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‘Wrestler,’ ‘Slumdog’ win big in London!

2009/02/05 at 12:00am

‘Wrestler,’ ‘Slumdog’ win big in London!

02.5.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Helmer Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” body-slammed the London Film Critics’ Circle Awards on Wednesday, winning best film and actor for Mickey Rourke.

However, helmer Danny Boyle’s awards season darling “Slumdog Millionaire” took the most awards on the night. The Mumbai-set thriller won honors for British film, British director and screenwriter (Simon Beaufoy).

Kate Winslet, also a firm favorite on the awards circuit, landed the actress prize for her perfs in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader.”

Kristin Scott Thomas was feted as best British actress for the Gallic film “I’ve Loved You So Long.” British actor nod went to Michael Fassbender (“Hunger”).

David Fincher took the director prize for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” with that pic’s Tilda Swinton drawing supporting actress kudos.

Eddie Marsan was named supporting actor for his turn as a crazed driving instructor in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky.”

Fast-rising thesp Thomas Turgoose, who came to the fore in Shane Meadows’ “This Is England,” scooped the inaugural young British performer nod for his roles in “Eden Lake” and “Somers Town.”

In other prizes, artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen won breakthrough British filmmaker for “Hunger,” and “Waltz With Bashir” took foreign-language film.

The Dilys Powell Award for outstanding contribution to cinema was dished out to previously announced recipient Judi Dench.

The London Critics’ Circle, the film section of the Critics’ Circle, has more than 100 members who write for newspapers and magazines published across the U.K.

The awards were held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel as a fund-raiser for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Winners for the 29th Critics’ Circle Film Awards

FILM OF THE YEAR
“The Wrestler” – Darren Aronofsky

ATTENBOROUGH FILM OF THE YEAR
“Slumdog Millionaire” – Danny Boyle

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
David Fincher – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

BRITISH DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Mickey Rourke – “The Wrestler”

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kate Winslet – “The Reader” / “Revolutionary Road”

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Fassbender – “Hunger”

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kristin Scott-Thomas – “I’ve Loved You So Long”

BRITISH ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Eddie Marsan – “Happy-Go-Lucky”

BRITISH ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Tilda Swinton – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Simon Beaufoy – “Slumdog Millionaire”

THE NSPCC AWARD: YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Thomas Turgoose – “Somers Town” / “Eden Lake”

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Steve McQueen – “Hunger

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
“Waltz With Bashir – Ari Folman

THE DILYS POWELL AWARD
Dame Judi Dench

By Pau Brunet

2009/01/19 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Paul Blart’ tops at box office!

01.19.2009 | By Pau Brunet |

Sony’s Kevin James laffer “Paul Blart Mall Cop” debuted to an estimated $33.8 million from 3,144 runs in another boom session at the domestic B.O. that saw unexpectedly strong results across the board.

The Martin Luther King. Jr. holiday weekend was up a whopping 31% over last year, and that was only for Friday through Sunday. Studios can look forward to more good business on Monday.

Like “Mall Cop,” Lionsgate’s horror pic “My Bloody Valentine 3-D” and Fox release “Notorious” overperformed in their openings

“Valentine” — the widest 3-D release to date — grossed an estimated $21.9 million from 1,033 3-D locations and 1,501 conventional runs to narrowly beat “Notorious” for third place, according to Rentrak.

“Notorious,” a biopic of slain rap artist Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G., grossed an estimated $21.5 million from 1,638 theaters to post the best per-location average — $13,126 — of the weekend. Film was distributed by Fox but produced and marketed by Fox Searchlight. Opening is the biggest ever for the specialty unit.

Warner Bros.’ holdover sleeper hit “Gran Torino,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, gunned past “Valentine” and “Notorious” to come in second. Film declined a mere 25% to an estimated $22.2 million in its second weekend in wide release for a cume of $73.2 million.

The other new wide release was Paramount’s family comedy “Hotel for Dogs,” which also came in ahead of expectations with an estimated $17.7 million from 3,271 to place No. 5. Pic was produced by DreamWorks.

Paramount prexy of distribution Jim Tharp said “Hotel for Dogs” could ultimately do three or four times its opening number thanks to the long holiday weekend. Same applies to the other new releases.

“Certainly, ‘Hotel for Dogs’ came in at the top end of anyone’s expectations,” Tharp said.

On the specialty side, Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” enjoyed a noticeable bump from its Golden Globe wins.

The year-earlier sesh wasn’t weak: Par’s high-profile “Cloverfield” debuted to $40.1 million for the three days and Fox’s “27 Dresses” opened at $23 million. Rather, more films this year did more biz.

Even titles with overlapping auds managed to find their groove. “Mall Cop” and “Hotel for Dogs” both vied for families, although “Mall Cop” generally played to older kids.

“Ultimately, we got everybody,” Sony worldwide prexy of distribution Rory Bruer said.

“Mall Cop” is a victory for James, as it’s the first feature he’s toplined. Comedy was produced by Adam Sandler’s production shingle Happy Madison and cost $26 million to produce. Sony believes the film could hit $40 million by midnight on Monday.

Produced for under $15 million, “Valentine” should bring strong returns for Lionsgate. Most 3-D fare has been family or teen fare, such as “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.”

Lionsgate said 3-D runs turned in revenues four times greater than conventional runs, thanks to higher ticket prices.

“This is the first time horror fans have gotten something in 3-D,” Lionsgate prexy of distribution Steve Rothenberg said, speaking of the digital iteration of the format. “Notorious,” produced for under $20 million and starring Jamal Woolard as Wallace, crossed over beyond its key demo, according to Fox. Film played slightly more to men.

Fox said the big surprise was that 40% of the audience was under age 25, even though Wallace — also known as Biggie Smalls — was killed more than a decade ago.

“He is a cultural icon that has touched a nerve and resonated with younger auds, proving the impact he’s had on the landscape,” Chris Aronson said.

Among the producers of “Notorious” is Sean Combs.

Elsewhere on the top 10 chart, Fox’s femme comedy “Bride Wars” declined only 44% in its second frame to an estimated $11.8 million from 3,228. Cume is $37.6 million in the pic’s 10th day in release.

Universal/Rogue Picture’s horror title “The Unborn” dipped a respectable 50% in its second weekend to an estimated $9.8 million from 2,359 for a cume of $33.1 million.

Ed Zwick’s drama “Defiance,” a Paramount Vantage release, placed No. 8 as it went wide. Film grossed an estimated $9.2 million from 1,789; cume is $9.5 million.

Christmas hit “Marley and Me,” from Fox, grossed an estimated $6.3 million from 2,952 runs for a cume of $132.7 million in its fourth sesh.

By Mack Chico

2009/01/15 at 12:00am

Movies

Steve McQueen film in the works

01.15.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Producers Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters are bringing a Steve McQueen biopic to the bigscreen.

The pair have acquired the rights to Marshall Terrill’s biography “Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel.” Project will likely land at Paramount, where Cerenzie-Peters Prods. has a first-look deal.

Project will primarily chronicle McQueen’s Hollywood career, which began in 1956 when the Indiana native got his break in the pic “Somebody Up There Likes Me.”

Cerenzie and Peters are producing alongside Brian Oliver and Chuck Rock of Arthaus Prods.

Tome, which was published in paperback in October, also delves into McQueen’s offscreen penchant for motorcycles, fast cars and drugs. Project will examine his three marriages, including his stormy relationship with Ali McGraw, as well as his battle against lung cancer.

Cerenzie has secured the cooperation of McQueen’s widow, Barbara Minty.

Cerenzie and Peters are close to attaching a director to the project.

Cerenzie, who most recently produced the Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” has several films set up with Peters including the crime drama “Black Mass,” which is also being produced by Arthaus.

Peters (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”) is producing “The Friday Night Knitting Club” at Universal with Julia Roberts attached to star.

‘Slumdog’, ‘Vicky Cristina’ win at the Golden Globes

By Mack Chico

2009/01/12 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Slumdog’, ‘Vicky Cristina’ win at the Golden Globes

01.12.2009 | By Mack Chico |

“Slumdog Millionaire” took its rags-to-riches storyline to the next level at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, riding an emotional groundswell to pocket the nods for best picture, director, screenplay and original score.

The top musical or comedy award went to “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

The show’s 66th installment, presented from the Beverly Hilton, was a glitzy and often emotional return to form after last year’s event was disrupted and turned into a glorified press conference due to the Writer’s Guild strike.

Here are the winners of the Golden Globes:

FILM

BEST FEATURE – DRAMA

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” – Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures and Paramount Pictures

“Frost/Nixon” – Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures

“The Reader” – Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company

“Revolutionary Road” – An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks Pictures in Association with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage

WINNER: “Slumdog Millionaire” – Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

BEST FEATURE – COMEDY

“Burn After Reading” – Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal

“Happy-Go-Lucky” – Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films

“In Bruges” – Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features

“Mamma Mia!” – Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures

WINNER: “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” – Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Danny Boyle – “Slumdog Millionaire”

Stephen Daldry -“The Reader”

David Fincher -“The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard – “Frost/Nixon”

Sam Mendes -“Revolutionary Road”

ACTOR – DRAMA

Leonardo DiCaprio – “Revolutionary Road”

Frank Langella – “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn – “Milk”

Brad Pitt – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

WINNER: Mickey Rouke – “The Wrestler”

ACTRESS – DRAMA

Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie – “Changeling”

Meryl Streep – “Doubt”

Kristin Scott Thomas – “I’ve Loved You So Long”

WINNER: Kate Winslet – “Revolutionary Road”

More than one option

(Co) Paramount Pictures
(Co) Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage M
(Co) Paramount Studio Facilities

More than one option

(Co) Studio Canal
(Co) StudioCanal

More than one option

(Film) La Lectrice
(Film) The Reader

More than one option

(Person) Danny Boyle
(Person) Danny J Boyle

More than one option

(Film) Milk
(Film) Milk
(Film) Milk

More than one option

(Film) Pehlivan
(Film) The Wrestler
(Film) The Wrestler

More than one option

(Tv) Changeling
(Film) The Changeling

ACTOR – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Javier Bardem – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

WINNER: Colin Farrell – “In Bruges”

James Franco – “Pineapple Express”

Brendan Gleeson – “In Bruges”

Dustin Hoffman – “Last Chance Harvey”

ACTRESS – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Rebecca Hall – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

WINNER: Sally Hawkins – “Happy-Go-Lucky”

Frances McDormand – “Burn After Reading”

Meryl Streep – “Mamma Mia!”

Emma Thompson – “Last Chance Harvey”

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Tom Cruise – “Tropic Thunder”

Robert Downey Jr. – “Tropic Thunder”

Ralph Fiennes – “The Duchess”

Philip Seymour Hoffman – “Doubt”

WINNER: Heath Ledger – “The Dark Knight”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams – “Doubt”

Penelope Cruz – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Viola Davis – “Doubt”

Marisa Tomei – “The Wrestler”

WINNER: Kate Winslet – “The Reader”

SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

WINNER: Simon Beaufoy – “Slumdog Millionaire”

David Hare – “The Reader”

Peter Morgan – “Frost/Nixon”

Eric Roth – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

John Patrick Shanley – “Doubt”

BEST SCORE

Alexandre Desplat – “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button”

Clint Eastwood – “Changeling”

James Newton Howard – “Defiance”

WINNER: A. R. Rahman – “Slumdog Millionaire”

Hans Zimmer – “Frost/Nixon”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Down To Earth” from “Wall-E” – Music By: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman; Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel

“Gran Torino” from “Gran Torino” – Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens; Lyrics By: Jamie Cullum

“I Thought I Lost You” from “Bolt” – Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele

“Once In A Lifetime” from “Cadillac Records” – Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott Mcfarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street

WINNER: “The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler” – Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“Bolt” – Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

“Kung Fu Panda” – DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures

WINNER: “Wall-E” – Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (“Der Baader Meinhof Komplex”)(Germany) – Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC

“Everlasting Moments” (“Maria larssons eviga ögonblick”) (Sweden) – Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films

“Gomorrah” (“Gomorra”) (Italy) – Fandango; IFC Films

“I’ve Loved You So Long” (“Il y a longtemps que je t’aime”) (France) – UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics

WINNER: “Waltz with Bashir” (Israel) – Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D’Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures

TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

“Dexter” (Showtime) – Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions

“House” (Fox) – Universal Media Studios In Association With Heel And Toe Films, Shore Z Productions And Bad Hat Harry Productions

“In Treatment” (HBO) – Sheleg, Closest To The Hole Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment

WINNER: “Mad Men” (AMC) – Lionsgate Television

“True Blood” (HBO) – Your Face Goes Here Productions In Association With HBO Entertainment

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

“A Raisin in the Sun” – Sony Pictures Television, Storyline Entertainment and Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment

“Bernard and Doris” – Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films

“Cranford” – A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.

WINNER: “John Adams” – Playtone in association with HBO Films

“Recount” – Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

WINNER: “30 Rock” – Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little

Stranger Inc.

“Californication” – Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then…

“Entourage” – Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

“The Office” – Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios

“Weeds” – Lionsgate Television

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

WINNER: Gabriel Byrne – “In Treatment”

Michael C. Hall – “Dexter

Jon Hamm – “Mad Men

Hugh Laurie – “House

Jonathan Rhys Meyers – “The Tudors

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

Sally Field – “Brothers And Sisters”

Mariska Hargitay – “Law And Order: Special Victims Unit”

January Jones – “Mad Men”

WINNER: Anna Paquin – “True Blood”

Kyra Sedgwick – “The Closer”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

Christina Applegate – “Samantha Who?”

America Ferrera – “Ugly Betty”

WINNER: Tina Fey – “30 Rock”

Debra Messing – “The Starter Wife”

Mary-Louise Parker – “Weeds”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

WINNER: Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”

Steve Carell – “The Office”

Kevin Connelly – “Entourage”

David Duchovny – “Californication”

Tony Shalhoub – “Monk”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Judi Dench – “Cranford”

Catherine Keener – “An American Crime”

WINNER: Laura Linney – “John Adams”

Shirley Maclaine – “Coco Chanel”

Susan Sarandon – “Bernard And Doris”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Ralph Fiennes – “Bernard and Doris”

WINNER: Paul Giamatti – “John Adams”

Kevin Spacey – ” Recount”

Kiefer Sutherland – “24: Redemption”

Tom Wilkinson – “Recount”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Neil Patrick Harris – “How I Met Your Mother”

Denis Leary – “Recount”

Jeremy Piven – “Entourage”

Blair Underwood – “In Treatment”

WINNER: Tom Wilkinson – “John Adams”

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Eileen Atkins – “Cranford”

WINNER: Laura Dern – “Recount”

Melissa George – “In Treatment”

Rachel Griffiths – “Brothers And Sisters”

Dianne Wiest – “In Treatment”

Jennifer Lopez returns to film with a ‘Plan B’

By Mack Chico

2008/12/16 at 12:00am

Movies

Jennifer Lopez returns to film with a ‘Plan B’

12.16.2008 | By Mack Chico |

Jennifer Lopez may have just given birth, but she’s all in favor of Plan B.

After taking time off her busy film career to play mama to fraternal twins Emme and Max (born last February), the A-lister has signed on to topline a fertility-themed romantic comedy for CBS Films.

Per Variety, Lopez will play a single woman who, unlucky in love, resorts to artificial insemination to have a child only to wind up falling for Mr. Right on the day she learns she’s pregnant.

Plan B, written by Kate Angelo, is slated to start shooting in April or May. Also in the pipeline for 2009, J.Lo is attached to star in The Governess, playing a thief who poses as a nanny to a wealthy widower in order to pull off the job of a lifetime.

Hugh Jackman to host 81st annual Oscar awards!

By Mack Chico

2008/12/12 at 12:00am

Movies

Hugh Jackman to host 81st annual Oscar awards!

12.12.2008 | By Mack Chico |

Hugh Jackman will host the 81st annual Academy Awards in February. Executive producer Bill Condon and producer Laurence Mark made the announcement today.

Jackman takes over for comedian Jon Stewart, who has served as Oscar moderator for the past two years.

“Hugh Jackman is a consummate entertainer and an internationally renowned movie star,” said Mark and Condon in a joint statement. “He also has style, elegance and a sense of occasion. Hugh is the ideal choice to host a celebration of the year¹s movies and to have fun doing it.”

The “Australia” actor previously hosted the Tony Awards in 2005, a year after winning the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in “The Boy from Oz.”

Shia LaBeouf has a new project – ‘The Associate’

By Jack Rico

2008/12/02 at 12:00am

Movies

Shia LaBeouf has a new project – ‘The Associate’

12.2.2008 | By Jack Rico |

Paramount Pictures has set Shia LaBeouf to play the title role in the bigscreen version of John Grisham‘s upcoming legal thriller “The Associate,” which the studio has just acquired rights to.

Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing.

LaBeouf will play a student who’s about to graduate from Yale Law School when he’s manipulated into accepting a job at a prestige law firm and given privileged information about a multibillion-dollar lawsuit.

The novel, Grisham’s first legal thriller since 2005’s “The Broker,” will be published in January by Random House.

Grisham’s longtime rep, David Gernert, shopped the book by giving it to four producers. While some felt that lessened the book’s chances to find a suitor in a tight marketplace, the strategy worked.

Par-based Di Bonaventura, who as an exec worked on the Grisham films “A Time to Kill” and “The Client,” received the book in the Middle East, where he and LaBeouf were shooting “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” There, they agreed to do it together.

Deal gives Paramount another LaBeouf vehicle to follow the “Transformers” films, on which the studio partners with DreamWorks. He last starred for the studio in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

‘Twilight’ drains competition at box office!

By Mack Chico

2008/11/24 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Twilight’ drains competition at box office!

11.24.2008 | By Mack Chico |

Fangirls of all ages scored their biggest box office victory yet in delivering a $70.6 million opening for Summit Entertainment’s teen vampire romance “Twilight” at the domestic box office.

Based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book series, “Twilight” is a ready-made film franchise, and the opening reps a resounding victory for the relatively new Summit, which didn’t even wait for the weekend to finish before announcing plans for sequel “New Moon.”

A $70 million opening is generally reserved for family pics or fanboy fare. “Twilight,” playing in 3,419 runs, tied with “The Incredibles” for the fourth best November bow after three “Harry Potter” pics. Gross is the highest ever for a female director and also beats the $57 million debut of “Sex and the City” in May.

The competition didn’t stand a chance against “Twilight.” Disney 3-D toon “Bolt” opened below expectations as older girls and moms made “Twilight” their first choice.

“Bolt,” grossing an estimated $27 million from 3651 runs, ended the weekend in a virtual tie with James Bond holdover “Quantum of Solace,” which grossed an estimated $27.4 million from 3,458 for a 10-day cume of $109.5 million, according to Rentrak.

Sony/MGM’s “Quantum,” like other holdovers, saw steep declines due, at least in part, to “Twilight.” Bond pic fell 59% from opening weekend, far more than predecessor “Casino Royale.” But Sony’s hardly complaining; through Sunday, “Quantum’s” worldwide total was $418 million.

Other studios may have been envious of Summit’s win, but the overriding emotion was relief at the sheer volume of theater traffic despite the economy. Frame was up as much as 68% over last year, when the weekend before Thanksgiving saw the debut of “Beowulf.”

Even the specialty side had bragging rights as “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” landed in the top 10 for the first time, and Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” clocked in with a boffo per-location average of $31,050 in its second sesh.

For Summit, “Twilight” brought good fortune from the beginning. Project landed at the company after MTV Films passed on it, while Fox Atomic also refused to bite. Conventional wisdom says that female-driven properties aren’t always the safest bet.

In more good news for Summit, Warner Bros. moved “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which was supposed to open on Nov. 21, to July 17. Summit and Disney quickly moved “Twilight” and “Bolt,” respectively, onto that date.

Summit also kept costs down by hiring a relatively unknown cast and keeping costly special effects to a minimum. “Twilight” reportedly cost $37 million to produce. At that price, pic’s profit margin will be substantial.

“Quite frankly, as we journeyed on this road, from the inception to

Comic-Con to announcing we were moving from December, it became a perfect storm,” Summit prexy of distribution Richard Fay said.

“It’s clear that none of this would have happened had it not been for the incredible popularity of Stephenie Meyer’s books,” Fay added. “Being an old English major, it’s good to know that kids still read.”

Meyer’s four books have sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, including more than 8 million in the U.S. The most avid fans are tween and teenage girls, but women are part of the mix too.

According to Summit, 75% of the audience were females. The surprise came in that 45% of the audience was over age 25.

In marketing the pic, Summit reached out to boys by emphasizing the movie’s action and vampire lore. “Twilight” played well nationwide, but the biggest-grossing theaters were in Utah. (Meyer is Mormon).

By Friday morning, it became clear that “Twilight” would log a bigger opening than originally predicted. Thursday night midnight ticket sales clocked in at $7 million for a total Friday haul of $35.9 million. Mirroring “Sex and the City,” “Twilight” saw a significant Friday-to-Saturday drop, or 43%. Both pics generated enormous advance ticket sales.

Those who did turn up for “Bolt” gave the toon top grade. Pic saw a 66% increase from Friday to Saturday.

Mouse House expects “Bolt” to do well over the long Thanksgiving weekend as “Twilight” fervor dies down.

“It’s one of the busiest times of the year for family moviegoing,” Disney prexy of domestic distribution Chuck Viane said.

“Bolt” played on more than 900 3-D screens, the biggest count yet for a 3-D title. Those auditoriums did more than two times the business that conventional theaters did.

Still, “Bolt” is far down the list in terms of openings for animated films. Earlier this month, DreamWorks Animation/Paramount’s sequel “Madagascar: Return 2 Africa” debuted to $63.1 million. Among original toons, “Bee Movie” opened to $38 million in November 2007.

“Bolt” did beat the $25.1 million opening of Disney toon “Meet the Robinsons,” which cumed $97.8 million domestically.

“Madagascar” sequel, coming in No. 4 for the weekend, fell 54% in its third sesh, grossing an estimated $16 million from 4,007 runs for a cume of $137 million. Pic’s decline — more than usual for a family film — reflected the entry of “Twilight” and “Bolt.”

Elsewhere on the top 10 chart, Universal took the Nos. 5 and 6 spots with comedy “Role Models” and Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling,” respectively.

A sleeper hit, “Role Models” declined only 35% in its third weekend to an estimated $7.2 million from 2,733 runs for a cume of $48 million.

“Changeling” declined 38% to an estimated $2.6 million from 1,739; cume is $31.6 million.

Fox Searchlight’s “The Secret Life of Bees” kept buzzing away, declining 45% to an estimated $1.3 million from 1,095 runs for a cume of $35.7 million in its sixth week.

The Weinstein Company lays off 24 people

By Jack Rico

2008/11/24 at 12:00am

Movies

The Weinstein Company lays off 24 people

11.24.2008 | By Jack Rico |

Recently we heard many conversations about Hollywood being recession-proof. Doesn’t look like that’s the case for big honcho Harvey Weinstein, owner of The Weinsten Company. This goes to show you that no one is escaping the topsy-turvy times of the economy.

The Weinstein Co. has succumbed to the economic pressure by laying off 11% of its staff, or 24 people.

The indie outfit is slimming down from 224 people to 200. The cuts affected all departments in offices in Gotham, L.A., the U.K. and Hong Kong.

No offices or departments are being shuttered. Staffers were notified of the layoffs Friday afternoon.

Formed three years ago by Harvey and Bob Weinstein with more than $1 billion in backing from Goldman Sachs and other investors, TWC has had a bumpy ride. After a spate of deals across the media spectrum yielded spotty results, the company refocused on its film slate and has touted its official detachment in January from distrib partner MGM and a pay TV deal with Showtime.

The Weinstein slate, however, has not borne a lot of fruit. “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” the Kevin Smith-helmed comedy released on Halloween, is the latest under-performer. Woody Allen’s “Vicki Cristina Barcelona” is the only notable pic to far exceed expectations in 2008.

As the company seeks to get into a theatrical groove, it’s also been hit with a wave of staff turnover. Senior-level vets Glen Basner (international sales), Michelle Krumm (production) and Maeva Gatineau (U.K. acquisitions) are among those who have exited in recent months.

Matthew Frankel, who spent just a few months heading corporate communications, departed in the spring (he’s since resurfaced at AOL) and has not officially been replaced.

By Mack Chico

2008/11/20 at 12:00am

Movies

‘The Soloist’ has another release date

11.20.2008 | By Mack Chico |

DreamWorks and Paramount have agreed to release fact-based Jamie Foxx–Robert Downey Jr. drama “The Soloist” on April 24 instead of March 13.

DreamWorks was caught off guard last month when Par pushed back the release of “The Soloist” from this year to March 13 at the 11th hour.

The Joe Wright-directed pic was originally to have opened Nov. 21.

In the April 24 slot, “Soloist” will open one week before the official start of the summer box office, which is primetime for moviegoing.

Based on a series of articles by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, film tells the story of a homeless schizophrenic musician’s dream to play at Walt Disney Concert Hall.

After moving “The Soloist,” Par relocated Paul Rudd comedy “I Love You, Man” from Jan. 16 to March 20, according to Rentrak. Peter Jackson‘s “The Lovely Bones” is still tentatively skedded to bow on March 13, but the DreamWorks/Par film is ultimately expected to open later in the year.