Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson could miss three weeks after an MRI revealed a partial tear in his left hamstring.
The Grizzlies made the announcement before Wednesday night's exhibition game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. If the timetable is correct, Iverson would miss all of preseason, and his status for the season opener at home against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 28 would be in jeopardy.
"The way I see it, I'm glad it's happening right now rather than in the season," Iverson said in a pregame press conference. "That's the only positive thing I can take out of the whole thing."
Iverson, declaring himself a quick healer, said he expects to be back in time for the opener. He was hurt during the Grizzlies' training camp in Birmingham, Ala. last week and said he was just starting to get into shape after not playing basketball for five months waiting to see where he was going to land for this season.
"My legs were starting to feel a lot better than they had the first three or four days," Iverson said. "Then, just like that, I hurt the hamstring."
Entering his 14th season, the four-time NBA scoring champ signed with the Grizzlies last month, the biggest name ever to join the franchise. Iverson said he has never dealt with hamstring problems in his career and wants to make sure he is completely healed before returning to the court.
"My whole thing is to work as hard as I can to try and get back to 100 percent," Iverson said. "I don't want to try and come back too early and have this thing lingering on throughout the whole season."
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Stern forsees NBA expanding into European cities one day
The NBA envisions having franchise teams in European cities, although commissioner David Stern said Thursday there was no timetable for the move.
Stern was speaking in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, before the first ever NBA exhibition game on the island.
"There's some good possibility over the course of many years, that if there's appropriate arena development in Europe, there could be actual NBA franchises in Europe," he said. "That's the way we see the development of basketball in the world."
Earlier this week, Stern said the league was also planning a regular-season game in London sometime before the city hosts the 2012 Olympics.
The only regular NBA games ever staged outside North America were in Japan in the early 1990s.
In addition to European expansion, Stern said the NBA also sees affiliated leagues in other continents.
"The model in Asia, probably in Latin America, possibly in Africa will lead us -- if there's adequate arena development -- to having NBA affiliated leagues, with partners in local basketball federations," Stern said.
In Thursday's Taipei exhibition, the Denver Nuggets take on the Indiana Pacers. A capacity crowd of 13,000 is expected.
Stern was speaking in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, before the first ever NBA exhibition game on the island.
"There's some good possibility over the course of many years, that if there's appropriate arena development in Europe, there could be actual NBA franchises in Europe," he said. "That's the way we see the development of basketball in the world."
Earlier this week, Stern said the league was also planning a regular-season game in London sometime before the city hosts the 2012 Olympics.
The only regular NBA games ever staged outside North America were in Japan in the early 1990s.
In addition to European expansion, Stern said the NBA also sees affiliated leagues in other continents.
"The model in Asia, probably in Latin America, possibly in Africa will lead us -- if there's adequate arena development -- to having NBA affiliated leagues, with partners in local basketball federations," Stern said.
In Thursday's Taipei exhibition, the Denver Nuggets take on the Indiana Pacers. A capacity crowd of 13,000 is expected.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Gary Ross To Write/Direct Venom Movie
Sony has been developing a Marvel Comics spin-off of the Spider-Man villain Venom for some time now, but I never actually believed it would happen. Screenwriting team Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese had written two drafts on the character before moving on to Zombieland. And before Wernick/Reese, the company had previously commissioned Jacob Estes (Mean Creek) to pen a take. It seemed like one of those projects that was just doomed to development heck. Apparently not…
But BFDealMemo has learned that Sony is talks with Spider-Man 4 scribe Gary Ross to rewrite the script and possibly even direct the Venom spin-off. Ross plans to begin the rewrite as soon as he finishes up work on Spidey 4. I enjoyed the hell out of Zombieland, and was actually really interested to see Wernick/Reese’s version. At the same time, I’m also interested to see what Ross will bring to the table. Ross’ screenwriting credits include Big, Mr. Baseball, Dave, Lassie, as well as his two-directorial efforts Pleasentville and Seabiscuit.
Even though the character appeared in Spider-Man 3 with actor Topher Grace playing his human counterpart, the intention is to completely reboot the character in this spin-off. And I think hiring someone other than Topher for the role is a smart move as they really need to do everything they can to differentiate the spin-off from what many believe to be a lackluster third film.
When I was younger, and had more time to read comics, Venom was one of my favorites. But never once did I actually buy an issue of the Venom spin-off series, because I never thought it would be that interesting. And my thoughts are virtually the same on a Venom spin-off film. Venom is one of those baddies who is only as interesting as his opponent. And I’m pretty sure this project would be Spidey-free.
Sony has announced a May 6th 2011 release date for the fourth installment of the Spider-Man series. No word on if the Venom film would somehow be related or connected to that fourth story. Heatvision reports that the studio had no comment on Grace’s involvement nor on Ross writing the project.
But BFDealMemo has learned that Sony is talks with Spider-Man 4 scribe Gary Ross to rewrite the script and possibly even direct the Venom spin-off. Ross plans to begin the rewrite as soon as he finishes up work on Spidey 4. I enjoyed the hell out of Zombieland, and was actually really interested to see Wernick/Reese’s version. At the same time, I’m also interested to see what Ross will bring to the table. Ross’ screenwriting credits include Big, Mr. Baseball, Dave, Lassie, as well as his two-directorial efforts Pleasentville and Seabiscuit.
Even though the character appeared in Spider-Man 3 with actor Topher Grace playing his human counterpart, the intention is to completely reboot the character in this spin-off. And I think hiring someone other than Topher for the role is a smart move as they really need to do everything they can to differentiate the spin-off from what many believe to be a lackluster third film.
When I was younger, and had more time to read comics, Venom was one of my favorites. But never once did I actually buy an issue of the Venom spin-off series, because I never thought it would be that interesting. And my thoughts are virtually the same on a Venom spin-off film. Venom is one of those baddies who is only as interesting as his opponent. And I’m pretty sure this project would be Spidey-free.
Sony has announced a May 6th 2011 release date for the fourth installment of the Spider-Man series. No word on if the Venom film would somehow be related or connected to that fourth story. Heatvision reports that the studio had no comment on Grace’s involvement nor on Ross writing the project.
Bored to Death Picked Up for Second Season
HBO is still interested in Bored to Death: The freshman comedy has been renewed for a second season.
The pickup comes days after the show saw a ratings high of 1.1 million on Sunday, when it followed Curb Your Enthusiasm's Seinfeld reunion episode. Since its Sept. 20 debut, Bored to Death's pilot has been seen by 4.1 million viewers with repeats factored in.
Bored to Death stars Jason Schwartzman as a writer-turned-investigator.
The pickup comes days after the show saw a ratings high of 1.1 million on Sunday, when it followed Curb Your Enthusiasm's Seinfeld reunion episode. Since its Sept. 20 debut, Bored to Death's pilot has been seen by 4.1 million viewers with repeats factored in.
Bored to Death stars Jason Schwartzman as a writer-turned-investigator.
Ryan Reynolds Eyed for Motorcade
DreamWorks is moving forward with Motorcade, hiring director Jon Cassar, best known as co-executive producer and a prolific helmer of the Fox TV drama "24."
The studio hopes to get the picture into production by late summer or early fall 2010, and DreamWorks is eying Ryan Reynolds to play the disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the U.S. president is kidnapped in New York.
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing. Billy Ray continues to work on a script that was originated by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.
The studio hopes to get the picture into production by late summer or early fall 2010, and DreamWorks is eying Ryan Reynolds to play the disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the U.S. president is kidnapped in New York.
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing. Billy Ray continues to work on a script that was originated by Hans Bauer and Craig Mitchell.
No Simpsons Movie Sequel Planned
The creators of "The Simpsons" have ruled out making a sequel to The Simpsons Movie, at least not until the TV series finally wraps.
According to Variety, Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean said that making the series and producing the movie was so exhausting that a sequel remains a distant prospect.
"It took 18 years to get around to doing the movie," Groening said. "We got very frustrated. We thought it would take two years but it ended up taking four. Some day maybe we'll do another one -- but don't hold your breath."
Both Groening and Jean have no idea when the series may end.
According to Variety, Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean said that making the series and producing the movie was so exhausting that a sequel remains a distant prospect.
"It took 18 years to get around to doing the movie," Groening said. "We got very frustrated. We thought it would take two years but it ended up taking four. Some day maybe we'll do another one -- but don't hold your breath."
Both Groening and Jean have no idea when the series may end.
New National Lampoon’s Vacation Sequel In The Works
No, no, no NO NO NO NOOOOOOOO. I start overacting like Shia LaBeouf when I learn news about Hollywood remaking or sequelizing movies from my childhood. I’m not an anti-sequel person, and in that area, I’m a lot more optimistic than most film fanatics. With the advances in technology and special effects, I understand the want to update some of the big sci-fi and effects heavy classics (not that I agree, but I at least understand…)
But some movies just need to be left alone: particularly dramas and comedies. The Karate Kid doesn’t need a remake starring Will Smith’s son and Jackie Chan, and Nation Lampoon’s Vacation doesn’t need another crappy sequel/spin-off. New Line/Warner Bros has signed Wedding Crashers and Fred Claus director David Dobkinto produce and possibly direct a new film in the Vacation series.
New Line has already developed a storyline, which they are now meeting with screenwriters to pen the script. The story follows Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase in the original films), who is now a father in his own right and takes his family on a, you guessed it, road trip vacation. Heatvision reports that New Line hopes to make a movie that skews more towards Planes Trains and Automobiles or Little Miss Sunshine than RV or Are We There Yet? Thank God…
And the movie will not be a remake, but a sequel/spin-off/reboot. The first trip would be acknowledged and the story will focus on a new adventure. The plan is to write in parts, although it hasn’t been established if it would be a cameo or something much larger, for Chase and Beverly D’Angelo to return as grandparents. Of course, no deals are in place.
It is unlikely that any of the original Griswold child actors will return for the new film, since Rusty and Audrey have been played by a different set of actors in each film. This fact is actually made into a joke in Vegas Vacation when Clark tells his children that he “hardly recognizes” them anymore.
It’s hard to complain about another sequel since this franchise has already been milked to death. It’s not like this film could ever hurt the series’ legacy, at least not any more than Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure (which is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen… ever). Christmas Vacation is one of the few third films in a movie series that ended up surpassing the sequel, European Vacation, by leaps and bounds. The 1997 film Vegas Vacation wasn’t horrible, but also wasn’t on the same level as either Vacation or Christmas Vacation.
But some movies just need to be left alone: particularly dramas and comedies. The Karate Kid doesn’t need a remake starring Will Smith’s son and Jackie Chan, and Nation Lampoon’s Vacation doesn’t need another crappy sequel/spin-off. New Line/Warner Bros has signed Wedding Crashers and Fred Claus director David Dobkinto produce and possibly direct a new film in the Vacation series.
New Line has already developed a storyline, which they are now meeting with screenwriters to pen the script. The story follows Rusty Griswold, the son of Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase in the original films), who is now a father in his own right and takes his family on a, you guessed it, road trip vacation. Heatvision reports that New Line hopes to make a movie that skews more towards Planes Trains and Automobiles or Little Miss Sunshine than RV or Are We There Yet? Thank God…
And the movie will not be a remake, but a sequel/spin-off/reboot. The first trip would be acknowledged and the story will focus on a new adventure. The plan is to write in parts, although it hasn’t been established if it would be a cameo or something much larger, for Chase and Beverly D’Angelo to return as grandparents. Of course, no deals are in place.
It is unlikely that any of the original Griswold child actors will return for the new film, since Rusty and Audrey have been played by a different set of actors in each film. This fact is actually made into a joke in Vegas Vacation when Clark tells his children that he “hardly recognizes” them anymore.
It’s hard to complain about another sequel since this franchise has already been milked to death. It’s not like this film could ever hurt the series’ legacy, at least not any more than Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure (which is one of the worst films I’ve ever seen… ever). Christmas Vacation is one of the few third films in a movie series that ended up surpassing the sequel, European Vacation, by leaps and bounds. The 1997 film Vegas Vacation wasn’t horrible, but also wasn’t on the same level as either Vacation or Christmas Vacation.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Entire Predators Cast Revealed!
We told you it was coming and sure enough, Variety has announced the entire cast for Robert Rodriguez's Predators, which will be headlined by Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody (King Kong, The Pianist) as the mercenary Royce.
At the same time, The Hollywood Reporter's "Heat Vision Blog" is reporting that actor Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3, "That '70s Show") is in negotiations to join Brody as Edwin, an accountant who is in fact a dangerous serial killer.
The rest of the multinational cast includes the aforementioned Danny Trejo and Walton Goggins from "The Shield" as well as Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali ("The 4400"), and Louiz Ozawa. The Variety story doesn't reveal which character all of them might be playing but you can get some idea by checking out Latino Review's preview.
Directed by Nimrod Antal, the Hungarian filmmaker behind last year's Vacancy and the upcoming Screen Gemscrime thriller Armored, the movie is about to start shooting on location in Hawaii and Rodriguez's Austin-based Troublemaker Studios.
At the same time, The Hollywood Reporter's "Heat Vision Blog" is reporting that actor Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3, "That '70s Show") is in negotiations to join Brody as Edwin, an accountant who is in fact a dangerous serial killer.
The rest of the multinational cast includes the aforementioned Danny Trejo and Walton Goggins from "The Shield" as well as Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali ("The 4400"), and Louiz Ozawa. The Variety story doesn't reveal which character all of them might be playing but you can get some idea by checking out Latino Review's preview.
Directed by Nimrod Antal, the Hungarian filmmaker behind last year's Vacancy and the upcoming Screen Gemscrime thriller Armored, the movie is about to start shooting on location in Hawaii and Rodriguez's Austin-based Troublemaker Studios.
Zombieland 2? Maybe.
The rumors of a Zombieland sequel are already flowing. No surprise; the film didn’t cost much and has been a hit with critics and audiences. It’s one of the first features in a long time that really makes me want a sequel. I could easily spend a lot more time in that world with those characters. (Unbroken by the cameo; that scene was fun, sure, but really broke me out of the world that Ruben Fleischer had built so well.)
Evidently I’m not the only one ready for a sequel. Co-writer Paul Wernick told MTV last week, “Woody [Harrelson] came up to us after the final cut of the last scene and gave us a hug and said, ‘I’ve never wanted to do a sequel in the previous movies I’ve done until this one.’ ”
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that Wernick and co-writer Rhett Reese (who are also writing Venom for Sony) originally developed Zombieland as a TV series, with the first 45 minutes of the film more or less counting as material for the pilot. That being the case, you know they’ve got ideas enough to push another film through development pretty fast. If the numbers are right and everyone remains as upbeat about the project as they are now, it could happen. Maybe even as that TV series originally envisioned.
Evidently I’m not the only one ready for a sequel. Co-writer Paul Wernick told MTV last week, “Woody [Harrelson] came up to us after the final cut of the last scene and gave us a hug and said, ‘I’ve never wanted to do a sequel in the previous movies I’ve done until this one.’ ”
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that Wernick and co-writer Rhett Reese (who are also writing Venom for Sony) originally developed Zombieland as a TV series, with the first 45 minutes of the film more or less counting as material for the pilot. That being the case, you know they’ve got ideas enough to push another film through development pretty fast. If the numbers are right and everyone remains as upbeat about the project as they are now, it could happen. Maybe even as that TV series originally envisioned.
Curb Your Enthusiasm Gets Big Ratings Lift from Seinfeld Reunion
The show about nothing helped propel Curb Your Enthusiasm to a big something Sunday night.
The first episode of the highly anticipated Seinfeld reunion arc on co-creator Larry David's HBO comedy brought in Curb's biggest ratings in over five years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The episode, which featured all four Seinfeld cast members together on TV for the first time since the show's 1998 finale, brought in 1.6 million viewers at 9/8c. Combined with the viewers for the episode's same-night rerun one hour later, the show's total escalates to 2.6 million, the Reporter said.
The episode marks Curb's highest ratings since March 2004.
The seventh season premiered on Sept. 20 to the tune of 1.9 million viewers for both showings, the trade paper reports.
The first episode of the highly anticipated Seinfeld reunion arc on co-creator Larry David's HBO comedy brought in Curb's biggest ratings in over five years, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The episode, which featured all four Seinfeld cast members together on TV for the first time since the show's 1998 finale, brought in 1.6 million viewers at 9/8c. Combined with the viewers for the episode's same-night rerun one hour later, the show's total escalates to 2.6 million, the Reporter said.
The episode marks Curb's highest ratings since March 2004.
The seventh season premiered on Sept. 20 to the tune of 1.9 million viewers for both showings, the trade paper reports.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Exclusive: Will The Brazilian Job Ever Happen?
ComingSoon.net just got off the phone with director F. Gary Gray, talking to him about his upcoming suspense thriller Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, and though we didn't really have nearly as much time to talk about the movie as we needed, we did get to throw in a question about The Brazilian Job, the long-proposed sequel to his 2003 breakout hit The Italian Job.
Over the last few years, various actors who had appeared in that caper comedy--a remake of a 1969 British comedy starring Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill--have been asked about the status of the sequel and whether they might be interested, but the responses were always rather vague and non-committal. The last time we heard about the project was when we spoke to producer Donald De Line, and you can read what he said here. The movie has had a page on IMDb for some time which notes that it's being scripted by David Twohy. (Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to ask him about that when we spoke to him a few months back for A Perfect Getaway.)
Gray feels that the future of the sequel happening is very much in the hands of Paramount at this point, which makes it tough since so many of the executives involved with the success of the first movie are now gone from the company. "I think it's really just about getting the material in the right place," he told us. "Sequels are tough and you always want to top the original, and I think that's where the energy is being put into developing a script that is just as good, if not better, than the first."
We also asked whether he'd still be interest in directing that sequel if they can get the script happening. "I hope so," he responded. "If you're on a movie, it depends on scheduling, that whole thing, but I certainly hope so. I loved directing that movie. It was a lot of fun, and I think people would want to hang out with that crew again and go on another ride, definitely."
Being that it's been over six years since the original movie, is there still interest in the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Mos Def and Seth Green coming together one more time? All of the above have gone onto much greater success since making the movie so what might be involved with getting them back on board? Only time will tell.
Over the last few years, various actors who had appeared in that caper comedy--a remake of a 1969 British comedy starring Michael Caine, Noel Coward and Benny Hill--have been asked about the status of the sequel and whether they might be interested, but the responses were always rather vague and non-committal. The last time we heard about the project was when we spoke to producer Donald De Line, and you can read what he said here. The movie has had a page on IMDb for some time which notes that it's being scripted by David Twohy. (Unfortunately, we didn't get the chance to ask him about that when we spoke to him a few months back for A Perfect Getaway.)
Gray feels that the future of the sequel happening is very much in the hands of Paramount at this point, which makes it tough since so many of the executives involved with the success of the first movie are now gone from the company. "I think it's really just about getting the material in the right place," he told us. "Sequels are tough and you always want to top the original, and I think that's where the energy is being put into developing a script that is just as good, if not better, than the first."
We also asked whether he'd still be interest in directing that sequel if they can get the script happening. "I hope so," he responded. "If you're on a movie, it depends on scheduling, that whole thing, but I certainly hope so. I loved directing that movie. It was a lot of fun, and I think people would want to hang out with that crew again and go on another ride, definitely."
Being that it's been over six years since the original movie, is there still interest in the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Mos Def and Seth Green coming together one more time? All of the above have gone onto much greater success since making the movie so what might be involved with getting them back on board? Only time will tell.
Arrested Development Movie Moving Forward. No, Really. For Real.
It’s getting to the point where I feel a little silly writing every last little word about the potential Arrested Development movie that comes down the wire. But that’s what we do, right? So here it is: there is…will be…a script for an Arrested Development movie. Soon. So very, very soon. Maybe. If things go well.
THR reports the sky-rending news that Mitch Hurwitz has begun work on a script with series co-exec producer James Vallely. This is notable, I guess, because THR reports that Hurwitz has said he wouldn’t start a script unless the entire cast was in place to return for the film. Michael Cera had been reported as the holdout for some time, but maybe (Maeby?) he’s in now. Your guess is as good as mine. Some of the cast have even said in the past that Hurwitz had already been working on the script, but perhaps they just caught him taking notes on the behavior of banana stand employees in Santa Monica.
What’s the story for the film? Start guessing there, too. Back during Comic Con Jason Bateman said the movie wasn’t dead and that the plot could jump off from the end of the television series, when Maeby pitches the family’s story to Ron Howard as a movie. That’s more of a jumping off point than a story, though, so there will have to be a lot more revealed than that.
Fox Searchlight is still behind the film, and Hurwitz will direct. This would seem like the necessary point for me to include my boilerplate text about how the show was great, but probably better as a self-contained entity and that it’s already been too long and we don’t really need a movie, but I’ll let everyone hash that out in the comments. At this point, I’d be happy about the film really happening just so we could finally have something more than half-news and rumor to report about.
THR reports the sky-rending news that Mitch Hurwitz has begun work on a script with series co-exec producer James Vallely. This is notable, I guess, because THR reports that Hurwitz has said he wouldn’t start a script unless the entire cast was in place to return for the film. Michael Cera had been reported as the holdout for some time, but maybe (Maeby?) he’s in now. Your guess is as good as mine. Some of the cast have even said in the past that Hurwitz had already been working on the script, but perhaps they just caught him taking notes on the behavior of banana stand employees in Santa Monica.
What’s the story for the film? Start guessing there, too. Back during Comic Con Jason Bateman said the movie wasn’t dead and that the plot could jump off from the end of the television series, when Maeby pitches the family’s story to Ron Howard as a movie. That’s more of a jumping off point than a story, though, so there will have to be a lot more revealed than that.
Fox Searchlight is still behind the film, and Hurwitz will direct. This would seem like the necessary point for me to include my boilerplate text about how the show was great, but probably better as a self-contained entity and that it’s already been too long and we don’t really need a movie, but I’ll let everyone hash that out in the comments. At this point, I’d be happy about the film really happening just so we could finally have something more than half-news and rumor to report about.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Zombieland Overruns the Country!
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend.
For a second year in a row, October kicked off with a lot of new choices for moviegoers, but the clear winner for the weekend was Zombieland (Sony Pictures), a buddy comedy set in a world overrun by zombies starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. The R-rated debut feature from Ruben Fleischer was able to capture enough interest among younger audiences to debut at #1 with an estimated $25 million in over 3,000 theaters, which isn't bad considering the movie cost roughly $24 million to produce. When Paramount a few months ago decided to move Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island to next year, the zombie comedy was the first to jump into the weekend to take advantage of buzz created from its presentation at Comic-Con, and it came into weekend with overwhelmingly positive reviews. The strong CinemaScores (generally A or A-) proves it to be one of those all-too-rare cases where moviegoers agree with the critics, which should prove strong for the movie's continued shelf-life against a number of comedies and horror movies opening over the rest of the month.
Sony's other Fall comedy hit, the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony), held up just as well in its third weekend despite losing many of its 3D theaters to Disney's rerelease of PIxar's venerable classics Toy Story 3D Double Feature. It was off just 32% from last week, dropping to second place with $16.7 million and a three week total of $82.3 million. It's clearly well on its way to joining the $100 million club later this month.
Meanwhile, the Disney/Pixar 3D double feature brought in approximately $12.5 million in its rerelease into 1,745 3D theaters, unhindered by the long running time or the fact that both movies had been available on DVD for years. Disney announced that this would be a limited two-week run, but we'll have to see whether that's extended or if "Cloudy" gets some of those 3D screens back.
Ricky Gervais' new movie The Invention of Lying (Warner Bros.), his directorial debut with collaborator Matthew Robinson, teamed him with Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe and others to the tune of $7.3 million in 1,707 theaters, opening in fourth place.
It narrowly defeated Bruce Willis' action movie Surrogates (Disney/Touchstone), which dropped 51% to fifth place after a less than spectacular debut last week. It added $7.3 million to its current total of $26.4 million.
Continuing this week's theme, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Whip It, starring Juno's Ellen Page vied for sixth place against Michael Moore's new doc Capitalism: A Love Story (Overture Films), which expanded nationwide this weekend, both bringing in an estimated $4.85 million over the weekend.
The Fame (MGM) remake also took a plunge in its second weekend, dropping to eighth place with $4.7 million, down 53% from its opening weekend with a ten-day total of $16.6 million.
Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (Warner Bros.) starring Matt Damon, and the Jennifer Aniston-Aaron Eckhart romantic drama Love Happens rounded out the Top 10 with $3.8 million and $2.8 million respectively.
The Top 10 grossed roughly $90 million, down just slightly from last year where seven (!) new movies opened in wide release but Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua reigned supreme with $29 million.
In limited release, the new dark comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen A Serious Man (Focus Features) opened in 6 theaters in New York and L.A., bringing in roughly $252 thousand or $42 thousand per venue. The LeBron James doc More than a Game (Lionsgate) opened in twice as many theaters but ended up with less than $200 thousand in its opening weekend.
Oren Peli's low budget horror movie Paranormal Activity (Paramount) which expanded into 20 more theaters at midnights this weekend, grossing roughly $535 thousand over the weekend from sold out midnight shows, will be receiving a normal limited release starting on Friday, October 9.
For a second year in a row, October kicked off with a lot of new choices for moviegoers, but the clear winner for the weekend was Zombieland (Sony Pictures), a buddy comedy set in a world overrun by zombies starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin. The R-rated debut feature from Ruben Fleischer was able to capture enough interest among younger audiences to debut at #1 with an estimated $25 million in over 3,000 theaters, which isn't bad considering the movie cost roughly $24 million to produce. When Paramount a few months ago decided to move Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island to next year, the zombie comedy was the first to jump into the weekend to take advantage of buzz created from its presentation at Comic-Con, and it came into weekend with overwhelmingly positive reviews. The strong CinemaScores (generally A or A-) proves it to be one of those all-too-rare cases where moviegoers agree with the critics, which should prove strong for the movie's continued shelf-life against a number of comedies and horror movies opening over the rest of the month.
Sony's other Fall comedy hit, the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony), held up just as well in its third weekend despite losing many of its 3D theaters to Disney's rerelease of PIxar's venerable classics Toy Story 3D Double Feature. It was off just 32% from last week, dropping to second place with $16.7 million and a three week total of $82.3 million. It's clearly well on its way to joining the $100 million club later this month.
Meanwhile, the Disney/Pixar 3D double feature brought in approximately $12.5 million in its rerelease into 1,745 3D theaters, unhindered by the long running time or the fact that both movies had been available on DVD for years. Disney announced that this would be a limited two-week run, but we'll have to see whether that's extended or if "Cloudy" gets some of those 3D screens back.
Ricky Gervais' new movie The Invention of Lying (Warner Bros.), his directorial debut with collaborator Matthew Robinson, teamed him with Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe and others to the tune of $7.3 million in 1,707 theaters, opening in fourth place.
It narrowly defeated Bruce Willis' action movie Surrogates (Disney/Touchstone), which dropped 51% to fifth place after a less than spectacular debut last week. It added $7.3 million to its current total of $26.4 million.
Continuing this week's theme, Drew Barrymore's directorial debut Whip It, starring Juno's Ellen Page vied for sixth place against Michael Moore's new doc Capitalism: A Love Story (Overture Films), which expanded nationwide this weekend, both bringing in an estimated $4.85 million over the weekend.
The Fame (MGM) remake also took a plunge in its second weekend, dropping to eighth place with $4.7 million, down 53% from its opening weekend with a ten-day total of $16.6 million.
Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! (Warner Bros.) starring Matt Damon, and the Jennifer Aniston-Aaron Eckhart romantic drama Love Happens rounded out the Top 10 with $3.8 million and $2.8 million respectively.
The Top 10 grossed roughly $90 million, down just slightly from last year where seven (!) new movies opened in wide release but Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua reigned supreme with $29 million.
In limited release, the new dark comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen A Serious Man (Focus Features) opened in 6 theaters in New York and L.A., bringing in roughly $252 thousand or $42 thousand per venue. The LeBron James doc More than a Game (Lionsgate) opened in twice as many theaters but ended up with less than $200 thousand in its opening weekend.
Oren Peli's low budget horror movie Paranormal Activity (Paramount) which expanded into 20 more theaters at midnights this weekend, grossing roughly $535 thousand over the weekend from sold out midnight shows, will be receiving a normal limited release starting on Friday, October 9.
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