Hollywood Top 5 for Oct 16-18, 2009

1. Where the Wild Things Are

Warner Bros.: $32.5 million

2. Law Abiding Citizen
Overture Films: $21.3 million

3. Paranormal Activity
Paramount: $33.7 million

4. Couples Retreat

Universal: $63.3 million

5. The Stepfather

Sony / Screen Gems: $12.3 million
(Note: 'Where the Wild Things Are' topped the box office this weekend with an estimated $32.5 million.)

Box Office King is ‘Zombieland’

The moribund horror comedy sub-genre showed a glimmer of vitality with the ripsnorting debut of Zombieland, which yanked an estimated $25 million out of around 3,900 screens at 3,036 sites. Despite Zombieland and the continued strength of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the Toy Story franchise, though, overall weekend business was off six percent from the same period last year, when Beverly Hills Chihuahua ruled, and on the low end for the timeframe.
In the realm of zombie movies, Zombieland had the second highest-grossing start on record behind the Dawn of the Dead remake, but, more importantly, it was the first horror comedy in recent memory to find significant theatrical success. The only horror comedies to claim greater initial attendance in the past two decades were the Scary Movie pictures, but they primarily appealed as spoofs. Failure is the norm, with movies like Jennifer's Body and Snakes on a Plane among the corpses.

Horror comedy struggles with general audiences because of its awkward thematic and tonal clash: comedy is generally benevolent while horror is inherently malevolent, rendering horror comedy too funny to be scary and too scary to be funny. Zombieland skirted this issue by falling squarely on the side of action comedy in its marketing campaign. True to its amusement park-like title, the ads brazenly and clearly touted the picture as a fun ride with Woody Harrelson and crew wisecracking as they easily dispatch zombies. Distributor Sony Pictures' exit polling indicated that 56 percent of the audience was male and 58 percent was under 25 years old.
Coming in second for the weekend, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs didn't let up much, posting the slightest decline among nationwide releases despite the Toy Story re-issue claiming many of its 3D runs. The animated comedy still fell harder than last weekend (33 percent), generating an estimated $16.7 million for an $82.4 million total in 17 days.

Toy Story / Toy Story 2 (3D) chimed in with an estimated $12.5 million at 1,745 sites. There really aren't any direct comparisons for 3D double features like this, but the performance speaks to the enduring appeal of the Toy Story movies, which had a sizable showing despite their age and broad availability on home video. Distributor Walt Disney Pictures reported an audience composition of 52 percent female, 59 percent under 25 years old, and 76 percent parents and their children.
The advent of The Invention of Lying yielded a modest estimated $7.4 million at 1,707 sites, which was a step up from the previous Ricky Gervais vehicle, Ghost Town, but below par for a "What If?" comedy. The marketing trumpeted the movie's conceit of an alternate world in which everyone blurts out the truth and lying doesn't exist, until Gervais discovers it. However, unlike Liar Liar and other similar movies, the ads did not present much in the way of story or character, beyond Gervais' vague attempt to bed Jennifer Garner. Hit "What If" comedies relate to audiences through manipulating the world we know. By starting with an imaginary one and without a larger point in its ads, Invention of Lying became mostly about the gimmick and, hence, not a theatrical must. Distributor Warner Bros.' research showed an audience breakdown of 53 percent female and an even split between those under and over 30 years old.

Whip It stumbled in its first box office derby, drumming up an estimated $4.9 million at 1,720 sites, and it wasn't for lack of promotion. Director Drew Barrymore's coming-of-age sports comedy-drama featuring Ellen Page from Juno was supported by a spunky advertising campaign (including sneak previews) about self-empowerment, but the movie was a tough sell, given its genre mix and focus on the niche sport of roller skating. According to distributor 20th Century Fox, the audience was 70 percent female and 52 percent 25 years and older.
Meanwhile, Capitalism: A Love Story packed less initial punch than the previous Michael Moore picture, Sicko. The documentary expanded into nationwide release (962 theaters) and grossed an estimated $4.9 million at 962 sites. Last weekend's debuts, Surrogates and Fame (2009), continued to disappoint, each dropping over 50 percent. Surrogates made an estimated $7.3 million for a $26.4 million total in ten days, while Fame garnered an estimated $4.8 million for a $16.6 million tally.

Hollywood top 5 for Sep 18-20, 2009

1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
(Sony / Columbia): $30.1 million
2. The Informant!
(Warner Bros.): $10.5 million
3. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself
(Lionsgate): $10.1 million
4. Love Happens
(Universal): $8.5 million
5. Jennifer's Body
(Fox): $6.8 million

Hollywood top 5 for AUGUST 28-30, 2009

1. The Final Destination (Warner Bros. (New Line)): $28.3 million
2. Inglourious Basterds
(Weinstein Company): $20.0 million
3. Halloween 2

(Weinstein / Dimension): $17.4 million
4. District 9

(TriStar): $10.7 million
5. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

(Paramount): $8.0 million

Note: 'The Final Destination' topped the

box office this weekend with an estimated $28.3 million.

Red Carpet Film Ratings For 08/25/2009

Ratings for Movies Debuting in Theaters This Week: For the week of August 25, 2009

Big Fan

Rating: R

Rating Reason: Language and some sexuality.
The Final Destination
Rating: R
Rating Reason: Strong violent/gruesome accidents, language and a scene of sexuality.

Halloween II
Rating: R
Rating Reason: Strong brutal bloody violence throughout, terror, disturbing graphic images, language, and some crude sexual content and nudity.

The September Issue
Rating: PG-13
Rating Reason: Brief strong language.

Taking Woodstock
Rating: R
Rating Reason: Graphic nudity, some sexual content, drug use and language.

RATINGS GUIDE:
G: GENERAL AUDIENCES (All Ages Admitted)
P: GPARENTAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTED (Some Material May Not Be Suitable for Children)
PG-13: PARENTS STRONGLY CAUTIONED (Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13)
R: RESTRICTED (Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian)

NC-17: NO ONE 17 AND UNDER ADMITTED

Note: The Red Carpet Ratings Service is brought to you by the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc.

Hollywood Top 10 Hits for Aug 28, 2009

1. 'The Final Destination' - $23.8 million2. 'Halloween 2' - $21.1 million
3. 'Inglourious Basterds' - $18.6 million

4. 'District 9' - $10.6 million

5. 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' - $7.2 million

6. 'The Time Traveler's Wife' - $6.0 million

7. 'Julie & Julia' - $5.7 million

8. 'Shorts' - $3.4 million

9. 'G-Force' - $2.8 million

10.'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' - $2.5 million

Note: This weekend, the latest entries in two horror franchises face-off. 'The Final Destination' strikes approximately 3,400 screens at 3,121 sites (including 1,678 3D sites), while 'Halloween 2' hits around 3,700 screens at 3,025 sites. Also opening nationwide is 'Taking Woodstock' at 1,393 sites...

Box Office Salutes “Inglourious Basterds”

Quentin Tarantino's World War II actioner "Inglourious Basterds," a pivotal Weinstein Co. release starring Brad Pitt, debuted gloriously during the weekend with an estimated $37.6 million in chart-topping boxoffice.

"Basterds" is touted by some as a make-or-break film for the recently struggling indie, even though Universal is distributing the film internationally and will share evenly in any worldwide profit. Sony's sci-fi thriller "District 9" finished second after falling just 49% in its sophomore session to $18.9 million and a 10-day cume of $73.5 million.

The weekend's other three wide openers bowed softly. Robert Rodriguez's PG-rated family fantasy "Shorts" from Warner Bros. rung up $6.6 million for sixth place; Fox Searchlight's comedy "Post Grad" registered $2.8 million in 10th, and Disney's sports documentary "X Games 3D: The Movie" -- slotted for one week only in 1,399 extra-dimensional venues -- fetched just $800,000.

Among other second-frame holdovers, Warners' literary adaptation "The Time Traveler's Wife" fell a modest 46% to $10 million in fourth place for a $37.4 million cume, while further down the rankings Paramount Vantage's comedy "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard" slid 53% to $2.7 million and a $11.2 million cume.

Disney's "Ponyo" dipped 32% to $2.4 million with an $8.1 million cume, and Summit Entertainment's youth musical "Bandslam" dropped 60% to $890,000 and a $4.5 million cume.

The weekend top 10 films collected $108 million, or 31% more than the top performers over the same frame last year, according to Nielsen EDI. That marked a third straight year-over-year weekend uptick.

In a limited bow, Paramount Vantage unspooled comedy "The Mark Pease Experience," starring Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman, in 10 theaters and grossed $3,000, or just $300 per venue.
Freestyle Releasing opened the comedy "My One and Only," starring Renee Zellweger and Kevin Bacon, with two playdates in New York and two in L.A. and grossed $60,708. -- a promising $15,177 per engagement.

IFC Films debuted the crime thriller "Five Minutes of Heaven," starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, in a single New York location and fetched a sturdy $5,200.

Elsewhere in the specialty market, Samuel Goldwyn/IDP's Paul Giamatti starrer "Cold Souls" added 32 theaters for a total 53 and grossed $133,295, or a so-so $2,515 per venue, as cume climbed to $340,068.

Focus Features' Korean vampire pic "Thirst" added three playdates for a total 17 and grossed $31,400, or a thin $1,047 per engagement, with a $1.8 million cume.

(Courtesy:Hollywood Reporter)

Overseas Box Office: Aug 14–16, 2009

Top 10 Weekend Collections G.I. Joe
Weekend Gross: $21,082,042
Gross-to-Date: $77,632,989
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Weekend Gross: $13,855,506
Gross-to-Date: $553,537,276

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Weekend Gross: $10,059,863
Gross-to-Date: $573,393,779

Public Enemies
Weekend Gross: $8,019,780 -
Gross-to-Date: $75,699,840

District 9
Weekend Gross: $7,521,284 -
Gross-to-Date: $7,521,284

Up
Weekend Gross: $7,315,424 -
Gross-to-Date: $111,117,097

The Hangover
Weekend Gross: $7,296,638 -
Gross-to-Date: $134,635,772

G-Force
Weekend Gross: $6,104,762 -
Gross-to-Date: $38,315,888

Gukga daepyo
Weekend Gross: $5,326,880 -
Gross-to-Date: $22,772,123

The Proposal
Weekend Gross: $5,059,662

Hollywood Top 10 Hits for Aug 21-23, 2009

1. 'Inglourious Basterds' - $26.0 million
2. 'District 9' - $20.5 million
3. 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' - $11.6 million

4. 'The Time Traveler's Wife' - $10.5 million

5. 'Shorts' - $10.1 million

6. 'Julie & Julia' - $7.6 million

7. 'Post Grad' - $5.8 million

8. 'G-Force' - $4.5 million

9. 'The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard' - $2.8 million

10. 'X Games 3D The Movie' - $2.4 million

Note: This weekend, 'Inglourious Basterds' invades approximately 4,400 screens at 3,165 sites, while 'Shorts' lands at 3,105 sites, 'Post Grad' arrives at 1,958 and 'X Games 3D The Movie' hits 1,399 sites, each of which almost entirely single-screen engagements. Meanwhile, 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' retains the highest theater count (3,953)...