The Mechanic

Weekend Box Office – CONTRABAND Scores $24.1 Million; THE DEVIL INSIDE Gets Exorcised

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 15th, 2012 at 9:02 am

Even with Saturday’s family trade and higher ticket prices, Disney’s 3D re-issue of Beauty and the Beast could not catch Contraband this weekend. From its 2,863 locations Universal’s R-rated drama took in an estimated $24.1 million – a figure well above early expectations for the Mark Wahlberg vehicle.  The other BIG news is the changing fortunes of last weekend’s number one film, The Devil Inside.  Estimates have taken the film from number six – down to number eleven – and back up to number seven all within an hour.  We’re hoping to get it right this with this one but, keep in mind, it’s all estimates until Monday morning…

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Contraband	$24,100,000	$24.1
2	Beauty and the Beast 3D	$18,490,000	$18.4
3	Mission: Impossible 4	$11,500,000	$186.7
4	Joyful Noise	$11,345,000	$11.3
5	Sherlock Holmes 2	$8,410,000	$170
6	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	$6,800,000	$87.9
7	The Devil Inside	$7,900,000	$46.2
8	Alvin and the Chipmunks 3	$5,800,000	$118.7
9	War Horse	$5,600,000	$65.7
10	The Iron Lady	$5,386,000	$5.9

THE MECHANIC Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: May 26th, 2011 at 6:02 am

Action films are weird. What used to be the summer blockbusters of yore are now reduced to a off-season release dates. In the mid 1990’s The Mechanic would have starred Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger, and been a big summer action film. The 2011 version hit theaters in January, and did reasonable business for what it is –around $30 domestic, or less than what Pirates 4 did on its opening day. Though by no means a great film, the Jason Statham-starrer is relatively entertaining, and doesn’t mess around. Statham stars as a hitman who takes on an assistant (Ben Foster), and comes to realize the people he’s working for (headed up by Tony Goldwyn) are not above board. Check out our review of the Blu-ray of The Mechanic after the jump.

Weekend Box Office – THE ROOMMATE At Home in First Place with $15.6 Million; SANCTUM in Second with $9.2 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 6th, 2011 at 9:22 am

Super Bowl weekend is not known for its huge debuts – 2010 being the notable exception.  And with much of the country still dealing with their endless winter nightmares and the rest transfixed by the game, this weekend has a good excuse for its low numbers.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Roommate	$15,600,000	$15.6
2	Sanctum	$9,225,000	$9.2
3	No Strings Attached	$8,400,000	$51.7
4	The King’s Speech	$8,310,000	$84.1
5	The Green Hornet	$6,100,000	$87.2
6	The Rite	$5,565,000	$23.6
7	The Mechanic	$5,370,000	$20
8	True Grit	$4,750,000	$155
9	The Dilemma	$3,448,000	$35.7
10	Black Swan	$3,400,000	$95.8

Weekend Box Office – THE RITE Stays On Top with $15 Million; The Mechanic Ties for Third with $11.5 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 30th, 2011 at 10:11 am

After finishing in first on Friday, The Rite stayed on top with a three day estimate of $15 million from its 2,985 locations.  No Strings Attached followed in second place, holding on to 58% of its first weekend total.  The Mechanic opened in third for the weekend with $11.5 million, a figure that was well above most projections for the R-rated action film.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Rite	$15,000,000	$15
2	No Strings Attached	$13,700,000	$39.7
3	The Mechanic	$11,500,000	$11.5
4	The Green Hornet	$11,500,000	$78.8
5	The King’s Speech	$11,100,000	$72.2
6	True Grit	$7,600,000	$148.3
7	The Dilemma	$5,470,000	$40.6
8	Black Swan	$5,100,000	$90.7
9	The Fighter	$4,055,000	$78.3
10	Yogi Bear	$3,165,000	$92.5

Friday Box Office – THE RITE Debuts in First with $5.1 Million; THE MECHANIC Third with $3.5 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 29th, 2011 at 8:58 am

Bringing a depressingly down-trending month to a close, two new features debuted on Friday – neither of which seems capable of breaking the box office out of its January doldrums.  Warner Brothers’ The Rite came in first on Friday with $5.1 million from its 2,985 locations.  That is less than Mel Gibson’s Edge of Darkness debuted to at this time last year, though I’m sure snow-fatigue on the beleaguered East Coast is at least partially to blame.  The PG-13 thriller starring Anthony Hopkins has a chance to stay on top through the three day weekend with a projected take of $15 million.  The excellent 39% hold of No Strings Attached, however, may mean that last weekend’s top title is in for a second week at number one.  CBS Film’s The Mechanic opened in third place on Friday with $3.5 million and is not expected to top ten million by Sunday.  We’ll have full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Rite	$5,100,000	$5.1
2	No Strings Attached	$4,400,000	$30.4
3	The Mechanic	$3,500,000	$3.5
4	The Green Hornet	$2,900,000	$70.2
5	The King’s Speech	$2,800,000	$63.9

THE MECHANIC Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: January 28th, 2011 at 11:40 am

The Mechanic takes a tired genre and, without breaking new ground, creates a festive and entertaining film fueled by non-stop action and a great role by the ever-reliable Ben Foster. Simon West directs this hitman film based on the original 1972 Charles Bronson actioner of the same name, with Jason Statham filling the role of Bronson while Foster fills the role of Jan-Michael Vincent. Brutal violence and unexpected humor keep the proceedings from feeling too rehashed, and an undercurrent of revenge never bogs down the streamlined plot that propels the movie forward. This is an action film that knows to play within the set boundaries of what an audience wants—and does so unblinkingly within the 92 minute run time. Hit the jump for my full review of The Mechanic.

Jason Statham and Ben Foster Exclusive Video Interview THE MECHANIC

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 27th, 2011 at 12:48 pm

If you’ve been reading the site the past few days, you probably saw my print interviews with Ben Foster and Jason Statham for their new action film The Mechanic.  However, I was also able to sit down with the two stars for a video interview.  While they’d already done about fifty interviews before I walked in the room, they were still laughing and having fun.  Saying that, they wanted no part of my first two questions (which led to a minute or two of awkwardness).  But after getting past those initial missteps, the interview went great.  We talked about how they found a good working chemistry, working with Simon West to craft the action scenes, reworking the script to make it better, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch:

THE MECHANIC Giveaway

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 26th, 2011 at 8:51 am

Led by Jason Statham and Ben Foster, The Mechanic hits theaters on January 28.  We’ve been given a few things for a prize pack to award to one of you faithful readers.  The prize pack includes a signed poster (the one with a gun made out of guns), a t-shirt, and a $25 iTunes gift card.  It’s a nice collection, especially if you’re looking forward to what looks to be a pretty fun action film.  Hit the jump to find out how you can win.

Ben Foster Interview THE MECHANIC; Plus Updates on CONTRABAND, Fernando Meirelles’ 360, and Oren Moverman’s RAMPART

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 25th, 2011 at 11:00 pm

If you’re a fan of Jason Statham action films, you’ll be happy to know his latest movie, a remake of The Mechanic, opens this weekend.  Like the 1972 Charles Bronson film that it’s based on, Statham plays a ‘mechanic’, which is “an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets.”   Unlike some remakes that stray far from the original, Statham’s remake uses the same plot, but updates all the technology and kills.  Also, Simon West directed (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) the film so the action is well done.  I actually thought the remake was a lot of fun and casting Ben Foster to play the apprentice was a smart move as he’s an awesome actor that brings a lot to the role.  For more on the film, watch 4 clips here.

Anyway, I recently got to participate in a roundtable interview with Foster and you can either read a transcript or listen to the audio after the jump.  During the interview, Foster talked about working alongside Statham and what it was like to make The Mechanic, the nasty injury he landed as a result of doing his own stunts, how he prepares for each role, why he tends to play tough guys, and he gave us updates on Contraband, Fernando Meirelles’ 360, and Oren Moverman’s Rampart.  If you’re a fan of this great actor, you definitely should check out the interview:

Jason Statham Interview THE MECHANIC; Plus Updates on CRANK 3 and THE EXPENDABLES 2

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 24th, 2011 at 6:45 pm

If you’re a fan of Jason Statham action films, you’ll be happy to know his latest movie, a remake of The Mechanic, opens this weekend.  Like the 1972 Charles Bronson film that it’s based on, Statham plays a ‘mechanic’, which is “an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets.”   Unlike some remakes that stray far from the original, Statham’s remake uses the same plot, but updates all the technology and kills.  Also, Simon West directed (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) the film so the action is well done.  I actually thought the remake was a lot of fun and casting Ben Foster to play the apprentice was a smart move as he’s a very talented actor that brings a lot to the role.  For more on the film, watch 4 clips here.

Anyway, I recently participated in a roundtable interview with Statham and you can either read a transcript or listen to the audio after the jump.  During the interview with the press shy action star, Statham talked about where his career is going, what it was like to make The Mechanic, his preparation process, upcoming movies like Safe and The Expendables 2, does he ever think Crank 3 could happen, and a lot more:

Ben Foster Talks About His Upcoming Projects Including Fernando Meirelles’ 360, HERE, RAMPART and CONTRABAND

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 15th, 2011 at 11:01 am

Following his interview with Jason Statham, Steve had a chance yesterday to speak with the other star of The Mechanic, Ben Foster.  It just so happened that Foster had been announced as a cast member of Fernando Meirelles’ 360 about an hour before the interview, which came as a surprise to the actor.

Foster has quite a few projects on the horizon in addition to Meirelles’ 360.  He stars opposite Mark Wahlberg in Contraband.  The romance Here is set to premiere at Sundance later this month.  And he’s reuniting with The Messenger director Oren Moverman and co-star Woody Harrelson for Rampart.  Hit the jump for his updates on these projects and more.

4 Movie Clips from THE MECHANIC Starring Jason Statham, Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 15th, 2011 at 8:58 am

If you’re a fan of Jason Statham action films, you’ll be happy to know his latest movie, a remake of The Mechanic, opens January 28.  Like the 1972 Charles Bronson film that it’s based on , Statham plays a ‘mechanic’, “an elite assassin with a strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets.”   Unlike some remakes that stray far from the original, Statham’s remake uses the same plot, but updates all the technology and kills.  Also, Simon West directed (Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) the film so the action is well done.

While not an expert Stathamologist, I thought The Mechanic was a lot of fun and having Ben Foster play the apprentice was a smart move as he’s a very talented actor that brings a lot to the role.  Anyway, we’ve been given four clips from the film, so hit the jump to check them out.  I’ve also provided the official synopsis:

Jason Statham on the Possibility of CRANK 3 and the Status of THE EXPENDABLES 2

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 14th, 2011 at 10:06 pm

Earlier today I got to interview Jason Statham as CBS Films is junketing his next movie The Mechanic (which is a welcome addition to Statham’s ass kicking resume) here in Los Angeles.  As a fan of his work over the past decade, it was really cool to finally ask him some questions about how he chooses his projects and just to hear him talk about making movies.  And while I’ll have the entire conversation online the week of release (January 28), I wanted to post two highlights tonight: what he said about Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables 2 and if he thinks a Crank 3 will ever happen.  Hit the jump for what he had to say:

Red-Band Trailer for THE MECHANIC

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 3rd, 2011 at 4:05 pm

A new red-band trailer for the action-thriller The Mechanic has gone online (here’s the green band).  Directed by Simon West (Con Air), the film stars Jason Statham as a hitman who takes on an apprentice (Ben Foster).  The film also stars Tony Goldwyn and Donald Sutherland.  If you’re a fan of Statham kicking ass and blowing shit up, what are you waiting for.  The Mechanic opens January 28th.

New Posters for THE KING’S SPEECH and THE MECHANIC

by Jason Barr    Posted: December 3rd, 2010 at 6:32 am

New posters for The King’s Speech and The Mechanic have hit the interwebs.  Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech tells of the unlikely crowning of England’s King George VI (Firth) and his subsequent attempt at overcoming a lifelong speech impediment.  As for the poster, it features a minimalistic approach and is a vast improvement over its somewhat boring predecessor.

Moving on to The Mechanic, the film stars Jason Statham, Donald Sutherland, and Ben Foster (The Messenger), and sees Statham making a turn as a vengeful assassin (a stretch, I know).  Unlike The King’s Speech, I feel like The Mechanic‘s latest poster takes a step back from its previous offering by trading in symbolism (a uniquely assembled gun) for an on-the-nose depiction of Statham rappelling while taking aim at some ruffians who, no doubt, had it coming.  To check out the posters for yourself, hit the jump.

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