Sacha Baron Cohen

Weekend Box Office – THE AVENGERS Claims Third Week On Top; $25.3 Million Debut Sinks BATTLESHIP

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 20th, 2012 at 8:59 am

For the third week in a row, The Avengers dominated the box office. Marvel’s superheroes added another $55 million to their domestic total – putting the film over $450 million in a record-breaking seventeen days. Meanwhile, the three new releases that lined up to challenge The Avengers all struggled in the blockbuster’s wake.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Avengers	$55,050,000	$457
2	Battleship	$25,350,000	$25.3
3	The Dictator	$17,415,000	$24.4
4	Dark Shadows	$12,770,000	$50.9
5	What to Expect When You’re Expecting	$10,500,000	$10.5
6	Best Exotic Marigold Hotel	$3,250,000	$8.2
7	The Hunger Games	$3,000,000	$391.6
8	Think Like A Man	$2,700,000	$85.8
9	The Lucky One	$1,765,000	$56.9
10	Pirates! Band of Misfits	$1,450,000	$25.3

Friday Box Office – THE AVENGERS Continue to Soar as BATTLESHIP Founders

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 19th, 2012 at 9:10 am

For the first time this month audiences had more than one new release to tempt them into theatres. Trouble is, no one seemed particularly tempted by the three titles that lined up to take down The Avengers. With an estimated $15.3 million on Friday, the Marvel superheroes are now assured their third weekend title with a projected $55 million. That won’t be a record, but who cares? At $1.048 billion worldwide, the film is already Disney’s highest-grossing release of all time. In second place, Universal’s Battleship took in an estimated $9 million from its 3,690 locations for a projected $26 million first weekend. Not only is that well below expectations for the pricey live-action boardgame, it’s also less than John Carter earned for its debut back in March. Draw your own conclusions. After opening to $4.1 million on Wednesday, Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator took in an estimated $5.7 million on Friday towards what should be a $16 million first weekend. Finally, What to Expect When You’re Expecting saw an estimated $3.9 million from 3,021 locations on Friday. Not exactly what Lionsgate was, um, expecting from their ensemble comedy.  Full details tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Avengers	$15,300,000	$417.3
2	Battleship	$9,000,000	$9
3	The Dictator	$5,700,000	$12.7
4	What to Expect When You’re Expecting	$3,900,000	$3.9
5	Dark Shadows	$3,800,000	$41.9

THE DICTATOR Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 8:33 am

Anyone can be offensive.  The skill comes with trying to get people to laugh at it.  Sacha Baron Cohen, the mind behind the semi-scripted comedies Borat and Bruno, has shown a great skill at getting audiences to laugh at light comic fodder like incest, rape, anti-Semitism, screaming dickholes, and carrying bags of shit to the dinner table.  He also tends to throw in a little social criticism for some spice.  The Dictator marks his first feature-length, fully-scripted film, and while the blade may be a bit more polished, the edge remains razor-sharp.  Despite a slapdash plot and a cop-out ending, The Dictator is brilliantly irreverent, juvenile, cartoonish, and it will have you laughing, feeling guilty about laughing, and then laughing even harder.

Kurt Russell and Sacha Baron Cohen Exit Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED [Updated]

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 8:42 pm

Director Quentin Tarantino must have written a doozie of a role for a certain Django Unchained character; not only has Kevin Costner left the picture, but now Kurt Russell has exited as well.  Both veterans were slated to play the role of Ace Woody, a villainous character who trains slaves to fight each other for public amusement.  Granted, the role isn’t feel-good like Man of Steel’s Pa Kent or Miracle’s Herb Brooks, but it’s a Tarantino flick; no one gets out unscathed.  Costner had previously cited scheduling difficulties for his departure from Django Unchained, but Russell’s camp has yet to provide a reason.  Slightly concerning is the fact that with a December 25th release date, there hasn’t been a replacement announced just yet. 

Sacha Baron Cohen also let slip that his planned cameo won’t happen due to a scheduling conflict.  The rest of the Django Unchained cast, however, needs little support, boasting Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, M.C. Gainey, Garrett Dillahunt, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson, and Tom Savini. Hit the jump for more. [Update: We've added new information regarding Russell's role]

Stephen Frears Frontrunner to Direct Freddie Mercury Film Starring Sacha Baron Cohen

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 11:43 am

A biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury has been in the works for quite some time.  In an inspired bit of casting, Sacha Baron Cohen is attached to star as the famed rock musician, and now the project is close to landing a director.  Variety reports that Stephen Frears (The Queen) is the frontrunner to land the directing job, though negotiations have yet to begin.  Apparently other filmmakers are still in the mix, but Frears “has the inside track.”  In addition to more serious fare like The Queen and Dangerous Liasons, Frears also directed the excellent 2000 music-centered dramedy High Fidelity.  Hit the jump for more.

Sacha Baron Cohen Appears on THE DAILY SHOW as The Dictator

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 8th, 2012 at 12:25 pm

As he did with the press for Borat and Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen is currently doing the publicity rounds for The Dictator completely in character.  Yesterday we shared his appearance on Saturday Night Live, and last night he took part in an interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show as Admiral General Aladeen.  It’s a pretty fun watch, and Stewart does a fine job of playing along with the bit as best he can, but when the interview inevitably takes a turn towards dick jokes it’s understandably tough for Stewart to keep a straight face.

Hit the jump to watch the clip.  The Dictator opens on May 16th.

New Red-Band Trailer for THE DICTATOR; Sacha Baron Cohen Kidnaps Martin Scorsese on SNL

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 7th, 2012 at 10:38 am

A new red-band trailer for the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy The Dictator has gone online.  The clip is basically structured similarly to the other trailers, but it includes alternate takes and different jokes.  I was a big fan of Borat and admired the ballsiness of Bruno, but I’m starting to feel like The Dictator may be a bit one-note.  This is the first Cohen comedy that’s set up as a true narrative feature instead of a mockumentary, so it’ll be interesting to see how this outlandish character fares throughout a true story arc.  I liked the opening scene of the film so hopefully I’m wrong, but I’m not entirely convinced that I won’t tire of the character after 30 minutes of the film.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  We’ve also included an embed of a sketch from this past weekend’s Saturday Night Live in which Cohen appeared in character as said Dictator holding the actor’s Hugo director Martin Scorsese hostage.  The Dictator opens on May 16th.

New Photos from THE DICTATOR Feature Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris and Megan Fox

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 2nd, 2012 at 8:48 am

Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator has released a few images of Megan Fox and Anna Faris to drum up interest for their May 16th release date.  Having been buried under coverage of some sort of blockbuster superhero movie, The Dictator will have to pull a few more tricks out of his sleeve to grab headlines.  We’ve already seen the trailer, the opening of the film, a poster for General Aladeen’s (Cohen) visit to New York and the spilling of Kim Jong-Il’s ashes on the red carpet. The Dictator also boasts a solid supporting cast with John C. Reilly, Sir Ben Kingsley, B.J. Novak and J.B. Smoove. But, pictures of Megan Fox and Anna Faris certainly don’t hurt.  Hit the jump to check them out along with a few other actors from The Dictator.

Check Out the Opening of THE DICTATOR Starring Sacha Baron Cohen

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 26th, 2012 at 9:08 am

The first couple of minutes from The Dictator have gone online.  The movie stars Sacha Baron Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen, the goofy tyrant of the Republic of Wadiya.  The opening quickly sets up Aladeen as a global menace by borrowing footage of world leaders talking about real-life dictators.  However, the comedy really gets going when we see a brief history of Aladeen’s life, from what happened to his mother, and the result of changing the Wadiyan dictionary to make Aladeen the same word for “positive” and “negative”.  If the rest of the movie is as good as these gags, then audiences will be in for a terrific comedy next month.

Hit the jump to check out the opening, and click here for Steve’s reaction to the footage he saw at CinemaCon.  The film also stars Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, and John C. Reilly.  The Dictator opens May 16th.

New Images from THE DICTATOR, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, and G.I. JOE: RETALIATION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 25th, 2012 at 1:04 pm

Paramount has released some new images from their upcoming releases as part of their 2012 preview.  As such, we’ve got new looks at The Dictator, the animated holiday film Rise of the Guardians, and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.  We’ve seen one of the G.I. Joe images before, but this version is in super duper high resolution.  Out of these three films, I’m actually the most excited for Rise of the Guardians.  The adventure story centers on a group of heroes who must join forces to protect “the hopes, beliefs and imagination of the children all over the world.” The twist is that the heroes are Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost.  I loved the first trailer, and the character details we recent received were incredibly enticing.

Hit the jump to check out images from each film.  You can read Steve’s recap from Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation right here.  The Dictator opens on May 16th, G.I. Joe: Retaliation hits theaters on June 29th, and Rise of the Guardians will be released on November 21st.

Set Photos Featuring Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman in LES MISERABLES

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 19th, 2012 at 4:39 pm

If you love Anne Hathaway for her long, flowing locks, you might want to look away.  Hathaway chopped off a good chunk of her hair to play factory worker Fantine in Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Les Miserables.  We’ve got set photos of her singing alongside Hugh Jackman, who stars as Jean Valjean.  Jackman has certainly cleaned himself up compared to prior photos; we also previously posted shots of Russell Crowe as Javert and Eddie Redmayne as Marius.  This appears to be the first look at a dramatically gaunt Hathaway and, for those who aren’t familiar with the story, is certainly an appropriate look for her character’s arc throughout the film.  Les Miserables also stars Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Aaron Tveit, Samantha Barks, Helena Bonham Carter, and opens December 14th.  Hit the jump to see the set photos.

New Posters for THE DICTATOR, PIRANHA 3DD, and BYZANTIUM

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 18th, 2012 at 11:08 am

We’ve got a few new posters to share with you today.  Briefly:

• The Dictator – A new poster for the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy plays up the character’s visit to New York City.  The film opens on May 16th and also stars Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, and John C. Reilly.
• Piranha 3DD – A new poster for the gore and breast-filled genre sequel takes a page out of the horror posters from the 80s.  The film opens on June 1st and stars Katrina Bowden, Ving Rhames, and David Hasselhoff.
• Byzantium – The first poster for director Neil Jordan’s (Interview with the Vampire) new vampire film.  The story focuses on a daughter (Saoirse Ronan) and mother (Gemma Arterton) vampire pair who arrive in a small 18th century British town.  No release date has been set, but the film also stars Sam Riley and Jonny Lee Miller.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Samuel L. Jackson Address the Issue of Slavery in Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 16th, 2012 at 4:56 pm

While Samuel L. Jackson’s role in the upcoming superhero epic The Avengers certainly won’t hurt his status as “highest grossing actor ever,” that doesn’t mean the veteran will neglect his acting roots.  Jackson once again teams with  director Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained later this year, a movie which draws inspiration from some of the ugliest events in American history.  While we’ve brought you some good looking images of Christoph Waltz in character and of the first teaser poster, the plot itself is a bit on the ugly side. It revolves around Django, a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. King Schultz, a German-born bounty hunter (Waltz) who are out to rescue Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).  Jackson plays a “house slave” of plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).   The outstanding cast also includes Kurt Russell, Garrett Dillahunt, Walton Goggins, RZA, M.C. Gainey, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson, Tom Savini, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Django Unchained opens December 25th.  Hit the jump to see what Jackson had to say about how Tarantino aims to handle the sensitive subject matter.

Official Synopsis for Quentin Tarantino’s DJANGO UNCHAINED

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 13th, 2012 at 6:26 am

Following the release of the excellent teaser poster for Quentin Tarantino‘s Django Unchained, The Weinstein Company has now released the film’s official synopsis.  Briefly, the movie takes place before the Civil War, and follows Django (Jamie Foxx), an escaped slave who teams up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) in order to rescue Django’s wife (Kerry Washington) from a cruel plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).  The outstanding cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Garrett Dillahunt, Walton Goggins, RZA, M.C. Gainey, Dennis Christopher, Gerald McRaney, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson, Tom Savini, and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Hit the jump to check out the full synopsis.  Django Unchained opens December 25th.

First Clip from THE DICTATOR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 12th, 2012 at 2:04 pm

The first clip from the new Sacha Baron Cohen comedy The Dictator has gone online.  While I was a big fan of the extended trailer that revealed much more of the plot for the film, this clip didn’t really do it for me.  Cohen is shown learning the ropes as an employee at Anna Faris’ shop, but their exchange is kind of predictable a little too “winky” for my taste; it’s as if Cohen is saying, “Get it? I’m misogynistic!”  I’m willing to give the flick the benefit of the doubt because Cohen is generally spot on, so I hope this isn’t indicative of the humor we’ll find throughout the entire film.

Hit the jump to watch the clip.  The film also stars John C. Reilly and Ben Kingsley.  The Dictator opens on May 16th.

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