Box Office: 'Date Night' wins tight race with $27M

Weekend of April 9 - 11, 2010: Estimates indicate 'Date Night' won the weekend, but what will the actuals report?

In what was a very tight race at the North American box office, Shawn Levy's new comedy "Date Night" took the No. 1 spot this weekend with a solid three-day gross of $27.1 million from ticket sales at 3,374 locations. Starring Tina Fey and Steve Carell, the film about a married couple's adventurous night out in Manhattan scored an average of $8,032 per theater.

Following closely in second place was Warner's "Clash of the Titans" remake, which bagged another $26.8 million for a total domestic gross of $110.4 million. Weekend earnings were down 56.1 percent from last weekend, but the Louis Leterrier-directed action flick still managed to score a solid average of $7,069 per theater at 3,802 locations.

At No. 3, DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" collected a solid $25.3 million. Down only 12.6 percent in revenue from last week, the 3D-animated adventure lifted its cumulative gross to $133.8 million. Following at No. 4 with $11 million was Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?," which brought its cume to $48.5 million.

Meanwhile, Miley Cyrus' new drama "The Last Song" brought home $10 million at No. 5. Based on the novel  by Nicholas Sparks, the film reached a total haul of $42.4 million. Leaving the top five this weekend was Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," which picked up $5.6 million at No. 6. Domestically, the film's total stands at $319.3 million.

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Box Office: 'Clash of the Titans' rules big time!

Louis Leterrier's "Clash of the Titans" remake stormed the North American box office and set a new Easter record this weekend with a superb $61.4 million in ticket sales. The Warner Bros. release opened ayt 3,777 locations Friday, scoring a weekend average of $16,256 per theater. The film's early cumulative gross stands at $64 million.

In the film, Sam Worthington plays Perseus, a demigod who heads out to clean up the mess created by the angry gods. The film received mixed reviews, but audiences flocked to theaters to check it out. It's playing in both 2D and 3D. This is truly a surprisingly solid start for a film opening on Easter weekend. In fact, it was a great overall weekend at the box office.

Tyler Perry's sequel "Why Did I Get Married Too?" debuted in second place and scored $30.1 million. The comedy-drama is playing at 2,155 locations and generated an average of $13,991 per theater. Miley Cyrus' new film "The Last Song," only made it to No. 4, where it bagged a mediocre $16.2 million for a total gross of $25.5 million. It opened Wednesday.

At No. 3, DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train a Dragon" picked up $29.2 million, down 33 percent from last weekend. Domestically, the 3D-anmiated adventure has brought its gross to $92.3 million after a decent one-week run. If you haven't see it yet, make sure you check it out, especially in IMAX.

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Box Office: 'How to Train Your Dragon' takes $43M

Weekend of March 26 – 28, 2010

DreamWorks Animation’s 3D adventure “How to Train Your Dragon” slammed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a decent $43.3 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates. It’s not a bad start for the animated flick, but a sudden hike in 3D ticket prices may have hurt its potential weekend gross a little.

“Dragon” is now playing at 4,055 locations, but the film brought in less than DreamWorks’ “Monsters vs. Aliens” last year. “Aliens” played at only 4,011 locations but managed to grab $60 million during opening weekend. “Dragon” follows a young Viking who bonds with an injured dragon and swears to protect him from the people of his tribe.

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” dropped to second place, earning another $17.3 million. Disney’s 3D version of the classic tale lifted its domestic gross to $293.1 million after an incredibly successful three-week run. The film is currently playing at 3,384 locations.

Meanwhile, new entry “Hot Tub Time Machine” debuted at No. 3 with $13.6 million from ticket sales at 2,754 sites. Starring Craig Robinson, John Cusack, Clark Duke and Rob Corddry, the comedy follows four friends who visit a ski resort to party hard and end up being transported back to 1986 after a wild night in a hot tub.

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'How to Train Your Dragon' wins Friday race

DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" topped the North American box office Friday with an esimated $12.2 million in ticket sales. The real question is whether higher 3D ticket prices damaged the film's opening-day gross. As a comparison, last year's "Monsters vs. Aliens" took $16.7 million Friday, and both movies opened at almost the same amount of locations (approx. 4,010 theaters).

"How to Train Your Dragon" earned very positive reviews from the nation's top critics, and DreamWorks launched a decent marketing campaign to promote the film. The story follows a young Viking who wants to fight dragons but starts to see his views challenged when he meets an injured dragon he later befriends. The film is headed towards a decent weekend of possibily $40 million.

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Movie Review: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Seen on: March 20, 2010

The players: Director: Thor Freudenthal, Writers: Jackie Filgo, Jeff Filgo, Gabe Sachs, Cast: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Rachael Harris, Steve Zahn, Devon Bostick

Facts of interest: Based on the book by Jeff Kinney.

The plot: The film follows what happens to a kid when he gets into middle school.

Our thoughts: Thor Freudenthal’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” works better than this previous family adventure “Hotel for Dogs,” and even though the big-screen adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s popular book is far from perfect, it’s definitely the kind of film you can take your kids to.

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'Alice in Wonderland' wins again with $34M

The weekend estimates for the North American box office are in, and Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" scored another stunning $34.5 million in ticket sales. Domestically, the film has reached $265.8 million. That's a superb result for a film that's barely three weeks in release.

This week's new releases followed. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" bagged $21.8 million, while "The Bounty Hunter" earned $21 million. "Repo Men" collected $6.1 million. "The Runaways," opening in limited release, only picked up $803,000 at 244 locations.

Here are the remaining results: "She's Out of My League," $6 million; "Green Zone," $5.9 million; "Shutter Island," 4.7 million; "Avatar," 4 million; "Our Family Wedding," $3.8 million; and "Remember Me," $3.3 million (that's a huge drop for the Robert Pattinson flick).

The detailed box office report will be posted here soon. Stay tuned.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' gets a trailer!

The folks at Yahoo! Movies just released the first trailer for Thor Freudenthal's upcoming family flick "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," the big-screen adaptation of Jeff Kinney's illustrated series. Watch it right after the jump.

The film follows Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), a pre-adolescent boy who gets into quite a bit of trouble at school and at home. Chloe Moretz, Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris, Alex Ferris and Robert Capron star.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is on track to open in theaters April 2, 2010. I can't say I fell in love with this first trailer, but this could potentially turn into a fun flick youngsters may actually enjoy. Cast looks good.

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This and that in film news: Steve Zahn joins 'Wimpy Kid;' Carla Gugino goes 'Sucker Punch'

Here are some interesting film bits you shouldn't miss on August 4, 2009:

• Steve Zahn is set to star in Thor Freudenthal's adaptation of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," based on Jeff Kinney's novels. The film follows a pre-adolescent wise guy who gets into quite a bit of trouble at school and at home. Zachary Gordon will play the lead. (Variety)

• Carla Gugino from "Watchmen" and "Race to Witch Mountain" is set to star in Zack Snyder's "Sucker Punch," about a girl locked inside a mental institution. Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Jena Malone, and Abbie Cornish are already on board. (The Hollywood Reporter)

• Renny Harlin ("Cliffhanger") has come on board to direct an untitled film focusing on the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia. The plot will follow a journalist and his cameraman who get caught in the crossfire in Georgia. Production will kick off this September. (Variety)

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Thor Freudenthal to helm 'Wimpy'

Thor Freudenthal is set to direct Fox 2000's big-screen adaptation of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Based on Jeff Kinney's illustrated series, the film follows Greg Heffley, a pre-adolescent wise guy who gets into quite a bit of trouble at school and at home.

Freudenthal recently wrapped "Hotel for Dogs," a family adventure due in theaters Jan. 23, 2009. He also recently agreed to helm "Measle and the Wrathmonk" for Warner Bros.

Click here to find out more about "Wimpy" on Kinney's blog.