Between the record-breaking grosses of May and next week’s Man of Steel launch, this was supposed to be a quiet weekend at the box office. Universal’s The Purge had other plans. The low-budget horror film took first place and more than doubled its pre-release projections with an estimated $36.4 million from 2,536 locations. The box office bonanza did not extend to The Internship, however. The comedy opened in fourth with an estimated $18.1 million – half of what The Purge realized in 800 fewer theatres.

Now playing in theaters is director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience.  The pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent, and Morgan Freeman.  For more on the film, watch six clips and check out all of our previous coverage.

During my interview Woody Harrelson, he talked about how much fun he had making Now You See Me, what he learned about magic (including performing a magic trick on camera!), what it was like working for Leterrier and his always moving camera, and more.  In addition, he also talked about Out of the Furnace, and his upcoming HBO detective show with Matthew McConaughey.  Hit the jump to watch.

After leading the biggest Memorial Day box office of all time, Fast & Furious 6 remained on top for a second weekend with an estimated $34.5 million. The film’s 65% drop left plenty of room for a new release to take over top honors – provided that new release wasn’t Sony’s After Earth. The sci-fi adventure was aiming for a $35-$40 million debut. Instead, the combined star-power of Will and Jaden Smith was only good enough for third place behind Now You See Me… a genuine upset for a film from the supposedly ‘cursed’ genre of magic.

The opening line of Louis Leterrier‘s Now You See Me warns “The closer you look, the less you’ll see.”  But it doesn’t matter how closely or carlessly you look because there’s not much worth seeing in the film.  For a movie that centers on magicians, the most spectacular thing about Now You See Me is how spectacularly it wastes both its premise and its cast.  Leterrier seems torn between wanting to provide cool magic tricks that could conceivably be performed in real life, and then he swings wildly to effects-laden set pieces.  The story also doesn’t seem to have much affinity towards magicians since it portrays them as smug and self-satisfied.  But the film’s most egregious trespass is taking an outstanding cast and forgetting to give them characters.  The movie should craft an intriguing illusion, but aside from some clever moments and Mark Ruffalo‘s performance, Now You See Me is a cheap trick.

With director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me opening May 31st, I recently went to New Orleans to interview the cast.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience.  The pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent, and Morgan Freeman.  For more on the film, watch six clips and check out all of our previous coverage.

During my interview with Eisenberg, he talked about how much fun he had making Now You See Me, what he learned about magic, New Orleans, what it was like working for Leterrier and his always moving camera, and more.  In addition, he also talked about director Richard Ayoade‘s next movie The Double.  Hit the jump to watch.

With director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me opening May 31st, I recently went to New Orleans to interview the cast.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience.  The pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent, and Morgan Freeman.  For more on the film, watch six clips and check out all of our previous coverage.

During my interview with Fisher, she talked about the success of The Great Gatsby, how much fun she had making Now You See Me, what she learned about magic, her newfound respect for actresses that have done action in high heels, filming in New Orleans, the Untitled Elmore Leonard Project, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

With director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me opening May 31st, I recently went to New Orleans to interview the cast.  For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience.  The pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent, and Morgan Freeman.  For more on the film, watch six clips and check out all of our previous coverage.

During my interview with Ruffalo, he talked about how much fun he had making the movie, what he learned about magic, what it was like working for Leterrier and his always moving camera, and more.  In addition, he talked about how his life has changed over the past year, and if he’s talked to Joss Whedon about The Avengers sequel.  Hit the jump to watch.

With director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me opening May 31st, I recently went to New Orleans to interview the cast.  For those unfamiliar, the story follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience, and the pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman.  For more on the film, watch six clips, or check out all our previous coverage. 

During my interview with Dave Franco, he talked about how much fun he had making the movie, what he learned about magic, what it was like working for Louis Leterrier and  his always moving camera, and more.  In addition, he talked about if he’ll be in the 21 Jump Street sequel, and reveals Nicholas Stoller‘s Townies features tons of male nudity.  Hit the jump to watch.

Summit Entertainment has released eight character motion posters for Now You See Me.  I’ve enjoyed the posters for the film since they’re employing trippy optical illusions that fit in well with the plot about four magicians who use their tricks to rob banks.  This looks like a fun movie, and I hope it’s good because it would be a shame to waste a cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent, and Morgan Freeman.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  Now You See Me opens May 31st.

With director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me opening May 31st, Summit Entertainment has provided us with six clips.  For those unfamiliar, the story follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience, and the pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman. 

Hit the jump to watch the clips, and if you missed any of my set visit coverage, here’s my video blog recap, and on set interviews with Ruffalo, Eisenberg, Fisher, and Leterrier.

Summit Entertainment has released the first extended clip from director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) magician-centered thriller Now You See Me.  The clip shows the opening sequence from the film, as we’re introduced to Jesse Eisenberg’s David Blaine-esque card trick magician, Woody Harrelson’s mentalist character, Dave Franco’s pickpocket specialist, and Isla Fisher’s escape artist.  The film’s story centers on an FBI squad who is on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience.  This opening sequence does a great job of teasing a hopefully fun and wholly entertaining thrill ride, and I’m eager to see more.

Hit the jump to watch the clip, and if you missed any of Steve’s set visit coverage check out his video blog recap and interviews with Mark Ruffalo, Eisenberg, Fisher, and Leterrier.  Now You See Me opens on May 31st.

A few new posters have made their way online.  Briefly:

• Fruitvale Station – The first official poster for the huge Sundance hit teases the heartbreak that lies ahead.  There is a strong likelihood that this film will turn you into a blubbering mess.  Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, and Octavia Spencer and opens on July 12th.  Read Matt’s review here.
• The Hangover Part III – A couple of new character posters for Ed Helms’ Stu, Justin Bartha’s Doug, and a rooster.  The film opens on May 24th.
• Grown Ups 2 – Hard as you may try to ignore it, this unnecessary comedy sequel exists.  The latest poster repeats the gag from the first film of using old photos of the castmembers.  The film stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and David Spade and opens on July 12th.
• Now You See Me – A motion poster for the magician thriller starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Mark Ruffalo.  The film opens on May 31st.
• Europa Report – The first poster for director Sebastian Cordero’s found footage sci-fi film teases the pic’s impressive practical effects.  The film stars Sharlto Copley and Michael Nyqvist and is available VOD on June 27th and hits theaters on August 2nd.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and synopses.

Summit Entertainment has launched the Diamond Heist Challenge in anticipation of the impending release of the magician-centered thriller Now You See Me, and we here at Collider are happy to host one of 13 exclusive images that will grant fans access to videos that tie in to the film.  For those unfamiliar, the story follows an FBI squad on the heels of a team of bank-robbing magicians who share their profits with the audience, and the pic boasts an impressive ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, and Mark Ruffalo.

As part of the Diamond Heist Challenge, 13 new images have been hidden online on a number of sites that, when found, grant access to exclusive videos featuring the film’s cast.  Learn more about the Diamond Heist Challenge and check out our image, the eight of diamonds, after the jump.  Now You See Me opens in theaters on May 31st.

Last weekend I finally had the chance to check out director Rodney Ascher‘s The Shining analysis doc Room 237 on Xbox Live. The film garnered a rave review from Matt when he screened it at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and for the most part I share his enthusiasm for the pic.  On one hand, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen and I admire it for that exact reason. The extensive scenic analysis Room 237 employs, the hypnotic score, and its refusal to show the faces of those presenting their theories makes it an absolutely captivating ride that never lets you come up for air. On the other hand, I now have to live the rest of my life looking for Stanley Kubrick‘s airbrushed face in the clouds during The Shining‘s opening scene. And when/if I ever find it, what am I supposed to do with that information? Sigh.

I could go on about the film’s individual parts, but suffice to say that I consider it required viewing for anyone with even a fleeting interest in film analysis, Kubrick, and/or The Shining. And with that I’ll move on to the reason we’re all here. In this week’s Top 5 you’ll have the pleasure of checking out a stellar new trailer and a slew of other assets from Man of Steel, our set visit recap for The Hangover Part III, the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, more set visit goodness for Now You See Me, and all of our CinemaCon 2013 coverage. The “Continue Reading” button below is your ticket to a brief recap and link to each of the above.

About a year ago, I got to visit the set of director Louis Leterrier’s Now You See Me with a few other online reporters when the production was  filming a key 3rd act scene in New York City.  The film centers on a group of magicians who pull off bank heists during their death-defying acts, and the FBI squad tasked with catching them.  Leterrier put together a great ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Melanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman.  If you haven’t seen the trailer, watch it here.

While on set, I got to participate in roundtable interviews with most of the cast, Leterrier, and the producers, and I walked away having learned a lot about the film.  I also got a good vibe from the filming and the footage they showed us, and really think Now You See Me is going to be a fun ride when it gets released May 31st.  Hit the jump for more.