Red Tails

Friday Box Office – THE GREY Bares Its Fangs In First; ONE FOR THE MONEY Stronger Than Expected

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 8:58 am

Open Road’s The Grey debuted in first place on Friday with an estimated $6.5 million from 3,185 locations.  That is only a bit less than the debut of Unknown, Liam Neeson’s last turn as a tough-guy, but substantially more than Open Road saw from Killer Elite, its first release last September. The thriller is projected to earn $18.5 million for the weekend, giving 2012 its fourth winning frame in a row.  Friday’s number two was Lionsgate’s One For the Money, which made an estimated $4.1 million from 2,737 venues. It is unclear, however, how much of an impact the film’s Groupon ticket deal had on its debut, but, so far, Money is not looking like the confirmed disaster that many expected/hoped for.  Discounted tickets were also offered for Summit’s new Man On A Ledge.  From 2,998 locations the PG-13 thriller took in a reported $2.5 million – enough for fifth place behind holdovers Underworld Awakening and Red Tails.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Grey	$6,500,000	$6.5
2	One For the Money	$4,100,000	$4.1
3	Underworld Awakening	$3,400,000	$36
4	Red Tails	$2,800,000	$26.1
5	Man On A Ledge	$2,500,000	$2.5

 

Weekend Box Office – UNDERWORLD AWAKENING Leads with $25.4 Million; RED TAILS Second with $19.1 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 22nd, 2012 at 9:15 am

Underworld Awakening had no trouble topping a crowded field of new or expanding releases this weekend. Nine years after the action-horror series launched, Underworld 4 took in an estimated $25.4 million from 3,078 locations for the second-highest opening weekend in the franchise’s history. Red Tails also had reason to be happy with its second-place showing while returns for the week’s three other highly-touted features were more modest.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Underworld Awakening	$25,400,000	$25.4
2	Red Tails	$19,100,000	$19.1
3	Contraband	$12,240,000	$46.1
4	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close	$10,545,000	$11.2
5	Haywire	$9,000,000	$9
6	Beauty & the Beast 3D	$8,556,000	$33.3
7	Joyful Noise	$6,075,000	$21.9
8	Mission: Impossible 4	$5,540,000	$197.3
9	Sherlock Holmes	$4,805,000	$178.6
10	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	$3,750,000	$94.7

Friday Box Office – UNDERWORLD AWAKENING Emerges with $9.4 Million Opening

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 21st, 2012 at 9:38 am

In terms of box office numbers, January keeps offering up pleasant surprises.  This week, the big winner is Underworld Awakening with an estimated $9.4 million from 3,078 locations.  While not an unexpected first-place victory, part four in Screen Gems’ franchise is on track to earn about 15% more than the last installment, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, saw on its first weekend back in January of 2009.  And unlike 2010, when No Strings Attached was the only major new release, there are plenty of other titles crowding into theatres this weekend.  George Lucas’s Red Tails is at number two with $6 million from 2,512 venues – a better start for the WWII drama than would be suggested by the twenty-plus years it took to open the film.  After a month in limited release, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close expanded to 2,630 locations and took in $3.2 million.  The only film that is not meeting or exceeding expectations is Relativity’s Haywire.  After earning an estimated $2.9 million from 2,439 on Friday, the Steven Soderbergh drama will have trouble topping the $8 million weekend mark set by the studio.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Underworld Awakening	$9,400,000	$9.4
2	Red Tails	$6,000,000	$6
3	Contraband	$3,700,000	$37.6
4	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close	$3,200,000	$3.9
5	Haywire	$2,900,000	$2.9

Director Anthony Hemingway Talks RED TAILS, TREME, and THE WIRE

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 20th, 2012 at 11:39 am

Opening today is director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails.  Produced by George Lucas and Rick McCallum, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible. Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.

Last week I did an exclusive phone interview with Hemingway. During our wide ranging conversation we talked about how he got involved in Red Tails, what it was like to meet and collaborate with Lucas, how much of the film was “Hollywoodized,” the boot camp for the actors, deleted scenes, test screening, and if they ever think about releasing the film in 3D.  In addition, with Hemingway having worked on The Wire and Treme, we talked about both of those series and what it’s like to direct TV.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

RED TAILS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 3:00 pm

World War II was the last “great” war, especially for storytellers.  It was the last time we could take the horrors of war and safely rely on the knowledge that the allied forces were fighting evil.  Not an evil that was constructed by propaganda, but indisputable evil bent on world domination and ethnic cleansing.  Recent war films and mini-series have centered on the gritty realism of battle, but Red Tails leaves that conflict on land and flies to the safety of the moral high-ground.  It embraces the exhilaration of battle, throws back to the excitement of World War II dogfights, and puts its black heroes indisputably on the side of right in the face of adversity both at home and abroad.  Elevated by stellar performances from Terrence Howard and David Oyelowo, Red Tails can be a bit shaky at times, but for the most part it’s always steady and hits its target.

Producer Rick McCallum Talks RED TAILS and Live-Action STAR WARS TV Series; Describes Show as “EMPIRE STRIKES BACK on Steroids”

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 18th, 2012 at 11:40 am

Opening this weekend is director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails.  Produced by George Lucas and Rick McCallum, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible. Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.

Last week I did an exclusive phone interview with McCallum. During our wide ranging conversation we talked about LucasFilm’s two decade quest to make Red Tails, how advances in technology helped make the film possible, the 11.1 sound mix, and what being a producer really means.  In addition, with McCallum producing the live-action Star Wars TV series (Star Wars: Underworld), he talked about what fans can look forward to, why it’s still not filming, and revealed “It’s Empire on steroids.”  Finally, we also talked about Lucas’ future as a director, what props he owns, whether or not the 3D release of The Phantom Menace is the same cut that’s on the Blu-ray, if we’ll ever see the original trilogy on Blu-ray without any corrections, and so much more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to what he had to say.

George Lucas Claims He’s Ready to Retire from Blockbuster Filmmaking; Producer Rick McCallum Says Lucas is Taking a Break

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 17th, 2012 at 1:51 pm

George Lucas is ready to retire, again. Though he previously threatened retirement before launching into the Star Wars prequels, the director’s 20-year passion project Red Tails is finally hitting theaters this month, and with that Lucas says he’s basically done:

“I’m retiring. I’m moving away from the business, from the company, from all this kind of stuff.”

That “stuff” would be blockbusters, and Lucas seems to be taking a page out of Francis Ford Coppola’s book and says he’s ready to move on to more personal material. Hit the jump for more, including what Lucas had to say to critics of his Star Wars tampering.

RED TAILS to Play in Auro-3D 11.1 Surround Sound in Select Locations

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 10:09 am

The World War II action-drama Red Tails will be released in select theaters in Barco’s Auro-3D 11.1 surround sound.  Most theaters use 5.1 or 7.1 audio, which has three speakers in front, two on the side, and two in the back.  11.1 changes that up by putting up far more speakers at various heights in order to reproduce the audio dimension of height.  Since Red Tails depicts intense aerial combat, it’s an ideal candidate to test out the 11.1 system.  It’s important to note that while the audio system is called “Auro-3D”, it’s only creating a 3D audio mix.  Visually, Red Tails will be released in 2D only.

Hit the jump for more details about the Auro-3D system, an explanation from producer Rick McCallum on how it will function in Red Tails, and which theaters will be getting the 11.1 upgrade.  Red Tails opens January 20th.

6 Movie Clips and 52 Images from George Lucas’ RED TAILS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 6th, 2012 at 10:41 pm

With director Anthony Hemingway‘s World War II action-drama Red Tails opening January 20, 20th Century Fox has provided us with six clips and fifty-two images from the film.  Produced by George Lucas, the movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible.

I actually spoke to someone tonight that recently saw the film and they said the action scenes are incredible and the film was better than they expected.  Which is always good to hear.  Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelly, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, Daniela Ruah, and Michael B. Jordan.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

RED TAILS Trailer 3

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 9th, 2011 at 1:09 pm

The latest trailer for the World War II film Red Tails finally has found the right balance between drama and action.  The movie is based on the real-life story of the first all African-American squadron and their fight to defend our country.  They were given second-hand planes and the most dangerous missions, and it makes their story all the more incredible.  The new trailer is the most exciting so far because it while it still has the grandiose language, it feels more comfortable when couched in an exciting action film (and that action looks spectacular).

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film was produced by George Lucas and stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, and Nate Parker.  Red Tails opens January 20, 2012.

New Featurette for RED TAILS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 5th, 2011 at 1:20 pm

A new featurette for Red Tails has gone online.  Were you wondering if the cast enjoyed working with each other?  Did you stay up late at night thinking, “Can these actors have fun while still respecting the serious story of the first squadron African-American World War II fighter pilots?”  Well this featurette has got some obvious answers for you.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, David Oyelowo, Kevin Phillips, Nate Parker, Daniela Ruah, Michael B. Jordan, Tristan Wilds, Cliff Smith, Rick Otto, and Bryan Cranston.

New Trailer and Poster for RED TAILS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 17th, 2011 at 10:19 am

20th Century Fox has released a new trailer and poster for Anthony Hemingway’s World War II action-drama Red Tails.  The film tells the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black squadron in American history.  Despite given second-hand planes and equipment, the squadron still managed to accomplish some of the war’s most dangerous missions.  I far prefer this new trailer to the previous one.  Instead of heaping on the historical importance (and it was indisputably significant to American history, but we already know it before we’ve even see the movie), this new trailer plays up the characters and the action.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with the poster.  The film was produced by George Lucas and stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, and Nate Parker.  Red Tails opens January 20, 2012.

Trailer and Release Date for Producer George Lucas’ RED TAILS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 29th, 2011 at 8:57 am

The first trailer has been release for the action-drama Red Tails.  Produced by George Lucas and directed by Anthony Hemingway, the movie is based on the true story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-black African-American combat squadron who fought in World War II.  Red Tails has been in development for years but now it looks like it has finally become a reality and that reality is filled with cool aerial combat and grandiose speeches.  No one in this trailer makes a statement that is not of monumental importance to the dignity of our nation and the history of the human race.  But that’s what the trailer is designed to sell: action and gravitas but I hope the film is, at least where the dialogue is concerned, a little more grounded.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston, Brandon T. Jackson, and Nate Parker.  Red Tails opens January 20, 2012.

George Lucas-Produced WWII Film RED TAILS to Finally Be Released in January 2012?

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 2nd, 2011 at 5:52 pm

Word has been increasingly scarce on the George Lucas-produced World War II film Red Tails for quite some time. Directed by Anthony Hemingway, the flick underwent some significant reshoots overseen by Lucas himself when he decided he wanted to change some of the tone of the film. Today, Hemingway tweeted (via Shadow and Act) “Red Tails hits screens January 2012.” Now, this isn’t an official release date, but it’s coming from the director himself so that may in fact be the target.

That seems pretty far off for a movie that was filmed back in 2009, but Lucas is probably just busy making sure he does everything he can to ruin the film before it hits theaters. The story centers on the United States’ first all African-American air combat squadron, The Tuskegee Airmen. Red Tails stars Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Method Man, Ne-Yo and Bryan Cranston.

Daniela Ruah Exclusive Interview NCIS: LOS ANGELES; Plus an Update on George Lucas’ RED TAILS

by Christina Radish    Posted: October 2nd, 2010 at 5:28 pm

The CBS drama NCIS: Los Angeles is about the high-stakes world of a division responsible for apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals that pose a threat to the nation’s security. By assuming false identities and utilizing the most advanced technology, this team of highly trained agents goes deep undercover, putting their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets and protect the country. Assisting the team, which includes Special Agent Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Special Agent Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), is Special Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah), the daughter of a slain Marine who lives for the adrenaline rush that comes with undercover work.

During this exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Daniela Ruah talked about being the only female member of the team, kicking ass and forming real family bonds with her co-stars. She also revealed what it was like to work with George Lucas, who recently took over directing duties to film some re-shoots on the upcoming feature Red Tails, about the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

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