Celeb News Aggregate
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Dreamworks has its most successful animated non-sequel ever with Kung Fu Panda (Paramount). The newest movie from Jeffrey Katzenberg's animation house surged 17 percent on Saturday for a $23.4M second day.
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Dreamworks Animation will likely wrap up the weekend with its All-Time Third-Best Opening with Kung Fu Panda (Paramount).
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Most moviegoers' mission Memorial Day weekend will be to see Paramount's "Mission: Impossible 2."
The PG-13-rated action adventure sequel -- known for short as "M:I-2" -- got off to a flying start with its Wednesday opening to $12.5 million at a record-setting 3,653 theaters ($3,422 per theater).
"It's a 37% first choice in the tracking," an insider points out, predicting blockbuster business for the long holiday weekend. Looking back, he adds, the original "Mission" was a 27% first choice when it opened, and last year's "Star Wars: Episode One -- The Phantom Menace" was a 43% first choice.
"M:I-2's" Wednesday gross compares very favorably to the original "Mission: Impossible's" opening day total of $11.8 million for Wed., May 22, 1996, at 3,012 theaters ($3,918 per theater). That gross actually included pre-opening Tuesday night preview showings as well
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News, Jan. 21: Matthew Perry, Alicia Silverstone Picked As "Fun, Fearless"; Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson Go On Tour; Dustin Hoffman Joins "Focker" Cast; Ben Stiller Robert De Niro Janet Jackson Diane Keaton
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Box Office Analysis, Oct. 12: Kill Bill opens in the top spot followed by School of Rock Intolerable Cruelty Good Boy! Out of Time House of the Dead The Rundown Under the Tuscan Sun Secondhand Lions Lost In Translation Mystic River
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Looks like Quentin Tarantino fans will have to visit theaters twice to see his upcoming thriller Kill Bill.
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Britney Spears No Virgin, Angelina Jolie Talks Sex, Knives and Motherhood, Renee Zellweger and Russell Crowe in "Cinderella" Story Ron Howard John Malkovich Robert Blake Pamela Anderson Stan Lee Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Cameron Diaz Lucy Liu Drew Barrymore
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Three beautiful private detectives knocked the mean, green machine out of competition at the box office this weekend as the mega-hyped action sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle took the No. 1 title with $38 million. Top 10: Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle The Hulk Finding Nemo 28 Days Later Bruce Almighty 2 Fast 2 Furious The Italian Job Rugrats Go Wild Hollywood Homicide Alex & Emma
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Celebs young and old turned out Sunday for the Young Hollywood Awards presented by AMC and Movieline's Hollywood Life magazine. The event, which celebrates the accomplishments of Hollywood's brightest young talent, featured many stars, including Mandy Moore, Eve , Lucy Liu and Kate Bosworth.
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Jack Osbourne of MTV's hit reality show The Osbournes is receiving treatment in a California rehab clinic. Also: Luther Vandross Star Wars: Episode III Luke Perry Mr. 3000 Bernie Mac Apple Computers iTunes Music Store Steven Brill Without a Paddle Lucy Liu Charlie Chan
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Box Office Analysis: Sept. 29 - Sweet Home Alabama The Tuxedo Barbershop My Big Fat Greek Wedding Signs Stealing Harvard Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever One Hour Photo Swimfan
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As studios start vying for coveted release dates for their summer 2003 blockbusters, Columbia Pictures has announced its release schedule for next summer, starting with the Charlie's Angels sequel.
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Box Office Report: Sept. 22
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Universal Studios is getting ready for a third helping of American Pie, which is set to begin filming in January.
American Pie 3 Jesse Dylan Jason Biggs Alyson Hannigan Eugene Levy Lance Bass Jeremy Irons Demi Moore Charlie's Angels 2: Halo Jonathan Demme Jodie Foster Barbershop sequel Biker Boyz Lisa Bonet
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News Roundup for June 3: Rapper Jay-Z and mogul Russell Simmons stage a protest on NY's City Hall. Other celebrities and movies mentioned Gene Simmons Bernie Mac Cameron Diaz Lucy Liu Drew Barrymore Jessica Alba Joel Coen Cedric the Entertainer Catherine Zeta-Jones George Clooney Jack Nicholson Adam Sandler
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News roundup: April 19. Top story: Quentin Tarantino's book Kill Bill has its publishing rights picked up. Other stories on: Tammy Wynette lawsuit, Fergie's move, Max Payne, Jon Favreau (Elf), ACTRA vs. SAG, Barry Manilow, VH1 Divas Las Vegas (Celine Dion, The Dixie Chicks, Mary J. Blige, Cher and Shakira), and Usher + Chilli
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Singer Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio have obtained a permanent restraining order against Venezuelan actor-singer Juan Carlos Diaz
Warren Beatty Quentin Tarantino Davide Carradine Kill Bill The Honeymooners Danny Jacobson Rodney Dangerfield Once and Again Sela Ward Grammys Jennifer Lopez AJ McLean Lyle Lovett Ron Wood George Clinton
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Yoko Ono unveiled a seven-foot bronze statue of John Lennon on Friday commemorating the renaming of Liverpool's airport to Liverpool John Lennon Airport
20th Century Fox The Beach Paul McCartney Heather Mills Arnold Schwarzenegger West World Terminator 3 Screen Actors Guild Russell Crowe Master and Commander Beyond Borders Darryl Hannah Lucy Liu Kill Bill Lauren Hill David Blaine Bono
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Listen Up!: Gene Simmons: Behind the make-up
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Mel Gibson looking to star in film about the ill-fated USS Indianapolis; Winona Ryder will star in a British romantic comedy; Steven Soderbergh will be directing a sequel to "sex, lies and videotape"; "Fast and Furious" Paul Walker may do a "SWAT" movie; there will be a 10th "Star Trek" movie directed by Stuart Baird ("Executive Decision"); Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu are starring in a movie together; Reese Witherspoon takes on the world of tennis in her next film; "Dolemite" to be remade with LL Cool J.
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After a record-setting Thanksgiving feast, Hollywood got only box office crumbs this weekend as ticket sales plunged 50% from their holiday levels.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated blockbuster comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" continued to top the chart in its third weekend with a still festive estimated $27.11 million (-48%) at 3,138 theaters (+4 theaters; $8,640 per theater). Its cume is approximately $172.0 million, heading for $250 million.
(NOTE: All percentage comparisons today are calculated against the three-day weekend portion of the five-day Thanksgiving holiday period.)
"Grinch" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend.
"'Grinch is great!" Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "It's satisfying all audiences. In its third weekend 'Gri
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"The Grinch" continued making a mountain of money, easily holding on to first place for a fourth straight weekend.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated blockbuster comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" topped the chart in its fourth week with a still magical estimated $18.46 million (-32%) at 3,186 theaters (+48 theaters; $5,795 per theater). Its cume is approximately $195.5 million, heading for $250 million-plus.
"It's exhilarating to have 'Grinch' the Number One film four weekends in a row; and as we move closer to the actual holiday season, having this film achieve the $200 million mark prior to that is most gratifying for Universal and Imagine Entertainment," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning.
"It will hit $200 million by the end of this week or with Friday's business. I can no longer say 'depend
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 26, 2000 -- Dr. Seuss' "Grinch" was just what the doctor ordered for theater owners, lifting their spirits with nearly $74 million in Thanksgiving ticket sales.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated blockbuster comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer and star Jim Carrey easily held on to the top spot in its second weekend.
Going into the long Thanksgiving period, insiders' were seeing stiff competition on their radar screens for "Grinch" from Buena Vista's twin openings of "Unbreakable" (Touchstone) and "102 Dalmatians" (Disney). But it was clear as early as Thanksgiving morning when estimates of Wednesday's grosses became available that "Grinch" would top the holiday chart. Nonetheless, Buena Vista's two new arrivals together carved themselves a robust $74 million slice of box o
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"The Grinch" stole the weekend box office with $55 million in very green grosses.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" easily evicted "Charlie's Angels" from first place with a record-setting estimated $55.11 million at 3,127 theaters ($17,625 per theater).
"Grinch," which is playing on over 4,200 screens, had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide or limited release last weekend.
"It's the highest non-sequel opener ever," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "In all-time rankings, it's fifth, including holidays and summer because four others are sequels. It's Universal's biggest non-holiday opening because we have the Number One with 'Lost World.' It's the Number Two November opening ever, behind 'Toy Story 2,' which was the Thanksgiving holid
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"Charlie's Angels" won this weekend's box office election by a mile despite projections that "Little Nicky" might give it a devil of a time.
"Angels," Columbia's PG-13 action adventure comedy, continued kicking box office butt in its second weekend with a still sexy estimated $25.0 million (-38%) at 3,037 theaters (theater count unchanged; $8,232 per theater). Its cume is approximately $75.4 million, heading for $150 million or more.
"Angels" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in 500 or more theaters last weekend.
"Great news for us," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing & distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "It's just a terrific hold considering the record opening we had the week before."
Asked where "Angels" is going, Blake replied, "We should be able to hit $100 million by Thanksgiving and still have t
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With heavenly grosses clearly on the horizon, "Charlie's Angels" is poised to kick off in first place this weekend.
The PG-13 action adventure comedy opening via Columbia at 3,037 theaters is flying high on Hollywood's advance radar screen.
"I feel this movie is (going to open) closer to $30 million than $20 million," predicts one insider. "I think it's going to get every teenager out there -- male and female."
"Number one by far," agrees another studio executive. "About $25 million-plus. It's (big) across the board. It looks solid in the male category, but extra solid in the young female category."
Directed by McG, "Angels" stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray.
"Angels" is expected to do what no other film has managed to do the past four weeks -- beat the 'Parents!' After a month atop the chart, Universal's PG-13 comedy blo
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Lucy Liu is likely to appear in only four episodes of Ally McBeal next season, the New York Daily News reported Monday, citing a source close to the show.N
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HOLLYWOOD, May 24, 2000 -- It’s the kiss that’s on everyone’s lips this week. After a season of teenage angst and longing, tonight’s season finale of “Dawson’s Creek” (8 p.m. EDT/PDT, WB) features the first passionate homosexual kiss between two men to ever take place on primetime television. In the episode, titled “True Love,” Jack McPhee (Kerr Smith), who came out last season after briefly dating Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), shares an onscreen kiss with friend-turned-boyfriend Ethan (Adam Kauffman).
No less than the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has branded the smooch "historic." And while the kiss between Jack and Ethan might indeed be primetimes's first romantic kiss between two men, it's hardly the first gay kiss on the tube.
Herein are some examples of primetime television’s gay and lesbian smooches:
"Melrose Place": On May 18, 1994, Matt (Dou
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Winners of the sometimes bizarre and always hip MTV Movie Awards.
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A major cast makeover is in the works for David Kelley's dramedy Ally McBeal.
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The award for best on-screen team of actors at MTV's movie awards went to the trio of femme fatales from Charlie's Angels, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. Diaz was the only one on hand to take the MTV bucket-of-popcorn statuette, and she bemoaned her partners' absence.
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"The Grinch" should gobble up more Thanksgiving box office leftovers than any other movie this weekend.
"Everything will take a 50-60% drop, particularly the family films," predicts one insider, anticipating a replay of last weekend's chart, since there are no new wide openings.
"You've got to figure that 50% drops are in line," another studio executive agrees. "There's no doubt about that. It always happens."
Should someone have opened a picture this weekend? "No," replies a distributor, "not unless you had a teenage film like 'Scream.' It's not a good weekend for box office. People are getting set for the holidays and they're drained. They're tired from Thanksgiving and they've got to get going with their Christmas shopping. We did a quarter of a billion dollars over Thanksgiving, so everybody went to the movies last weekend."
Universal and Imagine Enter
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Three films should enjoy heaping portions of box office pie over a five-day Thanksgiving period in which the marketplace expands to $240 million or more.
Which movie carves itself the biggest slice of holiday business remains to be seen, but insiders say the happy chart-topping trio will be Universal and Imagine Entertainment's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," last weekend's Number One film, and Buena Vista's two openings -- Disney's "102 Dalmatians" and Touchstone's "Unbreakable."
Also likely to be well fed at the holiday box office buffet are two holdovers -- Paramount and Nickelodeon's "Rugrats In Paris" and Columbia's "Charlie's Angels."
After kicking off to $55.1 million last weekend, the PG-rated comedy adventure "Grinch" should have $70 million as it goes into this weekend at 3,134 theaters (up 7 runs from last week). It should have
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 16, 2000-- "The Grinch" should steal first place from "Charlie's Angels" this weekend.
"'Grinch' is going to be number one," an insider predicts without having to think twice. "You can count on $30 million-plus, and it could even be much higher. The question is will the market expand? I believe that it can."
The PG-rated comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from Universal and Imagine Entertainment, opening at 3,127 theaters and on over 4,200 screens, is expected to turn box offices everywhere green.
Directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Grazer, "Grinch" stars Jim Carrey.
Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' G-rated animated sequel "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie" should be a lively number two, opening at 2,934 theaters.
"The first 'Rugrats' opened to $27 million, but there was nothing else in
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This weekend's box office election is too close to call, according to insiders who see a close race between "Charlie's Angels" and "Little Nicky" for the popular vote.
Columbia's PG-13-rated action adventure comedy kicked off to a record setting $40.1 million last weekend. New Line's PG-13-rated youth appeal comedy "Little Nicky," opening at about 2,910 theaters, is flying high on the Hollywood radar screen.
"It probably will fall less than 50%," an insider predicts about "Angels." "Figure 40%. So you're looking at $24 million. It could be a tight race with 'Little Nicky.' I'd have to say $22-24 million for both of them."
"I think you've got to figure it's 'Charlie's Angels' again unless 'Little Nicky' just really surges here at the last minute, which it could with young males," another studio executive cautions.
Directed by McG, "Angels" s
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"Charlie's Angels" kicked off to a divine, butt-kicking $40.5 million, sending weekend ticket sales soaring about 37% over last year.
Columbia's PG-13 action adventure comedy had been a high flyer on Hollywood's advance radar screen with insiders anticipating a $25-30 million opening. Instead, "Angels" arrived to a spectacular, record-setting ESTIMATED $40.5 million at 3,037 theaters ($13,335 per theater).
"Angels" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide or limited release last weekend.
"It's the biggest non-summer opening ever -- period," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing & distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. Noting that "Angels" helped push weekend ticket sales by all key films in the marketplace to nearly $101 million, he added, "It's the first $100 million weekend since Labor Day."
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 1, 2000 -- It won't just be difficult, it will be virtually impossible to evict "Mission: Impossible 2" from first place this weekend.
After opening to nearly $92 million for the six-day Memorial Day holiday period, Paramount's "M:I-2" is certain to hold on to the top spot on the chart in its second week.
The PG-13 action adventure sequel did $96.3 million its first seven days in theaters vs. the original "Mission's" $79 million. The sequel cracked $100 million on Wednesday, its eighth day in release, and is heading for $200-250 million in the U.S. and Canada. It should do $300-350 million in international theaters, giving it a likely worldwide cume of $500-600 million, compared to the first film's $465 million.
"'Mission' will be number one," promises one insider. "The first one dropped 52 percent in its second weekend. This one did $57
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Charlie's Angels' Lucy Liu will play more spy games in Pandora Film's The Company Man, with Brit actor Jeremy Northam (The Golden Bowl). Northam is a reluctant corporate spy who must depend on Liu in order to survive.
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The month of April welcomes the spring season, and with spring comes the season of love. Among the most recent weddings: Brooke Shields married television writer Chris Henchy on Tuesday. Last week, Drew Barrymore and comedian Tom Green surprised everyone by announcing that they had tied the knot.
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 26, 2000 -- The holiday weekend box office saw lots of green, and it wasn't just money.
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas held on to the No. 1 spot for a second consecutive week over the five-day holiday weekend, raking in $73.77 million and bringing its total box office gross to $137.4 million, according to estimates by Hollywood.com's box office analyst, Martin Grove.
Starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch, the film beat out two high-profile films that were expected to give "The Grinch" the most competition at the box office: "Unbreakable," which took in $47.2 million, and "102 Dalmatians," with $26.8 million. The films grabbed the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.
"Unbreakable" is M. Night Shyamalan's follow-up to last year's blockbuster sleeper hit "The Sixth Sense." The film stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. "102 Dalmatians," th
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 22, 2000 -- The "Angels" may never have seen their Charlie, but at least two of them got to meet Prince Charles.
Resident 'Angels' Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu got the royal treatment Tuesday when Britain's Prince Charles hosted the actresses at a palace dinner. The feast was the royal one's way to thank the angels for lending the film's London premiere for his Prince's Trust charity.
The third angel, Cameron Diaz, was a no-show at the event due to prior film commitments in the United States.
EASY RIDER: You can now add Christmas Parade grand marshal to the weird and twisted roles actor Dennis Hopper has played in his weird and twisted career.
According to The Associated Press, the easy rider has accepted Hollywood Christmas Parade's invite to serve as its grand marshal this year.
"First of all I was shocked, and then I looked at my
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 14, 2000 -- Does the female sex sell?
Judging from "Charlie's Angels" $75.4 million take in two weeks, the answer is a definite ... maybe.
The Drew Barrymore - Cameron Diaz - Lucy Liu starrer has overcome its infamous casting, script and $90 million production woes to become a bonafide hit. Milking its combination of cleavage, kung-fu fighting and Diaz's dance moves, "Charlie's Angels" urged moviegoers to "get some action," which they did, taking a strong summer for women and kicking it up a couple notches.
Once upon a time -- er, last spring, actually -- the Island of Moneymaking Girl-Power Movies only had one survivor: Julia Roberts. Sandra Bullock is in career rehab, Jodie Foster's a hit-or-miss. Meg Ryan and Michelle Pfeiffer owe half their box office draw to their huge male co-stars, while Sharon Stone is banking on "Basic Instinct 2" to reviv
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 13, 2000 -- The Teletubbies have packed their bags and are heading for Russia.
The children's TV show featuring four brightly colored creatures who speak like babies will soon debut in Russia much to the anticipation of hundreds of thousands of children there, Reuters reports.
Word is that the state broadcaster RTR has purchased all 365 episodes of the Teletubbies from BBC Worldwide. The Teletubbies debuted in England three years ago and to date have grossed more than $143 million, mostly in merchandising.
The show has been a hit in every country it's been aired.
AN ANGELIC PRICE: ABC is moving into the business of angels, "Charlie's Angels" that is. The network has coughed up more than $35 million to land the TV rights to the blockbuster film starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
B
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 12, 2000 -- Girls ruled again as "Charlie’s Angels" held on to the top spot at the weekend box office for a second consecutive week, defeating the likes of Adam Sandler, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Val Kilmer.
"Charlie’s Angels," starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu and directed by Joseph McGinty Nichol (aka McG), took in an estimated $25 million, according to estimates by Exhibitor Relations.
Adam Sandler’s devil of a new comedy "Little Nicky" bowed at No. 2 with $18.6 million, and the U.S. Navy drama "Men of Honor" starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert De Niro grabbed the No. 3 spot with an estimated $14 million.
Showing little sign of weakening, "Meet the Parents" took in another $10.59 million over the weekend, bringing its grand total to $130.3 million.
Another debut, "Red Planet" starring Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss and Tom Siz
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HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 2, 2000 -- As the world undoubtedly knows, the long-awaited, hotly contested (behind the scenes, anyway) "Charlie's Angels" flick will finally open Friday.
In case you haven't already heard, in the Y2K version, there'll be Natalie (Cameron Diaz), the nerdy one who can dance; Dylan (Drew Barrymore), the street-smart one; and Alex (Lucy Liu), the sexy one.
And, of course, the new angels are all across-the-board beautiful and equally trained in the discipline of martial arts.
But as seasoned tube watchers know, before Drew, Cameron and Lucy, there were Farrah, Kate, Jaclyn, Cheryl, Shelley and Tanya.
Feeling Nostalgic? Well, it's a good thing that we have below the handy biographical profiles of these titular old-school Angels.
WHO: Jill Munroe AKA: Farrah Fawcett TENURE: One season: 1976-1977, with regular guest appearances throu
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HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 8, 2000 -- Lil’ Kim is a double, well, um, winner. No, she didn’t win at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
People magazine has bestowed two titles on the diva rapper: the year’s worst dressed AND the year’s least dressed.
Joining Kim on the worst-dressed list were teen diva Christina Aguilera, “Ally McBeal” co-stars Portia De Rossi and Lucy Liu, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lara Flynn Boyle, Lauren Holly, Renee Zellweger and Bebe Neuwirth.
A lone male joined the unsightly women: Bruce Willis.
Jennifer Lopez Joining Kim in wearing barely nothing this year (or the new category of least dressed), says People, were Halle Berry, fond of showing off her thong-th-thong-thong-thong, and Jennifer Lopez, fond of showing off everything else.
Well, enough bad news about badly dressed stars.
People named a bevy of beauties as its best dre
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HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 8, 2000 - -- So who cares about Kathie Lee now that she’s off the tube? Answer: The National Enquirer, of course.
In a week seemingly devoid of major dirt, the tab has devoted a centerfold piece covering the post-talk show life of perky Kathie Lee.
And this is what the Enquirer has to tell us: 1) Kathie Lee spent three weeks on a cruise with hubby Frank and kiddies Cody and Cassidy vacationing to France. 2) During the trip, Kathie Lee and Frank has rediscovered their love for each other. And 3) Kathie Lee is happy.
A slow week, indeed.
And now, it is time for other tab reports that really matter:
1. "Little Hercules -- Believe It or Not, Muscle Kid Is Just Seven Years Old!" (Globe, p. 46) And yes, there’s even a photo of a kid with rippling muscles and a six pack to prove it –- except, to us at least, it looks a lot like the kid’
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HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 23, 2000 -- After months of speculation and rumors of alleged fights on the set, "Charlie's Angels" star Lucy Liu is fessing up. No! She did NOT take a swing at co-star Bill Murray during filming.
The 31-year-old "Ally McBeal" star says the two did have creative differences during one, count 'em, one scene, but that she never tried to clock him in the jaw, The Associated Press reports. And word now is that the two are on very good terms.
Great! We can all sleep now.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT: Muhammad Ali was on the ropes, but now he's stinging like a bee again. "Ali," the Columbia Pictures film about one of the greatest fighters ever, was almost scrapped last week when its director, Michael Mann ("The Insider"), alerted execs at the studio that he might not finish the movie in time within the $106 million budget.
But after a series of talks and ag
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"Gone In 60 Seconds" should have no trouble finding first place parking this weekend.
With a first-choice tracking of 27%, the PG-13-rated action thriller from Buena Vista/Touchstone is on track to steal $30-35 million at 3,006 theaters. Insiders point out that if it opens as well as "The Rock" - $25.1 million at 2,392 theaters June 7-9, 1996 ($10,481 per theater) - it would gross $31.5 million.
Who most wants to go to "Gone?" "It's very much young male," an insider says of the film's appeal. "The overall definite interest is 55%, but for young males (under 25) it's 69% and it's 46% for older men (over 25). It's 57% for young women and 48% for older women."
Look for "Gone" to drive Paramount's "Mission: Impossible-2" down one ramp to second place in its third week. The PG-13 blockbuster action adventure sequel's 19% first-choice tracking suggests "M:I-2"
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Paramount's "Mission: Impossible 2" was saying, "mission accomplished" early Sunday morning.
"M:I-2" dominated Memorial Day weekend with an ESTIMATED $59 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday and $74 million for four days (Friday through Monday).
"M:I-2" easily out-performed the original 1996 "Mission." If the sequel comes in with a four-day gross of $74 million at 3,653 theaters ($20,257 per theater), it will be about 30% ahead of the first "Mission's" $56.8 million.
The sequel's ESTIMATED six-day cume (Wednesday-Monday) of $95 million is about 27% bigger than the original's $74.9 million, which also included Tuesday night previews.
Not surprisingly, "M:I-2's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide or limited release this weekend.
Speculation elsewhere that "M:I-2" would break or come close to
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Moviegoers accepted the mission of seeing Paramount's "Mission: Impossible 2" over Memorial Day weekend.
"M:I-2's four-day gross of an ESTIMATED $71.8 million at 3,653 theaters ($19,655 per theater) is 26.4% bigger than the first "Mission's" $56.8 million. It puts "M:I-2" into the record books as the second-biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever.
The biggest Memorial Day opening, Universal and Amblin's 1997 launch of "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," did $90.2 million for four days (May 23-26), but opened on a Friday. "M:I-2's" Wednesday kick off diverted $21 million of ticket sales into Wednesday and Thursday, which might otherwise have bulked up its gross for Friday through Monday.
The sequel's ESTIMATED six-day cume (Wednesday-Monday) of $92.8 million is 23.9% bigger than the original's $74.9 million, which also included Tuesday night previews. "M:I-
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Dinosaurs snapped back to life this weekend as Buena Vista/Disney's "Dinosaur" kicked off to nearly $39 million.
The PG-rated, computer-animated feature, which cut short the chart-topping reign of DreamWorks' "Gladiator," set a record as the year's biggest opening with an ESTIMATED $38.6 million at 3,257 theaters ($11,860 per theater).
"Dinosaur's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide or limited release this weekend.
"I think it's great," Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning.
Noting that some studios had estimated the picture as opening to even bigger numbers, Viane said, "I know some of my competitors have given me more credit than we're giving ourselves, but I'd rather see it than say it and then have to back off. If tomorrow (when actual weekend figures are released) it's a bigger num
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A "Dino"-mite opening by Disney's "Dinosaur" should cut DreamWorks' "Gladiator" down to size this weekend.
After its two-week box office reign, "Gladiator" should fall prey to Buena Vista/Disney's opening of its PG-rated computer-animated "Dinosaur" at 3,257 theaters.
"Dinosaur's" 21% first-choice tracking doesn't really tell the whole story, according to insiders. "It's just fine, because kids' movies don't track," says one executive.
Estimates by Hollywood handicappers of just how big "Dinosaur" will open range from a cautious $25-35 million to a really exuberant $35-40 million. Making projections even more challenging is the fact that a great many "Dinosaur" tickets will be sold at reduced prices to children.
"'Lion King' did $40.9 million in its opening weekend," explains one source. "Now, it opened the end of June. Kids were out of school
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 3, 2000 -- Just when you're sick of all the rumors about who will play Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode II," here's another one. USA Today is reporting that George Lucas met last weekend with several (unnamed) actors who are under consideration for the coveted role as the young Darth Vader. At his Skywalker Ranch compound in California's Marin County, Lucas reportedly subjected the actors to a digital screen test opposite Natalie Portman, who will reprise her role as Queen Amidala, Anakin's bride-to-be.
Naturally, no one's saying whether anyone aced the audition.
"It could be several weeks before we know anyting," producer Rick McCallum told the newspaper.
But the rumor mill cannot wait for facts. Over the past day or so, lots of "Star Wars"-obsessed Web sites have been positing that Colin Hanks (co-star of TV's "Roswell," son of
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 2, 2000 -- A "Charlie's Angels" movie? Probably sounded like a pretty damn good idea. But as incessant set reports have made clear, the flick has been anything but a pretty good damn thing. (See below.)
The latest "Angels" foible comes in the form of the reputed resignation by Bill Murray, who, wags have it, stomped off the project April 17 after an argument between him and co-star Lucy Liu -- an argument in which the feisty "Ally McBeal" chick supposedly threw air punches at the beloved comic.
While the folks at Sony Pictures, the studio behind the flick, remained mum when we called for comments, the fact is that the Murray-Liu feud is merely the most recent footnote to a project long plagued by mishaps, gossips, rumored implosions and bad publicity.
Here's a recap of all nail-breaking, ego-clashing fun:
CASTING
Though D
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SANTA MONICA, Calif. March 28, 2000 -- We knew Gil Bellows was leaving "Ally McBeal." We knew his character had a brain tumor (as diagnosed last week). And maybe we'd even read that he (the character) was going to exit the show by, you know, kicking the bucket. But did we know he was going to drop dead last night?
Not all of us, apparently.
The Internet is reeling today with debate over the death of "Ally McBeal" lawyer Billy Alan Thomas, who in Monday's episode gave new meaning to the term "closing argument," passing away in court, felled by a cerebral hemorrhage entirely unrelated to that brain-tumor thing.
In a post entitled "Good Lord He Died," one fan on the alt.tv.ally-mcbeal newsgroup writes: "I CANNOT believe it! I was totally unprepared for it ... Was there any spoiler that predicted this?"
The consensus among Netizens is, yes, there were spoiler
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 25, 2000 -- The report on "Minority Report?" Likely a go.
We told you Sunday that Tom Cruise hopes the sci-fi thriller will be his next project. Now it looks like Steven Spielberg is confirming the same.
Cruise, a Golden Globe winner over the weekend for "Magnolia," addressed the project backstage, saying, "We're gonna make that movie -- Steven and I have been meeting and talking about it, and we really want to work together and we really want to make 'Minority Report.'"
And Spielberg's response? There're two versions. While trade papers report today that "Minority Report" is among the likely candidates (the children's book "Harry Potter" and the sci-fi flick "A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)" being the others) the acclaimed director is considering to tackle, the New York tab, on the other hand, is reporting that a Spielberg/Cruise "Report" i
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SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 19, 2000 -- She set an extra-terrestrial free, set some houses on fire and set a new trend in Cinderellas. But who knew Drew Barrymore could make people laugh?
The National Association of Theater Owners, apparently. The 24-year-old actress, who starred in last spring's hit comedy "Never Been Kissed," has been named ShoWest 2000 Comedy Star of the Year, the first actress to receive the award.
The actress, who will be honored at the ShoWest convention March 9, is currently working on the oft-discussed, big-screen adaptation of "Charlie's Angels," co-starring Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu. Now that Drew's a branded funnywoman, does that mean she's taking the Kate Jackson role?
MICHAEL-CATHERINE WEDDING WATCH: After tabloids reported about a possible wedding at the Spanish resort island of Majorca, now comes word that Couple of the Millennium (s
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The sequel to Charlie's Angels is looking to start shooting as early as spring 2002, producer Leonard Goldberg confirmed to Variety. "Depending on whether a strike happens, we should have the script in four to six weeks," Goldberg said. "We'll take it to the Angels for their perusal, and if they like it, Sony can sit down with them and make a deal." The film will reunite the girls--Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz-along with the director McG. Barrymore will co-produce with Goldberg.
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"Shaft" was the man this weekend, easily stealing first place at the box office from "Gone in 60 Seconds."
Paramount's R-rated urban appeal remake kicked off to a muscular ESTIMATED $21.1 million at 2,337 theaters ($9,029 per theater).
"Shaft's" per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"It's great. It's a good opening," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning.
"We're very pleased with it, obviously. Early on, we thought it would be $18-22 million, so it fell right in the range that we were looking at, and it's a little bit on the high side of it."
Asked who the film's audience was, Lewellen noted, "I haven't seen the exit polls yet. I think it must have played young, at least that's what our research told us up front. Young males are the primary audience. The p