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China: ‘Skyfall’ Opens Strong As Bond Film Debut And ‘Cloud Atlas’ Premiere Raise More Questions About Censorship

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday January 22, 2013 @ 1:24pm PSTTags: China, Cloud Atlas, Skyfall

Both Skyfall and Cloud Atlas have been making waves in the Chinese media during the past few days, turning a spotlight on the notorious censors at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. They’ve also highlighted why, as my local contacts often refrain, doing business in China is never cut and dried.

James Bond juggernaut Skyfall opened to $5.1M in China on Monday, almost three times the debut of Quantum Of Solace. The film, which prominently features the Shanghai skyline and shows off Macau in what could pass for a travel brochure, is understood to nevertheless have had some scenes modified ahead of release, the BBC reported. The shooting of a Chinese security guard is said to have been excised, and a mention of torture by Chinese security services is said to have been subtitled to remove the reference. Mathew Alderson, a Beijing-based partner at law firm Harris & Moure who specializes in entertainment, tells me that although he has not seen the Chinese version of Skyfall, the reported cuts are “fairly typical examples of censorship. The Chinese are inclined to remove anything that portrays them in a negative light. It could be something as obvious and simple as having Chinese security guards appear ineffective, or because they wouldn’t want people to get the idea that you can walk into some building in Shanghai, kill the guard and walk up to the top of the building… It gets down to a bunch of censors who make decisions based on what they regard as better representing the national prestige of China and directly, or indirectly, the prestige of the Party.”

At the same time, a question hovers over Andy and Lana Wachowski and Tom Tykwer’s sci-fi epic Cloud Atlas which just had its Beijing premiere READ MORE »

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OSCARS: Who Got Snubbed By Academy?

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday January 10, 2013 @ 5:53am PSTTags: Ben Affleck, Christopher Nolan, Kathryn Bigelow, Oscars, Skyfall

Some Oscar dreams flourished and some were dashed with this morning’s announcement of the 85th annual Academy Award nominations. Academy voters can be as harsh as they can be predictable, and some snubs seem designed to sting. Thankfully some take it with a degree of humor. “I just got snubbed for a flu shot at CVS,” tweeted Prometheus co-writer Damon Lindelof today. Here are some of the directors, films and actors who got left out today even though they might have deserved better.

Related: OSCARS: 85th Academy Award Nominations

Kathryn Bigelow – The Zero Dark Thirty director was the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar for The Hurt Locker– she won’t be repeating that feat this year even though her film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden was nominated for Best Picture. “Kathryn Bigelow was robbed. So f—ed up. #recount,” tweeted ZD30 producer Megan Ellison after the nominations were announced Thursday.

Leonardo DiCaprio – He got a Supporting Actor nomination from the Golden Globes for his Calvin Candie in Django Unchained but nothing today — cast mate Christoph Waltz got the nod.

Marion Cotillard – No Best Actress for her Rust and Bone performance?

The Intouchables – A big hit at home and France’s submission for Best Foreign film, this comedy-drama Weinstein released movie got treated like an untouchable.

Ben Affleck – No Best Director or Best Actor for Argo. Really? Even though it got a Best Picture nomination?

Related: OSCARS: Nominations By Studio & Distributor

Skyfall – Yes it’s a James Bond movie. But, as the PGA recognized, it is a Sam Mendes-directed Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem. It would have been a nice addition to the tribute the Academy plans for the Bond movies’ 50th anniversary during the Oscarcast, but Oscar himself was neither shaken nor stirred beyond Adele’s best song nom.

Cloud Atlas – Not even a technical nomination? The Academy must have really hated it.

John Hawkes – His performance in The Sessions made this past nominee seem a sure thing for a Academy Award nomination – what happened Oscar?

Rise Of The Guardians – That must have really hurt over at DreamWorks Animation this morning.

Related: OSCARS: Nominations By Picture

Quentin Tarantino – The Golden Globes gave the Django Unchained helmer a nomination and the Academy gave the movie itself a Best Picture nomination today but no Best Director for Quentin? Too much controversy?

Perks Of Being A Wallflower – If any movie called out for Best Adapted Screenplay, it was this coming of ager directed and written by Stephen Chbosky based on his own acclaimed 1999 novel. And yet Oscar offered no perks at all.

Christopher Nolan – Holy Oversight, Batman! Even though Inception was nominated for Best Picture in 2010 and he’s picked up a pair of writing noms, The Dark Knight Rises director has never received a nomination for his helming work — including on the hugely successful Batman franchise. And just like with 2005’s Batman Begins and 2008’s The Dark Knight, Nolan was again left off the Best Director list. Read More »

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BAFTA Nominations Announced: ‘Lincoln’ Leads Followed By ‘Les Mis’ & ‘Life Of Pi’; Spielberg & Hooper Not Among Director Field

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday January 8, 2013 @ 11:35pm PSTTags: BAFTA Awards, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln leads the pack of nominees (see full list below) for the 65th EE BAFTA Awards, which were announced this morning in London by Alice Eve and Jeremy Irvine. Lincoln scored 10 nominations, though it did not pick up a directing mention. Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables each got nine nods, but Hooper (nominated here for The King’s Speech in 2010) failed to make the directing category. Working Title’s Tim Bevan, who has both Les Mis and Anna Karenina vying for prizes this year, told me he was surprised that Spielberg and Hooper missed out on directing slots but called it an “interesting year because [nominations] seem to be spread all over the place.” The takeaway, he said, is that Spielberg and Hooper are “swimming in a pool of extreme talent this year. Which is great for the movie business.”

Meanwhile, Skyfall, now the highest-grossing film in UK history, was nominated eight times, yet was noted in the Best British Film category and not the overall Best Film group. The only picture to cross over those two fields was Les Mis. The trio of Life Of Pi, Ben Affleck’s Argo and Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty have both Best Film and Best Director slots. The two Best Director candidates whose films were not mentioned in the Best Film group are Michael Haneke for Amour (although it did also land Foreign Language, Original Screenplay and Leading Actress nods) and Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained, which also picked up nominations for Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz and Editing. Read More »

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Perennially Ignored By Academy Voters, James Bond Gets Oscarcast Tribute

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday January 4, 2013 @ 6:26am PSTTags: James Bond, Javier Bardem, Oscars, Skyfall
Mike Fleming

James Bond Oscar Tribute SkyfallBREAKING: It has only taken 007 half a century to get his due from the Academy. Oscars exec producers will include a tribute to the James Bond franchise, it was announced this morning. It’s a good idea from the standpoint of getting the masses interested in avoiding a snore-fest like last year, but the timing is also fortuitous for honoring moviedom’s most enduring feature franchise.

The most recent installment, the Sam Mendes-directed Skyfall, recently became the first 007 film to crack the $1 billion worldwide gross mark; also, Bond celebrated its 50-year anniversary with the Skyfall release.

Related: Academy Celebrates 50 Years Of James Bond Music From ‘Goldfinger’ To ‘Skyfall’

It is a remarkable exception to how the Academy has historically dismissed the James Bond films as award-worthy. Only 1964′s Goldfinger and 1965′s Thunderball won awards, and they were for Best Effects. The 2006 film Casino Royale, which introduced Daniel Craig as 007 and is on my Top 10 favorite films, didn’t get a single Oscar nomination. Perhaps this year will be different — Javier Bardem’s villain character in Skyfall has so far been nominated for SAG and PGA Awards. I’m not sure about a Best Picture nomination, because there are so many worthy films up against Skyfall. At least the series will get a little bit of love from Oscar. Has 007 been done an injustice all these years by Oscar?

Here’s the official announcement: Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Reaches $1 Billion Global Milestone

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday December 30, 2012 @ 4:49pm PSTTags: Skyfall, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures-MGM’s 23rd James Bond pic Skyfall became the 14th film ever to reach $1 billion globally, with a domestic cume of $289.6 million and $710.6 million internationally. Sony, which a month ago posted the studio’s best-ever performance … Read More »

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Chinese Box Office Hits $2.3B; Local Pics Struggle Against Imports: Report

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday December 19, 2012 @ 2:42am PSTTags: China, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Chinese box office takings were $2.3B for the January through November period, up from about $2.1B for all of 2011, the Xinhua news agency reports. And even though China has produced 686 movies so far this year, the … Read More »

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007 SHOCK: ‘Skyfall’ Now $918M Global: Bond Tops Twilight Finale For #1 In U.S.; Gerard Butler’s ‘Playing For Keeps’ Bombs

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday December 9, 2012 @ 9:29am PSTTags: Box Office, Gerard Butler, Playing For Keeps, Skyfall

SUNDAY 9 AM, 3RD UPDATE: Skyfall internationally grossed an estimated $20.3 million this weekend, bringing its overseas total to $656.6M. With the estimated $261.6M from North America, the 23rd James Bond movie has now taken in $918M  worldwide. It’s now the highest grossing film ever released by Sony Pictures, beating Spider-Man 3‘s ($890M). The movie from EON Productions is co-owned domestically by MGM. Sony’s international markets earned an estimated $18.8M to bring the cume to $571.1M. MGM’s distribution partners grossed an estimated $1.6M bring their cume to $85.5M. Australia remained #1 in the market for the 3rd consecutive weekend raising its cume to $33.5M. The UK continues to add to its record-setting total of $154.5M. Earlier in the week, it was announced that Skyfall had smashed the all time box office record in the UK, becoming the highest grossing film of all time in that market and overtaking Avatar for the record. This is truly a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, considering this spy has been on film since 1962. But, domestically, this most successful 007 starrer rose to #1 in Week 5 to knock off Summit Entertainment’s Breaking Dawn Part 2 in Week 4 at the North American box office. “Nothing demonstrates the powerful word of mouth and outstanding playability on this film better than reclaiming the top spot in such a competitive marketplace,” Sony said today. The 23rd James Bond actioner even has a shot of outgrossing domestically the Twilight Saga finale. The Bond pic made $10.8M for the weekend and $261.4M domestic cume through Sunday. Breaking Dawn Part 2 ended up #3 behind DreamWorks Animation’s disappointing Rise Of The Guardians in Week 3.

The only wide release film this weekend is the treacly Millennium’s Playing For Keeps which should have run on Lifetime instead of in 2,837 theaters. FilmDistrict did not produce but only bought the U.S. distribution rights. (Why?) The melodrama debuted to only $2.1M Friday, prompting LA radio host Peter Tilden to snark that box office stars should at least be able to open their movies to numbers higher than their home prices. Ouch! Gerard Butler (not to mention costars Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones) needs to rethink his sinking career with this bomb grossing only $6.1M this weekend for only #6th place. What’s bizarre here is that this pic is from the director of the hugely successful The Pursuit Of Happyness, Gabriele Muccino who was handpicked by Will Smith. But that actor put people in seats unlike Butler whose huge hit 300 was back in 2007. His star turns in The Ugly Truth and Law Abiding Citizen also fared passably though Gamer and P.S. I Love You both tanked. But this new one in far more theaters may only slightly outdo what his October flop Chasing Mavericks did.

Total moviegoing this weekend was about $82.5M, or +9.7% over last year. Here’s the Top Ten based on Friday through Sunday estimates:

1. Skyfall (Eon/MGM/Sony) Week 5 [Runs 3,401] PG13
Friday $3.1M, Saturday $5.0M, Weekend $10.8M, Cume $261.4M

2. Rise Of The Guardian (DWAnim/Par) Week 3 [Runs 3,639] PG
Friday $2.2M, Saturday $4.9M, Weekend $10.4M, Cume $61.8M

3. Breaking Dawn Part 2 (Summit/Lionsgate) Week 4 [Runs 3,646] PG13
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $3.9M, Weekend $8.9M, Cume $268.5M

4. Lincoln (DreamWorks/Fox/Disney) Week 5 [Runs 2,014] PG13
Friday $2.5M, Saturday $4.0M, Weekend $8.8M, Cume $97.0M

5. Life Of Pi (Fox) Week 3 [Runs 2,946] PG
Friday $2.2M, Saturday $3.6M, Weekend $8.3M, Cume $60.9M

6. Playing For Keeps (Millennium/FilmDistrict) NEW [Runs 2,837] PG13
Friday $2.1M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $6.1M

Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Becomes UK’s Highest-Grossing Film Of All Time

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday December 5, 2012 @ 2:44am PSTTags: Box Office, James Bond, Skyfall

It was already the biggest film of the year and the best 007 movie ever in the UK. Now, Skyfall has achieved yet another milestone to become the highest-grossing film ever in the territory. In 40 … Read More »

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Pinewood Shepperton Studios See Increased Film Revenues, Operating Profit

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday November 27, 2012 @ 1:23am PSTTags: Maleficent, Pinewood Shepperton Film Studios, Skyfall

Studios operator Pinewood Shepperton’s unaudited six month results for the year ended September 30 show a marked improvement over the last comparable period. Before-tax profits are at £3M largely reversing a £5.4M loss in 2011. Revenues were £27.1M, up from £24.6M and operating profit jumped from £3.7M to £6.1M. Specifically, revenues from film were £18.8M, up from £16.4M. During the period, the UK facilities hosted Disney’s Maleficent; Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World; Working Title and Universal’s Les Misérables; Paramount’s latest Jack Ryan pic, Maryland; Universal’s Fast And Furious 6, Marv Films/Kick Ass 2 Productions’ Kick Ass 2 and Eon, MGM and Sony’s Skyfall. Pinewood Shepperton CEO Ivan Dunleavy said “The number of film productions contracted so far for next year is encouraging and the Board looks forward to the future with confidence.” TV revenues, however, were down to £2.5M from £3.6M in the earlier period. That was due to the increased film activity that saw those productions spill over to the TV studios. Read More »

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‘Skyfall’s $669.2M Global Helps Sony Pictures Post Best Ever $4B Worldwide

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday November 18, 2012 @ 9:16am PSTTags: Skyfall, Sony Pictures Entertainment

BREAKING… Sony Pictures today announced its biggest movie year ever at the global box office, passing $4 billion for the first time in the studio’s history. Thanks in large part to Skyfall becoming the biggest 007 film … Read More »

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MGM Chief Gary Barber Tells Investors He’ll Stay Through 2017

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday November 15, 2012 @ 3:50pm PSTTags: Gary Barber, MGM, Skyfall

Gary Barber’s new agreement follows last month’s announcement that Roger Birnbaum — who had been co-CEO and co-chairman — will return to movie making. “We are thrilled he has chosen to stay at MGM on an exclusive … Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Expected To Exceed $800M In Worldwide Box Office Sales

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday November 15, 2012 @ 2:58pm PSTTags: James Bond, MGM, Skyfall

MGM chief Gary Barber presented the forecast to his company’s investors today, saying that the film will become “the highest-grossing Bond film of all time.” He adds that Skyfall is performing “substantially above our expectations.” Barber also … Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Becomes No. 2 Movie Of All Time In The UK And Top 2D Film Ever

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday November 14, 2012 @ 9:09am PSTTags: Box Office, James Bond, Skyfall, Sony Pictures

Skyfall is climbing higher and higher in the UK record books. The 23rd James Bond entry last week became the biggest film of the year in the territory and the top 007 film ever. Now, after … Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Crosses $100M At Domestic Box Office

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday November 13, 2012 @ 10:05am PSTTags: Box Office, Skyfall, Sony Pictures

The Veterans Day holiday yesterday was good for $11.3 million more in North America, Sony said this morning. That puts the domestic total for Skyfall at $101.9 million after its big release this past weekend. The latest … Read More »

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James Bond At 50 Scores Big At The Academy But Could It Be The First To Get Best Picture Attention?

By PETE HAMMOND | Monday November 12, 2012 @ 5:40pm PSTTags: Lincoln, Oscars, Sam Mendes, Skyfall, Steven Spielberg
Pete Hammond

James Bond and Abraham Lincoln both were very impressive at the box office this weekend but they also killed at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences with packed turnaway crowds, certainly among the biggest of the year there and a good omen for their Oscar chances.

At Saturday night’s Lincoln screening the 1,012 seat Samuel Goldwyn Theatre was already full with Academy members by 7:10 and the smaller theatre in the building that seats about 80 was also at capacity just a few minutes later. In a rare moment for these official Academy screenings about 50 to 60 were turned away. One member who didn’t make it in and regularly attends almost all the Acad member weekend showings told me it was the first time in all the years he has been going that he wasn’t able to get in. The film reportedly played extremely well with a standing ovation for star Daniel Day-Lewis at the Q&A which also included director Steven Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, screenwriter Tony Kushner, composer John Williams and co-star Sally Field. I was also told that virtually everyone stayed for the Q&A which often isn’t the case. This intense interest bodes well for the film’s Oscar prospects down the line. An earlier all-Guild screening at the Westwood Bruin also drew a capacity crowd and strong response at the Q&A. Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Explodes With $515M Worldwide As Biggest Bond With $90M Domestic Opening; Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ Huge $900K In 11 Runs

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday November 11, 2012 @ 9:06am PSTTags: Box Office, James Bond, Lincoln, Skyfall

James Bond Box Office U.S. Lincoln Box Office Release
SUNDAY 9AM, 8TH UPDATE: Sony Pictures, MGM, and Eon Productions just announced that Skyfall, the 23rd and biggest grossing in the James Bond film series, earned another $89.0M million this weekend overseas bringing the international total to $428.6 million. With this weekend’s $90M opening in the U.S. and Canada, the Sam Mendes-directed, John Logan-scripted, Daniel Craig-starring actioner now has an estimated $518.6M worldwide. Yowza!

Both Skyfall and DreamWorks Studios/Fox/Disney’s Lincoln received great reviews going into Friday and so their opening domestic box office sparked intense industry interest. Total moviegoing this weekend through Sunday was $160M, more than half of it from 007, so that’s a very nice +20% more than last year. “Skyfall blew past all expectations for the film,” gushed a Sony exec today, calling it “the biggest juggernaut in the history of the James Bond franchise”. Despite a four year hiatus during which some cynics thought 007 had jumped the shark, Skyfall opened in North America much larger than anyone thought. Rival studios thought Sony was low-balling with its $75M pre-release estimate. And on Saturday morning, the studio begged me to lower my sources’ $88M weekend estimate. But the actual number is $87.8M ($31.7M Friday, $33.9M Saturday, and an estimated $22.2M Sunday). Add in Thursday’s select 463 IMAX preview screenings and Skyfall‘s cume is now $90M. This is absolutely the biggest-grossing 007 movie ever in the string of films since 1962 – not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices or IMAX premiums. It blows away Quantum Of Solace‘s $67.5M opening weekend in November 2008. After Skyfall received a coveted ‘A’ CinemaScore from audiences, word of mouth bumped grosses +7% from Friday to Saturday - even though Friday’s gross included $2.4M from Friday midnights. Skyfall‘s 3,505-run wide release in U.S. and Canada also set a new theater count record for the franchise and its #1 opening is the ninth to be released by Sony Pictures in 2012. IMAX took in $13.1M at their theaters as part of Skyfall‘s weekend box office. Exit polls showed 60% of the opening weekend audience was male and 40% was female with 25% under 25 years old. Sony also says the exits showed “extraordinary recommend numbers” so expect a great holiday run.

Internationally, Skyfall opened overseas October 26th, and going into this Friday the actioner had taken in $346.8M internationally. But Hollywood was betting that the worldwide total would be a gargantuan $500+M through Sunday - and it was. Sony’s markets earned $79.6M to bring the cume to $367.4M. MGM’s
distribution partners grossed $9.4M to bring their cume to $61.2M. James Bond #23 has now passed the $407.7M lifetime of Quantum Of Solace and on Monday will pass Casino Royale‘s $432.2M. As for top markets, the UK fell off just 30% in its 3rd weekend, grossing a huge $18.2M to bring the cume to $117.5M. It’s now the 4th biggest film of all time in the UK with £72.9M (and the biggest non-3D film) on its way to becoming #2 of all time on Monday. Germany was off just 30% from its opening frame, adding $15.1M for $44.0M. Others include France now $42.5M, Holland $9.4M, Switzerland $10.9M, Italy $12.1M, Russia $22.0M, Spain $9.9M, Sweden $11.3M, India $8.5M, Mexico $5.8M, Brazil $10.6M, Denmark $9.9M, Norway $9.1M, Korea $14.1M, and Austria $5.4M.

DreamWorks Studios/Fox/Disney’s PG-13 Lincoln platformed in just 11 theatres and overperformed. This massive opening will build even more Oscar buzz for Steven Spielberg, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tony Kushner, and the rest. Despite a running time of 2-hours/30-minutes, Lincoln surpassed insiders’ hopes that the biopic could debut with an impressive $40K-$50K per screen average through Sunday. Now the real number is $81,800 per screen average and $900K cume this weekend ($268K Friday, $347K Saturday, and an estimated $285K Sunday). ”Off to an incredible start with sold out shows in a number of theatres across the country,” a studio insider tells me, with venues scrambling to add extra screenings. This all bodes well for Lincoln’s continued holiday play when Disney expands theater counts domestically. Twentieth Century Fox has overseas where surprisingly its other Honest Abe movie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, did 66.6% of its business. So expect Spielberg’s pic to have heat abroad, too.

As for holdovers, last weekend’s #1 Wreck-It Ralph from Walt Disney Animation hung on for a strong -32% through Sunday, while #2 Paramount’s Flight posted a very good -39%. Full analysis later.

Here’s the Top Ten based on weekend estimates (may be refined):

1. Skyfall (Eon/MGM/Sony) NEW [Runs 3,505] PG13
Friday $31.7M, Saturday $33.9M, Weekend $87.0M

2. Wreck-It Ralph (Disney) Week 2 [Runs 3,752] PG
Friday $7.8M, Saturday $14.7M, Weekend $33.0M (-32%), Cume $93.6M

3. Flight (Paramount) Week 2 [Runs 2,047] R
Friday $4.2M, Saturday $6.5M, Weekend $15.1M (-39%), Cume $47.7M

4. Argo (Warner Bros) Week 5 [Runs 2,763] R
Friday $1.8M, Saturday $3.0M, Weekend $6.7M, Cume $85.7M

5. Taken 2 (Fox) Week 6 [Runs 2,487] PG13
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $4.0M, Cume $131.2M

6. Here Comes The Boom (Sony) Week 5 [Runs 2,044] PG
Friday $700K, Saturday $1.1M, Friday $2.5M, Cume $39.0M

7. Cloud Atlas (Warner Bros) Week 3 [Runs 2,023] R
Friday $710K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.5M, Cume $22.7M

8. Pitch Perfect (Universal) Week 7 [Runs 1,391] PG13
Friday $786K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.5M, Cume $59.0M

9. The Man With The Iron Fist (Universal) Week 2 [Runs 1,872] R
Friday $739K, Saturday $1.0M, Weekend $2.4M (-69%), Cume $12.7

10. Hotel Transylvania (Sony Animation) Week 7 [Runs 2,566] PG
Friday $505K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.3M, Cume $140.9M

Back to 007. “We are off to an amazing start,” Sony told me Friday morning as Skyfall began its roll out in North America. It did $2.2M in Thursday previews that were exclusive to 463 IMAX screens and Premium Large Format theaters. And beginning with Friday midnight shows, it did $2.4M for a combined total of $4.6M. “The matinee numbers are huge,” one rival studio exec told me by midday. “Right now the hourlys are very, very strong!” By early evening it was clear that matinees were “through the roof”, including exceptional performance from IMAX theaters now running with their regular schedule. After a 4-year-delay, James Bond #23 is a 3-way co-production among Eon Productions, MGM Studios, and Sony Pictures who all had to wait for MGM’s bankruptcy to get Skyfall‘s sorry financial and ownership state sorted out.  Read More »

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Global Showbiz Briefs: ‘Skyfall’, BigTalk, News Corp, Screen NSW, IMAX

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday November 8, 2012 @ 10:48pm PSTTags: Andy Coulson, Global Showbiz Briefs, IMAX, Skyfall

‘Skyfall’ Brings Windfall To UK’s Odeon Circuit
On Thursday, Skyfall became the UK’s all-time highest grossing 007 movie, taking £57M ($91.2)in just 12 days. Odeon, Britain’s largest cinema chain, is reaping the benefits of the breakout Bond movie scoring the largest 7-day opening ever for a single film with £11.3M ($18.1M) in takings at its theaters. Its flagship cinema, Odeon Leicester Square, also set a new record with more than £530K ($848K) in Skyfall’s first week to overtake Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which took £495K ($792K at current exchange rate) in 2011. Odeon had a 30.5% market share of Skyfall’s UK box office in its first week. Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Is Now UK’s Biggest Film Of 2012; All-Time Top James Bond Movie

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday November 8, 2012 @ 8:48am PSTTags: Box Office, James Bond, Skyfall

On the cusp of its U.S. opening, Skyfall just keeps blasting ahead at the box office. The 23rd James Bond film today passed The Dark Knight Rises to become the UK’s highest-grossing film of the year. With a … Read More »

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‘Skyfall’ Is AFI Fest’s Secret Screening Tonight

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday November 7, 2012 @ 3:29pm PSTTags: AFI Fest, Skyfall

The festival is doing a surprise screening of Sony/MGM’s James Bond pic Skyfall tonight at 9:15 PM PT at Grauman’s Chinese. The press screening for the film was last night, and the movie’s been around (it already is out in … Read More »

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