The Town

Weekend Box Office – THE LION KING 3D Keeps Its Crown; MONEYBALL Slides to Second with $20.6 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 25th, 2011 at 9:30 am

Once again, it looks like I was foolish to bet on Moneyball.  Blinded by the strong opening day of this long-time underdog, I completely forgot that last weekend’s champ would have a home field advantage on Saturday.  The final score put The Lion King 3D back on top and added another $22.1 million to the re-release’s lifetime stats.  Moneyball had to settle for second, though the estimates between it and the week’s newest family film, Dolphin Tale, are close enough that the baseball flick could conceivably fall to third by Monday.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Lion King 3D	$22,100,000	$61.6
2	Moneyball	$20,600,000	$20.6
3	Dolphin Tale	$20,300,000	$20.3
4	Abduction	$11,200,000	$11.2
5	Killer Elite	$9,500,000	$9.5
6	Contagion	$8,565,000	$57.1
7	Drive	$5,771,000	$21.4
8	The Help	$4,400,000	$154.4
9	Straw Dogs	$2,100,000	$8.8
10	I Don’t Know How She Does It	$2,053,000	$8

Weekend Box Office – CONTAGION Stronger Than Expected at Number One with $23.1 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 11th, 2011 at 9:54 am

To say the box office has been a bit sleepy of late would be a gross understatement.  Seriously, if I am being bored by the numbers I can only imagine how ordinary movie fans feel.  Four new titles hit theatres this weekend, including Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion. The pandemic thriller, and its A-list cast, drew an impressive three day estimate of $23.1 million: more than enough to end the three-week reign of The Help as the nation’s top draw.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Contagion	$23,135,000	$23.1
2	The Help	$8,691,000	$137
3	Warrior	$5,607,000	$5.6
4	The Debt	$4,905,000	$21.9
5	Colombiana	$4,000,000	$29.7
6	Rise of the Planet of the Apes	$3,875,000	$167.8
7	Shark Night 3D	$3,533,000	$14.7
8	Apollo 18	$2,913,000	$15
9	Our Idiot Brother	$2,761,000	$21.4
10	Spy Kids 4	$2,500,000	$34.2

WGA Announces Screenplay Nominations; Nods for BLACK SWAN, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, and INCEPTION

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 4th, 2011 at 11:02 am

The Writers Guild of America has announced their nominations for the best screenplays of 2010.  Most of the usual suspects scored noms, including The Social Network and Black Swan. A couple of nice surprise nominations for Please Give and I Love You Philip Morris shake up what’s mostly a list of more of the same. Oscar favorite The Kings Speech failed to meet eligibility requirements to be considered, and was therefore disqualified (as were a number of other high-profile scripts).  Usually a reliable predictor for Oscar gold, the winner of the WGA award has gone on to win the Oscar in the same category 11 of the last 16 years.

Don’t let the lack of a Kings Speech nom fool you, as that film and The Social Network have been racking up awards in the original and adapted screenplay categories respectively over the past month. Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations in the Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Documentary Screenplay categories.

Producers Guild Award Nominees Announced

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 4th, 2011 at 7:50 am

The Producers Guild of America have announced their nominees for the 2011 Producers Guild Awards.  The nominees for Best Motion Picture are 127 Hours, Black Swan, Inception, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, The Town, and True Grit. Notably absent from their selections is Winter’s Bone.  With the exception of The Town, I think you’re looking at the ten Oscar nominees for Best Picture (I think Winter’s Bone will ultimately nab the 10th slot).

Hit the jump for the full press release, which also includes nominees for Best Animated Film, Best Documentary (no Exit Through the Gift Shop—boo), and various television categories.  Winners will be announced January 22nd.  Judd Apatow will host the awards ceremony.

Quentin Tarantino’s Top 20 Films of 2010

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 2nd, 2011 at 8:54 pm

As we enter 2011, Quentin Tarantino has revealed his top ten films of 2010.  The list includes the usual suspects (Toy Story 3, The Social Network) along with some fun surprises like Tangled and, shall we say “peculiar” surprises like Robin Hood.  Tarantino didn’t provide any comment on his choices, but said of his number ten pick, Enter the Void,

“Hands down best credit scene of the year? Maybe best credit scene of the decade. One of the greatest in cinema history.”

Hit the jump for Tarantino’s list along with a look at the opening credits for Enter the Void.

THE TOWN Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: December 28th, 2010 at 6:57 am

Few career resurrections/resuscitations have been so pronounced as Ben Affleck’s. From Gigli and Surviving Christmas, there was a sense that Affleck was going to live in the shadow of his previous successes and showcase the career path that Matt Damon managed to avoid. But his turn to directing has enlivened his career, leading to better roles (or at least more intelligently chosen ones) and a great respect for his behind-the-scenes talents. In The Town, Affleck stars as a bank robber looking to get out, but is sucked into one last score. Though The Town isn’t quite as good as Gone Baby Gone, it shows that Affleck can handle action and suspense fairly well even while starring in the film, and it no surprise it managed to be a success upon release. Co-starring Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively and Jeremy Renner, my review of The Town on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

The Society of Camera Operators 2010 Nominations Include SALT, HEREAFTER, and 24

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 22nd, 2010 at 9:26 pm

Around awards season, I’m always interested by the nominations of guilds or other groups with a specific technical focus.  Of course, the Society of Camera Operators found a way to honor The Social Network like everyone else.  But Hereafter and Salt, which won’t contend for many awards as complete works, also earned nominations alongside The Town and The Fighter for feature film camera operator of the year.

The nominees in television are similarly eclectic.  The final season of 24 missed out on a swan song at the Emmys and the Golden Globes, but is recognized here with House, Bones, Sons of Anarchy, and Raising Hope.  Hit the jump for the full list.

Critics Choice Awards Nominations Announced; BLACK SWAN Lands Record 12 Nominations

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 13th, 2010 at 8:11 am

The Broadcast Film Critics Association have announced their nominees for the 2010 Critics Choice Awards. Leading the pack with a record 12 nominations is Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.  After David Fincher’s The Social Network racked up wins from the NBR, LAFCA, and BSFCA, the 12 nominations from the BFCA is a nice boost to Black Swan (although Social Network picked up 9 nominations).  The King’s Speech and True Grit each racked up 11 nominations.

Hit the jump for a full list of the nominees.  Winners will be awarded on January 14, 2011.

AFI Announces the Top 10 Movies and TV Programs of 2010

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 12th, 2010 at 2:03 pm

The American Film Institute have announced their top 10 movies and TV programs of 2010.  As usual, they forgo a ranking system and instead list each winner alphabetically.  On the film side, we have Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter’s Bone, with special awards for the British (and thus disqualified) The King’s Speech and Waiting For Superman.  A fine list, and I don’t immediately see any egregious snubs.

The AFI only honored three TV programs with more than two seasons: Mad Men, 30 Rock, and Breaking Bad.  The rest were new series (The Big C, Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead), one-offs  (The Pacific, Temple Grandin), or standout sophomores (Glee, Modern Family).  Hit the jump to see the full lists.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK Takes Top Prize from the National Board of Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 2nd, 2010 at 1:22 pm

While different folks have their own dates for when awards season has officially “begun”, I set it at the date the National Board of Review announces their picks for the year.  In two of the past three years, the NBR’s pick for Best Picture has gone on to win the Oscar.  However, last year’s NBR winner, Up in the Air, went home empty-handed.

This year, the NBR has given the top prize to The Social Network.  The film also picked up the prizes for Best Director (David Fincher), Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Best Actor).  Other winners included Lesley Manville getting Best Actress for Another Year, Christian Bale winning Best Supporting Actor for The Fighter, and Jacki Weaver receiving Best Supporting Actress for Animal Kingdom.  Hit the jump for the full list of awards, including the National Board of Review’s Top 11 films, Top 10 Independent Films, Top 6 Foreign Films, and Top 6 Documentaries.

“Keep the Budgets Low and the Quality High”: The Hollywood Economy for Adult-Oriented Dramas

by Jayson Crittenden    Posted: October 18th, 2010 at 9:47 pm

The Town, The Social Network, and Secretariat are not only performing well at the box office and touted as potential Best Picture nominees, but they also have Hollywood brass taking notice:  You don’t have to spend upwards of $100 million to make a great dramatic film anymore.  In fact, spending less is proving to be more beneficial to all those involved.  According to the LA Times these three movies mentioned above

“… have in common something beyond the fact that they are dramas driven by strong story lines, not by A-list actors.  They are examples of the new Hollywood Economics: If you want to make a drama, whether it’s a biopic or a crime thriller, your budget ceiling, with rare exception, is going to be 40 million.”

Hit the jump to learn more about recent dramatic film hits and misses, and what highly anticipated upcoming film is adhering to this new budget cap.  After you’ve digested all the facts and figures, let us know your thoughts on this economic epiphany.

Weekend Box Office – JACKASS 3D Sets Records with $50 Million Debut; RED Strong with $22.5 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 17th, 2010 at 9:29 am

On Friday we told you that Jackass 3D had secured fall’s single-day debut record with over $21 million and that the sequel seemed destined to become one of the season’s all-time weekend champs with a projection of over $40 million. Turns out that the Jackass boys were destined for bigger things. With an estimated $50 million from 3,081 locations, the third installment in the franchise now holds both the October and the all-time fall weekend record – eclipsing Scary Movie 3’s $48.1 million set in 2003.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Jackass 3D	$50,000,000	$50
2	Red	$22,500,000	$22.5
3	The Social Network	$11,000,000	$63.1
4	Secretariat	$9,500,000	$27.5
5	Life as We Know It	$9,200,000	$28.8
6	Legend of the Guardians	$4,325,000	$46
7	The Town	$4,040,000	$80.5
8	My Soul to Take	$3,160,000	$11.9
9	Easy A	$2,650,000	$52.3
10	Wall Street 2	$$2,350,000	$47.8

Weekend Box Office – THE SOCIAL NETWORK Climbs to the Top with $23 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 3rd, 2010 at 9:19 am

One of fall’s most anticipated films had an auspicious start, befitting its legacy as “The Facebook Movie.” The Social Network had no trouble placing first with an estimated $23 million. Meanwhile, horror releases Let Me In and Case 39 continued to inspire little fear and even less money after their anemic Friday debuts.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Social Network	$23,000,000	$23
2	Legends of the Guardians	$10,500,000	$29.7
3	Wall Street 2	$10,200,000	$35.9
4	The Town	$9,800,000	$64.1
5	Easy A	$7,000,000	$42.4
6	You Again	$5,600,000	$16.4
7	Let Me In	$5,200,000	$5.2
8	Case 39	$5,100,000	$5.1
9	Devil	$3,900,000	$27.6
10	Alpha & Omega	$3,000,000	$19

Ben Affleck Was in the Running to Direct SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL?!

by Christopher Gilbreth    Posted: September 28th, 2010 at 4:24 pm

As reported here yesterday, acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky is on the list to possibly direct the next cinema visage of Superman. Last week Aronofsky was thrown into the prospective list of directors with Duncan Jones, Tony Scott, Matt Reeves, Zack Snyder and Jonathan Liebesman.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Affleck was also in the pile of possible directors.   Apparently he discussed helming Superman: The Man of Steel last week, but is no longer pursuing it. THR stated that Affleck has (obviously) gained some heat with his critical and commercial hit The Town.

What I want to know is, who yanked on Affleck’s cape and dragged him back to Earth?  The Hollywood Reporter is claiming Affleck backed out.  If he did, it probably was a wise choice on his move.  With 2007’s Gone Baby Gone and now The Town, Affleck has some solid critical and monetary success under his feet and his career is flying again. Was the gamble of overseeing one of DC Comics most iconic properties not worth his current momentum, or did Nolan sprinkle some kryptonite on Affleck?

Do you think he was smart to remove himself from the list of directors, or has he made a huge mistake?

Weekend Box Office – WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS Wakes Up To $19 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: September 26th, 2010 at 9:41 am

The estimates are in and it looks like, for once, the financial analysts got it right… I mean the box office analysts. Oh, what’s the difference anyway? There was indeed enough equity left in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street premise after 23 years to put the sequel – Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – in the top spot for the weekend with an estimated $19 million.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Wall Street 2	$19,000,000	$19
2	Legend of the Guardians	$16,300,000	$16.3
3	The Town	$16,000,000	$49
4	Easy A	$10,700,000	$32.8
5	You Again	$8,300,000	$8.3
6	Devil	$6,500,000	$21.7
7	Resident Evil 4	$4,900,000	$52
8	Alpha & Omega	$4,700,000	$15.1
9	Takers	$1,600,000	$54.9
10	Inception	$$1,200,000	$287.1

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