‘Bangkok Dangerous’ Leads Weak Box Office
You can tell the summer is over just by looking at the box office gross chart and see that the cool films have arrived and we’re in a lull as people focus on school and the arrival of the fall television season.
The number film this weekend, based on Box Office Mojo projections, is Nicholas Cage’s Bangkok Dangerous, which didn’t even screen for critics so there was zero buzz surrounding the film. As a result, it took in just $7,800,000 to nab the number slot, just a few hundred thousand ahead of Tropic Thunder, which grabbed $7.5 million for number two. With a total haul of $96,811,000, this is one successful comedy.
Showing surprisingly strength with a mere 29.1% drop off after three weeks of play is Amt Seadris’ The House Bunny with a total of $36,999,000. Comedy continues to do well as Pineapple Express remains in the week’s top ten with a total of $84,158,000, clearly profitable given its $27 million budget. On the other hand, Disaster Movie sits like the turkey it is, earning just $3.3 million this weekend.
Still in the top five is The Dark Knight, pushing its total take to $512,198,000 as its weekly numbers ease down.
Despite being disavowed by everyone but the audience, Babylon A.D. continues to chug along, grabbing $4,000,000 and bringing its total to $17,198,000 which likely will make this yet another financial disappointment for 20th-Century Fox.
Philadelphia’s
Often when I talk to new people the topic of roleplaying games comes up (particularly after I’m asked “so what do you do?”), at which point I learn whether they’re gamers or not. If they’re not I usually get the classic question, “What’s a roleplaying game?” Then I explain about tabletop gaming—most often I define it as “collaborative interactive storytelling, like a mix between improv theater and a staged reading.” Sometimes they ask a few more questions about how it works, but that definition is enough to satisfy most people. But then I may get the follow-up question: “Why?”
For too long, paranormal dramas have been restricted to basic cable where they become weighed down with melodrama and morals that everyday teens can take away from each episode. I’d like to say that [[[True Blood]]] breaks that trend, but, sadly, it does not and with the exception of a few expletives and some exposed body parts, this show could certainly be made for ABC or the oh-so-hip CW.
Greg Berlanti is rapidly getting busier in Hollywood. In addition to his work with Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green on the screenplay to the Green Lantern feature film, he’s been working on the second season of ABC’s Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money and third season of Brothers & Sisters, all of which debut later this month. 
The Chicago Tribune
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