Next "Batman" movie announced for a July 2012 release

Warner Brothers announced today some sequel news that many a person has been waiting to hear: the release date for the next Christopher Nolan-directed Batman film. That date is July 20, 2012, which puts it four years and two days after the release of the wildly successful second installment, "The Dark Knight". No villians have been mentioned as of yet, but Christopher Nolan will once again be calling the shots and co-writing the screenplay with his brother Jonathan (based on an idea co-created by David Goyer). It's a safe bet that Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman will all return to their roles in the series.

To be honest, I couldn't be more excited. I thought "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" were not only two of the best superhero films ever made, they were simply prime examples that with some care and talent on both sides of the camera, any film genre can make for great cinema. If I have any concern, it would be who the villain would be. After Heath Ledger's monumental turn as The Joker, someone is going to have a lot to live up to. If you shift the focus back to Bruce Wayne and Batman and their struggle following the events of "Dark Knight", a super baddie might not be the most important element of the next film. Given that Nolan has a knack for getting under the skin of the characters of his movies, I'm more than confident that he'll make every aspect work.

The film will not be shot in 3-D (THANK YOU!),but it is a pretty good bet that portions of the film will be shot in the IMAX format, a trick that worked wonders on "The Dark Knight" (so much so that I ended up seeing the movie five times in that format two years ago). Film is expected to commence early next year.

"Alien" Prequel News

The website Hitfix had an article posted today in regards to one of Ridley Scott's next projects: the prequel to his 1979 masterpiece "Alien" as well as 3-D technology. Scott mentioned the following: 1) the film will be shot in 3-D and 2) there are two prequels planned, but will not be shot back-to-back.

Scott goes on to discuss the 3-D technology and if audiences today will accept the slow-burn approach that Scott brought to the original film. Among the other tidbits mentioned of late in regards to the "Alien" prequel are that the films will take place roughly 30 years prior to the first film and that the lead character will be female, but no relation to the Ellen Ripley character played by Sigourney Weaver in the series that spanned from 1979 to 1997. I am guessing that it is safe to assume that there will be no Predators making an appearance either.

Weekend Box Office: J-Lo's Return J-Blows

So, what did you do this weekend? Catch up on errands or visit with friends? Watch your new blu-ray of “Avatar”, the NBA playoffs or the excellent new HBO film “You Don’t Know Jack”? Well, if the weekend box office estimates are any indication, one thing you did not do was head out to your local multiplex. While last weekend showed signs of life thanks to the debuts of “Kick Ass” and “Death at a Funeral” and holdovers “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Date Night”, this weekend was borderline comatose. Two wide releases, Jennifer Lopez’s “The Back Up Plan” and Warner’s “The Losers”, did terrible business while Disney’s nature doc “Oceans” fared better in a smaller release. The box office dropped a sizeable 35% from last weekend as ticket buyers and studios began their two-week wait for the start of the summer movie season.


Climbing back into the number one spot in its fifth weekend was the Dreamworks 3-D Animated hit “How to Train Your Dragon”, pulling in an estimated $15 million in sales to bring its domestic total near the $178 million mark. The weekend gross for “Dragon” was the lowest for a number one film in 2010 thus far. The film should pass the $191 million grossed by last spring’s animated 3-D release from Paramount/Dreamworks, “Monsters vs. Aliens”, within the next two weeks.

Jennifer Lopez returned to the big screen this past weekend with her romantic comedy “The Back Up Plan”, but its dire $12.25 million haul has to make one wonder why she bothered (actually, the horrendous TV ads and trailers accomplished that feat). Another stinker from CBS Pictures following the Harrison Ford bomb “Extraordinary Measures” this past January, Lopez’ first major film in a few years met with horrific reviews and indifference from her usually reliable fan base, who have either realized that a DVD screener of the movie is widely available online for free or that the diva has been making the same crappy movie over and over again (1998’s “Out of Sight” aside). One way or the other, don’t expect this movie to last beyond next Sunday (if that long) at the box office.

Another comedy that is having better luck finding audiences, Fox’s comedy “Date Night” stayed in third position for the second weekend in a row, courting $10.6 million in sales to bring its total up to an estimated $63.4 million. Down only 36% from last weekend, the Tina Fey/Steve Carell comedy should end its run near the $80 million mark.

Living up to its name, Warner’s “The Losers” opened in fourth place with $9.6 million in estimated sales, although final numbers may see this film change places with Lionsgate’s “Kick Ass”. The ads offered up plenty of explosions and lame one-liners, but not much else that would entice people into theaters. As with the Lopez debacle, watch for “The Losers” to make a quick exit from cinemas next weekend en route to the safe havens of Netflix and Redbox.

After narrowly squeaking out a number one win last weekend, Lionsgate’s comic book comedy “Kick Ass” got its ass kicked down to the number five spot. Off 53 percent from last weekend, the Matthew Vaughn film pulled in $9.5 million to bring its ten-day estimated total up to the $35 million mark. Despite scoring a solid 76% from Rotten Tomatoes, the film’s sharp drop indicates that the positive reviews, internet buzz and fanboy word-of-mouth never reached the mainstream audiences it needed to become a breakout hit.

Sixth spot, and in its sixth weekend, went to Warner’s near-Bubo free remake of “Clash of the Titans”. Zeus and company pulled in another $8.3 million this weekend to bring its overall total near the $146 million mark. While the studio-implemented, last-minute application of 3-D to the film added little to its overall entertainment value, Warner execs have to be high-fiving each other over their decision to do so as the higher-priced 3-D tickets have kept the film afloat at the box office since its debut a month and a half ago.

In seventh was another film that debuted to decent numbers last weekend only to see its audience fall by half: the Screen Gems’ comedy “Death at a Funeral”. Falling by 51% to approximately $8 million, the remake of the 2007 original’s ten-day gross now stands near the $29 million mark. In eighth place was the latest nature documentary from Buena Vista, “Oceans”, with a $5.5 million weekend gross and a five-day haul of $8 million since its opening on Earth Day last Thursday. The $4,975 per-screen average from 1,205 screens was the highest in the top ten.

Rounding out the top ten were two more Disney releases, the Miley Cyrus drama “The Last Song” and the Tim Burton blockbuster “Alice in Wonderland”. “Song” added another $3.7 million to its coffers to bring its to-date total to $55.4 million while “Alice” added $2.2 to its domestic total, which now stands at $327.5 million.

The final weekend of the Spring box office season will bring the arrival of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” remake and the family film (which unintentionally looks scarier than “Nightmare” does) “Furry Vengeance” starring Brendan Frasier and Brooke Shields. Watch for Freddy Krueger to hold court next week until the return of Tony Stark on May 7th.

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past couple of weeks. The everyday world has been a-calling me away from the keyboard and blog (sadly, it is not a new girlfriend luring me out of my apartment). But now, things seem to be quieting down just a bit, which hopefully will give me more time to talk about my favorite thing in the world: Amway!

No wait...movies. I mean movies.

As always, thanks for your ongoing support.

-SF

Weekend Box Office: Carell and Fey take on Zeus and Perseus...and win?

Warner’s pricey remake of “Clash of the Titans” hit some turbulence at the national box office in its second weekend thanks largely to the one-two punch of audience indifference and the debut of the Steve Carell/Tina Fey comedy “Date Night”, which posted better-than-expected numbers in its debut. Overall, the box office held up fairly well as Hollywood entered its pre-summer movie season holding pattern for the next few weeks prior to the May 7th launch of “Iron Man 2”.


Without the benefit of high concept, 3-D or that technology’s higher ticket prices, the strong $27.1 million collected from Twentieth Century Fox’s comedy this weekend surprised everyone, including the studio. Directed by “Night at the Museum” director Shawn Levy, “Date Night” got a boost from the fan bases that Carell and Fey have with their hit NBC comedies “The Office” and “30 Rock”, as well as people out on their own date night looking for something that wasn’t a visual effects orgy and that also required you wear a cheap pair of glasses to properly view it. A fair amount of positive reviews may have also helped. Whether the film stays at number one when the actual numbers arrive on Monday is anyone’s guess, but for now Fox can claim bragging rights for having the number one film in America.

Down 56% from last weekend’s big opening, “Titans” commanded $26.8 million in estimated ticket sales for the weekend. Compared to second weekend drops of recent 3-D hits “Avatar” (1.8%) and “Alice In Wonderland” (46%), “Titans” steep drop was a sign that perhaps the film and its faux 3-D might not be striking a chord with audiences the way Warner Brothers was hoping for. Still, the movie has pulled in a healthy $110.4 million in just ten days, which is still impressive given the time of the year. Depending on how the weekend drops continue, “Titans” could clash its way to the $150-$160 range domestically before it ends its run.

Displaying the smallest drop of any film in the top ten (12%) was Dreamworks’ animated feature “How to Train Your Dragon” with an estimated $25.3 million take and $133.8 million to date. Word-of-mouth (and those pesky higher-priced 3-D tickets) is definitely helping the film stay afloat following its so-so opening three weekends ago. The movie could match or surpass the $190 million gross of last spring’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” by the time it finishes, which was something many were saying would not be possible three weeks ago.

Much in line with his other films, the latest Tyler Perry opus “Why Did I Get Married Too” suffered a steep drop in its second weekend as the filmmaker’s dedicated fan base turned out during the film’s first three days. Off 62% from last weekend’s big opening, the movie hauled in $11 million this weekend to bring its ten-day estimated total to a solid $48.5 million. Watch for the sequel to finish with $62-65 million in ticket sales, giving Lionsgate yet another big –and profitable- hit from the prolific director.

In fifth spot was the Miley Cyrus weepie “The Last Song”, which showed surprising staying power in its second turn. Off only 37%, the latest film adaptation of a Nicolas Sparks novel pulled in an estimated $10 million to bring its ten-day total to $42.4 million. The movie should finish near $60 million, close to the gross of this past spring’s “Dear John” another Nicholas Sparks film aimed at the teen/tween girl market.

Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” held on with only a 31% drop from last weekend with a $5.6 haul and a new overall take of approximately $320 million to date. The $335-340 mark is still a possibility for the box office smash. Sixth spot went to MGM’s sleeper “Hot Tub Time Machine” with a slight 33% drop from last weekend. Its $5.4 million gross helped bring its total to the $37 million mark. Moviegoers continued to visit Jen and Gerard on their adventures by adding another $4.3 million to the coffers of Sony’s “The Bounty Hunter”, bringing its total to the $56 million mark. In ninth spot was Fox’s kid comedy hit “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” which showed 22% less confidence than last weekend to bring in $4.1 million and a new estimated take of $53.7 million to date.

In tenth spot was the low-budget inspirational drama “Letters to God”, which brought in a weak $1.25 million from 897 screens. Based on a true story, “God” tells the tale of a cancer-stricken boy, whose letters that he writes to God wind up inspiring an entire town. Reviews, all nine accounted for on Rotten Tomatoes, were largely against the movie (one positive, eight negative), and audience indifference appeared to follow suit. However, there is a good chance that this one might turn a profit despite its low box office take: it only cost $3.5 million to produce.

Next week, the controversial –and very funny- superhero flick “Kick-Ass” opens wide, as does the remake of the recent Frank Oz comedy “Death at a Funeral”.