Thompson on Hollywood

Weekend Box Office: Alice in Wonderland Beats Spider-Man and Iron Man Openings

In his first TOH Sunday domestic/international box-office report, ex-Variety numbers analyst Anthony D'Alessandro checks in with the studios behind this weekend's b.o. juggernaut, led by Disney's Alice in Wonderland---which proves yet again why studio marketers keep chasing the perfect match: branded family title + proven visual master + global movie star=blockbuster.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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March 7, 2010 6:07 AM
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Shahrukh Khan Hits America, Berlin, Meets Leo DiCaprio

Shahrukh Khan is everywhere these days. He gave an interview for NPR on his recent swing through America to promote his latest, My Name is Khan, which Fox Searchlight opened strongly this weekend as it debuted in Berlin. The big question is whether this Bollywood superstar will ever make the move to star in a Hollywood movie. While the studios are chasing him, like fellow star Aamir Khan, he's got it pretty good back home, where Bollywood's insular filmmaking community is a family affair.

By Anne Thompson
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February 14, 2010 9:24 AM
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Oscar Duel: Has Quentin Tarantino Produced a Legacy of Greatness?

During a public appearance in London last month, Quentin Tarantino told the audience that with Inglourious Basterds, he is now an auteur; he has established a body of work that can be analyzed as a whole and as a product of his unique vision. Recalling his experiences watching the films of Howard Hawks, he said: "My aim is that some kid in 50 years time has the same experience with me and my films." In this dueling blog, Moviefone's Jack Mathews and I debate whether QT's films actually form a body of work or remain a work in progress.   

By Anne Thompson
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February 8, 2010 7:20 AM
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BNAT Wrap: Kick-Ass Beat Avatar as Best-Received Film

At the end of the 24-hour marathon of films at his annual Butt-Numb-A-Thon (BNAT), AICN web master Harry Knowles asked the 200 or so folks at the Alamo Drafthouse to declare their best film of the fest. Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass got a bigger response than Avatar, though both had their fans and it was hardly a scientific survey. (The comics action spoof Kick-Ass comes out April 16.) It should be pointed out that Avatar closed the fest. (James Cameron made sure the BNAT attendees had the right 3D glasses.)

By Anne Thompson
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December 13, 2009 9:19 AM
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Avatar Budget, Up in the Air Tweet Chart, Pattinson vs. Kidman, Finke Attacks, Indie Bloodbath Redux

James Cameron's Avatar did not cost $500 million. First of all, the thing was in R & D for years. The negative cost is $300 to 400 million, but no one knows for sure. If you add worldwide marketing to it, maybe it creeps up to $500 million, because it's a huge movie that Fox has already spent a lot to flog, with World Series spots, Avatar Day, Comic-Con and Tokyo Film Fest footage etc. Online folks went nuts over this Michael Cieply NYT story which threw out an "approaching $500 million" figure. Loved this response from @ColeAbaius: "Not what I heard. insider claims that AVATAR will end up at $29 Trillion. And it was actually shot in space."

By Anne Thompson
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November 10, 2009 1:26 AM
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Halloween Watch: Scorsese's Top 11 Scariest Movies

The Daily Beast asked Martin Scorsese to list his scariest movies. He came up with 11 and his scariest is my scariest, and always has been: Robert Wise's 1963 The Haunting, based on Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Nice to be validated.

By Anne Thompson
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October 29, 2009 7:13 AM
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Trailer Watch: Shutter Island, Two

In case you missed it, here's the second trailer for Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, based on the Dennis Lehane mystery and starring Leonardo DiCaprio:

By Anne Thompson
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October 5, 2009 7:38 AM
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Trailer Watch: Scorsese and DiCaprio's Shutter Island

So far, so good on movies made from the mystery novels of Boston-based Dennis Lehane: Clint Eastwood's Mystic River and Ben Affleck's Gone Baby Gone. Up next: Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese's latest reteaming with Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays a U.S. Marshall tracking an inmate who has escaped from an insane asylum on a remote Massachusetts island. It looks like Escape from Alcatraz meets The Shining. Paramount releases the film October 2. Check it out:

By Anne Thompson
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June 10, 2009 6:35 AM
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Scorsese's Shutter Island Poster

Here's a teaser poster for Martin Scorsese and Laeta Kalogridis' adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. Here's the official website. Paramount is set to open the film October 2.

By Anne Thompson
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March 28, 2009 6:47 AM
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Top 25 Active Directors: Did EW Get it Right?

EW loves lists like this one, the top 25 active directors, designed to inspire healthy debate. Did they get it right? And what do they mean by active, exactly? "Most talented, in-demand directors behind the camera today?" They're trying to have it both ways--it's a power list measuring fame, heat, influence and at the same time, a qualitative measure of talent.