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September 1st, 2008

Top 10 Genre Movies: Babylon A.D. towers over genre competition

Despite poor reviews, dystopian newcomer Babylon A.D. topped the genre Labor Day holiday weekend box office with just under $10 million in ticket sales. It was second overall, behind only the comedy blockbuster Tropic Thunder.

Lat week’s No. 1 – Death Race – fell to the No. 3 spot among genre films (No. 6 overall) with about $6.3 million in ticket sales.

The No. 2 genre spot was held by Batman flick, The Dark Knight, which passed the half-billion mark in North American sales this past weekend. Racking up $8.6 million in ticket sales for a grand total of $502.3 million in domestic sales, added to the $417 million foreign takem the film reached a total gross of $921.7 million worldwide.

Needless to say, there will be more Batman films in future years.

No genre films are set to debut over the next two weeks.

 

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the 2008 Labor Day weekend.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

  1. (2) Babylon A.D. – $9.6 million | $9.6 million [$70 million]
  2. (3) The Dark Knight – $8.6 million | $502.3 million [$185 million]
  3. (6) Death Race – $6.3 million | $23.1 million [$45 million]
  4. (11) Mirrors – $2.74 million | $24.8 million [unreported budget]
  5. (12) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $2.70 million | $29.6 million [unreported budget]
  6. (13) The Mummy: Dragon Emperor – $2.6 million | $97.9 million [$145 million]
  7. (15) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $1.8 million | $94.6 million [$60 million]
  8. (18) Fly Me to the Moon – $1.5 million | $6.3 million [$25 million]
  9. (21) Wall-E – $1.1 million } $217.9 million [$180 million]
  10. (29) Hellboy 2 – $0.2 million | $75.4 million [$85 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

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August 25th, 2008

Top 10 Genre Movies: Death Race finishes first

Fans of action, dark science fiction and racing lined up this past weekend to ensure Death Race crosses the finish line in first place for genre movies.

With a total take of just over $12.6 million in 2,532 theatres, the film was No. 3 overall, bested by comedies, Tropic Thunder and The House Bunny. 

Race also  knocked mega-blockbuster Dark Knight to second place among genre films.

The only other sci fi flick to debut this weekend was Cthulhu, a gay-themed independent horror film from Regent Releasing starring Tori Spelling. In limited release, the film brought in $1,438 in one theatre. (That may seem rather dismal, but compare it to the No. 5 film of the week, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which made $1,640 per theatre.

Debuting next week in genre is the Vin Diesel science fiction thriller, Babylon A.D. which will be in wide release in 3,200 theatres in North America.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 22-24, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

  1. (3) Death Race – $12.6 million | $12.6 million [$45 million]
  2. (4) The Dark Knight – $10.5 million | $489.4 million [$185 million]
  3. (5) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $5.7 million | $25.0 million [budget unreported]
  4. (7) Mirrors – $5.0 million | $20.2 million [budget unreported]
  5. (9) The Mummy: Dragon Emperor -$4.2 million | $93.9 million [$145 million]
  6. (15) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $2.2 million | $91.9 million [$60 million]
  7. (16) Fly Me to the Moon – $1.4 million | $4.2 million [$25 million]
  8. (17) WALL-E – $0.97 million | $216.3 million [$180 million]
  9. (19) Hancock – $0.64 million | $226.4 million [$150 million]
  10. (20) Kung Fu Panda – $0.58 million | $212.7 million [$130 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

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August 17th, 2008

Top 10 Genre Movies: Dark Knight dethroned by Ben Stiller

After more than a month as the top-grossing film in theatres, The Dark Knight was knocked aside as box office king this past weekend by Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, a non-genre comedy.

Still, out of Genre films, the latest Batman installment reigned supreme, finishing second overall with a weekend take of just under $17 million, bringing the film’s North American haul to $471.5 million ($735 million worldwide).

Weekend sales pushed Dark Knight to the No. 2 all-time box office champion, passing the original Star Wars: Episode 4′ s gross of $461 million (including sales from Star Wars‘ recent re-releases).

Speaking of Star Wars. the animated film, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, also made history this weekend. It is the first Star Wars film not to debut as No. 1 in box office sales with $15.5 million in tickets sold. The other animated kiddie flick debuting this weekend, the 3-D Fly Me to the Moon sold $2 million in tickets.

Gore horror flick, Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland bowed in with more than $11 million in ticket sales despite negative reviews from critics. 

Rounding out new genre releases is the religious-themed Luke Wilson film, Henry Poole is Here, which opened in limited release and sold $800 thousand in tickets over the weekend.

Movies dropping out of the Genre Top 10: Hellboy 2, Wanted, Get Smart and The X-FIles 2.

Genre films set to debut next week: The Tom Cruise-produced Death Race, a re-imagining of the 1970s drive-in campy grind house classic, Death Race 2000. starring Jason Statham and Joan Allen.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 15-17, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

  1. (2) The Dark Knight – $16.8 million | $471.5 million [$185 million]
  2. (3) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $15.5 million | $15.5 million [unknown budget]
  3. (4) Mirrors – $11.1 million | $11.1 million [unknown budget]
  4. (6) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $8.6 million | $86.6 million [$145 million]
  5. (11) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $3.5 million | $88.1 million [$60 million]
  6. (12) Fly Me to the Moon – $2.0 million } $2.0 million [$25 million]
  7. (13) WALL-E – $1.84 million | $214.1 million [$180 million]
  8. (14) Hancock – $1.80 million | $225 million [$150 million]
  9. (16) Space Chimps – $0.82 million | $27.6 million [$37 million]
  10. (17) Henry Poole is Here – $0.80 million | $0.80 million [unknown budget]

 

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

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August 15th, 2008

Review of Reviews: ‘Mirrors’ made for gore fans

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From the director of The Hills Have Eyes. Kiefer Sutherland stars as an ex-cop turned night security guard at a long-closed department store ravaged by fire, discovers that the store’s mirrors harbor a horrific secret that threatens him and his family.

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OPENS: August 15, 2008
RATED: R (Bloody violence, Gore, Blood, Burn wounds)
GENRE: Demons, Horror, Thriller, Asian Horror Remake

Based on the 2003 Korean horror flick, Into the Mirror, the American version, named Mirrors and starring Keifer Sutherland is a pill-popping, booze-swilling supernatural gore fest of the highest caliber. Fans of supernatural gore and slasher films will love this film, according to critics. Others? Not so much.

The 20th Century Fox film studio, in a sure-tell sign that it does not have faith in this movie, did not pre-screen it for critics. This usually means the studio thinks the film is a stinker and doesn’t want critical word-of-mouth to keep folks away from the theatres.

Among the biggest complaints by critics is that Mirrors relies more on shockingly bloody footage rather than suspenseful writing to create fear in the audience. There are scenes of bloody violence, bloody self mutilation and bloody death.

On the positive side. Other critics say this is exactly the type of film that fans of the Hellraiser and early Freddie Kruger movies have been craving – for a bloody good time.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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  • Gore fans get their 2008 summer big budget movie

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  • Bloody violence may be a big turn off for non-gore fans
  • Not very scary for a horror film

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{for="New York TImes" value="4"}

"Offers several cringe-worthy set pieces and a sneakily nasty ending." – Jeanette Catsoulis

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{for=”Boston Globe” value=”3″}

“The money scene in Mirrors – the one the gore morons will lap up while the rest of us cringe in appalled disbelief – involves the hero’s sister ripping her own jaw off until it flops obscenely beneath her face, spurting blood everywhere. But wait, there’s more!” – Ty Burr

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{for=”Orlando Sentinel” value=”3″}

“It’s not laughably bad. It’s just not scary, a generally pointless thriller with motiveless murders at its heart and a most unsatisfactory resolution.” – Roger Moore

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{for=”Chicago Sun-TImes” value=”3″}

“By the time the mirrors go after the watchman’s young family in the overwrought climax, the movie has gone from being harmlessly silly to inexcusably sadistic.” – Josh Larsen

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{for=”Buffalo News” value=”7″}

“It’s a hellish version of the British comedy “Are You Being Served?” set ravaged by fire and neglect, complete with charred mannequins but pristine mirrors.” – Joseph Popiolkowski

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{for=”IGN” value=”5″}

“Mirrors offers nothing new, but that’s not why it can’t be recommended since not every horror film can or should be expected to cover new ground. ” – Jim Vejvoda

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August 11th, 2008

Top 10 Genre Movies: 30 days of Dark Knight – a month at No. 1

The Dark Knight extended its reign to a month atop the weekend box office this past week. It brought in more than $26 million in ticket sales in its fourth weekend. Its grand total domestic take of $441.5 million has the film as the No. 3 all-time money maker in Hollywood and it should pass Star Wars to be come No. 2 by the end of August.

No new sci fi flicks debuted this past weekend. But in the upcoming weekend three new genre films are set to debut: the horror film, Mirrors, the animated space opera, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and the animated children’s science fantasy, Fly Me to the Moon.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 8-10, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

  1. (1) The Dark Knight – $26.0 million | $441.5 million [$185 million]
  2. (3) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $16.1 million | $70.7 million [$145 million]
  3. (7) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $4.9 million | $81.8 million [$60 million]
  4. (8) Hancock – $3.3 million | $221.7 million [$150 million]
  5. (10) WALL-E – $3.0 million | $210.1 million [$180 million]
  6. (11) Space Chimps – $1.7 million | $25.4 million [$37 million]
  7. (12) Hellboy 2 – $1.3 million | $73.5 million [$85 million]
  8. (13) The X-Files: I Want to Believe – $1.2 million | 19.6 million [$30 million]
  9. (15) Wanted – $0.7 million | $132.6 million [$75 million]
  10. (16) Get Smart – $0.5 million | $127.4 million [$80 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

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August 3rd, 2008

Top 10 Genre Movies: Dark Knight 3-peats atop box office

The modern – and moody – spy fi re-telling comic book adaptation of Batman, The Dark Knight fought  off hordes of mummies to continued its reign as the box office weekend royalty this past weekend.

Dark Knight  brought in just under $44 million in ticket sales in its third weekend – besting horror comedy newcomer, The Mummy:Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, starring Brendan Fraser. Mummy brought in $42.5 million in its first weekend and debuted in the No. 2 spot.

Last week’s debut genre title, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, landed at No. 6 on the Genre Top 10 list (No. 9 overall.) with $3.4 million in ticket sales.

To make room for Mummy animated fantasy comedy Kung Fu Panda dropped out of the genre Top 10 after being a mainstay for the past 8 weeks. So far in its run, Panda brought in more than $210 million in North American sales alone on a $130 million budget; almost ensuring that a sequel will be made.

No genre films are set to debut next week, so this list is expected to largely be unchanged for the second weekend of August.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of August 1 -3, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

  1. (1) The Dark Knight – $43.8 million | $394.9 million [$185 million]
  2. (2) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $42.5 million | $2.5 million ($145 million)
  3. (5) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $6.9 million } $73.1 million ($60 million)
  4. (7) Hancock – $5.2 million | $216 million ($150 million)
  5. (8) WALL-E – $4.7 million | $204 million ($180 million)
  6. (9) The X-Files: I Want to Believe – $3.4 million | $17 million ($30 million)
  7. (10) Space Chimps – $2.8 million | $22 million ($37 million)
  8. (11) Hellboy II: The Golden Army – $2.5 million | $71.3 million ($85 million)
  9. (12) Wanted – $1.3 million | $131 million ($75 million)
  10. (14) Get Smart – $1.2 million | $127 million ($80 million)

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

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August 2nd, 2008

Review of Reviews: The Mummy 3 critics all over the map

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Brendan Fraser is back, reprising his role in The Mummy franchise in the new film, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

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OPENS: August 1, 2008
RATING: PG-13 (Violence)
GENRES: Horror Comedy, Action-Adventure, Fantasy

The heroes of The Mummy franchise returns — well not all of them, Rachel Weiss decided to forego this film, replaced by Maria Bello.

Film reviews are mixed. Many film critics hated The Mummy 3, citing that the film is dumb, violent and doesn’t take tell the audience a new story..

Other critics loved the film for those same reasons. Film Critic Roger Ebert says audiences comprised of fans fo this series will not be disappointed.

Sometimes people want mindless escapist adventure wit great special effects. Here, the film delivers.

Other critics say audiences should follow the example of the lead actress of the first two Mummy films – and skip this one as unneeded and unwatchable.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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  • Great special effects
  • Film made for fans of the series

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  • Not much original; the plot is similar to the first film
  • Fraser is only 13 years older than the actor who plays his son, making the father/son dynamic awkward
  • Barrage of violence too scary for very small children. Adolescent boys, on the other hand, will love it.

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"A poor third installment to the Mummy series." – Ken Denmead

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{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”3″}

“One Wow cancels out the last Wow, until the Wows start looking more like lowercase wows and soon the wows become merely eh, or worse, a string of low-grade, minimally inventive aggravations that fail even to hit the level of eh. They’re more like bleh.” – Michael Phillips

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{for=”Christian Science Monitor” value=”3″}

“This third “Mummy” movie takes us on a guided tour of the catacombs of ancient China and the peaks of the Himalayas, with a pit stop in postwar Shanghai. Anyone looking for a terrific summer popcorn movie should not hop on board.” – Peter Rainer

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{for=”San Jose Mercury News” value=”7″}

“Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is as stupid as it gets, with spear-carrying undead soldiers fighting men with 1946-era guns, yetis coming to the aid of humans and the phoniest-looking movie snow of all time. There’s also a trumped-up father-son schism that Rick and Luke must overcome.” – Betsy Pickle

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{for=”San Francisco Chronicle” value=”2″}

“The new installment, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, fails despite being given the best possible chance of success.” – Mick LaSalle

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{for=”Chicago Sun-Times” value=”8″}

“Now why did I like this movie? It was just plain dumb fun, is why. It is absurd and preposterous, and proud of it. ” – Roger Ebert

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{for=”Chicago Sun-Times” value=”6″}

“The film has its flaws: There’s plenty of lame dialogue, including a stomach-turning exchange in which archaeological terms such as “excavation” are applied to sexually desirable women. And the talents of two exceptional Chinese actors and martial artists, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, go underappreciated.” – Christy De Smith

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July 31st, 2008

Review of Reviews: Midnight Meat Train a good fright

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A short story form Clive Barker's classic short story collection Books of Blood, the new film The Midnight Meat Train follows photographer Leon Kauffman (Cooper), who is working on his latest collection – documenting the late night life’s loneliness in the normally bustling New York City … until his camera catches evidence of the deadly side of the city’s subway system. Last stop: an abyss of pure evil.

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OPENS: August 1, 2008 (Limited Release)
RATING: R (Gore, Nudity, Sexual Content)
GENRE: Horror; Supernatural Dark Fantasy; Gore

In the making of Midnight Meat Train, writer Clive Barker and director Ryuhei Kitamura set out to make the a film better than Candyman and scarier than Hellraiser.

According to horror critics, both goals were met.

The story is from Clive Barker’s seminal Books of Blood collection. Barker admits that the off-kilter title came to him after he ate a batch of marijuana brownies a couple decades ago.

Originally set to debut during the early summer blockbuster season, instead LionsGate decided on a limited release for the film before shipping it out on DVDs.

Of the positive reviews, director Kitamura’s English language debut is getting kudos for his stylish scenes and camerawork and his ability to maintain the sense of creepy dread that filled the original short story.

Also getting good reviews are actors Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones and Brooke Shields.

WATCH THE TRAILER

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  • Called the best Barker film adaptation, ever
  • Top-notch cast and direction

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  • Only in Limited Release
  • Graphic scenes of violence, blood and gore will be too disturbing for most except die-hard horror fans.

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{for="Fort Worth Business Press" value="8"}

“The Midnight Meat Train, adapted by screenwriter Jeff Buhler from a Books of Blood yarn, turns out to be one hellacious ride — forging deliberately into an abyss that, though naturally of the make-believe variety, nonetheless packs a lingering chill of unease.” – Michael H. Price

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{for=”Cinematical” value=”8″}

“Easily the best Clive Barker adaptation since the first Hellraiser film.” – Scott Weinberg

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{for=”JoBlo.com” value=”8″}

“ I thought that film was a blast and a half, and I’m happy to see that for his first American film, Kitamura seems to have been more or less given a free hand. The film positively oozes style.” - Chris Bumbray

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July 27th, 2008

Top 10 Genre Movies: Dark Knight dominates box office – again

The latest Batman flick. The Dark Knight continued its reign at the box office this past weekend. It brought in more than $75.6 million in ticket sales in its second weekend – more than the next five top-grossing films combined.

The only sci fi flick to debut this weekend was The X-Files: I Want to Believe, which debuted at No. 2 on the genre movie list and No. 4 overall with just over $10 million.

To make room for X-Files, Eddie Murphy flick Meet Dave dropped out of the genre Top 10 after making slightly more than $10 million in North American sales. With a $60 million budget – a movie this unprofitable almost ensures a sequel for this will never see the light of day.

Genre films set to debut next week: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor is set for wide release and Clive Barker’s Books of Blood short horror story Midnight Meat Train debuts on the big screen in big cities only.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of July 25 -27, 2008.

RANK #. (Overall Rank) Title – Weekend Gross | Total Gross [Budget]

  1. (1) The Dark Knight – $75.6 million | $314.2 million [$185 million]
  2. (4) The X-Files: I Want to Believe – $10.2 million | 10.2 million [$30 million]
  3. (5) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $9.4 million | $60 million [$60 million]
  4. (6) Hancock – $8.2 million | $206.3 million [$150 million]
  5. (7) WALL-E – $6.3 million | $195.2 million [$180 million]
  6. (8) Hellboy 2 – $4.9 million | $65 million [$85 million]
  7. (9) Space Chimps – $4.3 million | $16 million [$40 million]
  8. (10) Wanted – $2.7 million | $128.6 million [$75 million]
  9. (11) Get Smart – $2.3 million | $124.2 million [$80 million]
  10. (12) Kung Fu Panda – $1.0 million | $209.0 million [$130 million]

Source: Box Office Mojo – list only includes science fiction, spy fi, fantasy and dark fantasy/horror titles.

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July 27th, 2008

Trailer: Midnight Meat Train

OPENS: August 1, 2008
RATING: R (Violence, Gore, Cannibalism)
GENRE: Horror

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bobb, Brooke Shields, Vinnie Jones, Roger Bart, Tony Curren, Barbara Eve Harris, Peter Jacobson, Ted Raimi

Director: Ryuhei Kitamura

Writer: Jeff Buhler based on Clive Barker’s short story of the same name.

Plot: A short story form Clive Barker’s classic short story collection Books of Blood, the new film The Midnight Meat Train follows photographer Leon Kauffman (Cooper), who is working on his latest collection – documenting the late night life’s loneliness in the normally bustling New York City … until his camera catches evidence of the deadly side of the city’s subway system. Last stop: an abyss of pure evil.

Tags:
Posted in Movies, Trailers, Video | No Comments »

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