Carl Icahn Now Wants ALL Of Lionsgate 
Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … 
SATURDAY PM: Here's first look at early North American box office numbers for today...
1. G-Force 3-D (Disney) $11.7 million Saturday & $32M this weekend. Jerry Bruckheimer attempted his first 3-D foray featuring secret agent guinea pigs. Which just goes to show that sometimes moviegoers will watch anything. But this CGI family fare was incredibly expensive so the pic's profitability is a real question mark.
2. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros) $11.2M & $29M weekend. It continues to drop harder than the last one. Cume is now $221M.
3. The Ugly Truth (Sony) $9.7M & about $27.5M weekend. This Katherine Heigl-Gerard Butler pic, directed by Legally Blonde's Robert Luketic, barely received 15% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and The New York Times' Manola Dargis stuck it to Sony's Amy Pascal for making such anti-feminist crap. But audiences liked it, judging by the surprising "A-" CinemaScore.
4. Orphan (Dark Castle/Warner Bros) $4.7M; $12.7M weekend. (OK, I hoped this would bomb. It didn't. But Joel Silver still should be ashamed both for making this revolting movie and then marketing it so callously that adoptive parents groups were very vocally protesting.)
5. Ice Age 3-D: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (Fox) $3.1M; $8.4M weekend; cume $170M.
6. Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen (Paramount) $8M weekend. Its $379M cume passed Lord Of The Rings 3's $377M as the 10th highest grossing film of all-time.
Weekend's total box office should add up to $140M, down 33% from last year which had The Dark Knight.
SATURDAY AM: Here's first look at early North American box office numbers for Friday...
1. G-Force 3-D (Disney) $11.5 million today & around $35M this weekend.
2. The Ugly Truth (Sony) $11M today & about $29M weekend.
3. Harry Potter/Half-Blood Prince (WB) $9.5M today & probably $30M weekend.
4. Orphan (Dark Castle/Warner Bros) $5M today & near $13M weekend. (Ouch! Then again, Joel Silver should be ashamed both for making this revolting movie and then marketing it so callously that adoptive parents groups were very vocally protesting.)
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I think Harry is hurt by the lack of IMAX screens and wonder if they will see a noticeable bump next weekend when it goes wide in IMAX, i know that I’m not seeing it until I see it in IMAX. Orphan didn’t do too badly, didn’t know that Leo had produced this movie as well. Ashamed of himself? It’s a horror thriller movie, I don’t think any adoptive parents would see this as anything further than that — like they are gonna say — oh, let’s adopt, and then they see Orphan and say, let’s not. Did anyone complain about similar movies such as bad seed? Happy for Katherine Heigl, but G-Force being number 1 — I hope not.
With the “success” of The Fugly Truth, does this mean Grey’s Anatomy is set to be one more less at the end of next season?
G-Force..what a lame excuse for a movie.
Despite knowing about the lack of IMAX screens and the other factors as to why HP6 is performing how it is, I can’t help but be a little disappointed by its run so far. After that amazing opening night, things went downhill, FAST. On Monday and Tuesday I was filled with some hope when it posted great numbers but what happened on Wednesday? It was down more than 20% and now it doesn’t get much of a bump from Thurs-Fri, and remains below the relative day of HP5. I really hope it has long legs in IMAX because it might be the case of a little too late for it to encourage people to see it.
I REALLY wanted it to atleast challenged Transformers 2 for movie of the year, but TF2, had that sealed and delivered after 5 days. Sigh.
why so negative? this is what “hollywood” should do… girl movie, kid movie, teen movie… i mean yes better flicks would be cool but it’s good for the biz to have multiple hits on the same weekend. especially chick flicks. proposal is gonna go passed 150 soon… and it’s one of only 3 female skewing films the entire summer. when will they learn?
I don’t know why but I really want Katherine Heigl to fail. Something about her just bugs me. It’s probably her “holier-than-thou” attitude.
Nikki you should put your money where your mouth is with your revulsion of Orphan by publicly spoiling its shocking twist in your next update to deter anyone else from seeing it.
The japanese are working on a device that rates different pieces of shit by the smell. This could provide the studios with earlier forecasts of box office returns, the bigger piece of shit doubtless being the weekend winner.
Nikki, when will you learn? Orphans are evil abomanations. Scum sucking pigs. Sons of motherless goats. They can truly suck it. This is an important movie that DEMANDS we stop adopting. Got it? Okay. Send those baby children back to the mine.
I find your comment towards “Orphan” to be an exaggeration. It’s a movie, not a documentary. Of all people, I didn’t expect you to believe this film was harmful towards adopted children.
I mean, not that long ago, blind people were protesting over Fernando Meirelles’s “Blindness”. Some folks have too much time in their hands.
LOL. Where are all those Potter fans now who claimed it would have better longevity compared to Transformers?
Sincerely, I really do feel sorry for the dupes paying $11.00 or more for the Ugly Truth. You watch the trailer and it’s all there in less than 3 minutes. What can you possibly expect from a one note actress starring in a movie where everyone looks the same? Want a date movie, go watch 500 Days of Summer.
Orphan is a low-budget horror film, so its opening gross is actually respectful.
As an adopted child myself, I have to say….come ON, people. This is a horror film, and it’s being advertised as a horror film. It’s not even being advertised as a thriller, which could conceivably be taken as something that is a representation—however distorted—of real life. Horror generally implies a more fantastical take on a subject matter and this clearly seems to be a film that goes in that direction. To think that anyone actually looks at a movie like the Orphan and thinks “Well, that’s certainly got to be what adoption’s like these days” is to bestow on the film a level of realism that I don’t think the makers merit or even want.
Furthermore, I think that if anyone looks at a horror film and lets it dissuade them from going through with an adoption process that they otherwise may have done, it’s probably for the benefit of the child they were about to take into their home. Just saying.
Harry Potter 6 faded for three reasons:
1. Too little of the book it’s based on is actually in the film
2. The unlikely/unfathomable/unappealing “romance” between Hermione and Ron was even worse on-screen than it was in the book. The fact that Radcliffe and Watson (Harry and Hermione) have crackling chemistry onscreen (and thus made the supposed lack-of-attraction between them even more unlikely) didn’t help either.
3. IT WAS BORING AS HELL.
At $180M plus P&A, G-Force needs a hell of a lot more than $33M to not be another embarrassment for Disney’s live action side.
Here’s a question I’m sure I know the answer to: Nikki, have you SEEN ORPHAN? Because if you haven’t, you have no right to call it revolting. Just hearing/reading about a film doesn’t count as seeing it… but i’m sure you knew that…
I’m actually glad G-Force is #1. I mean let’s face, it’s a movie about talking Guinea Pig Secret Agents, it’s not for our age group and it doesn’t try to be. It is something original and considering the talent involved (Sam Rockwell, Zach Galifianakis, Tracy Morgan, Jon Favreau, etc.) I’m happy for them. Besides, next week we get our movie in Funny People.
Nearly $85 million spent on tickets for these three films? Proof that Hollywood could smear crap on 3,000 screens and the American public would still go out in droves to see it.
G Force sounds like a movie whose concept was decided over lunch and whose screenplay was written during dinner that same day. Feels like this movie has been done before ten times over.
Looks like the romantic comedy is not dead and buried. Like her or not, Heigl does have a good screen presence and there aren’t too many leading women anymore that can pull off romantic comedy.
Ebert gave Orphan ***1/2
That makes me mildly curious to see it.
Orphan is a very good movie. Isabelle Fuhrman deserves some recognition. This movie is going to last in the genre.
I for the life of me will never be able to figure out what the hell is going on in an audiences head. How something as simplistic and extremley forumlaic as G-Force has a shot at being number 1 and something as non-realistic, unfunny, and stupidly crude as The Ugly Truth can come in second. Oh it’s a sad state for movies.
Nikki Finke making a snide comment about a horror movie she’s never seen? SHOCKING!
She does it because she is a tool. A tool who apparently advocates censorship as she is always harping on the fact that she feels these movies shouldn’t even be made.
a tool is a tool. There’s nothing wrong with that, just call it like it is.
Wow, a lot of bitter, hateful comments by people using very descriptive words for movies they clearly haven’t seen. It’s kind of like saying someone is an a##hole you’ve never met.
I saw Ugly Truth last night so thought I would chime in:
The trailer was abominable, the reviews were spotty/bad so I had very low expectations – but I have to say the MOVIE IS GOOD. REALLY GOOD. One of the best rom coms I have seen in a long time.
I went with my wife and we had a great time, laughed our asses off, then went home and did naughty things to each other.
Well worth the ticket price.
I think The Ugly Truth will drop over the weekend. This summer has shown that if a movie is bad or disappointing, it could do well it’s opening day but will definitely drop over the weekend (see Year One and Bruno, Transformers is an exception).
Brad, Ebert gave “Knowing” four stars and I barely survived that piece of crap.
This weekend we have opening a cheap talking animals kids movie, a Katherine Hiegl romantic comedy, and a lame demon child horror film. This doesn’t sound like a lineup for the end of July, more like the middle of March. Must have been the writer’s strike.
Nikki, how’s Hurt Locker doing in limited release? Saw it twice and loved it.
Yeah, Nikki, we really wish you’d stop blindly disparaging any newly released horror movie that tries to push the envelope with its content or present a story that happens to imperil women or children. It kind of makes you come off as a fuddy-duddy who thinks everything that happens in a film which aims to unnerve should be left to the imagination so a soft MPAA rating can be preserved. Any film is narratively justifiable, no matter how extreme it reveals itself to be within its particular genre, as long as it’s handled with dexterity and innovation.
Orphan I thought was ultimately an unwieldy blend of psychological thriller, slasher flick and all-out camp-fest where none of those aspects were fully optimized, but it was still very well-made overall. I certainly don’t regret seeing it, mostly because of the pair of standout performances by the tormented adoptive mother and the demon seed. It’s hard to get a gauge on what will have legs nowadays, especially in light of Harry Potter 12 surprisingly falling off the map so abruptly, but I feel confident in presupposing that Orphan will be huge on home video after a modest first run. If it has a slight percentage dropoff next week I won’t be surprised, though, because it’s the type of guilty pleasure movie (with a doozy of a third act revelation) that could get people buzzing.
Also, this garbage about special interests groups for the adopted being outraged just proves that we live in a needlessly sensitive age where anybody will eagerly jump at the opportunity to express phony outrage just to put their own inflated sense of integrity on a pedestal.
My friends and I are waiting for HP to open at Smithsonian IMAX next week. Perhaps there is a small but still sizeable group of folks who are willing to wait? We also like HP but none of us are fanatical about it.Maybe the next wave, made up of moderate fans, will sustain HP’s box office.
Oh God! I see delusional Harmonians are even suggesting HBP’s box-office is being affected by the lack of their own ludicrous relationship theories. And by the way, the movie is doing stupendously internationally, as usual.
Harry Potter 6 is a great big FAIL. I haven’t read any of the books, and even I could figure out that the handling of the last 45 minutes–after all that interminable teen romance–was a botch. IMAX won’t save this one.
Most of the great horror movies don’t open too strong so this is good news for Orphan being a low-budget horror flick. It might have legs or a great DVD run based on word of mouth. Its getting great reviews and mixed among critics but its a good mixed.
Maria, ORPHAN’s p & a has been quite large. This pic is a total miscalculation by Warner and Silver.
It is a tired premise (recycled OMEN) with a lousy ad campaign (trailer, those bazillion bus stops with that ugly one-shot)…
Money-loser. Will have no legs and it won’t perform on dvd either.
Jennifer Davisson-Killoran produced Orphan for Appian Way, Di Caprio’s production company. She sucks so the movie sucks. Not surprised at all.
@JD
It’s because she’s vile – the woman can’t hide the fact, even when she’s on a PR offensive – stone cold dead eyed never gonna be a film star
Dear romantic comedy illiterates:
ALL ROMANTIC COMEDIES ARE THE SAME!
What’s different are the stars and the chemistry.
Heigel is hot.
Butler is hot.
People hope they will screw.
Bullock is hot.
Reynolds is hot.
See grosses for my point.
ps: Saw Orphan. It sucked.
Once Orphan’s twist becomes widely known it is going to make a lot of money. Most people I know who saw it think it’s hilarious and great.
For what it’s worth, I’m one of the people who has HP6 IMAX tickets and is waiting to go.
Nikki, your analysis is usually spot on, but saying that “Jerry Bruckheimer scores” with G-Force is really off the mark. Do a little digging and you’ll find that this picture cost a LOT more than you might think. A $32m opening weekend isn’t a good start down the road to profitability. Unless the foreign BO is way beyond the domestic, this is going to be a big write-down for Disney.
“The Orphan” nosedived at the theater I work at from Friday to Saturday. We might be getting rid of it after the first week for ‘500 Days of Summer.’
[SPOILER ALERT... SPOILER ALERT...]
Also, people are griping/laughing that the girl is really a 33 year old midget who kills siblings and mothers to seduce fathers to have sex with her. Not making that up. Nikki, you were right, this is vile trash. And this movie wasn’t campy, it took itself too seriously.
@shootasdirected
She already is a film star you idiot. This is her third box office hit in row.
G-force cost 180 million dollars. Pretending like 32 mil is a success would be a horrible joke. I was really pulling for Jerry, but kids stuff is proving not the right genre for him.
To CineFileX:
It shouldn’t be that way.
This was a bad career move for Heigl. Her sweet All- American girl image is now blown. I’m not letting my wife drag me to any more of these types of films.
Nikki, have you even seen Orphan? If you or any of those whacko parents that are protesting actually saw the movie then you probably wouldn’t be getting so worked up. Don’t judge a movie based on its marketing and don’t judge it before you’ve even seen it.
Although The Ugly Truth looks god-awful, I’m glad that Katherine Heigl is having success on the big screen.
Some may find her to be ungrateful and so forth, but I on the otherhand find her to be a breath of fresh air. An actor who is not afraid to speak her mind. I find it interesting that when a female actor speaks her mind, she is basically stoned to death by many of the general public but when an actor of the male persuasion does it, people barely say anything. Double standard much!
You people need to shush…the ONLY reason HP6 is performing low is becuz it has no IMAX showings…which TF2 and Star Trek had. It has made 220 mil so far. No disappointment there.
Nikki, I’m sorry but regarding Orphan or any other movie for that movie — I DON’T KNOW WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT ANY MOVIE TO BOMB — especially someone in the industry. A movie that does well is good for the whole industry and for the viewing public at large. And regarding that comment about adoptive parents — that is the most laughable thing I’ve ever heard of. Not every adoption is happy-go-lucky great and no every adoption is horrific. Orphan is just one tale.
IMAX might help a big, but this may be a case of diminishing returns for IMAX.
You know, with the smaller IMAX screens, the digital presentations that aren’t really IMAX, and the increased ticket prices, I don’t know if the company is setting itself up to be a fad, rather than a viable alternative to traditional theatrical exhibition for Hollywood fare.
Uh ohh…looks like MOVIEFAN is a little preturbed by
the comments towards his so so precious HP6. If your
a Harry potter fan and you serious thought it would
out perform Tranformers you must have been smoking
crack as well as endulgence in many other hard drugs
lol. IMAX or no IMAX, dosent make a difference…it
aint messin with TF2. Dosent carry nearly the histeria,
excitement, hypeness, and anticipation as does TF2 and
besides would you really care to watch some teenage
kid do magic after watching Optimus Prime put his foot
through Starscreams jaw structure with state of the
art visual achievement and brand new 3-D technology.,
i dont think so. I sure as hell wouldnt and will never.
o be perfectly honest i see HP6 having a hard time
pulling 300 mil, especially with G.I. JOE and DISTRICT
9 around the corner.
Nikki, HP6 is performing at the same level as its predecessor. It dropped to around $30 million on its second weekend, and this movie was only slightly below it. It’ll still be among the Top 5 highest grossing movies by the end of the year.
I think that’s quite impressive considering only three IMAX theaters were able to show it, compared to the previous movie. It might go up slightly next week when the four week exclusive IMAX window with TF-2 expires, but who knows.
I love Nikki’s jab at ‘Orphan’, hoping that the movie would just because it’s a horror movie. The movie’s actually decently well-done and should take a fair share of counter-programming from the other flicks in this list. Adoptive parents boycotting? Oh, please, what a ridiculous notion. It’s just a movie providing its two weeks of entertainment at theaters not an alarm call against adoption.
Nice to see G-Force take the weekend. It looks like a fun flick for kids.
Re: Katherine Heigl. Now that’s finally ‘made it’ as a movie star, it’s all that she’s going to do tired romatic comedies? Is she going to challenge herself as an actress or just make tripe?
umm so people are mad at the movies that knocked Potter out of first place? I see anger & hatred being thrown at G-force which is sad. G-Force didnt do anything wrong.
…and others think Potter is not doing well money wise due to its script and therefor its sales are off???
well i sure would like a movie that almost at $630 Million IN 2 WEEKS.
sheesh…some folks are neva happy….
lighten up folks. this is another 2009 monster of a movie.
As much as i don’t want to admit it, Disney may be the best marketers of the majors. This is the 4th movie in a row that they’ve opened to 30+. Hannah Montana, Up, The Proposal and now G-Force. How did they open a Sandra Bullock romcom to 30? And I don’t care how expensive G-Force is or isn’t, I thought it would open to around 20, not 32 or whatever. If I had a movie, unless it was rated R, I would want Disney marketing and distributing. If it was R rated, I would want Warner Bros (The Hangover, Matrix, 300, etc)
Where are some of you getting your numbers? $180 million budget for G-Force?! All reports show the number is $80 million, from variety to boxofficemojo.
Orphan was a very good movie, one of the best i’ve seen in over a year. The suspense grips you for the beginning to the end. I have to rate it a 10 and recommend everyone I know to see it.
I expected G-force to be terrible – it was adorable. It doesn’t seem like anyone here even saw it and yet you throw snide comments at it. I have kids, at which it’s aimed, and they loved it.
I absolutely love The Ugly Truth. It is soooo much better that the horrible, boring Proposal. Just goes to show that critics aren’t in tune with the people.