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Archive: August 2011 (1-10 of 179)

Aug 31 2011 04:46 PM ET

'The Help' crosses $100 million at box office; 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' climbs past $150 million

by Grady Smith

Categories: Box Office, Movie Biz, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help

Image Credit: Dale Robinette

Amidst a sea of box office underperformers (Conan the Barbarian, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie, Spy Kids 4D, Fright Night, Our Idiot Brother, Colombiana) two well-reviewed August releases notched major box office milestones yesterday.

The Help passed the $100 million mark on its 21st day of release. After a sturdy $26 million opening weekend, the Kathryn Stockett adaptation, which earned an impressive “A+” CinemaScore grade, has seen subsequent weekend drops of just 23 and 27 percent, and it’s currently pulling in about $2 million per weekday. With continued strong word-of-mouth, look for The Help to finish in the $140 million range, far ahead of similar female-targeting literary adaptations like Eat Pray Love ($80.6 million) and Julie and Julia ($94.1 million). READ FULL STORY »

Aug 31 2011 03:12 PM ET

George Clooney's 'The Ides of March': The year's first slam-dunk Best Picture nominee?

by Dave Karger

Categories: Awards Season, Best Actor Oscar, Best Director Oscar, Best Supporting Actor Oscar, George Clooney, Oscar predictions, Oscars, Ryan Gosling, Toronto Film Festival

Image Credit: Elisabetta A. Villa/WireImage.com

The Ides of March, George Clooney’s latest directorial effort, has just premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and if you ask me, we now have the first sure-thing Best Picture nominee on our hands. A contemporary echo of Clooney’s multi-nominated 2005 drama Good Night, and Good Luck, Ides — an inside look at a fictional presidential campaign — is smart, but not overly complicated; cynical, but not completely depressing; and timely, but not forced. Plus, it boasts top-flight acting from its entire cast, including Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 31 2011 02:10 PM ET

'The Double' trailer: Starring Richard Gere, Topher Grace, and... Richard Gere?

by Lanford Beard

Categories: Movie Trailers, Political Thrillers

In a new trailer for the Richard Gere-Topher Grace thriller The Double, it appears Gere is #tWinning! The Double follows retired CIA operative Paul Shepherdson (Gere) as he teams up with FBI newbie Ben Geary (Grace) to solve a case that bears the signature of Cassius, Shepherdson’s presumed dead Soviet assassin nemesis. (Say that five times fast!) The trailer, which also features Martin Sheen and True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer as a Russian baddie, chugs along predictably until about a minute and a half in when there’s a seriously SPOILER-y twist. Check it out after the jump. READ FULL STORY »

Aug 31 2011 01:03 PM ET

Stuntman sues Warner Bros. over 'Hangover Part II' accident

by Anthony Breznican

Categories: The Hangover

Image Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon

A stunt double for Ed Helms in The Hangover Part II has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. claiming a car crash on the Bangkok set of that movie has left him permanently disabled.

According to the claim, filed yesterday in California federal court, the scene in question was being shot by the film’s second unit director, Brian Smerz — who was also named in the lawsuit, along with stunt coordinator Russell Solberg.

Stuntman Scott McLean was riding as a passenger in the vehicle when a crash occurred, resulting in “likely permanent brain and physical injuries,” according to the lawsuit. “He suffers ongoing seizures, speech impediments, physical impediments and brain trauma.”

The lawsuit alleges: “Solberg commanded to the driver of the automobile in which plaintiff Scott McLean was a passenger that the speed of his vehicle be increased significantly to a speed unsafe for the stunt, thus resulting in a major collision.”

McLean, a resident of Sydney, Australia, is joined as a plaintiff by Raelene Chapman, described in the suit as his caregiver, who has suffered emotional trauma and been unable to work while looking after McLean.

Warner Bros issued a statement about the suit: “We were shocked and saddened by this accident and have been working closely with Scott and his family throughout his treatment and recovery. We have offered continual support since the accident occurred and we are working together to try and resolve any outstanding issues.”

Aug 30 2011 06:35 PM ET

'Warrior' gets Labor Day Weekend sneak peek, Twitter push

by Mandi Bierly

Categories: Fall Movies, Movies

Image Credit: Chuck Zlotnick

If you think a film will have great word of mouth, why not do all you can to get people talking? Lionsgate will offer special sneak peeks of its inspirational mixed martial arts film Warrior on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. nationwide in advance of its Sept. 9 release. Lionsgate has partnered with Twitter to designate the hashtag #WARRIORMovieSneakPreview, which Lionsgate has also sponsored as a Promoted Trend, and provide a direct link to buy tickets.

Aug 30 2011 04:02 PM ET

'Machine Gun Preacher': Gerard Butler reams out his banker -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO

by Darren Franich

Categories: EW Exclusive, Gerard Butler

In the true-life thriller Machine Gun Preacher, Gerard Butler plays Sam Childers, an ex-biker gang member who worked as an aid worker in East Africa and took on the Lord’s Resistance Army, a military group that forced children to become soldiers and left a trail of human rights abuses. In this exclusive clip from Preacher — which begins its limited platform release Sept. 23 — Childers begs the bank for an additional loan so that he can keep up his human rights work…but can you believe, those big-money fat cats won’t give him the dough? “Don’t tell me to calm down!” he shrieks. Watch the video here: READ FULL STORY »

Aug 30 2011 03:49 PM ET

Gemma Ward cast in Baz Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'

by Darren Franich

Categories: Casting

Image Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

The Great Gatsby is occasionally described as the Great American Novel, but filmmaker Baz Luhrmann is certainly doing his best to give his 2012 adaptation a serious injection of Australiana. The film is shooting in Sydney and has already cast two Aussie leads — Joel Edgerton will play Tom Buchanan, a.k.a. the Great American Douchebag, while Isla Fisher will play Tom’s mistress Myrtle. Now, EW has confirmed that Australian model Gemma Ward has been cast in the film in an undisclosed role. Ward, who famously “retired” from modeling at age 21, is probably best known to American audiences as Tamara, the freaky mermaid queen from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (which is a movie that made $1 billion dollars).

Follow Darren on Twitter: @EWDarrenFranich

Aug 30 2011 02:54 PM ET

Anne Hathaway in talks for 'Les Miserables'

by Jeff Labrecque

Categories: Anne Hathaway, Casting, Movie Biz, Musical, Oscars

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Back in 2009, Oscar host Hugh Jackman dragged Anne Hathaway on stage for a sensational Frost/Nixon duet. Last February, Hathaway had to settle for a solo of “On My Own” from Les Miserables after Jackman, she joked, “bailed on [her] at the last minute.” Well, it looks like the two might be joining forces again soon. As BroadwayWorld.com reported last night, Anne Hathaway is in talks to join Jackman in a film adaptation of the Les Miserables musical. A spokesperson for the actress says that Hathaway is considering playing Fantine, the ill-fated mother of Cosette, opposite Jackman’s Jean Valjean. The King’s Speech‘s Tom Hooper is slated to direct.

In other Oscar-pairing non-news, Hathaway’s hypothetical Some Like it Hot project with James Franco remains a no-go.

Aug 30 2011 11:44 AM ET

'The Hunger Games' teaser: Now with director's commentary!

by Darren Franich

Categories: The Hunger Games

Image Credit: Murray Close

First, MTV spent a week promoting the world-premiere mega-exclusive top-secret hubba-hubba teaser for The Hunger Games. Then, the teaser actually premiered. Now, all the die-hard fans of the teaser can relive the excitement, thanks to a new video in which Hunger Games director Gary Ross provides moment-by-moment commentary on the excitement. Ross is light on revelations, although — given all his talk about how Gale is “in Katniss’ head” — we can probably expect to hear lots of Josh Hemsworth’s narrating voice. He also describes the Arena shoot as “like shooting in Vietnam, Apocalypse Now. Six weeks outside in the jungle every day, in the mud, in driving rainstorms.” What he’s trying to say is: Start getting excited for the upcoming director’s cut of The Hunger Games teaser, featuring the infamously redacted sequence in which Katniss visits a French plantation and gets bored. Watch here: READ FULL STORY »

Aug 29 2011 09:38 PM ET

'Kung Fu Panda 2' becomes highest-grossing film directed by a woman

by John Young

Categories: Animation, Box Office, Movie Biz

Image Credit: David Gabber/PR Photos

One small step for giant panda, one giant leap for female filmmakers. With a worldwide tally of $637.6 million and counting, Kung Fu Panda 2 has become the highest-grossing film ever directed by a woman. In this case, the honor goes to Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who made her directorial debut with the well-reviewed Panda 2 after working on the first Kung Fu Panda as head of story and the director of that film’s opening dream sequence. Panda 2 broke the record by passing Phyllida Lloyd’s Mamma Mia!, which earned $609.8 million globally in 2008.

Although Panda 2 has been a slight box-office disappointment domestically, grossing $164.3 million here compared to the original’s $215.4 million, it has been a firecracker overseas. That’s especially true in China, where Panda 2 has collected a staggering $91.5 million. Just three years ago, the original Panda made only $26 million in the country. Clearly there was an increased interest in the sequel, but it also goes to show you just how much of a booming market China has become. READ FULL STORY »