Author: Edward

#1 Four Christmases from Warner Bros. holds at #1 bringing in $18.1 million, down 41%, bringing total earnings to $70,843,000. Christmases showed in 3335 theaters, thats up 25. Budget was $80 million.

#2 Twilight holds at #2 bringing in $13.1 million, down 49%, bringing total earnings to $138,552,000. Twilight showed in 3620 theaters, up 195. Budget was $37 million.

#3 Bolt holds at #3 this weekend bringing in $9.6 million, thats up 63% over last bringing total earnings to $79,281,000. Bolt showed in 3516 theaters, down 138. Budget is unknown.

#4 Australia from Summit rises to #4 bringing in $7 million, down 52%, earning a total of $30,869,000. Australia showed in 2721 theaters, up 79. Budget was $130 million.

#5 Quantum of Solace drops to #5 this weekend bringing in $6.6 million, down 65%, bringing its total to $151,468,000. Solace showed in 3423 theaters, thats down 78. Budget was $200 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa : Weekend Gross: $5,100,000, down 64% / Theaters: 3317, down 392 / Gross: $165,675,000 / Budget $150 million

#7 Transporter 3 : Weekend Gross: $4,500,000, down 62% / Theaters: 2626 / Gross:$25,381,000 / Budget unknown

#8 Punisher: War Zone : Weekend Gross: $4,000,000, / Theaters: 2508, / Gross: $4,000,000 / Budget: $35 million

#9 Cadillac Records : Weekend Gross: $3,500,000 / Theaters: 686 / Gross: $3,500,000 / Budget: $12 million

#10 Role Models : Weekend Gross: $2,622,000, down 50% / Theaters: 1907, down 288 / Gross: $61,665,000 / Budget $28 million

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

#1 Four Christmases from Warner Bros. debuts at #1 bringing in $46.7 million. Christmases showed in 3310 theaters. Budget was $80 million.

#2 Twilight drops to #2 bringing in $39.5 million, down 43%, bringing total earnings to $119.6 million. Twilight showed in 3425 theaters, up 6. Budget was $37 million.

#3 Bolt holds at #3 this weekend bringing in $36 million, thats up 37% over last bringing total earnings to $66.8 million. Bolt showed in 3654 theaters, up 3. Budget is unknown.

#4 Quantum of Solace drops to #4 this weekend bringing in $28.1 million, up 5%, bringing its total to $142 million. Solace showed in 3501 theaters, thats up 43. Budget was $200 million.

#5 Australia from Summit opens at #2 bringing in $20 million. Australia showed in 2642 theaters. Budget was $130 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa : Weekend Gross: $19,599,584, up 25% / Theaters: 3709, down 298 / Gross: $159,511,000 / Budget $150 million

#7 Transporter 3 : Weekend Gross: $18,500,000, / Theaters: 2626, / Gross:$18,500,000 / Budget unknown

#8 Role Models : Weekend Gross: $7,808,660, up 6% / Theaters: 2195, down 538 / Gross:$57,896,000 / Budget $28 million

#9 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas : Weekend Gross: $2,189,745, up 32% / Theaters: 582, up 176 / Gross: $5,160,000 / Budget unknown

#10 Milk : Weekend Gross: $1,866,000 / Theaters: 36 / Gross: $1,866,000 / Budget unknown

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) has signed on to play Sho’nuff in a remake of Berry Gordy’s 1985 cult classic, The Last Dragon, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The plot focuses on a Bruce Lee-obsessed martial-arts student who masters the power of “the glow” and faces off with the neighborhood heavy. As originally played by the late Julius Carry, Sho’nuff, aka the Shogun of Harlem, goes around shouting, “Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?” To which his henchmen reply: “Sho’nuff!”

Marvel has tapped Joe Johnston, the effects whiz (Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark) turned director (The Rocketeer, Jurassic Park III), to direct its hugely anticipated comic book adaptation First Avenger: Captain America, according to the Hollywood Reporter. First Avenger will be set in WWII, as was the original comic, and pit the iconic flag waver against archnemesis Red Skull.

Gary Oldman is joining Denzel Washington in Allen and Albert Hughes’ postapocalyptic action drama Book of Eli, playing the despot of a small town seeking a powerful book guarded by a lone warrior (Washington).

All major actors from the vampire flick Twilight have signed on for the 2010 sequel New Moon. The pending sequel, which centers on mortal heroine Bella (Kristen Stewart) and werewolf Jacob’s (Taylor Lautner) growing friendship, has many fans worried whether fan favorite Lautner will be prepared to step into his enormous werewolf shoes. “I’ve got this to say about Taylor. He told me the other day that he had gained 14 pounds since I last saw him,” Hardwicke told USA Today.

Samuel L Jackson is teaming up with writer-director Brian Goodman to try to make fire-fighter drama The Fallen. Actor-turned-director Goodman, who is winning rave reviews for his Boston-set crime pic What Doesn’t Kill You, has been busy working on the script for the film, which follows the lives of a group of Boston firemen and deal with one of them becoming hooked on painkillers after an injury.

Christopher Ciccone will make his feature directorial debut with Usonian Entertainment’s teen thriller Twist. He has directed music videos for his sister Madonna. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Usonian’s Nathan Folks and Andrew Nagel will produce the feature, co-produced and written by Jay Milner and Karyn Milner of Clouded Leopard Prods. No production date has been set.

Dylan McDermott, Zoe Saldana, Lake Bell, Nick Stahl, Paz Vega and Shannen Doherty have joined the ensemble cast of Burning Palms, an indie drama satirizing Los Angeleno stereotypes via five interlacing story lines.

MovieWeb.com says that Michael Cera and real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi are starring in the unconventional comedy Paper Hearts. According to The Hollywood Reporter, indie film insiders are excited about about the indie, starring Michael Cera and others from Judd Apatow’s talent stable, that is expected to debut at next year’s Sundance Film Festival. “It’s pretty much ‘the one,’ at least as far as festival programmers are concerned,” one seller said. Those familiar with Paper Hearts describe it as part-documentary, part-scripted comedy about the real-life relationship between Cera and his girlfriend, Charlyne Yi, another member of the Apatow acting crew (she played the pigtailed stoner in Knocked Up). Like Cera’s recent Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, music also is a key theme. Nicholas Jasenovec, a relative unknown who has worked on past Apatow titles, makes his directing debut with the film. The film will debut at next year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, (aka The Jonas Brothers) along with younger brother Frankie will make their first feature-film foray toplining Walter the Farting Dog. Based on the hugely popular kid books, the film focuses on some musical siblings who must take care of their aunt’s odiferous pooch. According to Variety, another set of famous siblings obsessed with bodily-function hijinks, Bobby and Peter Farrelly, are in talks to direct for 20th Century Fox.

Natalie Portman is leading the Don Roos-directed family drama Love and Other Impossible Pursuits as a young mother trying to connect with her stepson.

Adrien Brody makes a run for it as The Courier, an indie film about a deliveryman trying to avoid the cops and hand over a prized package to a mysterious mobster.

Sources:
THR
E!
People
USA Today
MTV.com
Variety

#1 Twilight from Summit dominates the weekend bringing in $70.5 million. Twilight showed in 3419 theaters. Budget was $37 million.

#2 Quantum of Solace from Sony drops to #2 this weekend bringing in $27.4 million, down 59%, bringing its two week total to $109.4 million. Solace showed in 3481 theaters, thats up 7. Budget was $200 million.

#3 Bolt from Disney opens at #3 this weekend bringing in $27 million. Bolt showed in 3651 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#4 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa from Dreamworks drops to #4 this weekend bringing in $16 million, down 54%, earning a total of $137 million. Madagascar showed in 4007 theaters, down 58. Budget was $150 million.

#5 Role Models from Universal drops to #5 this weekend bringing in $7.2 million, down 35%, earning a total of $48 million. Models showed in 2733 theaters, down 65. Role Models cost $28 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Changeling : Weekend Gross: $2,643,000, down 37% / Theaters: 1739, down 157 / Gross:$31,613,000 / Budget $55 million

#7 High School Musical 3: Senior Year : Weekend Gross: $2,006,000, down 64% / Theaters: 2361, down 841 / Gross:$86,821,000 / Budget $11 million

#8 Zack and Miri Make a Porno : Weekend Gross: $1,700,000, down 46% / Theaters: 1220, down 990 / Gross:$29,350,000 / Budget $24 million

#9 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas : Weekend Gross: $1,673,000 / Theaters: 406 / Gross:$2,653,000 / Budget unknown

#10 The Secret Life Of Bees: Weekend Gross: $1,275,000, down 45% / Theaters: 1095, down 354 / Gross:$35,649,000 / Budget $11 million

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

Variety has reported that Twentieth Century Fox is gearing up to continue its X-Men franchise with a younger set of mutants. The studio has tapped Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz to write X-Men: First Class. Schwartz, the creator and executive producer of CW’s teen hit as well as Fox’s youth-centric The Oc and NBC’s Chuck, is expected to inject a next-gen sensibility into the superhero series, which has earned $1.2 billion worldwide. The writing assignment has also included the possibility of directing the film, but so far Schwartz has opted not to take the helm. Lauren Shuler Donner, who produced all three X-Men pics, as well as next summer’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” is producing First Class alongside Mr. and Mrs. Smith scribe Simon Kinberg.

Screenwriting duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have been brought aboard to pen the script for First Avenger: Captain America based on the 1941 Jack Kirby and Joe Simon created comicbook superhero. Markus and McFeely both contributed to the first two Narnia films as well as the Ben Kingsley 2007 starrer You Kill Me. The news comes 9 days after director Joe Johnston was named as the film’s helmer, but there still remains no word on who is being considered for the lead role of Steve Rogers a man deemed too frail to enter the Army, but through a secret ‘Super-Soldier Serum’ he becomes a perfect specimen. Following his transformation he sets out as Captain America in a war against evil.

Fredrik Bond will direct and Mark Poirier is signed to write The Host remake for Universal Pictures. The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean helmer Gore Verbinski, meanwhile, will produce. This will reunite Verbinski with the Ring producing team from Vertigo Roy Lee and Doug Davison. Bond’s background, according to Variety , is rooted in commercials. He’s known for his ads for Nike, Adidas and Levi’s. Poirer recently scripted Smart People . Based on Bong Joon-ho’s South Korean film, The Host finds a family uniting to rescue one of their own from a mutated monster. “It processes a few genres together, and visually it feels close to the stuff I’ve made over the last few years in commercials, the tonality of humor and the scale,” recently told Variety.

Universal looks to move forward on a third Nutty Professor movie reports JoBlo. The studio in currently developing the film and has put out an open call to writers to pitch them a concept for a third film. They were quick to caution that Eddie Murphy is not attached to the project at all in this early stage.

Frequent collaborators, director Dale Fabrigar (a semi-finalist on Steven Spielberg’s short lived On The Lot reality series) and writer Kurt Patino, have teamed up with actress Kelly Stables (best known for playing Evil Samara in The Ring movies) and visual effects wizard Michael Morrealle to produce a new horror/fantasy web series titled Soul Fire Rising. The show, produced by King Dream Entertainment, follows demon Lilith, played by Aimee Lynn Chadwick (Las Vegas, Trade) as she wanders through Los Angeles stealing men’s souls while searching for Eve (to be played by Stables in future episodes), a now mortal demon worth one million human souls. The first two chapters, running about three minutes each, are currently available on the show’s website and MySpace.

Devin Faraci at Chud has word of a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes called Genesis: Apes that was written by Rick Jaffa (The Relic) and Amanda Silver (The Relic and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle). The film is something of an origin story centering on a baby monkey that is raised in a human household and shows signs of great intelligence and the ability to talk.

According to the trades Universal is in negotiations to remake the Korean film Die Bad, developing the drama as a potential directing vehicle for director Marc Forster, whose latest flick, Quantum of Solace, hit theaters this week. Brad Ingelsby is on board to write the script. Ingelsby is also scripting the Paramount Vantage drama Buried, with Todd Field attached to direct, Sleeper for Warner Bros and The Low Dweller, which Leonardo DiCaprio is slated to star in. Written and directed by Seung-wan Ryoo, the 2000 original consisted of four short films that told the story of the rise and fall of a gangster. The components are being combined for the English-language remake that will be set in New York. The original won the audience award at the Pusan Film Festival. The film will be produced by Forster and his Apparatus partner Brad Simpson, Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Doug Davison and Rick Schwartz of Overnight Productions.

Lake Mungo is being developed as a remake on American soil. Paramount Vantage is behind a forthcoming redo of the Australian horror film. The original, an Arclight Films production, was told as a faux documentary. The premise surrounds the story of a young girl whose apparent death sets off a series of paranormal events. Frightened by what appears to be otherworldly activity, her family discovers secrets about their daughter as well as what lurks beneath Lake Mungo. Vantage’s remake will drop the documentary style and simply be told with a straight-forward narrative. Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Doug Davison along with Adrian Guerra and Joel Anderson, the film’s original creator and director, brought the project to Vantage and are set to produce.

Ennio Morricone has finally accepted Tarantino’s request for collaboration. Variety reports that the composer will be writing the music for Inglorious Basterds, though he may not have time to score the entire film. “Tarantino will finish shooting the film in February and has to deliver it by the end of April in time for Cannes,” said Morricone. “That doesn’t leave me enough time to do the music. Either I start working on it before he stops shooting–after we discuss it together–or I just can’t do it.”

He’s still best known for making Turtle ‘toon TMNT in 2007, but director Kevin Munroe is planning to direct horror pic War Monkeys. While he’s about to be busy helming graphic novel-based pic Dead Of Night, he’s deep into negotiations to take on Monkeys, based on a script by Chris Nettles. “It’s kind of like if Quentin Tarantino did Gremlins, Nettles first told me. I read it and it was exactly that. The horror stuff was at a peak and the characters are really rich,” Munroe tells Shock ‘Till You Drop. The story finds two men trapped underground with military-trained simians out for blood. It’s apparently “an older, meaner brother of an Amblin production. It’s real horror with real scary elements. You’ve got real monsters here with the monkeys. But the characters are a modern day Abbott and Costello. In the same vein of Shaun of the Dead but scarier.”

Sources:
Variety
Imdb
MovieBlog.ugo
Chud
JoBlo
MovingPicture.net
Shocktillyoudrop.com

#1 Quantum of Solace from Sony takes the #1 spot this weekend bringing in $70.4 million. Solace showed in 3451 theaters. Budget was $200 million.

#2 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa from Dreamworks drops to #2 this weekend bringing in $36.1 million, down 42%, earning a total of $118 million. Madagascar showed in 4065 theaters, up 9. Budget was $150 million.

#3 Role Models from Universal drops to #3 this weekend bringing in $11.7 million, down 38%, earning a total of $38.1. Models showed in 2798 theaters, up 6. Role Models cost $28 million.

#4 High School Musical 3: Senior Year from Buena Vista drops to #4 bringing in $5.8 million, thats down 35%, for a total of $84.3 million. Musical showed in 3202, thats down 262 theaters over last, and cost $11 million.

#5 Changeling from Universal drops to #5 this weekend bringing in $4.2 million, down 41%, earning a total of $27.6 million. Changeling showed in 1896 theaters, up 41. Budget for Changeling is $55 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Zack and Miri Make a Porno : Weekend Gross: $3,200,000, down 49% / Theaters: 2210, down 525 / Gross:$26,519,000 / Budget $24 million

#7 Soul Men : Weekend Gross: $2,428,000, down 55% / Theaters: 2048, up 4 / Gross:$9,449,000 / Budget unknown

#8 The Secret Life Of Bees: Weekend Gross: $2,400,000, down 22% / Theaters: 1449, down 32 / Gross:$33,689,000 / Budget $11 million

#9 Saw V: Weekend Gross: $1,790,000, down 56% / Theaters: 2002, down 827 / Gross:$55,403,000 / Budget $10 million

#10 The Haunting of Molly Hartley : Weekend Gross: $1,649,000, down 50% / Theaters: 1587, down 989 / Gross: $12,695,000 / Budget unknown

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

WENN reports actor George Takei is heading into the Australian jungle. Takei is set to star in the British reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! The 71-year-old actor has agreed to appear in the TV programme which will been seen on U.K. screens later this month. The competition sees a group of stars live in the jungle for several weeks with basic necessities, earning their food and little luxuries in a series of challenging tasks. And the star is reportedly relishing the opportunity He is quoted as saying “I’m physically fit. I used to run marathons, now I work out every day. I’m Japanese and love sushi. I’ve even eaten live fish. It was delicious.” Other stars appearing in this series of the reality show include former Blue singer Simon Webbe and tennis player Martina Navratilova.

According to BollywoodHungama Aamir Khan’s Ghajini is expected to set records in India. While the promotion of the film started during the Hindu holiday Diwali, the Indian distributors, Studio 18, have decided to put 1,200 prints of the film into circulation in India alone. “Ghajini will be the biggest and widest release ever, breaking the record set by Singh Is Kinng, which was also distributed by us,” Aman Gill, Director, Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Studio 18 divulges. Adds Priti Shahani, Sr. V.P., Marketing & Distribution, Studio 18, “With Singh Is Kinng, we set a precedent in the way the films are marketed and with Ghajini we tend to go beyond that.” Ghajini is expected to be the top grossing Indian feature of all time.

Ticket sales may not have been affected by the current economic downturn but concessions are expected to take a big hit, the Hollywood Reporter says, citing quarterly reports from Carmike Cinemas and Cinemark Holdings filed on Monday. Carmike said that in its most recent quarter concession revenue was down 8.3 percent while Cinemark said that it was down 4.7 percent in its U.S. operations. Each company forecast solid fourth quarter results, however. Cinemark CEO Alan Stock observed, “As we head into the fourth quarter, the domestic industry’s box office was up approximately 17 percent for the month of October, and we feel consumers will continue to seek affordable entertainment options during these challenging economic times.”

Stephen Graham has just signed on to the Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman starrer Season of the Which from Relativity Media says MovieJungle.com. He will play a swindler and navigator in the period horror movie. Graham can be seen next in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies as Babyface Neslon. Born in Liverpool, England, Graham’s credits include the 2005 TV series Empire, 2005’s soccer flick Goal!, 2006’s The Is England, and Madonna’s Filth and Wisdom comedy drama.

Actor Will Smith’s son, Jaden, has landed his first major lead role in an upcoming remake of The Karate Kid, according to Variety.com. Jaden, 10, is Smith’s oldest son with wife Jada Pinkett Smith. He had previously acted alongside his father in 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness and in the television series All of Us, which was created by his parents. He also has a role in the upcoming remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves. Jaden will be starring in the remake as the character of Daniel, originally portrayed in 1984 by Ralph Macchio. Its script is being worked on by Chris Murphy, while the movie itself is scheduled to be shot in Beijing

XMenFilms.net has learned from 20th Century Fox that the studio is targeting The Day the Earth Stood Still for the launch of its first X-Men Origins: Wolverine teaser trailer. The Keanu Reeves-starrer opens in conventional theaters and IMAX on December 12th. We’ll have to wait and see if the studio will release the teaser earlier online that week. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, directed by Gavin Hood, stars Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, Will.i.am, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Daniel Henney and Lynn Collins, opens May 1st.

According to JoBlo.com the new trailer for the J.J. Abrams directed reboot prequel, STAR TREK, may well premiere with the upcoming James Bond adventure QUANTUM OF SOLACE but if you’d like to get a taste of it beforehand, a couple of scoopers over at AICN (aintitcool.com) recently wrote in to describe the trailer. Here’s a snippet from the more detailed description: The trailer starts by showing a mid-60’s Corvette convertible tearing across the country side. After a few seconds we see a long shot that shows a policeman in hot pursuit. Another long shot shows the Vette screaming at full speed toward a steep cliff. A slo-mo shot shows the driver leaping from the car at the last second and tumbling ass over teakettle toward the edge of the cliff itself. The driver is a young boy who looks about 13 or 14. He manages to grab a hold at the last second and hang on as a birds eye shot show the antique Vette fall away into an abyss. We see the boy get up and dust himself off and the camera cuts away to show a troopers boot come down close-up. The black leather boot is obviously the policeman’s who was chasing the car but it looks suspiciously “different.” Just different enough to let the audience know this isn’t a normal policeman. The shot then cuts to where we can see the policeman standing in front of the boy with his “bike” hovering in mid air a few feet beside him. He shouts at the boy, “Who are you?” or “What’s your name?” and the boy shouts back defiantly, “James Tiberius Kirk!”

The Resident Evil pix that’ve hit theaters the last couple years have dissapointed many fans of the original game series. The movies, staring Milla Jovovich, did not deliver what fans wanted and ultimately felt like generic sci-fi/zombie films with parts of the series tacked on. Now it looks like Capcom and Sony Home Entertainment understand what the fans want and are releasing a new entry into the Resident Evil story in the form of a new CG movie Resident Evil: Degeneration. Bringing back some beloved characters from the series — Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy — the filmakers are taking the series back to its roots. The result is a straight-to-dvd flick that plays out closer to an extended in-game cutscene rather than a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster.

Sources:
WENN
BollywoodHungama
THR
Studio Briefing
MovieJungle.com
ToxicShock
Variety
X-menFilms.net
JoBlo.com
Aintitcool.com
reelzchannel.com

#1 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa from Dreamworks takes the #1 spot this weekend bringing in $63.5 million. Madagascar showed in 4056 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#2 Role Models from Universal takes the #2 spot this weekend bringing in $19.2 million. Models showed in 2792 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#3 High School Musical 3: Senior Year from Buena Vista drops to #3 bringing in $9 million, thats down 39%, for a total of $75.7 million. Musical showed in 3464, thats down 162 theaters over last, and cost $11 million.

#4 Changeling from Universal holds at #4 this weekend bringing in $7.2 million, down 22%. Changeling showed in 1855 theaters, up 5. Budget for Changeling is $10 million.

#5 Zack and Miri Make a Porno from Weinstein drops to #5 this weekend bringing in $6.5 million, thats down 35%.Zack and Miri showed in 2735 theaters. Budget for Zack and Miri is unknown.

#6 Soul Men from MGM debuts at #6 this weekend bringing in $5.6 million. Soul Men showed in 2044 theaters. Budget is unknown.

#7 Saw V from Lions Gate drops to #7 this weekend bringing in $4.2 million, thats down 56% bringing its total to $52.3 million.Saw showed in 2829 theaters, thats down 255 and cost $10.8 million.

#8 The Haunting of Molly Hartley from Freestyle drops to #8 this weekend bringing in $3.4 million, down 35%.Haunting showed in 2576 theaters, down 76. Budget is unknown.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#9 The Secret Life Of Bees: Weekend Gross: $3,125,000, down 21% / Theaters: 1481, down 130 / Gross:$29,938,000 / Budget $11 million

#10 Eagle Eye : Weekend Gross: $2,594,000, down 25% / Theaters: 1407, down 600 / Gross:$96,401,000 / Budget $80 million

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo

According to Totalfilm Charlize Theron has signed to co-star with Tom Cruise in The Tourist, a remake of a recent French thriller. Theron will play a female Interpol agent who uses an American tourist in an attempt to catch an elusive criminal – who’s also her former lover. Brit writer Julian Fellowes’ script is currently being polished by Valkryie scribe Christopher McQuarrie, with director Bharat Nalluri.

After the upcoming drama Gran Torino in which he directs himself as a racist war veteran Clint Eastwood will be directing Remembering Mark Twain in which he also be appearing as the famous American writer himself. Described by producer Albert Ruddy as a “sweet, beautiful movie”, Remembering Mark Twain will be Eastwood’s 61st big-screen performance.

Director Michael Bay’s official website has come out with confirmation that principle photography for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has wrapped. In a posted message entitled “It’s a wrap!” on October 31, the administrator Nelson wrote simply, “As of this week, principal photography for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has ended.”

According to Bollywoodworld News Legendary filmmaker B.R. Chopra died Wednesday after a prolonged illness. The winner of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award was 95. His son, producer-director Ravi Chopra, said he had lost not only his father but his guru.”I have lost not only my father, but my guru. The Chopra family has lost a virtual patriarch and the film industry a conscientious filmmaker,” Ravi Chopra told Ians.B.R. Chopra died at 8.15 a.m. at his residence in suburban Juhu. He had made successful films like Naya Daur, Gumrah, Humraaz, Dhundh, Insaaf ka Tarazoo and Nikah. Besides Ravi Chopra, the filmmaker is survived by his two daughters Shashi and Neena.

Warner Bros. is taking a shot at film pirates in China by making its films available for online rental at the same prices the pirates charge — about $1.00 per movie, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. Some will be available for about 60 cents. “Every major American company has tried to figure out and crack the nut in China,” Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, told the Times. “We believe that we have an opportunity, through digital distribution,” to solve that problem. Distribution is being handled by Union Foole Technology, which also plans to launch an online subscription video service on Nov. 12 that will charge a flat fee for unlimited movie viewing.

The trailer for Dreamworks/Paramount’s Monsters vs. Aliens doesn’t officially release until Thursday, but it has popped up a few days early on numerous sites around the web. Many have already been taken down, but you might still catch it before it’s gone. The campy sci-fi animated flick opens with a man going through a series of biometric scans before being admitted into a high security government war room. The scan locations include both elbows and his bum. Monsters vs Aliens pays homage to the sci-fi movies of the ’50s and ’60s, from aliens and mad scientists to The Blob and Loch Ness monster. The voice cast includes Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett and Paul Rudd. It will release in late March 2009 in both 3-D IMAX and standard theaters.

British-Asian helmer Gurinder Chadha is turning her hand to a good old-fashioned scare according to BloodyDisgusting.com. Chadha is prepping It’s A Wonderful Afterlife, described by the helmer as My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Shaun of the Dead. The story follows a British-Asian mother whose obsession to marry off her daughter comically leads to serial murder. Lensing begins in the U.K. in February. “It’s a comic caper very much in the tradition of classic Ealing comedies,” Chadha told Daily Variety. “It’s a return for me to the characters and setting of ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ but in a different genre, namely horror, although I would say that the gore will be easy on the eye.”

Fox has announced a February 10th Blu-ray release for the cult classic Donnie Darko, which will come to high-def with both the theatrical and unrated versions, according to Highdefdigest.com. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Richard Kelly, Darko failed to generate big grosses during its original theatrical run, but has since go one to amass a devoted following on video. There are no tech specs or supplement details as of yet, but Fox is billing the Blu-ray as a Collector’s Edition, so we expect plenty of extras. Suggested retail price for the Blu-ray has been set at $34.95.

Vince Vaughn will take on the world of poker in Sunny and 68, a project Universal is acquiring for Gavin O’Connor to direct. According to Variety, Vaughn will play a poker superstar whose alcoholism causes him to loose $500,000 in an instant. With no money in his pocket, he decides to head home to retrieve some cash he’s been sending his mother. Upon his return to New York, however, he discovers his mom is dying of cancer. Additionally, he finds out she’s been raising a 5-year-old girl who’s actually his daughter. O’Connor, whose Pride and Glory opened last weekend, will be directing a script he wrote with Anthony Tambakis. Next Vaughn will star alongside Reese Witherspoon in Four Christmases. He’s also gearing up for Peter Billingsley’s comedy Couples Retreat. O’Connor, whose credits include Walt Disney’s ice hockey drama Miracle, is prepping Warrior, an action flick he’ll shoot next year.

ComingSoon.net reports that Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are is back on Warner Bros.’ release schedule and now set for a release on Oct. 16, 2009. The pic stars Catherine Keener, Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O’Hara, Tom Noonan, Michael Berry and James Gandolfini. Some other recent release date shifts of note include Soul Men – the Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac comedy will hit theaters a week earlier than scheduled, now opening on November 7th. Richard Kelly’s horror film The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden, was moved back up six months to March 20, 2009. The Todd Phillips comedy Hangover is now scheduled for June 12, 2009 puting it face to face with The A-Team and Eddie Murphy’s Nowhereland. Two months later, Final Destination 4 was moved back a week to Aug. 21, 2009. The summer following, the Zack Snyder-directed animated-adventure Guardians of Ga’Hoole.

Some interesting ratings news, Kelly Reichart’s Wendy and Lucy, a nudity free and virtually violence free tale of a down on her luck girl and her dog in Alaska and a favorite at Cannes will be receiving an R rating (for “Strong Language”) while Richard Kelly’s horror film The Box, containing “some violence and disturbing images” will receive a PG-13.

Sources:

Totalfilm
Aceshowbiz
Bollywoodworld News
Studio Briefing
LA Times
BloodyDisgusting.com
ComingSoon.net
Variety

#1 High School Musical 3: Senior Year from Buena Vista takes the #1 spot for a second weekend bringing in $15 million, thats down 64%, for a total of $61.7 million. Musical showed in 3626, thats up 3 over last theaters and cost $11 million.

#2 Zack and Miri Make a Porno from Weinstein debuts at #2 this weekend bringing in $10.6 million.Zack and Miri showed in 2735 theaters. Budget for Zack and Miri is unknown.

#3 Saw V from Lions Gate drops to #3 this weekend bringing in $10.1 million, thats down 66% bringing its total to $45.8 million.Saw showed in 3084 theaters, thats up 24 and cost $10.8 million.

#4 Changeling from Universal rises from its #20 debut last weekend to #4 this weekend bringing in $9.4 million. Changeling showed in 1850 theaters. Budget for Changeling is $10 million.

#5 The Haunting of Molly Hartley from Freestyle debuts at #5 this weekend bringing in $6 million.Haunting showed in 2652 theaters. Budget is unknown.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

#6 Beverly Hills Chihuahua: Weekend Gross: $4,747,000, down 31% / Theaters: 3004, down 186 / Gross:$84,061,000 / Budget: unknown

#7 The Secret Life Of Bees: Weekend Gross: $4,000,000, down 33% / Theaters: 1611, down 19 / Gross:$25,287,000 / Budget $11 million

#8 Max Payne: Weekend Gross: $3,700,000, down 52% / Theaters: 2564, down 817 / Gross:$35,550,000 / Budget $35 million

#9 Eagle Eye : Weekend Gross: $3,400,000, down 32% / Theaters: 2007, down 551 / Gross:$92,534,000 / Budget $80 million

#10 Pride and Glory : Weekend Gross: $3,260,000, down 47% / Theaters: 2585 / Gross:$11,616,000 / Budget $30 million

A note on “Gross”: On average, studios will earn approximately 55 percent of the final gross.

Sources:

Box Office Mojo