1-20 of 77 items « Prev | Next »
‘Frozen’ Opens With Strong $15.2M at Box Office but ‘Catching Fire’ Is Blazing
1 hour ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
“Frozen” got off to a terrific start at the box office, but “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” was even better as the Thanksgiving weekend began Wednesday. The Disney Animation 3D family film brought in an estimated $15.2 million – better than the $12 million first day for “Tangled” – and could wind up near $80 million for the five days. But reigning champ “Catching Fire” was blazing, and brought in a whopping $20.7 million Wednesday. On that pace, Lionsgate’s Jennifer Lawrence sequel could be heading for a $100 million second week. The big Wednesday comes on the heels of a $12 »
- Todd Cunningham
Disney Breaks Studio Record With $4 Billion at Global Box Office
21 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Walt Disney Studios is marking milestone after milestone.
For the first time in its history, Disney has broken the $4 billion mark at the worldwide box office. It previously reached a record high in mid November when “Thor: The Dark World” hammered past the $3.791 billion set in 2010.
Thanks to “Iron Man 3,” Disney became in July the first studio this year to reach $1 billion in the domestic Bo (for the eight consecutive year). It grossed $2 billion in the worldwide box office, for the fourth year in a row, this August.
“Frozen” opened in theaters nationwide Wednesday and “Saving Mr. Banks” hits select theaters on Dec. 13 (expanding wide a week later) so the studio is sure to hit several more high notes in the new year. Meanwhile, “Thor: The Dark World” has grossed over $559 million in one month.
»
- Maane Khatchatourian
Roundup: Golden Globes won't be seduced by Johansson's voice in 'Her'
27 November 2013 5:27 AM, PST | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
There's been a lot of speculation about the possibility of Scarlett Johansson scoring an acting Oscar nod for her acclaimed voice work in "Her." It'd be a first, but the buzz is growing in volume. Still, if she pulls it off, it'll be without any help from the Golden Globes -- the HFPA has ruled her ineligible in their Best Supporting Actress category. It's not exactly surprising, given that they've previously disqualified motion-capture performances by the likes of Andy Serkis. (The Globes are littered with arcane restrictions: animated and foreign-language films can't compete for Best Picture, for example.) Warner Bros. appealed against the ruling, »
- Guy Lodge
Glee’s Amber Riley Wins Dancing With the Stars
26 November 2013 11:35 PM, PST | Vulture | See recent Vulture news »
Shockingly enough, the lady who spent five seasons on Glee is a pretty good dancer. Amber Riley won this the seventeenth season of Dancing With the Stars, beating out finalists Corbin Bleu and Jack Osbourne for the title. "I did this competition because, I didn't know if I [could] do it and anything that scares me I wanna do, so I [want to] let women of all sizes out there know you can do whatever you put your mind to," Riley said after her win. "It doesn't matter what size you are, what color you are, you can do whatever, whatever, whatever, whatever you put your mind to!"The night was also a big win for Riley’s dance pro partner Derek Hough, who's now helped five ladies to the Mirror Ball Trophy (Brooke Burke-Charvet, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, and now Riley). The pros in second place, Cheryl and Mark »
- Delia Paunescu,Margaret Hartmann
Evan Rachel Wood Slams MPAA Over Deleted Sex Scene
19 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Evan Rachel Wood is fuming mad at the MPAA over the decision to remove a sex scene from her upcoming movie “Charlie Countryman.”
The indie film, co-starring Shia Labeouf, featured a graphic scene that had a female receiving oral sex from a man, but director Frederik Bond was forced to remove the scene in order to obtain an R rating from the Motion Picture Alliance of America, a move Wood claims is sexist and hypocritical.
“I would like 2 share my disappointment with the MPAA, who thought it was necessary to censor a woman’s sexuality once again,” she wrote on Twitter.
“The scene where the two main characters make ‘love’ was altered because someone felt that seeing a man give a woman oral sex made people ‘uncomfortable’ but the scenes in which people are murdered by having their heads blown off remained intact and unaltered,” she added.
The drama, currently playing in limited release, »
- Stuart Oldham
The Real ‘Philomena’ Answers New York Post Critic Who Condemns Her Film As An Attack On Catholics And Republicans
23 hours ago | Deadline New York | See recent Deadline New York news »
Exclusive: It sure isn’t easy being a Catholic these days, especially on a movie screen. Philomena Lee, subject of the just-released Oscar season film Philomena, has taken the unusual step of directly answering a New York Post critic who slammed the Stephen Frears-directed adaptation of her story as an attack on the Catholic faith, as well as Republicans. Lee is played in the film by Judi Dench, and her story is a crusher: She was sent to a Catholic abbey in Ireland as a teen after she got pregnant and, as was the custom then, was compelled to sign away her rights to the child. She still cared for him for the first three years of his life while she worked as an indentured laundry lady, and then saw her son given up for adoption. The movie is about how, after keeping this a shameful secret for 50 years, »
- MIKE FLEMING JR
‘Wolf of Wall Street,’ ‘Hobbit’ Sequel Clock In at Nearly Three Hours
16 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Hollywood is going the distance this holiday season.
Two of the biggest movies this Christmas, “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug,” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” are close to three hours in length, according to studio sources.
Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” sequel is 2 hours and 40 minutes while the official running time of Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Wall Street” is a howling 2 hours and 59 minutes, the longest film of Scorsese’s career.
“The Wolf of Wall Street,” co-starring Jonah Hill, opens Christmas Day.
“It’s a very fast movie,” Terrence Winter recently assured of the R-rated film, while one Paramount exec described it as “nutty, debaucherous, great.”
The gangly running times, despite cutting into moviegoers’ holiday festivities, don’t seem to bother showbiz execs.
Warner Bros. and New Line’s first “Hobbit” film was 20 minutes longer than next month’s “Desolation of Smaug” and went on to »
- Stuart Oldham
5 Things Hollywood Should Be Thankful For
15 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
As Hollywood movers and shakers gather around the Thanksgiving table this week, they have alot to be thankful for in 2013. To be sure, there have been, forgive the pun, turkeys like “R.I.P.D.” and “After Earth,” but a business that was buffeted by the digital revolution has begun to show signs of stabilization thanks to online players like Netflix and YouTube that have become sources of money and talent. There is also the increasingly cosmopolitan nature of a movie and television business that has seen the value of looking beyond its borders to find investment and audiences, as well as a. »
- Brent Lang and Lucas Shaw
Josh Duhamel Shares Adorable Thanksgiving Card With Fergie and Baby Axl—Check it Out!
32 minutes ago | E! Online | See recent E! Online news »
This is too cute for words! Josh Duhamel shared a hilarious family photo in honor of Thanksgiving on his Twitter Thursday. The card shows his face along with Fergie, baby Axl and their pet pooch Zoe superimposed on cartoon drawings of the Village People making their famous "Ymca" dance moves. Josh is the police officer, while his little one is a muscly construction worker. Fergie was shown as the Indian chief while the tiny dachshund appeared as a pilgrim. "Lots to be thankful for. Have a great 'my pants don't fit' day!!" he wrote as a caption to the funny image. And truth be told, the new papa definitely has a lot to be grateful for this holiday »
BAFTA Moves to Strengthen Ties with Asian Biz
34 minutes ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
London — The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is making a renewed push into Asia with a series of events in Hong Kong, and the setting up of an advisory board to oversee its charitable work in the continent.
BAFTA’s Hong Kong events kick off on Dec. 1 with a screening of BAFTA Shorts 2013, a selection of BAFTA-nominated short films and animations from the film awards earlier this year, at Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s music and arts festival.
The first meeting of the new BAFTA Hong Kong Advisory Board takes place on Dec. 2, and then on Dec. 3 actor Eddie Redmayne (“Les Miserables,” “My Week With Marilyn”) will take part in the Academy Circle event, hosted by Hong Kong actress and presenter Lisa S at The Peninsula Hong Kong, for local supporters of BAFTA’s charitable activities in Asia.
On Dec. 4, Redmayne will take part in an acting masterclass with »
- Leo Barraclough
‘Frozen’ Solid Wednesday with $15.2 Million; ‘Catching Fire’ Still No. 1
53 minutes ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
With only a small lead over Disney toon “Frozen,” Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” is expected to win the Thanksgiving extended frame with upwards of $85 million.
The actioner earned $20.7 million Wednesday, bringing its domestic cume to $206.4 million in only six days. It is now the sixth fastest film to cross the $200 million mark after “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and “The Dark Knight Rises” (“Rises” also took six days, but wound up with $211.8 million).
“Frozen” bowed Wednesday to $15.2 million and is expected to earn between $70 million and $80 million catering to families with young children this weekend. Though Thanksgiving Day isn’t generally a big moviegoing day, “Frozen” should see about 11% of its five-day haul from the holiday itself.
Other openers counterprogramming the weekend’s big bows are doing so with mixed success.
Open Road bowed »
- Michael Sullivan
Frank Darabont Looks Ahead to ‘Mob City’ After Tense ‘Walking Dead’ Departure
1 hour ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
It’s 10:45 a.m. on a Thursday, and Frank Darabont is groggy. With barely a month left until the premiere of his latest TV series, TNT’s “Mob City,” the workload is weighing on him.
“I don’t escape it in my sleep,” Darabont says between sips of coffee. “I go home, and whatever amount of sleep I do get, I’m dreaming about being on set and all the thorny possible things that could happen, but it’s an abstraction of those problems. … It’s just my subconscious messing with me. It’s always been that way.”
Sitting on the floor of his Spanish-style offices in Los Feliz, Darabont takes drags off an e-cig, vaguely resembling the characters in his period drama that draws on the rich heritage of L.A. noir — except that he’s wearing one of his signature Hawaiian shirts, and his nearby iPhone is »
- AJ Marechal
Frozen: 5 Things You Should Know Before Warming Up to Disney's New Holiday Film (With Princesses!)
1 hour ago | E! Online | See recent E! Online news »
It's Disney princess time! The Mouse House's 53rd animated feature focuses on two princess sisters in the enchanted kingdom of Arendelle. When their parents die in a shipwreck, older sibling Elsa (Idina Menzel) is crowned Queen, but her icy powers accidentally trap the land in eternal winter. Accused of sorcery (grab your torches and pitchforks!), Elsa flees to a fortress of frozen solitude, while younger sis Anna (Kristen Bell) braves Snowmaggedon-like conditions to find her. During her epic journey, plucky Anna teams up with mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his loyal reindeer, and a buck-toothed snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad). Can these new friends reverse the wintry curse before »
Stephen Fishbach's Survivor Blog: It's Hard to Know Whom to Trust
1 hour ago | PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news »
Stephen Fishbach was the runner-up on Survivor: Tocantins and has been blogging about Survivor strategy for People since 2009. Follow him on Twitter @stephenfishbach. Erik Reichenbach is a Survivor fan-turned-favorite, a comic book author and artist. He placed fifth on both Survivor: Micronesia and Survivor: Caramoan. Follow him on Twitter @BloodyAmer1can. "Once you flip, you're a weaker number, because you've shown that you can't be trusted in your alliance." - Lisa Whelchel, Survivor: The Philippines Survivor is a game of big moves. Strategists know that if you want to make a compelling case to the jury, »
- Stephen Fishbach
Drew Barrymore Shops with Her Growing Baby Bump
1 hour ago | PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news »
Drew Barrymore has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, including her growing baby bump! The actress and makeup magnate, 38, was spotted Wednesday wearing a loose-fitting tee and jeans during a pre-Thanksgiving shopping trip to Bristol Farms in Los Angeles. Also in view was Barrymore's diamond sparkler from husband Will Kopelman, who she married last year. The pair are already parents to 14-month-old Olive, and Barrymore said she was thrilled to discover she was pregnant again. "When I found out I was overjoyed. It always feels so surreal, it's incredible," she said. "[I'm feeling] incredible, that 'Here we go again' feeling. »
- Sheila Cosgrove Baylis
Xbox One Is Still Stuck in Cable’s Orbit
1 hour ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
The “one” in the name Xbox One is a little misleading when it comes to watching live TV through Microsoft’s new videogame console.
Though the device is being touted as an all-entertainment hub, accessing channels on it still requires a settop box from a pay-tv provider.
The Hdmi cord still required to connect the two boxes is the compromise Microsoft had to make in order to take its baby step toward revolutionizing how consumers interact with content.
Through Microsoft’s OneGuide, the Xbox One cleanly and cleverly organizes series from broadcast and cable networks, as well as the streaming content provided via entertainment apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon and Machinima. Like the new Windows, the OneGuide is a piece of software that lays on top of another — in this case, the often frustratingly slow and confusing onscreen listings of TV shows offered by most pay-tv providers.
OneGuide is smart and it works. »
- Marc Graser
TV Ratings: 'Criminal Minds,' 'CSI' help CBS dominate Pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday
1 hour ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
Fast National ratings for Wednesday, November 27, 2013. With much of the competition taking the night off, CBS dominated Thanksgiving Eve in all measures with new episodes of "Survivor," "Criminal Minds" and "CSI." Among the limited competition, Fox's "X Factor" and NBC's "Making of 'The Sound of Music'" special drew only limited audience as well. And for whatever it's worth, The CW's airing of the holiday classic "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" did the same key demo rating as ABC's repeat of "Nashville." On to the numbers... Among adults 18-49, CBS drew a 2.2 rating, easily winning »
- Daniel Fienberg
Box Office: 'Frozen' Opens to Stellar $15.2 Million Wednesday; 'Catching Fire' Still No. 1
1 hour ago | The Hollywood Reporter | See recent The Hollywood Reporter news »
Disney's family film Frozen melted hearts at the Wednesday box office, opening to a stellar $15.2 million from 4,173 theaters and putting it on course to sail past $80 million in its five-day Thanksgiving debut. Bullish box office observers believe the animated 3D pic -- earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore -- could even approach $90 million. Anything over $70 million would be a victory for Walt Disney Animation Studios, considering Frozen was expected to open on par with the $68.7 million grossed by Tangled over Thanksgiving in 2010. Photos: The Making of Disney's Animated Oscar Contender 'Frozen' Loosely
read more
»
- Pamela McClintock
Justin Bieber Shows Off Washboard Abs, Goes Surfing in Australia—Check It Out!
1 hour ago | E! Online | See recent E! Online news »
All work and no play is not something Justin Bieber adheres to. The "All That Matters" singer took a break from his grueling tour schedule in Australia to try his hand at surfing at Wategos Beach in Byron Bay. Biebs spent a few hours in the ocean with a few friends and seemed to get the hang on things pretty quickly. The 19-year-old showed off his ripped abs while soaking up the sun Down Under, clearly all that dancing onstage is doing a body some good! Between catching several waves, playing in the sand and working on his tan, it seems like Bieber really took advantage of his down time. And the teenage heartthrob has been tweeting up a storm about how much fun he's »
America’s Next Top TV Exec: Come on Down!
1 hour ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Every Hollywood executive has a similar story. They attend a holiday dinner or party, mention what they do, and get pitched ideas by some idiot nephew, enthusiastic neighbor or irritating friend of a friend.
Some are no doubt more polite than others, but invariably they come back with a similar retort — that while from afar it might seem like anybody can do what they do, the job really isn’t as easy as it looks.
Lately, though, the success of newer players, particularly in the failure-prone world of ordering and acquiring TV shows, has dealt that argument a bit of a blow, demystifying the process of identifying popular programming or the notion that those weaned on development meetings and focus groups can claim such skill or intuition as their exclusive province.
At least when cable networks started becoming aggressive about airing original content, networks could take comfort in the idea »
- Brian Lowry
1-20 of 77 items « Prev | Next »
« Prev | Next »