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Chronicle and The Woman in Black Duke it Out at the Box Office
New releases Chronicle and The Woman in Black each took in a higher-than-expected haul over Super Bowl weekend, though it was the former film that managed to climb to the top with a weekend gross of $22 million. Still, The Woman in Black wasn't that far behind, pulling in $21 million over the weekend. Last week's surprise box office victor, The Grey, slid to number three, while new release Big Miracle's weekend take of $8.4 million was only enough to land it at spot number four. Rounding out the top five was Underworld: Awakening.
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Don’t Go in There! Cinema’s Scariest Haunted House Movies
Creaky floorboards. Rattling window shutters. Creepy noises in the attic. What could be scarier than a lonely old house on a dark and stormy night? The haunted house subgenre has been around for a long time and has proven to be endlessly fascinating to moviemakers and audiences alike. With the two newest entries in this enduring subgenre—The Woman in Black and The Innkeepers—hitting theaters today, MM is taking a look back at some of the scariest haunted house movies of all time.
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Box Office Goes to the Wolves with The Grey
The box office went to the wolves this weekend, with Joe Carnahan's The Grey beating out last week's reigning champ Underworld: Awakening to land at the number one spot. The man vs. nature actioner did better than expected, earning $20 million in its first weekend; meanwhile, the latter film's weekend haul of $12.5 million brings its total gross to $45.1 million.
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Distribution in the Year 2012
Distribution is the sole source by which film revenue is earned, but between the advent of digital theatrical distribution, the rise of Netflix and VOD and the collapse of the DVD market, recent years have seen some radical changes in how films are distributed. It makes sense that independent moviemakers, always been on the cutting edge themselves, should be the ones to race to exploit emerging distribution methods.
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Underworld: Awakening Takes a Bite Out of the Box Office
Underworld: Awakening took a bite out of the box office last weekend, earning $25.4 in its first three days and beating out second-place finisher, fellow new release Red Tails, by a substantial margin. Last week's number one film, Contraband, fell two spots to number three, while Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close celebrated its first weekend in wide release—it hit select theaters across the country over Christmas weekend—with a weekend gross of $10.5 million. Rounding out the top five was the newest from Steven Soderbergh, Haywire, which earned $9 million over its first weekend.
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Ed Burns Is Forever Indie
Edward Burns is no stranger to the world of indie film. He launched his career with the $25,000 The Brothers McMullen at the Sundance Film Festival back in 1995, during the dark, pre-digital days of 16mm cameras and now-foreign concepts like optical houses and film prints. In 2010, after seven larger-budget features as a writer-director, Burns returned to the low-budget arena with Nice Guy Johnny. He bypassed traditional distribution methods by releasing the film himself, first with a short festival tour and then with a simultaneous day-and-date rollout on VOD, DVD and Pay-Per-View. Now Burns is taking this new model even further with Newlyweds, which he produced for a staggering $9,000 sum.
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Sorry, Disney: Contraband Beats Beauty and the Beast 3-D to Number One
Crime drama Contraband had a better-than-expected opening weekend run at the box office, earning $24 million in three days and outpacing second-place finisher, Beauty and the Beast 3-D, by a substantial amount. The re-released Disney classic earned $18.4 million over the weekend—less than the 3-D release of The Lion King earned on its opening weekend last September, but still pretty good for a movie that's only one year shy of being able to buy itself alcohol.
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The Artist Comes Out on Top at the Golden Globes
At last night's Golden Globes, it was Oscar frontrunner The Artist that came out on top, winning three awards, including Best Picture—Comedy or Musical. Still, it's probably best to keep the film's name written in pencil on your Oscar ballot for now; though it was one of only two films to win multiple awards, the winner in the Best Picture—Drama category (this year, The Descendants) historically has a better chance at victory come Oscar night. Additionally, The Artist missed out in both the Best Screenplay and Best Director categories, in which Midnight in Paris and Hugo, respectively, walked away with the gold.
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The Ins and Outs of How to Sell a Banksy
When Christopher Thompson came across a work of art by Banksy—the infamous, anonymous street artist whose work sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars—he saw his acquisition as a twofold opportunity. First, there was a potentially huge amount of money to be made in selling the piece. Second, the effort it would take to find a buyer—getting it restored, authenticated and evaluated, all of which would require gate crashing the business world that's sprung up around the counterculture icon—would make for an interesting documentary. Four years later, co-directors Thompson and Alper Cagatay's debut film, How to Sell a Banksy, is finally complete.
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Five most anticipated films of Hollywood's worst month
Since the early 1990s, as the late season award contenders still linger in most cinemas, awaiting a surge in audiences as their prizes accumulate, a mid-winter onslaught of goofy genre fair begins to appear in cinemas the weekend after New Year's Day. The next couple of months generally become a veritable dumping ground for all sorts of sub-par studio projects, from would-be prestige films that just don't fit in the award season paradigm to other assorted misfits within the corporate conglomerates' tight-fisted slates.
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The Devil Inside Triumphs at the Box Office
New release The Devil Inside beat out the competition—which consisted of a slate of nearly-a-month-old films and a few new limited releases—to come in number one at the box office, earning a rather impressive opening weekend gross of $34.5 million. Last week's number one film, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, fell to number two, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows came in at number three. David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo held steady at number four with a weekend gross of $11.4 million.
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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Outpaces the Competition
New Year's weekend proved to be quiet one at the box office, with Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol holding onto the number one spot for the second week running. Last week's runner-up, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, stayed in the number two position, while Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked rose one spot to number three.
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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Fights Its Way to the Top
New release Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was able to nab the top spot at the box office, but it did so with a gross of only $40 million—substantially less than what many believed the film would rack up. Coming in second was fellow new release Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked. For Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, coming in third was rather impressive, given the movie only came out in 425 theaters; its opening weekend gross of $13.6 million gives the film a per-screen average of $32,000.
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Bah Humbug: 10 Best Anti-Christmas Movies
Tired of all the forced happiness and relentless cheer that accompanies the holiday season? You know the routine—those annoying Christmas tunes that play 24/7 (starting, of course, the day after Halloween), the well-meaning but saccharine TV specials and, of course, the sappy “feel good” holiday movies that flood the theaters this time of year? Trust us, we feel your pain. If you’re in the mood for something a little darker and edgier than the usual holiday fare, MM has the perfect cure for your Christmas woes.
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The Artist Leads Golden Globe Nominations
On the heels of yesterday’s announcement of the SAG Award nominees, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has today announced the nominations for the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards. Leading in nominations is The Artist, which received nods in six categories, including Best Director, Best Actor - Comedy or Musical and Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. The Descendants and The Help, with five nominations each, weren’t far behind.
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New Year's Eve Rings in a Disappointing Weekend
New Year's Eve earned only $13.7 million in its first three days of release, but in a weekend where its only competition was a critically-disliked R-rated comedy and a month-old teen movie, it was still enough to propel the rom-com ensemble film to the number one spot. Fellow new release The Sitter earned only $10 million over the weekend, while The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 fell two spots to number three. Rounding out the top five were The Muppets and Arthur Christmas.
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Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Holds on to Top Spot for Third Week Running
Amidst a slew of fairly weak competition, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1's weekend gross of $16.9 million was enough to keep it in the number one spot for the third weekend in a row, despite a drop in box office receipts of nearly 60% since last weekend. So far, the movie has earned $247.2 million. The Muppets held steady in spot number two, while Martin Scorsese's Hugo rose two spots to number three. Rounding out the top five were Arthur Christmas and Happy Feet Two.
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The Tree of Life and Beginners Split Top Honors at This Year's Gotham Independent Film Awards
It’s nearing the end of November, and awards season has begun! Last night the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced the winners of the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at a star-studded ceremony in New York City. While the IFP managed to narrow down an expansive pool of excellent independent cinema to 29 nominations across seven categories, when it came time to determine the Best Feature winner, the five-person jury charged with its selection couldn't pick just one. For only the second time in Gotham's history, there was a tie, with The Tree of Life and Beginners splitting the top honor.
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Who’s Got Spirit?
2012 Independent Spirit Award nominees announced; The Artist and Take Shelter lead the pack with five each
With the Gotham Awards having taken place last night, awards season is now in full swing, and will stay that way until the Oscars air this February. For those who prefer their awards ceremonies a bit more laid-back than the evening gown- and tuxedo-filled affair that comes to the Kodak Theater annually, there's the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honors the best in independent moviemaking. The 27th annual Spirit Awards ceremony, which will be held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, California, doesn't take place until February 25th—but luckily for those of you who can't get enough awards season coverage, the nominees were announced today.
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Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Stays on Top
There was a glut of new movies to go along with the glut of food over Thanksgiving weekend, but it was still Twilight that reigned supreme. Breaking Dawn - Part 1, the fourth movie in the Twilight saga, held onto the number one spot; its $42 million weekend gross brings its total so far to $221.3 million. The Muppets came in second place, its weekend gross of $29.5 million making it the highest-grossing movie of all new releases to come out last weekend.
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Box Office Redux
Was the success of mature moviemaking in 2010 an anomaly, or the beginning of late-year trend?
Last winter, a typically can’t-miss blockbuster like Gulliver’s Travels missed by a mile… while a story about a stuttering king made a mint. The supposedly dead western genre lassoed $171 million courtesy of the Coen brothers‘ True Grit. And Black Swan, Darren Aronofosky's saga of a ballet dancer’s quest for greatness, bullied past the magical $100 million barrier.
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A Quality Feast: Thanksgiving Movies to Be Thankful For
Thanksgiving is almost here, and for many people that means spending an extended period of time with family. But what to do after turkey dinner? When the dishes have been washed, the leftovers stored away and there’s no more small talk left to make? That’s where MM comes to the rescue. We’ve selected five of the best Thanksgiving movies (plus one midnight snack) to watch on Turkey Day. They may not all be “family-friendly,” but, heck, what’s a true Thanksgiving without some squabbling?
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Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Breaks from the Pack
Breaking Dawn - Part 1, the latest movie in The Twilight Saga, came in at number one at the box office last weekend—quick show of hands, is anyone surprised? The film's opening weekend gross of $139.5 million makes it one of only two movies so far this year to open to over $100 million. Coming in second place was new release Happy Feet Two, which earned an unimpressive $22 million. Last week's number one, Immortals, slipped to third place; rounding out the top five were Jack and Jill and Puss in Boots.
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Immortals Beats the Competition to Box Office Victory
Tarsem Singh's swords and sandals epic Immortals came out on top at the box office last weekend, earning $32 million and beating out fellow new release Jack and Jill by $6 million. The latter film was able to overcome the severe critical drubbing it received (current rating on Rotten Tomatoes: 3%) to earn $26 million over the weekend, enough to land it in second place. Last week's number one, Puss in Boots came in third, and Brett Ratner's Tower Heist dropped two spots to number four. Rounding out the top five was Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, which earned only $11.4 million during its opening weekend.
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Get Closer to the Stars of Documentary with Constellation’s Top Docs
Constellation, a new, much buzzed-about online movie theater that turns watching movies online into a social experience, recently announced the debut of Top Docs, its first lineup of documentary films. This specially curated program, which lasts until the end of November, allows a wide range of documentary moviemakers to discuss their work in real-time following online screenings of their films. Top Docs kicked off on November 3rd with a screening of Albert Maysles' groundbreaking documentary Grey Gardens, followed by a special Q&A with the acclaimed documentarian himself.
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Puss in Boots Claws Its Way to the Top
New releases Tower Heist and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas were unable to topple last week's number one movie, Puss in Boots; the Shrek spinoff's weekend gross of $33 million brings its total so far to $75.5 million. Meanwhile, Tower Heist and Harold & Kumar managed to rack up only $25 million and $13 million, respectively. Slipping two spots from last week to number four was Paranormal Activity 3, while In Time's $7.7 million weekend gross was enough to keep it in the top five.
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Puss in Boots Shreds the Competition
A week after Paranormal Activity 3's unexpectedly high $52.5 million opening weekend gross thoroughly trounced the competition, the box office was back to mediocre numbers last weekend as new release Puss in Boots took the number one spot with a weekend gross of $34 million. Paranormal Activity 3 slid to spot number two, beating out the underperforming new releases In Time and The Rum Diary, which came in third and fifth, respectively. Coming in fourth with a weekend gross of $5.4 million was Footloose.
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The Most Realistic Ghost Movies… As Chosen By a Real, Live Ghost Hunter
With the popularity of movies about paranormal activity—including, of course, Paranormal Activity and its sequels–on the rise and Halloween just around the corner, we at MovieMaker thought we'd bring in a professional to let our readers know which of the many ghost movies out there incorporate some true-to-life examples of the supernatural paranormal. Enter Barnaby Mortensen, co-director and technology specialist for the Northeast Paranormal Investigations Society (NPIS), a paranormal investigations team that conducts research and scientific investigations with the goal of capturing, evaluating and documenting evidence of the paranormal.
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Jennifer Fox Turns to Crowdfunding for My Reincarnation
When moviemaker Jennifer Fox (“Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman”) completed her latest project—the documentary My Reincarnation, about a Tibetan Buddhism Master and his Western-born son—a last-minute funding emergency left her with a dilemma not many moviemakers face: Though her film was already finished and had even begun screening at festivals, she had no money to pay off the debt the film had accumulated or arrange for its theatrical distribution. To raise the necessary completion funds, Fox turned to crowdfunding and ended up exceeding her $50,000 goal by over 300 percent. MovieMaker had a chance to chat with Fox about My Reincarnation and her crowdfunding experience in advance of the film's theatrical release on October 28th.
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Paranormal Activity 3 Kills the Competition
The low-budget threequel has the biggest horror movie opening of all time
Who saw this one coming? Not only did new release Paranormal Activity 3 earn $54 million in its opening weekend, beating out 3-D Hollywood blockbuster The Three Musketeers (weekend gross $8.8 million) to make it to the top of the box office, but the low-budget horror threequel also made more than the rest of the top ten combined and, oh yeah, had the highest opening gross of any horror movie—and the highest October opening—ever. Not too bad for a movie that cost only $5 million to make.
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Gotham Independent Film Awards Nominations Ring in the (Awards) Season
Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Descendants lead with three nominations each
Strap on your boots, moviemakers… award season's back in town. Nominations for the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards, the first major awards ceremony of the 2011 season, were announced today; The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene lead the pack with three nominations each, while Beginners and Take Shelter each received two.
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Reigning Champ Real Steel Defends Its Box Office Title
Last weekend, Real Steel managed to beat out George Clooney's Oscar contender The Ides of March for the top spot at the box office, so it sure wasn't going to let some '80s remake take its crown on week number two. The robot boxing flick earned $16.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total gross so far to $51.7 million. The aforementioned '80s remake, Footloose, came in second with a $16.1 million weekend gross, while new release The Thing earned $8.7 million. The Ides of March slipped to spot number four, and Dolphin Tale's $6.3 million weekend gross kept it in the top five.
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Tiffany Shlain Gets Connected
My film CONNECTED: An Autoblogography about Love, Death & Technology looks at what it means to be connected in the 21st century—both personally and globally. I'm interested in getting a conversation started because it feels like a good time to talk about all of this "connectedness"—the good, the bad and the hope of it all. Here are some lessons I have learned so far...
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Find the Audio to Your Video at the Vimeo Music Store
Over the past few years Vimeo has become the Website of choice for moviemakers wishing to showcase their work online and connect with other artists. In addition to acting as a screening platform, the site has a history of supporting moviemakers’ professional growth through the Vimeo Video School and promoting collaboration through community projects. The latest example of Vimeo’s quest to help moviemakers create better films is the recently-launched Vimeo Music Store, where moviemakers can find the perfect tracks to accompany their visual masterpieces.
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Dolphin Tale Makes a Splash
The reign of The Lion King has come to an end, but it wasn't a new release that stepped into its place. Last weekend's third-place finisher, Dolphin Tale, ascended to the throne, while Moneyball held steady in second place and the aforementioned Disney classic dropped to spot number three. 50/50 was the weekend's highest-grossing new release, and though its $8.84 million gross slightly edged out that of fellow new release Courageous ($8.8 million), the fact that the faith-based drama played in fewer than half as many theaters as Jonathan Levine's cancer comedy is certainly of note.
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