'Alice in Wonderland' rules worldwide box office

Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" took over the worldwide box office this weekend by earning $116.3 million domestically and $94 million on the international circuit. It's a good start for the Disney 3D flick, which scored an average of $16,786 per theater.

At No. 2, James Cameron's surprise sci-fi flick "Avatar" scored another $21 million, lifting its cumulative overseas gross to $1.883 billion. Martin Scorsese's thriller "Shutter Island" followed in third place, picking up a solid $17 million for a total haul of $57 million.

Meanwhile, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief" bagged $9.3 million in fourht place, reaching a cume of $110.6 million. Following in fifth place with $5.1 million was "Valentine's Day," which brought its international total to $96.2 million.

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Box Office: 'Alice in Wonderland' wins big!

Weekend of March 5 – 7, 2010: "Alice" crushes them all!

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” scored the biggest opening for a 3D flick ever this weekend at the North American box office, bagging a stunning $116.3 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Walt Disney’s new take on the classic tale delivered a superb average of $31,196 per theater at 3,728 locations, easily beating the $77 million opening gross of James Cameron’s “Avatar.”

At No. 2, Antoine Fuqua’s new cop drama “Brooklyn’s Finest” generated $13.5 million from ticket sales at only 1,936 locations. Starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke and Don Cheadle, the film follows three Brooklyn cops struggling to get by.

Still doing fine was Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” which brought in $13.3 million, enough for third place this weekend. The Leonardo DiCaprio-starring thriller lifted its total to $95.8 million.

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'Avatar' wins overseas... for last time?

James Cameron's blue folks are finally slowing down...

James Cameron's "Avatar" had a sweet run on the international circuit, but with some big titles opening this week, it looks like it's about to leave its beloved No. 1 spot and take a step back. Still, "Avatar" scored a strong $36.1 million this past weekend.

Overseas, the film has reached a lovely box office total of $1.844 billion, compared to its domestic gross of $707 million. Worldwide, the sci-fi epic has bagged a stunning $2.550 billion. Yes, I'm sick of hearing about "Avatar" too, but the film sure performed well.

Martin Scorcese's "Shutter Island" and Chris Columbus' "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" tied in second place this weekend with $19 million each. "Island" reached a cume of $34 million, while "Jackson" lifted its foreign gross to $95.4 million.

Meanwhile, Universal's "The Wolfman" generated $10.8 million in third place, bringing its total haul to $63.3 million. Following at No. 4 was "Valentine's Day," which took home $10.4 million for an international total gross of $87.4 million.

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Box Office: 'Shutter Island' takes the weekend again!

Weekend of February 26 – 28, 2010: 'Shutter Island' scares off competition

Martin Scorsese’s thriller “Shutter Island” beat its competition to stay on top at the North American box office this weekend with a decent $22.2 million in ticket sales at 3,003 locations, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Domestically, the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo has reached a total haul of $75 million after a little more than one week in release. “Island” ended up scoring an average of $7,393 per theater.

Following in second place with $18.5 million was Kevin Smith’s new comedy “Cop Out,” a film starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as two cops hunting down a gang of murderers while trying to find a stolen baseball card.

New entry “The Crazies” came in third this weekend, bagging a solid $16.5 million from ticket sales at 2,476 locations. The horror remake directed by Breck Eisner follows a group of survivors as they struggle with the outbreak of a dangerous virus.

Meanwhile, James Cameron’s “Avatar” is not giving up its spot in the top five. The hit sci-fi epic landed at No. 4 with a weekend gross of $14 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $706.9 million after 11 weeks in release.

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'Shutter Island' slashes new releases Friday

'Shutter Island' holds on to No. 1 for now...

Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" defended the No. 1 spot at the North American box office Friday with a solid $6.6 million in ticket sales, according to early studio estimates. Ever since its release last weekend, "Island" has reached a cumulative gross of $59.5 million.

New entry "Cop Out," the new comedy directed by Kevin Smith, finished second Friday, earning $5.975 million. The film, which is now playing at 3,150 locations, stars Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan as two buddy cops trying to find a stolen baseball card. Read my review here.

Following closely in third place was Breck Eisner's horror remake "The Crazies," which bagged $5.970 million from ticket sales at 2,476 locations. The film follows a group of people trying to stay alive while everyone else in their small town goes crazy and turns to brutal violence.

Meanwhile, James Cameron's "Avatar" landed in fourth place with $3.1 million, reaching a domestic total of $696 million after a superb 71-day run. "Valentine's Day" followed at No. 5, generating $2.9 million for a total haul of $93.7 million.

'Avatar' brings in $59 million overseas...

Cameron's sci-fi winner stays on top!

It will take a while before "Avatar" will disappear from the international circuit, because James Cameron's sci-fi epic bagged another superb $59 million this weekend. Overseas, the film has now reached an amazing total gross of $1.690 billion. Worldwide, it has grossed $2.350 billion.

Also performing very well this weekend was Garry Marshall's new romantic comedy "Valentine's Day," which took home $30.4 million. Domestically, the film generated more than $50 million. The story boasts an all-star cast and follows a bunch of Los Angeles people on Valentine's Day.

Meanwhile, Chris Columbus' new family adventure "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" picked up a decent $28 million. The film follows Percy, son of Poseidon, as he tries to prevent a war between the gods by retrieving Zeus' powerful lightning bolt.

Also opening overseas was Joe Johnston's "The Wolfman," which bagged $21 million. Following in fifth place this weekend was "My Name Is Khan," which collected $14.2 million.

What else happened at the box office overseas? "The Princes and the Frog" swallowed another $11.3 million ($109 million total gross), while "Sherlock Homes" took another $9.6 million. Clint Eastwood's "Invictus" earned $6.5 million. "Up in the Air" finished with $6 million.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Box Office: 'Valentine's Day' takes the crown

Weekend of February 12 – 14, 2010: 'Valentine's Day' shows no love for competition

Garry Marshall’s new romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with an impressive $52.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Warner Bros. title landed a superb average of $14,300 per theater at 3,665 locations, making it impossible for its competition to catch up. Despite negative critic’ reviews, the film largely benefited from its gigantic all-star cast.

New entries “The Wolfman” and “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” battled it out for second place, but the latter prevailed according to early estimates, scoring $31.1 million from ticket sales at 3,356 locations.

Following closely in third place with $30 million was Universal’s “The Wolfman,” the Joe Johnston-directed horror flick starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. The film scored an average of $9,506 per theater at 3,222 locations.

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'Valentine's Day' scores big at Friday box office

Romance rules at the box office...

It's been a great weekend for new releases at the North American box office as "Valentine's Day" scored the No. 1 spot Friday with a solid $14.6 million in ticket sales. The Garry Marshall-helmed romantic comedy is playing at 3,665 locations, making it hard for the competition to catch up.

Boosted by its all-star cast, "Day" follows what happens to several individuals and couples in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day. Critics around the nation slammed it with bad reviews, but the film easily found a large audience to make it to the top.

At No. 2, Universal's "The Wolfman" opened with $9.8 million; another decent start. Joe Johnston's horror flick with Benicio Del Toro is playing at 3,222 locations. Following in third place with $9.7 million was new entry "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief."

Meanwhile, James Cameron's "Avatar" slipped to No. 4, earning another $4.5 million, which is not bad, considering the film has been in release for 57 days. The film reached a domestic total gross of $642.1 million. "Dear John" finished fifth with a daily gross of $4.1 million and a total of $42 million.

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Movie Review: “Valentine’s Day”

Seen on: February 8, 2010

The players: Director: Garry Marshall, Writer: Katherine Fugate, Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Emma Roberts

Facts of interest: Garry Marshall also helmed "Pretty Woman."

The plot: The film follows a group of individuals from Los Angeles as they experience love in all forms on Valentine's Day.

Our thoughts: Garry Marshall’s new romantic comedy “Valentine’s Day” is a major big-screen drag. It’s a cheap, cold Hollywood rip-off of Richard Curtis’ incredibly entertaining and heartfelt “Love Actually,” and it completely fails to establish an attractive feeling of romance. In fact, it’s a film that turns Valentine’s Day into a real nightmare.

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This week's new movie releases - Feb. 12, 2010

Opening this week are Joe Johnston's "The Wolfman" with Benicio Del Toro, "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" with Logan Lerman and "Valentine's Day" with Ashton Kutcher.

THE WOLFMAN (with Benicio Del Toro & Emily Blunt)

Synopsis: Inspired by the classic Universal film that launched a legacy of horror, "The Wolfman" brings the myth of a cursed man back to its iconic origins. Benicio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, a haunted nobleman lured back to his family estate after his brother vanishes.

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