Box Office: 'Iron Man 2' generates strong $133M

Paramount won the weekend race at the North American box office as Jon Favreau's sequel "Iron Man 2" crushed its competition with a strong $133.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film beat its predecessor on opening weekend by $31 million, and that's a good start for "Iron Man 2."

The movie, which is now No. 1 worldwide, scored a massive $30,502 per theater at 4,380 locations. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, who this time must face Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer and Mickey Rourke's Whiplash. Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow co-star.

"Babies," this week's second release, finished at No. 10 with a decent $1.5 million at only 534 locations. The documentary about one year in the life of four babies from around the world delivered a surprisingly strong average of $2,949 per theater.

Meanwhile, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" took a big dive this weekend, earning only $9.1 million in second place. Domestically, the horror remake directed by Samuel Bayer has collected a total gross of $48.5 million. Following at No. 3 was "How to Train Your Dragon," which lifted its total to $201 million.

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Box Office: 'Nightmare on Elm Street' wins race

Samuel Bayer's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" isn't exactly a winner in terms of quality, but the Warner Bros. remake of the horror classic slashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a solid $32.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Elm Street" debuted at 3,332 locations and scored an average of $9,665 per theater. The film stars Jackie Earle Haley as the famous horror icon Freddy Krueger, who sets out to kill youngsters in their sleep. The film lacks suspense and innovation, but its quick success prompted Warner to consider a sequel already.

This week's other wide release, "Furry Vengeance," tanked at the box office after finishing fifth with only $6.5 million. The Brendan Fraser comedy is a terribly embarrassing mess, and I think it got what it deserved. The story follows a developer entering a war with a bunch of angry forest animals.

At No. 2, "How to Train Your Dragon" picked up $10.8 million, reaching a total gross of $192.3 million. Although the film is now finally losing some of its momentum at the top of the box office chart, it is expected to cross the $200 million mark next week. The 3D-animated adventure has had quite the solid run.

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'Nightmare on Elm Street' scares up $15M

I was convinced it wouldn't collect this much, but the 2010 remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" brought in $15 million at the top of the North American box office Friday, and the film directed by Samuel Bayer could be heading towards a $35 million weekend. I guess that's not bad for the new Freddy Krueger flick.

"Furry Vengeance," this weekend's other new release, completely failed at the box office Friday, earning only $1.7 million, enough for No. 6. Starring Brendan Fraser, the film follows a guy who's terrorized by animals because he wants to turn their forest into a shopping and housing center.

Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" slipped to second place, generating $2.5 million. Following at No. 3 was Shawn Levy's comedy "Date Night," which picked up $2.4 million. Jennifer Lopez's comedy "The Back-up Plan" finished with $2.4 million also in fourth place.

Also, "The Losers" took the No. 5 spot Friday with a daily gross of $1.9 million. This looks to be yet another weak weekend in terms of box office earnings, even though "Elm Street" will managed to set itself apart from the competition. I didn't expect the horror remake to make this much. Expect a sequel for sure.

Source: Deadline Hollywood

Box Office: 'Train Your Dragon' back on top!

DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train your Dragon" swallowed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $15 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a weak weekend at the movies, but the 3D-animated pic easily reclaimed the No. 1 spot.

The new releases this weeked delivered disappointing performances, with Jennifer Lopez's new comedy "The Back-up Plan" scoring $12.2 million in second place. The film opened at 3,280 locations, reaching an average of $3,735 per theater. Story follows JLO as she meets the man of her dreams right after getting pregnant.

Meanwhile, Sylvain White's big-screen adaptation of the comic "The Losers" came in fourth only with $9.6 million. The action flick starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Zoe Saldana is now playing at 2,936 sites, and the story follows a team of black ops soldiers seeking revenge against the man who betrayed them.

Disneynature released "Oceans" on Earth Day, and the documentary about the planet's oceans and its fantastic creatures only made it to No. 8 this weekend, collecting $6 million. The film reached a total gross of $8,4 million. "Oceans" is currently showing at 1,206 locations only.

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'The Back-up Plan' rules box office... for now

I still haven't managed to drag myself to see Jennifer Lopez's new comedy "The Back-up Plan" (but will do so tomorrow bright and early), but the Alan Poul-directed flick finished first at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $4.2 million in ticket sales from 3,280 locations.

Yes, that seems pretty shocking, even though I'm convinced the film won't emerge as overall weekend winner. I bet DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" will regain momentum today and tomorrow and fly back to No. 1. On Friday, it was second with a daily gross of $3.4 million.

Domestically, "Dragon" has now reached $166.4 million. The remaining new entries didn't perform as well, with "The Losers" only securing the fourth spot with $3.2 million. Meanwhile, Disneynature's "Oceans" came in eighth only Friday, earning $2 million from ticket sales at 1,206 locations.

At No. 3, Shawn Levy's comedy "Date Night" picked up $3.3 million, reaching a total haul of $56.1 million. Last week's winner "Kick-Ass" took a big dive Friday, collecting only $2.8 million at No. 5 ($28.1 million total). Go see that flick if you haven't already, because it's incredibly entertaining and hilarious.

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Movie Review: "The Losers"

Seen on: April 20, 2010

The players: Director: Sylvain White, Writers: Peter Berg, James Vanderbilt, Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Jason Patric

Facts of interest: Sylvain White also directed "Stomp the Yard."

The plot: After a CIA black ops team is double-crossed by a ruthless official, they set out to seek revenge.

Our thoughts: Sylvain White’s “The Losers” are hitting the big screen this weekend, and believe it or not, it’s actually not a disaster. If you’re walking into this one without the highest expectations, chances are you’ll be leaving your screening both surprised and satisfied. “The Losers” is a completely ridiculous experience, but in a way, that’s exactly what makes it somewhat interesting.

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It's a new poster for 'The Losers'

Have you already seen the cool trailer for Sylvain White's "The Losers," which after a date change, is now due in theaters April 23, 2010? If not, check it out here. The reason behind this post, however, is not a trailer, but a brand-new poster for the film based on the graphic novel by Andy Diggle and Jock.

The film follows a team of black ops commandos trying to survive are after learning their own government has planned to kill them. Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Jason Patric and Columbus Short star. Much like the previous poster, this one delivers the goods. You're looking hot, Zoe!

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Cool trailer premiere: 'The Losers'

There's a new cool trailer in online town, and I encourage you to check it out after the jump. It's the first official preview for Sylvain White's upcoming action adventure "The Losers," and so far, I'm definitely liking what I'm seeing. The film follows a team of black ops commandos trying to survive are after learning their own government has planned to kill them. Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Jason Patric and Columbus Short star.

The film is based on the graphic novel by Andy Diggle and Jock, and as this trailer suggests, we're in for a visually thrilling experience with some dry humor, tons of explosive action, and a solid dose of the beautiful Saldana. What more do you want from a film of this genre? A great cast, maybe? Well, it looks like you got that as well. "The Losers" will break loose in theaters April 9, 2010. Can they mess with "The A-Team"? Right now, I believe they can!

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First official photos from 'The Losers' debut online

The first two official photos from Sylvain White's upcoming graphic novel adaptation of "The Losers" have debuted online, and you can check them out above and below. Aren't they all looking smooth?

The film follows a team of black ops commandos trying to survive are after learning their own government has planned to kill them. Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba and Columbus Short star.

The first image shows the gang in action, and the second photo shows the beautiful Zoe Saldana as Aisha, a mysterious hellion who teams up with the boys. Looks like she's got some serious fire power.

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A quick look at Zoe Saldana in 'The Losers'

The folks at Entertainment Weekly are known for keeping things small, so here is a small photo of Zoe Saldana on the set of Sylvain White's "The Losers," based on the graphic novel by Andy Diggle and Jock.

The film follows a team of black ops commandos trying to survive are after learning their own government has planned to kill them. Chris Evans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba and Columbus Short star.

Now, Saldana plays Aisha, a mysterious hellion who teams up with the gang. Although she's definitely capable of playing a badass fighter, she looks just darn innocent and sweet in the photo below, no?

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