The Wolfman

Universal Pictures President Ron Meyer Talks Candidly about the Studio’s Recent Flops, 3D, Prestige Movies, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 10:07 am

Like any studio, Universal has had a tough time with movies they expected to be hits.  The Fast and Furious series is one of their killer franchises and they landed a sleeper hit with Bridesmaids, but the studio had to suck up bombs like Land of the Lost, The Wolfman, Robin Hood, Cowboys & Aliens, and even the geek-beloved Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.  Ron Meyer, Universal’s President and COO for the past sixteen years, spoke about the studio’s flops at the Savannah Film Festival.  He also talked about 3D, avoiding prestige pictures, and their controversial move to try and rush Tower Heist onto VOD.

Hit the jump for When Studio Execs Speak Honestly.

INCEPTION Wins Big at the 2011 Saturn Awards

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 24th, 2011 at 9:00 am

The 37^th Annual Saturn Awards were held last night. The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films honored the best in film, television, special effects and more. Inception was the big winner of the night, taking home five awards including Best Science Fiction Film. Other winners in the top categories include Fringe for Best Network Series, Breaking Bad for best Cable Series, Let Me In for Best Horror Film, Alice in Wonderland for Best Fantasy Film and Salt for Best Action/Adventure Film.

Hit the jump to see the full list of winners, and don’t forget to check out Collider’s interviews from the red carpet at the event. We spoke with Brandon Routh, Fringe’s Lance Reddick, and producer Dean Devlin.

Universal to Reboot THE WOLFMAN as WEREWOLF?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 10:38 am

Universal’s The Wolfman didn’t work out.  Original director Mark Romanek wanted more money to make the film work, Universal didn’t want to give it to him, he left, the studio found a new director in Joe Johnston.  But due to the amount of reshoots and other costs, Universal ended up spending more than if they had just given Romanek the extra money he wanted in the first place.  Oh, and the film wasn’t very good, although it was certainly better than thought considering all of the behind-the-scenes nonsense.

Moviehole reports that Universal hasn’t given up The Wolfman and intends to reboot the series and create a film, tentatively titled “Werewolf” that has more in common with George Waggner’s original 1941 film The Wolf Man than the character’s most recent iteration.  The studio is reportedly talking to prospective directors over the next few weeks and hopes to begin shooting this fall.  That’s a fast track for a product no one really wanted last time.  Presumably, Universal believes that because werewolves are popular in Twilight, their popularity will carry over to a new franchise.  As we all know, it’s the werewolves that people love in Twilight, not the muscular shirtless dudes and sappy romance.

THE KING’S SPEECH Wins Best Picture; Full List of Oscar Winners

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 27th, 2011 at 8:57 pm

In what easily had to be one of the most painful, unfunny Oscar ceremonies in recent memory, The King’s Speech finally reached the end of its inevitable march to Best Picture.  It was the first Best Picture winner to win less than five Oscars (it won four, including Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay). [Correction: Crash, which won Best Picture in 2006, only won 3 Oscars]  Does that make it more or less unworthy of the Best Picture crown?  I don’t know.  I don’t care.  I’m drained after live-blogging the awful show and 50 minutes of terrible pre-show.

Hit the jump for the full list of winners.

Weekend Box Office – UNKNOWN Leads with $21.8 Million; I AM NUMBER FOUR Squeaks By GNOMEO to Claim Second Place

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 20th, 2011 at 10:14 am

After taking first place on Friday by just half a million dollars, the PG-13 thriller Unknown managed to strengthen its hold on the top spot despite the Saturday surge of the week-old family film Gnomeo and Juliet.  Once again, the estimates within the top five are pretty close, which means that these numbers are likely to change by the time the four-day President’s Day weekend wraps up on Monday night.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Unknown	$21,800,000	$21.8
2	I Am Number Four	$19,500,000	$19.5
3	Gnomeo and Juliet	$19,400,000	$50.4
4	Just Go With It	$18,200,000	$60.7
5	Big Mommas 3	$17,000,000	$17
6	Justin Bieber	$13,600,000	$48.4
7	The King’s Speech	$6,560,000	$103.2
8	The Roommate	$4,100,000	$32.6
9	The Eagle	$3,560,000	$15
10	No Strings Attached	$3,120,000	$66

Weekend Box Office – Adam Sandler’s JUST GO WITH IT Slightly Ahead of JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 13th, 2011 at 9:58 am

Weekend box office reports rely on estimated numbers and, as of Sunday morning, the estimates are just too close to call a definitive winner.  The way it looks at the moment, Adam Sandler’s Just Go With It is slightly ahead of the Justin Bieber: Never Say Never: $31 million to $30.3 million.  The crowning of the number one film, therefore, may have to wait until official totals are released on Monday morning.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Just Go With It	$31,000,000	$31
2	Bieber: Never Say Never	$30,300,000	$30.3
3	Gnomeo & Juliet	$25,500,000	$25.5
4	The Eagle	$8,580,000	$8.5
5	The Roommate	$8,400,000	$26
6	The King’s Speech	$7,410,000	$93.8
7	No Strings Attached	$5,645,000	$59.8
8	Sanctum	$5,130,000	$17.5
9	True Grit	$3,770,000	$160.3
10	The Green Hornet	$3,600,000	$92.3

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

Top Film Scores of 2010

by Jeff Ames    Posted: December 30th, 2010 at 8:36 pm

Top 10 lists are a dime a dozen in the Hollywood circle, but while most writers are busy compiling their “Best of” in terms of films, directors and performances I’m always more curious to explore the less-appreciated categories – particularly Best Motion Picture Score. And so without further ado, here are my picks for the Best Scores of 2010. Hit the jump to see the list.

THE WOLFMAN Blu-ray Review

by Germain Lussier    Posted: June 10th, 2010 at 7:53 am

Much like a good set of fangs, The Wolfman is all about peaks and valleys. Its peaks are the gory and exciting action scenes. Its valleys are just about everything else. The Blu-ray, which features an unrated directors cut running an extra 16 minutes, does improve the film slightly but not enough to meet the public’s high expectations based on the legacy of the character. On the other hand, the extras are pretty entertaining including some awesome deleted scenes, in depth featurettes and two radically different alternate endings. Read more after the jump.

THE RITE Will Feature Anthony Hopkins vs. Demons

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 24th, 2010 at 11:42 pm

Despite mixed reaction towards The Wolfman, most viewers did take joy in the delightful menace of Anthony Hopkins’ performance.  I think he’s brilliant in The Remains of the Day and of course I like him in Silence of the Lambs (I can do without Hannibal and Red Dragon).  He’s got versatility but I want more fun performances from him. Heat Vision Blog says I’m going to get my wish because the knighted actor has signed on to star in Mikael Hafstrom’s The Rite.  Here’s HVB’s rundown of the premise and Hopkins’ role:

Adapted from a book by Matt Baglio and based on true events, the story centers on a disillusioned American seminary student who attends exorcism school at the Vatican and ultimately finds his faith through encounters with demonic forces.  Hopkins will play a priest who is an expert in exorcisms and whose methods are not necessarily traditional.

“Expert in exorcisms and whose methods are not necessarily traditional.”  I no longer care about any other role Hopkins is playing, including his role as Odin in Thor.  This sounds waaay more fun than ruling Asgard.

Weekend Box Office – SHUTTER ISLAND Grabs $40.2 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 21st, 2010 at 10:06 am

To no one’s surprise Shutter Island, director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest collaboration, claimed the number one spot on the domestic box office chart this weekend. What may have been a bit of a surprise, however, was just how well the thriller actually did.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Shutter Island	$40,200,000	$40.2
2	Valentine’s Day	$17,160,000	$87.4
3	Avatar	$16,100,000	$687.8
4	Percy Jackson	$15,300,000	$58.7
5	The Wolfman	$9,846,000	$50.3
6	Dear John	$7,300,000	$65.9
7	Tooth Fairy	$4,500,000	$49.8
8	Crazy Heart	$3,025,000	$21.5
9	From Paris w/Love	$2,500,000	$21.2
10	Edge of Darkness	$2,210,000	$40.3

Weekend Box Office – How Original! VALENTINE’S DAY Tops Valentine’s Day Weekend with $52.4 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 14th, 2010 at 10:18 am

It seems that every week of 2010 has brought us a new record-breaker at the box office. Last week the romantic drama Dear John became the top earner on a Super Bowl weekend. Only slightly more impressive was the month-long reign of Avatar during which the 3D titan took down nearly every all-time box office category Hollywood could throw at it.  This weekend saw yet another record fall. Valentine’s Day, director Garry Marshall’s star-packed romantic comedy, has already become the highest grossing film over President’s Day weekend – before Monday’s numbers have even been counted.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Valentine’s Day	$52,400,000	$52.4
2	Percy Jackson	$31,100,000	$31.1
3	The Wolfman	$30,600,000	$30.6
4	Avatar	$22,000,000	$659.6
5	Dear John	$15,300,000	$53.1
6	Tooth Fairy	$5,600,000	$41.5
7	From Paris w/Love	$4,740,000	$15.8
8	Edge of Darkness	$4,585,000	$36
9	Crazy Heart	$4,000,000	$16.5
10	When in Rome	$3,429,000	$26

Friday Box Office – VALENTINE’S DAY Leads New Releases with a $14.6 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 13th, 2010 at 9:42 am

It looks like moviegoers have finally exhausted their supply of Avatar-only interest. Yes, after a sleepy start to 2010 in which new titles were routinely overlooked in favor of Fox’s big, blue behemoth, this weekend’s three debuts have all gotten off to a profitable start; pushing Avatar down to fourth place for the first time since… ever. So far, Friday’s estimates put WB’s Valentine’s Day comfortably in front with $14.6 million – a record debut for a comedy on President’s Day weekend. Meanwhile, fellow newcomers Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and The Wolfman were nearly tied on Friday with an estimated $9.7 and $9.8 million, respectively. Expect Percy to pull out ahead by Saturday, however, as the younger generation descends on theatres during this extended four-day weekend.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Valentine’s Day	$14,600,000	$14.6
2	The Wolfman	$9,800,000	$9.8
3	Percy Jackson	$9,700,000	$9.7
4	Avatar	$4,500,000	$642.1
5	Dear John	$4,000,000	$41.8

Emily Blunt Video Interview; Talks THE WOLFMAN and GULLIVER’S TRAVELS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 12th, 2010 at 6:16 pm

I first took notice of Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada.  As Meryl Streep’s first assistant, Blunt was quite funny and a scene stealer.  Since then, she’s worked almost non-stop landing roles in such films as Dan in Real Life, Sunshine Cleaning, The Young Victoria, The Great Buck Howard, and many others.  She’s proven she can handle any role, and she has a number of big name projects still to come out like The Adjustment Bureau and Gulliver’s Travels.

But this weekend, Blunt is one of the leads in Universal’s The Wolfman, as she plays the fiancé of Benicio Del Toro’s brother.   To help promote the film, I recently got to speak with this great actress as a reporter for our partners at Omelete.  We talked about how she manages to do interviews all day (she tells me a great story), how she got involved in The Wolfman, working with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro, and she explained what Gulliver’s Travels is about and what people can expect from the film.  Hit the jump to hear what she had to say:

THE WOLFMAN Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 12th, 2010 at 12:58 am

The remake of The Wolfman isn’t so much a throwback to the classic horror icon as much as it turns the Universal movie monster into an action star.  For a movie that’s been sewn together from different directors, different cuts, and even different scores, The Wolfman manages to come out as a good film despite its scattered tone, limited characterization, and over-reliance on gore.  The Wolfman shouldn’t work as a movie but somehow it succeeds not only as a fun action flick, but as seductive eye candy with thoughtful subtext about sexual repression and an exploration of mercy killing as monstrous.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design