Box Office: Coen brothers burn Tyler Perry

By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of September 12 – 14, 2008

Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Burn After Reading” beat Tyler Perry at the North American box office this weekend with $19.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich, the crime comedy delivered the best opening ever for a Coen brothers film, surpassing the $12.6 million earned by “The Ladykillers” in 2004.

Tyler Perry’s “The Family That Preys debuted in second place with $18 million, which is less than the opening weekend grosses of his previous films “Meet the Browns” ($20 million) and “Why Did I Get Married?” ($21.3 million).

Meanwhile, Jon Avnet’s crime drama “Righteous Kill” opened at No. 3 with $16.5 million. Starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, the film follows two veteran NYPD detectives struggling to hunt down a mysterious serial killer.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Bangkok' leads slow weekend

By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of September 5 – 7, 2008

Nicholas Cage’s latest action vehicle “Bangkok Dangerous” topped the North American box office this weekend with $7.8 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Danny and Oxide Pang’s remake ended the three-week reign of DreamWorks’ “Tropic Thunder,” leading an incredibly slow weekend as the only nationwide release. In the film, Cage stars as a lonely hit man who travels to Bangkok and falls in love with a local woman.  

Ben Stiller’s action comedy closely followed at No. 2, earning $7.5 million and reaching a domestic total of $96.8 million after four weeks in release. With Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. in the lead roles, the flick centers on a group of actors as they fight for survival in a dangerous jungle.

Meanwhile, “The House Bunny” climbed back up to No. 3, collecting $5.9 million. Starring Anna Faris as a former Playboy bunny who becomes the housemother of a geeky sorority, the Fred Wolf-directed comedy lifted its cumulative gross to $36.9 million.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Tropic Thunder' prevails yet again

By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of August 29 – 31, 2008

“Tropic Thunder” ruled the North American box office for the third consecutive weekend with $11.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Ben Stiller’s R-rated action comedy easily protected its No. 1 spot from this week’s four new releases, lifting its domestic total to $83.8 million. Released by DreamWorks, the film centers on a group of actors as they fight for survival in a dangerous jungle.

Debuting in second place with only $9.7 million was 20th Century Fox’s science-fiction adventure “Babylon A.D.,” which stars Vin Diesel as a mercenary who escorts a young woman (Mélanie Thierry) from Mongolia to New York City.

Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s summer hit “The Dark Knight” climbed back up to No. 3, earning $8.7 million and reaching a total gross of an impressive $502.4 million after seven weeks in release.

Click to read more ...

Box Office: 'Tropic Thunder' clings to No. 1 spot

By Franck Tabouring

Weekend of August 22 – 24, 2008

“Tropic Thunder” topped the North American box office for the second consecutive weekend with $16.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Ben Stiller’s critically acclaimed action comedy managed to fend off a bunch of new releases, lifting its domestic total to $65.6 million after a solid two-week run. Starring Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr., the film centers on a group of actors on the run from ruthless criminals.

Following closely in second place was new entry “The House Bunny,” which debuted with $15.1 million. The Fred Wolf-directed comedy stars Anna Faris as a Playboy bunny who becomes the housemother of an unpopular sorority after being tossed out of the mansion.

Opening at No. 3 with $12.2 million was Paul W.S. Anderson’s “Death Race,” in which Jason Statham plays a prisoner who’s forced to participate in a brutal car race.

Click to read more ...

Review: "The House Bunny"

Seen on: August 23, 2008

The players: Director: Fred Wolf, Writers: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, Cast: Anna Faris, Katharine McPhee, Emma Stone, Rumer Willis, Kat Dennings

Facts of interest: Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith also wrote "Ella Enchanted" and "Legally Blonde."

The plot: After Shelley (Faris) is tossed out of the Playboy mansion, she becomes the housemother of an unpopular sorority.

Our quick thoughts: Fred Wolf’s latest comedy “The House Bunny” is nothing but a simple mixture of “Legally Blonde” and “Sydney White.” But don’t get me wrong; as long as they offer me something creative I haven’t see plenty of times already, I really don’t have anything against screenwriters copying characters or entire story lines from previous films. In this case, however, most of what I ended up seeing turned out to be a little too familiar.

Click to read more ...

'The House Bunny' web reviews

Playboy fans, get ready for some bunny action in Fred Wolf's "The House Bunny," which stars Anna Faris as an "old" bunny who's kicked out of the mansion and becomes the housemother of a geeky sorority. Now that the film has received mixed reviews from the nation's top critics, let's check out what people online have to say about the eccentric blonde girl's misadventures.

• Josh Tyler at CinemaBlend: "Karen Lutz and Kristen Smith’s script takes the standard college nerds make good formula, and replaces the usual slate of disgusting male dorks with girls who don’t use deodorant."

• Cinematical's Erik Davis: "When 'The House Bunny' is at its best, Faris is front and center and throwing out one-liners with the skill of a seasoned vet."

• Brian Orndorf at Collider: "The feature dies when attempting to uncover an arc for Shelley and the gang, frequently losing the comedic momentum."

Click to read more ...

Six new clips from 'The House Bunny' hit

Anna Faris returns to the big screen in Fred Wolf's upcoming comedy "The House Bunny," about a Playboy bunny who's kicked out of the mansion and finds shelter with some geeks at a sorority. Today we have six new clips from the flick, which opens Aug. 22, 2008. Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings and Katharine McPhee co-star. Enjoy the footage below.

Click to read more ...