Thompson on Hollywood

Weekend Box Office: Hop Best Opener of Year, Followed by Solid Thrillers Source Code and Insidious

Weekend box office was up 6 percent over last weekend, led by Russell Brand family pic Hop, which exceeded expectations with the best opening of the year so far, followed by strong ticket sales for indie thrillers Source Code and Insidious. Anthony D'Alessandro reports:Universal’s live-action toon Hop leaped past its industry projections this weekend and bore a litter of cash with $38.1 million – the best bow to date, inching past Rango’s first frame which grossed a few thousand less. Although the frame also served up a number of competitors to Hop--Summit Entertainment’s Source Code earned $15 million in second, FilmDistrict’s horror film Insidious stabbed $13.5 million in third and the PG-13 re-release of Weinstein Co.’s The King’s Speech fell outside the top 10 with $1.19 million--the Easter Bunny comedy had a lock on families.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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April 3, 2011 4:30 AM
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Weekend Preview: Hop, Insidious and Must-Sees Source Code and Oscar-Winner In A Better World

It's a mixed bag at the box office this weekend, and the LAT warns that "Easter may still be weeks away, but that won't stop the holiday's iconic bunny from bouncing right over the competition at the box office this weekend." However, there are finer eggs in the basket if you are willing to hunt for them. Susanne Bier's Oscar-winning In A Better World offers serious cinematic substance, and Source Code offers stylish sci-fi action from Moon's outside-the-box director Duncan Jones. The Office funny man Rainn Wilson stars alongside Ellen Page in super-hero dark comedy Super.

By Sophia Savage
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April 1, 2011 5:00 AM
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Actor Watch: LaBeouf in Wettest County, Ramirez for Superman, Damon in Zoo, Gyllenhaal as Director?

Check out Shia LaBeouf on the set of prohibition gangster thriller The Wettest County in the World (hat tip: /Film). The film, based on Matt Bondurant's novel and directed by John Hillcoat (The Road), is currently filming in Georgia. Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce and Jessica Chastain co-star.

By Sophia Savage
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March 24, 2011 3:48 AM
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SXSW Video: Duncan Jones and Jake Gyllenhaal Talk Source Code

Jake Gyllenhaal was attached to sci-fi script Source Code when he saw Duncan Jones' $5 million space drama Moon, starring Sam Rockwell in a multi-layered performance. He thought Jones was perfectly suited to direct Source Code, which played well as the SXSW Film Fest opener Friday night. Summit will release it April 1.

By Anne Thompson
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March 15, 2011 5:30 AM
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SXSW Day One: Early Buzz, Opener Source Code Plays Well

People keep telling me to see Ti West's horror flick The Innkeepers. So I'll check it out Saturday night. That's what film festivals do. They start buzz on a movie that few have seen or know anything about, and suddenly a career is born--or not.

By Anne Thompson
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March 12, 2011 10:49 AM
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Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue Cover Preview: Franco, Hathaway, Reynolds, Gyllenhaal, Barely Wilde

Check out Vanity Fair‘s annual Hollywood issue cover by Norman Jean Roy, complete with Robert Duvall, Oscar hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway, Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and a bevy of young stars on the rise, most noticeably Jennifer Lawrence, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, Mila Kunis, Andrew Garfield, Jesse Eisenberg and Noomi Rapace.

By Anne Thompson
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February 1, 2011 10:48 AM
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SXSW Opens with World Premiere of Duncan Jones' Source Code, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal

The SXSW Film Festival will open on March 11 with the world premiere of Duncan Jones' ticking bomb thriller Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. The Summit release (April 1, 2011) is Jones' much-awaited follow-up to Moon. The SXSW fest and conference runs through March 19 in Austin, Texas.

By Anne Thompson
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December 16, 2010 8:22 AM
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Thanksgiving Box Office Preview: "Tangled," "Love & Other Drugs," "Burlesque"

The studios are offering a groaning board of holiday movies at the Thanksgiving holiday box office. And they're targeting a wide range of moviegoers and demos, reports Anthony D'Alessandro:Studios are catering not only to more female filmgoers than usual over the Thanksgiving five-day stretch, but to all audiences.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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November 23, 2010 8:46 AM
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Celeb Watch: The Fighter's "Christian Bale May Kill Someone Yet," Gyllenhaal and Hathaway Go Naked

While AFI Fest opener Love & Other Drugs (check out its naked stars below) failed to yield much Oscar buzz, the fest's surprise screening of the The Fighter (here's the TOH review) boosted the prospects for Christian Bale's performance as the crackhead brother to Mark Wahlberg's punchy welterweight. It remains to be seen what the impact on Academy voters will be of John H. Richardson's lengthy and entertaining interview in Esquire with the Batman star, entitled "Christian Bale May Kill Someone Yet." From Newsies to The Machinist, this actor--who admits to having never seen Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story or Breakfast at Tiffany's---is as intense in real life as he is on screen. Straddling the line between pulling teeth and Bale's attempts to resist definition, Richardson asks Bale about the risks of being misunderstood:

By Sophia Savage
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November 18, 2010 6:17 AM
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AFI Fest Scores Again with Free Screenings and Awards Contenders King's Speech, Fighter, Black Swan

The AFI Fest closed November 11 with the jammed L.A. premiere of Darren Aronofsky's ballet-world thriller Black Swan attended by the director and his cast, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder and Vincent Cassel. Here's a fest wrap-up from Justin Lowe (the Fest posted videos from some of the galas): Playing to a capacity crowd at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with all the principal cast attending, Black Swan is a dramatic tour de force, underpinned by Natalie Portman’s staggering portrayal of a lead ballerina battling for her emotional and professional survival.