Black Sheep @ The Box Office

This is it, folks.  This is the last box office report for the summer of 2010.  Next week, Black Sheep will take a look at the summer as a whole, picking both the biggest winners and saddest losers.  Knowing how this summer performed though, I would say we're in for a bigger share of disappointment than success.

I think I just learnt this posture in yoga. I think it's called "Arching the Demon".

That said, this last weekend in August performed better than expected overall.  THE LAST EXORCISM and TAKERS both pulled in more than $21 million when neither was expected to come near $20 million to begin with.  With only $300K difference between them, THE LAST EXORCISM is a very tentative winner and final figures could see TAKERS, uh, take the top spot away.  The next three titles, THE EXPENDABLES, EAT PRAY LOVE and THE OTHER GUYS can all celebrate for each pulling in grand totals matching roughly what their estimated budgets were reported as ($80 million, $60 million and $100 million, respectively).  Meanwhile, the film with the slightest drop over last week is INCEPTION, which actually climbs back up two spots this week.  Below the Top 10, French import, MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT opened to an adequate $5.4K average and $150K total and Robert Duvall's black comedy, GET LOW, continued its successful expansion, pulling in another $1.7 million this week for a $3.7 million total.  Finally, James Cameron's AVATAR: SPECIAL EDITION had to settle for 12th place this weekend, pulling in just $4 million on a little over 800 screens.  It isn't that shocking that the biggest film of all time missed the Top 10 in its first reissue considering there was a surprisingly sparse campaign behind it.  The extra cash has allowed it to surpass the $750 million mark domestically.

When are groups of guys on rooftops ever up to any good?

NEXT WEEK: George Clooney goes international on Wednesday in THE AMERICAN on over 2700 screens.  Drew Barrymore and Justin Long try the New York/L.A. thing in GOING THE DISTANCE on more than 2900 screens on Friday.  Also on Friday, Lindsay Lohan returns to the screen as a gun-toting nun in Robert Rodriguez's B-movie revival, MACHETE (2500 screens).

Source: Box Office Mojo

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AVATAR REVISITED

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JAMES CAMERON

STARRING SAM WORTHINGTON, ZOE SALDANA, MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ AND SIGOURNEY WEAVER

Jake Sully: I see you.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The biggest film of all time is about to get bigger when James Cameron's AVATAR returns to 700 screens this week with nine minutes of new footage.  AVATAR is one of those movies that I enjoyed but that I did not enjoy nearly as much as the general population did.  Usually when this happens, especially when the film in question almost takes home the Oscar for Best Picture, I tend to dislike the film more than I originally did as a reaction to that response.  What better time then to go back and see what I wrote initially, knowing full well that I was much kinder to this film than I should have been.  Darn hype.

The text in white is my original review.  The text in blue is new.  The text in blue is also not blue for AVATAR; it is just blue.

And here we are. The day has finally arrived. It only took about ten years but James Cameron’s labour of a lot of love, AVATAR, has finally been revealed to a world that has been desperately waiting for it. You’d think it were the second coming from the way people have been lining up for tickets or even from the way in which the film has been marketed. Supposedly, it will change the way we see movies. I haven’t seen a “normal” movie since watching AVATAR earlier today so I can’t fully test that theory but I can see where they’re going with it. AVATAR is nothing if not inventive and expansive. It is certainly unlike anything I’ve seen before but I’m not necessarily clamoring to see it again and again.

So far, I agree with myself.  I actually cannot imagine watching AVATAR again ever.  It was long but still packed a ton of excitement so I got through it.  I feel the second time around though will just be long without the WOW factor.  Also, I have now seen many more "normal" movies since AVATAR and I can't say it has ruined any of them for me.  Well, except for STEP UP 3D - maybe if I had not seen the far more impressive AVATAR 3D first, that movie would have been a blast.  (Please tell me you read that sarcastically.)

I should mention that I’m something of a purist. I am a great lover of cinema but I’m not always able to get on board with drastic change right away. AVATAR presents great possibility for the future of cinema. 3D technology has never been applied to live-action footage (if we can really call this live-action, considering only 40% is real footage and the rest is CG) as extensively as it has been here. My concern is that it could always end up gimmicky instead of relevant. Cameron infuses 3D into AVATAR with such delicate care though that every image becomes an interactive experience. At times, it is as if he is speaking directly to the audience with a visual language that is as original as the planet Pandora, where all of this movie magic takes place. The visual impact is staggering but it is the manner in which the audience is involved in the picture that will make AVATAR memorable.

Look at me all laying it on thick.  I've said this before but it bears repeating.  AVATAR is a great experience, not a great movie.  It is true that Cameron's 3D in this film has yet to be matched.  Sadly, it has also inspired a bunch of unnecessary 3D experiences.  Still, Cameron did it right, expanding on the film's depth - well, visual depth, anyway.  I read a Cameron quote the other day that basically said he wants to see the day when it doesn't say "In 3D" on posters anymore just like it no longer says "In Colour".  If they do it with his technical approach, it is definitely a possibility.

Now, if Cameron had spent as much time fleshing out his story and characters as he did on the look of the film, he might have had a masterpiece on his hands. The film’s failings are not so bad that they detract from the overall enjoyment factor but with a near three-hour run time, I found myself facing them more often than I would have liked to. If it weren’t for the technological advancements, AVATAR would be nothing more than a really long commercial for going green. None too surprisingly, mankind (or maybe just the Americans as they are the only people around) messes up Earth pretty bad in the future and needs to go elsewhere to pillage for natural resources. Pandora is a highly volatile environment and its inhabitants are deeply spiritual, have a profound connection to their planet and subsequently are completely misunderstood by the belligerent invaders. By keeping it vague, Cameron paints a blanket evil and gives it the already hated face of corporate America. Who knew their reign of terror had such far reach?

In the same Cameron interview I read recently, Cameron talked about how the extra footage being added to this expanded version and the even longer version coming to home video in the fall, was added to appease the fans who said they wanted to see more Pandora.  More pretty footage is not going to serve the story any better and I think this kind of thinking perfectly demonstrates Cameron's own disinterest with his story.  There was a reason the screenplay Oscar was one of the only nods the film didn't garner.  Furthermore, who is the director here?  Why do the fans get to decide what should be in this movie?  Also, between the additional footage and the two planned AVATAR sequels, I feel like Cameron will be seeing the world in blue until the day he dies.

Whether AVATAR will truly change the way we watch movies remains to be seen. Only time will tell if the technology Cameron pushed is used to strengthen or further cheapen Hollywood films. That same time will tell whether AVATAR is a passing fascination or a truly great piece of cinema. There is no denying though that Cameron has justified his crown as one of the great blockbuster filmmakers of our time. He has crafted a work that truly transcends what it means to see a film and invites the audience to partake in a unique experience instead. For the first time in a long time, Hollywood has a movie that is a must-see on the big screen.


Not enough time has passed to see if AVATAR changes movies for the better.  Only one film has been released using the same technology as AVATAR thus far (the aforementioned STEP UP 3D) and any other 3D experience you've had just had the 3D tacked on.  So in the immediate, AVATAR seems to have ruined it for the rest of us but that can still all change.  As for whether it stands so many months later as a truly great piece of cinema, I couldn't tell you.  That would involve me watching it again and I already mentioned how enthused I am to do that.  That said, I never saw TITANIC more than once either.

I will take this opportunity to change my initial grade on AVATAR.

James Cameron, you have been downgraded.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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Black Sheep's Blu-Tuesday

By now, we've all heard about the crazy records James Cameron's AVATAR broke last week when it debuted conveniently on Earth Day, as though Cameron actually cared about the planet.  I mean, if he had allowed a portion of each AVATAR copy sold to go toward some form of environmental cause, I might feel differently about it but sadly, that isn't the case.  Instead the film sold 1.5 million copies on BD alone, over million when you consider DVD's.  That easily smashed the 600K first week sales of THE DARK KNIGHT from last holiday season.  And all this without any serious extras on it and no 3D.  I feel like AVATAR is one of those phenomenon titles that people just buy without thinking because everyone's gotta have it and then leave on their shelves forever.  One thing is for certain though, no title being releases this week will come anywhere near matching those sales figures.

IT'S COMPLICATED

This mature comedy is pure Hollywood cliche at times but also comedy gold at others.  It reminds me of DATE NIGHT in the sense that you know what you are watching is ridiculous and exaggerated and  you also know exactly where things will end up at all times but it doesn't matter.  The casts, in both cases, shine so bright that you just can't help but laugh and laugh loud.  In case you don't know the plot, Meryl Streep takes up with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) while starting a new relationship with her architect (Steve Martin).  It is also no coincidence that IT'S COMPLICATED is being released just before Mother's Day.  My mother will have already bought it by then but you can get it for yours.  Mothers love Meryl Streep!  And I loved watching Meryl Streep get stoned out of her head.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS

I have to be honest; I have not seen this Terry Gilliam film and I seriously don't have any intentions of seeing it either.  Sure, it looks like a visual mind trip and has the potential to be a lot of fun but I just can't bring myself to watch Heath Ledger's final performance, especially considering it was unfinished at the time of his death.  I don't want to creep you out.  You should watch it and let me know if it is worth it or not.  It was nominated for Art Direction and Costume Design at this year's Oscars after all.  And the BD release has a ton of goodies, including feature commentary, deleted scenes and a few featurettes, including one about Ledger.  I just prefer to remember Ledger's last completed performance as the Joker in the THE DARK KNIGHT instead.  My apologies, Mr. Gilliam.

ALSO NEW ON BD THIS WEEK:

A whole slew of back catalog titles make their first appearances on BD including the late Sydney Pollack's OUT OF AFRICA, starring of course, Meryl Streep.  Little seen Ang Lee film, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL gets the Criterion experience.  And both the overwhelmingly beautiful ELIZABETH and generally underwhelming ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE can be brought home for your royal enjoyment.

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Black Sheep @ The Box Office

I met a guy last week who was really keen on seeing HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON.  No, it was not the 3D element that was calling to him, as it did to millions of people this weekend.  No, he just really digs dragons.  With the positive reviews, both from critics and audiences alike for this Dreamworks animation, I'm pretty sure he won't be the only one digging on dragons for very long.

Between HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and ALICE IN WONDERLAND following in second place, 3D pictures continue to command the dollar of the movie going audience.  There isn't enough room for three 3D titles in the Top 10 this weekend though.  The biggest box office success of all time, AVATAR, exits the Top 10 for the first time in its 15 weeks of release.  Its disappearance from the public consciousness will only be temporary though as the film will be made available to purchase within the next month.

As HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON basks in the warm, soothing bubbles of its own great success - one of the Top 10 March debuts in history - HOT TUB TIME MACHINE had to wait in line to get in.  The buzz for this time travel comedy has been boiling over -  I promise, I'll stop - in recent weeks and most were expecting a surprisingly large gross this weekend .. which wouldn't really make it a surprise, mind you.  The insider buzz didn't spread though and this Steve Pink film had to settle for third place.

A few Top 10 titles managed solid holds this week, suggesting repeat business and good word of mouth later in the run.  I tried to warn you guys but yet THE BOUNTY HUNTER managed a reasonable drop of only 40% this weekend.  If you missed it last weekend, you really should have just let it go.  I want to see a much steeper decline next week, alright?  Meanwhile, SHUTTER ISLAND and SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE managed even better declines of less than 40%.

Below the Top 10, Noah Baumbach's GREENBERG, starring Ben Stiller, added 178 screens for a grand total of 181, and saw an increase of nearly 800%.  It pulled in a solid average of just under $6K and has made $1.2 million in two limited weeks.  On less screens, it managed to pull in more than Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan's latest thriller, CHLOE.  The Toronto-based love triangle debuted in 13th place this week, with a total of just over $1 million on 350 screens.  Some of that money is mine as I saw the film on Friday.  The Black Sheep review is coming in the next week.

NEXT WEEK: Next Saturday is my birthday.  Every year on my birthday weekend, there is nothing but garbage released in theatres .. or at least what I presume to be garbage or movies that completely disinterest me.  This year is no different whatsoever.  On Wednesday, hoping to score some early Easter money, the Miley Cyrus movie, THE LAST SONG, opens on 2500 screens.  The Tyler Perry sequel, WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO? opens on 2000 screens on Friday.  There are a few indie sprinklings here and there but the big guy in town with be CLASH OF THE TITANS, roaring on to 3600 screens, with a bunch of them being 3D.  Of those three, which do you think I have no interest in and which do you think I think look like garbage?  Happy birthday to me, indeed.

SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO

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Black Sheep @ The Box Office

And Black Sheep returns to the box office after a long and arduous awards season. Arduous might be a bit of a stretch but I'm in a bit of a dramatic mood today so just roll with it. It would have been great to come back last weekend to celebrate the phenomenal success of ALICE IN WONDERLAND but there were those pesky Oscars last weekend. Instead, we're here to see the Tim Burton film cross the $200 million mark in only its second weekend. In fact, at ten days to cross, it is the 11th fastest film in history to accomplish the feat, just a few million shy of AVATAR's same pace. I'm not suggesting that we should expect AVATAR size business here but it's only about $40 million shy of surpassing BATMAN as Burton's most successful film.


Four other films debuted in the Top 10 this weekend but none made any sort of significant dent. Leading the charge was the Paul Greengrass / Matt Damon pairing, GREEN ZONE. Pulling in an average of less than $5K per screen means it will be a big stretch for this one to make back any of its reported $100 million budget. Stealing third place from Robert Pattinson is Canadian boy, Jay Baruchel's headlining act, SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE. The lighter fare brought in a light gross but one that improved over teen romance, REMEMBER ME as the weekend went on. Subsequently, the Pattinson vehicle had to settle for fourth, proving lack of interest in the star past his turn in the "Twilight" movies. Opening in sixth place was the Fox Searchlight title, OUR FAMILY WEDDING. Essentially, with ALICE IN WONDERLAND monopolizing the global business these past two weekends, little interest is being generated for anything else.


Speaking of little interest, although the Oscar telecast last Sunday was the highest rated since 2005, most of the films that took home awards were no longer playing in theatres. Best Picture winner, THE HURT LOCKER, was rereleased in 75 new theatres and took in about $825K, allowing the film to actually make back its reported budget. DVD/BD sales saw great increases but this is the lowest grossing Best Picture winner in Oscar history and that is not about to change. Meanwhile, if it had won, AVATAR would have been the highest grossing Best Picture winner and it suffered another scant 18% decline this week. CRAZY HEART, starring Best Actor winner, Jeff Bridges, slipped just 6% and THE BLIND SIDE, starring Best Actress winner, Sandra Bullock, saw a bum of 24% seventeen weeks into its run for a grand total of $252 million.

NEXT WEEK: Big week people ... THE BOUNTY HUNTER, starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, hits 3000 screens. On 3100 screens, family hopeful, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID opens. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker are REPO MEN on 2400 screens. Sundance film, THE RUNAWAYS, with Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett hits 225 screens. And the latest film by one of my favorite directors, Noah Baumbach, GREENBERG, starts its limited run on 3 screens.

SOURCE: BOX OFFICE MOJO

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Shearing the Oscars: Best Picture

The nominations for the 82nd annual Academy Awards were announced this past week and, if you care about the Oscars at all, you likely knew already that they were to be expanding their Best Picture category from five to ten slots. It may have been a thinly veiled attempt to ensure the telecast audience grows this year by embracing a wider array of films but did it work? My guess, based on the support the films reached in other categories and the feelings I'm getting in my stomach, I would venture that had the Academy stuck with five nominees, they would look a little something like this:

AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS
UP IN THE AIR

I would have been satisfied with that, even with AVATAR being included. Thanks to the new rules though, the following films get to bask in Oscar glory as well:

THE BLIND SIDE
DISTRICT 9
AN EDUCATION
A SERIOUS MAN
UP

All, save for one, which I will allow you to figure out all by yourself, are well deserving. So, it would appear, that Oscar did good so far and their future bodes well. I'm still back and forth on the move though. On the one hand, I feel that honouring ten films better encompasses all genres and audiences. On the other, I feel it cheapens the recognition itself. While I am torn on this point, I am decisively upset with the media for how they've handled the whole thing. The Academy goes out of its way to reach a wider audience and honour more films and what do you do? You whittle the list down to a mere two entries, suggesting this biblical David vs. Goliath cage match between THE HURT LOCKER and AVATAR, as though none of the other films stand any chance. I understand that frontrunners exist but to be fair, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS has eight nominations in total, only one less than the big two. UP IN THE AIR has already won plenty of top prizes during awards season too. Even PRECIOUS, whose buzz died off long ago, still has Oprah behind it. If she can get a president elected, she can get a measly, little Oscar.

And so, in the interest of actually considering all ten nominated films instead of writing them off immediately after they were announced, Black Sheep will break down the nominations for Best Picture, one by one, beginning with ...

AVATAR

Do I believe AVATAR has an excellent chance of winning Best Picture? Yes, it does. Do I believe it should win? Of course not. The entire world has been swept up in the incredible spell AVATAR has cast on filmgoing audiences. Do I believe it warrants its nomination? Yes, I do. Any film that wows and inspires as many people as this one has, deserves to honoured as one of the best pictures of the year. An exciting adventure doesn't always make for an incredible film though. Director James Cameron's screenplay is unoriginal and obvious and the acting is uneven at best. Sure, I had a good time watching AVATAR but nothing other than that has stayed with me. A Best Picture winner should be timeless.

THE BLIND SIDE

I swore I would never see this movie when I first saw the preview and I finally had to cave last weekend because it was becoming pretty clear that Sandra Bullock was going to score a Best Actress nomination for her work in it. She did just that and, in another beguiling sign that she has a very good shot at winning that award, she also inspired enough love to elevate the film itself into the Best Picture race. Clearly, I had very low expectations for THE BLIND SIDE but I was pleasantly surprised. By that, I mean, it was alright. Alright should not be nominated for Best Picture, let alone win, and, in this case, it won't.

DISTRICT 9

I don't think DISTRICT 9 has any genuine chance of winning this award but the fact that it's here speaks to how much unexpected impact it had on those who saw it, including myself. (DISTRICT 9 is nominated for Best Picture at Black Sheep's Mouton d'Or Awards this year as well.) The Academy also showered the film with love for its elaborate and imaginative screenplay as well as its very real visual effects and intense editing style. Stealing an editing slot from bigger fish, UP IN THE AIR, suggests that its chances are stronger than I think they are but if a piece of science-fiction is going to win this year, it will be for bluer aliens than these.

AN EDUCATION

As AN EDUCATION too earned a Mouton d'Or nomination for Best Picture this year, it is clearly a favorite of mine and I am thrilled to see it make the final cut, alongside the brilliant Nick Hornby screenplay and the breathtaking performance by Carey Mulligan. This film has a much better chance of winning overseas at the BAFTA's though than in Hollywood. It is one of the nominated films that stands a good chance to see its box office receipts increase now but that is only because it has not been seen by many at all. (It has earned less than all of the other nominated films in this category.) It's lack of exposure will ultimately cripple it.

THE HURT LOCKER

This Kathryn Bigelow picture has only made a few million dollars more than AN EDUCATION but has been lauded as the Best Picture of the year by critics almost universally. And now that it is available to rent, interest in the film has, uh, exploded, if you will. Critical darlings don't always take the big prize and God knows war-themed pictures have struggled hard for years now but THE HURT LOCKER has the potential to transcend that. It will reach an audience now that it may never have without this recognition and that audience will be shaken by its overpowering tension. They won't know what hit them and if the HURT LOCKER Oscar campaign doesn't trip any major wires before the big night, the rest of the nominees won't know what hit them either.

Black Sheep's breakdown of the Best Picture nominees continues tomorrow with INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, PRECIOUS, A SERIOUS MAN, UP and UP IN THE AIR.

In the meantime, what do you think? Is it really just a race between AVATAR and THE HURT LOCKER? If it is, was it worth expanding the list to begin with? Black Sheep wants to know what you think!

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Black Sheep @ The Box Office: Merry Christmas, Hollywood.

Well, I'm full. I had plenty to eat over the last few days and food exhaustion may be the reason for my late report but I wasn't the only one who ingested a lot this weekend. Moviergoers ate up almost everything Hollywood was serving at the box office for the year's last full frame. Christmas Day has been a launching pad for a variety of fare over the years but this year it fell on a Friday and got a very big present - the biggest Christmas Day opening in history.


SHERLOCK HOLMES may have missed out on the weekend crown - an achievement claimed by AVATAR in its second weekend - but, with $24.8 million on Christmas Day alone, it easily surpassed former champ, MEET THE FOCKERS ($19.5 million), to become the best Christmas Day opening of all time. AVATAR also passed MEET THE FOCKERS, with $23.6 million, which is not bad at all for a film in its second week. SHERLOCK HOLMES ultimately brought in $65.4 million all weekend for a stellar wide per screen average of $18K. I can think of one person who just had the best Christmas of their lives - once-promising director, Guy Ritchie now has his first actual hit. And come to think of it, once washed up actor, Robert Downey Jr., now has two bonafide franchises on his hands. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, indeed.


James Cameron's AVATAR finished the weekend with $75 million, off only 2.6% from last week. It has already pulled in over $600 million internationally and it's success has naturally sprung talk of a sequel. I implore you, Mr. Cameron, leave this film alone. Take your wonderful technology and incredible imagination and create another great new thing. The point of AVATAR was to create something no one had ever seen and a sequel would inherently defeat that purpose. I'm asking nicely.


Speaking of sequels, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKEQUEL (sp?), opened in third place after dethroning AVATAR on it's early Wednesday release. When the first film came out, I was floored that anyone wanted to see it but then it was huge. It brought in $44 million opening weekend, a couple of weeks before Christmas, and went on to make $212 million in North America. So this time, I was ready for it. The question wasn't whether it would do well; it was whether it would do better than the first. And I'm sad to say it did. On Wednesday, it brought in $18 million and it would finish its five day run with $77 million, $28 million more than the first made in five-days. Good job, people. I applaud you.


Opening in fourth place, the Nancy Meyers comedy, IT'S COMPLICATED. Comparatively, the opening is modest, pulling in a near $8K average on almost 2900 screens. It is still a strong opening for an R-rated adult comedy and Meyer's second largest December opening, after the Mel Gibson hit, WHAT WOMEN WANT. Not to sound too sexist but I'm thinking that Meryl Streep's biggest fans, people like my mom, were probably busy with holiday stuff this weekend so movies might not have been their priority. Good word of mouth should carry this one well into the new year.


That said, I actually did go to a movie with my mom this Christmas. My holiday movie this year was Rob Marshall's NINE. It was my second viewing and my mom's first (she loved it!). I was disappointed on first viewing and wanted to like it more. I did definitely enjoy it more on second viewing but people were less than enthused about making it their holiday movie. Yes, NINE increased its gross over 2000% this week but it could barely muster a $4K per screen average on 1400 screens. A film with this pedigree and this kind of push should have been much bigger. Oscar chances for the incredible cast and film were on the rise in the last week but the lack of audience support has definitely set them back.


Outside of that, most films in the Top 10 saw slight declines this week - except oddly enough for Disney's A CHRISTMAS CAROL, which plummeted by 60%. I guess the movies are a place to escape Christmas, not celebrate it further. THE BLIND SIDE and INVICTUS saw modest increases well into their runs, proving inspiration goes well with turkey and stuffing. And Oscar hopeful, fan favorite and critic's choice, UP IN THE AIR, expanded to over 1800 screens and saw a healthy 266% increase for a slot in the Top 5.


Outside the Top 10, Heath Ledger's last screen performance, one that was not completed and was filled in by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Ferrell, THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS, was attended by Terry Gilliam fans everywhere, pulling in an average of $32K on 4 screens. Personally, I'm avoiding the film. I realized that I would rather leave my last memory of Ledger as THE DARK KNIGHT. There was plenty of holiday cheer actually for platform expansions. Jean-Marc Vallee's THE YOUNG VICTORIA added 143 screens for a 277% increase; Pedro Almodovar's BROKEN EMBRACES added 41 screens and improved over 75%; Tom Ford's A SINGLE MAN added 37 screens and improved over 120%; and CRAZY HEART, starring Oscar hopeful, Jeff Bridges, tacked on 8 screens and saw an 88% increase.


NEXT WEEK: Nothing; I got nothing. That's because there is nothing coming out next week. Hollywood is done with 2009. The only release is a limited one on Wednesday - Austrian director, Michael Haneke's critical darling, THE WHITE RIBBON, bows in New York and L.A. in order to qualify for the Oscars. The box office report will not appear next weekend, in this form that is. I will be looking back at 2009 as a whole and breaking it down into winners and losers. Good times.

Source: BOX OFFICE MOJO

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Black Sheep @ The Box Office: Avatar Goes Far!

There are two major points to discuss this week when it comes to the box office. The first is that giant blue movie, AVATAR. Studios avoided pitting anything against the anticipated juggernaut, except for a feeble and unsuccessful attempt on Sony's part to counterprogram with DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? (The answer to that question, by the way, is no, no one has apparently heard of them.) AVATAR may not have done the business they were expecting but it was still certainly an event. I caught the film on Saturday morning and as the theatre had not opened yet, there were lines of people around the block waiting to get in. The IMAX screenings were sold out for the day but yet the people were still pouring in to the lobby in hopes of a miracle. Fox insists that AVATAR would have grossed even more if it weren't for the snow storms in the North East of the country and they are probably right. Despite the excuses though, AVATAR still made over $70 million, an average of over $21K per theatre, and with the holidays and inevitably good word of mouth to follow, it will certainly go on to justify its own hype.


The other story at the box office this week is the influence of the Golden Globes, if there is any such thing. AVATAR itself scored a Best Picture nod but I doubt that had any influence on anyone's decision to see it. Fellow Best Picture nominee, UP IN THE AIR continued its successful expansion, going from 72 to 175 screens and seeing its gross increase by nearly 30%. The film goes wide on Wednesday, hitting 1800 screens, and looks poised to be a holiday favorite. Another Best Picture nominee, Rob Marshall's star-studded musical, NINE, platformed on 4 screens this week before going wide next Friday. The result was an impressive $62K per screen average. Reviews are mixed though so it should be interesting to see if audiences find it amidst the busy frame. Tom Ford's A SINGLE MAN, nominated for Best Actor (Colin Firth) and Best Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore), dropped off by 36% this week but still managed a healthy $15K average before its wide expansion next week. Troubling figures came in for Peter Jackson's THE LOVELY BONES. The film has not been seeing much awards love and dropped off over 60% in its second frame. It too goes wider next weekend. Two other actor nominees, Emily Blunt in THE YOUNG VICTORIA and Jeff Bridges in CRAZY HEART made their debuts. Bridges fared better with an average of $21K on four screens and Blunt pulled in a decent $7.4K on 20 screens. And finally, PRECIOUS expanded past its 664 screen count where it had stalled a couple weeks back to hit over 1000 screens. The Best Picture nominee still dropped off 12% though, signaling that its once bright hopes for Oscar gold are dwindling.


NEXT WEEK: It's Christmas! This means big titles and small chipmunks apparently. ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKUEL opens on over 3700 screens on Wednesday, hoping to duplicate the success of the original. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin hit 2800 screens with their Golden Globe nominated comedy, IT'S COMPLICATED. And Guy Ritchie's remake of SHERLOCK HOLMES, starring Robert Downey Jr, will hit more than 3600 screens. There will be plenty of presents under Hollywood's tree this year.

Source: Box Office Mojo

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AVATAR

Written and Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver


Jake Sully: I see you.

And here we are. The day has finally arrived. It only took about ten years but James Cameron’s labour of a lot of love, AVATAR, has finally been revealed to a world that has been desperately waiting for it. You’d think it were the second coming from the way people have been lining up for tickets or even from the way in which the film has been marketed. Supposedly, it will change the way we see movies. I haven’t seen a “normal” movie since watching AVATAR earlier today so I can’t fully test that theory but I can see where they’re going with it. AVATAR is nothing if not inventive and expansive. It is certainly unlike anything I’ve seen before but I’m not necessarily clamoring to see it again and again.

I should mention that I’m something of a purist. I am a great lover of cinema but I’m not always able to get on board with drastic change right away. AVATAR presents great possibility for the future of cinema. 3D technology has never been applied to live-action footage (if we can really call this live-action, considering only 40% is real footage and the rest is CG) as extensively as it has been here. My concern is that it could always end up gimmicky instead of relevant. Cameron infuses 3D into AVATAR with such delicate care though that every image becomes an interactive experience. At times, it is as if he is speaking directly to the audience with a visual language that is as original as the planet Pandora, where all of this movie magic takes place. The visual impact is staggering but it is the manner in which the audience is involved in the picture that will make AVATAR memorable.


Now, if Cameron had spent as much time fleshing out his story and characters as he did on the look of the film, he might have a masterpiece on his hands. The film’s failings are not so bad that they detract from the overall enjoyment factor but with a near three-hour run time, I found myself facing them more often than I would have liked to. If it weren’t for the technological advancements, AVATAR would be nothing more than a really long commercial for going green. None too surprisingly, mankind (or maybe just the Americans as they are the only people around) messes up Earth pretty bad in the future and needs to go elsewhere to pillage for natural resources. Pandora is a highly volatile environment and its inhabitants are deeply spiritual, have a profound connection to their planet and subsequently are completely misunderstood by the belligerent invaders. By keeping it vague, Cameron paints a blanket evil and gives it the already hated face of corporate America. Who knew their reign of terror had such far reach?


Whether AVATAR will truly change the way we watch movies remains to be seen. Only time will tell if the technology Cameron pushed is used to strengthen or further cheapen Hollywood films. That same time will tell whether AVATAR is a passing fascination or a truly great piece of cinema. There is no denying though that Cameron has justified his crown as one of the great blockbuster filmmakers of our time. He has crafted a work that truly transcends what it means to see a film and invites the audience to partake in a unique experience instead. For the first time in a long time, Hollywood has a movie that is a must-see on the big screen.

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