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K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

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14 articles from 2002

26 November 2002 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Director Oliver Stone has reportedly lost out in his bid to beat Moulin Rouge filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to shooting a biopic of Alexander The Great. Luhrmann has apparently secured a budget for his project so big Stone will be forced to shelve his rival plans for a similar film. The Australian is backed by big names such as Universal Pictures and 20Th Century Fox - and has signed up major star Leonardo DiCaprio as well as having a $150 million budget. And now Intermedia, the producer of Oliver Stone's picture are reluctant to commit in light of the competition. The German-owned company has recently financed two massive flops - K-19: The Widowmaker, starring Harrison Ford and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. An industry expert opines, "They might not want to take another gamble."

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8 October 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Paramount COO Robert Friedman has denied a report that appeared in Monday's New York Post saying that the studio was considering a shakeup in its marketing department as a result of the failure of two recent films, K-19: The Widowmaker and The Four Feathers."There's nothing in the report that is correct," Friedman told Bloomberg News. "There's no validity whatsoever."

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7 October 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Top marketing execs at Paramount may lose their jobs as the result of the colossal failures of last summer's K-19: The Widowmaker, starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, and last month's The Four Feathers, starring Heath Ledger, the New York Post reported today (Monday). K-19, which cost some $100 million to make, earned just $35.1 million during its run. Four Feathers, with a reported budget of $80 million, has earned $12.4 million. One Paramount insider told the Post: "When we're not hitting the ball, we hunker down and get crazy." However, a Paramount spokesperson denied that a shake-up in the studio's marketing department is nearing, calling the predictions "way off base."

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9 September 2002 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Unemployed former Ally McBeal star Calista Flockhart is hoping to land a new acting job - opposite her famous boyfriend Harrison Ford. The skinny star, whose hit comedy finished earlier this year, has been dating the veteran actor since meeting at the Golden Globes in January. Speaking at the German premiere of his new film K-19: The Widowmaker in Cologne, Harrison said he would like to act alongside his lover, "But there are no set plans as yet."

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2 September 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Peppered with questions about the poor performance of his K-19: The Widowmaker at the U.S. box office, Harrison Ford on Sunday told reporters at the Venice Film Festival: "I do not consider the box office to be the true measure of the film, '' Ford said. ''I think it's very wrong to characterize this as a failure." Costar Liam Neeson echoed Ford's words: "I'm very proud of this film. To be honest, the box office doesn't enter into it," he said. (The film, which reportedly cost $75 million to produce, has thus far taken in only $34 million.) Their remarks came even as seven members of the K-19's actual crew sent a note to the festival saying that they were "surprised and saddened" that the festival's organizers had decided to give the film its European premiere. Addressing the complaint, Neeson said only, "There has to be some dramatic license."

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6 August 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

A movie thriller touching on the crop circle phenomenon was in the winner's circle over the weekend as Signs, starring Mel Gibson, took in $60.1 million in its debut. Austin Powers in Goldmember dropped to second place with $31.1 million. Audiences ignored the universal pounding that critics meted out to Dana Carvey's low-budget, low-brow comedy The Master of Disguise, which came in third with $12.5 million. The concert film Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat, which opened in limited release, took in an impressive $7.3 million for fourth place. The film cost only $3 million to produce.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Signs, Disney, $60,117,080, (New); 2. Austin Powers in Goldmember, New Line, $31,119,108, 2 Wks. ($141,678,328); 3. The Master of Disguise, Sony, $12,554,650, (New); 4. Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat, Paramount, $7,374,049, (New); 5. Road to Perdition, DreamWorks, $6,600,143, 4 Wks. ($77,153,318); 6. Stuart Little 2, Sony, $6,111,359, 3 Wks. ($46,867,219); 7. Men in Black II, Sony, $4,807,311, 5 Wks. ($182,077,620); 8. The Country Bears, Disney, $3,141,436, 2 Wks. ($11,797,008); 9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, IFC Films, $3,002,241, 16 Wks. ($40,172,975); 10. K-19: The Widowmaker, Paramount, $2,854,111, 3 Wks. ($30,741,870).

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5 August 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

All signs had indicated that it would be a big weekend for Signs, the latest Mel Gibson movie, written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. But no box-office analyst had predicted it would rake in what it did -- $60.3 million, according to studio estimates, the biggest opening ever for a Gibson movie. "It used to be called the 'dog days of August, '" Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian told the Associated Press. "It was a slowdown period. Well, this is no slowdown period anymore." Last week's top film, Austin Powers in Goldmember also performed strongly -- even as its take dropped 60 percent to $32.4 million. Even The Master of Disguise, the worst-reviewed film of the year (the website Rotten Tomatoes, which posts excerpts of reviews from 48 print and online critics, said that the movie did not receive a single positive review), performed decently given its relatively low budget, taking in $13 million for third place. The Martin Lawrence concert film, Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat opened in limited release (752 screens) to $7.5 million, good enough for fourth place.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Signs, $60.3 million; 2. Austin Powers in Goldmember, $32.4 million; 3. The Master of Disguise, $13 million; 4. Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat, $7.5 million; 5.Road to Perdition, $6.6 million; 6. Stuart Little 2, $6 million; 7. Men in Black 2, $4.7 million; 8. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, $3.01 million; 9. (tie) K-19: The Widowmaker, $3 million; 9. (tie) The Country Bears, $3 million.

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30 July 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The goldnumber for Goldmember last weekend was $73.1 million, a record for July, a record for a comedy, and a record for a New Line film. The figure was particularly impressive given the fact that the original Austin Powers movie took in only $9.5 million when it opened in 1997, while the first sequel, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, earned $54.9 million in 1999. The question remains, however, whether Austin Powers in Goldmember, given the stiff competition it will have to face in the weeks ahead, will exceed the $205.4 million that Shagged raked in during the course of its run three years ago. Analysts pointed out that clearly the film faced little competition this past weekend, as evidenced by the fact that the box office as a whole was down slightly from the same weekend a year ago, despite higher ticket prices.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Austin Powers in Goldmember, New Line, $73,071,188, 1 Wk. ($76,624,907 Opened Thursday); 2. The Road to Perdition, DreamWorks, $11,106,213, 3 Wks. ($65,647,145); 3. Stuart Little 2, Sony, $10,612,127, 2 Wks. ($34,724,638); 4. Men in Black II , Sony, $8,477,202, 4 Wks. ($173,380,738); 5. K-19: The Widowmaker, Paramount, $7,266,631, 2 Wks. ($24,961,696); 6. The Country Bears, Disney, $5,309,675, (New); 7. Mr. Deeds, Sony, $4,247,371, 5 Wks. ($116,163,991); 8. Reign of Fire, Disney, $3,469,035, 3 Wks. ($36,406,517); 9. Minority Report, 20th Century Fox, $3,124,360, 6 Wks. ($123,375,096); 10. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, IFC Films, $3,004,597, 15 Wks. ($35,417,552).

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29 July 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Defying critics and box-office prognosticators alike, New Line's Austin Powers in Goldmember, starring Mike Myers and Beyoncé Knowles, took in an estimated $71.45 million over the weekend, making it the highest-grossing July debut in history and the best debut for a comedy film ever. The film also earned $3.6 million during preview performances on Thursday. The opening alone nearly covered the cost of making the film, said to be $80 million, $25 million of which went to Myers. The Tom Hanks starrer Road to Perdition remained in second place, earning $11 million to increase its gross to date to $65.6 million. Stuart Little 2, which remained the favorite during weekdays last week, attracting out-of-school kids, came in third with $10.7 million, to bring its total to $34.8 million. But it remained a disappointment given its production cost of about $130 million. The only other film to open wide was the poorly reviewed Disney movie The Country Bears, which earned $5.2 million -- not all that bad, considering the fact that it cost only $20 million to make.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Austin Powers in Goldmember, $71.5 million; 2. Road To Perdition, $11 million; 3. Stuart Little 2, $10,7 million; 4. Men In Black II, $8.7 million; 5. K-19: The Widowmaker, $7.3 million; 6. The Country Bears, $5.2 million; 7. Mr. Deeds, $4.2 million; 8. Reign of Fire, $3.3 million; 9. Minority Report, $3.1 million; 10. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, $3 million.

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23 July 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

When the clock struck one (or thereabouts) on Monday, the mouse ran down the clock, forced into second-place as final box-office ticket sales revealed that DreamWorks' Road to Perdition was the highest-grossing film over the weekend, not Sony's Stuart Little 2 as estimates had indicated. Perdition reached the top spot despite the fact that it was screened in only 2,159 locations, against 3,255 for Little and 3,641 for the No. 3 film, Men in Black II.Overall, the box office tallied $119.8 million, down 18 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Road to Perdition, DreamWorks, $15,412,515, 2 Wks. ($47,304,790); 2. Stuart Little 2, Sony, $15,115,152, (New); 3. Men In Black II, Sony, $14,552,335, 3 Wks. ($158,127,629); 4. K-19: The Widowmaker, Paramount, $12,778,459, (New); 5. Reign of Fire, Disney, $7,317,994, 2 Wks. ($29,246,331); 6. Mr. Deeds, Sony, $7,312,128, 4 Wks. ($107,630,816); 7. Eight Legged Freaks, Warner Bros., $6,485,458, 1 Wk. (Opened Wednesday), ($9,080,158); 8. Halloween: Resurrection, Miramax/Dimension, $5,520,536, 2 Wks. ($21,952,979); 9. Lilo & Stitch, Disney, $4,973,660, 5 Wks. ($128,431,916); 10. Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, MGM, $4,667,895, 2 Wks. ($18,726,625).

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22 July 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Russian seamen depicted in K-19: The Widowmaker have complained that they were betrayed by the producers of the movie who, they say, promised them that they would "be portrayed as heroes" but instead depicted them "as a bunch of alcoholics and illiterates." In an interview with the French wire service Agence France Presse, Yury Mukhin, a former lieutenant-commander aboard the Soviet nuclear submarine that figures in the film, said that what appears on screen "was nothing like the reality." Russian naval officers aboard the sub reportedly particularly objected to scenes showing submariners drinking vodka -- it is banned on submarines -- and having to read an instruction manual when an alarm goes off. "This was the Soviet Union's first nuclear submarine," Mukhin told AFP, "and the crew consisted of professionals of the highest quality." Ship's electrician Victor Strelez told CNN on Saturday: "I don't think that Americans can convey what we went through, only a Russian with a Russian mentality can convey it." The BBC reported on Friday that families of the survivors of the sub and victims' widows will receive one percent of the box office gross from the movie.

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22 July 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The scorching hot summer box office suddenly cooled off over the weekend. Although Stuart Little 2 opened as the weekend's top film, its $15.6-million take could not have brought much pleasure to executives at Columbia, who reportedly okayed expenditures of more than $130 million on the mouse movie. (Many analysts had predicted a $25-million opening for it.) Sony distribution chief Jeff Blake told today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times: "With a family film, you hope for a good opening and great legs. ... You hope for seven-day-a-week business, where whatever you lose in opening weekend you hope to pick up in the longevity of the picture." But the biggest disappointment may have been the tanking of Harrison Ford's submarine thriller, K-19 -- The Widowmaker, which opened in fourth place with just $13.1 million, about half of Ford's salary for the movie, which reportedly cost a total of $100 million to make. In its second week DreamWorks' Road to Perdition came within about $30,000 of taking the lead (and it still might end up there when final figures are released late Monday). With an estimated gross of $15.57 million, the Tom Hanks-Steven Spielberg collaboration remained in second place. Eight Legged Freaks, the only other movie to debut over the weekend, produced the kind of horror at the box office that critics said it lacked on the screen, as it earned only $6.7 million ($9.3 million since its opening on Wednesday). After two weeks at No. 1, Men in Black II dropped to third place with just $15 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Stuart Little 2, $15.6 million; 1. Road to Perdition, $15.57 million; 3. Men in Black II, $15 million; 4. K-19: The Widowmaker, $13.1 million; 5. Mr. Deeds, $7.3 million; 6. Reign of Fire, $7.1 million; 7. Eight Legged Freaks, $6.7 million; 8. Halloween: Resurrection, $5.4 million; 9. Lilo & Stitch, $5.1 million; 10. The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, $4.8 million.

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19 July 2002 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

If audiences react to K-19: The Widowmaker the way many critics have, then the submarine movie is sunk. Joel Siegel on Good Morning America called it "Hollywood's first real summer mistake" this year. To Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal, it's "all ballast and no buoyancy." "The film feels muffled, squandered, murky," writes Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post. In particular, the reviewers are pouring derision on star Harrison Ford. "Watching him play the Russian commander of the U.S.S.R.'s first nuclear submarine is akin to watching the made-in-America Gregory Peck play a Nazi in The Boys from Brazil. Nothing about the role fits," comments Philip Wuntch in the Dallas Morning News. And Bruce Westbrook in the Houston Chronicle says that Ford undermines his role with "a peculiar, heavy accent. He might as well be playing Boris Badenov in a Bullwinkle cartoon." But K-19 has at least an equal number of admirers among the critics. Eleanor Ringel Gillespie in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution calls it "a taut, sobering film." Michael Wilmington in the Chicago Tribune dubs it "an effective and moving thriller." Steven Rosen of the Denver Post describes it as "a tough, harrowing film with ... dark power." The best review of all comes from A. O. Scott in the New York Times, who particularly commends the director, Kathryn Bigelow: "She is one of the most gifted pure-action directors working in movies today," he writes, "and she piles up one nerve-racking crisis after another, interspersed with moments of ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty."

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17 July 2002 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson's new submarine nuclear disaster movie K- 19: The Widowmaker has been attacked by the real-life Russian seamen portrayed in the film. Director Kathryn Bigelow went to great lengths to "pay tribute" to the sailors who lost their lives in a 1961 underwater nuclear catastrophe, but the survivors of the K-19 disaster insist the film portrays them as drunks. The survivors were given initial drafts of the script, so they could add their comments - and they all attacked onboard drinking scenes that still appear in the movie. A spokesman for the veterans says, "The drinking onboard is pure lies - they show the men as a bunch of drunken idiots. You wouldn't let these men in your apartment let alone onto a nuclear submarine." Point Break director Bigelow has toned down many of the drinking scenes and insists when the Russians see the finished film, they will be proud of it. She says, "These were strong, courageous and intelligent men facing an unthinkable situation, and acting in the most heroic way humanly possible." Meanwhile, former Russian submarine communications officer Igor Kolosov, who served as a consultant on the film, urges moviegoers to take the new film seriously - because they'll be watching the men who prevented World War Three by sacrificing themselves rather than causing a nuclear explosion off the coast of America. He says, "If there had been a nuclear explosion, who knows what could have happened."

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14 articles from 2002