Movie Revenue | Film Earnings | Box Office » General Chatter

Avatar IMAX 3D Movie Review

Evan — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:23:37 +0000

James Cameron’s blockbuster movie ‘Avatar’ needs to be seen in IMAX 3D in order to not leave anything on the table as far as movie-making magic goes.

Certainly one could say that this movie is based partly on science, and partly on art. My first impression of the movie was that James Cameron basically had an orgasm on film — not literally of course. Every minute detail of the imagery is controlled to create the kind of total fantasy world that took me away for the duration of the movie.

My one headscratcher during the movie is that there is a particular flying critter, the largest in the land, that appears made of silk materials. Perhaps it was intentional to distinguish the role the critter would later play in the climax of the movie? It just seemed a little less natural of a skin than the other creatures brought to life from Cameron’s imagination.

The story is just ok enough to not matter too much as compared to the staggering shock and awe of the visuals. The plot is somewhat tried and true and I cannot blame the studio and James Cameron for playing it safe, since the special effects are such a monumental leap forward for Hollywood.

Go see Avatar in IMAX 3D to see the whole movie. Without the 3D, some of the grandeur of the movie is not present.

New Moon > The Dark Knight

Evan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:33:23 +0000

Twilight New Moon beat out all other movies for midnight ticket sales, according to Summit Entertainment. Estimates for Friday night’s ticket sales put New Moon ahead of The Dark Knight’s one day movie revenue of $62.7 million. Apparently the blitz of publicity hyping New Moon is paying off, and the trend of foreign box office glory is also rumored to be happening. The world flocked to see This Is It, which resulted in massive payoffs for Sony.

Sandra Bullock is competing with 2012 for second place. We’ll keep you posted!

Update: $72.7 million opening day record!

‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ movie might suck

Evan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:57:42 +0000

The early reviews are favoring the original director’s “connection with the story” in the first installment of Twilight. The buzz around the movie if feverish in my observation- the way “journalists” are covering this movie launch is as though they are all getting a commission from Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series management team. News outlets are hyping the loyalty of Twilight’s fans — but, will it give Twilight the top movie revenue for the week?

Here is the LA Times Kenneth Turan’s review:

Sony Cutting Out Its Distributors

Evan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:33:40 +0000

…and thumbs up to them! In releasing Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs via IPTV and Blu-Ray players prior to the DVD release, Sony will be eliminating tons of unnecessary waste from the supply pipeline.

It sucks for distributors to have their master beat them to the market as a competitor, and it may seem ruthless; but, let’s face it-- it is overdue. Expenses go down, profits go up & the suckling middlemen become middleware. They will have to reinvent how they do business, like Sony has, in order to adapt and innovate. Countless square footage of office space and retail space & administrative clutter can now get recycled too.

The New York Times had this pearl:
“We don’t need a war with Wal-Mart or any other organization, and I don’t think they’re hostile to this,” said Howard Stringer, the chief executive of Sony.

What do you think? Is it talk backwards day? lol

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs -- Official Trailer

Eminem Getting Back To Acting

Evan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:55:18 +0000

Word is spreading that Eminem is going to test the movie box office waters again. Eminem’s last movie was the smash hit 8 Mile, and I thought he was super in it. The difference is that his next movie will be a 3-D Horror, so it will really test his movie revenue drawing capabilities. 8 Mile had similarities to Eminem’s own life, so maybe it was a fluke. I would not bet against Eminem however because he is a talented human.

Gigwise has some more details..
Eminem is set to star in a 3D hip-hop horror anthology entitled Shady Talez, it’s been reported.
The rapper will also produce the horror movie, which is earmarked for release next year. Described as a cross between The Twilight Zone and Creep Show, the movie will be produced by DJ Classicz. Trade paper Screen International reports that a four-issue comic book series is to be released alongside the movie... Read the Whole Article.

Do you think Eminem will return to movie revenue greatness or fail?

Insert Gratuitous Eminem YouTube Video -- 8 Mile Trailer (Old)

Avatar costing $500 million

Evan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:32:24 +0000

James Cameron has been gestating ‘Avatar’ now and running up the budget with a whopping $500,000,000 in expenses! How much movie revenue does News Corp think the movie ‘Avatar’ can generate? Titanic was a home run at the box office for Cameron — Will Avatar perform?

NY Mag’s article alludes to the huge risk involved with this movie:
…20th Century Fox and its parent company News Corp. are scared because the movie has no big-name stars and is becoming one of the most expensive feature films ever made.

Review: Jim Carrey Good, A Christmas Carol Not So Good

Evan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:16:00 +0000

The early reviews are in and the Washington Post is saying that they like the efforts of the cast, but that the animation was distracting and inhuman.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol
Too much spirit, too little heart

…despite the Herculean efforts of the voice cast, which includes Jim Carrey as Scrooge and the ghosts that visit him, and Gary Oldman as Scrooge’s dead partner Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s clerk Bob Cratchit and Cratchit’s son Tiny Tim. That the film takes advantage of the latest 3-D technology isn’t entirely a bad thing either…Read The Whole Review.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol Teaser

‘2012′ Official Trailer

Evan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:46:57 +0000

‘2012′ Will it produce big movie revenue figures?

The Skinny:

Release Date: November 13, 2009
Genre: Action
Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Written by: Roland Emmerich & Harald Kloser
Produced by: Harald Kloser, Mark Gordon & Larry Franco
Executive Producers: Roland Emmerich,
Ute Emmerich,Michael Wimer

Plot:
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

LA Times Says The Men Who Stare at Goats Does Not Suck

Evan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:04:02 +0000

George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey comprise an all-star cast in this quirky movie.

The LA Times reviewer thinks the movie is good.

..It’s a pleasure to say that the final product matches the title in both weirdness and drollery. Our protagonist is Bob Wilton (McGregor), a small-time journalist in the grip of a midlife crisis. He finds just the jolt he’s looking for when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Clooney), a recently reactivated and slightly paranoid Army intelligence operative. Lyn soon reveals that he’s part of a super-secret unit called the New Earth Army, trained to tap into and control his innate paranormal abilities. Under the tutelage of Vietnam-vet-turned-New-Age-devotee Bill Django (Bridges), the New Earthers study to be “warrior monks” — masters of nonlethal fighting… Read The Whole Review

Marvel Movie Revenue Way Down

Evan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:59:17 +0000

.. but they made a profit, while their restructuring with new parent corporation Disney is ongoing.

Marvel Entertainment 3Q Profit Down 60% On Lower Film Rev
Marvel Entertainment Inc. (MVL), which is being bought by Walt Disney Co. (DIS), reported third-quarter earnings slumped 60% on lower film revenue, as well as lower licensing sales related to last year’s “Iron Man” and “Incredible Hulk” films.

On Aug. 31, Disney, the largest U.S. media company by market value, said it agreed to pay $4 billion for Marvel, the creator of comic-book characters Spider-Man, the X-Men and thousands of others.

Marvel last month said it wouldn’t provide a financial outlook for 2009 or next year given the proposed acquisition. In August, the company had raised its 2009 earnings and sales forecast, citing a stronger-than-expected performance in the first half.

The company Tuesday posted a profit of $20.4 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $50.6 million, or 64 cents a share, a year earlier. Net sales tumbled 42% to $105.7 million, on a lower level of film activity and related licensing. …Read The Whole Wall Street Journal Article.

Is this fancy Hollywood smoke & mirrors accounting? Tell us what you think.