And the bad news for new releases just keeps coming. Despite placing first on Friday, the Universal comedy Tower Heist could not pull off a weekend win. The all-star ensemble took in just $25.1 million from 3,367 locations or ten million less than it was expected to command. The culprit? Looks like audiences who kept Puss In Boots at the low end of its own projections last weekend came out in force for round two: giving the Dreamworks Animation release an impressive 97% hold and a second week at number one.

Due Date is a road trip movie mixed with The Odd Couple.  Using the classic comedy device of throwing two people together, whose personalities are so different, it’s a miracle they don’t kill each other, and then letting the chaos ensue.  Directed by Todd Phillips, made legendary in the comedy world after hits like Old School and The Hangover, this film has a ton of laugh-out-loud moments and good pacing, but character likeability is an issue that comes dangerously close to distracting from the funny. More after the jump:

After narrowly beating Megamind for first place on Friday, Unstoppable lost some momentum as it rolled through the weekend. The thriller placed second with an estimated $23.5 million while Dreamworks’ 3D animated Megamind enjoyed a second week at number one and a new estimated domestic gross of nearly $90 million.

While I like to post interviews before a film gets released, every once in awhile I’ll wait until after opening weekend before posting. It usually has to do with spoilers.  If an interview covers some of the big plot points or surprises, I don’t think it’s cool to run it early.  So we don’t.

Which brings us to my interview with Due Date director Todd Phillips.

Since the interview covered a few of the plot points, I decided to wait until after opening day.  But now that Due Date has opened…it’s time for my extended video interview with Phillips. Hit the jump for more:

Hollywood finally got some box office results worth celebrating as all three of this weekend’s major new releases performed at or above industry projections. The combined grosses of Megamind, Due Date and For Colored Girls made this the most lucrative early November frame since 2003 and promises studios glad tidings for the 2010 holiday season to come.

Despite big debuts like Jackass 3D and Paranormal Activity 2, this year’s crop of recent box-office releases have fallen well-below 2009 numbers week after week.  But if Friday’s numbers are any indication, this week’s three high-profile newcomers could finally break that cycle (only a bit less impressive when you know that, on this weekend in 2009, the top film was Disney’s creepy redux of A Christmas Carol). First this Friday was Megamind. The comedy pulled in an estimated $12.5 million from its 3,944 locations – but with a record 2,634 3D sites, the weekend grosses should top the $43.7 million of How To Train Your Dragon. Only a bit behind Megamind in second place was Todd Phillips’ Due Date with an estimate of $12 million. Weekend projections give the comedy $35 million despite its R-rating and stiff family-friendly competition. Finally, Tyler Perry brought in an estimated $7.4 million on Friday with his drama For Colored Girls. Despite the fact that film does not feature the director in drag, weekend projections put his latest release in the neighborhood of $20 million – the very same neighborhood that Perry has grown accustomed to over the past few years. We’ll have full weekend details when you check back tomorrow.

With director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) Due Date opening this weekend, Warner Bros. recently held a press conference with the cast here in Los Angeles.  While some press conferences are boring and a waste of everyone’s time, I’m happy to report this one is actually worth checking out.  The reason?  Robert Downey Jr.. Unlike some actors that watch every word they say, Downey Jr. always says what’s on his mind and it’s so refreshing in a town filled of political correctness.  On top of that, he’s always on his game when he does press.

In addition, like the movie Due Date, the back and forth between Galifianakis and Downey Jr. during the press conference was very funny and they elevated what could be a boring press event into something worth checking out.  During the event, Downey Jr., Galifianakis, director Todd Phillips and Michelle Monaghan talked about making the movie, who is likely to start laughing first during filming, future projects, and a lot more.  Trust me, it’s worth your time. Hit the jump to check it out:

Warner Bros. has released a “restricted clip” (it’s really just a red-band trailer) for Todd Phillips’ new comedy Due Date.  The film stars Robert Downey Jr. as an expectant father whose trying to get across the country for the birth of his child. However, unfortunate circumstances force him to make that trip with an irritating companion played by Zach Galifianakis.

I saw the film last night and it’s funny.  However, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had seen less from the movie.  This new restricted trailer spoils even more of the jokes and I think you should ignore it.  However, if you’re just really hard-up for Due Date footage, then hit the jump.  The film opens this Friday.

With director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) Due Date opening on November 5th, we’ve been given some Due Date movie related swag to giveaway to some lucky Collider readers.  Like our previous giveaways, we’ve got pictures of what you can win and how to enter after the jump.

But before getting to that…I saw a screening of Due Date and am happy to report it’s a winner.  The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis is fantastic and there are a few scenes that absolutely shocked me (in a good way!).  Definitely worth checking out next weekend.  Hit the jump for the giveaway.

During today’s press conference for Due Date, Robert Downey Jr. was asked about Iron Man 3 going to Disney from Paramount, how has Sherlock Holmes 2 been going, and I asked him if he’ll star in Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity.  While I’d love to say we have huge answers to these questions, Downey Jr. was rather brief and to the point on all three.  Hit the jump for what he said:

Earlier today Warner Bros. held a press conference for their new comedy Due Date here in Los Angeles.  In attendance were Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, the screenwriters, and director Todd Phillips.  While I’ll have the entire press conference online in the near future, since Phillips gave updates on the status of his John Belushi project (our previous coverage is here) and what exactly happened with the Mel Gibson/Liam Neeson cameo in The Hangover 2, I wanted to offer those quotes today.  Hit the jump for what he said:

The Harry Potter franchise is nearing the end of its tremendously successful run at Warner Brothers as the kickoff to the finale begins with the first of the two-part conclusion to the final chapter of the series this November. To date, the franchise has brought in over $5.4 billion in worldwide box office gross, which easily cements its place as the biggest film franchise in overall gross, and we still have two films left. So it’s clear that WB cannot sit around and wait until the guaranteed bread winner is gone; they have to take action, and they aim to begin planning ahead by getting DC Comics more involved. Join me after the break for full quotes from CEO Barry Meyer on the future of WB and why I think they aren’t in a terrible position.

Along with a new trailer, Warner Bros. has released five new posters for Todd Phillips’ Due Date, which stars Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.  It looks like the studio is doing a bit of recycling as these posters use the “close-up and quote” design of the posters for Phillips’ last film, The Hangover.  We’ll know if the studio has another Hangover-sized hit when the Due Date opens on November 5th.  Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for the Todd Phillips comedy Due Date starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.  It’s not bad a trailer and there are some good laughs.  However, I’m hoping that we’ll get at least one red-band trailer for the film because I think that’s the best opportunity to get a good sense of the humor.  As it stands, you have ashes in coffee cans, spitting on dogs, and all of that is fine, but I’m wondering how Due Date is going to measure up to Phillips last film, The Hangover.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Due Date opens November 5th.

Zach Galifianakis’ star is on the rise, and every glimpse I get at Todd Phillips’ upcoming comedy Due Date seems to reinforce that reality. Teaming the bearded child with Robert Downey Jr., was a great move, and the new international trailer that hit today showcases more of the craziness that we can all look forward to this fall. While the new trailer recycles a lot of footage seen in the original, this one starts off with a bang. The first 40 seconds showcases new footage so hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Due Date opens November 5th.