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Box office update: 'Evil Dead scares up $10.1 million on Friday
11 hours ago
The box office was alive thanks to the Evil Dead on Friday. The $17 million horror remake, from TriStar, FilmDistrict, and Ghost House took in a terrific $10.1 million on its debut Friday — the same amount that fellow horror release Mama earned in its first 24 hours en route to a $28.4 million weekend earlier this year. Evil Dead will likely be more frontloaded than that film due to built-in anticipation from fans of the 1981 original, but it could still earn about $27 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period.
Of course, Sony reported that Evil Dead earned $11.9 million on Friday, explaining that that number was “including Thursday late shows. »
- Grady Smith
Richard Roeper on his colleague and friend Roger Ebert: 'He was a true fan of the movies.'
5 April 2013 6:54 PM, PDT
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert, who died Thursday at age 70, was known for his Chicago Sun-Times reviews he wrote solo, but many movie fans were introduced to him in his collaborative projects, when he and another critic supplied audiences with entertaining and thought-provoking discourse about film on his multiple TV shows. He brought his discussions about the movies to television with the late Chicago Tribune writer Gene Siskel at his side, first on Coming Soon to a Theater Near You and later on Siskel and Ebert and the Movies. Beginning in 2000, his movie talks featured fellow Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper. »
- Emily Rome
Casting Net: Jessica Chastain for 'Crimson Peak'; Plus, Bradley Cooper to replace Jude Law in Natalie Portman pic, more
5 April 2013 6:07 PM, PDT
• Guillermo del Toro is assembling quite the A-List cast for his gothic horror film Crimson Peak. Yesterday, we learned that Benedict Cumberbatch (Star Trek Into Darkness) had joined the cast, and news broke today that two-time Oscar-nominee Jessica Chastain is in final negotiations to star in the film. Del Toro produced Mama, which starred Chastain, but has never directed the Zero Dark Thirty star before. The project is the midst of a script re-write with Del Toro and Lucinda Coxon (The Heart of Me). Matthew Robbins (The Sugarland Express) wrote the original draft with Del Toro. [Variety]
• The trouble-plagued production for »
- Lindsey Bahr
Peter Jackson and others weigh in on Hollywood's F/X crisis
5 April 2013 11:45 AM, PDT
Visual effects artists routinely work miracles onscreen, helping Hollywood generate billions of dollars every year at the box office. Still, the VFX industry is now in a state of crisis. In the past seven months, two leading F/X houses, Digital Domain and Rhythm & Hues, have gone into bankruptcy, and several other companies have had to lay off workers. “Right now it’s near rock bottom,” says Peter Oberdorfer, a former VFX artist who now runs a digital-technology consulting firm. “The pressure is building to a point where it could get volatile for everybody involved.”
In this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly, »
- Josh Rottenberg
Hugh Jackman on returning as Wolverine for 'X-Men: Days of Future Past': 'I must admit I was starting to see a life free of steamed chicken breasts'
5 April 2013 10:57 AM, PDT
Hugh Jackman will make his seventh(!) appearance as Wolverine in next year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, which marks Bryan Singer’s return to the franchise. The actor first heard about the project that features not only original X-Men stars like Jackman and Halle Berry, but also First Class actors like Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence, last year while he was shooting this summer’s The Wolverine and was hoping for a break from his superhero workout and diet. “I must admit I was starting to see a life free of steamed chicken breasts,” jokes the actor. “They told me the idea and, »
- Tim Stack
Dan Stevens in negotiations to star in 'Swallows and Amazons'
5 April 2013 8:00 AM, PDT
Downton Abbey’s loss may be the film industry’s gain. EW has confirmed that ex-Matthew Crawley Dan Stevens is in negotiations to star in Swallows and Amazons, producer Nick Barton’s upcoming adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s children’s book. Another film based on the novel was released in 1974.
The story, first published in 1930, follows a group of six children — the four Walkers, John, Susan, Titty, and Roger, and the two Blacketts, Nancy and Peggy — who meet one summer and unite against a common enemy: the Blacketts’ uncle James Turner, a withdrawn writer whom the children dub Captain Flint »
- Hillary Busis
Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen yuk it up in new 'Scary Movie 5' clip -- Video
5 April 2013 7:50 AM, PDT
Let it be said that Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen are at least self-aware. In a new clip from Scary Movie 5, both make plenty of jokes at their own expense, with Lohan commenting that she “prides herself on keeping a low profile” and Sheen riffing on the many security cameras pointing at his bed (in case a burglar tries to steal his sex tapes, of course).
Lohan even takes aim at the 2012 car accident that recently resulted in revocation of her probation and a lockdown rehab sentence. The clip spills in to a trailer that ends with the actress »
- John Mitchell
Leonard Nimoy, Terry Gilliam, Neil Gaiman, 'Goonies' added to EW CapeTown Festival
5 April 2013 6:30 AM, PDT
Leonard Nimoy, Terry Gilliam, Richard Donner, John Carpenter, Neil Gaiman and Edgar Wright are among the starry names that will bring universes of imagination together at the EW CapeTown Film Festival (April 30 – May 6) in Los Angeles, the editors of Entertainment Weekly announced Friday.
Those guests, along with the previously announced appearance by Kurt Russell and the anniversary screenings of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, represent a powerful line-up for the inaugural CapeTown festival, which shares its name with EW.com’s recently launched hub for sci-fi and fantasy coverage.
CapeTown has covered the news in pop culture »
- EW staff
Box office preview: 'Evil Dead' will try to put 'G.I. Joe' in the grave
4 April 2013 7:46 PM, PDT
It’s been a tough year at the 2013 box office so far. Altogether, the film industry has racked up $2.267 billion worth of ticket sales, a whopping 12.5 percent decrease from the $2.55 billion that movies had earned at the same point in 2012.
It seems unlikely that the hordes of dead bodies and dead dinosaurs hitting theaters this weekend will resurrect the struggling box office — that won’t happen until May, when Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast & Furious 6, and The Hangover Part III debut — but The Evil Dead and Jurassic Park 3D should be able to achieve hearty numbers nonetheless. »
- Grady Smith
'Carrie' remake: Watch the first trailer here
4 April 2013 6:48 PM, PDT
The first trailer for the Carrie remake, starring Julianne Moore and Chloë Grace Moretz, is here!
Directed by Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) the film is billed as a reimagining of the horror classic, based on the novel by Stephen King, which originally starred Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek as the title character.
Trailer verdict: This movie will definitely be better than Carrie 2, which we all try to forget exists.
Carrie opens in theaters Oct. 18.
Related:
NBC’s ‘Hannibal’ contains ‘The Shining’ shout-outs
Under the Dome’ producers: Stephen King book is ‘a jumping off point’ »
- Sandra Gonzalez
Casting Net: Benedict Cumberbatch teams up with Guillermo del Toro; Plus, Omar Sy, Jacki Weaver, more
4 April 2013 6:47 PM, PDT
• Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) has signed on to star in Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak. The English actor is joining Emma Stone and Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) for the project, which is being described as a gothic horror story set at the turn of the century. Cumberbatch has been a cult favorite amongst Sherlock fans, but till recently he’s stayed mainly on the margins with his film roles. But with upcoming roles in Star Trek Into Darkness, August: Osage County, and Twelve Years a Slave, he will be a household name in no time. [Variety]
• Speaking of future household names, »
- Lindsey Bahr
Werner Herzog on Roger Ebert, 'the good soldier of cinema' -- Exclusive
4 April 2013 6:14 PM, PDT
During over four decades of writing film reviews, Roger Ebert, who died at age 70 on Thursday, had a continually keen eye for blossoming talent, picking out directors like Martin Scorsese as ones to watch from their very first films, and he found plenty of filmmakers worthy of “two thumbs up” throughout his career. But one filmmaker whose work he championed with particular enthusiasm over the years was Werner Herzog.
The German director’s work — exotic films that blend the surreal with the real, fiction with non-fiction — includes the acclaimed documentaries Grizzly Man and Little Dieter Needs to Fly and the »
- Emily Rome
More than just a great critic, Roger Ebert redefined movie criticism for the blockbuster age
4 April 2013 5:09 PM, PDT
For anyone who grew up in the late ’70s, ’80s, or ’90s watching Roger Ebert spar on television with his partner-in-thumbship, Gene Siskel, the rudely boisterous and antic sound of two grown men not just talking about movies but arguing about them came to seem as essential a part of the American movie landscape as popcorn or starships. If you’re a movie buff, it’s hard to imagine that both these men are gone now; their shows, and our memories of them, remain so alive. Back when Ebert and Siskel were major TV stars, I was often asked, especially »
- Owen Gleiberman
Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Harvey Weinstein, Barack Obama reflect on the career and life of Roger Ebert
4 April 2013 4:11 PM, PDT
Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert has written many words of praise over the years for celebrated, prolific filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Harvey Weinstein. Now, following the news of Ebert’s death on Thursday, these three filmmakers have their own words of admiration for Ebert.
Spielberg — whom Ebert praised for his enduring “talent and flexibility” in an ever-changing industry — said in a statement that the Chicago Sun-Times critic “wrote with passion through a real knowledge of film and film history.” Read his full statement below, which also highlights the success of the multiple television programs Ebert hosted for 23 years (including At the Movies, »
- Emily Rome
Liev Schreiber to host Tropfest short film festival
4 April 2013 1:53 PM, PDT
Liev Schreiber is set to host Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, when it returns to New York City this summer. The event will be held June 22 at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Tropfest began 21 years ago in Sydney, Australia, and now attracts more than 150,000 people annually. It has since expanded into a worldwide event with screenings held in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Last year’s debut U.S. event brought more than 10,000 film fans to New York’s Bryant Park.
The move to Brooklyn will allow for an expanded festival that, in addition to a lineup of top-notch short films, »
- John Mitchell
Justin Lin won't direct 'Fast & Furious 7'
4 April 2013 12:55 PM, PDT
Universal has high hopes for Fast & Furious 6, the latest film in the globetrotting car-crashing saga. So high, in fact, that they’re apparently (and understandably) already making plans for a seventh installment. However, EW has confirmed that at least one key player in the franchise won’t be back for the next film. As originally reported by the Hollywood Reporter, Justin Lin will leave the director’s chair for Fast & Furious 7.
Lin was a key force in the franchise’s revival, joining on 2006′s Tokyo Drift and guiding the series through the cast-reunion entry Fast & Furious, which set the stage »
- Darren Franich
Film critic Roger Ebert dies at 70
4 April 2013 12:41 PM, PDT
Roger Ebert, the Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic whose famous thumbs-up or thumbs-down verdict helped make him the most famous reviewer in America, died Thursday of complications from cancer, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, where he wrote for 46 years. He was 70.
Ebert had been battling thyroid cancer since 2002, but never gave up his aisle-seat post or his love of cinema, publishing more than 300 reviews last year alone despite his inability to speak without the help of a voice machine due to an operation that removed his lower jaw. On Wednesday, he announced that his cancer had returned and that he would be taking “a leave of presence”. Readers hoped that it was merely another temporary set-back and that Ebert would return to share his trusted opinions. Sadly, it was not to be.
Ebert became the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967, where he quickly demonstrated his deep knowledge of film history and his appreciation for a new generation of movie stars that were redefining and reinvigorating Hollywood. At that time, movie critics tended to fall into two categories: slightly mothball-scented old timers like Bosley Crowther at The New York Times or hip, intellectual bomb throwers like Pauline Kael. Ebert quickly staked his claim in that fertile middle ground — he was smart but not pretentious. A populist who called ‘em like he saw ‘em.
Ebert achieved an unlikely national fame when, in 1975, he and Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel launched the PBS show Sneak Previews. That same year, he was also recognized with a Pulitzer Prize for his work at the Sun-Times (clearly, the Pulitzer committee didn’t hold his screenwriting collaboration with softcore auteur Russ Meyer on 1970′s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls against him). Still, it was his on-air exposure that vaulted him to becoming the most famous movie critic in America. »
- Chris Nashawaty
'World War Z' poster: Brad Pitt surveys the wreckage
4 April 2013 8:30 AM, PDT
There’s a new poster out for World War Z, Brad Pitt’s PG-13 zombie action thriller. Now, you might imagine that a gigantic movie about high-speed zombies would feature a few shots of ruined cityscapes. And sure enough, this poster finds Pitt’s character — whose name, I believe, is Dr. Chad Sexington — looking down on the wreckage of a zombie-tropolis. He’s also wearing impeccable soccer-dad cargo pants. Check out the poster below:
Follow Darren on Twitter: @DarrenFranich
Read more:
This week’s cover: Brad Pitt’s epic struggle to make ‘World War Z’
‘World War Z’ trailer: Brad Pitt »
- Darren Franich
'The Great Gatsby' trailer: Beyonce covers Amy Winehouse. Plus: Lana Del Rey and Florence + The Machine
4 April 2013 7:32 AM, PDT
The new trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s glitter-bomb adaptation of The Great Gatsby features three songs from the Jay-z-produced Gatsby soundtrack, and it’s an apppropriately eclectic and wackadoo anachronistic mix. There’s Beyoncé and André 3000 covering Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.” There’s Lana Del Rey — certainly a minor character in her own tragicomic F. Scott Fitzgerald short story — with the heretofore unreleased track “Young & Beautiful,” which used to be called “Will You Still Love Me.”
Last up is Florence + The Machine, who have a song called “Over The Love” that includes the lyrics “I can »
- Darren Franich
Oscar-winning screenwriter of 'Howards End' and 'A Room With a View' dies
4 April 2013 6:38 AM, PDT
Oscar-winning screenwriter and award-winning novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has died. She was 85.
Firoza Jhabvala said Wednesday that her mother died in New York after a long illness.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was a longtime member of Merchant Ivory Productions, writing 22 films over four decades. She won two Academy Awards for her adaptations of the E.M. Forster novels Howards End and A Room With a View. She was also nominated for adapting 1993′s The Remains of the Day. All three films were also best-picture contenders.
“Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has been a beloved member of the Merchant Ivory family since 1960, comprising one-third of »
- Associated Press
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