jones and Neil Patrick Harris round out the cast. And just like us, they're not immune to the Mahna Mahna song.

In the video below, Jones, Harris, Ken Jeong and more of our favorite scene-stealers join the Mahna Mahna phenomenon.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the video is promoting MuppetsMahnaMahna.com, a site where fans can upload clips of themselves singing the classic song.

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New Releases: 'The Muppets,' 'Hugo,' 'Arthur Christmas,' 'My Week With Marilyn,' 'The Artist,' 'A Dangerous Method'

Christopher Rosen — 2011-11-22T12:00:00+00:00

Thanksgiving has arrived, and that means only one thing: ~~turkey~~ ~~stuffing~~ ~~cranberry sauce~~ ~~biscuits~~ ~~gravy~~ ~~pumpkin pie~~ movies! If you get tired of seeing your extended family over the long weekend -- or if you want to experience the joys of theatergoing with your brood -- Hollywood is here to help. A ridiculous seven films hit theaters this weekend, including 'The Muppets,' 'Hugo' and 'Arthur Christmas.' Which film will rule the roost? Let's discuss ahead in the Weekend Movie Preview.

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

'The Muppets'
What's the story: As you may have heard, 'The Muppets' are back! This time with Jason Segel! Following months of advance hype, Kermit and Miss Piggy and all your favorites return to the big screen for an adventure that finds the Muppets trying to save their original 'Muppets Show' theater. Amy Adams and a cavalcade of stars lend a hand to the proceedings.

Box-office projection: If promotional appearances equated to box office, 'The Muppets' would challenge 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' for biggest opening weekend ever. Unfortunately, for Kermie and the gang, they don't. Of course, that won't prevent 'The Muppets' from being the choice for families over this long weekend. A three-day total of $40 million seems more than possible, with the potential for $55 million or more over the five-day holiday. Even better? Expect 'The Muppets,' which has received mostly unanimous critical praise, to have strong legs throughout the holiday season. $41.2 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'Hugo'
What's the story: From director Martin Scorsese comes a love letter to film history wrapped in a children's movie about mystery and adventure. Hugo (Asa Butterfield), an orphaned boy living inside the Paris train station, must team with a young girl (Chloe Moretz) to help and old man (Ben Kingsley) find himself again. 'Hugo' is sweet, beautiful and features some of the best 3D of the year...

Box-office projection: ...but it remains a difficult sell for Paramount. More of a hybrid than a straight-up kids movie, 'Hugo' will certainly appeal to adult cinephiles, but their young children might be a bit bored. 'Hugo' is opening on just 1,200 screens, meaning its three-day box office will be significantly smaller than 'Muppets' and 'Arthur Christmas,' but the hope has to be that this one will have legs throughout the holiday season and into Oscar season; 'Hugo' could play a big role as a possible Best Picture nominee. $9.1 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

'Arthur Christmas'
What's the story: Santa Claus's youngest son, Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy) must try to save Christmas. Featuring the voices of Hugh Laurie and Bill Nighy, this is the latest animated adventure from Aardman Animations, the people who brought you 'Wallace & Gromit.'

Box-office projection: The kids movie of the weekend that is a straight-up kids movie. What does 'Arthur Christmas' have in its favor for box-office glory? Besides being in 3D, it's also opening up on the same amount of screens as 'The Muppets.' That market saturation spells bank, and the film's title spells another potentially leggy seasonal hit. Expect the three-day grosses to be on the strong side of modest. $17.6 million

[Showtimes & Tickets]

LIMITED RELEASES

If children's movies don't float your boat -- and if you live in New York or Los Angeles among other major cities -- then here's some great news: Thanksgiving weekend is chockablock with some of the best indie releases of 2011. Out on over 125 screens Wednesday (and 250 by Friday), 'My Week With Marilyn' gives you the chance to see Michelle Williams embody Marilyn Monroe like no actress has done before. She's an early frontrunner for Best Actress and the film itself could land in the Best Picture discussion as well. Also out in limited release: 'The Artist,' the silent and black and white French import that could win Best Picture. Led by Jean Dujardin, the film tells the story of a silent film star at the advent of talkies. It's wonderful and smart and a beautiful love letter to cinema. Elsewhere, 'A Dangerous Method' from director David Cronenberg hits screens. Starring Viggo Mortensen as Sigmund Freud and Michael Fassbender as Carl Yung, 'Method' deals with the birth of psychoanalysis. 'Rampart,' the crooked cop drama with Woody Harrelson, also debuts.

[Photo: Disney]

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'Arthur Christmas' Clip: A Montage to Get You Into the Holiday Spirit (VIDEO)

Moviefone Staff — 2011-11-21T14:50:00+00:00

With only a few days left until Thanksgiving, you should already be in full-fledged holiday mode. If not, this montage from 'Arthur Christmas' will help you get into the spirit (or that ugly Christmas sweater). Opening Nov. 23, 'Arthur Christmas' tells the story of Santa Claus' son, Arthur, who must complete a mission before Christmas morning to make sure the biggest day of the year goes off without a hitch.

This new clip features a behind-the-scenes look at Santa's workshop and life on the North Pole. When it's over, make sure to check out our 'Arthur Christmas' gallery, which spotlights the film's Elf Cameos -- a group of Santa's helpers voiced by big-name stars.

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Weekend Box Office: 'Breaking Dawn' Breaks Big, While 'Happy Feet Two' Stumbles

Gary Susman — 2011-11-20T14:40:00+00:00

Okay, we all knew that 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' was going to be huge; the only real suspense was: would it be record-breaking huge? (Early answer: Apparently not.) The bigger shockers were the failure of 'Happy Feet Two' to open anywhere near the heights of its smash predecessor, and the stunning success (for a glum indie Oscar hopeful playing on a handful of screens) of George Clooney's 'The Descendants.'

'Breaking Dawn' did break the franchise's own record for its opening midnight screening, which earned $30.25 million in the wee hours of Friday morning (edging out the $30 million benchmark set by 'Eclipse'). And its total take Friday of $72 million was the third largest single-day gross ever, behind the franchise's own 'New Moon' ($72.7 million) and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($91 million).

Still, numbers like that should have resulted in a weekend total of about $148 million. Instead, distributor Summit is estimating an opening at $139.5 million. That's short of the $142.8 million franchise record set two installments ago by 'New Moon.' It's possible that word-of-mouth on this one isn't as strong as expected. (At this writing, Moviefone's own informal survey finds 'Breaking Dawn' viewers either exuberantly enthusiastic or bitterly disappointed, with raves outnumbering pans about 2-to-1.) It's also possible that some parents and kids took the PG-13 rating seriously and stayed away, given that this installment is much more frank, disturbing, and gory than the first three movies when it comes to topics of sex, pregnancy, and childbirth.

Now, $139.5 million is hardly a disappointment, especially when added to overseas grosses for a worldwide debut totaling $283.5 million. Nonetheless, with several big holiday movies opening in the next couple of weeks, 'Breaking Dawn' isn't positioned as well as it could be for the sharp dropoff likely to come over the Thanksgiving holiday.

By the way, Taylor Lautner's thriller 'Abduction' has earned an estimated $27.6 million to date, grossing about as much over nine weeks as 'Breaking Dawn' did by the time Lautner first took his shirt off during Friday's first screening.

No one expected the dancing penguins of 'Happy Feet Two' to be any kind of competition for first place, but many pundits did expect it to compete favorably with the original, which debuted at $41.5 million five years ago. After all, this one had much of the same cast, similarly striking Antarctic visuals, and 3D surcharges going for it. On the minus side, five years is a long time between sequels for a family movie; many kids who adored the flightless fowl back then have graduated to the relatively chaste vampires and werewolves of 'Twilight.' Also, the penguin craze has cooled since 'March of the Penguins' and 'Happy Feet' ruled the box office. Reviews weren't as strong this time out. Finally, the sequel faced stiff competition not just from 'Breaking Dawn,' but also from fellow family toon 'Puss in Boots,' still holding its own after four weeks in theaters. As a result, 'Happy Feet Two' had to settle for a second-place debut estimated at $22.0 million, about half the opening take that the original enjoyed.

Last week's winner, 'Immortals,' faced a steep drop, as action epics tend to do on their second weekends. It lost 62 percent of last week's business and took third place with an estimated $12.3 million. (You wouldn't think the macho 'Immortals' and the estrogen-heavy 'Breaking Dawn' would be competing for the same audience, but the guys who dragged their dates to see the gruesome Greek epic last week probably returned the favor this week for the similarly bloody birth of Bella's baby.) In 10 days, 'Immortals' has grossed $53.0 million.

Adam Sandler movies also typically lose half their business the second week; so it was with 'Jack and Jill,' which declined 52 percent dropped to fourth place on estimated earnings of $12.0 million. In two weeks, the comedy has taken in $41.0 million.

In its fourth week, 'Puss in Boots' came in fifth with an estimated $10.7 million, down 57 percent from last weekend. In four weeks, the 'Shrek' spinoff has earned $122.3 million.

Clooney's 'The Descendants' managed to crack the top 10 even though it's a heavy-themed grown-up movie playing on just 29 screens. It earned an estimated $1.2 million over the weekend, which means an enormous $42,150 per venue. Add that to its earnings since its solid early opening on Wednesday, and you have a total take of $1.3 million.

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1,' $139.5 million (4,061 screens), new release
2. 'Happy Feet Two,' $22.0 million (3,606), new release
3. 'Immortals,' $12.3 million (3,120), $53.0 million total
4. 'Jack and Jill,' $12.0 million (3,438), $41.0 million
5. 'Puss in Boots,' $10.7 million (3,415), $122.3 million
6. 'Tower Heist,' $7.0 million (2.942), $53.4 million
7. 'J. Edgar,' $5.9 million (1,947), $20.7 million
8. 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,' $2.9 million (1,808), $28.3 million
9. 'In Time,' $1.7 million (1,367), $33.4 million
10. 'The Descendants,' $1.2 million (29), $1.3 million

[Photos: Summit, Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight]

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Family Film Guide: 'Happy Feet Two'

Sandie Angulo Chen — 2011-11-18T17:00:00+00:00

'Happy Feet Two'
Director: George Miller
Rated: PG for some rude humor and mild peril
Starring: Elijah Wood, Pink, Robin Williams
Get showtimes & tickets
Common Sense Media rating: On for 6+

Moviefone Says: Tap-dancing Emperor penguin Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) is back as a grown penguin with mate Gloria (now Pink, since original star Brittany Murphy died in 2009); they have a young chick named Erik (Ava Graves) who has yet to find his own "happy feet" or singing voice. When Ramon (Robin Williams) decides to leave Emperor land for his Adelie turf, he's followed by Eric and a couple of other young'ins. Mumble follows the kids and when they return home they discover a natural disaster has trapped all of the Emperor penguins in a valley of snow. Throughout this global-warming catastrophe, the penguins often break into elaborate song-and-dance routines to hit songs. Kids may not pick up on the environmental message, and the story isn't nearly as good as the original's, but the animation is superb and the father-son plotline is a sweet reminder of why parents should always support their kids' dreams. Plus, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon play Will and Bill, two krill facing an existential crisis about their purpose in the sea. They're hilarious.

Did You Know?: Mumble's dancing moves were choreographed by tap maestro Savion Glover!

Watch the trailer!

Parent Concerns: There's not so much to object to, but there is some mild peril -- especially as the iceberg strikes and later with the elephant seals. There is also some brief flirting and double-meaning jokes between Ramon and Carmen (voiced by Sofia Vergara). When they first meet, he says to her: "You-Me-Egg-Now!" but she rebuffs him for most of the movie.

Here are three talking points to extend your moviegoing experience.

1. Global Warming: Like the original movie, 'Happy Feet Two' has a strong environmental theme. The global climate crisis wreaks havoc on the penguins' habitats. Who else is adversely affected by the melting and shifting icebergs? How is Sven's situation particularly tragic? Kids, what can you do to become aware of your impact on the environment? Discuss ways your family can reuse more and waste less.

2. Family Values: Just like Mumble was embarrassed about his inability to sing, young Erik is self-conscious about not having the gift of dance like his dad or of song like his mom, until the end of the movie. What is the movie's message about living up to parents' expectations? When does Erik finally discover his gift? What do Erik and Mumble learn about each other while dealing with the habitat emergency?

3. Soundtrack Of Your Life: Most of the musical numbers in the movie are based on top singles like Queen's 'Under Pressure' or Justin Timberlake's 'SexyBack' with slight lyrical changes ("sexy" becomes "fluffy" in the case of JT's signature anthem). What do you prefer -- covers of well-known songs, or original songs ala Disney movies? Is it weird watching penguins take on such popular hits?

Three to See: Animal Adventures
1. 'Puss in Boots': Shrek's lovable rogue warrior cat pal gets his very own spinoff in this action-packed adventure featuring familiar fairy tale characters.
2. 'Finding Nemo': One of the best father-son films ever. Fabulous undersea animation, memorable characters and a touching story make this an all-time fave.
3. 'Rio': Kids and parents will love joining Blu, a sheltered macaw who travels to Rio de Janeiro with his faithful owner to meet and save his one-and-only mate Jewel.

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Is 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 1' Appropriate For Your Teen?

Sandie Angulo Chen — 2011-11-18T11:00:00+00:00

'Breaking Dawn - Part 1' is undoubtedly the teen targeted phenomenon of the holiday season, but as anyone familiar with the series knows, the first half of Stephenie Meyer's final book focuses on some rather mature themes that may not be appropriate for younger teens -- and certainly not tweens. How hypocritical, you must be thinking, considering the first three installments feature a heavy dose of supernatural violence, suicidal thoughts and relationship drama. But in 'Breaking Dawn,' Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) teen marriage leads to an unplanned, dangerous pregnancy, and one of the most horrific birth scenes ever put on film -- way too intense for most pre-teens to understand or see. Here are five issues to consider closely before you decide to take your under-15 kid to the movie. (Spoilers ahead)

1. Sex: While the first three movies in the supernatural romance saga depict adolescent lust -- and restraint -- in Bella and Edward's steamy-but-sexless relationship, 'Breaking Dawn' opens with the couple's wedding, which of course leads to the much-anticipated wedding night. On the plus side, the love scenes are tastefully shot, but the honeymoon sequence is extensive, and like all honeymoons, sex (of the bed-breaking variety) is constantly on the characters' minds. Bella is visibly bruised the morning after their first time, and later she all but begs Edward to have sex again.

2. Teen pregnancy: If the teen marriage doesn't concern you, the teen pregnancy might. Bella is only 18 when she and Edward (who's technically in his 100s) marry, and she immediately gets pregnant on their honeymoon. Since they don't think pregnancy is even possible, the newlyweds don't use birth control, and when Bella realizes she's expecting, Edward decides "the thing" needs to come out, but Bella has other ideas about the growing human-vampire hybrid.

3. Abortion debate: The bulk of the movie is one long pro-life debate. Sure, Bella says it's her body, her choice (terms usually used in the pro-choice movement), but her decision is pro-life to the extreme, because the baby can and will kill her. On the one hand, Bella is willing to protect her and Edward's unborn baby, even if it means giving up her life; on the other, poor Edward (and Jacob and everyone else except for Rosalie) wants the emaciated, dying Bella to terminate her pregnancy and save herself. Ultimately both mother and child survive, but there's so much "fetus" vs "baby," life begins at conception talk that it's bound to confuse some younger viewers.

Watch the trailer for 'Breaking Dawn - Part 1'

4. Parental abandonment: One of the saddest subplots in the movie is that Bella has to lie to her father time and time again after she gets married. She claims it's for his own good, so he won't worry, but all the deception does is upset and alienate him. In the book, Bella is willing to forego a relationship with her parents in order to marry Edward and transform into a vampire. It's not that overt in the movie, but she does lie and tell him not to attempt to see her. It's certainly a confusing message for tweens and young teens -- that it's OK to abandon your family for the man you love.

5. Bloody birth scene: Have you seen 'Rosemary's Baby' or 'The Fly' remake? The birth scene in 'Breaking Dawn' makes those look tame by comparison. In director Bill Condon's defense, he was just being faithful to his source material, but really, the birth is bloody disgusting. Without Carlisle Cullen to deliver the baby, Edward has to result to extreme, vampiric methods to perform an emergency C-section ... with his teeth. There's so much blood it drives one of the other vampires into a bloodlust frenzy, and a nearly dead Bella is shown covered in blood, bites and bruises for a very long time. It's enough to make the faint of heart queasy.

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New Releases: 'Breaking Dawn Part 1,' 'Happy Feet Two' and 'The Descendants'

Christopher Rosen — 2011-11-17T17:00:00+00:00

If only there was a big movie coming out this weekend. Lolz. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1' arrives in theaters with freight-train like speed, poised to gobble up all possible dollars in the days before Thanksgiving. If vampire sex isn't your speed, there's also 'Happy Feet Two' and 'The Descendants.' To the Weekend Movie Preview!

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1'
What's the story: Edward. Bella. The wedding of the century. The crazy honeymoon sex. The crazier mutant vampire baby. If you don't know about 'Breaking Dawn Part 1' or 'Twilight,' catch up on Wikipedia.

Box-office projection: To paraphrase the immortal marketing campaign for 'Clash of the Titans': Records! Could! Fall! Summit Entertainment is very conservatively estimating that 'Breaking Dawn Part 1' could earn upward of $125 million over the three-day weekend, but come on; this is 'Twilight,' y'all! 'Eclipse,' the last entry in the series, grossed $157 million over the five-day July 4th holiday in 2010, while 'New Moon' earned $142 million on this weekend in 2009. Anticipation feels higher than ever for 'Breaking Dawn' (like that could even be possible) -- which seems, in large part, due to the fact that there have been a severe lack of female-driven movies in theaters in recent weeks. Could 'Breaking Dawn Part 1' top 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' -- which earned $169 million during its debut weekend -- for biggest opening ever? 'Breaking Dawn' is not in 3D, which hurts, but: possibly. Sky's the limit on this one. $163.3 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

'Happy Feet Two'
What's the story: A sequel to the Oscar-winning 2006 smash 'Happy Feet,' 'Happy Feet Two' finds Mumbles (Elijah Wood) and his son trying to save their tribe. With dancing.

Box-office projection: .The first 'Happy Feet' opened on this weekend in 2006 and tapped its way to $41 million in ticket sales. Of course, there was minimal competition then: 'Casino Royale' was the other big release (James Bond ain't Edward Cullen) and the only other family film in circulation was 'Santa Clause 3.' 'Happy Feet Two' reaches theaters on the same day as 'Breaking Dawn' and is forced to share multiplex space with leggy hit 'Puss in Boots.' Being in 3D and IMAX should help, but don't be surprised if 'Happy Feet Two' earned slightly less than the original. Slightly. $39.1 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

LIMITED RELEASES

Released on Wednesday and expanding to more limited theaters on Friday, George Clooney leads 'The Descendants,' the latest film from acclaimed director Alexander Payne. In the dramedy, Clooney -- already festooned with Oscar buzz -- plays Matt King, a Hawaii resident who finds out his comatose wife was cheating on him. Payne, who hasn't made a film since 'Sideways' in 2005, tows the line between comedy and drama, and 'The Descendants' is sure to be on the short list of Best Picture favorites come January.

[Photo: Summit]

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'Happy Feet Two' and the Most Disgustingly Cute Animated Characters

Cat Ferreira — 2011-11-15T08:00:00+00:00

In anticipation of this week's release of 'Happy Feet Two,' starring the cutest penguins in Hollywood, Moviefone is celebrating the most disgustingly cute animated characters ever. Full disclosure: narrowing the list down was difficult. Not rocket-science-difficult, but definitely up there. Not only because there are just too many heart-burstingly adorable characters, but because whittling the list down led to many hours wasted staring at movie stills and YouTube videos, giggling like children.

It's quite the feat to turn thousands of individual pictures into a singular character an audience can connect to; even more so when it garners a lifetime appreciation from kids and adults alike. These characters are some of the most beautifully crafted art in film. We're warning you, they may cause unusually high-pitched "awws" and a desire to start a stuffed animal collection.

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Watch the trailer for 'Happy Feet Two'

[Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.]

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New on DVD and Blu-ray, Week of Nov. 15: 'Beginners,' 'Larry Crowne,' 'My Fair Lady' and 'West Side Story'

Harley W. Lond — 2011-11-15T07:00:00+00:00

A pair of romantic comedies highlight the home entertainment releases this week. At one end of the spectrum is the low-key but thoroughly entertaining indie 'Beginners,' a funny and sad tale of a commitment-phobic young man whose father comes out of the closet in his 70s just before being diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the other end is the lackluster 'Larry Crowne,' a star-studded studio production about a middle-aged man who has to reinvent himself after losing his long-time job. Small is better. Read on.

'Beginners'
What It's About: Director-writer Mike Mills ('Thumbsucker') has a unique take on life in this lovingly told story of a father, a son and a dog. Chistopher Plummer plays the father, a man who has hidden his homosexuality from his son (Ewan McGregor) for decades. Now that his wife has died, Plummer decides to spill the beans to McGregor, who has his own problems with women ... he can't seem to commit to one. The hook: Plummer's character is dying of cancer, so there's little time for the pair to get close. But with the help of a smooth talking dog (in subtitles), and a clever script, father and son find a deep bond in this touching and continuously entertaining story.

It's Kinda Like: 'Greenberg' meets 'Sideways'

What We Say: This heartwarming story hits all the right notes about the way family members might stray from each other ... and then come together before it's too late. The script paints its three-dimensional characters with plenty of heart and great courage, creating personalities and situations that are about as real as fiction can aspire to. And don't forget that talking (and very smart) pooch, who steals the show and displays as much of the script's humor as the humans do. This charming indie outing has great performances by Plummer and McGregor, and by Goran Visnjic and Melanie Laurent as the men's respective lovers. Watch it with a very close friend.

o. Extras: Commentary by writer-director Mills, 'A Short Film About Making Beginners.'
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue

Watch a trailer:

'Larry Crowne'
What It's About: Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts come together for a romantic comedy about how it's never too late to reinvent yourself. When he suddenly is laid off from his long-standing blue-collar job, Larry Crowne (Hanks) enrolls at his local college to start over. There, he becomes part of an eclectic community of students and develops a crush on his teacher (Roberts), whose passion for teaching -- and her husband -- have waned. Naturally Hanks reinvigorates Roberts while learning his own lesson about finding one's place in the world.

It's Kinda Like: 'Last Chance Harvey' meets 'Back to School'

What the Critics Say: Despite the mega-star power of Hanks and Roberts, 'Larry Crowne' fizzled at the box office. And the critics weren't enthralled by the film: "When it comes to unemployment-themed cinema, I'll take the greater realism of last year's 'The Company Men' or this year's 'Everything Must Go' over Hanks's too rosy vision of life after the pink slip," Time magazine's Mary F. Pols said. Anthony Lane of the New Yorker chimed in with "To pluck romantic comedy from the jaws of a social crisis is a laudable project, worthy of Preston Sturges, and it's a pity that this featherlight drama -- written by Tom Hanks and Nia Vardalos, and directed by Hanks himself -- should falter in its task." And, lastly, Ella Taylor of NPR said: "Neither fish nor fowl, 'Larry Crowne' skitters between pathos and shtick, wasting abundant acting talent as it goes." On the other hand, David Edelstein of New York Magazine said "The film is sometimes gentle to the point of blandness, but it's never flimsy." And Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel smacked his lips over the film: "It's perfectly pleasant ... comfort food -- meatloaf, potatoes and apple cobbler served as bubbly Tom Petty and ELO tunes waft from the soundtrack."

o. Extras: Deleted scenes and behind-the-scene featurettes.
Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue

Watch a trailer:

Blu-ray Debuts:

'My Fair Lady': (1964) George Cukor's classic musical version of George Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion' starred Audrey Hepburn -- at the peak of her career -- and Rex Harrison, whose turn as Professor Henry Higgins resurrected his sagging career. Though corny by today's standards, the film still holds up, with gorgeous cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr. (who photographed the 1939 film version of 'Pygmalion') and wonderful songs by Lerner and Loewe.
'The Rules of the Game': (1939) Considered one of the greatest films ever made, Jean Renoir's classic is a scathing critique of corrupt French society cloaked in a comedy of manners, in which a weekend at a marquis's countryside chateau lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haute bourgeois acquaintances. Still stunning and beautiful -- and pertinent -- after seven decades.
'Three Colors: Blue, White, Red': (1993-94) A boldly cinematic trio of stories about love and loss from Krzysztof Kieslowski. The films were named for the colors of the French flag and stand for the tenets of the French Revolution -- liberty, equality, and fraternity -- with each film using the title symbol to examine a group of ambiguously interconnected people experiencing tragedy to comedy in their personal lives. 'Red' was Kieslowski's last film -- he died at age 54 during open-heart surgery following a heart attack in 1996.
'West Side Story': (1961) Five decades after its historic debut, the iconic musical returns in a 50th anniversary hi-def edition. With a record-breaking 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Original Score, the 1961 film took home more awards than any other movie-musical in the history of cinema. This monumental production not only features the timeless lyrics from master American composer Stephen Sondheim, but a brilliant score from Leonard Bernstein and beautiful direction by Robert Wise and co-director and choreographer Jerome Robbins. Stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Simon Oakland, Ned Glass, William Bramley and Tucker Smith. Watch an exclusive Blu-ray clip:

Other New November 15 Releases:

'Bellflower': (2011) Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building "Mad Max"-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly integrate into a new group of friends, setting off on a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity, and extreme violence. Written, directed by and starring Glodell, the film is a heartfelt story of obsession, friendship, and young-love gone awry, showcasing Glodell's real-life creations: homemade flamethrowers and a fire-spewing 1972 Buick Skylark, Medusa. A painfully honest and quirky film
'Flypaper': (2011) A nervous bank customer tries to thwart two gangs of robbers -- a high-tech trio who plan to break into the vault, and two dumb hicks whose idea of a big score is knocking off the ATMs -- who both descend on the building, setting off a gun fight and taking everyone hostage. Stars Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Tambor, Mekhi Phifer, Curtis Armstrong and Tim Blake Nelson.
'Griff the Invisible': (2011) Griff, a shy and awkward office worker by day, finds escape from his ordinary, "invisible" life by assuming the identity of a fantastic superhero each night. But his secret is jeopardized when he meets Melody, a cute but unconventional daydreamer who quickly becomes fascinated by his idiosyncrasies, which are equal only to her own, and who takes it upon herself to rescue him. A warm, loving "underdog" superhero romance -- that could have used tighter editing -- with offbeat, engaging characters. Stars Ryan Kwanten and Maeve Dermody. Watch an exclusive clip:
'Highway Patrol Man': (1999) Director Alex Cox's ('Repo Man') Mexican cult film fav has finally made its way to DVD. Against his father's wishes, Pedro -- a naive kid from Mexico City -- joins the Federal Highway Patrol but his simple desire to do good rapidly comes into conflict with the reality of police work in a lonely rural environment populated by poor farmers, rich drug dealers, beautiful women, and his father's ghost. Stars Roberto Sosa, Bruno Bichir and Vanessa Bauche.
'Rio Sex Comedy': (2010) A mixed group of tourists and visitors on a working trip find themselves footloose and under the sway of the Brazilian city's erotic spell. Stars Charlotte Rampling, Bill Pullman, Irene Jacob, Jean-Maric Roulot.
'Walk a Mile in My Pradas': (2010) Two weeks before his wedding, a homophobic young man is turned gay -- and his ridiculed gay co-worker turned straight -- by a magical Christmas tree. Stars Nathaniel Marston, Tom Archdeacon, Tom Arnold, Mike Starr, Dee Wallace and Kirsten Lea.

Check out more November 15 DVD releases at OnVideo.

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Weekend Box Office: 'Immortals' Overwhelm Sandler and Eastwood

Gary Susman — 2011-11-13T15:20:00+00:00

Is there such a thing as a movie that's too violent? At the box office, apparently not. Exhibit A: 'Immortals,' which, despite extreme gore that includes bloody entrails flying at the viewer in 3D, opened at no. 1 with an estimated $32.0 million. That's a stunning feat for a movie that faced competition from a new Adam Sandler comedy, had little star power of its own, belonged to a genre of sword-and-sandals movies that hasn't been popular lately, and comes from an indie distributor with only one other big hit under its belt. Oh, and did we mention the flying entrails?

Actually, the intentionally repulsive combat scenes were probably a big selling point. Given such recent movies as 'Conan the Barbarian' and 'The Eagle' (movies in the same genre as 'Immortals' that failed to dent the box office), you have to go all the way back to 'Clash of the Titans' and '300' for ancient-world action blockbusters, and 'Immortals' director Tarsem Singh dismissed those movies as overly tame. It's doubtful that anyone would find 'Immortals' tame, which must have helped overcome the movie's box office negatives - its biggest stars were Mickey Rourke and future Superman Henry Cavill, its marketing didn't really hint at the movie's over-the-top visual spectacle, and its distributor, Relativity, has previously struck box office gold only with 'Limitless.'

It's no wonder that pundits thought they were generous predicting an opening for 'Immortals' in the low 20s. The $32 million estimated gross comes as a welcome surprise for Relativity, but even that isn't all good news. After all, Friday's opening take of $15 million should have heralded a total weekend gross of $36 million, but the film was already slipping by a third as of Saturday. That quick decline suggests that the movie may not have strong legs, especially if teen girls drag their boyfriends to see 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' when it opens this coming weekend. At that rate, 'Immortals' may have a hard time recouping its estimated $75 million budget from domestic receipts alone, though overseas, the movie has already earned at least $36 million more.

Moviegoers apparently found the combat carnage in 'Immortals' less stomach-churning than the spectacle of Adam Sandler in drag being wooed by Al Pacino. 'Jack and Jill' opened in second place with an estimated $26.0 million. That makes it the first of Sandler's adult comedies in almost 14 years (since 'The Wedding Singer') to open with less than $30 million. Yet it actually did a little better than pundits predicted, which was about $24 million. The lowballing came not from the almost universally negative reviews, since Sandler movies are critic-proof, but from the fact that the multiplex already has two other comedies competing for the same audience in 'Tower Heist' and 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas'

Given the weaknesses on paper of 'Immortals' and 'Jack and Jill,' many box office prognosticators expected last week's champ, 'Puss in Boots,' to threepeat. Indeed, the cartoon did very well, losing just 23 percent of last week's audience and nabbing another estimated $25.5 million. That landed the film in third place, though at just $500,000 behind 'Jack and Jill,' 'Puss' could wind up in second place once final numbers are released on Monday. In three weeks, the 'Shrek' spinoff has earned $108.8 million.

'Tower Heist' slipped two spots to fourth place, marking a 45 percent decline to an estimated $13.2 million. That's about what was expected for the middling comedy release, whose two-week total stands at $43.9 million.

Opening in fifth was Clint Eastwood's 'J. Edgar,' with an estimated $11.5 million. That was also right on track for the Oscar-hopeful biopic starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The leading man's star power and the director's prestige were supposed to sell the picture to adult audiences, but the film's weak reviews made that difficult. The movie's limited-release opening in seven theaters on Wednesday (before expanding to 1,910 theaters over the weekend) pulled in an initial $53,000; last year, Eastwood tried a similar ploy with 'Hereafter' and netted $60,000, toward an eventual lifetime gross of just $32.7 million. 'J. Edgar' could beat that, but with four more prestige movies opening in the next two weeks, Eastwood's top G-man has his work cut out for him.

Overall, box office was up about 25 percent from a week ago. Still, figures for the year remain more than 3 percent behind last year, with 2011 domestic grosses to date at about $8.75 billion, compared to $9.05 billion a year ago.

'Immortals' - Trailer No. 3

The full top 10:
1. 'Immortals,' $32.0 million (3,112 screens), new release
2. 'Jack and Jill,' $26.0 million (3,438), new release
3. 'Puss in Boots,' $25.5 million (3,903), $108.8 million total
4. 'Tower Heist,' $13.2 million (3,370), $43.9 million
5. 'J. Edgar,' $11.5 million (1,910), $11.6 million
6. 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,' $5.9 million (2,875), $23.2 million
7. 'In Time,' $4.2 million (2,591), $30.7 million
8. 'Paranormal Activity 3,' $3.6 million (2,776), $100.8 million
9. 'Footloose,' $2.7 million (2,215), $48.9 million
10. 'Real Steel,' $2.0 million (1,758), $81.7 million

[Photos: Relativity, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros.]

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'11-11-11' Director Darren Lynn Bousman Talks About the Film's Haunted Set

Eric Larnick — 2011-11-11T13:50:00+00:00

In the mysterious new horror film '11-11-11,' an American writer traveling in Spain and trying to re-connect with his brother encounters strange and horrific events that always involve the number 11. He soon discovers that the number's many appearances are prophetic warnings to a biblical end of days -- occurring on Nov. 11, 2011.

If you don't buy into numerology or religious apocalyptic scenarios, consider that neither did '11-11-11's' director Darren Lynn Bousman. Bousman got his start on the bloody 'Saw' series and was all set to make what he thought would be another scary movie, until real incidents on the set of of '11-11-11' involving a possibly haunted filming location changed his tune. Now, the director counts himself among those who are seriously freaked out by the idea of the end of the world happening sooner than you think. Moviefone spoke with the '11-11-11' director about the film's haunted set and why religion might be the scariest thing about modern society.

How did '11-11-11' affect your own belief in numerology and end-of-days prophecies?
I feel like a jackass even talking about this, because it makes me seem like a f-cking insane person. I came into this movie not believing in anything. I had no belief outside of "I like scary movies." However, after going to Spain and shooting this movie, we had numerous experiences that shifted my entire interpretation. Two thirds of the movie takes place in a house on the Mediterranean Sea; we shot in this really crazy location that was seeped in a very macabre history.

Some of the crew refused to go in the house, but what was more disconcerting to me was that the landlord who showed the house to us, refused to step in the house. He handed us the keys and said, "You guys can go look." I felt uneasy just driving up to the place. There were weird drawings on the wall, there was a kid's room with really weird emblems and diagrams. The house we found was run and used by a cult for seances. We were the first people to be allowed in to go shoot there. Someone was murdered inside of it in the 1900s. The house sat empty for years and years and years. We had to clean up the aftermath of this cult. It changed my perception of "this sh-t's not real, there's nothing out there."

Watch a behind-the-scenes look at the mysterious house of '11-11-11.'

My DP, a self-proclaimed atheist, doesn't believe in anything. I was telling him this story about the house and he was saying, "It's all in your head." He stepped in that house and immediately wanted to leave. He got sick, and for a long time we thought it was some kind of weird thing in the air. We had the air tested, nothing was wrong. One day after arriving at the house, a light fell from the ceiling, hit him on the head, sent him to the emergency room. A second AD, who felt awkward and scared about going into the house, was pushed down the stairs by something, broke his leg, sent to the emergency room. A prop guy who was going through his props, while no one else was in the house, something fell and hit him on the head, sent him to the emergency room. All of these weird injuries took place, and luckily nobody was seriously injured, but we had numerous ambulances arriving to and from that house. No matter what I say people are going to think it's hype for a movie.

It feels like we're heading into this trend in horror of "the beginning of the end." 'The Walking Dead' is a huge hit on TV and there's more films looking at the end on a global sense. It's not slashers anymore.
I was in Spain doing re-shoots when that guy Harold Camping said the rapture was coming. This guy made a prediction, this one dude in this little tiny radio station with a handful of followers made a prediction that the world listened to. Being in Spain, there were people standing outside, watching the sky, waiting. It was crazy!

Look at what's going in the world, we have Occupy Wall Street, you have all these people that are rising against something, and I think that every time we turn on the news it's death and destruction. Something big is going to happen. These kind of movies reflect that.

Horror is a cycle, "torture porn" turned to "haunted house," 'Saw' turned to 'Paranormal Activity.' Religion is scary, whether you believe it or not. Even atheists who claim they believe in nothing, they believe in something; their belief is nothing. When you challenge someone's belief system, when you challenge the idea that rapture is coming, it affects everyone, because we're all brought up to believe in something. You drive down the street, there's churches on every single street corner. It is soothing, they plan their Sundays around going to service. I think when you start to mess with those ideas, it strikes a chord with people.

You talk about a change coming, what elements of the modern world scare you?
When you hear that thing about rapture, it's easier to laugh at him. It's easier to say "This guy's a f-cking lunatic." But how many people covered it? Huffington Post, CNN, FOX News, LA Times, everyone covered it. It was on the front page of the Barcelona paper. If we think this guy's a wackjob, how is everyone covering this? And why was everyone waiting with bated breath as that day approached? People were selling their houses and saying goodbye to their family. Civilization, from the beginning, has been based on a religion. "This is what happens when you die, this is where you go."

I love religious studies because people choose what they want to believe. Most people I know that are Christian choose to believe in this verse, this verse, this verse and this verse. "Let's throw out these three verses 'cause they don't make sense." If you believe in the Bible you have to believe in it all. You can't hand pick the verses you believe in, that's hypocritical. If you believe that a guy cured lepers and rose from the dead, then you have to believe that the other guy lived in a whale and a snake talked. If you believe in these things, you have to open yourself up to demons, to hell, to this war that's being fought. I think that a lot of people believe in just the verses that are convenient to them and not the verses that scare them. When you ask what scares me, it's the unknowing. It's the fact that no one knows.

With the way people paid attention to that rapture claim, and with death and destruction on the news, how do you scare modern audiences when they're already inundated?
It's become harder and harder. What used to scare people was throwing a woman in a pit of needles or having someone cut their eye. We've become so desensitized to violence you have to find another way to scare them.

I was brought up in a somewhat religious household; when I had to go to Sunday school I chose to believe in this, but I refused to believe in the next verse after it. You take something that is real and you force people to look at something they are refusing to look at. I think that it's a lot easier to get a scare when doing something like that, more than what I used to do. Having a little puppet on a tricycle back in the day, that was scary. With all the 'Hostels' and 'Devil's Rejects,' people have become used to seeing that.

Are there any filmmakers or artists that are really scaring you right now?
I think Ti West is amazing. 'House of the Devil,' there's a great example. '11-11-11' is a somewhat slow burn but for the king of slow burn, it's Ti West. In 'House of the Devil,' you're sitting there and you know something bad is going to happen, it's just that lingering and waiting for it to actually occur. He's got great characters and he takes such patience to get the shot.

I still go back to the old films. The trilogy of Polanski's: 'Repulsion,' 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Tenant' hands down are still my favorite. 'The Shining' is still one of my favorites. Today even, some of the scariest movies are 'The Exorcist,' 'The Omen.'

How scary was it to commit to a movie that had a a definitive release date in the title?
One of the things I was concerned about from the very top is, "Will this movie have a shelf life after the 11-11-11 thing?" If you watch '2012' on 2013 it doesn't make sense because you know what has or hasn't happened. While this movie is about a date, it's about what happens on the date. It's been crazy. It's really the only way to work though.

Originally I turned the project down. I wasn't interested in anything dealing with numerology. He said, "Do me a favor, go home, think about it, don't say no yet, just give me 24 hours and think about how the number 11 is important in your life." I started to realize all of these kind of happenstance things around 11; my birthday is January 11th. And then he goes, "Let me tell you the last scene," and the producer pitched me the last scene. Immediately I was like, "Oh my god that's awesome." The minute he told me what the ending was going to be, I was like, "I got to do that."

Watch the trailer for '11-11-11'

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New Releases: 'Jack and Jill,' 'Immortals' and 'J. Edgar'

Christopher Rosen — 2011-11-10T18:40:00+00:00

The three new releases out in theaters this weekend couldn't be more different: there's 'J. Edgar,' a bit of prestige Oscar bait from Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio; 'Immortals,' the violent swords and sandals 3D epic; and 'Jack and Jill' ... the most important movie ever made. Which film will emerge from this weekend as box-office victor? To the preview!

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

'Jack and Jill'
What's the story: Adam Sandler is Jack. Adam Sandler is Jill. Al Pacino is ... Al Pacino? Yep, this is happening.

Box-office projection: Take away his dramedies ('Funny People,' 'Punch-Drunk Love' 'Reign Over,' 'Spanglish') and voice work ('Eight Crazy Nights' and 'Zookeeper'), and Adam Sandler hasn't had a film open with less than $30 million since 'Little Nicky' in 2000. Over that time period, ten of Sandler's films earned over $100 million in ticket sales. Which is another way of saying: dude is Telfon, and one of the few reliable box-office stars remaining. You might think 'Jack and Jill' looks bad, but even with some stiff competition, the safe bet is to assume Sand-man will reach $30 million once again -- unless, this is the next 'Little Nicky.' Here's hoping. $30.7 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

'Immortals'
What's the story: Titans! Will! Murder! Each! Other! Violently! The heavily violent 'Immortals' centers on the gods teaming with a common man (Henry Cavill) to defeat the evil King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke).

Box-office projection: If '300' and 'Clash of the Titans' proved anything, it's that audiences love shirtless gladiators. As such: hello 'Immortals'! (Not that director Tarsem Singh would like that comparison.) The hard-R actioner should get a bump from being in 3D, as well as being the only choice for action meatheads, but don't expect major box office. After all, 'Conan the Barbarian' was similarly R-rated and swords-y, and it stumbled badly in August. $14 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

'J. Edgar'
What's the story: Leonardo DiCaprio stars as J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial director of the FBI, in Clint Eastwood's biopic. Armie Hammer plays Clyde Tolson, Hoover's long-time companion.

Box-office projection: Nothing says, "run out to the theater!" like a 150-minute drama about one of the more reviled characters in American history. But! Eastwood and DiCaprio are name brands, and general audiences are used to forking over hard-earned money to see their wares. 'J. Edgar' had a successful launch on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean much for the overall picture -- the film earned $53,000 from 4 theaters in New York and Los Angeles; still, on only 1900 screens, 'J. Edgar' could easily pull down double-digits, and if 'Immortals' stumbles, could be the second-biggest new release of the weekend. $10.6 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

LIMITED RELEASES

Out via on demand for over a month, the Lars Von Trier drama 'Melancholia' finally arrives in limited release; check out Moviefone's interviews with stars Kirsten Dunst and Alexander Skarsgard. Also in limited theaters, the horror thriller '11-11'11' and Werner Herzog's well-reviewed documentary 'Into the Abyss.'

[Photo: Warner Bros.]

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Weekend Box Office: 'Puss in Boots' Stomps 'Tower Heist,' 'Harold & Kumar'

Gary Susman — 2011-11-06T14:30:00+00:00

Both of this week's new wide releases, 'Tower Heist' and 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,' have an Occupy Wall Street, proles-vs.-fat-cats subtext, but it was one particular fat-cat who seized a surprise win at the box office. 'Puss in Boots' not only managed to outduel both newcomers, but also shocked by holding on to almost all of the business it scored during last weekend's record-breaking debut.

'Puss in Boots' was expected to have long legs; not only did the 'Shrek' spinoff have strong word-of-mouth, but it also faced no new family-film competition this weekend. Pundits expected a standard second-weekend drop of about 35 percent, to $22 million. Instead, 'Puss' fell behind last week by only a whisker, with estimates showing a 3 percent drop to $33.0 million. That's the lowest non-holiday drop since 2003, when 'Brother Bear' dipped just 4.5 percent during its second weekend in November. In 10 days, 'Puss' has collared $75.5 million.

Conversely, 'Tower Heist' was expected to open much stronger than it did, in the $30 million range where Ben Stiller's wide release movies tend to open. Besides, this one also boasted director Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy (in a role widely touted as a return to comic form). Yet it opened in second place and mustered just $25.1 million, according to studio estimates. Blame middling reviews, 'Harold & Kumar' and too little youth appeal. Studio polling found that 62 percent of the audience was over 30, which means that people not old enough to remember when Eddie Murphy was funny didn't show up.

Chronic underachievers Harold and Kumar also underperformed. Pundits predicted an opening of around $17 million, based on the hit franchise's popularity, surprisingly good reviews, and the surcharges from 3D (used here in a way that's actually integral to the film and not superfluous). Yet the pair's latest joint effort clipped only an estimated $13.1 million and finished in third place. Maybe audiences still have 3D fatigue after a summer of undistinguished 3D releases, or maybe 'Tower Heist' swiped much of the buddy-comedy audience.

Rounding out the top five: In fourth place, 'Paranormal Activity 3' scared up another $8.5 million, according to estimates, down 53 percent from last week, for a total of $95.3 million. At No. 5, sci-fi thriller 'In Time' slipped 36 percent to an estimated $7.7 million, for a two-week total of $24.2 million.

Outside the top 10, speculative Shakespeare saga 'Anonymous' expanded to 513 theaters and pulled in an estimated $1.3 million, finishing at No. 13 and scoring a two-weekend total of $2.7 million. Long-distance romance 'Like Crazy' made $270,000 at just 16 locations, for an enormous per-screen average of $16,875 and a two-week total of $448,000. And outside the U.S., 'The Adventures of Tintin' grabbed another estimated $40.8 million, brining its two-week total to $125.3 million. At this rate, the eventual U.S. release next month of this Steven Spielberg special seems almost an afterthought.

Box office for the year remains off by about 4 percent, or $356 million, with 2011 grosses to date at $8.6 billion, compared to $8.9 billion by this time last year.

'Puss in Boots' - Trailer No. 3

The full top 10:
1. 'Puss in Boots,' $33.0 million (3,693 screens), $75.5 million total
2. 'Tower Heist,' $25.1 million (3,367), new release
3. 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,' $13.1 million (2,865), new release
4. 'Paranormal Activity 3,' $8.5 million (3,286), $95.3 million
5. 'In Time,' $7,7 million (3,127), $24.2 million
6. 'Footloose,' $4.6 million (2,811), $44.8 million
7. 'Real Steel,' $3.4 million (2,438), $78.7 million
8. 'The Rum Diary,' $3.0 million (2,292), $10.4 million
9. 'The Ides of March,' $2.0 million (1,391), $36.8 million
10. 'Moneyball,' $1.9 million (1,278), $70.3 million

[Photos: DreamWorks Animation, Universal, Warner Bros.]

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Weekend Box Office: 'Puss in Boots' Sets Halloween Record

Gary Susman — 2011-10-30T14:30:00+00:00

These 'Boots' were made for walking -- all over the box office competition. 'Shrek' spinoff 'Puss in Boots' easily won the weekend, not only outpacing two other new wide releases by a wide margin, but also setting a record for the biggest Halloween weekend opening ever.

The fencing feline voiced by Antonio Banderas purred his way to an estimated $34 million opening. That was a lot less than expected, given the popularity of the 'Shrek' franchise, the fanbase the character earned in three previous installments, a boost from 3D surcharges and decent reviews and word-of-mouth. But a World Series whose clinching seventh game was played on Friday night and a Northeastern snowstorm on Saturday threw a wet blanket on predictions that had been in the $40 to $44 million range. Still, if Sunday's estimate holds, 'Puss' will beat the Halloween weekend record of $33.6 million set by the debut of 'Saw III' five years ago.

By opening earlier than initially scheduled (the DreamWorks Animation film was slotted for Nov. 4 before moving up one week), 'Puss' may have dealt a fatal blow to last week's winner, 'Paranormal Activity 3,' which lost a hefty 65 percent of its business in its second weekend. The horror prequel slipped to second place with an estimated $18.5 million -- about $2 million more than 'Paranormal Activity 2' earned in its second weekend, but with a much greater depreciation (65 percent to 59 percent). Like the previous two installments, the movie is earning love-it-or-hate-it response from moviegoers. In two weekends, it's scared up $81.3 million.

Opening in third place was 'In Time' with an estimated $12.0 million. That's not far below the $13 million or so that pundits predicted for the Justin Timberlake/Amanda Seyfried sci-fi thriller. Despite only so-so reviews, distributor 20th Century Fox must be pleased; the film did even better overseas, earning $14.5 million.

In its third week, 'Footloose' stepped down one rung to fourth place. Losing nearly half of last week's business, the dance remake walked off with an estimated $5.4 million, for a total so far of $38.4 million.

Just behind 'Footloose' was 'The Rum Diary,' opening in fifth place with an estimated $5.0 million. Johnny Depp's labor-of-love comedy, based on a semi-autobiographical tale that his friend Hunter S. Thompson left unpublished for nearly 40 years, was expected to open around $6 or $7 million, with its literary eccentricity trumping Depp's usual box office appeal. With a per-screen average of $2,205 on just 2,272 screens, 'Rum' isn't likely to have sturdy legs.

With its release plan scaled back to just 265 screens, the speculative period drama 'Anonymous' opened outside the top 10 and earned an estimated $1.0 million. That's a modest $3,774 per screen; jury is still out on whether the Shakespeare-didn't-write-Shakespeare drama can drum up strong interest once it opens wider. A movie that should have a stronger wide-release future is long-distance romance 'Like Crazy,' which debuted on just four screens but earned a huge $30,000 on each, for an estimated total of $120,000.

The other big box office story this weekend also happened out of sight of the domestic top 10. It was the international opening of 'The Adventures of Tintin.' We won't see the much-anticipated Steven Spielberg motion-capture saga until Christmas, but overseas, it picked up an estimated $55.8 million in 19 countries. By the time it drops down our chimney on Dec. 21, it'll already be a huge international hit.

'Puss in Boots' - Trailer No. 3

The full top 10:
1. 'Puss in Boots,' $34.0 million (3,952 screens), new release
2. 'Paranormal Activity 3,' $18.5 million (3,329), $81.3 million total
3. 'In Time,' $12.0 million (3,122), new release
4. 'Footloose,' $5.4 million (3,224) $38.4 million
5. 'The Rum Diary,' $5.0 million (2,272), new release
6. 'Real Steel,' $4.7 million (2,914), $73.9 million
7. 'The Three Musketeers,' $3.5 million (3,017), $14.8 million
8. 'The Ides of March,' $2.7 million (1,572), $33.5 million
9. 'Moneyball,' $2.4 million (1,631), $67.4 million
10. 'Courageous,' $1.8 million (1,134) $27.6 million

[Photos: DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox, FilmDistrict]

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Weekend Movie Preview: 'Puss in Boots' Ready to Become Cat's Meow at Box Office

Christopher Rosen — 2011-10-27T17:00:00+00:00

What box-office slump? Fresh off the record-setting opening weekend of 'Paranormal Activity 3,' audiences are set to come out in droves for 'Puss in Boots.' How much will the finicky cat make over the weekend? Lots! Your weekend movie preview is here.

NATIONWIDE RELEASES

'Puss in Boots'
What's the story: Because the 'Shrek' franchise has sauntered off into the sunset, here comes Puss in Boots to lead 'Puss in Boots,' a prequel about how the swashbuckling cat became pals with Shrek and company. Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis and Billy Bob Thornton provide voices.

Box-office projection: With box-office figures becoming bullish in the wake of 'Paranormal Activity 3,' all signs point to a massive opening for 'Puss in Boots.' Just how massive? Well, consider that not only is the film in 3D (and on IMAX screens), but also the first new new animated feature to hit theaters since 'Cars 2' over the summer. Considering that 'The Lion King 3D' managed to earn open with almost $30 million at the box office during the dead weeks of September, doesn't it feel like 'Puss in Boots' could be a kiddie juggernaut? Projections have the film hitting around $35 million over the three-day weekend, but take the over on that number with confidence. $44.7 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

'In Time'
What's the story: Set in a future where people stop aging at 25 and time has replaced currency, 'In Time' follows Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), a former time pauper accused of murder who goes on the lam with the daughter (Amanda Seyfried) of a very powerful businessman (Vincent Kartheiser).

Box-office projection: What will 'In Time' have in common with 'The Three Musketeers' and 'The Thing'? Certainly not reviews ('In Time' has gotten some glowing critical response), but similar opening weekends. The buzz on the Andrew Niccol-directed film is small, and while Justin Timberlake is one of the most famous men in America, he's still able to guarantee an opening weekend. 'In Time' is his first action role, and he's surrounded by a cast of young up-and-comers, but let's not expect too many miracles here. $9.1 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

'The Rum Diary'
What's the story: Johnny Depp stars as Paul Kemp, an American journalist in Puerto Rico who loves booze and uncovering shady land deals. Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson.

Box-office projection: Everyone loves 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' now, but it was a financial disaster upon release in 1998; the film earned just $3 million on opening weekend and $10 million overall. That's a far cry from Depp's decade of blockbusters ('Pirates of the Caribbean,' 'Alice in Wonderland,' 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'), but expecting 'The Rum Diary' to float along on those big films is a mistake. Not only is 'Rum Diary' arriving on a little over 2000 screens, but audience interest isn't that high. (The R-rating doesn't help either.) Depp is money -- one of the few actual movie stars left -- but don't forget that neither him nor Angelina Jolie could make 'The Tourist' work. 'The Rum Diary' could be like that film, albeit with much lower stakes. $6.9 million

[Showtimes & Tickets | Mr. Moviefone's Six-Second Review]

LIMITED RELEASES

Out in just about 250 theaters, Roland Emmerich's 'Anonymous' posits that William Shakespeare didn't actually write the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. Scandalous! Also in limited release, Anton Yelchin and your new favorite crush, Felicity Jones, star in the indie romance 'Like Crazy.' Both Jones and the film won awards at Sundance when 'Like Crazy' debuted earlier this year.

[Photo: DreamWorks]

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Moviefone Mash: The Ultimate 'To Be or Not to Be' Speech

Avaryl Halley — 2011-10-26T12:30:00+00:00

The Shakespearian drama 'Anonymous' comes out this weekend so Moviefone decided to put together a tribute mash-up to the most famous (and overused) quotation in literature. Hint: it has appeared in comedies, dramas and horror movies, been delivered in various languages and has even been riffed on by MST3K.

Hamlet will always be a coveted role for actor's, and the range of stars who have played him is quite diverse, from Lawrence Olivier's pitch-perfect drama to Adam Sandler's over-the-top shenanigans. So, watch as the great actors of our time (and some not-so-great) contemplate suicide by asking themselves the eternal question... To be or not to be?

Buy or Rent the Movies Used in this Mash

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Weekend Box Office: 'Paranormal Activity 3' Sets Horror Movie Record

Gary Susman — 2011-10-23T15:10:00+00:00

Horror threequel/prequel 'Paranormal Activity 3' scared up a frightful amount of money this weekend, setting a record for the biggest horror movie opening ever. With an estimated $54.0 million opening, it handily defeated this weekend's other two new wide releases, 'The Three Musketeers' and 'Johnny English Reborn.'

Even before it opened, 'Paranormal 3' had scared off most of the usual October horror competition. It was expected to open big, in the range of $36 to $41 million, based on the $40.6 million opening for last October's installment. But that lack of competition (including from the now-completed 'Saw' franchise, which overlapped with the first two 'Paranormal' movies in 2009 and 2010), clever marketing, strong advanced buzz, and an audience starved for reliable brand-name franchise entertainment combined to create a massive demand for the latest picture in the found-footage franchise. (On the downside, 'Paranormal Activity 3' earned a "C+" grade on Cinemascore, meaning the film could tumble during weekend two; 'Paranormal Activity 2' had a "B" rating last fall, and still dropped 59 percent in its second frame.)

Last week's winner, 'Real Steel,' ended its two-week reign at the top, slipping to second place with an estimated $11.3 million. That's down just 31 percent from last week, as the movie managed to remain the top choice for both action audiences and families with older kids. In three weekends, 'Real Steel' has earned $67.2 million.

'Footloose' is also proving to have legs. Coming in third with an estimated $10.9 million, it lost just 30 percent of last week's business. Its two-week total is $30.9 million.

Opening in fourth place, the latest in a long line of remakes of 'The Three Musketeers' drew only an estimated $8.8 milliion. That's well below tracking numbers, which hovered around $13 million. Star (and director Paul W.S. Anderson's wife) Milla Jovovich pre-emptively blamed the movie's marketers, but the film had problems no marketer could fix. Reviews and audience interest were both poor, with most ticket buyers these days are ambivalent at best about 3D. Despite Jovovich trying to spin the PG-13 picture as a "family adventure," it had little appeal to young audiences: studio polling found 64 percent of the audience was over 25. Maybe young viewers aren't familiar with the classic tale, or maybe they were all just getting their jolts from 'Paranormal Activity 3.'

In fifth place, 'The Ides of March' remained relatively strong, taking in another estimated $4.9 million. As with 'Steel' and 'Footloose,' that represents a decline of just 30 percent from last week. The Oscar-hopeful drama's three-week total is $29.2 million.

The weekend's other new wide release, 'Johnny English Reborn,' barely opened in the top 10, earning an estimated $3.8 million to finish in eighth place. No one had high expecations for this sequel to Rowan Atkinson's 2003 spy spoof, but Universal is probably not too disappointed. The movie has already been open for a month overseas, where it's earned about $100 million. That's similar to the way the first movie performed. So the American release is almost an afterthought.

On the indie front, 'The Mighty Macs' was supposed to follow 'Dolphin Tale' and 'Courageous' in attracting a faith-based audience to its tale of a women's basketball team at a Catholic college. It did not, opening with just $1.1 million on 975 screens. That's just $1,090 per screen, numbers that are far from mighty. On the other hand, the similarly alliterative 'Martha Marcy May Marlene,' the Sundance favorite about a young woman who's a member of a scary cult, earned a stunning $34,385 per screen. Playing on four screens, that's just $137,541 so far, but an average like that bodes well for the movie's future as it expands into more theaters. Meanwhile, the financial drama 'Margin Call' grossed $582,000 from 56 venues, good for a per-screen average of $10,393. That was the fourth highest average in the top-30, behind only 'Martha Marcy May Marlene,' 'Paranormal Activity 3' and weekend two of Pedro Almodovar's 'The Skin I Live In.'

'Paranormal's smash success wasn't enough to reverse the slump of recent weeks. Box office for October is still nearly 12 percent off the same month last year. Box office for the year is down nearly four percent from last year, at $8.63 billion, compared to $8.299 billion a year ago.

'Paranormal Activity 3' - Trailer No. 2

The full top 10:
1. 'Paranormal Activity 3,' $54.0 million (3,321 screens), new release
2. 'Real Steel,' $11.3 million (3,412), $67.2 million total
3. 'Footloose,' $10.9 million (3,555) $30.9 million
4. 'The Three Musketeers,' $8.8 million (3.017), new release
5. 'The Ides of March,' $4.9 million (2,042), $29.2 million
6. 'Dolphin Tale,' $4.2 million (2,858), $64.4 million
7. 'Moneyball,' $4.1 million (2,353), $63.7 million
8. 'Johnny English Reborn,' $3.8 (1,552), new release
9. 'The Thing,' $3.1 million (2,995), $14.1 million
10. '50/50,' $2.8 million (1,932), $28.8 million

[Photos: Paramount, Universal]

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'Paranormal Activity 3' and the Scariest Ghost Scenes in Movies

Eric Larnick — 2011-10-20T19:00:00+00:00

Audiences are expected to be massive for 'Paranormal Activity 3' this weekend, and if the film does its job, they'll potentially need to rush home soon afterward to change underwear. That's because fans of ghost stories have one easy-to-follow request: "give us a good scare!" While viewers wait for 'Paranormal Activity 3' to deliver on that promise, you can rattle your nerves right now with a look at some of the most memorable paranormal scenes in movie history. Warning: not for the faint of heart!

'The Haunting' (1963)
This British thriller -- set inside the dark and ominous Hill House -- has freaked audiences out for almost 50 years thanks to its "less is more" approach. Pitch-black shadows that creep over the room and eerie moans that reverberate through the walls reach a spine-tingling crescendo for poor Nell in this memorable scene.

'The Amityville Horror' (1979)
The supposedly true story of a family terrorized by evil spirits in their new home, where a series of grisly murders took place years before, features plenty of iconic scares (the flies, the eyes in the window, "Get out!"). But the most iconic -- and gruesome -- moment of the film belongs to this bloody paint job.

'The Shining' (1980)
Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece completely disarms the audience with unsettling imagery -- and this interaction between little Danny and the ghostly twins kicks the movie into terrifying overdrive.

'Poltergeist' (1982)
If you thought moving into a nice, new suburban neighborhood would keep you safe, think again. This ghost story by way of Steven Spielberg (who produced) features incredible special effects, but all it needs is one little stuffed clown doll to haunt people's memories for thirty years.

'The Sixth Sense' (1999)
The Oscar-nominated sensation took pop culture by storm thanks to Haley Joel Osment's prodigious lead performance and a genuinely shocking twist ending; what makes this moment stand out is a simple "Boo!" Click Osment's face to watch the clip

'The Others' (2001)
Nicole Kidman stars in this post-World War II thriller as a widowed mother trying to raise two sickly children... oh, and also investigate the mysterious sounds heard in the middle of the night. The film's success owed a lot to the ad campaign which capitalized on this skin-crawling moment.

'The Orphanage' (2007)
The Spanish-language film -- about a woman on the search for her missing adopted son -- became an international hit because no matter what language you speak, we can all agree that a group of stone-faced, silent children are terrifying.

'Paranormal Activity' (2009)
The film that started the phenomenon took the classic haunted house formula and stripped it bare with an innovative home-video approach. The movie's final moments however pack the biggest punch.[SPOILER ALERT]

[Top Photo: Everett Collection]

Check out these 31 ghost-filled classics for the 31 days of October.

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