ScreenCrave.com » titanic

Box Office Roundup: ‘Games’ Beats ‘Stooges’ and ‘Woods’

Damon Houx — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:35:19 +0000

This was the first weekend since it opened that The Hunger Games was weak enough to be dethroned from the top slot. Fortunately for the film, it’s competition was weak. Perhaps not as weak as originally thought, as The Three Stooges and The Cabin in the Woods exceeded some expectations, whereas Lockout barely opened in the top ten. Check out the numbers…

	Film	Weekend	Per Screen	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$21,500,000 (-35.1%)	$5,490	$337,070,000
2	The Three Stooges	$17,100,000	$4,918	$17,100,000
3	The Cabin in the Woods	$14,850,000	$5,283	$14,850,000
4	Titanic 3D	$11,625,000 (-32.7%)	$4,310	$44,419,000
5	American Reunion	$10,700,000 (-50.3%)	$3,341	$39,900,000
6	Mirror Mirror	$7,000,000 (-36.9%)	$2,183	$49,468,000
7	Wrath of the Titans	$6,905,000 (-53.1%)	$2,226	$71,251,000
8	21 Jump Street	$6,800,000 (-32.0%)	$2,486	$120,565,000
9	Lockout	$6,250,000	$2,708	$6,250,000
10	Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax	$3,020,000 (-40.0%)	$1,430	$204,483,000

Though the search for a director of Catching Fire is very public, and something that will have to be determined very shortly, it’s still worth basking in the glow of The Hunger Games success. The film may not make it to $400 Million, but it’s not as if the film isn’t already hugely successful. Perhaps it peters out around $390 Million; it should be over $360 Million next weekend, so it all depends if The Avengers completely kills it. Regardless, it’s a huge, huge win.

The Three Stooges exceeded expectations, so its success all depends how much it cost to make. It probably won’t play that long, so if it gets to $50 domestic and does some business internationally (slapstick tends to do great business overseas), it could be a win. Whereas Cabin in the Woods is going to deal with audiences who didn’t like or didn’t get it. It’s cinemascore is mixed to negative, and there are some bait and switch elements to the marketing. Which means that it will probably drop 60% or more next weekend – horror can drop up to 80% in the second weekend. That it’s finally out is the victory here, and it does have the chance to become a cult favorite.

Titanic 3D is looking at over $60 Million, possibly more, so it’s a success for what it is and the release will probably help move a couple extra Blu-rays when that set comes out later this year. It’s already outperformed American Reunion, which is looking at a $60 Million domestic cume. Reunion is performing outside the states, so it should make money, but it’s no Fast and Furious franchise relaunch.

Lockout died. It’s because word was mixed to bad, and releasing company Film District hasn’t been great at marketing anything. International was always where that film was going to win, but “Space Jail” feels like it could have found more of an audience. Oh well. As for notable number crossings, 21 Jump Street went over $120 Million, out of the top ten Journey 2 cleared $100 Million, and The Lorax crossed through the $200 Million marker during the week.

Reality Check: I thought this weekend would see more people staying away from the theaters, so I graded all my predictions down. Most egregious was thinking Lockout would open. It didn’t. My number was right on for Reunion, but I discounted that Titanic would be more than just a curio for old fans. All in all, I was mostly off. It happens.

Box Office Roundup: ‘Reunion’ Can’t Compete with ‘Games’

Damon Houx — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:40:59 +0000

Though far from disastrous, American Reunion didn’t get the nostalgia buzz hoped for, and may become the least appealing film in the American Pie box set (there’s eight films in total if you include the direct to video set). So for the third weekend in a row, The Hunger Games has taken the crown. It also passed the $300 Million dollar mark. Check out the top ten…

	Film	Weekend	Per Screen	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$33,500,000 (-42.8%)	$8,098	$302,839,000
2	American Reunion	$21,500,000	$6,736	$21,500,000
3	Titanic 3D	$17,350,000	$6,488	$25,710,000
4	Wrath of the Titans	$15,010,000 (-55.1%)	$4,234	$58,899,000
5	Mirror Mirror	$11,000,000 (-39.3%)	$3,040	$36,473,000
6	21 Jump Street	$10,200,000 (-31.2%)	$3,390	$109,577,000
7	Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax	$5,000,000 (-35.8%)	$1,665	$198,200,000
8	Salmon Fishing in the Yemen	$975,000 (-23.4%)	$1,861	$4,639,000
9	John Carter	$820,000 (-59.6%)	$808	$67,973,000
10	Safe House	$581,000 (-25.5%)	$1,205	$124,751,000

As we are watching the contract negotiations being played out in the public-sphere with Gary Ross, it’s readily apparent that Lionsgate is ready to make their follow up, and it’s because these numbers are excellent – the film crossed $300 Million after 17 days (Note: ’17 Days’ is also a great Prince B-side). Though international hasn’t caught up with the stateside total, the film has already done over a hundred overseas, which means the film has already quintupled its near $80 Million dollar budget. Which also means the sequel will likely be that much bigger, and that is why we’re having such public negotiations.

Reunion might have done better had they thought to make the film in 2009 (when the series was ten years old) instead of now. That the film wasn’t very good didn’t help. Though the film should make $60 Million or possibly even $80 Million, getting everyone back – if even for a second – meant that they had pay to more than they did the first time. At best it was a minor victory of a cash grab, if not not barely break ever.

Titanic was thought to be a stronger contender, but the longer run time meant less shows a day, and a bigger commitment for people who have likely already seen the film. It’s hard to say what’s a win for a 3-D post conversion. It’s not like the film hadn’t already made its money back and then some after it’s record-breaking 1997 release. At this point, the question is how much it takes do the conversion, something that they had been tinkering with for almost a decade.

Mirror Mirror and Wrath of the Titans are both films that will be made or broken by international. Neither look to do $100 million domestic, but their international fates are far from over. 21 Jump Street crossed $100 million and then some, and it will surely be big at home. Otherwise, it’s dregs. John Carter keeps getting kneecapped and will have to settle for a $70 million domestic total. It may be a very bad year for Disney, it depends on how much credit they get for The Avengers. Hopefully Brave is a winner.

Reality Check: I overestimated Titanic, and underestimated week three of Hunger Games, but it appears the latter has done a little bit of leveling off. If it slips 30-40% next weekend, it’s got a good shot at four weeks in the top slot, and a clear shot at doing over $350 Million, though $400 might be out of reach. By then it will be facing summer competition, and that means The Avengers.

What did you see this weekend?

Box Office Predictions: Can ‘Titanic’ Sink ‘The Hunger Games’?

Damon Houx — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:48:02 +0000

I’m guessing Universal didn’t think American Reunion was going to be going up against such heavy competition, but it looks like the reissue of Titanic is already making money. It did $4.7 Million on the day it opened, which is impressive for a three hour plus movie that’s been on home video since 1998. And then there’s The Hunger Games. Busy weekend…

American Reunion is coming 13 years after the third film in the cycle, and though the premise of a reunion is solid, one wonders if the same audience that turned all three previous films into hundred million-plus hits will come back for reheated leftovers. I guess it’s impressive that the entire cast came back in the same way that reunion tours are sort of interesting. But, really, who among them – other than Alyson Hannigan – would have been all that hard to get? The other films were late summer releases, this is an early April title. April used to be dumping grounds, but now every month has a big release or two. Still, I think this was plotted to go up against much weaker competition, and that it’s going to crack $20 Million is good, but were it not surrounded by other films it might have done a pinch better.

Titanic is already out, and already performing strong. I don’t mind 3-D retrofits in that it seems the only way to get studios to reissue older movies. In the era of home video, there’s only so many theaters in the world that specialize in playing classics, and most in America are either in New York or Los Angeles. And with many of those theaters converting to digital, it’s like going to see a projected Blu-ray. That said, I’ve never much cared for the film, because its third act gets its juice from watching the Titanic sink, and I can’t derive pleasure watching a real tragedy turned into action spectacle. It’s one of the biggest films of all time, up there with Gone with the Wind and Avatar, so obviously I’m in the minority on that one. Which is why the film should do in the mid $20′s for the weekend.

And then there’s The Hunger Games, which has been slipping, but should be close to $300 Million come Sunday. It’s a shockingly strong weekend of movies for what used to be the dead season, though things should slow down before The Avengers starts the summer season. Then again, it all depends; Cabin in the Woods and The Three Stooges could do a lot of business.

So let’s predict, shall we?

The Hunger Games – $28.5 Million
Titanic – $23.8 Million
American Reunion - $20.5 Million
Wrath of the Titans - $14.3 Million
Mirror Mirror – $12 Million

I’m going low, figuring Easter weekend will hurt. Reunion could be much bigger, but the tepid reviews make me think it’s DOA.

What are you going to see this weekend?

‘Avatar 2′ Producer: Sequel Not Likely To Be Released Before 2016

Travis Woods — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:37:57 +0000

Bad news for fans of Dances With Wolves in Ferngully the Last Rainforest Avatar—Fox had previously announced that the sequel, Avatar 2, would have a 2014 release date, with Avatar 3 to quickly follow in 2015. However, as /Film points out, Avatar 2 has no green light or official cast, and with James Cameron busying himself with Titanic 3D and making record-busting deep sea dives, the sequel seems to be pushed ever further in the future—so much so that producer Jon Landau has hinted that the earliest we’d see anything from Avatar 2 may not be until 2016.

At a Titanic 3D screening that took place earlier this year, Landau, James Cameron’s long-running producer, stated that Avatar 2 is “likely four years away.”

In a more recent interview, Landau clarified, stating that “movies make release dates; release dates don’t make movies. We want to get it right,” which is something of a relief, as so many films in Hollywood are dictated by a pre-set release date. Landau also stated that the film’s special effects teams are “working on environments, they are working on…some of the movie is going to be underwater, how do we do performance capture underwater.” That said, the fact that Landau has stated that Avatar 2 is at least four years off means that you folks suffering from Pandora-withdrawal are going to have to keep up the cosplay for just a little longer.

What do you think of the Avatar 2 news?

News Roundup: Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Gosling, Titanic 3D, and More

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:22:35 +0000

Several high-profile films are heading to theaters and The Muppets are leading the way! Disney has released their latest parody posters, which feature Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog channeling their inner Twilight. We’ve also snagged the first one-sheet for the revamped, 3D release of Titanic, and we’ve discovered Scarlett Johansson’s new behind the scenes film role!

Catch up below…

Fight for 35mm: If you’re a fan of 35 mm films, beware — they’re in danger! It’s no secret that they’re being pushed out by digital, but soon you won’t be able to watch them. There’s a petition going around called ‘Fight for 35mm’ which aims to keep 35mm films available to screen. As movie lovers, it is our duty to keep that part of film history and production alive. Go over to The Petition Site to sign ‘Fight for 35mm.’
Ashley Greene Interview: The Twilight Saga offers a lot more than just Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. This week, Ashley Greene, who plays Alice in the series, appeared in an interview with MovieLine where she talked about her character’s relationship with Bella and the details of planning her wedding. Check it out at MovieLine.
Bradley Cooper vs. Ryan Gosling: New Yorkers are really in a protesting mood. This week a group of 15 people, in Ryan Gosling masks, showed up outside Manhattan’s Time-Life Building to protest their choice for 2011′s Sexiest Man Alive (Bradley Cooper). The protesters do have some grounds, this was a big year for Gosling. He proved that romantic comedies can still rock, he’s fighting crime on the streets of NYC, and he’s really, really good-looking. Cooper’s great, but as far as 2011 goes — it’s all Gosling.
Titanic Returns: Titanic is returning to theaters 14 years after its debut. Come April 6, you’ll be able to experience the love story that made us cry our eyes out — in 3D. We’ve got a look at the first Titanic 3D poster below. Check it out.

Director Scarlett Johansson: Woody Allen’s muse is switching gears from actress to director. Scarlett Johansson will helm the feature: Summer Crossing. In 2009 she directed the short These Vagabond Shoes (for New York, I Love You), but Crossing will be her feature debut. The plot details are currently being kept under wraps.
The Muppet Saga: The Muppets are coming to theaters next week, are you excited? Before their big screen return, they decided to pay homage to this week’s vampire release: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Check out their Twilight-inspired posters below:

That’s the end of our round-up. Keep checking back at ScreenCrave for more entertainment news.

What are you excited for?

Titanic in 3D Headed to Theaters Spring 2012?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:16:56 +0000

Over the past few years and most recently at 2009′s Comic-Con, we’ve heard about James Cameron’s decision to convert his romantic drama, Titanic into 3D. The director recently attended a private birthday party for the film’s oldest star Gloria Stuart, who played Rose number 2 in the film. She celebrated the big 100 with the majority of the cast and crew from the movie that changed her career and during the celebration The LA Times let the release date for Titanic 3D slip…

It seems as if Cameron discussed the film at Stuart’s party and revealed that he’s, “converting the blockbuster into 3D for re-release in April 2012, the 100th anniversary of the ship’s sinking.” Even though I’m not a fan of the conversion process, it looks like Cameron’s going about it the right way. This isn’t a quick 6 week job. He actually wants to take the time to make sure everything looks right. If only other directors could take a hint.

The release date is a couple of years away and I’d love to see how he plans on juggling this film along with the Avatar sequel. Can he do them both?

Are you interested in seeing Titanic in 3D? Do you think the format will work for the film?

Are You Ready For Titanic 2?

Krystal Clark — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:11:46 +0000

How can you make a sequel to James Cameron’s Titanic? Wasn’t the first film based on actual events that included the demise of 95 percent of the ship’s passengers? The folks at The Asylum production company won’t let a crazy thing like historical facts keep them from making money with the release of their direct to DVD sequel, Titanic 2!

Asylum has a history of adapting well known titles and transforming them into campy knockoffs like The Terminators, Transmorphers, Snakes on a Train, Da Vinci Treasure, and Temple of the Skulls. Titanic 2 was written and directed by Shane Van Dyke and stars Bruce Davison, Brooke Burns, and Marie Westbrook. Here’s a brief synopsis of the film based on the boat that won’t to die…

On the 100th anniversary of the original voyage, a modern luxury liner christened “Titanic 2,” follows the path of its namesake. But when a tsunami hurls an ice berg into the new ship’s path, the passengers and crew must fight to avoid a similar fate.

Sorry but if you’re willingly get on a ship called the “Titanic 2″ you deserve to die a slow and horrible death. Not only is the film’s premise ridiculous but the cast is led by a former “Baywatch” babe (Burns) and the guy who played Senator Kelly (Davison) in the X-Men trilogy.

Would you give Titanic 2 the time of day?

James Cameron Confirms Titanic 3D

Krystal Clark — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:15:06 +0000

For years we’ve been hearing about a possible 3D conversion for James Cameron’s unprecedented drama, Titanic. The director even spoke about it a little bit at last year’s Comic-Con, and now we’re hearing that he’s finally set a release date. The use of 3D has become a major deal-breaker for most Hollywood films and thanks to Cameron’s own Avatar the trend is showing no signs of stopping. So when can we expect to see Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on that ill-fated ship again?

According to Hollywood.com, Cameron wants Titanic 3D to be in theaters by 2012, which would mark the 100th anniversary of the ship’s demise. Isn’t that nostalgic, but in a tragic kind of way? The director won’t just sit back and relax over the next 2 years working on the film, instead he plans on re-releasing Avatar as well. That’s right, the movie that’s still currently running in theaters with over 2 billion dollars in box office revenue will be released again!

He states, “The wildcard is that we might be re-releasing the movie this fall. It’s kind of gotten stomped out (in theaters since the release) of Alice in Wonderland. The word we’re getting back from exhibitors is we probably left a couple of hundred million dollars on the table as a result. The question is [is] the appetite still going to be there after the summer glut of movies. We’re going to assess that. We’re talking about maybe adding in additional footage and doing something creative.”

Can we miss Avatar for a minute? I understand Cameron plans on bringing something new to the table with additional footage, but that’s a tall order. The question shouldn’t be whether or not the summer glut of movies will destroy our visual appetite, Avatar can do that all on its own. In case you missed it earlier, the film is still in theaters and doing well. Just re-release Titanic, and let Avatar work its magic on DVD.

Would you see Titanic in 3D? Do you think Avatar should get a re-release so soon?

Titanic to Set Sail in 3D

Krystal Clark — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:07:24 +0000

We knew this would happen sooner or later. While at this year’s Comic-Con, James Cameron spoke about the possibility of his epic hit Titanic being re-released in 3-D. At the time, he said they only had a few minutes of test footage to go on, but it could definitely happen down the line. According to Reuters, the director’s 3-D dream is about to become a reality thanks to the recent Hollywood trend that’s sweeping the nation.

Disney is leading the way in 3-D releases with films like Alice in Wonderland, Tron Legacy, and the reissuing of Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Special effects company Lightstorm Entertainment have previously run 3-D tests on two of James Cameron’s films, Titanic and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Sources are saying we can expect to hear an official Titanic announcement in less than a year if everything goes according to plan.

Is it bad that I’m more interested in seeing T2 in 3-D than Titanic? It’s a historical epic, with romance and everything else under the sun, but I want some hard core action. The ship only goes down once, explosions and destruction reappear in Terminator every 25 minutes. Hopefully, they aren’t blowing smoke because I’m more than interested in seeing a couple of James Cameron’s films in 3-D. Lets do this!

What do you think about seeing Titanic or Terminator 2 in 3-D?

Revolutionary Road Review: Mendes’ Adaptation the Perfect American Beauty Companion

Michael Da Silva — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:44:18 +0000

Revolutionary Road is a sobering yet intriguing tale of conformity and suburban discontent, using the disintegration of a marriage to illustrate how the dreams of two former free spirits has turned sour. Set in 1955, the plot focuses on the hopes and aspirations of the ambitious Frank and April Wheeler, who leave the city to raise their children in the Connecticut suburbs, where they see themselves as very different from their neighbors in the Revolutionary Hill Estates.

The film is notable for being directed by Sam Mendes, but mostly for its reuniting of Leonardo DiCaprio (Frank) and Kate Winslet (April). Very different from Titanic, this film manages to emphasis how far the pair have come in their respective careers, whilst avoiding the trap of an indulgent and empty wallowing in their reunion. This is mainly due to the strength of the script and the respect Mendes shows to Richard Yates’ much revered 1961 novel of the same name. And it is clear that a decade on, the pair’s chemistry is far from extinct.

Revolutionary Road is faithful to its 1950′s setting without being a nostalgic tribute, and raises questions over the viability of the American dream in post-war and post-depression times; pertinent to many Americans currently suffering the effects of an economic crisis. Mendes demonstrated this expertly and, although the subject matter is not as groundbreaking as it was in 1961 when Yates’ novel was published, Mendes’ articulation of the working limitations of the American dream – packaged in 1950s suburbia – is entirely accurate.

Di Caprio conveys Frank’s frustrations with accuracy and his despair with emotion. Before Martin Scorsese got his hands on Di Caprio for roles in Gangs of New York, The Aviator and The Departed, the role of Frank Wheeler (which he plays in Revolutionary Road), would have been one too far. Scorsese has made Di Caprio not only good but great, and perhaps the role of the luckless Frank will earn him the Oscar he now surely deserves. Winslet too, is excellent. She is assured in her role as the ambitious, yet sometimes deluded April, and portrays her desperation with ease.

With Revolutionary Road, Mendes has created American Beauty’s 9 year cousin. It’s a faithful yet appropriate take on the reality of American life, and the theme of the young couple’s failed move to Paris is a rejection of liberalism, illustrated by the somber downward spiral their welfare follows. But it somehow manages to avoid being a depressing film, more just an honest home truth, which Mendes tells exceeding well.

Movie Science: Mamma Mia Is #1 in the UK – Is This a Colony Thing?

Julio Gagne — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:30:16 +0000

Maybe the whole mad cow thing is making a comeback across the pond. Otherwise, I’m not sure how to explain it. A fluffy, Splenda sweet musical did what James Bond, the Dark Knight or ANY OTHER MOVIE has not been able to do. In 22 weeks, Mamma Mia grossed 69.1 million pounds topping Titanic‘s take by 100,000 pounds…and it’s still playing there. That’s without taking inflation into account it, but still!

So, what is it about a musical wedding movie with a Greek backdrop that swept up our ex-colonists? Their number one film of 2008 is only our twelfth highest grossing film. I predict that if we do a round the world tour we will see a sinister pattern. British colonies will have it in their top ten highest grossing lists (but not in the USA, we had a revolution!) Using data from our friends at box office mojo, let’s take a look around the world and see where ranked among other countries.

To see if any of the ex-British colonies are trying to kiss up to their former motherland, I’ve added all the former colonies in bold.

Argentina = #22
Australia = #2 (Win!)
Austria = #1 (Um, well…take the “al” out and you get Australia!)
Belgium = #12
Brazil = #34
France = #25
Germany = #2 (Yeah, but Hancock was number one, so who can trust German taste)
Greece = #1 (IT WAS FILMED THERE FOR PETE’S SAKE!)
Hong Kong = #21 (Okay, I admit my colonial theory takes a hit with this one. In science it’s called an “outlier”)
India = #90 (Ugh. A body blow. British colony. Loves musicals…)
Italy = #17
Kenya = #31 (I got nothing)
South Africa = #1 (Yes!)
Sweden = #1 (Sigh. Well, it IS ABBA’s home country)

Sweden, South Africa, Greece, Austria, and of course the UK have all have Mamma Mia! ranked as the number one grossing film of the year and Australia and Germany have ranked it there number two. Ah ha! Well not really.

Looks like my hypothesis failed. It’s success really doesn’t have much to do with the British colonies. If it did than how can Kenya, India, and Hong King be so low on the list? And I mean who the hell can explain why Austria has it ranked as number one?

If you have any theories there, let me know!

ScreenCrave.com » titanic

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