Image Credit: Jaap Buitendijk
After a weekend of top-secret speculation about which mysterious high-profile work in progress would be screened at the New York Film Festival on Monday night, Martin Scorsese appeared onstage at a packed Avery Fisher Hall to introduce his latest film, the 3-D fantasia Hugo. The hometown crowd stood as he made his entrance, then quietly sat down and put on their glasses, settling in for what has to be regarded as an early Oscar contender. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Disney
Following the stunning box office success of The Lion King 3D, which has amassed a stunning $79.8 million in just 18 days, Disney is officially ready to re-release four more of its classic animated films in 3-D.
According to a just-issued press release, The Mouse House will bring a 3-D version of Beauty and the Beast to the big screen on Jan. 13, 2012, and after that, on Sept. 14, Disney will re-release a technologically enhanced Finding Nemo.
2013 will follow a similar schedule. Monsters, Inc. will be re-released on Jan. 18, 2013 (not coincidentally, Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, arrives in theaters a few months later on June 21), and then, on Sept. 13, The Little Mermaid in will swim onto 3-D screens.
How are you feeling about the news? Are you read for more 3-D Disney flicks? And are you as surprised as I am that Aladdin wasn’t the first choice for a second run in 3-D?
Image Credit: Joe Farmer
The Lion King finally gave up his box office throne, and now another animal reigns supreme!
After its solid $19.2 million debut last weekend, Warner Brothers’ 3D family film Dolphin Tale jumped into first place this time around, dipping just 27 percent to $14.2 million. The film, which earned an “A+” CinemaScore grade, is playing very well to families, and it should continue to enjoy small drops (which is a shame if you’re a pun-happy box office writer dying to use the word “dive!”) in the weeks to come. After ten days, Dolphin Tale, which cost $37 million to produce, has earned $37.5 million. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Everett Collection
Simba always said, “I’m gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!” I always figured he was talking about Pride Rock — who knew he was actually talking about the box office?!
For the last two weekends, The Lion King 3D has been an unstoppable force at theaters, and it has racked up an impressive $66.4 million in just 13 days. Despite the arrival of four new releases last frame, Lion King managed to retain its box office throne, but will it be able to do the same thing this weekend, when four more new releases – 50/50, Dream House, What’s Your Number?, and Courageous — hit theaters? It could be a very close battle, as six different films have a legitimate shot at coming in first place. Who will reign supreme?
Check out my weekend box office predictions after the jump: READ FULL STORY »
Universal has a released the first poster of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, and it certainly is… whisker-y. In the 3-D animated adventure based on Seuss’ 1971 book, Danny DeVito plays the title character, and Zac Efron plays a wide-eyed young boy named Ted who is trying to win over the girl of his dreams (Taylor Swift). To do so, he must join the grumpy Lorax in speaking out against greedy villain The Once-ler (Ed Helms), who is damaging the environment. Betty White and Rob Riggle have also voice parts in film, which opens in theaters March 2, 2012. Check out the poster below: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images
Starting next summer, you may have to pay for those disposable 3-D movie glasses if you want to watch The Amazing Spider-Man or Men in Black III in three dimensions.
Sony Pictures confirmed to EW that the studio would stop footing the bill for 3-D glasses starting in May 2012. Each pair of 3-D glasses costs studios around 50 cents to purchase, which can result in a pricey $10 million invoice for a blockbuster film. (The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.)
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It only takes one surprisingly successful film to spark a new Hollywood trend. For instance, the breakout 2009 hit The Hangover paved the way for the eight R-rated comedies that were released this summer. The unparalleled grosses of Avatar motivated studios to start shooting everything in 3-D — or at least convert their films to the third dimension after the fact. And now, thanks to the unexpected box-office dominance of Disney’s The Lion King 3D, we may have a new craze to anticipate and/or fear: the 3-D rerelease. READ FULL STORY »
Nostalgia wins again! Disney’s The Lion King 3D, a technologically enhanced re-release of the 1994 animated classic, tore up the competition at the box office this weekend, earning an estimated $29.3 million — more than the other three newcomers combined.
In The Lion King‘s original theatrical run, it roared up a stunning $312.9 million total, becoming the highest-grossing animated film in box office history at that time. The film earned another $15.7 million during a 2002 IMAX re-release, and now another $29.3 million during the first weekend of its two-week run. All told, Simba and co. have grossed $357.8 million in theaters domestically over the last two decades. READ FULL STORY »
Remember that incredibly groundbreaking, culturally defining post I wrote earlier this week about moviegoers not liking crocodiles? Well, that same mentality doesn’t apply to lions — especially not cute, animated Disney lions. Those are box-office gold.
The Lion King 3D trounced all expectations and debuted to a stunning $8.8 million on Friday. If the re-released picture performs similarly to Disney’s 2009 Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3-D re-release (which started with $3.3 million on Friday but earned $12.5 million over the full Friday-to-Sunday period), it will easily break the $30 million plateau by the frame’s end, becoming just the fifth September release in box-office history to do so. READ FULL STORY »
I guess there’s a “Circle of Life” at the movies too!
This weekend, Disney’s technologically enhanced The Lion King 3D “Just Can’t Wait to be King” of the box office, as it’s being re-released for a limited two-week engagement. The film should “Be Prepared” for some light competition from Straw Dogs, Drive, and I Don’t Know How She Does It, but we’re sure Disney is saying “Hakuna Matata” about the newcomers. By the way, “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” that I’m expressing for The Lion King? That’s exactly the kind of nostalgia that should propel it into first place. But just how much will it earn? And how will other films do at the box office? Check out my full predictions below. READ FULL STORY »
