The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
- 'Skyfall' hits $1 billion at worldwide box office
- 'The Hobbit' remains top dog at the box office for third week
- Hollywood tops Chinese film market in 2012
| 'Skyfall' hits $1 billion at worldwide box office Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:00 AM PST LOS ANGELES: "Skyfall," the 23rd James Bond adventure, has surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Jeff Blake, chairman of worldwide marketing and distribution for Sony Pictures and Gary Barber, MGM's chairman and chief executive, made the announcement Sunday. The film, from Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is the most successful Bond film of all time. It is also the highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office in Sony Pictures history. "Skyfall," starring Daniel Craig as 007, took in $4.6 million this weekend in North America for a total of $289.6 million. Overseas, the film grossed $10.3 million for an international total to date of $710.6 million and a worldwide total exceeding $1 billion and growing. It has yet to play China, where it will open on Jan. 21. "Skyfall" is the 14th film in history to hit the $1 billion plateau. The list includes two movies from earlier this year, Warner Bros.' "Dark Knight Rises," which is No. 13 with $1.004 billion, and "Marvel's The Avengers,' which ranks No. 3 all-time with $1.5 billion. Two James Cameron films, "Avatar" with $2.7 billion, and "Titanic," with $2.1 billion, top the list. "To see a film connect with audiences is always gratifying but the success of this film is nothing short of extraordinary," Blake said in a statement. "We couldn't be more excited for (producers) Michael Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, (director) Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig, and especially the fans who put James Bond in this very rare and very exclusive billion dollar box office club." "It is truly thrilling to reach this incredible milestone," said MGM's Barber. "With tremendous gratitude to Barbara and Michael, Sam, Daniel and our partner Sony, and to all of the dedicated distributors and fans across the globe, we are so proud of both Skyfall and our 50 year association with James Bond."- Reuters |
| 'The Hobbit' remains top dog at the box office for third week Posted: 30 Dec 2012 08:12 PM PST REUTERS - The dwarfs and elves of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey prevailed at the North American box office again over the weekend, as its US$32.9 million in ticket sales topped both the star-packed musical Les Miserables and the western Django Unchained. Despite surging past The Hobbit on Christmas day with an US$18.1 million opening, Les Miz managed only third place in U.S. and Canadian sales with US$28 million as Christmas shoppers returned from the malls to boost Hollywood's box office, according to studio estimates. The Hobbit, in its third week of release, has now grossed US$222.7 million domestically, Warner Bros said. Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, a western starring Jamie Fox as a slave turned bounty hunter, took second with an impressive US$30.7 million. Tom Cruise's crime drama Jack Reacher, which features author Lee Child's former military investigator solving a fatal sniper attack, landed in fifth with US$14 million, outpaced by Parental Guidance, the Billy Crystal-Bette Midler as grandparents comedy which took in US$14.8 million to nab fourth. Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution for Fox, said the Parental Guidance performance was "just a tremendous result for our little engine that could." Backed by a musical score that made it a Broadway icon, Les Miz surged past The Hobbit on Christmas day, collecting US$18.1 million to pass High School Musical 3: Senior Year with the biggest midweek opening day by a musical. But it was not enough to conquer the Hobbit juggernaut, which scored its third straight box office weekend win. Universal's president for domestic distribution Nikki Rocco called the Les Miz US$28 million take "phenomenal, especially considering we went into the weekend with US$40 million," an unexpectedly strong figure for its first few days in release. "People really love this movie, which is even more rewarding and gratifying," Rocco said. Les Miserables, which stars Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway, benefited from Oscar buzz and its star power, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com's box office division, who said he wouldn't be surprised to see the musical pass $200 million before it's done. That would put it among the Hollywood's Top 20 best-selling musicals. It would pass the 1972 film Cabaret, which grossed US$191 million in box office sales adjusted for higher ticket prices, and put it close to Camelot, which sold US$204.5 million in 1967, according to the web site the-numbers.com. The most successful musical is Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, which grossed more than US$6.3 billion but has been re-released by Walt Disney nine times since its 1937 premiere, according to the site. A rush of high-profile films in December is expected to push 2012 to a domestic box office record. The current record is US$10.6 billion, set in 2009. Jack Reacher debuted just days after the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting sparked new debate about the impact of movie violence. Reacher begins with a sniper killing a handful of seemingly random victims. A red-carpet premiere and a screening to promote the US$60-million production were postponed after the 14 December Newtown tragedy. Adult comedy This Is 40 starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as a middle-aged couple was sixth with US$13.2 million. The Judd Apatow US$35 million film totaled US$37 million after two weeks. The seventh spot went to Steven Spielberg's historical film Lincoln, with US$7.5 million for a US$132 million domestic total. Comedy The Guilt Trip, starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen a a mother and son on a cross-country drive, pulled in US$6.7 million for eighth. Also this week the latest James Bond hit Skyfall topped $1 billion in worldwide sales, despite falling out of the week's top 10 films at the box office. The Hobbit was distributed by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros studio. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc released, Jack Reacher and The Guilt Trip. Comcast Corp's Universal Studios released Les Miserables and This Is 40. Django Unchained was released in the United States by the Weinstein Company. |
| Hollywood tops Chinese film market in 2012 Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:56 PM PST SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's 2012 box office was dominated by foreign films for the first time in four years as a deal cemented earlier this year saw more Hollywood film screened on the mainland, squeezing out domestic competition. China's box office receipts are expected to reach 16.8 billion yuan in 2012 and about 8 billion yuan, or slightly less than half the receipts, are from domestic films, the official People's Daily reported on Monday, quoting estimates from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. It is the first time in four years that domestic film receipts totaled less than 50 percent of the market and signals that the February trade agreement to allow more Hollywood movies to be screened in China is having a significant impact on the country's movie industry. Last year, domestic films made up 54 percent of box office receipts, down slightly from 56 percent in 2010, local media reported. China agreed in February to open its market to more American movies, permitting 14 premium format films such as IMAX or 3D to be exempt from the annual 20 foreign film quota. Last month, Tian Jin, China's vice minister of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, said the U.S. film industry was reaping massive profits due to the February concession while domestic producers were under pressure. However, the best-selling film this year is a low-budget, domestically-produced comedy called Lost In Thailand about two rival businessmen. The movie drew a bigger audience in China than James Cameron's Avatar, the People's Daily said. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan