Thompson on Hollywood

Sony 3D Promos At-Home 3D: At Expense of Theater Experience?

"I refuse to say the sky is falling," declared Sony chairman Amy Pascal, when I asked her about the grim summer box office so far. She was observing the Sony 3D show-and-tell Wednesday on the Sony lot. Clearly, not only is the studio earmarking a number of 3D features for 2010 and beyond--including Resident Evil Afterlife in 2011 and Spider-Man 4 and Men in Black III for 2012 (Will Smith putting on his shades takes on a new meaning), but the entire corporation is moving aggressively into the 3D space both at home (PS3, 3D games, Bravia HD 3D televisions, Blu-Ray 3D devices) and in theaters (see videos below and Sony News).

By Anne Thompson
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June 10, 2010 2:10 AM
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McAvoy Joins X-Men, Polley's Take This Waltz, Newsweek's New Look

- Director Matthew Vaughn has cast Wanted star James McAvoy to play the role of the young Charles Xavier (created by Patrick Stewart) in Fox's next X-Men installment, the origin story X-Men: First Class. We like The Playlist's casting suggestion of Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) to play Xavier's evil opposition, Magneto (originally Ian McKellen).

By Sophia Savage
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May 28, 2010 4:12 AM
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Alice To Pass $1 Billion, Hollywood for Sale, Bale Talking Hillcoat Flick

-Disney's Alice in Wonderland will cross the $1 billion worldwide box-office threshold tomorrow, marking the sixth movie to do so and a record for a springtime release. With over $332 million domestic and $667 million foreign, Alice in Wonderland is Disney's second-highest grosser behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.07 billion worldwide).

By Sophia Savage
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May 26, 2010 3:25 AM
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News Update: Studios Step Up Security, Iron Man Hits Web, Tony Noms, Vaughn Helms X-Men: First Class

L.A. County sheriffs have stepped up security around movie studios in response to the foiled bombing attempt in New York's Times Square. The LAT reports that the bomb's proximity to Viacom headquarters has led to speculation that the company was targeted because of a recent South Park episode on Comedy Central involving the prophet Muhammad. Viacom owns Comedy Central as well as the MTV network. At MTV and Lionsgate offices in Santa Monica, guards have been checking vehicle trunks since the incident, among other precautions.

By Amy Dawes
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May 5, 2010 1:31 AM
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Life of Pi Seeks Fox Green Light with Ang Lee Directing in 3-D

Remember The Life of Pi? It's been seven years since Fox 2000's Elizabeth Gabler acquired the rights to Canadian Yann Martel's Booker prize-winning 2001 global bestseller about a boy adrift in a lifeboat in the Pacific with a Bengal tiger. What's taking so long? Well, this kind of lyrical literary material is tricky to get right. M. Night Shyamalan fell out. So did Alfonso Cuaron and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Finally, it may get made thanks to Ang Lee--and 3-D.

By Anne Thompson
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April 28, 2010 2:42 AM
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Clash of the Titans Breaks Easter Weekend Record; Tyler Perry, Miley Cyrus Score

Clash of the Titans smashes Easter weekend records, while Tyler Perry and Miley Cyrus also delivered strong holiday grosses, reports TOH box office analyst Anthony D'Alessandro:

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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April 4, 2010 3:36 AM
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Clash of the Titans Trashes Greek Myths in Eye-Rolling 3-D

I've already weighed in on why Clash of the Titans is a must-to-avoid in 3-D, and why I detest retrofitted 3-D in general.

By Anne Thompson
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April 3, 2010 7:23 AM
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3-D Divide: Upfront vs. Retrofit

No one in Hollywood will listen now that Avatar and Alice in Wonderland have scored the mother-lode of grosses as 3-D movies. Could Alice have done as well in 2-D as a perfect match between name director, beloved children's book, and family-friendly studio? No, confirms Disney, because 70% of its grosses came from 3-D screens.

By Anne Thompson
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March 31, 2010 1:29 AM
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How to Train Your Dragon Unseats 3D Rival Alice in Wonderland

How to Train Your Dragon (Metascore 73 %) finally unseats holdover Alice in Wonderland at the weekend box office, reports TOH's Anthony D'Alessandro, with Hot Tub Time Machine (Tomatometer 63%) coming in third:

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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March 28, 2010 4:09 AM
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Weekend Box Office: Alice in Wonderland, Wimpy Kid Ride Spring Break Swells

TOH's box office analyst Anthony D'Alessandro reports on the weekend returns (box office chart on the jump), which benefited from kids on spring break.