Box Office: 'Inception' swallows 'Schmucks'

It happened! Christopher Nolan's spectacular sci-fi thriller "Inception" defeated all new releases to hang on to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend, according to estimates.

"Inception" bagged $27.5 million via an average of $7,763 per theater at 3,545 locations. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film brought its total haul to a superb $193.3 million after a great three-week run.

"Dinner for Schmucks" debuted in second place, earning $23.3 million. The comedy with Paul Rudd and Steve Carell scored an average of $8,004 per theater, but the film is only playing at 2,911 locations.

Meanwhile, new release "Charlie St. Cloud" only made it to No. 6, pulling in $12.1 million. "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" flew to fifth place, generating $12.5 million at 3,705 locations.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Inception' explodes with $60.4M

Christopher Nolan's fantastic sci-fi thriller "Inception" stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with a strong $60.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The film starring Leonardo DiCaprio scored an average of $15,928 per theater at 3,792 locations. Following at a distant No. 2 was "Despicable Me," which scored $32.7 million for a total gross of $118.3 million.

New entry "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" finished third this weekend, earning $17.3 million. The Walt Disney action adventure with Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel brought its cumulative gross to $24.4 million.

At No. 4, David Slade's "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" slipped to fourth place, bagging $13.5 million. The third installment in the popular vampire/werewolf series lifted its domestic total to $264.9 million.

Meanwhile, Pixar's "Toy Story 3" picked up another $11.7 millio at No. 5, bringing its cume to $362.7 million. Following at No. 6 with $10 million was "Grown Ups," which reached a total haul of $129.2 million.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Despicable Me' steals top spot

Universal's 3D-animated family adventure "Despicable Me" easily defeated its competition at the North American box office with $60.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The film featuring the voice of Steve Carell locked in a huge average of $17,295 per theater at 3,476 locations.

"Predators," the weekend's second wide release, finished third with $25.3 million. The Robert Rodriguez-produced sci-fi horror flick scored an anverage of $9,479 per theater at 2,669 locations.

Still doing well was "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," which collected $33.4 million at No. 2. Directed by David Slade, the third installment in the popular series lifted its domestic total to $237 million.

Meanwhile, Pixar's superb hit movie "Toy Story 3" dropped to No. 4, taking home $22 million. After four weeks in release, the 3D sequel has brought its cumulative gross to a strong $340.2 million.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse' rules them all

David Slade's sequel "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" easily smashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a solid $69 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Eclipse" reached a domestic total of $161 million after five days, scoring a weekend average of $15,443 per theater at 4,468 locations. "New Moon" managed to grab $164 million after five days in release.

Also doing surprisingly well was M. Night Shyamalan's big-screen adaptation of "The Last Airbender," which finished second with a three-day gross of $40.6 million. The film's total stands at $57 million.

It really was a busy weekend at the movies, and Pixar's "Toy Story 3" was far behind with its earnings of $30.1 million. The third installment in the animated series finished third with a cume of $289 million.

Slipping to No. 4 was Adam Sandler's comedy "Grown Ups," which took $18.5 million for a domestic total of $77 million. Following with $10.2 million was "Knight and Day," which reached $45.5 million.

Click to read more ...

Movie Review: "Grown Ups"

Seen on: June 22, 2010

The players: Director: Dennis Dugan, Writers: Fred Wolf, Adam Sandler, Cast: Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Kevin James

Facts of interest: Dugan also helmed "Happy Gilmore" and "Big Daddy."

The plot: Five friends reunite after they learn their high-school basketball coach passes away. They spend a weekend in a cabin to honor him.

Our thoughts: Dennis Dugan’s new comedy “Grown Ups” isn’t as disastrous as I initially expected, but the film starring Adam Sandler and his buddies fails to reach beyond the mediocrity that surrounds it. It’s a decently paced flick boasting an energetic cast and some so-so jokes, but what it really lacks is an interesting enough story. In truth, there’s not much of a story in this thing to begin with…

Click to read more ...

Slow start for 'Knight and Day' at box office

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are back together on the big screen in James Mangold's "Knight and Day," but the action comedy is having a relatively slow start at the box office with $7.2 million in two days.

"Day" opened at 3,024 locations in North America Wednesday, scoring $3.8 million. On Thursday, the film bagged $3.4 million via an average of 1,143 per theater. That was enough to secure the No. 2 spot.

The big winner this week was "Toy Story 3," which continued to grow fast at the box office. Pixar's third installment in the popular series took home $13 million Thursday, lifting its total gross to $167.5 million.

Click to read more ...

New 'Grown Ups' trailer still not funny enough

A new trailer for Dennis Dugan's upcoming comedy "Grown Ups" has popped up online, and sadly enough, it still isn't really that funny. In fact, I realize I didn't even smile once. That's not to say the movie will be a terrible disaster, but in my book, it does look crappy at this stage.

The story follows four old friends who haven't seen each other for decades and one day decide to reunite for a Fourth of July weekend. Yes, it's yet anohter retreat comedy, and it certainly doesn't look innovative. Kevin James bumps against trees, Rob Schneider makes out with an old lady, and blah, blah, blah.

Adam Sandler, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello and Jamie Chung co-star. "Grown Ups" opens in theaters everywhere June 25, 2010. Dugan most recently directed "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," and none of those delivered the goods.

Click to read more ...

Here's the banner poster for 'Grown Ups'

If you paid a visit to your local theater this week, you may have notice this poster banner for Dennis Dugan's upcoming comedy "Grown Ups," which stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider.

This one features original kid pictures of the lead actors - a cool promotional tool. It also seems to be the coolest thing about the whole movie, because its first trailer promises nothing but a lame comedy. The film opens June 25, 2010.

Click to read more ...

Adam Sandler's 'Grown Ups' trailer is totally lame

Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider are starring in Dennis Dugan's new comedy "Grown Ups," and the first trailer for the film sucks big time. And I mean BIG TIME!

The story follows four old friends who haven't seen each other for decades and one day decide to reunite for a Fourth of July weekend. What a bad idea, because we get to watch them catch up and all.

As you can see in the trailer below, this one looks just like yet another ultra-lame slapstick comedy in which some good actors prove they have what it takes to pick a project everyone knows is going to stink.

Click to read more ...

Daily news dose: Twilight's 'Eclipse' to shoot in August; Karl Malden dead at 97

Here is your dose of film news for July 2, 2009:

• "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" is apparently set to shoot between Aug. 17 and Oct. 31, according to Production Weekly. David Slade, whose credits include "30 Days of Night," will direct the flick from a script by Melissa Rosenberg. "Eclipse" is scheduled to open June 30, 2010. Chris Weitz's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" will hit theaters Nov. 20.

• Oscar winner Karl Malden, whose credits include "The Streets of San Francisco" and "A Streetcar Named Desire," died Wednesday at his Brentwood, Calif. home. He was 97. Malden also won an Emmy for his supporting role in "Fatal Vision." Some of this other credits include "Baby Doll," "Gypsy," "Patton" and "How the West Was Won."

• Sony today announced some release date changes for some of its projects: "Grown Ups," a comedy with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade and Rob Schneider, has been moved to June 25 from March 12, 2010. Also, the studio decided to push Seth Rogen's "The Green Hornet" to July 9. (Variety)

Click to read more ...