The chubby guy on the Segway rallied for a come-from-behind win over the Beckinsale-less Underworld sequel, but regardless, it was a 1-2 finish for Sony. When I originally predicted that Paul Blart: Mall Cop as the likely weekend winner over
Michael Sheen has two movies in release this weekend. The classically-trained Welsh actor plays Lucien in the wildly commercial Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony), opening on about 3,000 screens, and he plays David Frost in Frost/Nixon (Universal), expanding to
The decline of the mainstream media–a very good thing–is the real story behind an interesting L. A. Times article about Ben Lyons, a film critic on the syndicated TV show At the Movies. Critics and informed movie buffs alike both
Rush transcript of the celebrity Pledge of Obama Allegiance video (for educational purposes only) [Fade in; cue pseudo-soulful electric piano dirge] Courtney Cox and her husband, what’s-his-name: I pledge. Demi Moore: I pledge. Cameron Diaz: Me pledge too!! Courtney Cox:
Wicked, the smash international stage hit, is a phenomenon and triumph of luck, pluck and virtue for it’s primary creator: composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz made a revolutionary cultural impact on American Theatre with his 1971 Off-Broadway hit Godspell. He followed
Look, I recommend it. Watching him do everything short of wear a fake beard and top hat is going to be tough for anyone who didn’t buy into the cult of Obama. If, like me, you don’t think that this
The Associated Press quoted the starlet as saying: “I hope that the war resolves. Whether we win or lose or whatever, it doesn’t matter.” I am not knocking her. She’s 16. I don’t expect her to politically aware. And although
Fade In. Dolly in. We see me, a man that serves in a important creative supporting role, seated at a meeting attended by executive powers of a most important television show. My head is down, pencil plowing away into the
Once upon a time there was a blacklist in Hollywood. Liberals still refer to it as McCarthyism, but they can’t even get that right. Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. senator and had nothing to do with Hollywood. It was the
SUNDAY 10AM: As I first reported Friday night, Clint Eastwood is king this weekend at the box office, and although Gran Torino (Warner Bros) didn’t quite reach $30M, its final 3-day studio estimate of $29M is still easily the best
As a classical musician, I can claim a certain connection with the Hollywood creative industry as I’ve performed the solo violin tracks for a number of film projects. At the same time, I remain enough of an outsider that I
A year ago, Fox scored a January hit with the female-geared 27 Dresses. The Katherine Heigl vehicle chick-flick opened with $23M on the weekend of January 18 en route to a nifty $76.8M domestic gross. Now Kate Hudson has produced
After my first feature film Hometown Legend had been sold to Warner Brothers, I had some meetings with the WB marketing team in 2001. Near the end of their presentation, I said, “Now you know that this film has some
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. SUNDAY MORNING: In Studio 3-Day Estimates, the top 5 for the first weekend of 2009 remain the same as the order of finish for Christmas weekend. Marley & Me (Fox)
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. SUNDAY MORNING: Dog lovers everywhere united to make Fox’s Marley & Me the #1 Christmas weekend movie with an expected $51.18M in the Thursday-thru-Sunday period for a Per Theatre Average
In the movie business, there are no real holidays, and tonight, while the studio executives are nestled all snug in their beds, visions of big Christmas Day box office receipts dance in their heads. Five major wide releases arrive in
The final studio estimates are in, and, as I first wrote Friday night, Jim Carrey’s Yes Man (Warner Bros) is the weekend winner, although the performance of the film was softer-than-expected. When the movie started with a soft $6.7M on
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. Bad weather with several major storms, including one in the Northeast, are making this a challenging weekend to project. I have revised my the 3-day estimates I released last night
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. Jim Carrey and his high-concept comedy Yes Man (Warner Bros) will win the pre-Christmas weekend out-performing Will Smith’s more challenging Seven Pounds (Sony), although both films seem to be under-performing
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. The weekend box office battle boils down to Jim Carrey vs. Will Smith. This is a match-up between the former “World’s Biggest Box Office Star” and the reigning champ, and
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. The teen vampire blockbuster Twilight added another $7.95M this weekend, breaking through the $150M barrier in domestic box office. This performance exceeds even the rosiest box office expectations for the
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. The Day the Earth Stood Still has failed to stop Fox’s 2008 losing streak managing just $31M in its opening 3 days according to studio estimates. As I wrote Friday
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. Despite being shut out in all of major categories in this week’s Golden Globe Awards nominations, Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino (Warner Bros) has opened with very strong numbers at 6
Steve Mason is on Facebook and now also on Twitter. The world is not “standing still” for Fox’s remake of the 1951 Robert Wise-directed sci-fi classic opening in theatres this weekend. The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves,
The Golden Globe nominees will be announced this Thursday, December 11 at 5am Pacific. Announcement day for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is always the official start of the Academy Award season, and the stakes are very high for pictures
