Tagged: Slumdog Millionaire

‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ workprint hits Internet a month before release

  • News
  • April 2, 2009

wolverine-poster-3592749And now, all the stories that we couldn’t run yesterday because people would think it’s another prank. I don’t blame them, I barely believe this one myself.

The statement from 20th Century Fox says it all:

"Last night, a stolen, incomplete and early version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was posted illegally on a website. It was without many effects, had missing and unedited scenes and temporary sound and music. We immediately contacted the appropriate legal authorities and had it removed. We forensically mark our content so we can identify sources that make it available or download it. The source of the initial leak and any subsequent postings will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law – the courts have handed down significant criminal sentences for such acts in the past. The FBI and the MPAA also are actively investigating this crime. We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning this illegal posting and pointing out that such theft undermines the enormous efforts of the filmmakers and actors, and above all, hurts the fans of the film."

The economic impact cannot be underestimated here, both to Fox and to Marvel, which had pegged May as the month to publish alternate Wolverine covers on every single title. We can assume that word-of-mouth attendance on the film’s opening weekend is going to be hurt. Remember that this was probably going to be Fox’s major money maker for the year– now they have to hope that nobody leaks Night At The Museum 2 or the next Ice Age film.

Between this and a bad batch of Slumdog Millionaire DVDs released without the special features advertised on the box, Fox is not having a good week.

Review: ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ on DVD

slumdog-1254985Pop culture is influenced by so many different factors and timing determines what will catch on and endure while other things, quality be damned, wither and die.  A perfect example is the Award-Winning darling of 2008, Slumdog Millionaire.

Based on the 2005 novel by Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup, it was optioned for film by British production companies Celador Films and Film4 Productions who hired Simon Beaufoy to adapt it. By the time director Danny Boyle read the script and accepted the assignment, it was 2006. The budget was set at $15 million, meaning the producers needed a partner – enter Warner Independent which gambled $5 million for the right. Shooting began in November 2007 and it spent much of 2008 being screened at festivals starting with Telluride and the Toronto International.  But, a Warner Bros. exec saw the finished product and felt that once you added in prints and marketing, it was not likely to recoup its costs.

A different exec at 20th Century-Fox saw it but saw something different and bought the film from Warners and scheduled it for late in the year. By the time it opened on November 12, the economy tanked and people were in a mixed state of financial panic and political euphoria.  People wanted something to latch on to, something to make them forget the scary real world, at least for two hours.

[[[Slumdog Millionaire]]] was the perfect antidote for what was ailing our psyche. As a result, it has earned, through this past weekend, worldwide revenues of $268,103,477 making it hugely profitable and turning the stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto into celebrities. Pretty heady stuff.

The movie, coming out on DVD Tuesday, is incredibly moving, exciting, funny, poignant and very predictable. While it was the Feel Good Movie of the Year and therefore swayed voters into giving it many prizes, it is not the greatest film of the year.  In addition to the enjoyable story, it also shined a documentary-style eye on India’s slum life and we watched in gaping fascination. This was not Bollywood or some idealized view of life, but the actual way the majority of the people lived in the heavily populated country. This, more than the story, may be one reason it was so well-received around the world.

(more…)

The Dark Knight officially does a billion dollars in box office

  • News
  • February 21, 2009

darkknight-5962707Wayne Enterprises has another billion in the bank.

According to Box Office Mojo, The Dark Knight has officially reached $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue, distributor Warner Bros. announced today. The Batman sequel is the fourth movie in history to hit the mark, right behind Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest:

Breaking the worldwide gross down, The Dark Knight has made a phenomenal $533.1 million domestically and $468 million overseas. It’s the only movie in the Top 20 of the all time worldwide chart where the domestic gross exceeds the foreign gross, which is a common trait among comic book-based pictures. On the all time domestic chart, The Dark Knight ranks second to Titanic, while it stands at No. 22 on the all time foreign chart. Warner Bros. noted that The Dark Knight‘s total includes the highest-grossing two-dimensional re-mastered IMAX release ever at $49.6 million domestic and $15.3 million overseas.

For another point of comparison, this year’s five Oscar nominees for Best Picture, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader ,have only grossed $481,205,302 worldwide combined so far. Gee, why would Warner Bros. announce that the day before the Oscars…?

Drab ‘Earth’ Remake Nabs OK $31 Million

  • News
  • December 14, 2008

review-day-the-earth-stood-still-1-3158557Klaatu returned to earth and audiences came to see him to the tune of $31 million in weekend estimates from Box Office Mojo.  The Day the Earth Stood Still was estimated to do as high as $36 million but the mostly negative reviews no doubt caused 20th Century-Fox to revise those estimates. While good for first place, it still proved unexciting which does not bode well in coming weeks.

The other new release this week, Nothing Like the Holidays, was marked return to sender with just $3.5 million in box office receipts. Limited releases Gran Torino, with Clint Eastwood, and The Reader, with Kate Winslet, each had excellent per screen averages but the true test is when they go wide over the next few weeks.

The remaining top five releases saw Four Christmases continue to pack them in, grabbing an addition $13,270,000 for a three week total of $87,972,000.  Third place went to Twilight which topped the $150 million total as tweens can’t get enough of the vampire romance.  Bolt thrilled families, good for fourth place, and $7.5 million for the weekend. The romantic drama Australia took fifth place, with $4,285,000 but its steady decline, down 39.2%, means the $130 million film may prove a disappointment for Fox.

Other films trending down already, in a saturated market that will get fuller between now and New Year’s Day are Quantum of Solace, which has failed to captivate in the same way Casino Royale did.  The movie is performing better overseas where 69.4% of its global take of $515,588,687 has originated. Cadillac Records is also looking soft with just $5,924,000 to show after two weeks.

There have been clear hits, too, with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa making DreamWorks and Paramount very happy with its total haul of $170 million after the weekend. Slumdog Millionaire, which continues to roll out slowly across the country, has been earning accolades and awards, seeing its audiences grow.  The $5 million film is likely to prove most profitable. Frost/Nixon and Milk both should see similar growth over the next month.

Golden Globes nominees did not see substantively increased audiences in the days following the announcement. Studios are hopeful people will flock to check out the winners come January.

Now that critics and audiences declared Punisher: War Zone DOA, it saw a 67.7% decline after one week and took in a mere $1.3 million.

Thanksiving Good for the Box Office

  • News
  • November 30, 2008

four-christmasesThe Thanksgiving weekend gave Hollywood plenty to be thankful for as the top dozen films took in $223.7 million from Wednesday to Sunday, the second best holiday weekend in history according to the Associated Press.

Twilight did not manage to stay atop the charts during its second week but actually saw a rather steep drop of 62.1%, taking in just $26,370,000 for a total of $119,688,000.  Without merchandise revenue, the film is already profitable more than justifying the sequel but clearly the tween audiences have seen it often enough.

The top film proved to be Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.  The Warner Bros, comedy, the only holiday-themed film currently in release, nabbed $31,680,000.  In second place was Disney’s Bolt, the well-received animated tale, taking in $26,596,000.

Fourth place belonged to Quantum of Solace, dropping another 27% and showing $142,056,000 after three weeks in domestic release.

Baz Luhrman’s Australia pleased crowds more than critics, roping  $14,815,000 and a solid per screen average of $5,607 and taking fifth place.

The new film in wide release did less well with Lionsgate’s Transporter 3 taking in $12,330,000. Milk is in limited release had a terrific per screen average of $38,361.

Slumdog Millionaire, made on a miniscule budget, has gained word of mouth cred and has seen its audience grow, with total revenues of  $3,565,000 while still in limited release. Other films saw varying drop offs with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa dipping a low 7.4% and totaling  $159,511,000 after four weeks. The other big drop went to Universal’s Changeling which fell another 55.2% and is rapidly running out time to make a connection for Oscar consideration.

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