Tagged: Disney

‘High School Musical 3’ First in Class

  • News
  • November 2, 2008

It proved to be a light weekend for the movies, hampered by Halloween being on a Friday.  Disney’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year repeated in the number one slot, with $15 million despite having very slow Friday numbers as the audience went trick or treating.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno, from Kevin Smith, opened to mostly positive reviews but just $10, 682,000 which rival studios say may be as much as one million over their own estimates.  Final numbers are due out on Monday. The other newcomer, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, scared up just $6,009,000, eclipsed by Saw V’s second weekend haul of $10,110,000.

Meantime, Changeling, written by J. Michael Straczynski, went into wide release and finished in fourth place with $9.4 million.

Disney’s surprise hit, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, slid to sixth place but still brought in $4,747,000, pushing its total to date to $84,061,000. The rest of the top ten were repeat performer with most seeing 40-50% declines from their previous week’s performance. Disappointing performers, such as Pride & Glory, continue to keep audiences at bay, meaning poor final numbers for the studios.  This includes the political film, W., which has just $22,398,000 to show after three weeks. 

Warner is doubly disappointed with Pride and the big budget dud Body of Lies, which has earned a mere $34,612,000 after four weeks – horrible showings for superstars Russell Crow and Leonardo DiPCaprio. Even though Guy Ritchie’s RockNRolla gained 804 screens and earned $1.75 million, its total earnings of $2,374,000 remain yet another failed release.

The mix of subject matter gives people plenty to choose from but clearly, people are electing to stay home.  All of that could change this month as highly anticipated films are ready to roll out starting with November 14’s Quantum of Solace.  Already opening around the world, Daniel Craig’s second go as James Bond has earned huge box office revenue and positive reviews.

Review: ‘Popeye the Sailor Volume Three’

By 1935, [[[Popeye the Sailor Man] was considered more popular than Mickey Mouse and his animated exploits thrilled theater goers year after year as the Fleischer Studios continued to churn them out almost monthly. When they began running on television, the animated exploits delighted a new generation of viewers and keeping the character viable long after his comic strip passed its peak.

Warner Home Video finally cleared all the legal problems and began to restore and collect these classic cartoons on DVD.  The first volume, four discs and 60 episodes, came out to great acclaim in 2007.  A second two-disc set came out earlier this year and on Tuesday, the third volume will be released.  On this set, another 32 cartoons are collected, covering 1941-1943.

By this time, there was evolution to characters and the content.  First, in May 1941, Paramount bought out the Fleischers and by year’s end fired the feuding brothers and changed the name of the outfit to Famous Studios. Along the way Popeye was softened and made less ugly and more adorable.  His dark sailor suit was also traded in for Navy whites as he enlisted when America entered World War II (an outfit he’d wear through the 1960s).  As a result, much of the content has patriotic themes and imagery.  Interestingly, we often saw the Sailor Man confounded by the complexity of modern warships leading to much fish out of water humor. There’s one, “Many Tanks” where Bluto is seen in the Army, swapping uniforms with Popeye so he can date Olive, leaving a confused Popeye manning a tank. Being the war, of course, the depiction of the Japanese opponents are stereotypical and offensive to today’s eyes but a product of their times.

In the end, though, Popeye always comes out on top and is recognized for his heroism.

(more…)

Sample ‘Legend of the Seeker’ for Free

legend-of-the-seeker-2188635Legend of the Seeker debuts on Saturday as a first-run syndicated series.  To let people sample the series, an extended preview is available as a free download at Apple’s iTunes store. Legend of the Seeker: A First Look is actually the first 30 minutes of the two-hour first episode.

The series is from executive producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, who gained fame for their work on Hercules and Xena.

"Fans have been clamoring to get a first look at the series and based on the early response from the clips released on the Legend of the Seeker website, we knew this would be a huge success with audiences," Janice Marinelli, President, Disney-ABC Domestic Television said in a release.

Craig Horner (Blue Water High) and Bridget Regan (The Black Donnellys) star in the series originally entitled Wizard’s First Rule. The 22 episodes are being shot in New Zealand. Horner is Richard Cypher, a simple woodsman who becomes the magical leader who partners with Kahlan to put an end to a tyrant’s reign.

The book series launched in 1994 and the complex story has played out through eleven novels and one novella. Each volume is largely self-contained but the threads continue from book to book. Confessor, out last year, is said to end the current story cycle but Goodkind intends to revisit the world in future works.

For times and channels in your area, consult the show’s website.

‘HSM 3’ Grabs $42 Million High Note

  • News
  • October 26, 2008

It was no surprise to anyone that High School Musical 3: Senior Year was going to be huge, the question was only how big an opening it would have.  The final installment in Disney’s mammothly successful musical series exceeded expectations, taking in an estimated $42 million over the weekend according to Box Office Mojo. The film nabbed the crown for largest opening ever for a G-rated film and was also the number one box office attraction globally.

Right behind was Saw V, taking in a whopping $30.5 million and is poised to gain the title as most successful horror franchise of all time. The movie also exceeded expectations and sixth film is already on the drawing table for next Halloween.

It wasn’t all good news as Warner Bros.’ Pride & Glory opened in a fifth place to a disappointing $6,325,000.  The movie was better reviewed than the studio’s Body of Lies but this is the second disastrous opening in a row no doubt making the studio execs worry about the future.

The other new films this weekend was Anne Hathaway’s Passengers which Sony dumped into a handful of theatres with minimal marketing.  The movie received tepid reviews and took in just a few hundred thousand on 125 screens.  The far better received Synecdoche, New York with Philip Seymour Hoffman was also in extremely limited release taking in just $173,000.

Changeling, with Angelina Jolie, was on a scant 15 screens but the movie was well regarded and it’s per screen average of $33,467 was impressive which should be encouraging to Universal.
 
"Ultimately, there was something for everyone in the marketplace," Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Media by Numbers told the Los Angeles Times. "It shows that if you put the right movies in the market, people will turn out."

Rounding out the top five films was Fox’s Max Payne in third with $7.6 million and Disney’s surprise hit, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which buried another $6.9 million bones.

‘Chihuahua’ is #1 for 2nd Week in a Row

  • News
  • October 12, 2008

quarantinesmall-7876604Dogs continue to rule the box office as Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua takes the top spot for the second week in a row, earning $17,511,000, burying the competition.  The second spot went to Fox’s Quarantine, a remake of the Spanish film REC, which debuted with $14,200,000.

Surprisingly, Body of Lies, starring Russell Crow and Leonardo DiCaprio opened in third with just $13, 120,000.  A serious box office disappointment, the film received mixed to negative reviews despite the captivating perofmances.

Audiences, instead, seemed to want lighter fare as the economic woes spread from coast to coast.  The action thriller, Eagle Eye, dropped just 37.8% and brought in an additional 11, 015,000, bringing its three week total to $70,551,000, confirming Shia LaBeouf as our latest action star.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist rounds out the top five with another $6,500,000, bringing it to $20,810,000 after two weeks.

Other new releases fared less well as Universal’s The Express opened in sixth place with just $4,731,000. Fox’s City of Ember, with Bill Murray, also opened poorly with just $3.2 million.

Showing slight drop offs were Appaloosa with $3,340,000 and Nights in Rodanthe taking in $4,610,000.

Several major releases have proven disappointing to the studios including Greg Kinnear’s Flash of Genius, which has brought in just Flash of Genius after two weeks, and Miracle at St. Anna, which has only $7,427,000 after three weeks of play.

And for the record, The Dark Knight is a mere $12 million shy of the $1 billion worldwide mark and continues to play across the globe, probably crossing that threshold this month.

Studios Prepare Productions for 2009

  • News
  • October 8, 2008

jonahhex1et6-1085024Gotta love those studio bigwigs. Even in the midst of an impending Screen Actors Guild strike and the greatest financial crisis in modern American history, these head honchos still have dollar signs in their eyes.

Variety is reporting today that studios are planning 40 or more films to begin production between spring and summer of 2009. Since June 30, studios have mostly resisted the urge to start production on major films due to the very real threat of the SAG strike.

The studios are betting that in light of today’s erratic economic climate, the actors won’t authorize a strike order to cease working. Plus,  according to an anonymous dealmaker, "[do] you think a big star is going to have its union tell them who can negotiate their deal?" The studios are banking on no.

It’s a huge gamble. Variety cites production costs on studio-sized films at between $100,000 and $500,000 per day. If an actors strike occurs, studios can only retain their actors for eight weeks after the strike’s start. That could be a potential disaster for Tinseltown, which is already recovering from the effects of last year’s writer’s strike.

(more…)

ComicMix Radio: Pixar And The Muppets Go BOOM!

  • News
  • October 4, 2008

Imagine an inter-company "Crisis" style crossover that included The Muppets, The Incredibles, Farscape and even some of the cast of Cthulhu. Ok, farfetched, but all these titles from one company are not. We have the latest from Boom! Studios, plus:

  • Four big sellouts and now variants coming from Marvel
  • Who has the Best Death in sci-fi films and TV?
  • An opera based on the last days of Walt Disney

All presented in living color – just Press the Button!

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-9412179 or RSS!

 

 

Stanton Reimagines ‘John Carter of Mars’

  • News
  • September 27, 2008

Pixar’s Andrew Stanton said that he and Mark Andrews are spending the rest of this year on the script adaptation to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars. The director told Sci FI Wire that their approach is more about taking what they recalled best from the epic science fiction tale rather than a literal translation.

"I’m going to do what I remember more than what they exactly do," Stanton told a group interview yesterday.

Pixar’s General Manager, Jim Morris, commented, "Everything that’s been out there has been an attempt to kind of capture this Deco-esque [Frank] Frazetta vision of John Carter, which I think feels old and stale. And where Stanton is going — from what we’ve seen so far — is very different than that. And I think that the people who really love the essence of the books will really dig it, but so will audiences in general."

As for the new look, Morris said, "John Carter is in its very early stages and there is much to figure out about that so we’d be premature. We are looking at a variety of different approaches and techniques for that … We’re kind of a bit early in the development of that.

"I’m sure I speak for all of the science fiction geeks, fans and aficionados when I say it’s finally time to see that movie. And I, for one, am delighted that Andrew Stanton is the guy that’s making the movie, because he’s a story-driven guy."

Despite an abandoned attempt by Disney to animate the story of a Civil War soldier somehow transported to Mars, the film has been repeatedly option for film but never getting in front of the cameras.  The stories have been adapted for comic books throughout the years with interpretations from both DC Comics and Marvel Comics.
 

Johnny Depp Returns as Captain Jack…and Tonto

  • News
  • September 25, 2008

A fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie seemed unlikely as every plot thread got neatly wrapped up and the escalating costs associated with making the films seemed unwieldy.  And yet, on Wednesday, Disney stunned the entertainment world by not only announcing a fourth installment of the franchise but that Johnny Depp will be back as Capotain Jack Sparrow.

Depp, already committed to playing the Mad Hatter for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland 3-D project, was then announced as playing Tonto in a feature film adaptation of The Lone Ranger. Both Pirates and the Ranger films will be produced for the studio by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Depp took the stage in full Captain Jack regalia but people were at first puzzled as to why he was wearing a Lone Ranger mask until the announcement was made.

Additionally, Bruckheimer will be producing the unnecessary third film in the National Treasure franchise.
 

Mickey Mouse: Soldier of Satan, by John Ostrander

  • News
  • September 25, 2008

As reported here on ComicMix last Monday by Matt Raub via AP : “A sheik from Saudi Arabia, a former diplomat posted in Washington, has put out a fatwa on Mickey Mouse, calling him the new enemy of Islam. ‘Mickey Mouse is a soldier of Satan, and everything he touches becomes impure,” said Sheik Muhammad al-Munajid.

‘Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases. According to sharia law, the mouse is a repugnant and corrupting animal,’ he said during a show broadcast by Al-Majd television.”

So. There’s a fatwa on Mickey Mouse.

It should be noted that a fatwa, in and of itself, is not necessarily a death sentence. As Matt noted, “a “fatwa” is a ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority.” In that respect, it’s not that different when the Pope speaks ex cathedra. It certainly isn’t different that when the Popes called for the Crusades to free the Holy Land.

This is not the first time that Disney has butted heads with religious types. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association began a nine-year boycott of Disney, citing they were too friendly to gays. The Southern Baptists were part of that boycott and if there was ever a group in Western culture that I think was capable of issuing fatwas, it would be the Southern Baptists.

It’s all part of a continuing war on pop culture that is usually conducted by the conservative and/or reactionary elements of society. It’s not only religious groups, either. The comic book medium in the 1950s came under the scrutiny of Congress who felt that comics were degenerative and an unwholesome influence on America’s youth. To fend off possible Congressional controls, the comic book publishers of the day instituted the Comics Code – a straitjacket that bound and confined the comic book medium for decades and stunted its artistic growth. (more…)

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