Sony appears to be lending Spider-Man to Marvel in exchange for the studio's expertise — not its money. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel won't be paying a dime to put Spider-Man in one of its upcoming films, despite the fact that Sony still holds the character's film rights. Instead, Sony reportedly sees the free exchange as a way to bolster the Spider-Man franchise, which by most accounts should be doing far better at the box office than it currently is. Marvel is hugely successful at making superhero movies, and that means Spider-Man should be in much better shape the next time Sony puts him in a solo film.
That's a really interesting exchange for a whole host of reasons. Marvel's side is perhaps the simplest. For one, it's great news for Marvel's fans, who have wanted to see it take back Spider-Man for a long time. It'll also prime the studio's movie universe should it ever manage to reacquire the hero's film rights. But more importantly, the Reporter notes that Marvel still holds Spider-Man's merchandising rights, so there's still plenty of money for it to make off of Sony's films — especially when they're successful.
What's more notable is that, with this deal, Sony is basically admitting that it's not very good at making Spider-Man movies. Under the agreement, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige — who's generally seen as the mastermind behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe — will co-produce Sony's next Spider-Man movie. Sony retains final creative control on the films, so there's plenty that could go wrong, but the intention is quite clearly for Feige to work his magic. After all, Marvel isn't about to put its other characters into Spider-Man movies that it doesn't have faith in.
The Reporter bolsters that understanding of this agreement with new details of how the film will be made at Sony. According to its report, producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach — who had been overseeing the Amazing Spider-Man franchise and its planned universe of spinoffs — will merely be executive producers on these new films. While that's a nice title, it reportedly means that they'll have little say creatively. That's a big change, and one that seems to show Sony stepping away from its existing ideas about the character.
That said, Variety reports that Sony is moving forward with its plan to create a world of Spider-Man spinoffs, including Sinister Six, Venom, and an additional movie focused on women. Feige, reportedly, is not expected to have any involvement with the spinoffs. Even so, it's possible that he'll be around for the pictures focused on Spider-Man himself.Variety also makes it sound like we shouldn't be surprised to see Spider-Man pop up in more than one Marvel movie.
How this partnership plays out in the longterm still remains unclear. Sony and Marvel intend to keep working together to some degree, but it isn't obvious how close that'll be. If fans want good Spider-Man movies, they should hope that Marvel remains intimately involved. It wouldn't be surprising for Sony to want that as well: the studio could use a huge franchise, and Marvel's involvement is the closest guarantee it can get to making a hit.
“The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies” stormed its way to a $49.5 million debut in China.
The strong results from the People’s Republic pushed the final “Hobbit” film to the top of the overseas charts this weekend. It posted $54.3 million from 61 markets, pushing its worldwide haul to $866.5 million.
The latest J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation has been undermined by global currency issues. In many territories, such as Russia, it has drawn larger crowds than previous installments, but the strength of the dollar, the decline of the euro and the ruble’s free-falling are resulting in lower receipts. China does not have that issue, which must be a relief to MGM and Warner Bros., the studios behind “The Hobbit” movies.
It wasn’t all hobbits, orcs and elves. Fox’s “Taken 3″ also continued to perform well overseas, with Liam Neeson’s latest exercise in vigilantism racking up $26.3 million from 57 markets. That was good enough for a second place finish. Among notable openings, “Taken 3″ bowed to $8.2 million in France, $2.1 million in Brazil and $364,576 in Ecuador. “Taken 3,” allegedly the final installment in the action series, has earned $227.4 million worldwide.
Domestic chart topper “American Sniper” continued to perform well overseas, picking up $17.6 million while opening in 17 new markets such as Australia, Sweden, Denmark and Hong Kong. Its success is surprising given that films with a perceived pro-U.S.A. sensibility don’t always do robust business abroad. The biopic about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle has earned $247.6 million globally.
Rounding out the top five, Disney’s “Big Hero 6″ picked up $14.9 million, pushing the animated film to $456 million worldwide, while DreamWorks Animation’s “Penguins of Madagascar” nabbed $9 million, bringing its total to $321.3 million.
While forecasts predicted Taken 3 would have a similar opening to the first in the trilogy, the Liam Neeson-led action flick went above and beyond that by bringing in an estimated $40.4 million this weekend—a number closer to Taken 2′s $49.5 million opening than Taken‘s $24.7 million.
None of the weekend’s other films were able to match even a third of Taken 3‘s take: The next highest grossing film was Selma, which expanded to over 2,000 locations this weekend,with $11.2 million.This number proves the power of a good old-fashioned action movie, a type of film that’s been absent from theaters in favor of Oscar bait as of late. And it proves the power of Neeson, an actor with definite pull—especially when it comes to this genre: He led both the previous Taken films, as well as last year’s Non-Stop, which brought in $222.8 million worldwide.
As for the rest of the top five, Into the Woods crossed the $100 million mark this weekend and finished behind Selma with $9.8 million—and ahead of The Hobbit, which ended its box-office reign after three consecutive weeks on top. Unbroken kept a spot in the top five with $8.4 million, and joined Into the Woods in cracking the $100 million mark. (The films have been neck and neck since their Christmas day openings).
1. Taken 3 — $40.4 million2. Selma — $11.2 million3. Into the Woods – $9.8 million4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — $9.4 million5. Unbroken – $8.4 million
Just outside the top five, The Imitation Game expanded to about 1,500 locations and brought in $7.6 million. The biopic will continue to expand, and will be getting more and more publicity as awards season progresses. (The Benedict Cumberbatch-led film is expected to nab multiple Oscar nominations come next week.) Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice also expanded this weekend and made $2.9 million in 645 locations.
Next weekend will bring some new challengers when Blackhat, Paddington, and The Wedding Ringer all open wide. But the real one-to-watch might be American Sniper, the Bradley Cooper war film directed by Clint Eastwood. It averaged another impressive per-screen average this weekend ($138,750) and will expand to more than 3,000 screens next week.
Liam Neeson's Taken 3 is scoring big numbers at the North American box office, where the franchise installment is on course to gross $14 million on Friday from 3,593 theaters for a weekend debut in the $35 million range, or higher.
Friday's haul includes $1.6 million in Thursday night grosses. The $48 million action movie, produced by Luc Besson'sEuropaCorp and distributed by Fox, will have no trouble claiming the box office crown and unseating champ The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which placed No. 1 for three straight weekends.
Taken 3 won't match the $49.5 million debut of Taken 2 in October 2012, but that film faced less competition.
The three quel reteams Neeson with castmembers Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace, and introduces Forest Whitaker to the franchise. Olivier Megaton returns in the director's chair, while Besson and Robert Mark Kamen once again wrote the script.
This time out, ex-covert operative Bryan Mills (Neeson) avenges the death of his ex-wife.
In other action, Ava DuVernay's Selma expanded nationwide Thursday night after a limited Christmas release. The critically acclaimed civil rights drama, starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. and currently sporting a 99 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, in the low- to mid-teens for the the weekend from 2,179 theaters. (The award contender's domestic total to date is $2.2 million).
Selma, which extends its footprint on the eve of Sunday's Golden Globe ceremony, where it is up for best picture in the drama category.
Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice also expands nationwide, although it will only be playing in 645 locations.
Hobbit, along with a strong crop of other holiday holdovers, including Unbroken and Into the Woods, should stay high up on the domestic box office chart.
"Taken 3" is expected push the third "Hobbit" installment from its top spot at the box office. It could debut with up to $30 million in ticket sales, according to people who have seen prerelease audience surveys.
"Taken 3," which cost about $48 million to make, was financed by French writer-producer Luc Besson's EuropaCorp and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
Neeson reprises his role as former covert operative Bryan Mills, who has to evade law enforcement officials and protect his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) after being framed for murdering his ex-wife.
The franchise, now in perhaps its final installment, has been fruitful at the box office, in large part due to Neeson's appeal as a vigilante.
"Taken 2" opened to a strong $50 million in October 2012. That was double what the original "Taken" made in 2009, when its $24.7-million start surprised on the historically slow Super Bowl weekend. The franchise has grossed more than $600 million worldwide on combined budgets of $70 million.
However, Neeson's most recent action films haven't fared as well at the box office. "A Walk Among the Tombstones," which came out in September, fell short of Universal Pictures' mid-to-high-teens forecast. The action film, which cost about $28 million to make, debuted to $13.1 million.
Paramount Pictures will expand "Selma" from 22 theaters to more than 2,300 screens.
Positive word-of-mouth, including promotion from co-star/producer Oprah Winfrey, and awards buzz will probably give "Selma" a boost this weekend. The drama earned a 100% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and notched four Golden Globes nominations.
“It’s not a typical biopic; there is this look at this man that is so unusual because it kind of unearths the strategy he had, the doubt he had, the concerns he had for people’s well-being,” Megan Colligan, Paramount's president of domestic marketing and distribution, told the Times when the film first rolled out. “It’s truly inspiring in a relatable way.”
Meanwhile, New Line and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” could add $13 million to its total domestic haul of about $227.5 million.
The Peter Jackson film, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, earned a 60% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an A-minus grade from audience polling firm CinemaScore.
Also, Warner Bros.' “Inherent Vice" will roll out in an additional 400 theaters. The Paul Thomas Anderson-directed film could add $5 million to its box-office haul.
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is marching toward its third consecutive win at the weekend box office.
In a repeat of Christmas weekend, “The Hobbit” finale leads “Into the Woods” and “Unbroken,” which are going head-to-head for second place.
Although the overall U.S. box office plunged 5.2% in 2014, the year ended on a high note, which continues into the first weekend of 2015. If estimates hold, this frame will finish ahead of the first weekend of 2014, when the seventh weekend of “Frozen” came in No. 1 with $19.6 million.
Warner Bros.’s “Battle of the Five Armies” brought in $8.4 million on Friday as it heads for just under $22 million this weekend.
The fantasy adventure crossed $200 million at the domestic box office on Friday and should raise its cume to $220 million by Sunday. “Battle of the Five Armies” is already the eighth highest grossing film of 2014 after 16 days at the box office.
Peter Jackson’s conclusion to his epic trilogy is also doing strong business internationally, where it had earned $457.8 million by Thursday. The film won’t open in China for another three weeks.
The first new release of the year, “Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death,” was runner-up on Friday, but will finish the weekend in fourth place. The sequel made $7.8 million on pace for a $16.2 million opening weekend.
CBS Films released the first installment, which launched to $20.9 million in 2012. Relativity acquired the film earlier this year for only $1 million.
“Woman in Black 2” could thrill audiences up until the end of February, when the next new horror film hits theaters.
Disney’s “Into the Woods” was third on Friday with the slightest edge over Universal’s “Unbroken.” However, the war drama looks to finish the weekend on top in the two films’ second neck-and-neck race in a row.
“Into the Woods” made $7.5 million at the U.S. box office on Friday. The musical, which carries a $50 million budget, is down 39% from Christmas weekend, when it came in far above estimates. Rob Marshall’s adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical will likely earn $19 million by weekend’s end, raising its cume to $91 million.
Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” reeled in $7.4 million on Friday. The war drama stands to gross just more than $19 million in its second weekend, upping its cume to $88.6 million.
Like “Into the Woods,” “Unbroken,” which cost $65 million to produce, has performed far above forecasts.
“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” landed in fifth on Friday with $5.9 million. The Fox sequel looks to end its third weekend with $15 million, raising its total take to $90 million-plus.
Meanwhile, Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” continues to deliver in limited release. The Bradley Cooper-starrer is expected to see a per screen average of $50,000 this weekend ($80,000 for the five-day holiday) on four screens, raising its cume to $2 million-plus.
One of the most disappointing realities about 2014 was that as box office shrank compared to last year, independent films were often hit the hardest. Despite stellar reviews, even festival darlings like “Whiplash,” “Foxcatcher,” “The Skeleton Twins” and “Dear White People” each grossed less than $10 million domestically. Here are the 17 most underrated movies of 2014 that deserve a second loo in the opinion of Variety’s film critics and reporters.
1. “Enemy” Jake Gyllenhaal’s biggest, most buzzed-about performance of 2014 may have been in “Nightcrawler,” but his best work could be found in “Prisoners” director Denis Villeneuve’s existential thriller about a mild-mannerded Toronto history professor who discovers he has a doppelganger in the form of a bad-boy bit-part movie actor. Virtually a solo — make that dual — performance piece, with Gyllenhaal playing most of his scenes opposite himself (and, in one case, a giant tarantula), this freewheeling mash-up of Davids Cronenberg and Lynch was a deliciously weird head-trip for the ages. –Scott Foundas
2. “Obvious Child” The year’s funniest indie comedy riffs on a subject even serious dramas tend to avoid: abortion. No wonder it ran into controversy in some corners. And yet, by being candid about the fact that its immature young protagonist has no intention of bringing the unplanned result of a one-night stand into the world, Gillian Robespierre’s refreshingly honest romantic comedy earned its way into our hearts. And so, in super-talented standup Jenny Slate, a star was born. –Peter Debruge
4. Calvary The rare film to tackle issues of faith, writer-director John Michael McDonagh has crafted a thoughtful and often very funny tale starring Brendan Gleeson as a priest in a small town in Ireland. In the film’s gripping opening scene, a parishioner informs the priest that he will kill him in one week. What follows is a mystery, a character study and a tour-de-force performance from Gleeson. –Jenelle Riley
5. “Big Men” This mesmerizing documentary from “Our Brand Is Crisis” director Rachel Boynton barely made it into theaters (despite counting Brad Pitt among its producers), but it deserved far more attention for its portrait of an upstart American energy company trying to exploit the first offshore oil field discovered in Ghana. A perilous, alarming and often darkly funny clash of first world and third, Boynton’s film was a real-world “Chinatown” populated by characters as strange and memorable as the richest fiction. –S.F.
6. “Starred Up” Now that “Unbroken” has introduced American audiences to intense British actor Jack O’Connell, they owe it to themselves to track down his most impressive screen performance to date. The young actor plays a tempestuous teenage prisoner who acts out in juvie so he can get promoted to adult jail, where he hopes to be reunited with his dad. That dysfunctional family connection gives this gritty drama the heft of Greek tragedy, or perhaps Shakespeare, written in the gnarled poetry of prison slang. –P.D.
7. “Begin Again.”
I saw John Carney’s follow-up to “Once” three times, and on each viewing felt more convinced that he had crafted a modern-musical “Annie Hall” that got lost in the avalanche of summer box office explosions (with a so-so box office gross of $16.1 million). It’s hard not to get swept up in this valentine, which got a boost from Judd Apatow in the draft-writing process, about a British songwriter (Keira Knightley) on the verge of fleeing New York when she meets a fired music executive (Mark Ruffalo). “Begin Again” features the most radiant performance of Knightley’s career, and the most addictive soundtrack of 2014 (with “Lost Stars,” performed by Adam Levine). –R.S.
8. “Frank” A celebration of the offbeat, “Frank” is a rousing success despite the fact that it obscures Michael Fassbender’s face behind a paper-mache mask for most of the movie. Though Fassbender plays a musician who insists on hiding behind a mask, The actor’s charisma and personality still shine through. As two of his bandmates, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Domhnall Gleeson offer frustrated support. –J.R.
9. “Locke” It was literally and figuratively impossible to take your eyes off Tom Hardy while watching writer-director Steven Knight’s boldly conceived real-time character study. Impossible, since Hardy remained front and center for all of “Locke’s” dazzling 90 minutes, as a beleaguered construction foreman on the road from Birmingham to London, fighting off sleep, guzzling cough syrup, and fielding the series of cell-phone calls that will forever alter the course of his life. –S.F.
10. “A Letter to Momo” In the wake of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement from feature film directing, many have asked who, if anyone, can take the maestro’s place. This charming hand-drawn cartoon from Hiroyuki Okiura suggests there’s hope in the new generation. The emotional tale recalls Miyazaki classic “My Neighbor Totoro,” as a young girl with family problems finds comfort from a group of supernatural spirits. –P.D.
11. “What If” Daniel Radcliffe finally made audiences forget he ever played Harry Potter in this romantic comedy about a Toronto medical student who falls for his unavailable best friend (Zoe Kazan). “What If” is about 500 times more charming than “(500) Days of Summer,” but it never earned the same cult status. The MPAA, which forced CBS Films to change the title from the far-superior “The F Word,” is partly to blame for that. –R.S.
12. “The Great Insivisble” It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the 2010 BP oil spill, but filmmaker Margaret Brown reframes the calamity in personal terms. In addition to documenting the Gulf of Mexico residents whose lives and livelihoods were rocked by the disaster, she even extends her sympathetic eye to those who were working aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig when it exploded, revealing how a system of oil dependency and reckless profit chasing is really to blame. After winning top doc honors at the South by Southwest film festival, the movie received a teeny tiny theatrical release, reaching a mere fraction of its potential audience. –P.D.
13. “Belle” As beautiful and exquisite as the painting that inspired the film, “Belle” features a star-making turn by Gugu Mbatha-Raw (who followed it with “Beyond the Lights”). In 18th century England, the mixed-race Dido Elizabeth Belle is raised amongst her aristocratic family, yet is always reminded that she doesn’t truly belong. Her fight for equality and love is beautifully brought to life with help from co-stars like Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson. –J.R.
14. “Palo Alto” From overexposed celeb James Franco comes this underseen look at listless California teens floating through a series of adolescent experiences — parties, pranks, drunken stunts and silly mistakes — with little care for tomorrow. Directed by Gia Coppola, granddaughter to the “Godfather” auteur, the admirably nonjudgmental film finds ragged beauty in a handful of Franco’s short stories, from which it was adapted, resisting the impulse to sensationalize that overtakes nearly everyone else when dealing with the age group in question. –P.D.
15. “Kill the Messenger” Jeremy Renner digs deep to play a real-life reporter for the San Jose Mercury News who covers a controversial story about the CIA’s involvement in the cocaine trade. “Kill the Messenger” is one of the most realistic movies about journalism I’ve ever seen –Mary Elizabeth Winstead is pitch-perfect as a newspaper editor — and Renner reminds us he’s a more layered actor than can be seen in his performances in blockbusters like “The Avengers” and “The Bourne Legacy.” –R.S.
16. “Memphis” In this mythic yet haunting portrait of soul musician Willis Earl Beal and the crumbling city that threatens to swallow him at every step, director Tim Sutton challenges what we expect from the squarest of American film genres — that is, movies about musicians — nearly all of which track someone with talent from obscurity to fame, before turning cautionary as celebrity or wealth or easy access to drugs destroys what was pure about that person. But there’s no formula to fall back on here, just moment-to-moment experience as Beal slides ever downward, slowly disappearing into the background of his own life. –P.D.
17. “We Are the Best!” The second truly great film from Swedish provocateur Lukas Moodysson, who rewrote the rules on how teenage girls were allowed to feel toward one another with 1998’s lesbian romance “Show Me Love,” introduces three high-attitude young ladies trying their hardest to shake things up in 1982 Stockholm. Their plan — to start a punk band — is driven more by the spirit of bored rebellion than anything they have to say musically, but it kicks off the year’s most endearing and unforgettable coming-of-age comedy. –P.D.
Transformers: Age of Extinction set records and was the best box-office performer of 2014 in China, followed by a couple of homegrown hits, as of Dec. 29.
Chinese official data is not out yet, but according to statistics gathered by Sohu Entertainment, there were 67 imported films in 2014, including movies on a revenue-share basis and those brought in for a flat fee.
The total box office for the imports in the second-largest movie market for 2014 amounted to around $2.13 billion. This marks a 47 percent increase from $1.45 billion in 2013.
Of the 67 imported films, 43 were from the U.S. These 43 films earned $2 billion in box-office revenue and accounted for about 93 percent of the whole box office of imported films.
While Hollywood dominated the top 10, including Interstellar as the second-best U.S. release of the year, total Chinese box office was around $4.4 billion, which means domestic films' box office was more than double that of imported films.
Jiang Wen's 3D epic Gone With the Bullets opened late in the year, followed by Tsui Hark’s 3D epic The Taking of Tiger Mountain. Early indications are that these big hitters will not be enough to bring in total box office for 2014 above the 3 billion yuan ($4.8 billion) level, let alone exceed the magic $5 billion threshold.
Here is a look at the top 10:
1. Transformers: Age of Extinction $320 million 2. Break-up Buddies $190 million 3. The Monkey King $170 million 4. Interstellar $121 million 5. X- Men: Days of Future Past $116.5 million 6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier $116 million 7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes $114 million 8. Dad, Where Are We Going? $112 million 9. The Breakup Guru $107 million 10. The Continent $101 million
Source: Chinese movie data website DianyingShuju Ku
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” crossed the $400 million mark at the international box office, topping charts for a third consecutive weekend.
The Middle-earth finale earned $89.2 million from 62 territories, pushing its global haul to $573.2 million. The two previous films in the trilogy have generated roughly $2 billion at the box office, and the hope is that the latest edition will add another billion or so to Warner Bros.’ and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s coffers. Domestically, “The Hobbit” was the number one grossing film, earning $41.4 million over the post-Christmas weekend.
The fantasy sequel debuted in Australia to $10.1 million and in Poland to $5.3 million. It continued to perform well in Germany with $11.7 million, France with $6.9 million and the United Kingdom with $6.6 million, among other territories. In terms of upcoming markets, a January 23 debut in China looms the largest.
Fox’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” was a distant runner-up at the foreign box office. The second place finisher pulled in $31 million from 39 territories. Ridley Scott’s Old Testament extravaganza debuted to $6.7 million in Brazil, $5.3 million in France, $4.3 million in the United Kingdom and $3.6 million in Germany. A flop in the U.S., the $140 million production is dependent on foreign crowds to make its money back. So far, the biblical epic has generated $149.5 million worldwide. It opens in Russia next week.
“Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” another financial disappointment for Fox, is also trying to salvage its box office fortunes abroad. To that end, the family film picked up $30.3 million from 6,467 screens in 40 markets. The film carries an $127 million pricetag and has generated $103.9 million globally.
Chinese action film “The Taking of Tiger Mountain” scored a fourth-place finish, pulling in $25 million. The 3D film centers on Chinese communist forces as they face off against bandits. Appeal outside of the People’s Republic will likely be limited.
Disney’s “Big Hero 6″ netted a robust $24.7 million from 51 territories, driving its global total to $320.8 million. The animated adventure still has several key markets left to open, including China in March and Korea, Germany and the United Kingdom in January.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armiesis giving the holiday box office a much-needed boost this weekend, adding a stellar $16.5 million Friday on its way to the No. 1 spot for the weekend.
Peter Jackson's film, based on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, should earn north of $86 million after opening Wednesday (about $54 million for the traditional three-day window), far above the original estimates of $75 million to $80 million. The New Line and MGM film will likely continue to do strong business in the coming holidays weeks as families have free time to head to the theaters. It earned an A- CinemaScore
Box-office comparisons to the previous Hobbit films won't be exactly parallel as the first two came out on Fridays. But the previous film, The Desolation of Smaug, earned $73.6 million in its debut weekend, and hit a final tally of $958.4 million worldwide. The first installment, An Unexpected Journey, opened in December 2012 to $84.6 million on its way to a grand total of $1 billion.
There's a heated race building for the No. 2 spot this weekend between the other two newcomers: Fox's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Sony's musical Annie.
Fox's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, directed by Shawn Levy, added $5.6 million Friday on its way to about $18 million for the weekend. The film, which garnered a B+ CinemaScore, is facing heavy competition in a crowded holiday box office, with so many films vying for families' attention, and so it won't reach the numbers earned by the previous two films. But December openings often have stronger multiples, so Night at the Museum could continue to see growth in the holiday weeks to come.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian opened in May 2009 to a four-day debut of $70 million over Memorial Day weekend. (It earned $54.2 million in the traditional three-day window.) It went on to earn $413.1 million worldwide. The first Night at the Museum film debuted to $30.4 million when it opened in December 2006 on its way to a worldwide tally of $574.8 million.
In a rare bit of good news for the hack-embattled Sony, the remake Annie, starring Quvenzhane Wallis, earned a solid $5.3 million Friday and got a favorable A- CinemaScore. The film got a nice boost Friday from school outings to theaters, and if it can bring in family audiences over the weekend, it's looking at an estimated $17 million debut.
Fox's Exodus: Gods and Kings, now in its second week, will claim the No. 4 spot, with a weekend tally estimated at $8 million. The Christian Bale-starring Biblical epic earned $24.1 million last weekend, taking the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office.
Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, now in its fifth weekend, took in an estimated $2.25 million Friday. The YA adaptation starring Jennifer Lawrence should add another $7.9 million to its tally to take the No. 5 spot this weekend.
Reese Witherspoon-starrer Wild, which has expanded into more than 1,000 theaters this weekend, earned $1.2 million Friday, and will likely take in a solid $3.6 million for the weekend
Friday estimates showed “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” taking in $14 million to $15 million at 3,875 locations on its third day.
That means “Five Armies” will also come out far ahead during the pre-Christmas weekend over two new entries — Fox’s “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb,” which is headed for about $23 million to $26 million, and Sony’s reboot of “Annie” with about $20 million, although some Friday forecasts were far more bullish on “Annie.”
“Five Armies” marched to $34.4 million on Wednesday and Thursday. Its projected $80 million total — slightly above New Line’s recent guidance — would rank as the eighth-highest opening of 2014.
If the numbers hold, “Five Armies” will come in about 35% lower than the $124 million in the first five days of 2003’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the finale of Jackson’s first trilogy.
The previous “Hobbit” films debuted on Fridays. “An Unexpected Journey” grossed $84.6 million in 2012 on its first weekend, and “The Desolation of Smaug” took in $73.6 million in its initial weekend last year. The two Hobbit films went on to gross nearly $2 billion combined.
The impressive start for “Five Armies” should also dispel a bit of the gloom for the studios and exhibitors, who have seen U.S. box office fall 5% this year — and then had to deal with Sony’s decision to pull “The Interview” out of its Christmas release slot in the wake of terrorist threats.
Friday estimates for Fox’s “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” came in at $7.5 million, including a moderate $491,000 from 2,531 locations in latenight shows Thursday. The 2006 and 2009 versions of the franchise combined for nearly $1 billion worldwide.
Sony reported that “Annie” grossed $360,000 at 2,400 locations in latenight shows Thursday. The studio has maintained that the musical, starring Quvanzhane Wallis, should come in at around $15 million, but tracking on titles that appeal mainly to children has been unpredictable.
Friday estimates for “Annie” were around $7 million, indicating that the film — set in contemporary New York City — is headed for slightly above $20 million.
Fox’s second weekend of “Exodus: Gods and Kings” will battle for the fourth slot with Lionsgate’s fifth weekend of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1″ in the $10 million to $12 million range.
For “Exodus,” that would represent a decline of more than 50% and leave the Christian Bale religious tale with $42 million in 10 days. For “Mockingjay,” it would be an impressive hold of under 20% with a 31-day U.S. cume of $292 million — just $40 million short of the top domestic grosser, “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
UPDATE, 4:50 p.m. PST — An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated the opening five-day U.S. gross of “Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King.” The correct figure is $124.1 million.
To say the Transformers series has its haters would be an understatement. The series has never been a darling of the critics, and with a current rating of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, the franchise’s most recent entry, Transformers: Age Of Extinction, is currently also the lowest rated. But the folks over at Paramount keep churning these movies out for a reason. Despite the negative critical response, Transformers: Age Of Extinction still managed to lock down over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. With numbers like that, another sequel was inevitable. Last we heard, they were shooting for a 2016 release date, but few details were given outside of that. It was unknown if either Mark Wahlberg, the star of Transformers:Age Of Extinction, or Michael Bay, the longstanding director of the series, would return — and there were even some strong rumors that both of them were out.
Well we can put at least one rumor to rest. While promoting his new movie The Gambler, Mark Wahlberg discussed his future involvement with the franchise (via MTV).
“Yeah, I committed to doing a couple more… I can’t speak for Mr. Bay, but something tells me we’ll be on the set soon.”
Wahlberg’s involvement will be especially important to Transformers fans if Michael Bay decides to sit this one out, as some form of consistency across the films is better than none. But if Bay is indeed out, then Paramount will have a lot to figure out, Screen Rant notes. They would need to find a suitable replacement for Bay, one that can live up to the visual dynamic fans have come to expect from the Transformers series. That’s a tall order to say the least, as there are few directors out there that have the weight and experience to match Bay.
There have been rumors circulating that Jonathan Liebesman, director of the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, movie would be filling Bay’s shoes, but there has been nothing definite or credible. There were even rumors that the latest Transformers movie would be fully CG and completely set on Cybertron, but if Wahlberg is indeed involved, it is doubtful those rumors were true.
So, good news for Transformers fans. Looks like we can expect to see Wahlberg hit the big screen with Optimus Prime again soon enough. Are you looking forward to the new Transformers movie, or will you be sitting this one out along with Michael Bay?
Now, more than 70 years after Tolkien first published those words, the hobbit himself, Bilbo Baggins, is set to appear in a third movie inspired by the book. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" picks up where "The Desolation of Smaug" left off. Smaug has left the mountain to wreak havoc on the men of Lake-town, and the dwarves now have the mountain to themselves.
Fans of the book know all about the epic adventures that happen next... or do they? Both of the previous films in the trilogy have been well-received by critics and fans alike, earning favorable ratings on sites like Rotten Tomatoes and hundreds of millions at the box office; however, not all Tolkienites agree with the creative liberties taken by director Peter Jackson in the adaptations.
The core story remains the same, but within it there are changes that have far-reaching implications viewers might not even realize.
If book fans don't seem to remember Azog the Pale Orc from "The Hobbit," there's a good reason for that. He actually died almost 150 years before the book begins. Thorin's cousin Dáin killed the orc at the Battle of Azanulbizar in the year 2799 T.A. (Third Age). The events of "The Hobbit" take place between 2941 to 2942 T.A.
Azog is a formidable obstacle in the film, but in the book he's mentioned only briefly:
“I did not ‘get hold of it,’ I was given it,” said the wizard. “Your grandfather Thrór was killed, you remember, in the mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin.” “Curse his name, yes,” said Thorin.
Tolkien also referred to Azog as a goblin, but the author was known to use orc and goblin interchangeably.
Tauriel is an elf that was completely made up for "The Hobbit" movies to "bring some more female energy," according to Entertainment Weekly. The elf, however, has an exponentially bigger impact than vigor.
Legolas, who also wasn't in the original story (as son of Thranduil he could've been present, though), is interested in Tauriel. Unfortunately for him, Kili says an inappropriate pick up line about his trousers, and the lady elf swoons.
Before the addition of Tauriel, mentions of women in Tolkien's book were scarce. The addition of Tauriel and Galadriel (also not in the original story) seems to have been a huge step forward for Middle-Earth's women's movement.
3. Bilbo doesn't save the dwarves from the Trolls.
Early in "The Hobbit", the dwarves send Bilbo ahead to investigate a light, which turns out to be three trolls around a fire. In an attempt to steal one of their money purses, Bilbo is caught. Soon the dwarves rush in and are quickly tied up, leaving Bilbo, who the Trolls have forgotten about, to rescue them. Gandalf then mimics the trolls' voices to get them to argue amongst themselves until the sun comes up and kills them.
The trolls were Bilbo's first test in the book, and, despite finding some courage, he pretty much fails. The movie has a much different take on the events. Instead of being a non-factor after the dwarves are caught, Bilbo uses his wits to stall the trolls long enough for Gandalf to crack a rock and expedite the trolls' transformation into stone.
In the book, the ensuing spider scene is actually a huge turning point for meek Bilbo:
Somehow [after] the killing of this giant spider . . . [h]e felt a different person, and much fiercer and bolder in spite of an empty stomach, as he wiped his sword on the grass and put it back into its sheath.
4. The Dwarves escaped Mirkwood in sealed barrels.
According to Tolkien, the dwarves escape the elves of Mirkwood in sealed barrels that are delivered to Lake-town by the elves themselves.
The altered open barrel scene in the movie has a major domino effect. After the barrels are eventually stopped at a gate, which is something that doesn't happen in the books, Kili attempts to raise the portcullis and is shot with a poison arrow from an orc. This later leads to the company splitting up in Lake-town as some follow Thorin to the mountain and others stay behind to care for Kili, a huge departure from the book.
The barrel scene continues to change Tolkien's work throughout the second film. Rather than being delivered to Lake-town by elves, the company is forced to get a ride into town by Bard the Bargeman.
In the book, Bard isn't a bargeman. He's actually a bowman and captain of the town archers. Bard has a good relationship with the Master of the town as well, a stark contrast to the rebel bargeman portrayed in the "Desolation of Smaug."
6. Bilbo hears the spiders speak because of the ring.
In "The Desolation of Smaug", there's a distinct moment when Bilbo puts on the ring and understands the spiders in Mirkwood. After taking off the ring, there seems to be a brief lasting effect, and the hobbit hears the spider say, "It stings! It stings!" as he stabs it.
In the book, Bilbo hears the spiders talk when he puts on the ring, but it appears that's just because he was too far away before. After taking off the ring, he later hears them say they'll eat him, leave his bones in a tree and hang him upside down -- y'know, the usual spider stuff.
Fans speculate that the spiders are speaking some form of Black Speech in the movie version. Black Speech is a language used by Sauron's minions, and it can be understood using the power of the ring, as demonstrated by Samwise Gamgee understanding orcs while in possession of the ring in The Return of the King. The use of Black Speech would further emphasize the growing power of the Necromancer (Sauron) in Dol Guldur, where the spiders are said to be coming from, but these events are not in the book.
Bilbo enters the mountain to sneak into Smaug's lair two times in Tolkien's story. The first time he steals a golden cup, and the second time he returns and discovers a bare spot on Smaug's chest. A thrush overhears him telling the news of the weakness to the dwarves and leaves to inform Bard at Lake-town, which is a good thing because the dragon has left the mountain to terrorize the townspeople.
That didn't exactly happen in the movie. The film has Bilbo enter the mountain and discover the Arkenstone while talking with Smaug. Just being near the stone makes Thorin start to lose it. Subsequently, the dwarves are involved in a huge action sequence that leads to Smaug being covered in molten gold. The dragon then leaves to attack Lake-town, whose supposed savior, Bard, was last seen in jail.
(Just remember to use that leverage, Will Turner ... er ... Bard.)
Remember that whole episode in the movie with the Necromancer and Radagast? Yeah, that isn't in The Hobbit. Gandalf does go to Dol Guldur and discover Sauron is the Necromancer, but this happens years before the events of the book. At this time, he gets the map to the Lonely Mountain from Thorin's father Thrain. In the extended edition of the movie, Thrain is held captive at Dol Guldur, but in the book he is believed to have died long before the dwarves and Bilbo set off for Erebor.
There was a meeting of the White Council to discuss an attack on Dol Guldur during the events of The Hobbit. This is where the wizard went after leaving the dwarves in the story, but it wasn't mentioned in detail in the book.
