Thompson on Hollywood

WATCH: New 'Man of Steel' Trailer; How Nolan, Goyer and Snyder Reinvented the Big Blue Boy Scout

Video

Who knew, when Brandon Routh took on the alien Kal-El in Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns," that fans would split so divisively? The 2006 movie, which paid homage to the Richard Donner "Superman" movies without completely updating the franchise the way Christopher Nolan did with "Batman Begins," grossed $391 million worldwide off strong reviews for a genre sequel. But it cost more than $232 million. Warners felt it could have performed better with more action and a powerful villain--and no Superman kid. So Singer was taken off the franchise.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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May 22, 2013 3:43 PM
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Weekend Recap: Hollywood's Most Secretive Directors, Cinema's Future, Tina Brown, AMC vs. Dish

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Secretive directors: In a world where new posters, trailers, and spoilers are prized and rumors are updated minute-by-minute, remaining a "secretive" director takes willpower and determination. A select few directors manage to keep a tight lid on their projects, and Vulture's Kyle Buchanan posted a list of the most clandestine of these. Hollywood's most secretive filmmakers? Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, and the Wachowskis...

By Maggie Lange
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October 22, 2012 2:35 PM
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All Six Major Studios Hype Summer Slates at CinemaCon 2012: Warner Bros. Hawks 'The Dark Knight Rises,' 'Dark Shadows'

Box Office

It's often like pulling teeth to get the Hollywood studios to invest the big bucks to put on a dog-and-pony show with stars and clip-reels for the annual National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) convention in Las Vegas.

By Anne Thompson
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March 27, 2012 1:43 PM
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IMDb Releases Top 10 of the Last 10 Years Lists

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In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of its IMDBPro service, IMDb has released several "Top 10 of the Last 10 Years" lists, compiled from data collected by the site through the last decade.

By Jacob Combs
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January 27, 2012 1:28 PM
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Video: The Dark Knight Rises Trailer, IMAX Prologue and Mission: Impossible 4

Video

Yes, I did schlep out to Universal City on Sunday to see the IMAX "The Dark Knight Rises" prologue in front of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol." And I highly recommend that you all do the same.

By Anne Thompson
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December 20, 2011 2:52 AM
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Nolan Talks Pulse Pounding Dark Knight Rises Prologue, Bane, Hathaway, Gordon-Levitt, IMAX

News

A scant three weeks after filming wrapped on "The Dark Knight Rises," Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan kicked off the marketing campaign for the July 2012 release by unveiling seven minutes of footage in the IMAX giant-screen format at an event held Thursday night in Los Angeles. Introduced by Nolan as the “prologue” that begins the movie, it began with Gothan police commisioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) at a dais saying, “I knew Harvey Dent, I was his friend,” confirming that the D.A. character portrayed by Aaron Eckhart is dead.

By Amy Dawes
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December 9, 2011 11:01 AM
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Gordon-Levitt Talks To Tarantino About Django Unchained; Premium Rush Moves to August 2012

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in talks to join Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (check out the already awesome cast). His schedule is tight but having Premium Rush moved from a January to August 2012 release should help, as Tarantino intends to start shooting Django in New Orleans in January, when Gordon-Levitt would have been busy doing Rush press. With this film, plus Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln coming up, Gordon-Levitt shouldn't be too discouraged if he doesn't manage to build the momentum necessary for a 50/50 Oscar nomination. He's just getting started.

By Sophia Savage
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October 21, 2011 6:02 AM
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Oscar Powers Netflix's Top Ten Most-Rented List

Netflix's ten most-rented list of all time (list below) reminds us of the long-tail Power of Oscar. And it should remind Netflix, as it splits its DVD and streaming business and alienates many of its customers who are used to relying on its deep long-tail arcania, that their solid customer base is smart adults, not the great unwashed, something they seem to be in danger of forgetting as they focus on TV and mainstream acquisitions and let smaller movies go.

By Anne Thompson
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October 3, 2011 11:09 AM
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The Avengers Cover EW; Their Mighty Powers Still Won't Match B.O. Power of Dark Knight Rises

On newsstands tomorrow, EW's The Avengers issue banks on the star power of not just one, but three existing Marvel superhero franchise movies. Iron Man's Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Thor's Chris Hemsworth, and Captain America's Chris Evans join up with new Hulk Mark Ruffalo to defeat uber-villain Loki (Thor's Tom Hiddleston), who told TOH his powers have increased a thousand-fold. It's the superhero franchise movie to end them all.