Thompson on Hollywood

First Look: Henry Cavill as Superman

Check out Henry Cavill as Superman. Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder's Man of Steel won't arrive until June 2013, but that doesn't mean we can't get excited about a ridiculously good looking Brit in tights.

By Sophia Savage
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August 4, 2011 5:07 AM
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The Change-Up Premieres in Westwood: Bateman, Reynolds, Bullock; Early Reviews

The studios get freaked when a movie destined to be commercially mainstream plays better for adults. That's because it's in their interest to play better to dumb young males than to, say, smart older females who can't be counted on to show up on an opening weekend. That's why so many awful movies get made that leave me out of their target demo. This was one topic at Monday night's Universal premiere of The Change-Up (August 5, trailer below), which was better than I was expecting. Universal is nervous because the movie is tracking older and female. (Early reviews are trending rotten; here's Metacritic.)

By Anne Thompson
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August 2, 2011 10:57 AM
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Moving Fest Slots For Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, J. Edgar; Young Adult Bypasses Circuit

Here's the new poster for Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which Focus Features is opening November 18 after its debut in Venice, which is timed before its European release in September. That's the reason why the film isn't in the Toronto Film Fest line-up. There's speculation that the film might turn up as a centerpiece gala or closing night offering at the New York Film Festival, along with Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio (October 21). There's still time for these potential Oscar contenders to jockey for prime fest positions at the four fall fests, Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride, which keeps its selection a secret until the last possible minute. Angelenos who take the Charter from LAX to Montrose, Colorado at the start of the Labor Day weekend are handed the schedule as they board the plane.

By Anne Thompson
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August 1, 2011 7:02 AM
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide; Joins Top Nine Grossers

Since it opened 17 days ago, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 has been breaking box office records, but remember--the series finale had a 3-D boost. Anthony D'Alessandro does the global numbers:In just 17 days, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 flew past the $1-billion mark at the global box office, making it the highest grossing chapter in the franchise as well as the ninth film ever to cross this benchmark (top nine grossers list is below).

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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July 31, 2011 9:32 AM
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Weekend Box Office Showdown: Cowboys & Aliens Edges Out Smurfs; Crazy, Stupid, Love Scores UPDATED

Star-studded sci-fi western Cowboys & Aliens was expected to handily win the weekend box office, but had to scuffle with family-friendly The Smurfs for the top spot. Anthony D'Alessandro reports:In a shootout at the cinema corral, Sony’s The Smurfs ambushed Universal’s co-production Cowboys & Aliens for the No. 1 spot, with both studios splitting their gold nuggets at an estimated $36.2 million apiece. Family films kicking fanboys in the pants is nothing new: back in March, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules pulled the rug out from under Sucker Punch.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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July 31, 2011 4:47 AM
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Dark Knight Rises Filming in Pittsburgh, Two New Biopics, Development Arrested

The Dark Knights Rises moved locations this week to start filming in the latest Gotham City stand-in: Pittsburgh, PA. “When you're making a large-scale action film that has to showcase the vitality and size of a large American city," director Christopher Nolan told The Pittsburgh Business Times, "it also involves a certain amount of disruption to that city in order to make the action credible on screen.” The film will pay homage to some Steel City landmarks with a Heinz Field crowd scene at a football game, where mass destruction will likely take place.

By Maggie Lange
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July 29, 2011 5:31 AM
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Trailer Watch: The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Goes HD

The teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises is taking the last word of its title literally. The only scene that stands above the rest in the teaser (posted below) rises up into a blindingly white sky, as stalks of skyscrapers crumble to the street below leaving an outline (can you imagine) of the shape of a menacing bat. It's the same image as the recent teaser poster.

By Maggie Lange
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July 18, 2011 12:02 PM
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Weekend Box Office: Harry Potter 8 Beats The Dark Knight's Opening Weekend Record UPDATED

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 smashed opening weekend records as moviegoers flocked to the ultimate event movie, the last in Warner Bros.' beloved eight-film series based on J.K. Rowling's global literary phenomenon. (See Richard Corliss's fine summation in Time.) Anthony D'Alessandro reports.No woe in the world -- neither national debt nor the closure of the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles -- crimped U.S. moviegoers from seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 this weekend as they made the final film based on J.K. Rowling’s book series the biggest domestic opening of all-time at $168.55 million, ripping the wings off of Dark Knight’s $158.4 million – a record the Christopher Nolan Batman film has held over the past three years.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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July 17, 2011 4:01 AM
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Harry Potter 8's First Day at the Box Office: Will the Weekend Slay Dark Knight's Record?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 charted a record midnight domestic estimate of $43.5 million from 3,800 sites, unseating previous champ The Twilight Saga: Eclipse which had earned $30 million in the slot, reports Anthony D'Alessandro.Bowing abroad on Wednesday in 26 countries, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 collected $43.6 million from 24 countries, Today, stateside, the film unspools in 4,300 venues--70% (or 3,000) of which are 3-D. Of these, 275 are IMAX hubs. While earlier projections saw Deathly Hallows: Part 2 becoming the third-highest weekend opener of all-time, the town is now predicting that the film will kick The Dark Knight's all-time Friday-Sunday record of $158.4 million in the pants.

By Anthony D'Alessandro
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July 15, 2011 8:27 AM
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First Look: The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Poster

Warner Bros. has released the teaser poster for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises. Yes, it's dark, sinister, architectural, graphic, and very Inception.