Over the past few days, we’ve been sharing a number of updates from Neal Moritz that were gleaned in Steve’s recent lengthy interview with the producer.  Moritz talked extensively about Fast & Furious 6, 7, and the future of the franchise, he provided revealing updates on the 21 Jump Street sequel, he talked quite a bit about the upcoming supernatural actioner R.I.P.D., and he also provided a promising update on director Shane Black’s developing Doc Savage movie.

While we’ll be providing the full interview here on Collider soon, we wanted to share one last batch of updates on a number of projects.  Hit the jump for news concerning the Battle: Los Angeles sequel, the graphic novel adaptations of Preacher and The Boys, and director D.J. Caruso’s disaster film Invertigo.

Opening next weekend is director Jonathan Liebesman’s (Battle: Los Angeles) Wrath of the Titans.  In the sequel to Clash of the Titans, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is tasked with stopping the titans and saving Zeus (Liam Neeson) from Hades’ stranglehold (Ralph Fiennes). The film also stars Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell and Danny Huston.  And for those wondering how the sequel turned out, Wrath of the Titans is what I hoped Clash of the Titans would be.  It’s got a solid story, incredible effects, and the 3D is really well done.  I’ve seen it twice (including IMAX 3D) and it’s definitely recommended.

During my interview with Liebesman, we talked about what was the most complicated special effect, the difference between sunlight and darkness for making effects look real, whether he felt added pressure with the 3D conversion after the negative reaction to the 3D in Clash of the Titans, and what’s his favorite director, actor and movie.  In addition, I also got an update on the Battle Los Angeles Sequel.  Hit the jump for more.

The wait is over. John Carter has arrived.  After years of speculation, we finally know how Disney’s BIG budget adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic is faring with audiences.  Long story short?  Not too well.  From 3,749 locations, John Carter earned an estimated $9.8 million on Friday – narrowly edging out The Lorax for first place. Trouble is, last weekend’s animated hit is expected to surge ahead on Saturday, all but guaranteeing John Carter an underwhelming second-place debut of around $28 million. That would be less than the $35.5 million of last year’s Battle: Los Angeles, a film that was considered a modest hit thanks to its $70 million price tag.  As you probably know, John Carter cost over three times that amount; which means it has a LONG way to go before it can escape the “flop” fate. Just in case anyone cares, two additional films saw releases this weekend, though only Open Road’s Silent House did well enough to make Friday’s top five.  In sixth place, Paramount’s A Thousand Words earned an estimated $1.9 million from 2,124 venues for what should be a weekend total in the $6 million range.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

As the 84th Academy Awards move closer, we’re starting to get a better sense of how things will pan out. We recently shared the 39 songs that will contend for the Best Original Song category, and now the Academy has announced the 97 original scores eligible for the Best Original Score award. AMPAS is notoriously picky when it comes to eligibility in this category, and as we feared the scores for both Drive and Attack the Block have been deemed ineligible. Also disappointing is the ineligibility of Alexandre Desplat’s mesmerizing score for The Tree of Life.

While it’s upsetting to see some of the year’s best work side-lined, there’s plenty to be happy about. I was a huge fan of Howard Shore’s work in Hugo and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well as The Chemical Brothers’ brilliant work in the criminally underseen Hanna. Hit the jump for the full list, as well as who I think will make the cut.

At the moment the estimates for the weekend’s two top films are dead even: a box office rarity.  Both Cowboys and Aliens and The Smurfs are claiming estimates of $36.2 million – a figure that is slightly embarrassing for one film and a near miracle for the other.

After months of buildup, Super 8 took top honors this weekend with an estimated $37 million from 3,379 locations.  That figure is significantly higher than the film had been tracking just five days ago.  Is it higher than the studio was hoping for five months ago?  Not exactly.

After pulling ahead of the pack on the traffic jam that was this Friday’s box office, Relativity’s Limitless stayed on top with an estimated $19 million from its 2,756 locations.  Fellow newcomers Paul and The Lincoln Lawyer had more modest starts, making this one more in 2011’s long line of down weekends.

The weekend played out pretty much as expected after Friday’s estimates, except for one factor (and I know this is a shocker): final weekend tallies ended up on the low end of projections across the board.  We are still dealing with box office totals that are down over 10% from 2010 but, compared to the 45% we were down last weekend, that’s progress!

The 2011 box office isn’t out of its slump quite yet, but at least it’s starting to make an effort.  On Friday Sony’s PG-13 Battle: Los Angeles debuted to an estimated $13.5 million from 3,417 locations.  That puts the alien invasion pic on track for a weekend above $35 million – right about where Rango finished last Sunday.  The latter lizard landed in third this Friday but could leap back to second when weekend numbers are released.  Warner Brothers’ Red Riding Hood claimed the second spot but will have to do much better than its $5.7 million debut to reach the high teens many were predicting for the film’s weekend.  Finally, Disney has a real problem with Mars Needs Moms.  The last of the creepy toons to come out of Robert Zemeckis’ IMD brand, the $150 million Moms made just $1.7 million on Friday and will be lucky to see $10 million by Sunday.  Full details and analysis tomorrow.

In the sci-fi action thriller Battle: Los Angeles, actress Michelle Rodriguez plays Air Force Tech Sergeant Elena Santos, one of the first on the scene to track the aliens that are trying to obliterate the world’s human population. Even though she has to earn the respect of the Marine platoon that she comes across on the battlefield, she quickly becomes a key ally for Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart) because she has studied the aliens to figure out what makes them tick and discover how to destroy them.

At the film’s press day, Michelle Rodriguez talked about getting to be the brains of the group, having her co-stars see her as one of the guys, doing almost all of her own stunts, and how she prefers to run toward what she’s scared of and not away from it. She also talked about her desire to branch out into comedy and how she’s writing her own script that she says has a Pulp Fiction vibe. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

In the sci-fi action-thriller Battle: Los Angeles, the possibility of UFOs landing on Earth becomes a terrifying reality when the world is attacked by unknown forces. When Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind, a battle arises between the aliens and a platoon of Marines, led by Second Lieutenant William Martinez (Ramon Rodriguez) and with veteran Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart), who was on the brink of retirement before being called back into service. This group quickly becomes a family, as they take on an enemy unlike anything they’ve ever encountered before and search for a way to defend their lives and their loved ones.

At the film’s press day, actor Aaron Eckhart talked about his desire to do a war movie, breaking his arm during a stunt, how he’s had his own UFO experience, and how he enjoyed playing the hero. He also talked about how much he enjoyed working with Johnny Depp on The Rum Diary. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

The Marines used to run commercials that would show a young man taking a sword and battling a fire-breathing dragon.  I was always left wondering if anyone ever saw one of those ads, thought “I need to get in on that dragon-fighting action” and were left sorely disappointed when they discovered that the job was short on dragon-slaying, but long on getting shot at.

That recruitment ad has now been expanded to a feature length film with Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles.  While it’s slightly more realistic than sword-fighting a dragon, a platoon of marines taking on space aliens isn’t really what the actual job entails.  On a technical level, the film is a dazzling special effects punch of sight and sound that will keep you pinned to your seat and rooting for a small band of soldiers to complete their mission.  But there’s nothing thoughtful underneath and the hollowness of the undertaking that may support our troops, but doesn’t provide them with the honesty they deserve.

With Battle: Los Angeles opening tomorrow, I got to speak with director Jonathan Liebesman at the Los Angeles press junket.  Since we’ve been covering the film since it’s inception, you all know the film tells the story of an alien invasion as seen through the eyes of a Marine platoon headed up by Aaron Eckhart.  The film also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Pena and Ramon Rodriguez.  You can watch some clips and read the full synopsis here.

Anyway, all week we’ve been posting video interviews with the cast and now it’s time for the director.  During the interview, Liebesman talked about how he did some of the special effects himself (they look great), the challenges of making the film, casting, test screenings, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch:

This weekend, audiences will have a choice among a diverse group of headliners: the sci-fi invasion epic Battle: Los Angeles, the animated alien abduction flick Mars Needs Moms, and, if you prefer werewolves over extraterrestrials, Red Riding Hood will be playing in your neck of the woods. Hit the jump to check out our coverage (including trailers and synopses) on these headliners as well as the limited releases 3 Backyards, Black Death, Certified Copy, Elektra Luxx, Jane Eyre, and Kill the Irishman.

With director Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles opening this weekend, I got to speak with most of the cast at the Los Angeles press junket.  As most of you know, the film tells the story of an alien invasion as seen through the eyes of a Marine platoon headed up by Aaron Eckhart.  The film also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Pena and Ramon Rodriguez.  You can watch some clips and read the full synopsis here.

Anyway, every day this week I’ve been posting a different interview and today I’ve got Michelle Rodriguez.  During the interview we talked about the boot camp, making the film, how did the film compare to what she thought it would be when she signed on, does she ever want to direct, and karaoke.  Hit the jump to watch: