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Final Holiday Box-Office Figures Released
20 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The top ten films over the four-day Presidents Day holiday, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Jumper, 20th Century Fox, $32,092,991, one week, ($38,718,006); 2. The Spiderwick Chronicles, Paramount, $24,740,537, one wk. ($27,116,417); 3. Step Up 2 the Streets, Disney, $22,125,429, one wk. ($28,725,889); 4. Fool's Gold, Warner Bros., $14,885,386, two wks., ($43,810,073); 5. Definitely, Maybe, Universal, $11,472,255, one wk. ($14,591,460); 6. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, Universal, $9,942,740, two wks ($30,183,630); 7. Juno, Fox Searchlight, $5,582,865, 11 wks., ($125,047,654); 8. The Bucket List, Warner Bros., $4,674,489, nine wks. ($81,654,211); 9. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Disney, $4,386,852, three weeks ($59,514,414); 10. 27 Dresses, 20th Century Fox, $3,887,914, five wks, ($70,649,785).

'Jumper' Warps to the Top
18 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The reviews were nearly universally dreadful, but 20th Century Fox's Jumper, starring Hayden Christensen, managed to jump to the top of the box-office charts over the weekend. Opening along with most other new movies on Thursday, Valentine's Day, the film took in an estimated $33.9 million in its first four days -- and $27.2 million between Friday and Sunday, the "official" weekend. Surprising analysts, Disney's, Step Up 2 the Streets, its urban version of High School Musical, shot to second place with $19.7 million ahead of The Spiderwick Chronicles, which earned $19.1 million over the weekend and $26.8 million since Thursday. Universal's romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe debuted in fifth place with $9.7 million, behind last weekend's top film, Fool's Gold, which took in $13.1 million. Overall, the box office registered $119 million in ticket sales for the top 12 films, off 16 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Jumper, $27.2 million; 2. Step Up 2 the Streets, $19.7 million; 3. The Spiderwick Chronicles, $19.1 million; 4. Fool's Gold, $13.1 million; 5. Definitely, Maybe, $9.7 million; 6. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, $8.9 million; 7. Juno, $4.6 million; 8. The Bucket List, $4.1 million; 9. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, $3.3 million; 10. 27 Dresses, $3.2 million.

Moviegoers Dig 'Gold'
12 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
It may have received some of the worst reviews of the year, but Warner Bros.' Fool's Gold, starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey wound up with $22 million at the box office over the weekend, according to Media by Numbers. The film beat out the Martin Lawrence comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins from Universal, which opened in second place with $17.1 million. Disney's Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, last weekend's top movie, slipped to third place with $10.5 million but remained tops on a per-theater basis. Overall, the weekend's top 12 films grossed $91.4 million, a fraction less than the $91.8 million recorded for the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Fool's Gold, Warner Bros., $22,010,000, (New); 2. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Universal, $17,126,725, (New); 3. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, Disney, $10,508,000, 2 Wks., ($53,390,000); 4. The Eye, Lionsgate, $5,530,000, 2 Wks. ($21,520,000); 5. Juno, Fox Searchlight, $5,725,000, 10 Wks. ($117,629,958); 6. 27 Dresses,20th Century Fox, $5,700,000, 4 Wks., ($65,258,790); 7. The Bucket List, Warner Bros., $5,340,000, 8 Wks., ($75,058,000); 8. Rambo, Lionsgate, $4,110,000, 3 Wks., ($36,510,000); 9. Meet the Spartans, 20th Century Fox, $4,075,000, 3 Wks., ($33,915,289); 10. There Will Be Blood, Paramount Vantage, $4,073,080, 7 Wks., ($26,782,363).

'Gold'? Abs-solutely!
11 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The 3-D film Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert failed to turn the box office topsy-turvy in its second week as it had in its debut a week earlier. Held over for a second week, the concert film, which originally was due to run for one week only, drew an estimated $10.5 million. Still, that worked out to more than $15,000 per theater, far more than the two top films, Fool's Gold and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, could claim. Fool's Gold, which was greeted with overwhelmingly poor reviews, many of which suggested that its major attraction was star Matthew McConaughey's abs, took in $23.8 million. As expected, the primary audience turned out to be older women. In an interview with the Associated Press, Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers, attributed the movie's success to "a great marketing campaign, two appealing stars, and reviews be damned." Jenkins, which stars Martin Lawrence, performed about as expected with a take of $17.1 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Fool's Gold, $22 million; 2. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, $17.1 million; 3. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, $10.5 million; 4. The Eye, $6.6 million; 5. Juno, $5.73 million; 6. 27 Dresses, $5.7 million; 7. The Bucket List, $5.3 million; 8. Rambo, $4.1 million; 9. Meet the Spartans, $4.075 million; 10. There Will Be Blood, $4.073 million.

"Best?" And How!
5 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Disney underestimated just how many parents on Super Bowl Sunday would drop off their kids at theaters showing Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3-D.After predicting that the movie would earn $29 million, the studio learned Monday that Sunday's actual sales came in at $2 million more than it had estimated -- bringing the weekend total to $31.12 million. Playing on just 683 3-D screens, it averaged $45,561 per theater -- a record for any wide-release film and far surpassing the previous record of $35,540 set by Spider-Man 3. As word of the sales results came in, Disney announced that it would extend the release of the film on a market-by-market basis. Numerous 3-D theaters currently showing the Cyrus concert film have already been lined up by distributors of U2's upcoming 3-D concert film, due to open next week. However, several major cities now boast several 3-D theaters, including Los Angeles, where the El Capitan Theatre announced Monday that it would extend the run of the Cyrus film through March 1. (Disney owns the theater.) "We don't want to turn away kids from the theaters who couldn't get into the [live] concerts," Disney distribution chief Chuck Viane told USA Today.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3-D, Disney, $31,117,834, (New); 2. The Eye, Lionsgate, $12,425,776, (New); 3. 27 Dresses, 20th Century Fox, $8,529,845, 3 Wks. ($57,245,093); 4. Meet the Spartans, 20th Century Fox, $7,336,595, 2 Wks. ($28,543,340); 5. Rambo, Lionsgate, $7,120,649, 2 Wks. ($29,918,795); 6. Juno, Fox Searchlight, $7,014,579, 9 Wks. ($109,828,029); 7. The Bucket List, Warner Bros., $6,725,460, 7 Wks. ($67,546,573); 8. Untraceable, Sony, $5,076,537, 2 Wks. ($19,127,089); 9. Cloverfield, Paramount, $4,842,031, 3 Wks. ($71,915,658); 10. There Will Be Blood, Paramount, $4,6541,62, 6 Wks. ($21,038,955).

Cyrus Best of Non-Super Bowl World
4 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The only thing harder than a Super Bowl ticket to get hold of over the weekend was one to a screening of Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. The movie, which played on only 683 screens, took in an estimated $29 million, or an average of $42,500 per theater. Analysts could not recall any film opening in fewer than 1,000 theaters performing as well. It was also the best opening for any film over a Super Bowl weekend. The box office take was boosted by the near-doubling of ticket prices and the elimination of children's discounts in many theaters. Moreover, Disney announced that it would (as expected) extend its run through Valentine's day -- and said that it expected repeat business. Media by Numbers President Paul Dergarabedian told Bloomberg News, "It's amazing to witness the incredible box-office clout of young women. Girls rule this Super Bowl weekend." Debuting in second place, Lionsgate's horror film The Eye, starring Jessica Alba, brought in about $13 million. However, Over Her Dead Body, the only other movie to open wide over the weekend, tanked with just $4.6 million, failing even to make the top ten. Last week's winner, Meet the Spartans, plummeted to fifth place in its second weekend, with just $7.1 million. With a combined take of $102 million for the top 12 films, the box office was up more than 40 percent from last year's Super Bowl weekend. Thus far for the year, sales are up 15 percent; attendance, 10.8 percent.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, $29 million; 2. The Eye, $13 million; 3. 27 Dresses, $8.4 million; 4. Juno, $7.5 million; 5. Meet the Spartans, $7.1 million; 6. Rambo, $7 million; 7. The Bucket List, $6.9 million; 8. Untraceable, $5.4 million; 9. Cloverfield, $4.9 million; 10. There Will Be Blood, $4.8 million.

Rambo Meets the Spartans, Loses
28 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The low-budget Meet the Spartans, a spoof of last year's 300 from Warner Bros., earned as much as it cost to produce at the domestic box office over the weekend, taking in an estimated $18.7 million and edging out Rambo, from Lionsgate and the Weinstein Co., which finished in second place with about $18.2 million, according to box-office trackers Media by Numbers. The two films knocked last week's winner, Cloverfield to fourth place. After grossing $44.3 million over the four-day Martin Luther King Day holiday, Cloverfield garnered just $12.7 million in its second weekend, a 72-percent drop. It was beaten by the film it trounced a week ago, 20th Century Fox's 27 Dresses. Debuting in fifth place was Sony's Untraceable, which took in a better-than-expected $11.2 million. Continuing to amaze was Fox Searchlight's Juno, which passed the $100-million mark an upped its gross from last week despite losing some 100 theaters.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Meet the Spartans, $18.7 million; 2. Rambo, $18.2 million; 3. 27 Dresses, $13.6 million; 4. Cloverfield, $12.7 million; 5. Untraceable, $11.2 million; 6. Juno, $10.3 million; 7. The Bucket List, $10.2 million; 8. There Will be Blood, $4.9 million; 9. National Treasure:Book of Secrets, $4.7 million; 10. Mad Money, $4.6 million.

Moviegoers Flock to Theaters on Martin Luther King Day
23 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The box office posted solid results on Monday, the Martin Luther King Day holiday, with the top 12 movies recording $27 million in ticket sales, according to final figures released Tuesday by Media by Numbers. Paramount's Cloverfield led the pack with a gross of $6.09 million. It also set a record for the four-day holiday with a total of $46.1 million. It's three-day total of $40 million set a weekend record for January, erasing the previous record of $35 million set by Star Wars (Special Edition) in 1997. Paramount says that the total budget for Cloverfield was just $25 million, although it was assumed that the studio spent far more than that to promote it. In a successful effort at counter-programming, Fox's 27 Dresses came in second with $27.4 million for the holiday, $4.43 million of which was earned on Monday.

The top ten films over the four-day Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Cloverfield, Paramount, $46,146,546, (New); 2. 27 Dresses, Fox, $27,442,040, (New); 3. The Bucket List, Warner Bros., $16,664,347, 5 Wks., $44,223,780; 4. Juno, Fox Searchlight, $11,966,082, 7 Wks., $87,092,615; 5. National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Disney, $9,606,326, 5 Wks., $199,489,171; 6. First Sunday, Sony Screen Gems, $9,504,908, 2 Wks., $30,170,510; 7. Alvin and the Chipmunks, Fox, $9,433,049, 6 Wks., $198,813,230; 8. Mad Money, Overture Films, $9,273,645, (New); 9. I Am Legend, Warner Bros., $5,905,443, 6 Wks., $248,482,867; 10. Atonement, Focus, $5,528,377, 7 Wks., $32,653,183.

'Cloverfield' Grows Greener
22 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Paramount's Cloverfield added another $4.9 million to its record-setting (for January) weekend gross, to bring its total over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to $44.3 million, according to Media by Numbers. Equally impressive -- if not more so -- Fox's 27 Dresses added $4 million to its gross, bringing it to $26.8 million for the four days. And with kids out of school for the holiday, Alvin and the Chipmunks rose to third place as it took in $2.4 million and put itself just an acorn's throw away from hitting the $200 million mark. (Its gross now stands at $198.7 million.) Warner Bros.' The Bucket List continued to perform solidly with $2.1 million on Monday to bring its gross to $43.7 million, while Fox Searchlight's Juno rounded out the top five with $1.7 million. Its total gross now stands at $86.7 million

'Cloverfield' Is a Godzilla of a Hit
21 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Cloverfield turned out to be not quite the equal of 1998's Godzilla in its opening weekend, but the monster movie nevertheless became the biggest hit of the year as it took in $41 million domestically. By contrast, Godzilla earned an estimated $55.7 million, but that was during the Memorial Day holiday. Moreover, ticket sales for Godzilla quickly trailed off, and the movie wound up with a domestic gross of $136 million. Cloverfield is now expected to exceed that figure. What's more, Godzilla had a budget of $130 million; Cloverfield was made for just $25 million. Debuting in second place was 20th Century Fox's 27 Dresses, which also exceeded prediction with sales of $22.4 million. Two other newcomers did not fare as well. Mad Money took in $7.7 million. Opening in limited release, Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream performed reasonably well, given generally unfavorable reviews. The movie earned about $501,000 in 107 theaters, for an average of $4,700 per screen. Surprisingly, the film with the highest per-screen average was the French animated film Persepolis which took in $281,000 in 30 theaters, or an average of $9,400 per theater. The overall box office was up 39 percent over the same weekend a year ago with ticket sales of $135.3 million for the top 12 films.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Cloverfield, $41 million; 2. 27 Dresses, $22.4 million; 3. The Bucket List, $15.2 million; 4. Juno, $10.3 million; 5. National Treasure: Book of Secrets, $8.1 million; 6. First Sunday, $7.8 million; 7. Mad Money, $7.7 million; 8. Alvin and the Chipmunks, $7 million; 9. I Am Legend, $5.1 million; 10. Atonement, $4.8 million.

Fogie Flick Flies
15 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
For the first time in recent memory a film co-starring two 70-year-olds has topped the box office. The Bucket List, with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, scooped up $19.4 million in its first week of wide release by attracting a mostly older audience. The film's success was especially surprising given a chorus of negative reviews for it when it was originally released. Overall the box office was up 4.1 percent over the comparable weekend a year ago, tallying $108.8 million for the top 12 films, according to box-office trackers Media By Numbers.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Bucket List, Warner Bros., $19,392,416, 4 Wks, $20,816,129; 2. First Sunday, Sony Screen Gems, $17,714,821, (New); 3. Juno, Fox Searchlight, $13,612,682, 6 Wks., $70,862,478; 4. National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Disney, $11,302,002, 4 Wks, $187,114,947; 5. Alvin and the Chipmunks, Fox, $9,302,895, 5 Wks., $187,943,374; 6. I Am Legend, Warner Bros., $8,179,610, 5 Wks., $240,283,451; 7. One Missed Call, Warner Bros., $5,981,373, 2 Wks., $20,493,337; 8. P.S. I Love You, Warner Bros., $4,827,212, 4 Wks., $46,830,324; 9. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie, Universal, $4,251,320, (New); 10. Atonement, Focus, $4,221,866, 6 Wks., $25,130,656.

An Oldster Weekend at Box Office
14 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The pairing of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman produced better-than-expected results over the weekend as Warner Bros.' The Bucket List went into wide release with an estimated $19.5 million in ticket sales. According to preliminary figures, it edged out Sony/Screen Gems' First Sunday, which took in $19 million. The Fox Searchlight comedy Juno came in third with $14 million. It was one of those rare weekends when the teenage dating crowd did not control box-office results. "This was definitely a win for the older audience," Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers, told the Associated Press.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. The Bucket List, $19.5 million; 2. First Sunday, $19 million; 3. Juno, $14 million; 4. National Treasure: Book of Secrets, $11.5 million; 5. Alvin and the Chipmunks, $9.1 million; 6. I Am Legend, $8.1 million; 7. One Missed Call, $6.1 million; 8. P.S. I Love You, $5 million; 9. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie, $4.4 million; 10. Atonement, $4.3 million.

Movie Reviews: 'The Bucket List'
27 December 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Critics are kicking The Bucket List. Despite the drawing power of its stars, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, Stephen Holden in the New York Times writes that "it is an open question whether audiences will flock to a preposterous, putatively heartwarming buddy comedy about two men diagnosed with terminal cancer living it up in their final months." Peter Howell in the Toronto Star warns that the movie may be "a distressing hint at what Hollywood might be like a few months from now if the current writers' strike continues and producers are forced to hire Hallmark Cards scribes to churn out screenplays." Even the movie's legendary stars and its director, Rob Reiner, don't escape the critics' swipes. For example, Jan Stuart writes in Newsday: "In Rob Reiner's sodden comedy, Nicholson and Morgan Freeman recycle old screen personas with an abandon that borders on self-parody." And Claudia Puig in USA Today concludes, "The entire undertaking feels like a waste of time and talent."

'No Country for Old Men' Named Best Picture by National Board of Review
6 December 2007 (WENN)
In a year with no one film as a specific front-runner of the awards season, the National Board of Review has given a leg up to the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, honoring it as Best Picture, as well as with the group's ensemble cast award and adapted screenplay honor. In a reflection of the lack of heavyweight pictures and performances favored for potential Academy Award nominations, the National Board spread around its awards to a number of movies and actors. Tim Burton was named Best Director for Sweeney Todd, while former Oscar winners George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Julie Christie (Away From Her) were honored as Best Actor and Actress; the supporting awards went to two highly acclaimed performances: Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone (which also starred Affleck). The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won the Foreign Film Award, with Body of War and Ratatouille named the best documentary and animated films, respectively. A group of film aficionados and academics, the National Board is not a critics' group per se, but has gained its fame by handing out the first honors of the awards season. Winners named by critics' groups in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles will follow in the next week, with the Golden Globe nominations being announced on Thursday, December 13.

Other awards include: Breakthrough Performance by an Actor - Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild; Breakthrough Performance by an Actress - Ellen Page, Juno; Best Directorial Debut - Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone; Best Original Screenplay (tie): Diablo Cody, Juno and Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl.

In addition to its Best Picture award, the National Board of Review also names the top ten films of the year, in alphabetical order: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Atonement, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bucket List, Into The Wild, Juno, The Kite Runner, Lars And The Real Girl, Michael Clayton, and Sweeney Todd. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

'No Country for Old Men' Named Best Picture by National Board of Review
5 December 2007 (WENN)
In a year with no one film as a specific front-runner of the awards season, the National Board of Review has given a leg up to the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, honoring it as Best Picture, as well as with the group's ensemble cast award and adapted screenplay honor. In a reflection of the lack of heavyweight pictures and performances favored for potential Academy Award nominations, the National Board spread around its awards to a number of movies and actors. Tim Burton was named Best Director for Sweeney Todd, while former Oscar winners George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Julie Christie (Away From Her) were honored as Best Actor and Actress; the supporting awards went to two highly acclaimed performances: Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone (which also starred Affleck). The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won the Foreign Film Award, with Body of War and Ratatouille named the best documentary and animated films, respectively. A group of film aficionados and academics, the National Board is not a critics' group per se, but has gained its fame by handing out the first honors of the awards season. Winners named by critics' groups in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles will follow in the next week, with the Golden Globe nominations being announced on Thursday, December 13.

Other awards include: Breakthrough Performance by an Actor - Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild; Breakthrough Performance by an Actress - Ellen Page, Juno; Best Directorial Debut - Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone; Best Original Screenplay (tie): Diablo Cody, Juno and Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl.

In addition to its Best Picture award, the National Board of Review also names the top ten films of the year, in alphabetical order: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Atonement, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bucket List, Into The Wild, Juno, The Kite Runner, Lars And The Real Girl, Michael Clayton, and Sweeney Todd. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Nicholson in Hospital?
13 September 2006 (WENN)
Movie veteran Jack Nicholson is reportedly being treated in a Los Angeles hospital for a mystery illness. The About Schmidt star "checked into an LA-area hospital for an infection" on Monday, a source tells PageSix.com. The nature of the 69-year-old's illness is unknown. His agent Sandy Bresler tells the website, "I do not comment on Jack's personal life." Nicholson's new movie The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, is due for release later this year. He is due to begin work on his next film, The Bucket List, next month. Nicholson has won three Academy Awards -- Best Actor for One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and As Good As It Gets, and Best Supporting Actor for Terms of Endearment.