Box Office: 'Princess and the Frog' reigns

Weekend of December 11 – 13, 2009: 'The Blind Side' finally defeated by 'Princess'

Walt Disney’s 2D-animated adventure “The Princess and the Frog” took the North American box office by storm this weekend with a solid $25 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Disney’s anticipated return to hand-drawn animation expanded to 3,434 locations Friday, earning a weekend average of $7,280 per theater. The film’s total gross currently stands at $27.8 million.

Sandra Bullock’s surprise hit “The Blind Side” slipped to No. 2, taking home another $15.4 million. The story about a family helping out a poor football hopeful reached a domestic total of $150.2 million.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'New Moon' reaches $230M!

Weekend of November 27 – 29, 2009: 'New Moon' & 'Blind Side' deliver superb results at b.o.

Chris Weitz’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” prevailed at the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with a solid $42.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The sequel to “Twilight” scored a superb average of $10,515 per theater at 4,042 locations, lifting its domestic total to an incredible $230.6 million after a little more than one week in release.

Following closely in second place was Sandra Bullock’s surprise drama “The Blind Side,” which bagged another $40.1 million for a cumulative gross of $100.2 million.

Click to read more ...

Ah! 'Blind Side' beats 'New Moon' on Thanksgiving!

This comes as a surprise to me. Sandra Bullock's family drama "The Blind Side" beat "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at the North American box office on Thanksgiving Day, scoring a gross of $9.5 million.

"New Moon," which has been leading the box office every day since its big opening, only bagged $9.2 million Thursday. It's domestic total is now up to $188.4 million; "Blind Side" reached $60.1 million.

At No. 3, new entry "Ninja Assassin" picked up $4.6 million Thursday, bringing its early total haul to $7.9 million. Following in fourth place with $4.2 million was "Old Dogs," which reached a cume of $7.3 million.

Click to read more ...

'New Moon' bags $11M Tuesday

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" delivered a stunning $142.8 million opening last weekend, but the Chris Weitz-directed sequel certainly isn't lacking when it comes to pulling big numbers during the week.

In fact, "Moon" scored $10.5 million Monday, followed by $11.3 million Tuesday. The sequel to "Twilight" scored an average of around $2,700 per theater at 4,024 locations, lifting its total to $164.6 million.

It will now be interesting to see whether the film will be able to cross the $200 million mark domestically by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. It faces competition from "Old Dogs" and "Ninja Assassin."

Click to read more ...

Movie Review: “Ninja Assassin”

Seen on: November 19, 2009

The players: Director: James McTeigue, Writer: J. Michael Straczynski, Cast: Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles, Rick Yune

Facts of interest: Produced by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski.

The plot: Rain plays a killer ninja who escapes from his clan and becomes a target himself. He also protects a Europol agent who knows too much about the ninjas.

Our thoughts: James McTeigue’s “Ninja Assassin” is one of the most ridiculous action flicks I’ve seen in a long time. Parts of it are indeed moderately entertaining, but all in all, it’s nothing but a brainless, unnecessary big-screen mess filled with terrible dialogue, monotonous action scenes and a story as thin as your admission ticket.

Click to read more ...

Watch this pretty cool clip from 'Ninja Assassin'

James McTeigue's upcoming action flick "Ninja Assassin" opens Nov. 25, 2009, and a brand-new clip from the film has hit the Web. Check it out after the jump, because it looks quite intriguing. Some cool stunts and battle action promise plenty of vibrant moments in "Assassin."

Written by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski, the film follows a skilled assassin who breaks free from a dangerous secret society following the death of his friend. He then becomes a target and is forced to battle his worst enemies. The cast includes Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles and Rick Yune.

Click to read more ...

Here's the cool trailer for 'Ninja Assassin'

A brand-new trailer for James McTeigue's upcoming action flick "Ninja Assassin" has popped up online, and you can admire it after the jump. It looks pretty darn cool.

Written by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski, the film follows a skilled assassin who breaks free from a dangerous secret society following the death of his friend.

Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski produce "Ninja Assassin," which hits theaters Nov. 25, 2009. The cast includes Rain, Naomie Harris, Ben Miles and Rick Yune.

James McTeigue previously directed "V for Vendetta," which I really enjoyed. Judging by this trailer, we'll get plenty of stunning action to enjoy in the flick. Bring it on!

Click to read more ...

Poster Madness: 'Jonah Hex,' 'Ninja Assassin,' '2012'

It's been a good week for new posters surfacing on the Web, and the following are new one-sheets for Roland Emmerich's "2012," "Jonah Hex," "Ninja Assassin," "Saw VI," "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" and "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time."

I definitely enjoy the ones for "Hex," "Assassin" and "Prince of Persia," but the rest of them are not necessarily that spectacular or memorable, really. The poster for Emmerich's apocalyptic "2012," for instance, looks rather cheap.

Josh Brolin looks pretty cool as the scarred bounty hunter and gunslinger Jonah Hex, and Megan Fox doesn't look that bad either. From a creative perspective, "Ninja Assassin" pretty much rules them all.

Anyway, look for these flicks in theaters later this year and in 2010. If I had to pick the flick I'm most excited about, I'd go with "Hex." As for the one I couldn't care less about... that'll be "Saw VI."

Click to read more ...

Daily news dose: Brittany Snow to star in 'Walks;' Tyler joins 'Romantics'

Here's your dose of film news for March 23, 2009:

• Brittany Snow, RZA, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jessica Szohr and Rumer Willis are set to star in Eric Amadio's upcoming drama "Walks." Written by Amadio, the plot follows a bunch of New Yorkers getting together for the homecoming of a convicted graffiti artist. Snow recently starred in "Prom Night." (Variety)

• Walt Disney announced it will release Jon Turteltaub's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" July 16, 2010. Also, Warner Bros. has set a Nov. 25, 2009 release date for "Ninja Assassin," while "The Box" is now scheduled to open Oct. 30 the same year. Finally Disney also pushed back "The Proposal" to June 19. (Variety)

• Bryan Singer may direct New Regency's "Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland," based on a comicbook series. Variety says "the comicbook has a futuristic premise in which fighter jets have been replaced by pilots who battle in racing exo-suits." Michael Finch is on board to write the script.

• Liv Tyler has signed on to star in Galt Niederhoffer's upcoming comedy "The Romantics," based on her own novel. The story follows seven friends coming together for the wedding of two of their friends. Tyler plays the maid of honor, who's been sharing a rivarly with the bride over the groom. (Variety)