Depp leads "Rango" to top of box office

LOS ANGELES — Johnny Depp's "Rango," an animated tale about a chameleon who becomes sheriff to clean up the town of Dirt, earned $38 million to top North America's weekend box office, industry data showed Sunday.

"Rango," hailed by critics as clever and eccentric, proved in its debut weekend to be another successful pairing of Depp with director Gore Verbinski, who helmed the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.
Matt Damon's thriller "The Adjustment Bureau" debuted at number two, taking $21 million, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations. It is based on a 1954 short story by Philip K. Dick ("Minority Report" and "Blade Runner").

Damon's character challenges his fate, which is closely managed by a team of mysterious men who do all they can to keep him on his predetermined path. Emily Blunt co-stars as Damon's love interest.

"Beastly" debuted in the third spot, with $10 million, after beastly reviews of the teen romance starring British heartthrob Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical") in a modern take on Beauty and the Beast. Critics cited subpar acting and clunky dialogue.

Raunchy comedy "Hall Pass" fell from first to fourth place, taking $9 million for the tale of married guys whose wives let them have affairs. It was directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly.

Falling three spots to fifth was "Gnomeo and Juliet," which made $6.9 million, giving it a four-week total of $84 million. The G-rated animated retelling of Shakespeare's play features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt.

Liam Neeson's thriller "Unknown" was sixth with $6.6 million in its third week. The Irishman stars as a botanist who tries to piece together his life atfer a car crash.

"The King's Speech," which last weekend won several Oscars including best film, was next with $6.5 million, giving it a total of $124 million in 15 weeks.

The British royal drama was in a virtual tie with Adam Sandler's romantic comedy "Just Go With It," which earned $6.5 million in its fourth week.

Teen heartthrobs battled for the bottom slots.
The chiseled-tummied Pettyfer stars in "I Am Number Four," which was number nine, with $5.7 million in its third week. Pettyfer plays a teenaged alien refugee hiding on Earth from evil invaders who killed his family.
Shaggy-headed Justin Bieber was next, as his "Never Say Never" concert documentary was tenth with $4.3 million. The Canadian pop star turned 17 on March 1.(AFP)

'Number Four' aims for first place at box office

LOS ANGELES: "I Am Number Four," a teen sci-fi adventure starring young English hunk-of-the-moment Alex Pettyfer, is likely to open in the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this Presidents Day holiday weekend.

Box-office observers say the film could do in the low-$20 million range for the four-day period.

Directed by D.J. Caruso, "Number Four" tells the story of an alien teenager hiding out on Earth from the ruthless species that killed his family. It marks the first DreamWorks title to be released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures under a distribution and marketing deal struck between the companies after DreamWorks' split with Paramount.

"Number Four" isn't the only new title poised to do well over the long holiday weekend, sparking hope in Hollywood that the downturn at the domestic box office will begin to reverse itself.

"Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son" also has good traction, especially among black audiences. The Fox threequel returns Martin Lawrence in the lead role while introducing a younger character played by Brandon T. Jackson.

The third new wide release is the Liam Neeson action-thriller "Unknown." The Warner Bros. release goes after older moviegoers and hopes to replicate the success of Neeson's 2009 surprise hit "Taken."

All three will have to compete with reigning champ "Just Go With It," a Sony romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. It had earned $41 million through Wednesday.

Disney's "Gnomeo & Juliet" also should have a good second weekend, particularly with Monday being a holiday in the United States. It had earned $30 million through Monday.

"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" is expected to suffer a big drop in its second weekend, but no one is willing to bet against the teen icon entirely. Its total through Wednesday was $33.9 million. (Reuters)

'Black Swan' continues its twirl overseas

LOS ANGELES: Despite "Tangled's" continued lock on first place, "Black Swan" landed just a feather away from taking the top spot at foreign theaters over the weekend, missing No. 1 by a mere $131,664.

An obvious "Oscar Bump" is strongly in play as international audiences in 29 territories boosted the mainstream art house wonder over the $150 million mark in global revenue with $16.7 million in weekend receipts.

Third place got an unexpected visitor as the Franco-Belgian comedy "Nothing to Declare" in just four territories earned an impressive $13.95 million and is approaching $50 million worldwide. For a film that most people stateside have never heard of, that's not a bad haul.

In six more territories than last week another Oscar darling, "The King's Speech," held steady in fourth place with $13.2 million and a global cumulative that is just a shilling shy of $200 million. And other Oscar contenders continued to make their mark in the Top 20, with "True Grit" in ninth place and "The Fighter" in 19th place, having just crossed the $100 million mark in global dollars.

Here are the top 20 movies at international theaters last weekend, followed by international gross for the weekend (excluding North America), number of theater locations, number of territories, worldwide gross to date (including North America), and number of weeks in release as compiled Wednesday by global media measurement company Rentrak Corp. and provided by Hollywood.com:

"Tangled," $16,871,286, 4,400 locations, 44 territories, $490,473,734, 12 weeks.

2. "Black Swan," $16,739,622, 3,484 locations, 29 territories, $155,421,621, 11 weeks.

3. "Nothing to Declare," $13,956,964, 1,129 locations, four territories, $46,882,950, three weeks.

4. "The King's Speech," $13,211,028, 3,893 locations, 26 territories, $199,976,798, 12 weeks.

5. "Sanctum," $11,958,392, 3,856 locations, 13 territories, $45,453,535, two weeks.

6. "The Green Hornet," $10,787,977, 7,822 locations, 59 territories, $200,046,313, five weeks.

7. "Yogi Bear," $9,278,119, 4,246 locations, 31 territories, $155,338,796, nine weeks.

8. "Kokowääh," $8,524,143, 876 locations, three territories, $21,659,756, two weeks.

9. "True Grit," $8,469,692, 3,385 locations, 16 territories, $177,921,814, eight weeks.

10. "Gulliver's Travels," $7,644,591, 1,992 locations, 36 territories, $183,300,808, eight weeks.

11. "Tron Legacy," $6,289,869, 2,075 locations, 26 territories, $356,084,840, nine weeks.

12. "No Strings Attached," $5,525,670, 3,098 locations, 17 territories, $71,811,219, four weeks.

13. "Gnomeo and Juliet," $5,348,317, 3,633 locations, seven territories, $34,476,335, one week.

14. "Just Go With It," $5,229,806, 4,463 locations, 13 territories, $44,182,893, one week.

15. "Hereafter," $4,487,711, 1,500 locations, 27 territories, $88,829,879, six weeks.

16. "The Tourist," $4,234,232, 2,601 locations, 50 territories, $230,777,671, 10 weeks.

17. "Femmine Contro Maschi," $3,362,288, locations NA, one territory, $10,450,509, two weeks.

18. "Detective K: Secret of a Peddler's Inn," $3,354,139, locations NA, one territory, $24,321,180, three weeks.

19. "The Fighter," $3,321,450, 1,942 locations, 19 territories, $102,820,739, 10 weeks.

20. "Gantz," $3,092,464, locations NA, one territory, $25,870,868, three weeks. (AP)

'The Roommate' slips into box office top spot

LOS ANGELES: The low-budget and widely panned horror flick "The Roommate" opened at the top of the North American box office during a sluggish weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The psychological thriller starring Leighton Meester as a deranged college freshman obsessed with her roommate Minka Kelly grossed $15.6 million in its three days, despite receiving poor reviews.

Survey aggregator Rotten Tomatoes said only nine percent of critics gave the film a thumbs-up.

Box office earnings were dented this weekend by the hugely popular Super Bowl American football championship game, due to take place later Sunday.

"Sanctum," which also got trashed by critics -- came in a distant second. The 3-D underwater cave adventure produced by James Cameron of "Avatar" fame secured $9.2 million in ticket receipts.

Dropping into third was "No Strings Attached," a romantic romp starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The Ivan Reitman film about casual sex between friends took in $8.4 million.

British historical drama "The King's Speech" jumped up one notch to fourth after drawing 12 nominations from the Oscars race. It has earned $84.1 million so far in 11 weeks of showing.

Action movie "The Green Hornet" got fifth with $6.1 million, pulling ahead of Anthony Hopkins exorcism thriller "The Rite." The horror inspired by 1970s classic "The Exorcist" captured $5.6 million.

Dropping to seventh with $5.4 million was "The Mechanic," while the Western "True Grit" came in eighth with $4.8 million.

Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen's remake features Jeff Bridges in the John Wayne role as a drunken, hard-nosed US marshal. The film has earned $155 million in seven weeks.

Vince Vaughn's relationship comedy "The Dilemma," in its fourth week in theaters, slipped from seventh to ninth with $3.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "Black Swan," a gritty ballet-themed thriller starring Natalie Portman which earned $3.4 million, for a 10-week total of $95.9 million.

The film was nominated for five Oscars, including best picture and best performance by an actress for Portman.

China sets $1.5 bln box office record in 2010

BEIJING: China's film industry had a record year in 2010, grossing 10.17 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) at the box office, but domestic movies struggled against Hollywood blockbusters, according to state media.

National box office takings rose 63.9 percent on-year as more Chinese than ever went to the movies, Tong Gang, director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's State Film Bureau told the China Daily on Saturday.

"Ten billion yuan is just something to feel good about, but not to show off about," Tong was quoted as saying.

"So far, it has not been possible to compete with such films as 'Avatar' and 'Inception'. Far too few domestic films are well received by the public," he added.

Combined, Hollywood's sci-fi fantasy "Avatar" and thriller "Inception" represented about a fifth of China's total box office takings while the highest-grossing domestic film, disaster epic "Aftershock", earned only 673 million yuan.

"China still lacks good films," Tong said.

Beijing officials are increasingly stressing that China needs to expand its cultural industries, which account for less than two percent of the country's gross domestic product.

China made 526 feature films in 2010 -- up 15 percent from 2009 -- making it the third-largest film producer after Bollywood and Hollywood, the China Daily said.

But critics, including "Aftershock" director Feng Xiaogang, one of the country’s most successful commercial directors, say censors at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television often block the kind of originality needed to make great films.

"This is not an era that can produce masters," Feng told Sina.com in an interview last year.

China currently limits the number of foreign films screened in cinemas to 20 a year but in March it is due to address the World Trade Organization's call for it to open up its film market.

Tong declined to comment on what impact that ruling could have on the domestic film industry, the report said.

'Little Fockers' tops North American box office

"Little Fockers," the third in a series of Ben Stiller comedies playing on the nightmare in-laws theme, topped the Christmas weekend box office in North America, preliminary data showed Sunday.

Despite a lukewarm response from critics, the flick grossed 34 million dollars over the three-day weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen came in second with their remake of the John Wayne western "True Grit."

Jeff Bridges plays drunken, hard-nosed US Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn in the new version of the 1969 classic, which took in 25.6 million dollars, giving the Coen brothers their best ever opening.

Bridges also stars in last weekend's top film -- "TRON: Legacy" -- which captured 20.1 million dollars in ticket sales in its second weekend, slipping down to third in the rankings.

The sequel to the 1982 sci-fi cult hit stars 61-year-old Oscar-winner Bridges appearing opposite a computer-generated version of his younger self from the original movie.

The original "TRON" -- about a hacker transported into a computer game world -- was one of the first-ever computer animated films. It did well at the box office and became a cult for a generation of budding sci-fi fans.

In fourth spot was "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment in the "The Chronicles of Narnia" series based on the classic C.S. Lewis children's books. It earned 10.8 million dollars.

"Yogi Bear," a blend of 3D and live-action fun, notched up 8.8 million dollars in earnings ahead of Mark Wahlberg's boxing drama "The Fighter," in sixth place with 8.5 million.

Jack Black 3D comedy "Gulliver's Travels," based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel about a voyage to the Lilliput kingdom of tiny people, opened in a disappointing seventh place, with 7.2 million in ticket sales.

Ballet thriller "Black Swan," starring Natalie Portman as a dancer in a New York company exploring the dark sides of the industry and her own sensuality, dropped down a notch to eighth. It made 8.38 million dollars.

In ninth place, the animated Disney fable "Tangled" about long-haired Princess Rapunzel netted 6.5 million dollars, notching up a total of 143.8 million over its five weeks in theaters.

Rounding out the top 10 was romantic thriller "The Tourist," starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. It earned 5.7 million.

British historical drama "The King's Speech," featuring Colin Firth as a stuttering King George VI who is helped to overcome his impediment with the help of an eccentric speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush, earned 4.6 million in a limited showing in 700 theaters.

Tron leads weak pack of newcomers at box office

LOS ANGELES: "Tron: Legacy," a costly 3D sci-fi movie that Walt Disney Co has promoted for more than three years, opened disappointingly at the weekend box office in North America, while a new comedy starring Reese Witherspoon was one of the biggest flops of the year.

The "Tron" movie, a massively hyped sequel to an obscure 1982 movie, earned $43.6 million during its first three days of release, Disney said Sunday. Industry observers had been expecting a three-day start in the $50 million range, although Disney said the opening was within its own expectations.

The effects-laden update reportedly cost $170 million to make, and more than $100 million to market worldwide. Disney never divulges budgets.

Internationally, the film earned a modest $23 million from No. 1 openings in all 26 of its markets, including Japan, Australia, Britain and Brazil. These markets represent about half of the international sales pie.

Meanwhile "How Do You Know" opened at No. 8 with just $7.6 million in the United States and Canada, far short of modest expectations in the $12 million range. The Columbia Pictures project cost about $100 million to make, with half the budget spent on salaries for Witherspoon, co-stars Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd, and writer/director James L. Brooks. Extensive reshoots also drove up costs.

Executives at the Sony Corp unit were despondent about the opening, although the film had suffered bad buzz for some time with no help from a forgettable title.

A third newcomer did not do much better. "Yogi Bear," a live-action/animated update of the old television cartoon, came in at No. 2 with $16.7 million. Distributor Warner Bros. said it had hoped for an opening between $18 million and $20 million, but the Time Warner Inc unit expected the Christmas holiday would boost business. The $80 million film stars Dan Aykroyd as the voice of the title character and Justin Timberlake as his sidekick Boo Boo.

Critics trashed all three films, which vied for the attention of holiday-distracted moviegoers alongside national expansions of acclaimed awards-season contenders Paramount Pictures' "The Fighter" (No. 4, $12.2 million) and Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan" (No. 7, $8.3 million).

Last weekend's champion, 20th Century Fox's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," fell to No. 3 with $12.4 million in its second weekend.

"The Tourist," a widely mocked caper starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, dropped three places to No. 5 with $8.7 million, also in its second weekend. The Columbia release tied with Disney's former chart-topping cartoon "Tangled."

The final weekend before Christmas is traditionally slow, although films often enjoy long runs as school holidays start to take effect. But overall business has been weak for some time, with year-on-year sales down for six weekends in a row.

"A malaise has crept over the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, head box office analyst at Hollywood.com. "The lack of momentum is hurting everybody across the board."

But Disney was bullish about "Tron: Legacy," a project that has occupied the attention of two regimes at the studio in recent years. It has been offering tantalizing glimpses to movie fans at the annual Comic-Con convention since 2008, and raised the heat in recent months with cross-marketing efforts across its theme parks, consumer-products and cable TV wings.

Jeff Bridges returns to "Tron" as a videogame developer trapped in a virtual environment called the Grid. While the original film appealed only to male youngsters, Disney targeted the reboot at men and women of all ages.

But exit polling indicated the film skewed to men aged 18 to 30, with relatively little interest in mainstream multiplexes. Instead, the film's tech-savvy constituency thronged 3D and big-screen theaters. About one-quarter of sales -- $10.3 million -- came from Imax Corp's 234 screens. The film played in almost 3,500 theaters overall.

'Tron' sequel set to hit $40 million at box office

Hollywood is once again overstuffing the Christmas stocking with films of all shapes and sizes, hoping to benefit from the most lucrative and intense stretch of the year at the box office.

Among the four new wide releases, Disney's 3D tentpole "Tron: Legacy" is expected to top the weekend with three-day sales north of $40 million.

Also battling for moviegoers are Warner Bros.' 3D family picture "Yogi Bear," Paramount/Relativity Media's "The Fighter," and Sony's romantic comedy "How Do You Know."

"Tron: Legacy" is tracking well among men of all ages. Disney introduced the $170 million follow-up to the 1982 cult classic to fanboys two years ago. Jeff Bridges returns in the role of Kevin Flynn, while Garrett Hedlund plays his son.

Yogi Bear brings an even more recognizable character to the big screen, at least among older moviegoers who grew up on the popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Warners will be happy if the film breaks $20 million this weekend.

Tracking for "How Do You Know" is on the softer side, indicating an opening of $12 million and possibly lower. The $100 million film stars Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson.

The two wild cards are "The Fighter," which opened in limited release last weekend, and Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan," which makes a major play in expanding from 90 theaters to 959. On Wednesday, "Swan" ups its screen count to 1,426.

Both films are early awards favorites, as is the Weinstein Co.'s "The King's Speech," which expands to 43 locations from 19 Friday. All three picked up significant Golden Globe, Critics' Choice and SAG nominations this week.

'Megamind' tops box offices for second week

Animated comedy 'Megamind' topped film charts for the second week on Sunday, claiming No. 1 at North American box offices with $30 million and beating new releases, including action flick "Unstoppable."

The family-oriented comedy pushed its two-week total to $89.8 million and showed staying power in theaters with a decline of 35 percent from last week's debut of nearly $48 million for its producers at DreamWorks Animation.

The relatively small drop, compared to other major releases that often see ticket sales fall 50 percent or more, has DreamWorks Animation hoping "Megamind" can hold its own against the widely anticipated "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" when it debuts in theaters next weekend.

"We're seeing lots of momentum with kids and especially young boys," DreamWorks Animation global marketing chief Anne Globe said, adding that the company expects "Megamind" to continue performing well in theaters equipped with 3D.

The new "Harry Potter" will not be show in 3D.

In second place over the weekend was runaway train movie "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It pulled in $23.5 million and was the top-grossing new release, pleasing its distributor 20th Century Fox.

The fast-paced thriller generally earned good reviews from both critics and positive response from fans, Fox said, which is rare in theaters these days.

"Unstoppable" debuted in about 3,200 theaters, for an average of $7,300 per location. "Megamind" pulled in $7,600 per venue in approximately 3,900 locations.

In its second week in theaters, Warner Bros. comedy "Due Date," starring Robert Downey Jr., dropped one position to the No. 3 slot on box office charts with $15.5 million, or $4,600 per theater in more than 3300 locations.

Sci-fi thriller "Skyline" was No. 4 with $11.7 million, while romantic comedy "Morning Glory" rounded out the top 5 with $9.6 million, a disappointing opening with major stars like Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton working alongside Rachel McAdams.

Director Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" fell to the No. 6 spot with a 65 percent drop in ticket sales to a total $6.8 million. That figure pushed its cumulative box office to just under $31 million in two weeks.

Rounding out the top 10 in descending order were four holdovers from recent weeks, "Red," "Paranormal Activity 2" "Saw 3D" and "Jackass 3D."

"Megamind," "Morning Glory," "Paranormal Activity 2" and "Jackass 3D" were all distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.. "Megamind" was produced by DreamWorks Animation.

"Skyline" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric's NBC Universal media division, and "Unstoppable" by 20th Century Fox is a division of News Corp. "For Colored Girls" and "Saw 3D" were released by Lions Gate, and "Red" by privately held Summit Entertainment.

Box office update: No let up in ‘Endhiran’ craze!

As fans continue to line up to watch Rajinikanth’s latest film Endhiran, the movie is smashing all box office records and writing history.

Making a film with a 60-year-old star and a whopping budget of Rs 160 crore did seem like a big gamble. But director Shankar has silenced all detractors, as the movie Endhiran shows no sign of slowing down at the box office down south.

According to a trade analyst, the Tamil movie (and its Hindi version Robot) has raked in a collection between Rs. 200 to 225 crores in just two weeks since its release on October 1. No other film in the history of Indian cinema has made so much money in just two weeks.

Going by the figures, Endhiran has collected Rs. 150 crores from Tamil Nadu only. Its collection from other south centres is close to Rs. 50 crore. And the earning of Robot (Hindi) stands close to Rs. 15 crore.

That’s not the end of it, as the film is likely to continue its good run in the weeks ahead.

'The Robot' may break box office records

Industry experts have predicted that the Bollywood science-fiction film Enhiran will break box office records due to the huge amount of hype and promotion surrounding its release.

BBC confirms that the film is the most expensive production ever made in India with a budget of 1.6bn rupees, the equivalent to £23 million.

The thriller, directed by S. Shankar, stars Rajinikanth as the scientist Vaseegaran who successfully creates a human robot hybrid and co-star Aishwarya Rai as his girlfriend.

The film's special effects have received universal praise, and it has been well-received by critics.

Enhiran, also known as The Robot, was released worldwide on Friday.

Affleck's heist film tops US box office

The Town, Ben Affleck's fast-paced bank heist flick set in his hometown of Boston debuted as the top movie at North American theaters this weekend, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

Supplanting Resident Evil: Afterlife in the top spot, The Town, the second film to be directed by the actor, earned 23.8 million dollars in ticket sales, according to projections from box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Second place went to another new film, teen comedy Easy A about a high school girl who lies about losing her virginity to improve her social standing, which earned 18.2 million dollars.

M. Night Shyamalan's Devil supernatural thriller about Satan trapping victims in a Philadelphia high-rise came in third, raking 12.6 million dollars in tickets sales.

Resident Evil, the latest in a long-running science fiction series, fell from the top spot last week to fourth with 10.1 million dollars.

Alpha and Omega, about a wolfpack in the wilds of a Canadian nature reserve, opened in fifth place with 9.2 million dollars in tickets sold.

In sixth place was Takers, the bank-robbery thriller starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I. which earned three million dollars.

George Clooney's spy flick The American was seventh with earnings of 2.76 million dollars.

Rounding out the top ten were Inception in eighth place with a shade over two million dollars in ticket sales; crime comedy The Other Guys with two million dollars, and romance flick Eat, Pray, Love which claimed 1.7 million dollars to finish in 10th place.

Resident Evil snatches box office lead

Sony's Resident Evil: Afterlife snatched the top of the North American box office this weekend with 26.7 million dollars in ticket sales, final figures showed recently.

The fourth in a long-running science fiction series, the film stars Milla Jovovich as a new age warrior fighting to protect humans from a world led by zombies.

Resident Evil films are based on a video game of the same name from Japan's Capcom. The latest film was directed by Paul Anderson, who also directed the original 2002 feature.

Jumping one spot into second place was Takers. The bank-robbery thriller starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I. earned 5.7 million dollars in its third week of release, bringing its overall take to 47.7 million dollars, said industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

George Clooney's spy flick The American fell from its top spot to land in third place with earnings of 5.7 million dollars. Mixing violence with a campy tribute to 1970s exploitation movies from directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, Machete came in fourth with 4.3 million dollars from Friday to Sunday, or 20.9 million since its release.

Holding steady at number five was new release Going the Distance, a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long about a couple living on opposite US coasts who try to make their relationship work. It earned 3.8 million dollars in its second weekend.

The Other Guys, the latest Will Ferrell slapstick comedy, climbed up one spot to sixth place, taking in 3.3 million dollars for its story about two mismatched police officers paired on a high-profile crime investigation.

Seventh place went to the gruesome documentary-style horror movie The Last Exorcism, which fell from its fourth spot last weekend, taking 3.3 million dollars, or 38 million since its release.

The mockumentary, directed by Daniel Stamm and co-produced by Eli Roth, a director known for his bloody thrillers, follows a disillusioned minister supposedly filming his last exorcism for a documentary.

Falling to eighth place was The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone's film about a group of weathered mercenaries out to topple a South American dictator, which earned 3.2 million dollars in its fifth week in theaters.

Eat, Pray, Love, Ryan Murphy's adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's novel about a divorcee's jaunt to Italy, Indonesia and India, starring Julia Roberts, took ninth position with 2.9 million dollars.

Rounding out the top 10 was blockbuster Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an expert infiltrator of people's dreams, which took in 2.8 million, or 282 million since its release.

Fail to impress box-office

Last Friday was a crowded week with as many as 16 films jostling for eyeballs at the box-office windows. These included five Hindi films - Aashayein, Hello Darling, Antardwand, Soch Lo, Madholal Keep Walking and Gumshuda- and two English re-releases James Cameron’s 3D Avatar with nine minutes of never-seen footage and Vertigo and its dubbed Hindi version, Khoon Ka Khel.

Add to the list one English sequel, Crank 2 (dubbed in Hindi as Kaminey, Company), an English flick Bitch Slap - and a Malaysian animated flick, Geng. Followed by a bouquet of regional films - the Bengali Aarohan, three Marathi films, Navra Ali Bayko Lovely, Sa.. Sasucha and Pardh, one Gujarati film Preet Piyu Ne Parnetar and even a rare Sindhi film, Tappad Tension Tey. And what we had was a veritable potpourri that, with the exception of Avatar, which grossed Rs 1.60 crore over the weekend in India, was largely unpalatable.

Aashayein“Isn’t it ridiculous!’ says an aggrieved trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “Even during Eid or Diwali, the market cannot take more than two-three films. And this is the lean Ramzan and Shraddh period. Every producer believes that his film is Sholay and samnewale cholay and releases his film to 5-10 per cent collections. Some of the films even had to cancel shows because there were no takers.”

Distributor Ramesh Sippy doesn’t find anything shocking about this annual flop parade. “It’s the only time small films can get an opening at multiplexes. If they wait till mid-September and October, they will be bulldozed by the biggies. So they brave the numbers and come out in the hope that they will strike a chord,” he points out.

Sushil Rajpal, producer-director of the National Award-winning Antardwand, echoes his view. “September 27 was the only Friday I was getting theatres, so my
distributors, PVR, decided to go ahead with the release,” he sighs.

Antardwand got decent reviews, but couldn’t make an impact commercially. “You need a strong film to work at this time. Last year, I released Wanted in the Bombay territory three days before Eid. It was a crowdpuller from the first show. This year, even though it’s not as big a hit, Lafangey Parindey has been holding on,” reasons Sippy.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra pegs last week’s loss at between Rs 20-40 crore for the industry and believes that it’s time our filmmakers learnt from others’ fall and do not go down the same path. “Of course, in some cases, the producers have no choices. I hadn’t even heard of films like Gumshuda and Soch Lo before,” he says.

Malplix Films Hello Darling was just one of the many films that didn’t get a release overseas, while Percept’s 18-month delayed Aashayein, was a washout abroad. “No NRI would pay in dollars and pounds to watch a comedian (Javed Jaffrey) play hero to three non-happening actresses or watch another hero (John Abraham) die,” Mehra argues.

This week, the industry’s hopes are pinned on Dharma Productions’ We Are Family that Mehra describes as a “decent family film”. But the one everyone is looking forward to is Salman Khan’s Eid release Dabangg.

“It’s got the Wanted feel, Salman’s looking hot and the music too has caught on. It will be a plus film for the producer from day one,” predicts Mehra. “Even after paying fancy terms, distributors have managed to woo the exhibitors with the promise of houseful shows and recover their costs. And that is a rarity today.”

Avatar re-release fails at US box office

Acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron's re-release of sci-fi epic movie Avatar has been reported a flop at the US box office at the weekend.

The horror film The Last Exorcism topped the box office chart, debuting with $21.3 million in earnings, followed closely by Takers, the crime drama starring Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Matt Dillon opening with $21 million, reports contactmusic.com.

Meanwhile, Cameron's 3-D special edition of Avatar, which included an extra nine minutes of footage, failed to draw cinemagoers in droves as it did last year. The film pulled up merely $4 million.

Sylvester Stallone's action hit The Expendables slipped to third place with $9.5 million, raising its three-week total to $82 million.

Rounding out the top five were Julia Roberts' feel-good film Eat Pray Love and Samuel L. Jackson's action comedy The Other Guys, taking in $7 million and $6.6 million respectively.

Kites opens in Top 10 at US Box Office

Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan and Mexican star Barbara Mori's action-romance Kites has become the first Bollywood film to debut in the North American top ten on opening weekend flying into the number ten spot.

Released by Reliance Big Pictures, the Rakesh Roshan-produced film grossed an estimated USD 1 million for the period of May 21-23, ranking just behind the ninth-place film How to Train Your Dragon which has grossed over USD 210 million.

Directed by Anurag Basu, Kites has been praised by US film critics and has generated the most number of mainstream reviews ever for a Bollywood film on opening day. It has earned an exceptionally high 85 per cent score on RottenTomatoes.com, a popular film review aggregator website in US.

In India, Kites soared to the second biggest opening day gross in history trailing only 3 Idiots. In addition, the film has opened at number five at the UK box office.

This Friday, on May 28, an international version of the film titled Kites- The Remix will open in select theaters in US. It is presented by Hollywood filmmaker Brett Ratner, focuses more on the action and runs 90 minutes in length.

Some theaters across North America will be playing both versions simultaneously giving fans a choice in their viewing experience.

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Box office preview: 'Funny People' likely to top charts

Judd Apatow has become a household name thanks to his past two outings: Knocked Up and The 40-Year Old Virgin. But where both comedies went on to become $100 million+ box office successes, his latest endeavor, Funny People, is much more of a wild card. The R-rated flick still features some of Apatow’s unique brand of comedy, but hidden within is the downer story of a sad clown battling a fatal disease. The upshot: Adam Sandler is the star. The film’s sure to open at No. 1. How it holds on will be anyone’s guess.

1. Funny People: $35 million
While Virgin bowed to $21 million with an unknown Steve Carrell at the center and Knocked Up pulled in $30 million with newcomer Seth Rogen, Funny People has giant movie star Adam Sandler leading the charge. But the comedy pro is leaving his PG comfort zone and the results when he does so are never certain. Prognosticators have this film opening all over the map. I’m going with $35 million. Sandler and Apatow could prove to be a very formidable combination, even with a close to 2 1/2 hour run time.

2. G-Force: $17 million
Those covert guinea pigs proved to be a box office hit this last weekend at the movies. While Fox’s Aliens in the Attic will take away some of its power in round two, the movie’s unlikely to fall more than 50% for the frame. Pretty impressive that animated guinea pigs will cross $50 million after less than ten days of release.

3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $15 million
Potter bows on IMAX theaters this frame, which will surely help cushion its drop in its third weekend. The movie has already grossed $221 million, more than its predecessor at the same time in its release pattern. If it maintains its momentum, Half-Blood Prince could hit $300 million by the end of its domestic run.

4. The Ugly Truth: $13.5
This Katherine Heigl-Gerard Butler update on the age-old conundrum of man/woman incompatibility surprised everyone last weekend with its opening take of $27.6 million. Turns out moviegoers like and want more romantic comedies, especially the R-rated ones. Expect a drop of around 50%, which would be quite a feat considering how critics hated the film.

5. Aliens in the Attic: $13 million
This PG-rated low-budget comedy originally titled They Came From Upstairs should open decently. From director John Schultz (The Honeymooners), the movie centers on a group of teenagers, including Ashley Tisdale, who must protect their vacation home from aliens residing in the attic. Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, and Tim Meadows co-star.

Box Office Preview: Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Bruno' eyes a big weekend win

Sacha Baron Cohen's equal-opportunity offender Bruno is barging into theaters this weekend, promising enough outrageous shtick to lure in the most reluctant of moviegoers, if only to see how far he'll go. While Twentieth Century Fox, Cohen's Borat distributor, was tasked with selling a strange Kazakhstani journalist to audiences, Universal is in the fortunate spot of marketing Bruno like a sequel. The studio's over-the-top campaign shows that they may even be having a little fun with their gay Austrian fashion reporter. Now, with Bruno opening in 2,757 theaters, the one question is how well Baron Cohen's flamboyant character will play in more conservative parts of the U.S.

1. Bruno: $37 million
In 2006, Borat opened in only 837 theaters to $26.4 million, a stunning debut at the time. Bruno is sure to gross more than that this weekend, continuing this summer's trend of successful R-rated comedies. The under-35 crowd is definitely the core audience here, with the film sure to play well with college kids. But whether or not Baron Cohen's homophobia satire resonates as a joke, or only as a furthering of gay stereotypes, will be the topic of discussion once the movie is seen. But, really, generating discussion can't be a bad thing for the box office.


2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: $22 million
While its opening weekend didn't live up to those of its predecessors, Ice Age 3 was still a hit with the younger set and their parents. And, no, it didn't beat out Transformers 2 last weekend, but that should all change this frame. With nothing in its way, expect its sophomore session to drop in the 45 percent range with help from all those 3-D showings.

3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: $19 million
While we won't dwell on what it says about our society that Transformers 2 is the second fastest movie ever to hit the $300 million milestone (behind the beloved The Dark Knight) we will say that that is quite an achievement. But now it's time for the film to start dropping off, and Bruno is just the movie to knock it from its perch. Still, expect a 55 percent hold: Some guys just can't get enough of Megan Fox and transforming robots.

4. Public Enemies: $13 million
Johnny Depp's John Dillinger flick bowed to a respectable $25 million. And its mid-week numbers have helped push it up to $50 million. The big question for this film is how it will hold during its second session -- that point is crucial, actually, since the studio is banking on at least a $100 million gross. Some insiders are predicting a steep drop, but I think Public Enemies is likely to fall just under 50 percent.

5. The Proposal: $7 million
This Sandra Bullock romantic comedy has performed remarkably well, grossing $100 million in three weeks and never dropping more than 45 percent. Even if this weekend's fall puts it off by 50 percent, The Proposal will still be deemed a remarkable success for the over-40 movie star.


Also opening...
I Love You, Beth Cooper: $6 million
Director Chris Columbus has had opening weekends as high as $90 million (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) and as low as $6 million (Heartbreak Hotel). Unfortunately, his latest film looks like it's destined for the latter category. EW gave I Love You, Beth Cooper, starring Heroes' Hayden Panettiere, a positive review, but other notices haven't been so kind. Let's hope Columbus has better luck with his next outing.

Box Office Preview: 'Transformers 2' will be huge this weekend...but just how big?

Michael Bay's over-the-top robot extravaganza sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, has already grossed $60.6 million on its opening day, so we know that the fanboys have turned out in force. In fact, the movie is destined to cross the $100 million mark before it even reaches the weekend. But how the film fares over the five-day, Wednesday-through-Sunday period is going to be determined by its core fans' repeat business, the impact of their word of mouth, and how broad the film plays (which, if you take my 3-year-old son's rabid interest in the giant robots, is incredibly wide). One thing is for sure: Fused metal will be the star of the multiplex this weekend, and it's bound to take theaters by storm. The following predictions are for the usual three-day frame, by the way.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -- $72.5 millionTwo years ago, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix opened on a Wednesday, and by the end of the weekend it had grossed $139.7 million. Transformers 2 is guaranteed to blow by that record...and go way beyond. It's not likely to get to the $203 million that The Dark Knight scored in its first five days of release, but Michael Bay's movie is going to work damn hard trying. The movie is opening in more than 4,000 theaters, including 169 IMAX screens, and will prove a big win for distributor Paramount, which will now be able to claim two of the summer's biggest hits: Transformers 2 and Star Trek.

2. The Proposal -- $20 millionBy Friday, Sandra Bullock's romantic comedy will have grossed $50 million in one week. Not bad for an actress who had all but abandoned the genre! Word of mouth has been solid on the movie, and expectations are high that the film, featuring a star-making performance by Ryan Reynolds, will hold on well during its sophomore session.

3. The Hangover -- $16 millionWarner Bros.' R-rated Vegas comedy isn't going away anytime soon. And its unbelievable hold last weekend is really impressive. It is inevitable, however, that the movie, which has already grossed $163 million, will get hit this frame with Transformers 2 steamrolling into theaters.

4. Up -- $14 millionPixar's latest animated hit has already surpassed WALL-E's grosses, and its sights are now set on surpassing Cars' $244 million cume. Transformers 2 will take out some of Pixar's audience, but with Ice Age 3 coming into theaters next weekend, this is really its last chance to stay in the Top 5.

5. My Sister's Keeper -- $12 millionThis three-hanky Cameron Diaz weepfest has generated some solid reviews, especially for the lead actress herself. So it will be very interesting to see how the film fares as the main counter-programming option for the weekend. With all the light and fluffy fare dominating the box office, it's likely that My Sister's Keeper's serious themes of a family dealing with a sick child may be too tough for the public to embrace. Some predictors have it in the single digits. I'm hopeful that the combination of star power and fan interest in the Jodi Picoult bestseller on which the movie is based will propel it into double-digit territory.

Box Office Preview: 'The Proposal' and 'Year One' aim to take down 'The Hangover'

The R-rated comedy The Hangover has been the surprise No. 1 movie for the past two weekends -- but will its reign come to an end this time around? Maybe. Two more comedies (The Proposal and Year One) enter the multiplex, but neither seems like a sure winner. In other words, it'll be yet another closely fought box office battle.

1. The Proposal -- $24 millionIn this rom-com, Sandra Bullock and EW cover hunk Ryan Reynolds play coworkers who decide to marry to avoid her deportation to Canada. Despite multiple attempts, Reynolds has yet to break out as a box office force, and Bullock, though still an undeniably big star, has never had a movie open north of Premonition's $17.6 mil two years ago. In fact, she hasn't made a movie since then. So while this seems to be the biggest film of the weekend and the buzz is good, a $24 mil gross would have to be considered a sizable

2. The Hangover -- $23 millionA threepeat is very, very possible.

3. Up -- $22 millionWith $195 mil in the bank already, the animated film will surely break the $200 mil mark, like, today, and it's well on pace to be one of Pixar's biggest earners ever. Oh, and it, too, could wind up winning the weekend.

4. Year One -- $16 millionHow can you go wrong with stars Jack Black and Michael Cera (who play two prehistoric dudes), director Harold Ramis, and producer Judd Apatow? Then again, Year One appears to be the exact kind of young-skewing, middle-playing funny flick that big hit The Hangover really isn't (and flop Land of the Lost kinda was). Which has me nervous about its prospects.

5. The Taking of Pelham 123 -- $14 millionThat $23.4 mil debut was nice enough (if perhaps a tad disappointing), and the John Travolta-Denzel Washington thriller stands to benefit from being the only major non-comedy in the marketplace this weekend.