Carl Icahn Now Wants ALL Of Lionsgate 
Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … 
SUNDAY AM: Waistlines expanded on Thanksgiving Day, and this 3-day weekend and 5-day holiday shaped up as big for moviegoing, too. 
Maybe it's because of the grim economy that audiences wanted laughs, but the mediocre PG-13 comedy Four Christmases, helped by a short 80-minute running time, knocked off Twilight for No. 1 on T-Day and easily stayed on top all weekend. The expected frontrunner from New Line/Warner Bros starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon overperformed for $31.6M for the 3-day weekend (which is far better than Vince's last seasonal outing of $18.5M in the just plain awful Fred Claus) and $46.7M for the 5-day holiday.
Jumping into No. 2 because of big kiddie matinees and Thanksgiving audiences who love family pics, holdover Disney's Bolt really cleaned up with 101% of its opening weekend which is rare. On Saturday, it did $10M and its estimated Sunday is $5.7M added to Friday's $10.8M. That's a 3-day total of $26.6M and 5-day holiday of $36M and total cume to date of $66.9M. The toon had a big comeback of $5.1M Wednesday in 3,651 plays after a difficult debut last weekend when Twilight skewed younger than expected.
Twilight started out strong, then ended up #3 in 3,419 venues for Summit Entertainment's no-sex, no-violence, no-stars vampire movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling book. The PG-13 pic made $26.4M for the 3-day weekend and moved up to No. 2 with $39.5M for the 5-day holiday. The film crossed the $100 million mark at the North American box office on November 28th after only 8 days of release. Its new cume is $119.7M.
New 007 holdover Quantum of Solace from MGM/Sony was No. 4 and earned from 3,458 runs a 3-day weekend of $19.5M and for the 5-day holiday $28.1M. Its three-week North American cume is $142M, pacing well ahead of Daniel Craig's first Bond actioner Casino Royale, which ended its 3-week run with close to $116M. Overseas, Quantum of Solace has sold a total of $340.1M in tickets, so its worldwide total to date is just over $482M.
At first, the big surprise was the poor 7th place opening Wednesday of 20th Century Fox's sweeping period epic Australia with only $2.5M from 2,642 theaters. But it moved up to finish #5 with 20% more than the studio's pre-release expectations: $14.8M for the 3-day weekend and $20M for the 5-day holiday. "This indicates tremendous word-of-mouth kicked in," a Fox exec told me Sunday. "Australia is positioned for a long run and is becoming THE choice for adults." Exit polling showed the audience demo breakdown was 65/35 over and under 25 and balanced on gender lines, 52/48 female and male.
With a long 2 hour, 45 minute running time, with credits, and only 52% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, rival studios think the pic won't have legs or Oscars. Still, Fox is pointing to rave reviews in both The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, plus counting on very strong international appeal because director Baz Lurhmann's films (Moulin Rouge, Romeo & Juliet) do 2x overseas what they do here. ("They have never been sprinters, they have been marathons. It takes awhile for audiences to catch up to his movies, which is why they have such large multiples," a Fox exec told me.).
All along, Hollywood questioned whether Baz and fellow Oz countrymen Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman working for a media conglomerate founded Down Under could be a hit in North America. But Australia now looks like a low-grossing Far And Away with Vegemite that's more about Aussie Pride than profit. 
As for whether financially this is Rupert's Folly, Fox keeps insisting that the film's cost of $125M was tempered by 40% Australian government tax credits to bring Australia's negative cost down to $75M. (As an insider explained, "If you believe in a project and believe in a filmmaker, then the thing to do is to try to responsibly protect the economic downside with partners and investments." Yet again, Kidman proves box office poison while Jackman has only made money playing Wolverine. Worse, Australia follows a summer and fall series of box office losers for the studio.
At No. 6, DreamWorks Animation's toon sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa distributed by Paramount started its 4th weekend in release at 3,709 venues. Thanks to big kiddie matinees, it scored $14.5M for the 3-day weekend and $19.6M for the 5-day holiday and a hefty new cume of $159.5M.
Jason Statham is still a reliable draw in the franchise Transporter 3, now distributed by Lionsgate after the first two were released by Fox, in 2,626 dates for 7th place. The actioner made $12M over the 3-day weekend and $18.2M for the 5-day holiday. At No. 8, Universal's rauchy comedy holdover Role Models hung in for $5.2M for the 3-day weekend and $7.8M for the 5-day holiday on 2,195 plays. Its new cume is $57.8M.
Miramax's The Boy In Striped Pajamas in 582 theaters placed 9th with $1.5M for the 3-day weekend and $2.1M for the 5-day holiday for a new cume of $5.1M.
The Wednesday opening of Gus Van Sant's Oscar-touted pic Milk starring Best Actor nomination shoo-in Sean Penn was released Wednesday by Focus Features into 35 theaters in 19 major cities. The well reviewed biopic continued to be the top grossing film in the majority of the core houses, with San Diego, Washington DC, Portland, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle remaining very strong. As expected, Milk scored the best per screen averages of the holiday weekend -- the highest of $14,945 on Saturday. It took in $1.3M for the 3-day weekend and $1.8M for the 5-day holiday.
Another award-buzzed film is 11th place Slumdog Millionaire from Fox Searchlight performed well in 49 theaters. It made $1.3M for the 3-day weekend and $1.7M for the 5-day holiday for a new cume of $3.5M.
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I really like Jackman but I only want to see him play tough guys in action movies. When not playing Wolverine he oughta make other action movies. That’s his audience, just waiting for more from him on that front.
Quantum of Solace was good though the ending was a little over the top.
Damn, it appears Bore Christmases will do enough business to justify studios continuing to glut millions of dollars down the throat of the already bloated and dreadfully unfunny Vince Vaughn. But most Americans are attracted to comedy as bland and tasteless as an overcooked turkey, so I guess I understand his appeal.
As for Australia, the only thing that would make me see this paean to Baz Luhrmann’s bombastic ego is if it features Jacko from the old Energizer Battery commercials. Oi!
OMG, I LOVED “Twilight”! The best vampire movie I’ve seen since “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and “The Lost Boys”.
Okay, now, , can Nicole Kidman officially never headline a movie again. Please!
They definitely goofed with Australia, not just in greenlighting it but in marketing and timing. It’s a love-story with an epic backdrop, basically a chick flick. Unfortunately, it’s timed to close to another chick flick with buzz and that’s Twilight. It should have been released away from that huge a competition for its primary market.
Heck, market it in conjuction with an Australian tour company. Do something major on the giveaway side of things. Set-up an outdoor screen in the San Diego zoo near the exhibit with Aussie animals, do something creative,just don’t market and show it the way they just did. It was doomed from the start.
And lastly, poor Nicole Kidman. Her career is done. No one can survive that many flops, other than maybe Tom Cruise. Ironic, isn’t it?
I suffered through the overlong Australia and was striken by the blatant anti-White sentiment that appeared to be the real theme of this movie. The formula was stock – a cruel, bigoted and oppressive White society versus a motley crew of strong but humble (and wise) multi-racial characters who are led, of course, by the enlightened White heroes. The capacity for White people to hate themselves must amaze the rest of the world.
was walking down the street and saw the twilight poster above and started laughing – the stupidity of it, that guy’s creep/dork face and the tuned out girl. it looks like a lifetime movie everybody would normally laugh at around halloween, but now its a big cultural deal. it’s great.
if undead hunk types are big business, then when are they going to make the MADMAN movie??
Milk will do well only in the heavily homosexual and “progressive” regions, otherwise it will be a flop.
Austraila can’t win on it’s stars alone. Twilight has the goods it takes to succeed and it will stay at #1 for awhile.
The only reason Milk is up for anything is the holy and sacred politically correct subject matter. Milk was a nobody the only reason he is held up is because he was a homosexual. Propaganda pure and simple.
I don’t think these are bad numbers for “Four Christmases.” After all, it’s projected to do what many analysts believed it would do, maybe even a little better. If those numbers hold and it does $35 million or so this weekend, it could break $100 million at the B.O. for its run. That’s respectable for such a crappy film.
The story is really the continued success of “Twilight.” I’m really not getting this success but, then again, i’m not a thirteen-year-old girl.
So who knows??????
“No one can survive that many flops, other than maybe Tom Cruise. Ironic, isn’t it?”
Is this a joke… Tom Cruise is one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. Except for last year’s “Lions for Lambs” his past 10-12 movies were all $100M plus films.
Twilight is a well deserved hit. I went with my 21 and 15 yr old daughters twice last weekend and am itching to see it again. We all read all 4 books twice. It is the story and a perfectly casted movie honoring Stephanie Meyer’s vision that makes this movie an instant classic. It won’t win any Oscars but the viewers have already decided it is the best movie of the year.
Who cared about Twilight a month ago? How many of you read the books a month ago? Just another trend that’ll die out fast like everything else
The hotness of the girl on the far left of the Twilight poster is more than offset by the creepy nerdiness of the lead actor. I’m officially old because I just don’t get this at all.
A couple things about the Milk postings above:
1. Apparently, after 2 California elections in which the population banned gay marriage, Milk should be classified as a politically “INCORRECT” film.
2. To Brian and Adealia Artist: Shame on you. Abraham Lincoln is rolling over in his grave. Discrimination is stronger than ever here in America. The rest of the world looks at us and shakes their heads in bewilderment. That doesn’t stop us from living lives of fear, hate, and judgement on issues we choose not to understand.
Harvey Milk was a nobody. Yeah, him, Dr. King and all the rest. George Bush, that’s a real American, right? My god these are scary times.
Some observations about this weekend’s films…
1) I knew “Austrailia” would bomb and with it destroy what is left of Nicole Kidman’s career. She can kiss her $10 million+ paychecks goodbye now. This is really the biggest story of the weekend so far: the failure of “Austrailia.” This film cost nearly $150 million and will not make up anywhere near that. Given the ho-hum reviews this film is getting, I seriously doubt any Oscar consideration will be forthcoming. This film is officially a disaster. Perhaps on a scale only the makers of “Ishtar” can appreciate. People will lose their jobs over this Thanksgiving turkey. Count. On. That.
2) Proving his well-deserved reputation as a class-A douchbag, Vince Vaughn bailed on promoting “Four Christmases” (i’m assuming) smelling failure. It was up to Reese Witherspoon to save Warner from, let’s be honest, what could have been the major disaster of the weekend. $6 million is more than respectable for a Wednesday night. The film almost certainly will earn $100 million+ now (after all last year’s Vince Vaughn Christmas stinker, “Fred Clause,” made only $18 million its first weekend and made $72 million total). So I give props to Reese for selling this stinker and probably re-couping Warner’s investment. I hope this means that Warner will let Reese actually make a good film now.
3) “Twilight” proves the power of the fangirl. Underestimate them at your own peril.
4) “Milk” will be a phenomenon among the gay community, but will it succeed beyond that? Will it achieve mainstream success ala “Brokeback Mountain?” Too soon to tell.
Tom Rothman, prepare to leave the building. Maybe Hutch Parker ca get you a job in Catering. Finally maybe sanity will return to that place. And who knows, maybe even quality.
Ignore the uneducated homophobes who are trashing “Milk” without having seen it. It is their duty to automatically hate any movie with a gay lead character. They are too busy silkscreening signs that say “God Hates Fags” to actually use their brains
I don’t care how good “Milk” is supposed to be. I will not see anything with Sean Penn attached to it. Yes, Sean, free speech works both ways and I am using mine to personally boycott your work. It would be a wonderful gift for Christmas if you and your fellow traitor, Danny Glover packed your bags and moved to Venezuela. I’m sure your leftist, dictator buddy Hugo would welcome you with open arms.
I fucking hate Twilight fangirls. Instant classic? Best movie of the year? Thanks for the laugh. I swear to God, you people have no fucking taste at all.
Apparently, y’all seem to have to have forgotten this little movie called The Dark Knight. Remember that one? It has made… oh, I don’t know… something like $530 million so far. And nearly $1 billion worldwide. Surely, you folks haven’t forgotten about that one, have you? It’s only the biggest movie of the year so far and one of the best as well.
But, hey, who cares about Batman when you have Mr. Sparkling Vampire himself, Edward Cullen?
Well, I saw Australia last night with a theatre that was maybe half-capacity at most. I enjoyed it. It fell short of greatness by not having a keen grasp on enrapturing storytelling momentum but oddly enough I still felt it moved along briskly for something of such lofty length. I didn’t sense that there were any sequences were Baz Luhrmann added superfluous, self-indulgent padding and I ultimately appreciated it greatly for its lush, old-fashioned, epic postmodernism. I’d frankly rather have a flawed brawny throwback spectacle than no such attempt at all. There were a few walkouts from my screening and the vibe I detected from those exiting the auditorium wasn’t exactly effusive but there were some of us who stayed through the end credits to reach agreement once the lights came back on that it was a valiant effort by a first-rate filmmaker. I doubt that it’s going to have Moulin Rouge staying power in the United States though since one of the attractions from that film which lured in younger audiences was the juxtaposition of modern music with the 19th century atmosphere. Also, I don’t agree with the criticism that the film wears banal racial liberalism on its sleeve because at heart the crux of the story, as conveyed through the pivotal mixed-race child character from the bush whom the two leads become surrogate parents to, is the usage of the WW2 era as a backdrop to decry this shameful time frame from the country’s past when the Aboriginals were subjected to appalling dehumanization.
You’re right, I jumped the gun on the Tom Cruise comment. Nicole Kidman has had what, two amjor studio flops now? (Australia, Invasion)
Bewitched actually made money of you count international box office ($129 million versus $85 million busget) and The Golden Compass was a big success internationally ($364 million).
Her independent films haven’t done well, but then again, who expected Fur and Margot At the Wedding to do well, anyway?
Tom Cruise has flopped in one film, Lions For Lambs (which wasn’t really a studio flick but was budgetted and casted as if one) and is about to flop in a second, Valkyrie.
My error. I jumped the gun on Valkyrie.
“Twilight” is my favorite film of the year. I was intrigued and the performances were fine across the board. Vampire flicks don’t usually appeal to me, but after seeing “The Secret Life of Bees,” I was ready to be entertained. “Twilight” is fun from beginning to end.
Although its hard to find actual numbers, I was under the impression that Australia trounced Quantum of Solace in Australia on Wednesday. It was, however, far below the opening week figure of Quantum of Solace.
As a long time watcher of the Australian box office, I thought the opening figure of Lurhmann’s film was pretty exceptional. I see an opening weekend arund AUS 8 million dollars, not far below QoS’s 11 million (and lets be honest, these are very different films, which will have very different patterns of performance at the boxoffice).
Holy crap — Four Christmases did a lot better than I expected. It might actually be a hit.
It should be noted that Australia in Australia opened in the #1 position on Wednesday. Yes it was down to what QoS made the week before, but it is on track still to be the #1 film here by the end of the weekend.
Mark Forster will never work in Hollywood again. Quantum is a joke!
Aaron, I agree with you completely. Sean Penn and Danny Glover are anti-American. One of the great things about living in the US is that you have the freedom to move. I with they both would.
On another note, Twilight is a wonderful movie, a great love story and I look forward to seeing it again.
TWILIGHT really rocked the house! It’s one of the better films released this year, because it’s an old fashion love story with a vampire twist. AUSTRALIA is an overblown epic love story in the COLD MOUNTAIN range. Oscar nominations for Australia? Ah, no.
Stick to TWILIGHT, it’s more enjoyable.
Average guy here, and had a blast watching ‘Twilight’. *****5 stars, was worth the $ to watch on the big screen!
There were nine of us in my family who went to see Twilight and only one was a teen 13 yrs and the youngest was 12 yrs. I think this was a great movie and we are all wanting to see it again. My daughters started reading the books right after watching the movie and they’re addicted.
1. Twilight was such a great movie and I do understand why it’s still doing well !!
I boycott all Sean Penn movies, too, since he hates American and consorts with dictators who use him for propaganda.
My 16 yr old daughter did not like Twilight because she did not like the male lead – he was not her vision of who the character would be from the book.
I loved TWILIGHT – visuals were spectacular. Tone and affect of the actors were very close to what I had imagined. M 19 yr old son – who is NOT into chick flicks – thought it was a really good movie.
Can’t wait for the sequel. Eclipse.
“I agree with you completely. Sean Penn and Danny Glover are anti-American. One of the great things about living in the US is that you have the freedom to move.”
This poster perhaps doesn’t realize that while Sean Penn is free to move anywhere he wants, the rest of us who share his political opinions cannot move, because other countries will only accept us on tourist visas.
That means you’re stuck with people with liberal opinions, who will argue and make sure that the constitution is not ripped to shreds by narrow minded “Love it or leave it” Americans.
Hugh Jackman actually made a few romantic comedies back in the day.
Then he started with X-MEN and now he’s suddenly an action star?
Clearly, pairing him with the Ice Queen didn’t generate enough chemistry. He needs an RC headliner like Reese or Julia to take the lead.
Twilight was awesome! I have seen it twice, with my daughter and once with the husband. He even enjoyed it and thought it very entertaining.
I plan to see Australia and Four Christmases but for now….Twilight is my fave.
my age is 50. i went to twilight with my grand-daughter. i loved it. as i am disabled i plan on reading all four books. its a brilliant plot. who would of thought it would be in kids books. this could actually be a adult type book. if i had heard of it i might have read it before seeing the movie. also i like the fact they used unknown stars. to be honest they were great. all new movies in production should do it. its tiring to see the same p4eople over and over again. it seems that as you see more of them there ego skyrockets. case in point nichole kidman. nuff said
The sequel is actually called New Moon. Eclipse is the third book. I am actually about to start on the books this week after seeing the film twice in theaters last weekend. I totally wasn’t into the hype until I saw the story on the big screen. The film had its flaws, but these days its hard to find the perfect film. I’m amused by vampires and thought the two leads (Pattinson & Stewart) had a believable chemistry. It’s enough to make me a fan of the franchise.
Congrats to Hardwicke (who’s “Thirteen” was stellarly made for $2 mill) for making such a hollywood smash for $35 mill (even thought the FX were obviously what was $$ cut back on)…what a brilliant investment!
The sequel is actually called New Moon. Eclipse is the third book. I am actually about to start on the books this week after seeing the film twice in theaters last weekend. I totally wasn’t into the hype until I saw the story on the big screen. The film had its flaws, but these days its hard to find the perfect film. I’m amused by vampires and thought the two leads (Pattinson & Stewart) had a believable chemistry. It’s enough to make me a fan of the franchise.
Congrats to Hardwicke (who’s “Thirteen” was stellarly made for $2 mill) for making such a hollywood smash for $35 mill (even thought the FX were obviously what was $$ cut back on)…what a brilliant investment!
What is all the broo-ha-ha over a stupid teenage vampire movie!! Give me a break. Vampires?!!! Geesh. As for Nicole Kidman, she may be a flop, but she has one of the best butt’s that I every saw. And for a woman past 40, she is HOT!!!
My husband and I went to see Twilight today and we both loved it! I’ve read all the books, so of course I’m a fan…but my husband hasn’t and he really enjoyed the movie, A LOT!!
I’m thinking most of the people who are “boycotting” Sean Penn would never see a movie about a gay politican in the first place.
Just a hunch.
How many young women have a man in their life that is willing to restrain themselves out of his “love” or “respect” for them? In this case the young vampire is deeply attracted to the young woman (just because he wants to drink her blood shouldn’t be held against him). He is afraid to become too intimate for fear of loosing control (the blood lust thing).
I think that young (and older) women need a strong male in their lives who is willing to protect and defend against the rest of the world, and be willing to restrain his own nearly uncontrollable “desires.”
I was delighted to hear the giggles and whispers in the audience at the “good parts” from both the old and the teeny boppers.
In this world of unrestrained sex and physical intimacy we have almost forgotten the value of “unrequited love.” There is a time and a place for physical intimacy but as a society we have forgotten the value of restraint and I suspect that may be the big drawing card in this movie.
Maybe hollywood needs to pay attention.
This anti-Sean Pean sentiment betrays the sheer idiocy of the people expressing it. One of the great things about America is the freedom to leave it? Huh? It’s actually really hard to emigrate out of the U.S., though that could be blamed on other nations’ immigration policies. What a moronic statement. And look, just because you don’t like an actor for his politics doesn’t mean that actor should leave the country. And after this past election, it looks like the majority of voters agree with all those crazy Hollywood liberals. We must all hate America!
Anyway, I saw “Milk”, and I’m not gay. I thought it was pretty good. I agree that not many people outside of liberal-minded big cities or college towns will bother seeing it, though. The Milk/Twilight overlap will be pretty slim.
I’m pretty sure that Twilight will join the ranks of Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, and Saved by the Bell as cultural phenoms for tween girls that won’t get talked about much in the future…At least Titanic had the audacity to be a good, watchable film.
The main reason guys dislike the whole ‘thing’ so much is the deceit of it all. Pasty-white, hardly masculine vampire ‘male’ being touted as a dreamboat. This is the idealized male image? In the movie, isn’t he supposed to be 90+ years old, while she’s under-aged? Isn’t that statutory rape? At least its pretty icky…not for the age difference, but because it looks so fucking SILLY.
Good thing they never showed a sex scene, it’d be like watching clowns (in full make-up) getting it on. And for all the girls and tweens defending this garbage, just remember that you once defended Lance Bass of N*Sync fame as ‘not being gay’. Yeah…you keep telling yourselves this crap is any good.
When will Hollywood learn that there is lots more $$$ to be made with G and PG movies? How many more “Twilights” are needed to convince the media moguls? They continue to try to force us into anti-White, pro-homosexual flicks when we don’t want them.
I watched Four Christmases on Wednesday and I thought it was real good. There were actually a lot of people in my theater. Most seemed to enjoy it, everyone was laughing at the appropriate places.
I watched Twilight last week, but there were a lot of people at my theater to watch it again this weekend. It’ll probably be number one again.
Four Christmases Number 1–that will be only a one time thing because this movie is one of the worse movies I have ever seen. It is a cynical ripoff of Christmas, generally. It is anti-family, anti-Christmas, anti–well–anti-comedy. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. I almost wept with fury that I had wasted an hour or so of my life for this disgraceful film.
“I’m pretty sure that Twilight will join the ranks of Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, and Saved by the Bell as cultural phenoms for tween girls that won’t get talked about much in the future…At least Titanic had the audacity to be a good, watchable film.”
Haven’t seen Twilight, but what are you talking about? Saved by the Bell is in syndication rotation on about two or three national channels and is played on local channels around the clock. it’s a show that has gone passed crossing generational boundaries, no matter the quality of the series.
And, if we’re talking N’Sync, it only features one of the most popular male music artists of the last decade- Justin Timberlake- in addition to their own multiple albums selling millions of copies. Timberlake a global star.
Those were two very odd choices to hammer away at at stuff that doesn’t linger.
“
Quantum of Solace
was COMPLETELY over the top.
What a lousy movie…
Fake and Phony all the way through.
No realisms whatsoever.
I told you “Four Christmases” would do really well at the box office. I suspect it will gross at least $100 million by the time all is said and done. I told you that Vince Vaughn would rue his decision to bail on promoting this picture. I told you Reese Witherspoon would get many props for sticking it out and selling it when no one else would.
Expect Reese Witherspoon to get a MAJOR Warner Bros. starring vehicle sometime in the very near future.
Call it a hunch…
Haven’t had a chance to see Twilight yet, still stuck over here in Kosovo till December. While back home in Oregon last year got to play a part as a drunken Mechanic in the film. Here’s hoping I wasn’t left on the cutting room floor.
Stephenie Meyer, the author of Twilight, wrote thousands of pages in the voice of a teenage girl. Though at times a bit repetitive, it sounds authentic and is thus very charming and engaging. Not a small feat, I think.
Remember JUNO? The screenplay was a terrible read. Even the guy at the pharmacy had to crack wise, the chars sounded very much alike. I couldn’t finish reading it, as that kind of repetitiveness irks me.
JUNO owes so much to Ellen Page (_formerly_ known as “kick-ass chick” circa “Hard Candy” and “Mouth to Mouth”) and the blogger-community who thought Diablo Cody “making it” was cool, and David Letterman and the Youtube-campaign. Wait, now I remember – lots of people thought “the ex-stripper” and “that blogger chick” was a fad. Can’t wait to see what “Jennifer’s Body” looks like. Hope the dialogue sounds less forced.
Meyer has since written an interesting sci-fi novel called “The Host” – Twilight-teens aren’t into that one, judging from their comments. Surprising. It’s *not* written from the POV of a teenager. I think the creators of “My Own Worst Enemy” may have caught some of Meyer’s energy, as a few aspects of the concept of MOWE could well be inspired by “The Host”.
It’s okay not to dig the book or the movie. But I think to diss the writer means to greatly underestimate her.
Not to mention that if Tom Rothman hadn’t pissed off Luc Besson he could have had Transporter 3. Think of it- he could have MADE money instead of losing it all on Australia!
Whoever up there said Twilight is like the Lost Boys should reconsider thier life choices. Twilight is only the second movie in my life that I walked out of. No character development, no dialouge, nothing. And male teens wearing makeup and looking like Edward Scissorhands doesnt enhance the experience.
I saw Australia on Wednesday night. It’s certainly is not Gone with the Wind or Titanic but the special effects were great and the nearly 3 hours flew by…not a boring movie at all but not “great”.
The best movie I’ve seen this year is “Role Models”. If you liked Superbad, you’ll love this movie.
Can Tom & Jim feel Peter breathing down their necks…again…or was Rice’s involvement with Baz/Australia gonna share the blame? Gotta believe FSL winning Best Picture for Slumdog Millionaire, Actor for The Wrestler, and The Notorious B.I.G. having a good box office performance in January can further Peter sliding over to Building 88 (shhh, dont mention Fox Atomic) Happy Holidays!
Here’s the sad part, a movie being good, is largely irrelevent if the box office is great. We can debate the merits of Twilight, its casting and the literary merit of the books forever but the reality is; it’s well marketed, it had a strong base of literary fans and the casting met the needs of the majority of those fans. It has all the right ingredients to have legs at the box office (as teens get out for Christmas break) and will undoubtedly be the smash of the season.
All Hollywood moguls care about is, will it make big money. Well it did, so don’t even bother debating it, the juggernaut has only just begun.
And for those of us who are writers and want to create original material, we’re screwed if we didn’t right the book first, because that’s the way it works now. And Stephanie Myers has just put an exclamation mark on it!
I do not care if Milk is a good movie. I will never buy a ticket to see any movie that Sean Penn or for that matter Danny Glover or Kevin Spacey are associated with. These “I love Hugo Chavez”, his socialist revolution and their I hate America venom is sickening.
I did see the movie Austrialia and enjoyed it but the movie was too long. The aborigine kid Nella stole the show. Hugh Jackman was good. Nicole Kidman, just so so.
I thought Australia was BORING, what a loooong movie. Went to the early showing of it, and it was dark outside by the time the movie ended. Decided to check out Twilight the next day, and the hours just flew by, what a fun movie! I saw a bunch of senior citizens during the matinee showing of Twilight, and they were clapping and having a good time.
I think Robert Pattison is a great talent, looking forward to seeing more from him. He’s so dreamy!
Gerald – those were not walkouts during the Australia 3 hour screening. Those were senior citizens with poor bladder control. No one has mentioned the real star of Australia: BRANDON WALTERS! Not the scenery, not Nicole & Hugh but Brandon Walters – he not only plays the central character but also narrates the movie all 3 hours. He is half native aboriginal & is only 12 years old. This is his first movie & he is terrific – just as good as Tatum O’Neill was when she was 10 in Paper Moon & won an Oscar. Forget what you have heard or read about Australia & just treat yourself to one of the best movies ever. It is a movie lover’s bonanza.
Nicole Kidman:
Worst. Actress. Ever.
I boycott Sean Penn movies for a different reason. I am a photographer & I do not approve of how celebrities treat the paparazzi. Sean Penn will travel to New Orleans to help the underprivledged & he will go to Iraq to help the war orphans but as soon as he sees someone with a camera he goes ballastic. Chris Robison from Coldplay is the same – he sings those hippy-dippy songs and then goes postal if he sees a photographer. I will never buy a Coldplay CD.
Why is Twilight so popular? HBO just finished the first season of Tru Blood and that should have sufficed for viewers. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was big ten years ago. I guess that this shows what our young are becoming: Sexual dim-witted Bloodsuckers!
As for Australia, I don’t think pioneer romances with epic storytelling about someone’s boring life is not the moviegoers cup of tea. Those who saw the movie were obviously duped. Nicole Kidman is definitely a chick for Chick flicks!
I am not surprised that the Star Trek Trailer, which was followed by the Bond tailor rightfully earned 113 million.
@Original Joe – re: >”writers and want to create original material, we’re screwed if we didn’t right [sic] the book first”.
I don’t believe it’s only about “the fan base” as “little” books also get adapted for the screen b/c whoever picks them out of the pile loves them and loves their worlds.
The ridiculous thing is this:
a) they get all excited about your “original screenplay” but then have two “experienced writers” rewrite it. Nevermind that Mr & Mrs. Experience had 2 hits in the 90s and nothing much since. They re-write your “original”.
b) The readers fall in love with the novels whose authors have all the space in the world to describe and decorate their worlds whereas a screenplay has to show “plenty of white space!” and better be 90 – 99 pages. It’s so much easier to “see” the world as intended on 200 – 500 book pages.
And of course – the screenwriter better be able express the gist of the story in a logline, 40 words or less, b/c only s/he who can manage *that* is worth her salt. I bet the logline of The House Bunny sounded great. No, really, I mean it, I can see s.o. selling that project in a heartbeat. But a logline or pitch isn’t the same thing as a really cool story told well. (In the end poor bunny suffered from many different things, not just a ridiculous storyline…)
don’t care how good “Milk” is supposed to be. I will not see anything with Sean Penn attached to it. Yes, Sean, free speech works both ways and I am using mine to personally boycott your work. It would be a wonderful gift for Christmas if you and your fellow traitor, Danny Glover packed your bags and moved to Venezuela. I’m sure your leftist, dictator buddy Hugo would welcome you with open arms.
I LOVED Twilight!!!
One thing to remember with Australia is that it has a near three hour running time. the theatres in my area are only doing 2-3 shows a day for one screen. whereas something like 4 christmases can have well up to 6 or so a day per screen. i think the numbers Australia pulled is expected of its running time and limitations given the showings per screen.
Anyone who likes Twilight should be given a lobotomy, you’re evrything that’s wrong with this country.
I walked out of Twilight. The only other movies I walked out of were Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Rent.
In all honesty, this “no-sex, no-violence, no-stars” thing is getting old. I’m all for better behavior in movies, especially movies for teens, but “Twilight” had more than enough bad behavior (sneaking into girls’ bedrooms and spying on them, anyone?) to make up for the good behavior. Plus there WAS violence. Plus this is just plain repetitive. How about a change, like “no-plot, no-chemistry, no-attraction-for-anyone-over-16″?
I agree with the other posters that the young actor in “Australia” stoled the movie, otherwise kind of long and so-so movie. OTOH, I didn’t expect anything from “Twilight”, but ended up watching it twice. Looking forward to getting the DVD.
Saw Australia with a midnight audience only because it was the best time for me to see a 2 hours and 45 minutes long movie. Thought it was OK, but suffered in my opinion from the over-all “Bazzyness” of Luhrmann’s direction… just couldn’t sell me on some of the serious drama of it when it had too much wild and zany Baz moments as well. Still, kudos for attempting to make a movie that smacks of years gone by, I’d like to see more projects like these get the green light frankly.
Still, nothing so far this holiday season will beat Slumdog Millionaire in my opinion. Seen it twice now and absolutely loved it!
As far as Milk is concerned, I didn’t think it was as good as everyone raved it to be… not bad, but I dunno… I suspect some critics who have an interest in the gay rights cause may be promoting it with just a little extra fervor than they would for a movie about a straight man. Once again, it wasn’t a bad movie, and I’ve got nothing against the homosexual community, but you gotta admit it’s easy for some of these right wing people to see “propoganda” there when it does seem like there’s a lack of critics willing to admit that it’s good, it just may not be THAT good.
See Slumdog Millionaire, you’ll love it.
Some of these posts are hilarious. “I hate Sean Penn because he’s mean to paparazzi.” Holy hell, that’s priceless.
I hate “political” celebrities as much as anyone. I think they should all shut the fuck up and enjoy their lucky ass lives.
However, Sean Penn just may be the greatest actor in the history of Hollywood. He is right up there with Spencer Tracey, Olivier, DeNiro and Daniel Day Lewis. I have never seen an actor so committed to his craft. In “Milk” he is worthy of every superlative critics use.
When he walks onscreen you forget everything he’s ever said and you only see the character he projects. That’s not just talent, it’s damned-near magic.
I want him to shut up, but man, what a performance!
Maybe those sleazy straight guys who are opposed to Milk should go back to their girl-on-girl fantasies. We all know how you decry male homosexuality but then ogle female homosexual behavior in adult movies. You hypocrites, you.
Four christmases was terrible. Not funny at all, there were 10 people in the theater with me. Transporter 3 was mediocre, the worst of the 3, but better than the comedy I had to walk out of, because it was so lame. Just like James Bond, not a good movie at all, not as good as Casino Royale, can’t wait for the Punisher. My brothers sat through Australia, not much enthusiasm to share.
“no-sex, no-violence, no-stars”
i have to say, a movie like Four Christmases, which BEATS Twilight this weekend, proves that the right stars still make any project more of a threat than a movie without them
also, i WILL underestimate the fangirls – fanboys would have never let their movie slip out of first place this fast…!
maybe fanboys are just more prone to spend time in a movie theatre than their female counterparts (the numbers don’t lie)
I had a strong feeling that FOUR CHRISTMASES would do A LOT better than it was reviewed. My theater was PACKED. Everyone was laughing so hard. Sure it’s not the kind of film that the elitist critics like, but people sometimes want to go to a mindless flick. They want to forget about their troubles, not be reminded of them.
Everyone coming out of the theater seemed satisfied with the end result. I predict strong word of mouth this holiday weekend.
Honestly, it might do big numbers next weekend as well, especially if people were spooked away from the reviews and decide to watch it based on its strong box office numbers.
Australia delivered on all levels, the DEMOS for Australia were busy shopping for Thanksgiving and preparing for family stuff, but I am sure they will come out once they hear it’s a good old fashioned Epic and I had no problems with it, It never was boring or felt long, it was entertaining, make sure you watch it on the biggest screen! TWLIGHT ROCKED also!
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When will Hollywood learn that there is lots more $$$ to be made with G and PG movies? How many more “Twilights” are needed to convince the media moguls? They continue to try to force us into anti-White, pro-homosexual flicks when we don’t want them.
Comment by Lesson for Hollywood — November 28, 2008 @ 1:53 am
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I assume by capitalizing the “W” you’re talking about anti-Dan White films? Okay, I suppose you can look at MILK in that fashion. Oh, wait, you were just being an ignoramus? Never mind.
Good God, the level of right-wing whackadoos that populate this INDUSTRY-related website just staggers me. Poor spelling and grammar, straight from the heartland of America. Yippee.
“Australia”’s failure is to be shared equally between a chronically insufferable Kidman and a story that doesn’t even appeal to citizens of its eponym. Jackman has potential, but he has to pick his projects more carefully; more “The Prestige” and “The Fountain”, less “X-men” and “Van Helsing”.
I find the Tom Cruise bashing entertaining.
Top Gun
Cocktail
Color of Money
Rain Man
Born on the 4th of July
Mission Impossible I, II & III
The Firm
Minority Report
Jerry MaGuire
Last Samurai
Collateral
War of the Worlds
There is hardly a more bankable star. Even Lion for Lambs (a flop by most measures) did $63 million worldwide with a $35 million budget.
You can hate the guy if you want, but he is a big box office draw. And I’ll take him over the overrated and formula-driven Will Smith any day.
i liked 4 christmases. it was really good. trust me it’s funnier than you’re expecting. i think the problem is that people are expecting a christmas movie and it’s kinda raunchy. if you take away the christmas theme it works on its own. i think the bad reviews were overkill and people are discovering that the movie is better than they originally expected. anyway i liked it alot better than i thought i would.
John 3:36,
You forget that this story is/was linked to the Drudge Report. The increase of “right-wing wackos” is no coincidence. Don’t take offense buddy.
So are the people saying they hated Milk have no actually seen it? It’s kind of sad. I am not saying you have to see it. I am just saying hating something you have no seen is sad. For the record, I would see a movie about Barry Goldwater although I am liberal just because I think it would be an interesting movie. I would also movies about Teddy Roosovelt and Eisenhower. Probably not about Reagan, but I wouldn’t call it bad. I would just say its not my cup of tea. I got friends who said that about Milk, but they didn’t hate on it just because of the subject matter. I think Americans of all strips need to grow up a bit. Difference is okay. It’s not there to convince you to be different.
I really enjoyed Quantum of Solace. It isn’t as good as Casino Royale and it was minus several “Bondisms” but I do udnerstand where they are going with this concept of breaking down the old conceptions to create a Bond for the 21st Century. I believe the next one will really show us where they are going with Bond. (And every scene with Dench and Craig is magic. They have great chemistry when they banter).
I saw Role Models and I generally don’t like that type of humor, but I laughed through the whole movie. It is a guilty pleasure.
Lastly, I believe Sean Penn speaks out because he LOVES America, not hates it. Those who stay, criticize and endure the repercussions show they love their country, because they are willing to take the hard road in order to try and make it even better for everyone, in all socio-economic classes. I think he loves his country more than many might guess.
I saw Australia today and loved it! Didn’t feel like 2 and 1/2 hrs at all. My theater was also packed only the first two rows had seats. Great movie.
I also would never spend any money to see a Sean Penn flick. Or Susan Sarandon for that matter…There is no room in my world for someone as unamerican or politically incorrect as him.
The Twilight movie was awesome. My 11 and 12 year old daughters not only read all 4 books..but saw the film on opening night. Great read and great movie!!
I went to see the new Bond pic, mostly for tradition, but I have to say that it lacked a sense of fun. The stunt work was excellent but the plot was weak andthe girl wasn’t up to standard. And I did have to laugh about the Russians complaining about being the baddies in the pic since there was nary a mention of them.
As for Milk, biopics time has come and gone. I can’t think of one that has made money in years and years. As for Sean Penn being one of the great actors of all time, that has to be a joke.
Twilight is probably the next one I will see. I am way too old to have gone the first weekend with all the youngsters. There is an entire genre there that is not just limited to Buffy or Twilight, and a number of authors are having very successful careers writing for that audience.
Too many movies these days seem to be centered on delivering a message, and that simply doesn’t pass muster with an audience. Messages that sell to American audiences are those with a positive spin on the country.
The only thing Nicole Kidman should be allowed to star in is a TV ad for Botox!
Vince Vaughn isn’t one of my favorite actors, but I thought he and Witherspoon were great in this movie. I wasn’t expecting an intellectual comedy, but a fun flick to keep me awake after eating too much turkey. I personally found it incredibly funny, especially for the “over-30″ crowd who can identify with a lot of the themes. One of my favorite of the year.
There was no way “Australia” was going to connect with American audiences. It looked like a rehashed version of the recent Pearl Harbor flick with Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale.
The film might be epic, but there was simply no “connection” to draw audiences. The big names are not enough. There still has to be an enticing story.
Hence, why Twilight has done so well.
Had to respond to Writer Warrior.
Best Actors? What about Jodie Foster? What about Dakota Fanning? Deniro, Tracy, Olivier, Day-Lewis? I can’t think of films with All of them in them to compare to Foster’s body of work.
Sean Penn the best actor ever. I liked Fast Times at Ridgemont High too, but, seriously I Could Have Done That Role!!
And I have never wanted to act.
Same here…my theater was packed for Four Christmases. The people at my theater seemed to enjoy it. They were laughing throughout.
To the comment posted early on by “Babs” how dare you label those in the “yes on 8″ group as people who hate homosexuals. Apparently your own hatred has blinded you to the letter of the legislation itself. I agree with those who proported their right to free speech earlier and I say to Penn, if you hate us so much and love Chavez in Venezuela, don’t take any more of our dollars. Maybe then you would live up to your rhetoric. Twilight was amazing, as were all the novels; and I can’t wait until I get to see it again. Stephanie Meyer is a great talent and her books are a joy to read!
Loved Australia, and it was not too long at all. What was amazing was people applauded when it was over, and I understand from a friend in Florida, who saw and loved it as well, the audience in her theater reacted the same way. Our theater was not empty at all, BTW and I think some people are hungry for good story-telling and movie-making. I am not a huge Nicole Kidman fan but she grew on me in this movie and I love Hugh Jackman in anything he is in.
Regarding the comment above that this was a racist movie, that person clearly knows nothing of the period in history, much less Australian history or about Aborigines. I will see Twilight, Four Christmases, etc., but the epics should be long and well-told and viewed on the big screens.. the others I save for DVD’s.
And there’s the downfall. Nobody cared for Twilight a month ago so why care now? Just another trend that’ll die out.
I’m not convinced the economy is bad when millions is still being blown at theaters