Box Office: 'Dragon' defeats new entries!

DreamWorks Animation's 3D-anmiated adventure "How to Train Your Dragon" swallowed its competition at the North American box office this weekend and reclaimed the No. 1 spot with a solid three-day gross of $20 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film is now in its fourth week of release.

"Dragon" beat new entries "Kick-Ass" and "Death at a Funeral," which didn't really live up to box office expectations. Matthew Vaughn's "Kick-Ass" came in second with $19.7 million via an average of $6,444 per theater at 3,065 locations. Analysts predicted the comic book adaptation would win the weekend.

Meanwhile, Neil LaBute's remake "Death at a Funeral" debuted at No. 4 with $17 million. Starring Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence, the comedy follows a family's misadventures during a funeral ceremony. "Funeral," which scored an average of $6,913 per theater, is now playing at 2,459 locations.

"How to Train Your Dragon," by the way, lifted its domestic total to $158.6 million. The third spot on the circuit went to Shawn Levy's comedy "Date Night," which bagged another $17.3 million and brought its total gross to $49.2 million. Tina Fey and Steve Carell star.

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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: "Hot Tub Time Machine"

Seen on: March 26, 2010

The players: Director: Steve Pink, Writers: Sean Anders, Josh Heald, John Morris, Cast: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke

Facts of interest: Steve Pink also directed "Accepted."

The plot: Four friends travel to a ski resort to have fun. When they jump into a hot tub, they realize they're transporeted back to 1986. Chaos ensues.

Our thoughts: Steve Pink’s “Hot Tub Time Machine” doesn’t exactly take viewers on a memorable ride, but to tell you the truth, I found it hard not to enjoy the comedy’s fast pace and brainless but generally light humor. No, “Time Machine” is not this year’s “The Hangover,” but in terms of entertainment, the film isn’t as disappointing as it could’ve been.

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New 'Hot Tub Time Machine' trailer still not funny

A new red band trailer for the upcoming comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine" has debuted on the Web, and to be honest, it's not exactly funny. As a matter for fact, it's pretty much as lame as its predecessors.

This comedy follows a group of childish adults who jump into a hot tub and are transported back in time, to when they were much younger. Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and John Cusack star.

Steve Pink ("Accepted") directed "Time Machine," which opens March 19, 2010. I know many comedies out there are now trying to mimic the style of "The Hangover" and all, but chances are many will fail.

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New 'Hot Tub Time Machine' trailer not too funny

Here is the second trailer for Steve Pink's new comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine," and while the basic concept sounds funny, this preview doesn't look that hilarious at all. See for yourself after the jump.

This comedy follows a group of childish adults who jump into a hot tub and are transported back in time, to when they were much younger. Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Chevy Chase co-star.

The film is set to open March 19, 2010. I remember I saw some awful comedies in March this year, and I can only hope I won't have to experience the same agony again next year. Things are not looking good.

Anyway, jump into this trailer and let me know what you think below. I agree one or two jokes in this trailer made me laugh, but jokes about Facebook or Twitter really don't work for me anymore at all...

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Jump in: 'Hot Tub Time Machine' gets red trailer

Here's the first red band teaser for Steve Pink's upcoming comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine," which stars John Cusack and is set for release Feb. 26, 2010.

The film follows a group of adults who jump into a hot tub and are transported back in time, to when they were much younger. Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke and Chevy Chase co-star.

Judging solely by this teaser, "Hot tub" looks rather crappy. Sure, Robinson delivers one or two of his usual, vulgar lines, but apart from that, this one's darn lame.

Pink also directed 2006's comedy "Accepted," which I failed to enjoy as well. I can only hope this hot tub thing will turn out better than this preview makes it out to be.

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Daily news dose: 'Tintin' gets release date; 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' gets remade

Here's your daily dose of film news for May 29, 2009:

• Chevy Chase has joined the cast of Steve Pink's upcoming comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine," about a group of adults who visit a hot tub they once used and realize it can transport them back in time, to their younger selves. Chase is set to play a repairman, says the Hollywood Reporter. John Cusack, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson co-star.

• Paramount and Sony just announced Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" will open in theaters Dec. 23, 2011. The film will also be released in 3D. Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Gad Elmaleh, Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook star in the motion capture film based on the books by Herge. (Variety)

• Michelle Morgan is set to write 20th Century Fox's remake of the 1985 comedy "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," which starred Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker. The original flick was directed by Alan Metter and follows two girls going nuts over a dance who titled "Dance TV." (Variety)

• Paul Verhoeven ("Black Book") is gearing up to direct "The Surrogate," a thriller based on the book by Kathryn Mackel. The story follows a couple who discovers the surrogate they hired to carry their baby is completely nuts. Roderick Taylor and Bruce Taylor wrote a first draft. This film is not to be confused with the Bruce Willis vehicle "Surrogates." (THR)