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New DVD Releases: The King’s Speech, Gulliver’s Travels, Somewhere

Andrew Payne — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:06:09 +0000

A very solid week on DVD this week, crowned by this year’s Best Picture winner, The King’s Speech, making its way on to small screens. But that’s only leading a charge that includes bombs aplenty including misfires from Peter Weir, Sofia Coppola and a colossal pile of sunk costs from Jack Black!

All that plus some very cool retro TV on DVD choices and the latest film from one of the most legendary action stars of all time. Betcha can’t guess who it is.

Check it out below…

Feature Films

The King’s Speech

There are so many lazy Oscar prognosticators out there. So many. And what was there favorite cliche this year? That The King’s Speech was a movie “tailor-made for the Academy”. That if you could make a movie specifically for the Academy it would be this one?

Really? This is the movie that you’d make? In what world does that make sense? This movie couldn’t be less tailor-made for the Academy. Let’s play a little game where we go back in time to see how many Best Picture winners we have to go through in order to find one that resembles the type of “tailor-made Best Picture winner” that The King’s Speech is.

The Hurt Locker

Gritty, ultra-realistic war picture without a touch of “prestige”. Not even close.

Slumdog Millionaire

A hyper-kinetic trip through the slums of India. Doesn’t exactly scream upper-crust.

No Country for Old Men

An ultra-violent commentary on present society. (Which beat The Queen, by the way)

The Departed

A dirty crime drama filled littered with violence and Bah-stahn accents. No British manners here.

Crash

A hyper-link modern-day Los Angeles film about race relations. Wasn’t a whole lot of diversity in Speech.

Million Dollar Baby

A boxing drama. Hey, at least the sport was invented in England.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

A fanboy fantasy epic. At least it has the word “King” in the title.

Chicago

A subversive musical about murder with a total post-modern presentation. Though there was some “sing-as-speech”

A Beautiful Mind

A character study about a crazy southern mathematician.

Gladiator

A swords and sandal action epic.

American Beauty

A comedic modern-set suburban satire. Couldn’t be more the opposite.

Shakespeare in Love

British? Check. High-Class? Check. Prestigious Subject Matter? Check check check.

Yes! We finally have a film that sort of resembles the type of “surefire Oscar film” that was The King’s Speech.

It took us an amazing twelve Best Picture winners in order to finally find a film that looks and feels like The King’s Speech. So where did these Oscar writers find this cliche? There are several Oscar winners in recent years that couldn’t be less like The King’s Speech, yet this is the movie that you’d make in a paint-by-numbers Oscar formula?

Look at those Best Picture winners again. See what they have in common? That’s right, they won Best Picture. That’s it! This is a genre grab-bag and tonal mishmash if there ever was one on all sorts of different scales, budgets and pedigrees.

In other words, there is no formula for an Best Picture Oscar winner. It just happens.

And if you want to see why that happened to this film, you can buy The King’s Speech on DVD.

Gulliver’s Travels

I thought about writing a brief few paragraphs about how Jack Black has become irrelevant (and this movie proves it), but then I got to wonder – was he ever really the big star that everybody seems to think he is?

Think about it, he’s only had one real hit that was a “Jack Black Movie” – The School of Rock. His other big hits were Tropic Thunder (an ensemble piece of which he was about the seventh most memorable character), The Holiday (a chick flick where his role could’ve been played by anybody), King Kong (a minor role at best, a role you didn’t even remember at worst) and Kung Fu Panda (a cartoon where his voice role could have been filled by anybody).

That’s about it. The rest of his career is mostly cameos and huge misfires such as Year One, Envy and Nacho Libre.

And now this massive bomb. A movie that bombed so horrifically that it didn’t really effect him because nobody even remembers it came out.

So is this guy really a gigantic comedic movie star? You look at the Eddie Murphys and Ben Stillers of the world in their primes and you see nothing but $100 million hits for a five-to-ten-year run. Where is Jack Black’s run? I don’t see a prime anywhere.

And that’s not to rag on Jack Black. I think he’s great. By my count he should have two Oscar nominations right now (for High Fidelity and Rock), but I don’t think he’s ever gotten close to the Comic Megastar Status people seem to want to attach to him.

But if you really dig him, you can buy Gulliver’s Travels on DVD.

Also:

Ip Man 2 – Buy Now
Rabbit Hole – Buy Now
Somewhere – Buy Now
The Way Back – Buy Now

TV on DVD

“Captain Planet and the Planeteers”: Season 1

Nickelodeon recently announced plans to dedicate a channel to all the great Nick shows of my youth. Shows like “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Hey Dude”. I’m extremely excited, but it’s just not enough for me.

It’s probably too much to ask, but I wish we could go without network borders and combine all the shows I loved in my youth to one channel regardless of who produced them. “Captain Planet” would definitely be on that list, if only for the theme song.

Also, now that I’m more sophisticated than I was when I was drooling out of a sippy cup and watching this show, I may finally find out why exactly the Planeteers didn’t just summon Captain Planet right at the beginning of every episode. It seemed each storyline revolved around one of them getting separated from the rest of the group (usually that pipsqueak Heart) and the other four desperately trying to find that person so they could summon Captain Planet and the episode would end.

Luckily, we can at least finally solve that mystery and buy Captain Planet: Season 1 on DVD.

Also:

“American Dad”: Volume 6 – Buy Now
Ernie Kovacs Collection – Buy Now
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”: Season 6 – Buy Now

And Just So You Know, This DVD Exists…

The PG-13 version of The King’s Speech to be Released April 1

Damon Houx — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:26:33 +0000

In an attempt to squeeze the last few coins out of the domestic box office of the Academy award-winning film The King’s Speech, The Weinstein Company will put out a PG-13 cut of the film which changes the four letter words that got the film rated R. The sanitized version will come out April 1 on 1000 screens and will be the only version in theaters. The film won Best Picture, and won Oscars for director Tom Hooper and star Colin Firth, and got co-stars Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter nominated.

There was a time when other R rated films that became phenomenons were recut, most notably Saturday Night Fever, but this is the first instance of this sort of recutting in a long while. For the most part – for the last ten years – the studios have favored putting out director’s cuts or “Unrated Versions” on DVD and Blu-ray, but no notable censored versions after the fact.

The news of this may bring some new audiences to the theater, or perhaps there’s some younger audience members denied by theater staff from seeing the Oscar winner. Mainly, this puts the film back in theaters with a new ad campaign after its long run was nearly over, and may generate a couple extra million theatrically for the stunt.

Regardless, the film is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray on April 19, so it should be out of theaters after three weeks. As there will be a DVD in that time this alternate version will never again be available, unless it proves so successful the studio feels the need to put out a new home video edition.

In the original cut, Colin Firth’s King George VI is warming up to speak and says the word “fuck” repeatedly. This word has been replaced with “shit.” As I understand, the rules from the MPAA are that a PG-13 film can have a use of the word “fuck” but no more than three. There are also rules about intent – if you direct the use at someone (“fuck you”), it’s an automatic R. The arbitrariness of this rule has never been clearer.

Do the MPAA rules make sense on this one?

Box Office Predictions – Battle: Los Angeles All Go To Win

Scott Schachter — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:23:30 +0000

This weekend see’s Battle: Los Angeles, duke it out with new comers Mars Needs Moms, the teen thriller Red Riding Hood and last weeks slate of holdovers. In all it should be a fun weekend at the box office. And Now For Our Predictions….

#1: Battle: Los Angeles

It’s been nearly two months since The Green Hornet arrived in theaters and moviegoers had a real action oriented flick to see. All that will change this weekend as the Aaron Eckhart action/sci fi Battle:Los Angeles takes over theaters. With a strong marketing campaign, lack of any real competition, this big-budgeted flick should open somewhat strong to claim the #1 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $26-32 M Opening Weekend Box Office.

#2: Rango

With a strong opening last weekend, modest word of mouth, and some competition from Mars Needs Moms, Rango should be able to hold strong and come in at the #2 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $20-22M Weekend Box Office.

#3 Red Riding Hood

Also opening this weekend is the long awaited Little Red Riding Hood adaption Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Twilight’s Catherine Hardwick. Red Riding Hood should play well to teen-female audiences as it stars Amanda Seyfried and is from the director Twilight. Red Riding Hood faces also faces little competition this weekend so look for the film open in the #3 spot.

Our Prediction:$18-20M Opening Weekend Box Office.

#4 Mars Needs Moms

Likely falling short of the success of Gnomeo & Juliet, Rango comes Mars Needs Moms. With Rango, Gnomeo & Juliet still playing well, audiences getting tired of 3D films look for Mars Needs Moms to be left to the wayside and score a modest opening at best. The Joan Cusack, Seth Green voiced Disney releases should find itself opening at the #4 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $13-14 M Opening Weekend Box Office.

#5 The Adjustment Bureau

The Matt Damon/Emily Blunt action-combo opened well last weekend and should continue to play strong as it should become the go to choice amongst adult movie goers. However, the opening of Battle:Los Angeles should provide some direct competition as The Adjustment Bureau should slip to the # 5 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $12-13M Weekend Box Office.

#6 Hall Pass: Our Prediction: $6M Weekend Box Office.

#7 Gnomeo & Juliet: Our Prediction:$5M Weekend Box Office.

#8: Beastly: Our Prediction $4-4.2M Weekend Box Office

#9 The King’s Speech: Our Prediction: $4M Weekend Box Office

#10 Just Go With It: Our Prediction: $3.5-3.8M Weekend Box Office.

Weekend Box Office: Johnny Depp’s Rango Guns Down $38 Million

Laura Aguirre — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:26:16 +0000

Step aside Coen Brothers, there’s a new western film in town, and it stars a green cockeyed lizard in some authentic cowboy attire, Rango. The Johnny Depp animated featured followed the success of last weekend’s top choice Gnomeo and Juliet lassoing in a hefty $38 million during its opening weekend. Another successful newcomer was Matt Damon and Emily Blunt‘s The Adjustment Bureau. The Universal picture was No. 2 making over $20 million.

Though our box office predictions were rather popular, we didn’t get it all right, we had predicted that Beastly would be down in the bottom half of the top 10, but the romance-fantasy film surprised us and came in at No. 3 grossing $10 million.

Check out the numbers…

Rango | NEW | Paramount | Weekend Gross $38,000,000 | Average Per Theater $9,701 | Total Gross $38,000,000 | Film’s Budget – $135 | Week 1
The Adjustment Bureau | NEW | Universal | Weekend Gross $20,945,000 | Average Per Theater $7,375 | Total Gross $20,945,000 | Film’s Budget – N/A | Week 1
Beastly | NEW | CBS | Weekend Gross $10,115,000 | Average Per Theater $5,182 | Total Gross $10,115,000 | Film’s Budget – $17 | Week 1
Hall Pass | Last Week #2 | Warner Brothers | Weekend Gross $9,015,000 | Average Per Theater $3,056 | Total Gross $27,001,000 | Film’s Budget – $36 | Week 2
Gnomeo and Juliet | Last Week #1 | Buena Vista | Weekend Gross $6,912,000 | Average Per Theater $2,316 | Total Gross $83,694,000 | Film’s Budget – N/A | Week 4
Unknown | Last Week #3 | Warner Brothers | Weekend Gross $6,620,000 | Average Per Theater $2,273 | Total Gross $53,129,000 | Film’s Budget – $30 | Week 3
The King’s Speech | Last Week #8 | Weinstein | Weekend Gross $6,501,000 | Average Per Theater $2,902 | Total Gross $123,817,000 | Film’s Budget – $15 | Week 15
Just Go With It | Last Week #5 | Sony | Weekend Gross $6,500,000 | Average Per Theater $2,226 | Total Gross $88,200,000 | Film’s Budget – $80 | Week 4
I Am Number Four | Last Week #4 | Buena Vista | Weekend Gross $5,702,000 | Average Per Theater $1,964 | Total Gross $46,440,000 | Film’s Budget – $60 | Week 3
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never | Last Week #6 | Paramount | Weekend Gross $4,325,000 | Average Per Theater $1,919 | Total Gross $68,876,000 | Film’s Budget – $13 | Week 4

Despite the end of award’s season, The King’s Speech is still swimming in the top 10. The film shot up the box office ladder again this past weekend. Maybe we ought to start some bets on when the Oscar winning picture will leave the top 10, eh?

What did you watch this weekend?

Rango To Rule Box Office Weekend

Scott Schachter — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:33:01 +0000

The Oscar race is over and this weekend will see a slate of new releases all competing for the top prize at the box office. Johnny Depp’s Rango, and Matt Damon’s The Adjustment Bureau will see mild competition from such teen fare as Topher Grace’s Take Me Home Tonight, and the Vanessa Hudgen’s starrer Beastly. In all, it should be a busy weekend filled with choices.

And Now For Our Predictions…

#1 Rango

Johnny Depp’s last film, The Tourist may have been a box office disappointment but that should all change with the release of Rango. The success of Gnomeo & Juliet showed that there is a major void to be filled in animated films aimed at children. With a solid marketing campaign, decent reviews, and the usually reliable Depp, look for Rango to open at number 1 this weekend.

Our Prediction: $36M-42M Opening Weekend Box Office.

#2 The Adjustment Bureau

Matt Damon and Emily Blunt look to score a solid box office opening this weekend with their sci-fi action/thriller. With solid reviews, the ample star power of Damon and Blunt, The Adjustment Bureau should be able to fend off fellow competitor Unknown, to score a good opening and land at the number 2 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $16-17M Opening Weekend Box Office

# 3 The Kings Speech

With an Oscar win for best picture The King’s Speech should continue it’s solid box office run and may even see a boost at the box office weekend. Look for the film to land at the number 3 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $9M Weekend Box Office.

#4 Gnomeo & Juliet

Over the past few weeks Gnomeo & Juliet has become a solid box performer with strong week to week holds and strong buzz. However, this surprise box office smash should take a hit this weekend with the new release of Rango and land at the number 4 spot.

Our Prediction: 8M Weekend Box Office.

# 5 Unknown

Liam Neeson’s adult action/thriller has seen itself performing modestly at the box office, however it should take a hit from The Adjustment Bureau opening this weekend and land at the number 5 spot.

Our Prediction: $7-7.5M Weekend Box Office.

#6 Hall Pass

Our Prediction: $6.5M Weekend Box Office

#7 Beastly

Our Prediction-$6 Weekend Box Office.

#8 I AM NUMBER FOUR

Our Prediction-$5-5.5M Weekend Box Office.

9: Just Go With It

Our Prediction $5 Weekend Box Office.

#10: Take Me Home Tonight

Our Prediction $4M Weekend Box Office.

Oscar Winner 2011: Best Original Screenplay – The King’s Speech

Krystal Clark — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:22:46 +0000

The winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is David Seidler for The King’s Speech. The winner spoke about breaking the record for being the oldest person to win in this category. During his speech he said, “I accept this on behalf of all the stutterers throughout the world. We have a voice. We have been heard. Thanks to you, the Academy.”

See who he beat…

The nominees for Best Original Screenplay were:

Another Year, Written by Mike Leigh
The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson. Story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right, Written by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler

This is a hard one for us because even though we thought The King’s Speech was a great film, we really loved Inception. The originality behind the story and what Christopher Nolan did with it was truly unique. We like Seidler and he gave a refreshing and nice speech but we’re still waiting for Nolan to get his props. Why can’t that man get an Oscar? He’s not allergic to them you know?

Do you agree with this year’s winner for Best Original Screenplay?

Box Office Predictions: Hall Pass, Nicholas Cage, and a Gnome Battle for Glory

Scott Schachter — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:19:59 +0000

With moviegoers eyes glued to the Oscar’s this Sunday, Owen Wilson, Nicolas Cage, and a slew of leftovers will all vie for the number one spot at the box office this weekend. Owen Wilson, SNL Star Jason Sudeikis will attempt to score a solid opening with Hall Pass, while Nicolas Cage tries to avoid a bomb at the box office with his latest release Drive Angry Shot In 3D. All in all, it should be a somewhat slow weekend.

And Now For Our Predictions…

#1 Gnomeo & Juliet

This Elton John Produced kid’s animated flick has come out of nowhere to become a solid box office performer over the past few weeks. With the lack of any real competition, small weekend to weekend declines, Gnomeo & Juliet could rise and claim the number one spot this weekend at the box office.

Our Prediction: $14-15M Weekend Box Office.

#2 Unknown

Liam Neeson showed last week that he is rapidly becoming the new Harrison Ford as this adult action thriller opened with a solid box office take. With the lack of competition and options for adult movie goers look for Unknown to hold steady at the #2 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $13-14M Weekend Box Office.

#3 Hail Pass

Once the kings of comedy with hits like Dumb & Dumber to There’s Something About Mary, The Farrelly Brothers have seen their star power and box office prowess diminish with such duds as Fever Pitch and Stuck On You. With competition from Just Go With It, Big Mommas House, Hall Pass should see a modest opening at best. The Owen Wilson/Jason Sudeikis comedy should land at the # 3 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $ 12M Opening Weekend Box Office

#4 Drive Angry 3D.

Nicolas Cage is a wild card when it comes to how well his films will open at the box office and this weekend should be no different. Just last month, Cage’s Season Of The Witch was another in the trend of under-performing Nicolas Cage vehicles. Cage’s only saving Grace is the action films higher 3D ticket prices which will help land Drive Angry at the # 4 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $11M Opening Weekend Box Office.

#5. Just Go With It

The Adam Sandler/Jennifer Anistion comedy has been holding up quite well despite competition from new releases such as Big Momma’s House etc, once again showing the true star power of Adam Sandler. With modest competition from Hall Pass, look for Just Go With It to dip to the #5 spot and come closer to becoming another $100M blockbuster for Mr.Sandler.

Our Prediction: $10 Opening Weekend Box Office.

The Rest Of The Top 10

#6 I AM NUMBER FOUR

Our Prediction: $9M Weekend Box Office.

# 7 Big Momma’s House: Like Father, Like Son.

Our Prediction: $8M Weekend Box Office.

#8: The King’s Speech

Our Prediction: $6.5m Weekend Box Office.

# 9 Never Say Never

Our Prediction: $6M Weekend Box Office.

#10 The Roommate

Our Prediction: $2.5M Weekend Box Office.

Box Office Predictions: I Am Number Four To Be Number One Film This Weekend

Scott Schachter — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:34:02 +0000

Justin Bieber, Adam Sandler, and a Gnome will compete with a slew of new releases all opening this President Day’s Weekend. New releases ranging from the Big Momma’s sequel Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son, starring Martin Lawrence,to Glee’s Dianna Argon in the Twilight-esque I AM NUMBER FOUR, and the action packed thriller Unknown starring Liam Neeson.

And now for our predictions…

# 1 I Am Number Four

Opening this weekend with no real major stars is I AM NUMBER FOUR. The first release of the upcoming swarm of Twilight rip-offs should find itself opening in the number #1 as Bieber Fever and Valentines Day have all passed. Teen audiences are suckers for romantic thrillers and I AM NUMBER FOUR certainly fills the void as there is no real direct competition . Look for a solid #1 opening and fast and quick drop.

Our Prediction:$ 26-30M 4Day Opening Weekend Box Office

#2 Gnomeo and Juliet

Gnome & Juliet surprised everyone last weekend with a larger then expected opening weekend. With no competition at all, a four day weekend with kids off from school, should help Gnomeo & Juliet hold steady this weekend to come in at # 2.

Our Predictions: $23-26M 4Day Weekend Box Office

#3 Unknown

Two years ago Liam Neeson had a surprise hit with Taken — adult moviegoers were craving an adult thriller. This weekend should be no different as adult audiences have been with out a solid movie going option for weeks. Add in no direct competition, entertaining trailers and Unknown should land at the #3 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction : $20-22M 4 Day Opening Weekend Box Office

#4 Just Go With It

Adam Sandlers Just Go With It opened last weekend on the lower end of debuts for an Adam Sandler film. Competition is fierce this weekend with a slate of new releases including Martin Lawrence Big Momma’s House Sequel. Just Go With It’s only saving grace is a four day weekend with kids/students off from class. With that said, look for Just Go With It to come in at #4 this President’s Day Weekend.

Our Prediction: # $18-19M 4 Day Weekend

# 5 Big Momma’s House: Like Father, Like Son

Like The Whole 10 Yards before it, the new Big Momma’s House is a sequel that no one really asked for. 11 years ago, Martin Lawrence scored a major, unexpected hit with Big Momma’s House. However, the sequel that followed was a modest success at best as there is not much demand for a third movie in the series, and Lawrence has seen his star power drop in large proportions since the first film was released. Those looking for a cheap laugh, Martin Lawrence fans, will be the only ones showing up this weekend and will help propel the film to a # 5 debut

Our Prediction : $16M 4Day Opening Weekend Box Office

# 6 Never Say Never

Our Prediction:$12-13M 4Day Weekend Box Office

#7 The King’s Speech

Our Prediction: $7.5-8M Weekend Box Office

#8 No Strings Attached

Our Prediction: $4.5M 4Day Weekend Box Office

9 The Roommate

Our Prediction: $4M 4Day Weekend Box Office

#10. True Grit

Our Prediction: $3M 4Day Weekend Box Office

2011 BAFTA Winners – The King’s Speech Dominates!

Krystal Clark — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:32:17 +0000

Over the weekend, the U.K. version of the Oscars were held. The 2011 BAFTA Awards took center stage and and so did the Tom Hooper film The King’s Speech. It was the big winner of the night picking up seven awards including Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. With those categories all spoken for, what’s left? See who else went home with a statue this year…

BEST FILM

The King’s Speech

OUSTANDING BRITISH FILM

The King’s Speech

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

Four Lions, Chris Morris

DIRECTOR

The Social Network, David Fincher

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The King’s Speech, David Seidler

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

ANIMATED FILM

Toy Story 3

LEADING ACTOR

Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

LEADING ACTRESS

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech

ORIGINAL MUSIC

The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat

CINEMATOGRAPHY

True Grit, Roger Deakins

EDITING

The Social Network, Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Inception, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat

COSTUME DESIGN

Alice in Wonderland, Colleen Atwood

SOUND

Inception, Richard King, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo, Ed Novick

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Inception, Chris Corbould, Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Peter Bebb

MAKE UP AND HAIR

Alice in Wonderland, Valli O’Reilly, Paul Gooch

SHORT ANIMATION

The Eagleman Stag

SHORT FILM

Until the River Runs Red

THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD

Tom Hardy

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP

Christopher Lee

OUTSTANDING CONRTIBUTION TO BRITISH FILM

The Harry Potter Films

What do you think of this year’s winners? Deserving or not?

Oscar Nominees To Rule The Box Office Weekend

Scott Schachter — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:21:42 +0000

This weekend Oscar nominated films, The King’s Speech, True Grit, and Black Swan will battle with last week’s box office winner, No Strings Attached, while new releases, The Rite and The Mechanic try to sneak their way into the top five….

And now for our box office predictions…

#1 The Rite

There was a time when Anthony Hopkins was a box office draw, and this month the actor is headlining the obligatory mid-winter horror/thriller. No matter how dull or unimpressive it might seem, the buzz for The Rite has increased over the past few days and it should be able to land at the #1 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $14-16M Opening Weekend Box Office.

# 2 No Strings Attached

Last weekend, No Strings Attached was able to capitalize on the lack of competition and the Golden Globe win from Best Actress Natalie Portman. This weekend should be no different as the lack of competition, an Oscar nomination, and no new romantic comedies in sight (until Adam Sandler’s, Just Go With It), means No Strings Attached should hold onto the #2 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $11-11.5M Weekend Box Office.

# 3 The King’s Speech

With 12 Oscar Nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and a remarkable box office hold last weekend, The King’s Speech should be able to keep the momentum going to land at the # 3 spot this weekend.

Our Prediction: $9 Weekend Box Office.

#4 The Mechanic

From Crank to The Transporter franchises, Jason Statham has developed a loyal fan base that has produced solid opening weekends.This weekend should be no different as the CBS Films release should open at the #4 spot .

Our Prediction- $8M-8.5 Opening Weekend Box Office.

#5 The Green Hornet

With direct competition from The Mechanic, a somewhat decent hold last weekend, The Green Hornet should slip to the #5 spot.

Our Prediction: $7.5-8M Weekend Box Office.

Now for the rest of the top 10…

#6 True Grit

Our Prediction: $6.5M Weekend Box Office.

#7 Black Swan

Our Prediction: $5.5-6M Weekend Box Office.

#8 The Dilemma

Our Prediction:$5M Weekend Box Office.

#9 The Fighter

Our Prediction: $4M Weekend Box Office.

#10 Yogi Bear

Our Prediction: $2.5M Weekend Box Office

The Weekend Box Office – Our Take

Scott Schachter — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:21:47 +0000

This weekend, Natalie Portman was able to capitalize on the buzz generated from her Golden Globe win as her new film No Strings Attached opened at number 1 as we predicted .The Green Hornet showed a decent hold coming in at number 2, also as we predicted, dropping less then 50% ,while the The Dilemma fell to number 3.

And now for the rest of the top 10…

With a Golden Globe win for Best Actor (Colin Firth) The King’s Speech climbed to the number 4 spot this weekend, while the Golden Globe shutout True Grit slid to number 5 witnessing a larger then normal weekend decline. With No Strings Attached debuting at number 1, Portman’s other film Black Swan dropped to number 6, coming in slightly below our predictions.

The rest of the top 10 sees a neck to neck finish with Little Fockers coming at number 7, and Golden Globe winner The Fighter at number 8, while Yogi Bear and Tron Legacy finished slightly off from our predictions in regards to final gross and placement.

All in all, it was an interesting weekend at the box office! Stay tuned for this upcoming weeks box office predictions.

No Strings Attached To Win Weekend Box Office

Scott Schachter — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:40:47 +0000

Last weekend’s box office winner The Green Hornet will find itself sliding to the number two spot because Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman’s No Strings Attached should have enough steam to plow the competition. Moviegoers will find themselves catching up with last weekend’s Golden Globe winners as well as leftover holiday fare such as Little Fockers and Tron Legacy. All in all it should be an interesting weekend at the theater.

And now on to our predictions…..

# 1 No Strings Attached

Riding the wave of her Golden Globe win and future Oscar Nomination, arrives Portman and Kutcher’s No Strings Attached, which should land itself at the top spot this weekend. Portman is untested when it comes to romantic comedies, as most of the box office weight will rely heavily on Kutcher whose forays into the genre have seen varied success with first weekend openings as high as $22.5M for Guess Who? to a low of $ 7.5M for A Lot Like Love. Add in an uneven marketing campaign with trailers that consistently changed from week to week and No Strings Attached should find itself with a modest yet successful opening.

Our Prediction: $16-17M Opening Weekend Box Office.

#2 The Green Hornet

With a solid opening weekend, good audience feedback via Cinemascore, and a lack of any real direct competition The Green Hornet should come in second place this weekend. The real big question is whether Hornet will hold up well in the upcoming weeks to become a true blockbuster OR perform like the ill-fated Daredevil. Only time will tell.

Our Prediction: 15M Weekend Box Office.

# 3. True Grit

Continued word of mouth, small week to week declines and probable Oscar nominations will help keep True Grit sitting at the number three spot this weekend. The Coen Brother’s latest has seen its box office soar to new heights and has now opened the possibility of True Grit becoming the first ever $200M grossing film for the directors.

Our Prediction- 9-9.5M Weekend Box Office.

# 4. Black Swan

With a Portman’s Golden Globe win for best actress, possible Oscar nominations, and an ever increasing box office take, look for Black Swan to land at number four this weekend as it moves closer to becoming the first $100 million grosser Darren Aronofsky’s career.

Our Prediction: $8.5-9M Weekend Box Office.

# 5. The Kings Speech

With a Golden Globe win for Best Actor with Colin Firth, likely Oscar nominations, and a successful expansion last weekend look for The King’s Speech to hold steady at number five.

Our Prediction: $8.5M Weekend Box Office Take.

# 6. The Dilemma

With a weak debut opening, moviegoers catching up on recent award season films, The Dilemma should see its gross cut in half to land at number six.

Our Prediction: $8-8.5M Weekend Box Office.

# 7. The Fighter

The Fighter is riding high on awards momentum with wins for both Melissa Leo and Christian Bale from this past weekend’s Golden Globes. Factor in likely Oscar nominations, and strong weekend-weekend holds, The Fighter should land itself at the number seven spot.

Our Prediction: $5-5M Weekend Box Office

The Rest Of The Top Ten….

# 8. Yogi Bear

Our Prediction: $4M Weekend Box Office.

# 9 Little Fockers

Our Prediction- $3.8-4M Weekend Box Office.

#10. Tron

Our Prediction:$3M Weekend Box Office

Who do you think will dominate this weekend?

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