DOWNTURNS AT CABLE, FILM HIT VIACOM
August 3, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Sumner Redstone, the chairman of CBS and Viacom, got good news and bad about his two media companies on Thursday. On the one hand, CBS reported record profits in the last quarter; on the other hand, Viacom’s profits sank. The blow to Redstone’s older and larger media conglomerate might have been less troubling had its […]
NO. 1 FILM IN BRITAIN: ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER
June 26, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
It would seem to be an unlikely success story. The No. 1 film at the British box office is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which opened with $1.75 million (including Wednesday and Thursday previews). As Britain’s Guardian newspaper observed, the movie had always appeared to be a tough sell at the British box office. Films about […]
TICKET BOOTH MIMICS JOHN WILKES; SLAYS ABE (Updated)
June 25, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Disney’s Pixar kept its 13-film winning streak alive over the weekend by posting an estimated $66.7 million in ticket sales for Brave, topping the high end of expectations. Disney allowed only a modest roll-out overseas, which is preoccupied with the Euro 2012 soccer finals. Nevertheless, Brave opened in 10 markets with $13.5 million, putting it […]
TWO NEW MOVIES TAKE A DIVE — AS DOES BOX OFFICE
June 19, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Disappointing performances by two debuting films featuring stars who are usually guaranteed winners pushed the box office into the losing column again over the weekend. Final figures showed that Warner Bros.’ Rock of Ages, which featured Tom Cruise as an ’80s rock star collected only $14.4 million, while Sony’s That’s My Boy, starring Adam Sandler, […]
MADAGASCAR 3 LIKELY TO TROUNCE CRUISE AND SANDLER
June 15, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Warner Bros./New Line movie version of the Broadway hit Rock of Ages — this one featuring Tom Cruise in a rollicking performance as a rock singer — and a new, raunchier Adam Sandler movie, That’s My Boy, arrive in theaters this weekend, but analysts are predicting that both will be beaten by the DreamWorks […]
MADAGASCAR 3 WINS OVERSEAS, TOO
June 11, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Overseas, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted was, well, the most wanted, particularly in Europe. Of a $75.5-million foreign gross, $7.6 million came from France alone. Nevertheless, the opening of Euro 2012 clearly had an effect on attendance, with several countries reporting steep drop-offs from Friday to Saturday. The second week of Prometheus drew a solid […]
MOVIE REVIEWS: MADAGASCAR 3: EUROPE’S MOST WANTED
June 8, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Critics pretty much roared their disapproval at the first two Madagascar movies, but several are fairly beating the drums for the latest one, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Typical is Andy Webster’s review in the New York Times, which concludes. “Where Madagascar soars is in its visuals: A Monte Carlo chase is vertiginously madcap; a […]
MADAGASCAR 3 ANIMALS TO LIVEN UP CANNES
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is wanted at the Cannes Film Festival. The DreamWorks Animation film is being given its world premiere at the festival in May, out of competition, although a specific date was not included in the announcement. The film is due for release in the U.S. on June 8. It is only […]