Dark Shadows

THE COLLISION – Episode 7: DARK SHADOWS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 13th, 2012 at 7:56 pm

This week on The Collision, we talk about Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows and how none of us really liked it all that much.  We also give our thoughts on the new trailers for Argo, Gangster Squad, and The Campaign.  But that wasn’t the big news this week.  The big news is this: we’ve fixed the audio problem! We are now using new recording and mixing software, and I think you’ll be pleased by the results.  We have words of sage wisdom and now you can hear them in full stereo.  As for the iTunes thing….we’re still figuring that out.

Click here to listen to the new episode of The Collision, click here for last week’s episode, and click here to add us to your RSS.  Be sure to follow The Collision on Twitter for updates, and you can follow us on Twitter at @MattGoldberg, @AdamChitwood, and @DrClawMD (Dave Trumbore).  Hit the jump to check out the trailers for this week’s recommendations.

Weekend Box Office – THE AVENGERS Break Second Weekend Record with $103.1 Million; DARK SHADOWS in Second with $28.8 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 13th, 2012 at 9:20 am

It’s another one for the record books. Along with the prize for highest first weekend in domestic history, The Avengers has now earned the highest second weekend with an estimated $103.1 million from 4,349 locations. That crushes Avatar’s former sophomore record of $75.6 million and represents a decline of just 50% – a better hold than The Dark Knight managed in its second frame. Even more exciting for Disney and Marvel, the worldwide estimate for The Avengers has now topped One Billion. Unfortunately, good news for The Avengers means not-so-good news for Dark Shadows. The latest collaboration of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp earned an estimated $28.8 million from 3,755 locations, or a bit less than The Avengers made on Friday alone.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Avengers	$103,160,000	$373.1
2	Dark Shadows	$28,800,000	$28.8
3	Think Like A Man	$6,300,000	$81.9
4	The Hunger Games	$4,300,000	$387
5	The Lucky One	$4,055,000	$53.7
6	Pirates! Band of Misfits	$3,200,000	$21.1
7	The Five-Year Engagement	$3,095,000	$24.4
8	Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	$2,650,000	$3.7
9	Chimpanzee	$1,624,000	$25.5
10	Girl in Progress	$1,350,000	$1.35

TOP 5: James Cameron Only Making AVATAR Movies, GANGSTER SQUAD Trailer, PROMETHEUS Is Rated R, Joss Whedon Editorial, DARK SHADOWS

by Jason Barr    Posted: May 12th, 2012 at 2:29 pm

In last week’s opening paragraph I welcomed the summer movie season into the fold by way of The Avengers. Earlier this week it dawned on me that another season is upon us as well. One that is nearly as costly as a summer blockbuster, albeit far less anticipated by yours truly: wedding season. Over the course of the next few months, I’ll attend no fewer than four ceremonies/receptions (not including my own) and, while I’ll be honored to have been invited to share a special moment with friends new and old, I’ll likely fall behind on my summer movie checklist. So, if you start noticing Top 5 opening paragraphs having less to do with film than what type of dessert was served at the reception, you have my most sincere advance apology.

Wedding disclaimers aside, awaiting you on the other side of this week’s Top 5 is James Cameron saying he only wants to make Avatar movies from now on, the first trailer for director Ruben Fleischer‘s Gangster Squad, Prometheus‘ R-rating, Matt’s letter of recommendation for Joss Whedon, and Dark Shadows coverage including interviews with Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Seth Grahame-Smith. A brief recap and link to each ensues after the jump.

Friday Box Office – No Light for DARK SHADOWS as THE AVENGERS Target Highest Second Weekend Record

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 12th, 2012 at 8:51 am

For the second week in a row, we have just one movie to talk about. Too bad for Warner Brothers’ that it isn’t Dark Shadows. The eighth collaboration of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton opened to an estimated $9.7 million on Friday at 3,755 locations. That suggests a three-day total of around $28 million – well below the $35 million projected and not even close to good enough while The Avengers are around. After shattering the domestic record with its $207.4 million debut last weekend, the Disney/Marvel super-movie saw its domestic estimate climb to nearly $300 million in an unprecedented eight days. The Avengers’ sophomore frame is now expected to hit $100 million, a number that would demolish the previous record of $75.6 million set by Avatar. Worldwide, The Avengers has already earned over $850 million and is currently on pace to hit One Billion by Sunday.  Full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Avengers	$29,120,000	$299.1
2	Dark Shadows	$9,700,000	$9.7
3	Think Like A Man	$1,575,000	$77.1
4	The Lucky One	$1,300,000	$50.9
5	The Hunger Games	$1,200,000	$383.7

Seth Grahame Smith Talks DARK SHADOWS, the BEETLEJUICE Sequel, Tim Burton’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING, UNHOLY NIGHT, and More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 11th, 2012 at 2:14 pm

With director Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows opening this weekend, I recently got to interview screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith. Starring Johnny Depp as a vampire who awakens in 1972 after having been buried for 200 years, Dark Shadows is based on the 1970s TV series with the same name and it also stars Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Gulliver McGrath, Helena Bonham Carter, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, and Jonny Lee Miller.  For more on the film, here’s 20 images, 9 clips and 12 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the set, and Matt’s review.

During my extended interview with Grahame-Smith, we talked about how he got involved in the project, his anxiety about having his first film released, how John August contributed to the project, deleted scenes, and what might be on the Blu-ray.  In addition, with Grahame-Smith involved in some other high profile projects, we also talked about the Beetlejuice sequel, Tim Burton’s Night of the Living, Unholy Night, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to check it out.

DARK SHADOWS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 10th, 2012 at 11:35 am

Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows is a series of flawed assumptions resulting from remarkable incompetence.  Burton believes he’s blended a gothic style with a campy comedy, but his film is neither.  The characters act at being a bunch of kooky, Addams Family-style misfits, but they’re nothing more than vague, one-dimensional sketches or, in the case of the protagonist, a confused contradiction.  Seth Grahame-Smith‘s script thinks it has balanced out the story elements into a compelling narrative, but it’s a poorly plotted mess that eschews character development in favor of a softball joke or clumsy dark humor.  With the exception of a great performance from Eva Green, Dark Shadows flails wildly at concocting a strange brew, and only comes up with weak tea.

DARK SHADOWS Giveaway

by David Lane    Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 9:02 am

With director Tim Burton‘s Dark Shadows opening this weekend, we’ve been given some movie related swag to giveaway to some of our readers.  Starring Johnny Depp, and based on the 1970s TV series, the film is filled with Burton and Depp’s signature offbeat comedy, has eye-popping visuals and is set in the 1970s with a contemporary feel.  In addition to Depp, Dark Shadows stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Gulliver McGrath, Jackie Earle Haley and Bella Heathcote.  Hit the jump to see what you can win and how to enter.  You can also read our recent interview with Depp and Burton here.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton Talk DARK SHADOWS, Pulling from the TV Series, Deleted Scenes, a Sequel and More

by Christina Radish    Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 8:13 am

The cult classic television series Dark Shadows is hitting the big screen in the bizarrely twisted and humorous way that only the partnership between director Tim Burton and actor/producer Johnny Depp delivers.  In the year 1770, the rich and powerful playboy Barnabas Collins (Depp) has the world at his feet, until he falls in love with the beautiful Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote) and angers Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), a witch who turns him into a vampire and then buries him alive.  After being inadvertently freed, two centuries later, Barnabas emerges into the very different world of 1972 and vows to restore his family name to its former glory.  The film also stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloe Grace Moretz, Gully McGrath and Jackie Earle Haley.

At the film’s press day, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton talked about being fans of the quirky TV show, the elements that they wanted to carry over to the film, portraying a vampire that looks like a vampire, finding the physicality for Barnabas Collins, what the fangs and nails were like to wear, how it was to have the original cast on the set, the deleted scenes that could end up on the DVD, and that there was no conscious decision made to leave the ending open for a possible sequel.  Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Tim Burton Talks BEETLEJUICE 2 and BIG EYES

by Christina Radish    Posted: May 4th, 2012 at 4:59 pm

Doing early press for the black and white, stop-motion animated 3D film Frankenweenie, due out on October 5^th, questions for director Tim Burton naturally turned to what he might decide to focus on next.  While we will post that portion of the interview on May 9^th, I can say that the nearly 30 minutes of footage that we saw was as adorable, twisted and witty as you would expect, and I can’t wait to see the full-length feature.

When asked about whether or not he’s started to think about what his next film will be, Burton said that he’s going to take a break because he thinks it’s embarrassing that he has three movies coming out this year.  He also talked about the fact that Seth Grahame-Smith is working on writing Beetlejuice 2, and that he might be interested in getting involved depending on what he thinks of the script, and that Big Eyes is in the works, but that you never know what will be ready to go next.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

New Featurettes for THE AVENGERS and DARK SHADOWS

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 5:16 pm

I don’t know if there’s any footage left to squeeze out of The Avengers, but the Marvel Marketing Machine (which could be the villain in a presumed sequel) is still cranking out propaganda, which you can get caught up on here.  We posted a new TV spot for the heroic assembly movie earlier today, but a new featurette has debuted as well.  Luckily, Dark Shadows has decided to release their own featurette which focuses on the Collins’ family.  The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg and Cobie Smulders opens May 4th.  Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfieffer, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Johnny Lee Miller and Helena Bonham Carter opens a week later on May 11th.  Hit the jumps to check out the new featurettes.

9 Movie Clips and 12 Minutes of Behind-the-Scenes Footage from Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 29th, 2012 at 9:40 am

With Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows opening May 11, Warner Bros. has provided us with 9 clips and 12 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the film.  The film stars Johnny Depp as a vampire who awakens in 1972 after having been buried for 200 years and tries to reconnect with his descendants.  Dark Shadows also stars Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Gulliver McGrath, Helena Bonham Carter, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, and Jonny Lee Miller.

While the reaction to the last trailer was mixed, I’m excited by everything I’ve seen and think Depp and Burton look like they had a blast bringing their passion project to life.  In addition, I’ve spoken to a few people that  have seen the movie and all of them have said positive things.  Hit the jump to check out the footage and look for new interviews with the cast soon.

Over 20 High-Resolution Images from Tim Burton’s DARK SHADOWS

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 27th, 2012 at 2:41 pm

Warner Bros. has released a full gallery of high-resolution images from Tim Burton’s upcoming Dark Shadows.  Johnny Depp stars as a vampire who awakens in 1972 after having been buried for 200 years and tries to reconnect with his descendants.  We’ve seen a couple of these images before, but Warner Bros. also released a number of images of Burton at work on set making artsy hand gestures.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  The film also stars Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Gulliver McGrath, Helena Bonham Carter, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, and Jonny Lee Miller. Dark Shadows opens on May 11th.

DARK SHADOWS Featurette Highlights Christopher Lee’s Role, Cinematic Vampire History, and Shows Original Series Cast Members

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 26th, 2012 at 5:43 pm

With a cast that sports Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer, it’s easy to lose Christopher Lee in the mix.  This new Dark Shadows featurette reminds us that Lee is a consummate master of the horror genre and can boast a role that will forever be cemented in cinematic history.  There’s a nice visitation of classic (ie non-Twilight) vampire movies that serve as inspiration for Depp’s version of Barnabas Collins, an imprisoned vampire who is awakened in the 1970s and must protect his dysfunctional descendants.  The film, directed by Tim Burton, also stars Gulliver McGrath, Bella Heathcote, Ray Shirley, and Jonny Lee Miller. Dark Shadows opens May 11th.  Hit the jump to check out the featurette.

Warner Bros. CinemaCon 2012 Recap Including DARK KNIGHT RISES, THE HOBBIT in 48fps, THE CAMPAIGN, THE GREAT GATSBY in 3D

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 24th, 2012 at 3:01 pm

When Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov took the stage at CinemaCon today, the big debate was over what footage he would showcase.  While rumors were flying that he’d show ten minutes of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit in 48fps, and that Christopher Nolan would show something from The Dark Knight Rises, no one was sure of anything.  But when he stepped off the stage after the presentation had ended, he had shown clips from some of the biggest films of 2012 and he also made history by world premiering the rumored Hobbit footage.

During the presentation we saw footage from Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows, Jay Roach’s The Campaign, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby in 3D, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Adam Shankman’s Rock of Ages, and it ended with 10 minutes of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit in 48fps.  Hit the jump for more:

Over 40 Posters and Displays from CinemaCon 2012 Including SKYFALL, THE HOST, LOOPER, DARK SHADOWS, SINISTER, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 22nd, 2012 at 12:32 pm

While walking around at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, I’ve been taking tons of pictures of all the posters/banners/theater standees that have been on display.  For those unaware, CinemaCon is a convention put on for theater owners in order to get a look at what the studios have to offer for the rest of the year, and where vendors can show new products for theaters to buy.  It’s basically Comic-Con for theater owners.  Besides showing off never before seen footage, the studios often bring the cast and the filmmakers.  Over the course of a few days, Hollywood comes to Las Vegas.

While a lot of the banners are just logos, I think they’re still worth checking out.  Also, it’s important to note that the posters/displays change during the week so you never know when something cool will premiere.  Hit the jump for posters/banners for a ton of movies including James Bond Skyfall, Dark Shadows, Moonrise Kingdom, Sparkle, That’s My Boy, Sinister, The Amazing Spider-Man, House at the End of the Street, The Host, Battleship, Looper, Step Up Revolution, Ted, Sinister, Here Comes the Boom, and so many more.

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