Last week’s No. 1, The Dark Knight, fell to the third spot with just under $3 million in ticket sales in its 10th week in release.

Genre films set to debut next week: Blindness, a dystopian thriller starring Mark Ruffalo, Julianne More, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover and Sandra Oh opens in limited release – with a wider release expected over the next few weeks. 

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of September 19-21, 2008.

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

1. (4) Igor – $8.0 million | $8.0 million [$30 million]
2. (8) Ghost Town – $5.2 million | $5.2 million [$20 million]
3. (9) The Dark Knight – $3.0 million | $522million [$185 million]
4. (13) Death Race – $1.0 million | $35.0 million [$45 million]
5. (17) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $0.8 million | $99.1 million [$60 million]
6. (18) Babylon A.D. – $0.74 million | $21.7 million [$70 million]
7. (19) Fly Me to the Moon – $0.73 million | $11.0 million [$25 million]
8. (22) Mirrors – $0.47 million | $29.9 million [budget unreported]
9. (23) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – $0.40 million | $102.2 million [$145 million]
10. (24) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $0.36 million | $34.4 million [budget unreported]

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

No new science fiction, fantasy, horror or spy-fi films have opened over the past two weekends as mainstream comedies dominated at North American movie theatres.

To date, Dark Knight  has brought in more than $517 million in ticket sales in in the U.S. and Canada, with a total of its second weekend – more than $966 million worldwide. According to Warner Brothers – expect the film to be pulled from theatres in the next week wees, only to be re-released in January 2009 during the Oscar season. The studio is hoping for both Academy Awards and to break the billion-dollar mark in ticket sales.

Genre films set to debut next week: Ghost Town starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni and the animated family fantasy, Igor starring the voices of John Cusack, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Coolidge, Jay Leno, Molly Shannon and Christian Slater.

Following are the Top 10 speculative fiction movies in release in North America for the weekend of September 12-14, 2008.

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

1. (7) The Dark Knight – $4.0 million | $517.7 million [$185 million]
2. (10) Death Race – $2.0 million | $33.2 million [$45 million]
3. (11) Babylon A.D. – $1.8 million | $20.3 million [$70 million]
4. (14) Fly Me to the Moon – $1.3 million | $9.9 million [$25 million]
5. (16) Journey to the Center of the Earth – $1.1 million | $98.0 million [$60 million]
6. (18) Mirrors – $0.90 million | $29.1 million [budget unknown]
7. (19) Star Wars: The Clone Wars – $0.82 million | $33.9 million [$budget unknown]
8. (20) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon King – $0.60 million | $101.5 million [$145 million]
9. (22) WALL-E – $0.5 million | $220.1 million [$180 million]
10. (33) Hellboy II: The Golden Army – $0.10 million | $75.8 million [$85 million]

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

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.

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.

OPENS: AUgust 15, 2008
RATING: PG (Violence, Smoking, Adult Situations)
GENRE: Space Opera, Animation

A new Star Wars cartoon will debut on the Cartoon Network this fall.

Somebody at Lucasfilm got the bright idea to make a 90-minute introduction movie to kick the series off. That’s good.

Somebody (or somebodies) else at Warner Brothers in paring up with Lucasfilm got the bright idea of taking that made-for-TV film and dumping it out in theatres this weekend. That’s not-so-good.

The result? A hybrid computer animated film that is not up to par with what a movie-going audience expects when plopping over $8 to $10 a pop to see a film these days.

Among those panning the film, most noted a boring storyline and painful dialogue that insults fans of the Star Wars saga. Others called it a blatant money grab for George Lucas that insults the legacy of the franchise. Others said this film marks the death of Star Wars as a popular culture touchstone.

But others were not do fast to dismiss this film. As a kid’s film its fast pace and not-too-complicated story is perfect mindless last weekend before back-to-school fun for the pre-teen set.

WATCH THE TRAILER

<!– {rw_good}

• Squarely aimed for the middle school audience.
• Good preview of the upcoming TV series.

{/rw_good} –>

<!– {rw_bad}

• Poor writing
• Animation is stiff

{/rw_bad} –>

<!– {rw_score}

{for="Newsday" value="1"}

"A money-making spin-off from the Lucas franchise, "Clone Wars" has all the magic and heart of a cereal commercial." – Rafer Guzman

{/for}

{for=”Space.com” value=”6″}

“If you’re looking for some solid action, that’s one thing this film will give you in spades. Just don’t look too closely at the characters themselves, and you’ll do fine.” – Steve Fritz

{/for}

{for=”New York Times” value=”6″}

“The Clone Warshas an uncluttered look and furious pace that make it more or less as satisfying as its wildly overdesigned predecessors.” – Nathan Lee

{/for}

{for=”Chicago Tribune” value=”1″}

“The film’s purpose is clear. It is a full-length teaser for the forthcoming TV series of the same name.” – Michael Phillips

{/for}

{for=”Chicago Sun-Times” value=”3″}

“You know you’re in trouble when the most interesting new character is Jabba the Hutt’s uncle.” – Roger Ebert

{/for}

{for=”San Francisco Chronicle” value=”6″}

“The movie’s tone will probably send original-trilogy loyalists over the edge, the final shove that sends their Hoth Ice Planet action play sets into exile on eBay. Meanwhile, children will thrill at the notion that the latest part of the saga was made especially for them.” – Peter Hartlaub

{/for}

{for=”Los Angeles Daily News” value=”3″}

“Big disaster, this Star Wars cartoon is… The ugly-looking movie is a straightforward, unapologetic cash grab, taking footage intended to be part of Cartoon Network’s upcoming Clone Wars TV series and slapping it together to lure in those few who haven’t already torn up their fan club membership cards in disgust.” – Glenn Whipp

{/for}

{for=”Washington Post” value=”1″}

“Lucas fulfills his lifelong dream of completely dehumanizing his space opera, replacing it with a digitally animated style that is somewhere between cartoons, Christmas specials and panoramic paintings on the side of a van.” – Hank Stuever

{/for}

{/rw_score} –>

There are many words and abbreviations of special relevance to science fiction. In addition, over the years science fiction fandom has created many new terms. A list of some of these words and abbreviations is provided here for N3F members and for any others who are interested in the history of science fiction and science fiction fandom. Additions and/or corrections are invited.

W

• W, The – Nickname for SF personality Donald A. Wollheim.
• Wabbit Twacks – To blow something out of proportion.
• WAHF/Wahf/wahf – Abbreviation for We Also Heard From, used by fanzine editors to acknowledge LOCs that were received but not printed.
• WAHOO – The Western Amalgamated Hoaxters’ Official Organization. At one time they presented awards (the Swampos and the Ooqui).
• W&B – Short for Whining and Bitching.
• Waitlist/Waiting list – APAs have fixed memberships. Prospective members sometimes are placed on a waitlist until a membership opening occurs.
• Wampo Egg – British SF fan term for an unattainable goal.
• WAPA – Abbreviation for the Whimsical Amateur Press Association, which see.
• Warhoon – Hugo award-winning (1961/Amateur Magazine) SF fanzine, edited/published by Richard Bergeron.
• War Period – The “War Period” in SF fandom, during which time fan activities were influenced in various ways by World War II, generally is considered to have lasted from 1939 until either 1945 or 1946.
• Warries – Fans of Star Wars movies.
• Watchamacallit - A thing, or any thing. See Flange.
• Water pistol – Standard armament of the Beany Brigade, also called a zap gun.
• WAW – Initials of BNF Walter (Walt) A. Willis.
• WE – Abbreviation for Stan’s Weekly Express (1969-1972), a nostalgia adzine. Also, a pronoun used by some fanzine editors to mean I.
• Weapons policy – Written statement describing what may and may not be worn or carried during an SF con, either as an accessory to a costume or as a working part of the SCA garb. See SCA.
• Web Site SF Award – The Best Web Site Hugo Award was first presented at the 60th World SF Convention (ConJosé) in 2002.
• Webzine – A fanzine “published” on the Internet.
• Weird Heroes – Although printed in a pocketbook format, Weird Heroes was considered to be a magazine and even advertised itself on the cover as “A New American Pulp.” It was published by Pyramid Books for the first six volumes (with the last two volumes published by Jove/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, who took over Pyramid Books in 1977). Volume 1 of Weird Heroes was dated October 1975, Volume 8 was dated November 1977. Byron Preiss was the editor.
• Weird Tales – The oldest genre magazine, begun early in 1923. Originally sub-titled “The Unique Magazine,” it originally featured off-trail material that no other magazines would accept. Over the years it has been published in several different series and with different formats, but a magazine of this title still exists today. Many early SF stories were featured in its pages. Some of its most famous editors were Farnsworth Wright (1924-1940), Dorothy McIlwraith (1940-1954), Sam Moskowitz (1973-1974), and Lin Carter (1981-1983).
• Welcom – Short for Welcommittee, which see.
• Welcommittee – A committee of the N3F that is charged with contacting new members.
• Wells, Braxton – A pseudonym used by SF personality Donald A. Wollheim.
• WesterCon – Oldest of the West Coast SF conventions, especially attended by fans involved in media.
• WFA – Abbreviation for World Fantasy Award, which see.
• Whimsical Amateur Press Association – Created about 1956 by Larry Anderson to be an APA of a new type, intended for whimsy and humor. Instead of sending fanzines to an OE, members mailed them directly to each other on individual deadlines. Little was ever done although the membership boasted several BNFs. Dues were charged for no discoverable reason. There was no link or continuity between WAPA zines and schedules were little observed, and the club existed only a little over half a year before being formally disbanded.
• Whispers – Originally to be titled Whispers from Arkham, this genre magazine was based on the earlier The Arkham Collector and has been published eratically since its first issue dated July 1973. Edited by Stuart David Schiff, its aim was to present genre fiction and to publish articles of bibliographic importance. Beginning with a special double issue dated October 1978, sections of the fanzine have been dedicated to certain writers, beginning with Manly Wade Wellman.
• Whitcon – The gathering (brainstormed by John Newman) that marked the postwar revival of congoing in England. It took place 15-16 May 1948, over Whitsuntide weekend, at the White Horse tavern in London. Nearly 60 fans attended. New Worlds was declared folded (ending the last surviving English prozine) and a cooperative company was planned to take it over.
• Who Killed Science Fiction? – Hugo-award winning fanzine (1960/Amateur Publication), edited by Earl Kemp.
• Whovians – Fans of Doctor Who, a long-running television series in the UK, later shown in the United States.
• Widowers – A fictional department store in Manchester, England in which ersatz rhyming advertisements became a fad after first appearing in the fanzine, Now and Then, in the mid-1950s.
• Will Eisner Awards – Comic book industry equivalents of the Hugo awards, given at the annual San Diego Comic-Con. They are named for famed illustrator Will Eisner.
• William Crawford Award - Named for the SF fan and publisher, William Levi Crawford (1911-1984), the Crawford Award is one of the awards given annually by the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts. It is presented for the best first fantasy novel of the previous 18 months.
• Wimpy Zone – The Midwest, because it has had few cities to field Worldcon bids (dating back to a comment made during a 1984 WSFS business meeting). See Worldcon. See Bid.
• Windyapa – Abbreviation for an APA located in Chicago, Illinois.
• WKF – Abbreviation for a Well-Known Fan (see BNF).
• WL/wl/W-L/w-l – Abbreviations for Waiting List, which see.
• WO5W – Abbreviation for Wide-Open 5-Way correspondence in which fans publish in rotation using carbon paper or mimeo/ditto reproduction methods.
• Woodwork – Fans who show up after being absent from fandom activities for a long time.
• WOOF – Abbreviation for World Order Of Faneds, an APA once collated at the annual Worldcons.
• A Woman’s Apa – An all-female APA.
• Work for hire – Writing or artwork for which the author/artist receives a single lump payment rather than royalties. The copyright then belongs to the publisher.
• Workmanship – The effort involved in constructing/decorating a costume at a con. Workmanship counts for a lot in the judging of costumes.
• Workshops – Classes in writing, editing, and/or art that are held during cons, for the instruction of people who want to become professional writers, editors, and/or artists.
• Worldcon – The annual SF convention at which the Hugo Awards are presented.
• Worldcon Special Convention Awards – Awards presented at the annual Worldcons, determined by each convention committee. They are not voted upon by the membership and are not considered to be Hugos. See Worldcon.
• World Fantasy Award. Awards – given in several categories of fantastic literature since 1975. Often abbreviated as WFA and also known as the Howard Award. Presentations are made each year at the World Fantasy Convention, which see.
• World Fantasy Convention – The annual fantasy convention at which the World Fantasy Awards (Howard Awards) are presented.
• World Science Fiction Society – The organization that runs the annual Worldcons and administers both the Hugo Awards and the John W. Campbell, Jr. Memorial Awards. Often abbreviated as WSFS. See Worldcon. See Hugo Awards. See Retro Hugo Awards. See John W. Campbell, Jr. Memorial Awards.
• Worlds of Tomorrow – Digest-sized SF magazine published in two series from April 1963 until Spring 1971, for a total run of 26 issues. Editor of the first series, that eventually was combined with If, was Frederik Pohl. Ejler Jakobsson edited the short-lived second series.
• WSA – Abbreviation for the We Seal of Approval Program.
• WSFL – Short for Washington Science Fiction League.
• WSFS – Short for World Science Fiction Society, which see.
• WT – Abbreviation for the pulp magazine Weird Tales.

In case you missed it, Star Wars‘ Natalie Portman’s Gansta Rap from last weekend’s Saturday Night Live is available on the Devil Ducky site.

In the video, the actress responded to the question. “What’s a day in the life of the real Natalie Portman like?” with an answer that spoofs celebrity-crazy news magazines such as Entertainment Tonight as well as her braniac Harvard-grad reputation and, most importantly, the “street cred” of modern studio-made rap artists in a mock-interview rap song.

Included are such mock messages to fans as, “All the kids who look up to me can suck my di-*beep*” and “I’ll kill your f-*beep*-in’ dog for fun, so don’t push me.”

The video requires the QuickTime plug in media player.

Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com