Thompson on Hollywood

Paramount, Pitt Reach Out to Fans and Celebs to Build Buzz for 'World War Z' (VIDEO)

News

This week, Paramount took Brad Pitt on the road to New York's Museum of Modern Art Wednesday night for an early sneak peak at Marc Forster's long-delayed "World War Z," in order to build some early buzz with celebrity guests, from Katie Couric and Bruce Willis to Jimmy Fallon and Gayle King. Pony-tailed Pitt--who has had much on his plate with Angelina Jolie's surprise announcement last week) also schlepped to Hoboken, New Jersey to introduce the film before surprised moviegoers.

By Anne Thompson
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May 23, 2013 3:47 PM
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CinemaCon: Paramount Promos Big, Noisy Movies 'Star Trek Into Darkness,' 'World War Z,' 'Pain and Gain' (VIDEO)

News

At CinemaCon, the annual exhibitors' convention in Las Vegas, the studios are clearly chasing huge VFX packed event movies to pull audiences into theaters. At the first studio presentation, hosted by Paramount co-chairman Rob Moore, the movies were big and noisy, amplified by some 495,000 watts of Dolby Atmos sound in the theater. That's one reason they showed Michael Bay's $25 million bad boy celebration "Pain and Gain," an impeccably produced dumb-male comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

By Anne Thompson
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April 16, 2013 7:17 PM
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Why Studios Continue Banking on Franchises Like 'G.I. Joe'; Which Sequels Can You Do Without?

News

"G.I. Joe Retaliation," a sequel to 2009's "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra," took in more than $130 million at the worldwide box office this weekend--although its three-day $40 million domestic number was half its foreign take. (The studio cleverly beefed up the weekend number with a Thursday preview.) Part of what's wrong with movies today is that the studios are willing to throw foreign-driven movies into the domestic market, where they often get bad reviews and turn people off, because they'll make their money overseas theatrically and via TV output deals, plus licensing and merchandising, action figures, DVDs, and the like. So it's no surprise that today sees news of Paramount already exploring sequel options for "G.I. Joe."

By Anne Thompson
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April 1, 2013 4:20 PM
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'World War Z' UPDATE: Paramount Execs Cut Mention of China as Possible Culprit of Zombie Outbreak

Video

As if "World War Z" hasn't already stomached enough production turmoil. News broke earlier today that Paramount executives have changed a minor plot point in the film that involves China, so that Chinese officials might look more favorably on the film for domestic distribution in the fast-rising Chinese market.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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April 1, 2013 2:54 PM
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Brad Pitt Talks Tentpole 'World War Z,' Unused Budapest Scenes and Fast vs. Slow Zombies in New EW

Interviews

Much has been reported on "World War Z"'s laborious trek to the big screen (June 21), plagued with re-shoots and re-writes -- all the while taking the title of Most Expensive Zombie Movie Ever Made. Despite rumors of conflict between director Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace") and his producer-star, it's up to Brad Pitt's to turn this movie into a winner for all concerned. And so he sits down with Entertainment Weekly (which hits newsstands March 29), and discusses his newfound admiration for the big-budget tentpole, the stealthy zombies in the film, and why he loosened up on his original political interests in the project.

By Beth Hanna
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March 28, 2013 1:43 PM
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Dystopia Rules! Rudin and Paramount's Unpublished 'Annihilation' Joins Rash of Movies About Our Grim Future

News

In Hollywood, the end of the worlds is always at hand. Trust Scott Rudin to sniff out the next literary phenomenon. Yes, yet another dystopian picture is in the works. As John Carpenter and Kurt Russell reunite in advance of an "Escape from New York" reboot, and Roland Emmerich preps a sequel to "Independence Day," a plethora of dystopian movies are on the way.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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March 27, 2013 6:22 PM
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‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Preview Report: Producer Bryan Burk Talks Promo Tour, Franchise Future

News

Friday in London, Paramount Pictures screened an extended look at "Star Trek Into Darkness" at the BFI IMAX cinema, introduced by producer Bryan Burk and including the opening 28 minutes of the film plus two other extended sequences. What they showed of J.J. Abrams’ belated sequel, which arrives four years after he rebooted the franchise with 2009’s "Star Trek," was thrilling stuff, even if you don’t count yourself a colossal (or even casual) Trekkie. That, as Burk explained in his intro to the footage, has always been their primary goal with this sequel: to make a film that appeals across the board.

By Matt Mueller
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March 8, 2013 5:46 PM
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VIDEO: Paramount Creates 'Flight' Hybrid TV Spots Aimed at Academy

Awards

Paramount never gives up on trying effective new ways to reach Academy members. They've found in recent years that online video spots--like the one they created to show how Brad Pitt was transformed into Benjamin Button in the David Fincher film--are very effective with Academy members. They actually created a TV spot for "Transformers" highlighting the use of sound. Now they're broadcasting a brand spanking new Academy 90-second "Flight" TV spot that will debut this Sunday on "CBS Sunday Morning" and will also be the lead-in spot to "60 Minutes" on Sunday evening. See the spot below.

By Anne Thompson
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December 8, 2012 7:49 PM
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Weekend Recap: Zemeckis and Brad Grey Talk 'Flight,' John C. Reilly on 'Wreck-It Ralph,' and Murdoch Courts Penguin (Updated)

News

The New York Times interviews Robert Zemeckis about his return to live-action movies with "Flight," his first since "Cast Away" in 2000. “Everyone keeps thinking I haven’t made a movie in 12 years,” the director behind "Back to the Future," "Forrest Gump," and "The Polar Express" said.

By Maggie Lange
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October 29, 2012 6:34 AM
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Paramount Will Release Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street' In Late 2013

News

After distributing his most recent run of films, Paramount will continue their relationship with Martin Scorsese by releasing his financial drama, "The Wolf of Wall Street," starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Paramount distributed Scorsese and DiCaprio's "Shutter Island"...