Category Archives: DVD Releases

The Hobbit Sets New December Opening Weekend Record

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Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey officially hit theaters this past weekend and has set a new December opening weekend record. The film surpassed the $77.2 million earned by Will Smith-starrer I Am Legend the same weekend in 2007. The Peter Jackson film debuted in 4,045 theaters in which it averaged a strong $20,958 per location.

The film received an A CinemaScore from moviegoers. 58% of the audience was over the ages of 25 and males made up 57% of the audience. $10.1 million of the domestic total came from the 326 IMAX theaters the film opened in this weekend. That’s an average of $31,000 per screen. Internationally, the picture broke an IMAX December record grossing $5 million in 126 IMAX locations (an average of $40,000). The IMAX locations which showed the film in 48 fps were quite strong, generating $44,000 per screen domestically and $57,000 per screen internationally. IMAX’s global weekend total for “The Hobbit” is an estimated $15+ million, which is a record for December.

Other films playing over the weekend also did very well. DreamWorks Animation’s Rise of the Guardians remained in second place with $7.4 million for a four-week total of $71.4 million. DreamWorks Pictures’ Lincoln climbed a spot to third with $7.2 million. The $65 million Steven Spielberg film has earned $107.9 million after six weeks in theaters.

Skyfall drastically dropped from first place to fourth. Worldwide, the film has earned $951 million to date.

Life of Pi sits at the fifth spot with $5.4 million its fourth weekend. The Twentieth Century Fox Film release has collected $69.6 million after four weeks.

Dylan McDermott Joins Stephen King Adaptation Mercy

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“American Horror Story” actor Dylan McDermott has announced that he has joined the cast of the upcoming Stephen King adaptation entitled, Mercy. McDermott is no stranger to the horror genre as he appeared in season one of FX’s “American Horror Story” and will appear in the season 2 as well.

Mercy is based on the short story, “Gramma” written by King in 1985 for the short story anthology “Skeleton Crew.” The short story was inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

The story was previously adapted for the small screen in an episode of “The New Twilight Zone” (written by Harlan Ellison), Mercy is the chilling tale, two young boys go with their single mother to visit their elderly, senile grandmother, whose name is Mercy. As events unravel; however; they learn that Gramma Mercy is a witch. Her powers are fueled by a pact with the Ancient Ones.

The Haunting in Connecticut’s Peter Cornwell will direct with Matt Greenberg providing the screenplay.

Jason Blum will produce via his Blumhouse Productions. That’s the same studio behind current hits, Paranormal Activity 4 and Sinister. Peter Cornwell of The Haunting in Connecticut will direct Mercy using a script from Matt Greenberg, whose previous work includes 1408.

Australian actress, Frances O’Connor is also attached to star. Chandler Riggs, most known for his role on AMC’s “The Walking Dead” has also been rumored to have signed on to play the main role of George Bruckner.

Reboot Adaptation Hires ScreenWriter

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Lindsay Devlin, previously a development executive, has been hired to adapt “Reboot,” Fox 2000’s adaptation of an upcoming YA novel penned by Amy Tintera.

Chernin Entertainment announced they would be producing the adaptation of the YA story that is set after the world becomes infected with a deadly virus and killer slave soldiers are created from dead teenagers. Two re-animated teens decide to band together to fight the organization responsible.

Following the lead of several other studios, Fox 2000 acquired the film rights for the novel before it had been published official. Fox 2000 picked up with film rights this past February. “Reboot” is due to be published by HarperTeen in May. The studio must have felt the project would fair well in a sea of YA supernatural/sci fi drama’s flooding the entertainment industry.

This will be the first studio job for Devlin who began as an assistant at CAA before moving on to development jobs at Kerner Entertainment Co. (The Smurfs) and other shingles. Her horror spec Nocturne shot her out of the corporate world, and she slowly building is a name for herself in the mostly male-dominated world of genre writing.

There is no word on a projected release date for the project, or who is expected to star in the YA drama.

Alice in Wonderland Sequel Planned By Disney

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Disney recently announced that they have begun planning a sequel to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. The film, which was released in 2010, starred Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. The 3D film went on to earn $1 billion worldwide and scored Oscars for art direction and costume design. Continue reading →

Zach Helm Writing the Jumanji Remake

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It was announced a few months ago that beloved film and children’s book, Jumanji, was getting a remake. Now, Heat Vision has reported that the project has hired a screenwriter.

Zach Helm, most know for his work on Stranger Than Fiction and Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, has been hired to write the script for the Columbia Pictures re-imagining.

Most will remember the 1995 film starring Robin Williams, though the story was originally a short story of the same name written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. The children’s book was released in 1981.

The plot followed two kids who play an old magic boardgame and release a man (Robin Williams) as well as many dangers that can be stopped only by finishing the game. The new film will likely tweak the premise and refashion the story for present day.

Jumanji initially grossed $263 million worldwide and the remake is expected to do extremely well.

Matt Tolmach and Bill Teitler are producing the reimagining of the story. Ted Field and Mike Weber are executive producing.

There is no word on who is attached to star in the project or a projected release date for the film.

Johnny Depp And Disney Planning A Don Quixote Adaptation

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Disney recently closed a deal on an new Don Quixote film pitch that was written by Steve Pink and Jeff Morris. The project will be produced by Infinitum Nihil’s Johnny Depp and Christi Dembrowski.

Rather than be another straight forward adaptation, the project is being described as being a modern re-imagining of Don Quixote. Depp has long been intrigued with that character, and at one time was attached to the Quixote film that Terry Gilliam has tried to make.

Don Quixote will be based off the novel “The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha,” written by Miguel de Cervantes. The novel follows the adventures of Alonso Quijano, an hidalgo who reads so many chivalric novels, that he decides to set out to revive chivalry under the name of Don Quixote. He recruits a simple farmer,Sancho Panza, as his squire, who frequently deals with Don Quixote’s rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood with a unique, earthy wit. He is met by the world as it is, initiating themes like intertextuality, realism,metatheatre and literary representation.

The original novel was published in two separate volumes that were a decade apart, in 1605 and 1615 respectively. Remaining one of the more loves and respected literary novels in the world, it regularly appears on “best” lists around the world, and on a 2002 list, Don Quixote was cited as the “best literary work ever written”.

At Disney, Infinitum Nihil just wrapped the Depp-starrer Disney The Lone Ranger. The company’s feature credits also include Hugo, Dark Shadows and The Rum Diary. UTA reps Pink, Morris and Infinitum Nihil, while Pink’s managed by Mosaic and Morris by Caliber Media.

New Photo From Ender’s Game Featuring Harrison Ford Released

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The Ender’s Game big screen adaptation is still months away from being released, but Entertainment Weekly has released a brand new photo from the project that features Harrison Ford as Colonel Gruff. The new adaptation comes from director Gavin Hood and stars Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis, Nonso Anozie, Stevie Ray Dillmore, Andrea Powell, Moises Arias, Conor Carroll, Aramis Knight, Brendan Meyer, Jimmy “Jax” Pinchak, Suraj Parthasarathy and Khylin Rhambo.

The Ender’s Game book series was written by Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story “Ender’s Game”, published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional books to form the Ender’s Game series. Card released an updated version of Ender’s Game in 1991, changing some political facts to accurately reflect the times.

Ender’s Game won the 1985 Nebula Award for best novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for best novel. Its sequels, Ender in Exile, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind, follow Ender’s subsequent travels to many different worlds in the galaxy. In addition, the later novella A War of Gifts and novel Ender’s Shadow take place during the same time period as the original.Ender’s Game has been adapted into two comic series.

The official plot summary of the novel and film is as follows:

In the near future, a hostile alien race (called the Formics) have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander, Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young children to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy, but strategically brilliant boy is pulled out of his school to join the elite.

Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult war games, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military’s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he’s trained by Mazer Rackham, himself, to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.

Ender’s Game is expected to hit theaters November 1st, 2013.

First Photos From Spook’s Apprentice Adaptation Seventh Son

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USA Today recently released the first two photos from the upcoming project from Warner Bros. Pictures,’ Seventh Son. The adaptation features Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Kit Harrington, Olivia Williams, and Julianne Moore.

The script came from Matt Greenberg and Chuck Leavitt is adapted from the first of Joseph Delaney’s book series, “The Wardstone Chronicles” called The Spook’s Apprentice; for Americans it’s titled The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch.

Seventh Son has the official description below:

In a time long past, an evil is about to be unleashed that will reignite the war between the forces of the supernatural and humankind once more. Master Gregory (Jeff Bridges) is a knight who had imprisoned the malevolently powerful witch, Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), centuries ago. But now she has escaped and is seeking vengeance. Summoning her followers of every incarnation, Mother Malkin is preparing to unleash her terrible wrath on an unsuspecting world. Only one thing stands in her way: Master Gregory.

In a deadly reunion, Gregory comes face to face with the evil he always feared would someday return. Now he has only until the next full moon to do what usually takes years: train his new apprentice, Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) to fight a dark magic unlike any other. Man’s only hope lies in the seventh son of a seventh son.

The Sergei Bodrov-directed film hits 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D theaters on October 18, 2013 and also stars Alicia Vikander, Antje Traue, Olivia Williams and Kit Harington.

You can see the new photos below:

Lionsgate Attempts to Acquire Film Rights To ‘Wonder’

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Lionsgate announced that they have entered final negotiations to aquire the film rights to R.J. Palacio’s bestselling debut novel “Wonder” and has entered talks with “Frankenweenie” scribe John August to adapt the pre-teen tale, which David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing for Mandeville Films.

Wonder follows a 10-year-old boy named Auggie whose facial deformity prevented him from attending a mainstream school. Starting fifth grade at a new school, he struggles to convince his new classmates that, despite appearances, he’s just like them. Story explores the theme of bullying and is told from multiple points of view.

The novel has done extremely well since it’s release. It has sold more than 15,000 copies worldwide between print and ebooks and spent 32 weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller list since its publication in February. It has been long-listed for the Carnegie Medal and the UKLA Book Award, two of the most prestigious and well-known children’s book awards in the U.K.

Lionsgate is currently working on several other major adaptation such as the adaptation of Patrick Ness’ dystopian sci-fi tale “Chaos Walking” and the last two “Hunger Games” pics based on Suzanne Collins’ “Mockingjay.”

Mandelville also has a few high profile adaptation readying for release such as developing “Swiss Family Robinson” and “Jungle Cruise” for Disney and Summit’s zombie romancer “Warm Bodies” and Relativity Media’s comedy “21 and Over.”

August previously worked with Tim Burton on writing “Big Fish,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Corpse Bride” and “Frankenweenie. He also aided in the adaptation of “Dark Shadows,” to film. He recently adapted the Monsterpocalypse strategy game for a DreamWorks film and Garth Ennis’ comicbook “Preacher” for Sony.

While the deal has yet to be closed, it appears to be lining up to be final in the next few weeks.

You can watch the book trailer below:

Motion Poster For Catching Fire Revealed

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Lionsgate is already promoting the highly anticipated next film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which releases in theaters and IMAX on November 22, 2013. The studio has begun the promotions by releasing a brand new motion poster that can be seen above.

Catching Fire is directed by Francis Lawrence and sees the return of main cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland. However, with a new set of games comes a new set of tributes and actors. New cast additions include Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amanda Plummer, Lynn Cohen, Patrick St. Esprit, Meta Golding, Bruno Gunn, Alan Ritchson, E. Roger Mitchell, Maria Howell, Stephanie Leigh Schlund, Sam Claflin and Jeffrey Wright.

Beginning where the first film and novel left off, Catching Fire shows the aftermath of Katniss and Peeta returning from the 74th Hunger Games both as victors. Embarking on a Victor’s Tour, Katniss and Peeta realize the implications of their actions while civil unrest grows throughout Panem. Soon the 75th Hunger Games, Quarter Quell edition, are being prepared and its revealed that there is a special twist that will change Panem forever.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released November 22, 2013.