Jacob Hall
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ and ‘Frozen’ Heat Up the Box Office
In one of the biggest holiday weekends of all time, the combined might of 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' and 'Frozen' proved that yes, ladies can star in major blockbuster movies. We'll see if this lesson sticks (it won't), but between those two and the surprisingly female-friendly 'Thor: The Dark World,' this was a great weekend if you were looking for quality family entertainment that didn't
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Lights the Box Office on, Well, You Know
Everyone knew that 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' was going to do well this weekend, but the lingering question was always whether or not it was going to do "really, really well" or "stupidly, gobsmackingly well." We should know by now that you always bet on Katniss Everdeen defying the odds, because it was the latter and everyone made it look easy.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Best Man Holiday’ Stands Toe-to-Toe With ‘Thor: The Dark World’
If there's one thing that we're reminded of a few times a year here at the Weekend Box Office Report, it's that films targeted at black audiences are always ignored by many mainstream movie websites ... until they open huge at the box office. 'The Best Man Holiday' is the latest film to prove that there's an entire group of moviegoers who aren't being given the films they obviously want to see, an
‘SNL’ Mourns the Death of Blockbuster in the Strangest Way Possible
When Blockbuster announced that it was officially closing its doors, it was hard to hear for any real movie fans who truly cared. After all, this is the company that helped kill nearly every small video rental chain and relished in carrying a limited selection. So it's not surprising that 'SNL' made a video commemorating the closing of the controversial (at least among cinephiles) company, and it'
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Thor: The Dark World’ Hammers the Competition
There was no question of whether or not 'Thor: The Dark World' was going to open at number one this weekend. Of course it was. The big question was whether it would get a post-'Avengers' bump, or if it would do similar business to its 2011 predecessor. Question answered: it got a bump and a pretty good one, too.
New ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Clip: Jennifer Lawrence Must Be a Distraction
'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' picks up almost exactly where the first film ended, with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) embarking on a victory tour to celebrate their surviving the Hunger Games and to spread government propaganda and fear. This section of the book (and, we imagine, the movie) is fairly action-free, but still pretty harrowing. A new clip from the film shows that a couple of good actors in a room can be just as exciting as an action scene.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Ender’s Game’ Takes Flight
After months of boycott talk and constant controversy, the long in the works adaptation of Orson Scott Card's 'Ender's Game' opened at number one at the box office with decent but not spectacular numbers. It's a long road to profitability, but hey, this is a start.
‘Olympus Has Fallen 2’? ‘London Has Fallen’ Will, Yes, Destroy London
In this year's bizarre battle of the White House-set invasion action movies, 'Olympus Has Fallen' was the surprise box office champion, handily outgrossing the far glossier 'White House Down.' And you know what that means: it's time for 'Olympus Has Fallen 2.' But where do you go when your first film already destroyed the home of the President of the United States? You go wreck London, of course!
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Bad Grandpa’ Dethrones ‘Gravity’ and ‘The Counselor’ Bombs
If you were wondering what it would take to finally shove 'Gravity' out of the number one spot at the box office, the answer is Johnny Knoxville as an elderly man with a foul mouth and penchant for sustaining groin injuries. After nearly a month at the top, Alfonso Cuaron's science fiction spectacle fell to number two, dethroned by 'Bad Grandpa.'
‘SNL’ and Edward Norton Create a Wes Anderson Horror Movie
Wes Anderson's incredibly distinctive style has been parodied before, but rarely with the skill that 'SNL' and host Edward Norton displayed in the most recent episode of everyone's favorite comedy variety show. A pre-recorded bit, the fake trailer for 'The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders,' imagines what an Anderson-directed horror movie would look like and the results are near perfect.
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John Belushi Biopic Finds a Director, Emile Hirsch and Joaquin Phoenix Eyed to Star
A film version of John Belushi's life has been in the works for quite some time, but a few new developments have emerged, possibly giving the production enough juice to escape from production hell. First, the untitled biopic has found a director. Second, it's started looking at a list of very interesting names to play the late comic genius.
Weekend Box Office: ‘Gravity’ Dominates ‘Carrie,’ ‘Escape Plan’ and ‘The Fifth Estate’
For the third weekend in a row, 'Gravity' dominated the box office, taking no prisoners in its quest to become one of 2013's most deserving blockbusters. However, its tremendous success has been at the expense of a handful of other films, which have been crushed in Alfonso Cuaron's titanic wake.