'Expendables 2' tops N. America box office

LOS ANGELES: All-star action romp "The Expendables 2" opened at the top of the North American box office, easily dethroning another sequel, "The Bourne Legacy," industry figures showed Monday.

"Expendables 2", which stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jet Li as mercenaries, raked in $28.6 million since its debut on Friday, according to movie tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"The Bourne Legacy" -- starring Jeremy Renner as a secret agent threatened by his employers in the latest installment of the popular series that had starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne -- took in $17.1 million for second place.

That kept it ahead of another new release, "ParaNorman," an animated movie about a boy who can speak with the dead, which raked in $14.1 million in ticket sales.

Political spoof "The Campaign," starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, fell to fourth place, with box office receipts of $13.1 million.

"Sparkle" -- a Motown-style musical set in the 1960s, featuring the late Whitney Houston in her final film appearance -- opened in fifth place, with $11.6 million.

"The Dark Knight Rises," the latest Batman film, slipped to sixth place, earning $11 million. The final installment in the trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan has so far raked in a total of $410 million.

Quirky fantasy-comedy "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" debuted in seventh place at $10.8 million.

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones's romantic comedy "Hope Springs," about a married couple trying to get back their spark, was in eighth place at $9.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were teen comedy "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" ($3.8 million) and science-fiction action remake "Total Recall" ($3.5 million).

Disney's "Brave" rides to box office win

LOS ANGELES: Disney's new animated movie, "Brave," about a rebellious, red-headed princess battled to the top of movie box office charts over the weekend, scoring $80 million in ticket sales around the world.

The fairy tale from Disney's Pixar studio pulled in $66.7 million at domestic theaters, plus $13.5 million from nternational markets. "Brave" easily topped new historical/horror mashup "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which finished the weekend in third place.

The 3D "Brave" is set in the ancient Scottish highlands and centers around horseback-riding teen princess Merida, who defies her mother and her kingdom's traditions. Merida, voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald, must then use her courage and archery skills to undo a curse.

The movie brings the 13th consecutive No. 1 opening to Pixar, which has become Hollywood's most reliable studio during its 17-year history of making films. Starting with "Toy Story" in 1995, its 12 films before "Brave" have generated more than $7.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, according to Hollywood.com.

Its 2010 film "Toy Story 3" was the biggest selling film that year, with $415 million in U.S. ticket sales and nearly $1.1 billion worldwide.

"Brave" is a departure for Pixar, and is its first film to feature a strong female as the lead character, following a long Disney tradition with female heroines that in recent years have included "Mulan" and "Pocahontas." "Brave" cost about $185 million to make.

Ahead of the weekend, industry tracking suggested "Brave" would secure between $55 million and $60 million in domestic ticket sales, putting the film line with most of Pixar's recent debuts, but the film topped expectations.

"Brave" knocked another animated family film, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," to No. 2 after its two weeks in the top spot. The movie about a pack of escaped zoo animals took in $20 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters over the weekend, and the worldwide total since its debut rose to $157.6 million.

HONEST ABE BATTLES VAMPIRES

In third place on domestic charts, thriller "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" rung up a solid $16.5 million. The movie imagines the 16th U.S. president fighting creatures of the night that are plotting to take over the country. Benjamin Walker stars as the axe-wielding Lincoln in the $70-million 3D production.

The movie rung up another $8.1 million in international markets.

Distributor 20th Century Fox, a unit of News Corp, had projected domestic sales would hit around $15 million for the weekend.

In fourth place, "Alien" director Ridley Scott's movie, "Prometheus," about explorers searching for the origins of mankind added $10 million in domestic sales to bring its global sales after three weeks to $108.5 million.

Another new release, "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" pulled in $3.8 million, for a disappointing 10th place. The dark comedy starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightley tells the story of a man who goes on a road trip as an asteroid speeds toward Earth.

The film, which cost less than $10 million to make, played in 1,618 theaters, fewer than the 3,000-plus for the weekend's other big movies.

The fifth spot went to Universal's "Snow White and the Huntsman," which took in $8 million domestically to bring its four-week global total to $137 million.

"Madagascar 3" was produced by Dreamworks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. News Corp movie studio 20th Century Fox released "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and "Prometheus." Focus Features, a unit of Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures, released "Seeking a Friend." (Reuters)

'Snow White' takes bite out of N. America box office

LOS ANGELES: "Snow White and the Huntsman" was the fairest of them all at the North American box office over the weekend with a $56.3 million debut, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The film starring Charlize Theron and Kristen Stewart of "Twilight" fame, which offers a new twist on the classic fairy tale, knocked the sci-fi comedy sequel "Men in Black 3" off the top of the charts.

The reunion of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as secret agents battling aliens living on Earth, which topped the box office charts last weekend, took second place with $29.3 million, according to Exhibitor Relations.

"Men in Black 3" has total takings of $112.3 million so far.

In third place was comic book superhero blockbuster "The Avengers," pocketing $20.3 million. It has so far taken in $552.7 million in North America.

The film has become the highest-grossing movie in Walt Disney Studios' history with global earnings so far of almost $1.4 billion, the third-highest total of all time.

"The Avengers" maintained its lead over the big-budget but critically panned "Battleship," which dropped to the number four spot in its third weekend with $4.8 million in box office receipts.

In fifth was comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's "The Dictator," at $4.7 million.

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," a comedic drama about British retirees in India, took in $4.6 million for sixth place.

Keeping its seventh place was romantic comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting," about five interconnected couples sharing the experience of having a baby, with $4.4 million.

Next was Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" reboot starring Johnny Depp, in eighth place with $3.9 million.

Ninth place went to horror flick "Chernobyl Diaries." The tale of a group of tourists taking a disastrous tour of the ghost town of Pripyat in Ukraine, abandoned after the 1980s nuclear disaster, made $3 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "For Greater Glory," a chronicle of the Cristero War of 1926-29, an uprising against the Mexican government also known as the Cristiada. It took in $1.8 million on its debut weekend.

Final figures were due out on Monday. (AFP)

'Avengers' outguns 'Battleship' at box offices

LOS ANGELES: New action movie "Battleship" collided with Iron Man, The Hulk and the rest of "The Avengers" this weekend at movie theater box offices, and the super heroes came out on top.

"Avengers" from Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios added an estimated $55.1 million to its U.S. and Canadian ticket sales and held the No. 1 box office spot for the third straight weekend, according to studio forecasts on Sunday.

The strong performance left big-budget "Battleship," which launched in theaters on Friday, drifting in second place with $25.3 million. Final figures will be released on Monday.

Since it opened overseas in late April, "Avengers" has dominated movie theater box offices worldwide. Global sales for the film that unites a squadron of Marvel super heroes in a battle against evil reached $1.18 billion through Sunday, making it the biggest Disney release ever, the studio said.

Steady interest in "The Avengers" likely took business from "Battleship," an effects-filled $209-million production inspired by a Hasbro board game. Ahead of the weekend, box office forecasters projected at least $30 million for "Battleship" in its North American (U.S. and Canadian) debut.

"We're disappointed obviously, there are a lot of factors going into this including the juggernaut 'Avengers' ... it's taking a big chunk out of the marketplace," Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution at Universal Pictures, told Reuters.

"As a studio, it's not a disaster but as a domestic opening, it's softer than we could have hoped for ... the (audience) attention span is unfortunately altered when you have a juggernaut like 'Avengers,'" Rocco added.

The movie stars Taylor Kitsch and Alexander Skarsgard as Navy officers engaged in a battle at sea against alien invaders. The U.S. Navy provided ships and crew members for the film.

Universal Pictures released "Battleship" overseas weeks ago. International sales since the April 11 debut reached $226.8 million through Sunday, the studio said. Combined, global ticket sales for "Battleship" stand at $252.1 million.

In third place for the weekend, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's satire, "The Dictator," earned $17.4 million domestically over the weekend. The movie opened on Wednesday last week, and its five-day total came in at $24.4 million.

"We're ecstatic about that result. It's a fantastic start for us and we couldn't be more pleased ... for us to think we could beat 'Borat,' that was a pretty high goal ... hopefully we have a shot getting to 'Borat' numbers based on the opening," Anthony Marcoly, president of international distribution at Paramount, told Reuters.

OPPRESSIVE LEADER

In the film, the irreverent Cohen, whose first film "Borat, Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" earned $128 million during its run in U.S. and Canadian theaters, again plays for laughs in "The Dictator.

This time Cohen portrays an oppressive leader of a fictional north African country. The movie cost $65 million to produce and Baron Cohen has been capturing headlines with high profile publicity stunts in the United States, London, Germany and Cannes, ahead of the film's release.

Marcoly added that they will be pushing the film into Southern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia this summer, focusing on its comedic value in those markets, rather than Baron Cohen's star status.

"Dark Shadows," a horror comedy starring Johnny Depp, ended its second weekend in domestic theaters in fourth place, falling from the No. 2 spot last week. The movie pulled in $12.8 million, for a total of $50.9 million to date.

In fifth place, comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting" took in $10.5 million. Based on a popular pregnancy advice book, the movie stars an ensemble cast including Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz and Chris Rock as soon-to-be parents.

Lions Gate, Alcon Entertainment and Phoenix Pictures produced the movie with a budget in the high $30 millions, reducing their risk with partnerships and foreign pre-sales.

Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp, released "Battleship." Lions Gate Entertainment Corp released "What to Expect." "Dark Shadows" was distributed by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros studio. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, released "The Dictator." (Reuters)

'Think Like a Man' tops North American box office

LOS ANGELES: Romantic comedy “Think Like a Man” easily beat four new films to win the U.S. and Canadian box office race for a second time while superhero movie “The Avengers” stormed into overseas theaters with record-breaking sales.

“Think Like a Man” led domestic charts with an $18.0 million total from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday. New movies including adult comedy “The Five-Year Engagement” didn’t come close, each grabbing about $11 million or less.

Big-budget, effects-filled “Avengers” hauled in a massive $178.4 million since Wednesday from theaters in 39 international markets, Walt Disney Co said. The 3D film from Disney’s Marvel studio set opening-weekend records in 12 territories including Mexico and Brazil and opening-day records in four countries.

“Avengers” reaches North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters on Friday to kick off the summer movie season. Box office forecasters predict super-sized sales that will rival this year’s record set by teen death match drama “The Hunger Games,” a blockbuster that debuted in March with $152.5 million domestically.

Anticipation for “Avengers” likely kept many filmgoers home from multiplexes this weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office division of Hollywood.com. Overall ticket sales slumped 30 percent from the same weekend last year.

“It just seemed like audiences are saving their time and money for next weekend” and the “Avengers” debut, he said.

“Think Like a Man” brought its 10-day sales to $60.9 million. The movie features an ensemble cast and is based on a best-selling relationship guide by comedian Steve Harvey.

Among the newcomers, animated family film “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” performed best with $11.4 million and second place. The film cost about $55 million to make. Total sales overseas, where the movie has been playing since late March, rang up at $75.1 million through Sunday.

Close behind in third place, love story “The Lucky One” took in $11.32 million domestically during its second weekend in theaters.

Action movie “The Hunger Games” slipped to fourth with $11.25 million. Worldwide sales to date reached $601 million, distributor Lions Gate Entertainment Corp said.

“Five-Year Engagement” opened at a disappointing No. 5 with $11.2 million, slightly below projections by Universal Pictures for the low-teens. The movie stars Jason Segel and Emily Blunt as a couple whose walk down the aisle runs into repeated interruptions. Audiences had a lukewarm reception, grading the movie a “B-minus” in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.

Universal and privately held Relativity Media produced “Five-Year Engagement” for about $30 million. “A reasonably priced film that slightly underperforms is not the worst thing in world,” said Nikki Rocco, Universal’s president of distribution.

New thriller “Safe” secured $7.7 million and the No. 6 slot. The movie stars Jason Statham as a former elite agent who takes on a mission to rescue a kidnapped girl. Another new thriller, “The Raven” starring John Cusack as Edgar Allen Poe, landed in seventh place with $7.3 million.

Sony Corp’s film studio distributed “Think Like a Man” and “Pirates! Band of Misfits.” Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros. studio released “The Lucky One.” “The Five-Year Engagement” was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast Corp.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp released “Hunger Games” and “Safe.” Privately held Relativity Media released “The Raven” in the United States, and Alliance Films distributed the movie in Canada.(Reuters)

Apes rule the American box office

LOS ANGELES: New Hollywood film ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is at the top of the American box office earning over $ 104.9 million. Even though new films arrived in theaters over the weekend, audiences still flocked to ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ which continued its dominance over the competition.

In weekend sales the movie took in $ 27.5 million.

None of the new films which debuted over the weekend saw such results, but ‘The Help’ which is an adaptation of a civil rights novel was the exception. It had ticket sales of $ 25.5 million.

Box office records broken: Bollywood’s July of joy

Four hit films in July create Bollywood box office history... Which one was your favourite? Delhi Belly, Murder 2, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, or Singham?

History is in the making at box office this month. With four blockbusters running successfully at theatres, this July has turned out to be the best ever in the history of Hindi cinema.

Going by the trade figures, the month saw a net collection of around Rs 210 crore at box office, which is a whopping figure. To give you a sense of proportion, it is roughly 26 percent of the total collection of the first half of this year which included the hits like Ready and Double Dhamaal.

In fact, these two films set the momentum in June, carried forward at the start of July with Delhi Belly, which turned out to be a runaway hit despite its A certificate and expletive-strewn dialogues. Bbuddah - Hoga Terra Baap, released on the same day, did not really create a ruck at ticket windows but did decent enough business.

Then came Murder 2, with its macabre tale of a psychotic killer, and minted money at box office despite being panned by the critics.

Box office hat-trick was consummated with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a life-affirming tale of three friends on a trip through Spain. The film managed to attract footfalls despite releasing just two days after the 13/7 Mumbai terror attacks. In fact, it surpassed the first weekend collection of Murder 2.

The fourth Friday of July brought more cheer with the release of Singham. The movie, starring Ajay Devgan, became the second best opener of the year after Salman Khan’s Ready. The film witnessed an exceptional weekend at box office and is still running strong, racing on its way to be a hit.

Compared to the July of 2010, this July has seen an 80 percent increase in box office business, making it the best ever July in Bollywood history.

The good news is that the coming months would see the release of some most eagerly awaited films of the year, like Bodyguard, Ra.One and Don 2. All of them are expected to be money minters.

'Transformers' fires up holiday weekend with $116M

LOS ANGELES: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" followed the franchise's previous installments to quick blockbuster status, hauling in $115.9 million over the long Fourth of July weekend.

The movie raised its domestic total to $180.7 million in just over six days.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Tuesday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Paramount, $115,886,050, 4,088 locations, $23,937 average, $180,651,397, one week.

2. "Cars 2," Disney, $31,629,695, 4,115 locations, $6,385 average, $122,560,310, two weeks.

3. "Bad Teacher," Sony, $17,261,534, 3,049 locations, $4,758 average, $62,707,505, two weeks.
4. "Larry Crowne," Universal, $16,098,795, 2,973 locations, $4,405 average, $16,098,795, one week.
5. "Super 8," Paramount, $9,527,129, 3,088 locations, $2,565 average, $110,070,156, four weeks.
6. "Monte Carlo," Fox, $8,588,318, 2,473 locations, $3,014 average, $8,588,318, one week.
7. "Green Lantern," Warner Bros., $7,928,176, 3,280 locations, $1,999 average, $103,616,460, three weeks.
8. "Mr. Popper's Penguins," Fox, $6,702,940, 2,861 locations, $1,936 average, $51,727,662, three weeks.
9. "Midnight in Paris," Sony Pictures Classics, $4,382,382, 858 locations, $4,172 average, $34,582,454, seven weeks.
10. "Bridesmaids," Universal, $4,354,515, 1,389 locations, $2,625 average, $153,728,880, eight weeks.
11. "X-Men: First Class," Fox, $3,617,628, 1,602 locations, $1,842 average, $139,329,355, five weeks.
12. "The Hangover Part II," Warner Bros., $2,799,390, 1,568 locations, $1,525 average, $248,651,272, six weeks.
13. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," Disney, $2,629,072, 1,473 locations, $1,487 average, $234,176,965, seven weeks.
14. "Kung Fu Panda 2," Paramount, $2,086,729, 1,281 locations, $1,300 average, $157,281,396, six weeks.
15. "The Tree of Life," Fox Searchlight, $1,307,156, 228 locations, $4,686 average, $7,810,592, six weeks.
16. "Beginners," Focus, $740,568, 108 locations, $5,539 average, $2,506,936, five weeks.
17. "Delhi Belly," UTV, $701,824, 89 locations, $6,539 average, $701,824, one week.
18. "Buck," IFC, $601,336, 131 locations, $3,671 average, $1,131,831, three weeks.
19. "Rio," Fox, $542,534, 308 locations, $1,451 average, $140,575,082, 12 weeks.
20. "Thor," Paramount, $470,820, 270 locations, $1,483 average, $177,988,100, nine weeks.
(AP)

Transformers 3 breaks box office record

LOS ANGELES: Transformers 3 is not only winning over audiences and breathing new life into 3D it’s also breaking box office records. Box Office Tracker Exhibitor Relations is showing that the third film Dark Of The Moon will bring in over $100million by the 4th of July making it the largest holiday box office on record.

3D Box office take has been on the slide over the last while with Green Lantern taking the hardest hit with less than 40% of its revenue coming from 3D ticket sales. Transformers 3D on the other hand has seen over 60% of its revenue come from 3D ticket sales.

Without question Transformers will become a billion dollar franchise in the next month if things keep up as they are at the box office.

Transformers: dark of the moon makes box office debut

NEW YORK: The third installment in the Transformers series “dark of the moon” is being released today. The movie will be released in both 2D and 3D formats.

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is set to hit theaters across the US on June 29. The move showcases a mysterious event from Earth's past which erupts into the present day; it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

‘Pirates 4’ still top pick at box office

LOS ANGELES: The fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie ruled the foreign box office for a second weekend, fending off strong debuts by the "Hangover" and "Kung Fu Panda" sequels.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," playing everywhere overseas, captured $123 million during the weekend, raising its total to $471 million -- more than three times its domestic gross ($153 million).

"The Hangover, Part II" pulled in $59 million from 40 markets. Warner Bros. said the opening is three times higher than the comparable opening gross of the original 2009 hit in the same markets.

The comedy drew huge numbers from its No. 1 U.K. bow ($16.4 million), while Australia chipped in $11.6 million and France $5.8 million. Germany and Russia will open this week.

"Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D followed closely with $57 million from just 11 markets, mostly in Asia.

The sequel to 2008's "Kung Fu Panda" finished in the top spot in nine markets, with China ($18.5 million), Russia ($15 million) and South Korea ($13 million) leading the list.

This week will see "Kung Fu Panda 2" adding 11 markets as it rolls out gradually over the summer months to capitalize on school holidays.

No. 4 on the weekend was "Fast Five," which grossed $13.3 million in 61 territories, pushing the foreign total for the turbo-charged street-racing sequel to $346 million.

"Rio" came in at No. 5 with $3.8 million from 37 markets for an overseas total of $321.9 million. (Reuters)

Rebooted 'Pirates' sets overseas box office record

NEW YORK (AP) — The reengineered "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise has sailed again at the box office, as the "On Stranger Tides" sequel took a record international haul of $256.3 million, according to studio estimates.

Walt Disney Co. said Sunday that the fourth "Pirates" installment earned $90.1 million domestically. That gives it a worldwide total of $346.4 million, the fourth largest global opening.

The new film jettisons co-stars Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, but brings back Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane introduce new characters.

"On Stranger Tides" was the only new film in wide-release on the weekend. In its second week of release, the acclaimed comedy "Bridesmaids" was second at the box office with $21 million.

'Thor' hammers 'Bridesmaids' at box office

"Thor" nailed down the No. 1 spot at the box office again.

Paramount's 3-D superhero film starring Chris Hemsworth as Marvel's hammer-toting god of thunder earned $34.5 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That brings the total haul of "Thor" to $119.2 million, though not quite as impressive as fellow comic book hero "Iron Man 2," which earned $211.2 million by its second weekend the same time last year.

"`Thor' had a really great playing field to work on for its second weekend in theaters," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "For a big-budget Marvel Comics film that opened very solidly to drop only 48 percent indicates some very strong word of mouth. I think Kenneth Branagh being the director really brought a lot to the table."

Universal's "Bridesmaids," the raunchy comedy starring Kristen Wiig as a down-on-her-luck maid of honor, debuted above expectations in second place with $24.4 million. Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, attributed the movie's good reviews and word of mouth to wide audience appeal: 67 percent of the audience was female; 33 percent male.

"That's pretty good considering this is a picture titled 'Bridesmaids,'" said Rocco.

The next adversary for "Thor" arrives next week with the opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth film in the blockbuster Disney franchise starring Johnny Depp as mischievous pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow. On Memorial Day weekend come the sequels "The Hangover Part II" from Warner Bros. and "Kung Fu Panda 2" from Paramount.

"The cavalry is about to arrive," said Dergarabedian. "We're poised for a strong Memorial Day weekend. We're down year-to-date about 13 percent on revenue. A month ago, we were down 20 percent. We're making up ground, and this weekend was down only 3 percent, which is impressive considering the strength of 'Iron Man 2' in its second weekend a year ago."

Universal's car-racing sequel "Fast Five" with Dwayne Johnson shifted into the third position with $19.5 million in its third weekend in theaters.

Sony's 3-D vampire-hunting graphic novel adaptation "Priest" opened in fourth place with $14.5 million, while Fox's animated bird tale "Rio" landed at fifth place with $8 million in its fifth weekend in theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Thor," $34.5 million.

2. "Bridesmaids," $24.4 million.

3. "Fast Five," $19.5 million.

4. "Priest," $14.5 million.

5. "Rio," $8 million.

6. "Jumping the Broom," $7.3 million.

7. "Something Borrowed," $7 million.

8. "Water for Elephants," $4.1 million.

9. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family," $2.2 million.

10. "Soul Surfer," $1.8 million.
(AP)

`Limitless' wins weekend with $18.9M debut

LOS ANGELES: "Limitless," starring Bradley Cooper as an author who taps his full brain potential after sampling a revolutionary new drug, topped North America's weekend box office, data showed Monday.

The darkly comic thriller film benefited from a charismatic lead actor in Cooper, of 2009 smash hit "The Hangover," to make $18.9 million in its debut weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In second place was Paramount's eccentric animated film "Rango," with the voice talent of Johnny Depp in a tale about a chameleon who becomes sheriff to clean up the town of Dirt, had $15.1 million in ticket sales.

Slipping from the top spot to third was "Battle: Los Angeles," which tells the story of a unit of US Marines fighting invading aliens. The film took in $14.5 million across North America.

The Matthew McConaughey-starring drama "The Lincoln Lawyer" debuted in the fourth spot, with $13.2 million, while British comic star Simon Pegg's science fiction romp "Paul" took $13 million, also in its opening weekend.

In sixth was "Red Riding Hood," a gothic retelling of the classic fairy tale, starring Amanda Seyfried as a strong-willed teenager in a love triangle, had $7.2 million in sales as it slid three spots in its second weekend.

Thriller "The Adjustment Bureau" had $58 million in takings for the seventh spot, while Disney's "Mars Needs Moms!" slipped three slots for this weekend's number eight with $5.3 million in estimated sales.

Ninth place went to critically panned teen romance flick "Beastly" with $3.2 million, ahead of comedy "Hall Pass" with $2.6 million. (AFP)

'Battle: LA' tops box office with $35.6 million

NEW YORK (AP) — The alien invasion sci-fi blockbuster "Battle: Los Angeles" conquered the box office with a $35.6 million debut.

Other new releases performed poorly. The gothic fairy tale adaptation "Red Riding Hood" took in $14 million, while Disney's 3-D animated "Mars Needs Moms!" managed just $6.9 million.
The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Battle: Los Angeles," Sony/Columbia, $35,573,187, 3,417 locations, $10,411 average, $35,573,187, one week.
2. "Rango," Paramount, $22,602,847, 3,923 locations, $5,762 average, $68,206,101, two weeks.
3. "Red Riding Hood," Warner Bros., $14,005,335, 3,030 locations, $4,622 average, $14,005,335, one week.
4. "The Adjustment Bureau," Universal, $11,597,335, 2,847 locations, $4,074 average, $38,589,595, two weeks.
5. "Mars Needs Moms!" Disney, $6,914,488, 3,117 locations, $2,218 average, $6,914,488, one week.
6. "Beastly," CBS Films, $5,021,232, 1,959 locations, $2,563 average, $16,911,633, two weeks.
7. "Hall Pass," Warner Bros., $5,011,020, 2,555 locations, $1,961 average, $34,842,289, three weeks.
8. "Just Go With It," Sony, $4,019,266, 2,398 locations, $1,676 average, $94,000,847, five weeks.
9. "Gnomeo and Juliet," Disney, $3,617,255, 2,585 locations, $1,399 average, $89,102,365, five weeks.
10. "The King's Speech," Weinstein Co., $3,573,112, 1,768 locations, $2,021 average, $129,010,235, 16 weeks.
11. "Unknown," Warner Bros., $3,366,339, 2,303 locations, $1,462 average, $58,410,845, four weeks.
12. "I Am Number Four," Disney, $2,260,314, 2,005 locations, $1,127 average, $50,455,723, four weeks.
13. "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never," Paramount, $1,378,830, 1,247 locations, $1,106 average, $70,955,641, five weeks.
14. "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," Fox, $1,306,504, 931 locations, $1,403 average, $35,162,958, four weeks.
15. "Take Me Home Tonight," Relativity Media, $1,272,239, 2,003 locations, $635 average, $5,891,092, two weeks.
16. "Cedar Rapids," Fox Searchlight, $921,038, 394 locations, $2,338 average, $4,597,332, five weeks.
17. "Tangled," Disney, $640,753, 363 locations, $1,765 average, $196,675,983, 16 weeks.
18. "The Fighter," Paramount, $576,083, 463 locations, $1,244 average, $92,931,288, 14 weeks.
19. "Yogi Bear," Warner Bros., $476,341, 404 locations, $1,179 average, $98,677,804, 13 weeks.
20. "Black Swan," Fox Searchlight, $440,504, 337 locations, $1,307 average, $105,928,217, 15 weeks.

Credit : The Associated Press

'Number Four' aims for first place at box office

LOS ANGELES: "I Am Number Four," a teen sci-fi adventure starring young English hunk-of-the-moment Alex Pettyfer, is likely to open in the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this Presidents Day holiday weekend.

Box-office observers say the film could do in the low-$20 million range for the four-day period.

Directed by D.J. Caruso, "Number Four" tells the story of an alien teenager hiding out on Earth from the ruthless species that killed his family. It marks the first DreamWorks title to be released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures under a distribution and marketing deal struck between the companies after DreamWorks' split with Paramount.

"Number Four" isn't the only new title poised to do well over the long holiday weekend, sparking hope in Hollywood that the downturn at the domestic box office will begin to reverse itself.

"Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son" also has good traction, especially among black audiences. The Fox threequel returns Martin Lawrence in the lead role while introducing a younger character played by Brandon T. Jackson.

The third new wide release is the Liam Neeson action-thriller "Unknown." The Warner Bros. release goes after older moviegoers and hopes to replicate the success of Neeson's 2009 surprise hit "Taken."

All three will have to compete with reigning champ "Just Go With It," a Sony romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. It had earned $41 million through Wednesday.

Disney's "Gnomeo & Juliet" also should have a good second weekend, particularly with Monday being a holiday in the United States. It had earned $30 million through Monday.

"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" is expected to suffer a big drop in its second weekend, but no one is willing to bet against the teen icon entirely. Its total through Wednesday was $33.9 million. (Reuters)

'Black Swan' continues its twirl overseas

LOS ANGELES: Despite "Tangled's" continued lock on first place, "Black Swan" landed just a feather away from taking the top spot at foreign theaters over the weekend, missing No. 1 by a mere $131,664.

An obvious "Oscar Bump" is strongly in play as international audiences in 29 territories boosted the mainstream art house wonder over the $150 million mark in global revenue with $16.7 million in weekend receipts.

Third place got an unexpected visitor as the Franco-Belgian comedy "Nothing to Declare" in just four territories earned an impressive $13.95 million and is approaching $50 million worldwide. For a film that most people stateside have never heard of, that's not a bad haul.

In six more territories than last week another Oscar darling, "The King's Speech," held steady in fourth place with $13.2 million and a global cumulative that is just a shilling shy of $200 million. And other Oscar contenders continued to make their mark in the Top 20, with "True Grit" in ninth place and "The Fighter" in 19th place, having just crossed the $100 million mark in global dollars.

Here are the top 20 movies at international theaters last weekend, followed by international gross for the weekend (excluding North America), number of theater locations, number of territories, worldwide gross to date (including North America), and number of weeks in release as compiled Wednesday by global media measurement company Rentrak Corp. and provided by Hollywood.com:

"Tangled," $16,871,286, 4,400 locations, 44 territories, $490,473,734, 12 weeks.

2. "Black Swan," $16,739,622, 3,484 locations, 29 territories, $155,421,621, 11 weeks.

3. "Nothing to Declare," $13,956,964, 1,129 locations, four territories, $46,882,950, three weeks.

4. "The King's Speech," $13,211,028, 3,893 locations, 26 territories, $199,976,798, 12 weeks.

5. "Sanctum," $11,958,392, 3,856 locations, 13 territories, $45,453,535, two weeks.

6. "The Green Hornet," $10,787,977, 7,822 locations, 59 territories, $200,046,313, five weeks.

7. "Yogi Bear," $9,278,119, 4,246 locations, 31 territories, $155,338,796, nine weeks.

8. "Kokowääh," $8,524,143, 876 locations, three territories, $21,659,756, two weeks.

9. "True Grit," $8,469,692, 3,385 locations, 16 territories, $177,921,814, eight weeks.

10. "Gulliver's Travels," $7,644,591, 1,992 locations, 36 territories, $183,300,808, eight weeks.

11. "Tron Legacy," $6,289,869, 2,075 locations, 26 territories, $356,084,840, nine weeks.

12. "No Strings Attached," $5,525,670, 3,098 locations, 17 territories, $71,811,219, four weeks.

13. "Gnomeo and Juliet," $5,348,317, 3,633 locations, seven territories, $34,476,335, one week.

14. "Just Go With It," $5,229,806, 4,463 locations, 13 territories, $44,182,893, one week.

15. "Hereafter," $4,487,711, 1,500 locations, 27 territories, $88,829,879, six weeks.

16. "The Tourist," $4,234,232, 2,601 locations, 50 territories, $230,777,671, 10 weeks.

17. "Femmine Contro Maschi," $3,362,288, locations NA, one territory, $10,450,509, two weeks.

18. "Detective K: Secret of a Peddler's Inn," $3,354,139, locations NA, one territory, $24,321,180, three weeks.

19. "The Fighter," $3,321,450, 1,942 locations, 19 territories, $102,820,739, 10 weeks.

20. "Gantz," $3,092,464, locations NA, one territory, $25,870,868, three weeks. (AP)

'The Roommate' slips into box office top spot

LOS ANGELES: The low-budget and widely panned horror flick "The Roommate" opened at the top of the North American box office during a sluggish weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The psychological thriller starring Leighton Meester as a deranged college freshman obsessed with her roommate Minka Kelly grossed $15.6 million in its three days, despite receiving poor reviews.

Survey aggregator Rotten Tomatoes said only nine percent of critics gave the film a thumbs-up.

Box office earnings were dented this weekend by the hugely popular Super Bowl American football championship game, due to take place later Sunday.

"Sanctum," which also got trashed by critics -- came in a distant second. The 3-D underwater cave adventure produced by James Cameron of "Avatar" fame secured $9.2 million in ticket receipts.

Dropping into third was "No Strings Attached," a romantic romp starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. The Ivan Reitman film about casual sex between friends took in $8.4 million.

British historical drama "The King's Speech" jumped up one notch to fourth after drawing 12 nominations from the Oscars race. It has earned $84.1 million so far in 11 weeks of showing.

Action movie "The Green Hornet" got fifth with $6.1 million, pulling ahead of Anthony Hopkins exorcism thriller "The Rite." The horror inspired by 1970s classic "The Exorcist" captured $5.6 million.

Dropping to seventh with $5.4 million was "The Mechanic," while the Western "True Grit" came in eighth with $4.8 million.

Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen's remake features Jeff Bridges in the John Wayne role as a drunken, hard-nosed US marshal. The film has earned $155 million in seven weeks.

Vince Vaughn's relationship comedy "The Dilemma," in its fourth week in theaters, slipped from seventh to ninth with $3.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 was "Black Swan," a gritty ballet-themed thriller starring Natalie Portman which earned $3.4 million, for a 10-week total of $95.9 million.

The film was nominated for five Oscars, including best picture and best performance by an actress for Portman.

China sets $1.5 bln box office record in 2010

BEIJING: China's film industry had a record year in 2010, grossing 10.17 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) at the box office, but domestic movies struggled against Hollywood blockbusters, according to state media.

National box office takings rose 63.9 percent on-year as more Chinese than ever went to the movies, Tong Gang, director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's State Film Bureau told the China Daily on Saturday.

"Ten billion yuan is just something to feel good about, but not to show off about," Tong was quoted as saying.

"So far, it has not been possible to compete with such films as 'Avatar' and 'Inception'. Far too few domestic films are well received by the public," he added.

Combined, Hollywood's sci-fi fantasy "Avatar" and thriller "Inception" represented about a fifth of China's total box office takings while the highest-grossing domestic film, disaster epic "Aftershock", earned only 673 million yuan.

"China still lacks good films," Tong said.

Beijing officials are increasingly stressing that China needs to expand its cultural industries, which account for less than two percent of the country's gross domestic product.

China made 526 feature films in 2010 -- up 15 percent from 2009 -- making it the third-largest film producer after Bollywood and Hollywood, the China Daily said.

But critics, including "Aftershock" director Feng Xiaogang, one of the country’s most successful commercial directors, say censors at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television often block the kind of originality needed to make great films.

"This is not an era that can produce masters," Feng told Sina.com in an interview last year.

China currently limits the number of foreign films screened in cinemas to 20 a year but in March it is due to address the World Trade Organization's call for it to open up its film market.

Tong declined to comment on what impact that ruling could have on the domestic film industry, the report said.

'Little Fockers' tops North American box office

"Little Fockers," the third in a series of Ben Stiller comedies playing on the nightmare in-laws theme, topped the Christmas weekend box office in North America, preliminary data showed Sunday.

Despite a lukewarm response from critics, the flick grossed 34 million dollars over the three-day weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen came in second with their remake of the John Wayne western "True Grit."

Jeff Bridges plays drunken, hard-nosed US Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn in the new version of the 1969 classic, which took in 25.6 million dollars, giving the Coen brothers their best ever opening.

Bridges also stars in last weekend's top film -- "TRON: Legacy" -- which captured 20.1 million dollars in ticket sales in its second weekend, slipping down to third in the rankings.

The sequel to the 1982 sci-fi cult hit stars 61-year-old Oscar-winner Bridges appearing opposite a computer-generated version of his younger self from the original movie.

The original "TRON" -- about a hacker transported into a computer game world -- was one of the first-ever computer animated films. It did well at the box office and became a cult for a generation of budding sci-fi fans.

In fourth spot was "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment in the "The Chronicles of Narnia" series based on the classic C.S. Lewis children's books. It earned 10.8 million dollars.

"Yogi Bear," a blend of 3D and live-action fun, notched up 8.8 million dollars in earnings ahead of Mark Wahlberg's boxing drama "The Fighter," in sixth place with 8.5 million.

Jack Black 3D comedy "Gulliver's Travels," based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel about a voyage to the Lilliput kingdom of tiny people, opened in a disappointing seventh place, with 7.2 million in ticket sales.

Ballet thriller "Black Swan," starring Natalie Portman as a dancer in a New York company exploring the dark sides of the industry and her own sensuality, dropped down a notch to eighth. It made 8.38 million dollars.

In ninth place, the animated Disney fable "Tangled" about long-haired Princess Rapunzel netted 6.5 million dollars, notching up a total of 143.8 million over its five weeks in theaters.

Rounding out the top 10 was romantic thriller "The Tourist," starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. It earned 5.7 million.

British historical drama "The King's Speech," featuring Colin Firth as a stuttering King George VI who is helped to overcome his impediment with the help of an eccentric speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush, earned 4.6 million in a limited showing in 700 theaters.