MOVIEGOERS LIKELY TO PACK THEATERS AGAIN THIS WEEKEND

Once again there will be something akin to de facto segregation of the sexes at theaters this Presidents Day weekend. For females, there’ll be Fox’s romantic comedy/thriller This Means War, starring Reese Witherspoon Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. For males, there’ll be the 3D Nicolas Cage starrer Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The latter film […]

DID FAMILIES STAY HOME TO SEE THE OSCARS SUNDAY?

Not as many parents took their kids to see Gnomeo and Juliet on Sunday as Disney had originally estimated. Final weekend box-office figures for the movie turned out to be $13.4 million — well below the $14.2 million that the studio had calculated it would make. (Weekend estimates are based on actual grosses for Friday […]

WHEREFORE ART GNOMEO NO. 1?

Box office analysts were puzzling over the “whys and wherefores” of a wreck of a weekend that saw the two newest releases unable to fulfill even their worst forecasts. Most of the bewilderment was about the “wherefores,” as Disney’s animated Gnomeo & Juliet took over first place in its third week. The movie, which was […]

ANOTHER DOWN WEEKEND AT BOX OFFICE LIKELY

Expected high viewer interest in this year’s Oscar telecast on Sunday is likely to take a bite out of box-office revenue on that day, some analysts are warning. Moreover, on Friday and Saturday, many moviegoers may pass up the latest releases in order to catch some of the Oscar contenders that they missed, like The […]

TRUE GRIT SHOWS GRIT IN THIRD WEEK

In its third week, Paramount’sTrue Grit rode to victory at the box office, cutting down Little Fockers and blowing away challenges from newcomers Season of the Witch and Country Strong. The Coen Brothers’ remake of the John Wayne classic, with Jeff Bridges in the Rooster Cogburn role, earned an estimated $15 million, beating Universal’s Fockers, […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: SEASON OF THE WITCH

Nicolas Cage is once again being skewered by critics for his decision to appear in Season of the Witch. Their reviews are even more scathing than the ones for last year’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Roger Moore in the Orlando Sentinel calls the movie, set in medieval times, “the latest in a long, almost uninterrupted run […]

FINE RECEPTION FOR “INCEPTION” — $62.8 MILLION

It didn’t come close to equaling director Christopher’s Nolan’s record-breaking opening of The Dark Knight exactly two years ago, but Nolan’s Inception debuted with a mighty $60.4 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates — without the aid of 3D premium pricing. (The film did have the benefit of IMAX surcharges, and although IMAX […]

DISMAL OPENING FOR “SORCERER’S APPRENTICE”

If Wednesday’s ticket sales are any measure, Disney’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice, starring Nicolas Cage may need a sorcerer to save it from becoming a box-office dud. Citing sources at rival studios, Nikki Finke reported late Wednesday on her Deadline Hollywood blog that the movie earned about $4 million on Wednesday and now appears likely to earn […]