District 9

Weekend Box Office – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Rises Above Expectations with $54 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: August 7th, 2011 at 9:48 am

Looks like summer 2011 had one more blockbuster left after all.  Cowboys and Aliens may have been a late-July disappointment but, so far, Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes is performing more like a June release than your typical August afterthought.  Surpassing all early projections, the sci-fi vehicle took in an estimated $54 million from 3,648 locations for an easy number one at the US box office.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Rise of the Planet of the Apes	$54,000,000	$54
2	The Smurfs	$21,000,000	$76.2
3	Cowboys and Aliens	$15,748,000	$67.3
4	The Change-Up	$13,500,000	$13.5
5	Captain America	$13,000,000	$143.1
6	Harry Potter 7b	$12,160,000	$342.8
7	Crazy, Stupid, Love	$12,100,000	$42.1
8	Friends with Benefits	$4,700,000	$48.5
9	Horrible Bosses	$4,620,000	$105.1
10	Transformers 3	$3,015,000	$344.1

Weekend Box Office – SUPER 8 Defies Expectations with $37 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: June 12th, 2011 at 9:34 am

After months of buildup, Super 8 took top honors this weekend with an estimated $37 million from 3,379 locations.  That figure is significantly higher than the film had been tracking just five days ago.  Is it higher than the studio was hoping for five months ago?  Not exactly.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Super 8	$37,000,000	$38
2	X-Men: First Class	$25,000,000	$98.8
3	The Hangover Part II	$18,500,000	$216.5
4	Kung Fu Panda 2	$16,635,000	$126.9
5	Pirates of the Caribbean 4	$10,845,000	$208.7
6	Bridesmaids	$10,154,000	$123.9
7	Judy Moody	$6,267,000	$6.2
8	Midnight in Paris	$6,146,000	$14.2
9	Thor	$2,370,000	$173.6
10	Fast Five	$1,714,000	$205

Weekend Box Office – BATTLE: LOS ANGELES Lands in First with $36 Miilion; RED RIDING HOOD in Third; MARS NEEDS MOM Needs Help

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 13th, 2011 at 10:02 am

The weekend played out pretty much as expected after Friday’s estimates, except for one factor (and I know this is a shocker): final weekend tallies ended up on the low end of projections across the board.  We are still dealing with box office totals that are down over 10% from 2010 but, compared to the 45% we were down last weekend, that’s progress!

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Battle: LA	$36,000,000	$36
2	Rango	$23,050,000	$68.6
3	Red Riding Hood	$14,100,000	$14.1
4	The Adjustment Bureau	$11,450,000	$38.4
5	Mars Needs Moms	$6,800,000	$6.8
6	Hall Pass	$5,105,000	$34.9
7	Beastly	$5,090,000	$16.9
8	Just Go With It	$4,000,000	$93.9
9	The King’s Speech	$3,625,000	$129
10	Gnomeo & Juliet	$3,546,000	$89

Sharlto Copley Exclusive Interview for THE A-TEAM Blu-ray; Plus Updates on MEN IN BLACK 3 and ELYSIUM

by Christina Radish    Posted: December 13th, 2010 at 6:35 pm

Just in time for the holidays, the adrenaline-fueled thrill ride The A-Team is being released on Blu-ray with more action and more adventure, in a never-before-seen extended version of the film. Even if you’ve already seen the blockbuster about a daring team of former Special Forces soldiers who are convicted by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit, and then later break out of prison, only to tackle their toughest mission yet, there is still plenty on the disc to newly discover, including deleted scenes, a gag reel, character chronicles, a mash-up montage, and commentary from director Joe Carnahan and visual effects supervisor James E. Price.

In this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Sharlto Copley talked about how much he enjoyed taking on the role of Captain H.M. Murdock, the fun he had doing behind the scenes stuff for the Blu-ray release, and how playing this character brought up a lot of memories from his childhood. He also talked about how humbled and grateful he is for the success he’s had in his career since District 9, how he’s looking forward to re-teaming with director Neill Blomkamp for the super-secret Elysium, and that he’s looking at and considering doing Men in Black 3, but contrary to the rumor, still hasn’t signed onto the project yet. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Director Neill Blomkamp to Reunite with DISTRICT 9 Star Sharlto Copley for ELYSIUM

by Tommy Cook    Posted: December 6th, 2010 at 2:10 pm

Neill Blomkamp is reteaming with his District 9 star Sharlto Copley for a new sci-fi action film entitled Elysium. According to Deadline, Blomkamp is reportedly shopping the film to several interested studios with a graphic novel for the film in tow. Not much is known about Elysium other than it takes place on another planet and is set in the distant future. Blomkamp recently released a strange viral video for Wired Magazine, but it is still not clear what (if any) connection this video has with the film in question. For those wondering, “Elysium” is actually a term used in Greek mythology for a section of the Underworld designated to heroes and other laudatory figures. The term has gone on to have connotations with “Paradise”.

Copley, who was last seen this past summer in Joe Carnahan’s The A-Team, joined Men in Black III this past October.

Is Neill Blomkamp’s DISTRICT 10 Slated to Begin Shooting This Year?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 26th, 2010 at 9:41 am

Approach this news with highly-cautious optimism, but it’s possible that Neill Blomkamp’s (tentatively titled) District 10 could begin shooting this year.  MarketSaw reports that the film is in pre-production and will go before cameras sometime around October.  However, this past October we reported that Blomkamp was making another sci-fi film but it wasn’t District 10.  And as we reported then, that news coincided with an interview Steve did with Blomkamp in August during the press tour for District 9.

Then there’s Steve’s recent interview with Richard Taylor, the creative director of Weta Workshop (who handled all of the special effects for District 9).  When Steve asked Taylor about working on Blomkamp’s next sci-fi movie, Taylor responded, I’m not sure I can say that yet, but by being elusive… We’re just thrilled by the possibility of making films with him in the future.”  So while it’s possible that Blomkamp could be moving ahead with District 10, It’s also possible that there was some confusion from MarketSaw’s source and it’s Blomkamp’s untitled sci-fi project that’s scheduled to shoot in October.  Either way, it’s very exciting news.

Exclusive Interview with Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor; Talks LORD OF THE RINGS Blu-ray, THE HOBBIT, Neill Blomkamp, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 15th, 2010 at 7:41 pm

To help promote the recent release of Lord of the Rings on Blu-ray, I got to speak with Richard Taylor.  If you’re a fan of the LOTR trilogy, you already know who Richard Taylor is and his amazing work.  But for the newbie’s, Taylor is the co-founder and co-director of the Weta companies in Wellington, New Zealand, and he’s the Creative Director of Weta Workshop.  He’s also won four BAFTAs, five Oscars, and numerous other awards for Weta’s success in makeup, costume and visual effects.

As a huge fan of Taylor’s work and the LOTR trilogy, I could have spoken to him for hours.  But due to only having 15 minutes on the phone (he was in New Zealand), I asked his thoughts on LOTR on Blu-ray, we talked about how The Hobbit would look different than LOTR as Middle Earth was more peaceful back then, what did he do on Avatar, and is he working with Neill Blomkamp on his new sci-fi film as he worked on District 9.

If you’re a fan of Taylor’s work, you’ll love the interview.  Hit the jump to check it out:

DISTRICT 9′s Sharlto Copley in Talks to Lead I AM NUMBER FOUR

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 13th, 2010 at 10:50 pm

Sharlto Copley, who made one of the all-time best acting debuts with his performance in Neill Blomkamp’s Oscar-nominated District 9, in talks to star in the sci-fi flick I Am Number Four.  Based off the young-adult science fiction book by James Frey and Jobie Hughes, the film is about Four (played by Beastly‘s Alex Pettyfer), one of nine aliens who escape their home planet before its annihilation by a rival species and hide out on Earth disguised as human high schoolers.  According to Heat Vision, Copley will play, “a man who hailed from the alien world’s serving class but now is the title character’s adult guardian and mentor.”

The script is by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar and comes from a planned six-book series to be introduced this fall.  D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye) is attached to direct and Steven Spielberg will produce the film with Michael Bay.  Copley will next be seen this summer in Joe Carnahan’s adaptation of The A-Team.

Mark Millar’s Directorial Debut to Take Cues from TRAINSPOTTING and DISTRICT 9

by CJ Simonson    Posted: March 5th, 2010 at 5:37 pm

Mark Millar is a writer of note. His comic books have been the basis of both Wanted as well as the new movie Kick-Ass, which comes out this spring. So when you find out that Millar is working on a movie that he’s going to be directing and writing, and it’s going to start filming this summer, its news. STV got a chance to touchdown with the writer, who makes the movie sound like any film enthusiast’s dream.

In the interview, Millar describes his inspiration of the movie coming from District 9, a sci-fi epic that doesn’t ever touch the normal film settings like New York or Los Angeles but branches out to South Africa. Millar’s movie would center on a completely original superhero, taking place in Scotland, comprising of an entirely unknown Scottish cast, and working exclusively with Scottish crew members. He claims it will have the 21^st century vibe of Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, while also being “As cool as X-Men 2“, all while having a unique Scottish flavor. Kick-Ass looks awesome, and I found Wanted to be surprisingly great, so I completely support wherever Millar goes with this endeavor. He says the film is to start shooting in June or July.

Look at These Clowns Running around DISTRICT 9

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 15th, 2010 at 10:41 am

The Prawns of District 9 are not meant to be lovable-looking characters.  They have to earn your love and compassion throughout the film.  It was a tough task but director Neill Blompkamp made it look easy.  However, I think not even he could work his magic if the Prawns were replaced with clowns.  Clowns are unlovable.

This clever parody of the Best Picture-nominated film (it’s so cool to write that) replaces the Prawns with the Clowns and condenses the plot down to sixty seconds.  It will give you a chuckle and only take a minute of your time.  Hit the jump to check it out.

2010 Oscar Nominations Announced; AVATAR and THE HURT LOCKER Lead with 9 Noms Each

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 2nd, 2010 at 6:29 am

Despite opening up the Best Picture race from five nominations to ten, this morning’s announcement of the 2010 Oscar nominations hardly had any surprises.  When the biggest shocker comes from the widely-unseen The Secret of Kells being nominated for Best Animated Feature, then the prediction system worked as it should.  That’s not to say that there’s nothing to be happy or disappointed about.  It’s just that with no surprises, that happiness or disappointment has probably been felt well in advance.  Personally, I’m jazzed that District 9 picked up a Best Picture nomination and I’m really bummed that Peter Capaldi wasn’t nominated for Best Supporting Actor for In the Loop.

But the race between Avatar and The Hurt Locker remains close.  Each film picked up nine nominations and so there’s no clear favorite to win the award.  Right now, Hurt Locker would seem to have a slight edge with its victories from both the Producers Guild and the Directors Guild.  But Avatar‘s box office numbers contribute to its status as does the mainstream acclaim for the film.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees.  The winners will be announced at the 82nd Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7th at 8pm EST on ABC.

WGA Nominees Announced; Nods for AVATAR, STAR TREK, and THE HANGOVER

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 11th, 2010 at 12:41 pm

The WGA has announced their nominees for Best Original, Adapted, and Documentary screenplays today and because so many great films were ruled ineligible, these nominees are kind of a joke.  Avatar is getting way more love for its spectacle than its story (protect the Hometree from the Sky People), (500) Days of Summer‘s structure is impressive but the characters and story are completely vanilla, Julie & Julia is half a good movie, and Crazy Heart is a two-hour commercial for Alcoholics Anonymous.

Now here’s a list of movies that were rule ineligible:  Inglourious Basterds, District 9, In the Loop, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, and A Single Man.  I suppose the only bright spot of all this is that The Hangover received a nomination, which is hilarious.

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.  Winners will be announced on February 20th.

Seven Features Still in Running for VFX Oscar Race

by Keith Demko    Posted: January 6th, 2010 at 1:12 pm

Are there really six other movies this year that can compete with the visuals of Avatar, which is clearly on a mission for world domination? According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, apparently so.  The Academy has announced these seven films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 82nd Academy Awards: Avatar, District 9, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, 2012.

Thursday, Jan. 21, all members of the academy’s Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 15-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films, and then pick the three they think should make it to the final round on Oscar night. The Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday, Feb, 2, at 5:30 a.m. PT.
Having seen all of these except 2012 (I just couldn’t bring myself to do it), if I were a betting man, I’d put my money on Avatar, District 9 and Star Trek being the final three, with Avatar being the big winner. What do you think?

Producers Guild Award Nominations Announced; AVATAR, DISTRICT 9, and STAR TREK Among the Nominees

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 5th, 2010 at 10:17 am

Today, the Producers Guild of America announced their ten nominees for the Best Picture of the Year.  The PGA tends to line up with the Academy as far as nominees go so it’s interesting to see three sci-fi flicks on the list: Avatar, District 9, and Star Trek.  As Avatar continues to amass more cash, it looks like an Oscar contender.  District 9 still has an outside shot but it looks like its chances are starting to fade.  Star Trek is a complete dark horse in this race but a Best Picture Oscar nomination would be kind of awesome.  It should be noted that the PGA did break with the Academy last year by choosing The Dark Knight as one of their five Best Picture nominees while the Academy replaced that choice with The Reader.  The question is if the Academy will be more open to genre films, especially since the five-to-ten increase was meant to create greater diversity among nominees.  More after the jump:

DISTRICT 9 Director Neill Blomkamp Talks About His Next Project, Making Movies on a Budget, and What the Future Holds

by Matt Currie    Posted: January 4th, 2010 at 10:02 pm

If you were among the masses that made District 9 one of last summer’s sleeper hits, you’ll be pleased to know that director Neill Blomkamp has more sci-fi awesomeness on the way. Unfortunately, that’s all we know at this point. In an interview at LA Times’ Hero Complex blog, Blomkamp was pretty much mum on the premise of his next flick, saying only that “it is science fiction and it has many sociopolitical ideas that interest me. Those ideas are wrapped up inside something that is like a Hollywood action film.” Two financial details that we are afforded are that the new flick is being financed by a group called Media Rights Capital and will have a bigger budget than District 9.

After directing one of the summer’s biggest hits on a shoestring budget, Blomkamp’s prospects in Hollywood are looking good. The financial success coupled with the fact that the film was universally praised for its intelligence, ingenuity, and visual brilliance naturally has many looking forward to bigger and better things to come from the young South African. However, in the interview, Blomkamp tells us why we might be disappointed on the “bigger” front. Hit the jump to find out why he prefers working with a smaller budget as well as what types of projects we can expect to see him involved with down the road.

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