I’ve waited YEARS for the box office king and queen to unite and finally it’s happened and the film has arrived. Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in this war drama about a congressman’s covert dealings in Afghanistan.
The movie comes out on Christmas day.
Julia Roberts was honored by American Cinematheque with the help of her pals and co-stars Tom Hanks, and Natalie Portman.
Julia said:
“I think I came along at a kinder time in the business. It wasn’t about fashion, and there weren’t so many media outlets, it was just kind of different. You could really cultivate your work a little more gently.”
More pics after the jump.
Things are looking up for NBC’s moderate hit and one of my favorite shows, Medium. They still have not announced if the show is getting picked up or not, for a fourth season, however NBC has ordered six more scripts, which is a good sign.
What in the world has happened to Vince Vaughn? He used to be so damn sexy, and used to have a really hot body. Remember Clay Pigeons? Now he looks like one of the Marlboro Man’s inbred grandchildren.
Tom Hanks and Ron Howard are returning for the prequel to The DaVinci Code, called Angels and Demons. DaVinci earned nearly 800 million dollars worldwide, so I’m sure both are going to see a pretty penny come paycheck time.
In yet another odd comic book movie casting choice, Avi Arad has revealed that Edward Norton will be playing Bruce Banner, better known as The Incredible Hulk in the next installment of the franchise. Hopefully it’s a lot better than that horrible film with Jennifer Connelly and Eric Bana.
Lots of A-Listers, and even more C-Listers turned out for the recent GLAAD Media Awards, including Jennifer Aniston, who for whatever reason received an award, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Hudson, and Patti LaBelle.
Pink tells Jimmy Kimmel she wants to make sure President Bush hears her song Dear Mr. President completely uncensored. And she thinks he may even respond with a song of his own. Through Eminem.
After nearly a decade, thanks to Ted Kennedy, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act–originally introduced in 1999 might finally get passed. With a Democratically controlled congress, and Judy Shepard’s (Matthew Shepard’s mother) support, maybe now we can get federal protection for gay people from vicious hate crimes.
Anika Noni Rose will be voicing the lead role in Disney’s upcoming animated feature The Frog Princess, in what will be historic as the first Disney film to have an African-American princess. Rose reportedly beat Tyra Banks, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson for the role.
Yes! The release of Charlie Wilson’s War nears and the first still from the film has been released. Granted…it still doesn’t come out ’til Christmas, but that shouldn’t stop me from being excited already should it? It’s my girl Julia Roberts’ first real return to the big screen in a while and it stars the always wonderful Tom Hanks and recent Oscar winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Also throw in Junebug’s Amy Adams as well as Roswell’s Shiri Appleby.
Return of the Box Office King and Queen!
Meanwhile, here’s a recent cover of Life magazine which featured Julia and her Charlotte’s Web co-star Dakota Fanning. Charlotte’s Web didn’t fare so well at the box office, especially considering the highly famous celebrity ensemble cast–it has only made about 75 million in the US thus far, but this was a competitive season for family movies.
Ghost House Pictures has posted a webisode for the upcoming sequel to the smash horror hit The Grudge. It’s not much, but it gives you a little look at Japan, and some info on the process of pre-production and development for the movie.
The Grudge 2 stars Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants), Jennifer Beals, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
It hits theaters October 13.
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Columnists caught up with Tim Allen to talk about his upcoming movie Zoom, and got the scoop that production has already started on Toy Story 3, and that Tom Hanks is also already on board.
According to IMDB, this is the plotline: Buzz Lightyear is recalled to a factory in Taiwan, and the rest of his toy pals go to rescue him.
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Producer Joel Silver has opened up about why he decided to make a movie about Wonder Woman considering the moderate box office success of other movies based on D.C. comic characters like Batman Begins and Superman Returns. He had this to say:
“It was after I made ‘The Matrix‘ when I saw the response of the first tests and I realized the Trinity character was the highest-tested character. This was before they had done ‘Charlie’s Angels‘ or ‘Elektra‘ or any of these movies, and I thought, ‘Let’s just go out and try to make Wonder Woman work,’ and I could never find a script that I liked, but we’re close now.”
And what made him think of getting Joss Whedon to write and direct it?
“I just thought he would be the perfect guy to write it. I love Buffy and he’s a great writer. I sat down with him and asked if he’d do it, and he wrote me a note where he passed, and in the note, he explained what the movie had to be. There was no way I was going to let him pass, so I hammered him until he said, ‘Yes.’”
As far as casting:
“We have a script and we know where we’re going,” he responded when asked about where they are in the casting process. “She’ll probably be someone you never saw before, because she’s very young, but I think we’ll have a good time with it.”
Doesn’t look good for Katharine McPhee or the 50 million OTHER women slated to be given this role.
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One more thing before I go…
Isn’t this a fucking GORGEOUS picture of Constantine?
Can’t wait for that album, baby.
Moviegoers gave their blessing to the “The Da Vinci Code” over the weekend, spending an estimated $77 million to see the Tom Hanks religious thriller.
While the film didn’t set a domestic box office record, it was the largest weekend opening of the year so far and became the second largest worldwide release after “Star Wars: Episode III.” It garnered some $224 million worldwide, according to Sony Pictures.
The film was also the best domestic opening for both Hanks and director Ron Howard.
The movie’s performance, combined with the family film “Over the Hedge” debuting in second place with $37.2 million, was a welcome contrast to the last two weekends that saw disappointing results from “Poseidon” and “Mission: Impossible III.”
The total box office was down about 2.8 percent from the same weekend last year, according to studio estimates released Sunday. But that’s a tough comparison given that last year’s numbers included the record-setting debut of “Star Wars: Episode III.”
“‘Da Vinci‘ opening this big just tells you that people do want to go to the movies, they just need the right movie to go,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
Sony Pictures took a risk in the marketing of “The Da Vinci Code,” keeping the adaptation of the Dan Brown best-seller under wraps until a few days before its opening.
The film received mixed reviews and protesters picketed outside a number of theaters, upset over the story’s suggestion that Jesus Christ was married and had a child. But the controversy did little to deter moviegoers, who packed theaters in almost every country the film debuted.
“You had a built-in audience from the book and the awareness levels were so high from this film,” Dergarabedian said. “You would have to live under a rock not to know this movie was opening.”
The movie also set opening-weekend records in Italy and Spain, Sony Pictures said.
“This is a fantastically great surprise for us this morning,” said Jeff Blake, vice chairman of Sony Pictures.
It was good news for the studio, which had been struggling of late and had been counting on “The Da Vinci Code” to boost its fortunes.
“This is starting out to be a very good year,” studio chief Amy Pascal said.
The animated film “Over the Hedge” had a strong showing with its $37.2 million as part of a counter-programming strategy from distributor Paramount Pictures. While the opening was slightly low for a computer-animated family movie, the studio believes the film will hold its own next weekend as children have the Memorial Day holiday off.
“We thought we could very easily coexist with `The Da Vinci Code‘ and I think the numbers bear that out,” said Dan Harris, executive vice president at Paramount.
The Tom Cruise action film “Mission: Impossible III” crossed the $100 million mark in its third weekend with a total domestic box office take of $103 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “The Da Vinci Code,” $77 million.
2. “Over the Hedge,” $37.2 million
3. “Mission: Impossible III,” $11 million.
4. “Poseidon,” $9.2 million.
5. “RV,” $5.1 million
6. “See No Evil,” $4.4 million
7. “Just My Luck,” $3.4 million.
8. “An American Haunting,” $1.7 million.
9. “United 93,” $1.4 million.
10. “Akeelah and the Bee,” $1 million.
Despite the less than spectacular reception by critics and Catholics, the movie version of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, has grossed an estimated $30.17 million its opening day in 3,735 theatres according to ShowBIZ Data. If that number sticks, it will enter the Top 10 for opening day grosses just ahead of Star Wars: Episode II, which opened on a Thursday roughly four years ago. Depending on how well it sticks up to that opening day number, The Da Vinci Code could end up grossing between $84 and 88 million over the weekend.
Opening in almost 300 more theatres, DreamWorks Animation’s latest comedy Over the Hedge grossed an estimated $11 million in its first day, and should bring in enough business over the weekend to end up somewhere between $41 and 45 million for the weekend.
The potential for the top 2 movies to gross over $120 million means that the box office could exceed the same weekend last year when Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith opened to over $108 million. Check back tomorrow for an update on how “Da Vinci” fared in international markets, as well as the estimated grosses for the other movies in theatres.
Tom Hanks wants Charlize Theron to play Marilyn Monroe in his new movie.
The actress is in talks to play her screen idol in a new film, produced by Hanks‘ production company Playtone Films.
The 30-year-old Oscar-winner is the producers’ favorite to portray the late “Some Like it Hot” actress in the movie adaptation of Monroe’s biography “Goddess.”
Theron has on many occasions spoken about her admiration for 50s sex symbol - and once considered buying the star’s old house.
Meanwhile, Paris Hilton has claimed she is as good an actress as Theron.
The sexy socialite insists she is easily as talented as the screen beauty, who won the Best Actress prize for her performance in “Monster,” and says the pair will soon be competing for the same roles.
She said: “My acting coach told me I have a similar style of acting to her so we may end up vying for the same parts.”
Oh please bitch.
Stephen Chbosky (Rent) is adapting Leimbach’s London-set novel about a couple and their two children. When it’s revealed that the son is autistic, the family’s orderly life is shattered.
Roberts starred in a previous adaptation of a Leimbach book, Dying Young, in 1991.
Roberts also recently optioned the film rights to Cammie McGovern’s book “Eye Contact,” about a mother and her autistic son.
Roberts‘ next project is Universal’s “Charlie Wilson’s War” opposite Tom Hanks for director Mike Nichols.
Bristol Bay Productions has come on board to fully finance The Great Buck Howard, the Colin Hanks-Tom Hanks magician comedy, says Variety.
Kevin Kline is in talks to join the cast. Sean McGinly will direct his script, and production will begin in July in New York. Playtone’s Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce.
Kline is negotiating to play a renowned illusionist whose career is on the wane. Colin Hanks will play a kid fresh out of school who becomes the magic man’s assistant. In a smaller role, Tom Hanks plays Buck’s father, who is not at all enthused about his son’s career choice.
Bristol Bay, the sister company to Walden Media in the Anschutz Film Group, will fully finance the film, and make distribution deals later.
