'Where The Wild Things Are' Runs $32.4M 
Oscar Can't Always Get What He Wants 
NBC Bright Spot Of Lousy GE 3Q Earnings; 4Q … 
Oops! Vivendi May Delay 20% NBCU Sale? 
65 Nations Vie For Foreign Language Oscar 
Elle's Women In Hollywood Power List 
HOW BIG IS BIG? AEG Predicts Michael Jackson … 
Sane Debt-Reduction Move By Redstone; But … 
EXCLUSIVE: Comcast Wants NBCU Deal Done … 
SUNDAY AM: Weekend domestic box office numbes, including Sunday estimates...
Top 10
1. Marley And Me (Fox), 2nd Week, 3,505 locations, Wkd $24M (-35%), Cume $106M
2. Bedtime Stories (Disney), 2nd Week, 3,684 locations, Wkd $20.3M (-26%), Cume $85.3M
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount), 2nd Week, 2,988 Locations, Wkd $18.4M (-31%), Cume $79M
4. Valkyrie (MGM-UA), 2nd Week, 2,778 Locations, Wkd $14M (-36%), Cume $60.6M
5. Yes Man (Warner Bros), 3rd Week, 3,434 Locations, Wkd $13.8M, Cume $79M
6. Seven Pounds (Sony), 3rd Week, 2,758 Locations, Wkd $10M, Cume $60M
7. The Tale of Despereaux (Universal), 3rd Week, 3,091 Locations, Wkd $7M, Cume $43.7M
8. Doubt (Miramax), 4th Week, 1,287 Locations, Wkd $4.9M, Cume $18.6M
9. The Day The Earth Stood Still (Fox), 4th Week, 2,337 Locations, Wkd $4.8M, Cume $74.3M
10. Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight), 612 Locations, Wkd $4.7M, Cume $28.7M
Other Oscar-Buzzed Pics
Gran Torino (Warner Bros), 84 Locations, kd $2.8M, Cume $9.6M
Milk (Focus), 309 Locations, Wkd $1.8M, Cume $17.1M
The Reader (Weinstein Co), 398 Locations, Wkd $1.5M, Cume $3.4M
Frost/Nixon (Imagine/Universal), 205 Locations, Wkd $1.4M, Cume $6.3M
Revolutionary Road (Paramount Vantage), 38 Locations, Wkd $979K, Cume $1.3M
The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight), 18 Locations, Wkd $441K, Cume $1.7M
Defiance (Paramount Vantage) opener, 2 Locations, Wkd $121K, Cume $198K
Last Chance Harvey (Overture), 6 Locations, Wkd $105K, Cume $354K
Waltz with Bashir (Sony Classics), 5 Locations, Friday $16.3K, PSA $3,278, Cume $122K
Loading ...
No Benjamin Button in the Oscar buzz mix???
I’m still surprised Bedtime Stories isn’t #1, seemed critic proof. Took the kids today. Other than Rob Schneider (is Disney really okay with that?) it was cute.
Marley & Me hanging on as #1 not too surprising considering how popular the book was (wasn’t it No. 1 on NY Times Bestseller List for weeks), all the dog lover’s out there and the pull of a light comedic movie during somewhat stressful times (and Wilson’s a good actor).
If you need a downer, I recommend “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”. Just saw it tonight (netflix). You’ll feel better about your life.
Anyone notice the clear distinction between Oscar-buzzed elite films and the dreck made for the unwashed masses? The dreck is released wide and makes about 1000 times more money. Limited release and grosses in the K’s does not make a movie more special. It just means nobody cares who wins because you can’t find them, and Oscar ratings go even lower.
If it’s a good movie, release it in more than five theaters and let people see it!
Thanks for the update. Ben Button is doing so much better than all the other Oscar buzzed films I see, there is no comparison as to box office. Only Doubt and SlumdogM seem to be making any money at all. Kinda sad that people are not seeing these movies. But of those that I have seen Ben Button is my favorite and I hope it does as well in the Oscars nominees selections as it has done in the GG and SAG. Also my condolences to you and your family.
Joe Melnick: Most, if not all, of the limited release/”Oscar-buzzed elite” films will open wider this month, i.e. LAST CHANCE HARVEY, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, and DEFIANCE. It ain’t brain surgery … read a website or two, friendo.
Revolutionary Road is underrated.
Good performances, definitely a downer, but nice to watch at a time when people are waking up to consumerist/corporate BS…
best supporting actor for the mental patient…
HATED Revolutionary Road. Depressing pablum. But I will say, that there was one movie I completely loved. DEFIANCE. I highly recommend it. It’s inspirational, and surprisingly unsentimental. That’s about it, folks. Liked Button though wasn’t sure about the clock, or the hummingbird – over my head I guess. Reader, not for me. Slumdog – enjoyable, but the surprise was DEFIANCE. It haunted me for days after. And this from someone who thinks you’re all hype masters.
oh come on Jay – Defiance haunted you for days
I can only imagine you were haunted by prospect of the poor bastards who would be suckered in to watch Bond, James Bond in a WW2 piece
Defiance does not deserve to win any kind of an Oscar. It is at best at glorified TV movie. Acting, staging and sadly overall all the directing is subpar. Accents drop all over the place.
The idea of highlighting active Jewish resistance in contrast to the usual glum slowly walking into the concentration camp “showers” masses that are usually depicted in films tragically meeting their fate is noble – but to do it in an entirely unoriginal and uninspiring way and spend over 50 million dollars doing so is inexcusable.
I would say Edward Zwick should know better – but then I’ve seen Blood Diamond – so maybe he’s forgotten everything he once knew.
(LG – on the other hand seems to think it’s perfectly suitable using him to hawk their TVs – that would be an amusing clip for Nikki to post)
My wife and I both loved “Revolutionary Road”
Looking forward to the boxoffice results for it and Wrestler once they go wide.
Revolutionary Road would’ve been better if Leo had used Bale’s Batman voice.
Wow, hopeless case, you nailed why Defiance is so bad.
Apparently, Zwick was so concerned about the message that he forgot to create characters (very odd, coming from the creator of thirtysomething!) What a bad movie.
A big thumbs up for THE READER. An often-naked Kate Winslet somehow manages ro make Nazism sexy…almost. Serious, a very good film.
SEVEN POUNDS, on the other hand, is a big WTF? At first you’re lead to think Will Smith’s character is edgy and unsympathetic. That is until it’s revealed, of course, he’s the most generous man on earth. Saw it with an all-black audience and even they were cracking up towards the end. PASS.
Have now seen all the “Oscar” films.
“Revolutionary Road”is a superlative film. I’m surprised with all the grousing here about how Hollywood makes dreck that there isn’t more praise for this fine piece of work. RR shows how the dreams of a generation were lost to their own failure to understand those of the previous one.
Leonardo is great (as usual) and Ms. Winslet gets my vote for actress of her generation. With this and “The Reader” (another fine film) she is having one heck of a year.
Oscar Predictions:
WILL BE NOMINATED SHOULD BE NOMINATED
PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire The Wrestler
Frost/Nixon Doubt
Benjamin Button The Dark Knight
Milk Revolutionary Road
Doubt Frost/Nixon
ACTOR
Brad Pitt Sean Penn
Sean Penn Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke Frank Langella
Frank Langella Leonardo DiCaprio
Clint Eastwood Richard Jenkins
ACTRESS
Agelina Jolie Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet (Reader) Kate Winslet (Reader)
Kate Blanchett Kristin Scott Thomas
Anne Hathaway Keira Knightly (Duchess)
DIRECTOR
Ron Howard Christopher Nolan
David Fincher Sam Mendes
Danny Boyle Darren Aranofsky
Christopher Nolan Ron Howard
Gus Van Zant John Patrick Shanley
Some of you will disagree about “Slumdog.”
You may want to consider this:
http://www.nypress.com/article-18907-the-mis-education-of-a-millionaire.html
Hey Jay, I also loved DEFIANCE. Had no idea what it was about and watched a screener over the holidays. WOW. It blew me away. While accents did fall in and out, I didn’t care. The story was compelling.
RE: Rev. Road – Blech. Who cared? The Man In the Grey Flannel Suit – it wasn’t. It took iteself way too seriously. Pretentious bull.
Anxious to see SLUMDOG.
I liked Marley & Me, but it was pretty freaking sad at the end. As others have said, I’m not sure how much repeat business it can get.
Sorry bad formatting
Have now seen all the “Oscar” films.
“Revolutionary Road”is a superlative film. I’m surprised with all the grousing here about how Hollywood makes dreck that there isn’t more praise for this fine piece of work. RR shows how the dreams of a generation were lost to their own failure to understand those of the previous one.
Leonardo is great (as usual) and Ms. Winslet gets my vote for actress of her generation. With this and “The Reader” (another fine film) she is having one heck of a year.
Oscar Predictions:
WILL BE NOMINATED
PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
Benjamin Button
Milk
Doubt
SHOULD BE NOMINATED
The Wrestler
Doubt
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road
Frost/Nixon
ACTOR
WILL BE
Brad Pitt
Sean Penn
Mickey Rourke
Frank Langella
Clint Eastwood
SHOULD BE
Sean Penn
Mickey Rourke
Frank Langella
Leonardo DiCaprio
Richard Jenkins
ACTRESS
WILL BE
Agelina Jolie
Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet (Reader)
Kate Blanchett
Anne Hathaway
SHOULD BE
Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet (Reader)
Kristin Scott Thomas
Keira Knightly (Duchess)
DIRECTOR
WILL BE
Ron Howard
David Fincher
Danny Boyle
Christopher Nolan
Gus Van Zant
SHOULD BE
Christopher Nolan
Sam Mendes
Darren Aranofsky
Ron Howard
John Patrick Shanley
Some of you will disagree about “Slumdog.”
You may want to consider this:
http://www.nypress.com/article-18907-the-mis-education-of-a-millionaire.html
I really should get off my ass and watch ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Everyone’s who’s seen it loves it.
After watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, several of my audience members stood up and shouted “Refund, Refund”. Seriously, while CCOBB entertains, it is not Oscar material. I feel the same way about Frost Nixon. I look forward to seeing Doubt, Milk, and Gran Torino in the weeks ahead.
Good to see that after two weeks Valkyrie has finally made back its’ advertising cost. Now let’s see if it can recoup the cost of making it! Another 60 to 80M should see it break even. Maybe.
Revolutionary Road was HORRIBLE. I don’t know what movie everyone else was watching, but what I saw was, at best, a bad play.
Ha, take that Benjamin Button haters! Only a 31% drop which means the WOM among non-internet douches is golden! Your precious Slumdog Millionaire has a snowball’s chance in hell of winning Best Picture or Director. Slumdog just isn’t connecting with audiences in the way Button clearly is despite the spin you’re trying to peddle to the contrary. Honest to god Slumdog might be the most obscenely overrated film I’ve ever seen. It completely crumbles under the kind of scrutiny people are needlessly applying to the vastly superior Button. The alleged backlash surrounding Button is just due to the fact that people resented hearing about its status as an Oscar frontrunner for months and months leading up to its release. Slumdog had the benefit of flying under the radar and when it finally screened those who saw it first felt special for having the inside track so they went overboard in their praise. Simple as that really. Slumdog isn’t a bad movie but it’s far from the instant classic its supporters allege it to be. Nobody has really been fooled by the perception that it contains timeless greatness which is reflective by its inability to pick up real box office heat. True it’s made a nice amount for an independent but its fans claim it’s winning over the hearts and minds of viewers across the country, and if that really were the case it would have much more relevance on the charts which it frankly doesn’t.
Good for Jennifer Aniston!!!
Billy, I agree with you about “Slumdog.”
Thank God I’m not alone.
The public does seem to like “Button” but in case you don;t know where you’re posting, we are not the public, we’re artisans with a delicate and discerning sense of quality and a deep knowledge of cinema.
With that in mind, I repeat: Benjamin Button is shit.
Thank you.