Welcome back to the Movie News Cheat Sheet, Shockya.com readers! We’ve got a nice assortment of stories this time around, ranging from box office success stories to casting news and trailers.
The casts of both The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D and G.I. Joe 2 grew by one while the bank accounts of both Bridesmaids and Transformers: Dark of the Moon grew by, well, millions. There’s also some talk about bringing the popular arcade game Space Invaders to the big screen and bringing the Korean film Oldboy back for more.
While this Cheat Sheet is packed with some rousing updates, the pinnacle is the start of Shockya.com’s San Diego Comic Con 2011 coverage. Want to get a taste of our plans for the big event? Check out this week’s Movie News Cheat Sheet for that and much more.
1. Bridesmaids Dethrones Sex and the City at the Box Office: $26 million might not seem like a big start, especially as compared to Sex and the City’s $57 million opening, but no matter how high Carrie Bradshaw’s heels are, the ladies of Bridesmaids still have the longer legs. While SATC went on to drop 62.8% from week one to two and then another 53.9% from week two to three, in the first seven weeks of its run, Bridesmaids never fell more than 30% at a time. Turns out slow and steady does win the race because as of July 4th, Bridesmaids is the highest earning R-rated female comedy, beating SATC’s $152.6 million theatrical haul, securing a solid $153.7 million. And that’s on a $32.5 million budget nonetheless, half of what it cost to make SATC. (via Box Office Mojo)
2. Spike Lee Could Helm the Oldboy Remake: This one’s been on the table for quite some time, but, according to Twitch Film, the American remake is finally regaining traction as Spike Lee is now in talks to direct. Back in 2008, when the story first surfaced, both Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were supposedly involved, but neither are confirmed contributors at this point. Personally, I don’t care much about who directs or stars in this one as there’s simply no reason to remake it at all. No, not because it’s some untouchable piece of gold like many suggest, but because I didn’t enjoy the film much at all. Sure, gasp away, but if I never see a man eating a fried dumpling ever again, I’ll be a happy person.
3. Alexandra Daddario to Lead The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D: Technically we don’t need another Texas Chainsaw Massacre film, but we certainly want them and Lionsgate is responding. The 2003 remake opened to the tune of $28.1 million and went on to earn a total of $107.1 million worldwide while 2006’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning snagged $18.5 million during week one and came in with a worldwide total of $51.8 million. No, nothing outrageous, but when the former cost just $9 million to make and the latter, $16 million, I’d say they’re worthwhile. This time around directorial duties fall to John Luessenhop and he’s just about sealed the deal with actress Alexandra Daddario to assume the lead role. Sure Daddario impresses in Percy Jackson and even a little in Hall Pass, but if you want proof this role is made for her, check out her performance in Stevan Mena’s Bereavement. (via Variety)
4. DreamWorks Is Breaking Up With Paramount: Paramount is on the verge of creating an in-house animation studio. Sure CEO Brad Grey said, “The marketplace has never offered as many opportunities to create wonderfully imaginative pictures at very appealing budget levels, so we feel this is a perfect moment to launch this effort,” but the move also has a little something to do with DreamWorks’ departure as CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg is on the hunt for a new distribution deal. A Paramount rep told Deadline, “We did offer them a one-year extension on the same terms of what we have, but Jeffrey has indicated his desire to get a better deal.” While DreamWorks is making new arrangements, Paramount will get Paramount Animation up and running, a section of the company aiming to make one film every year beginning in 2014 for about $100 million a piece. $100 million sounds like a lot, right? Sure it does after reading the bit on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but as far as animated films go, that price tag is rather low. Can Paramount Animation compete with its ex and Pixar on a minimal budget? We’ve got a ways to go until we find out.
5. Knocked Up Spin-Off Gets Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy: Guess what happens when you star in the most successful R-rated female comedy of all time? You get cast in other comedies, of course! Brace yourself for more Melissa McCarthy antics as the actress just joined Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up spin-off. The cast already includes Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann who’ll reprise their roles from the original film as well as newcomers Albert Brooks and Megan Fox. No word on the details of their roles, but, we do know that McCarthy is on board to star as a mother with a kid that attends the same school as Pete and Debbie’s daughters. Even better, guess who’s playing McCarthy’s son? Yet another summer of 2011 favorite, Super 8’s Ryan Lee. (via THR)
6. Lorenzo di Bonaventure to Play with Space Invaders: Just last year the rights to the videogame Space Invaders belonged to Warner Bros., but apparently the studio had second thoughts as now they’re in the hands of producers Lorenzo di Bonaventure and Gigi Pritzker. The duo is currently searching for a writer to turn the 1980s arcade favorite into a feature. Clearly di Bonaventure has a thing for toys, as he’s the man behind both G.I. Joe films. Or perhaps he’s got an affinity for videogame adaptations, as he’s also working on the Asteroids movie. Then again, it could just be a thing for the 80s because he’s also producing the remake of Pet Sematary. Let’s just say he’s in the mood for projects that provide some solid source material. (THR)
7. Ray Stevenson Goes Joe: Speaking of G.I. Joe, the cast of the sequel continues to grow, and in the best possible way, too. After providing ex-Wonder Woman star Adrianne Palicki with a ray of light via the role of Lady Jaye, director Jon M. Chu recruits Kill the Irishman’s Ray Stevenson. While Palicki will fight for the good guys alongside Channing Tatum’s Captain Duke Hauser, Stevenson is going Cobra as Firefly, the group’s explosives expert. After hamming it up big time in Thor, it should be interesting to see what happens when the actor turns to the dark side, playing a character that’s supposedly never unmasked at that. (via THR)
8. Shockya.com at SDCC: With less than two weeks to go until Shockya.com’s very first San Diego Comic Con, planning is in full swing courtesy of yours truly. I’ll be posting a far more in-depth plan of attack a few days before the event kicks off, but here’s a little sampling of what I’m hoping to cover. On the film front we’ll get a hefty dose of blood and guts courtesy of Shark Night 3D as well as the swords and sandals brutality of Conan the Barbarian and Immortals. In the TV department, I’ll be spending quite a bit of time with the CW as The Vampire Diaries and Nikita are top priorities on my to-do list. Additionally, I’ve got my eye on Game of Thrones as well as big screen entries Fright Night 3D, Snow White and the Huntsman and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. Sure I haven’t even cracked the surface of what I have hopes to cover, but at this point, what do you think? What’s not in this paragraph that should be? Click here to tell us.
9. Trailers: Jack and Jill, Final Destination 5, Amigo: We’re taking this section from the bottom, slightly up and back down again this time around. Starting with the lowest of the low, we begin with Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill. As much as I appreciate Sandler’s out of control humor à la Billy Madison, Jack and Jill looks like ludicrous garbage. As for Final Destination 5, while the first teaser was impressively effective, this trailer isn’t having as strong of an effect. While it does delve deeper into the plot, it also feels as though it’s spoiling quite a bit. Sure, perhaps I’m wrong and the final cut will offer some surprises, but regardless, this piece still isn’t particularly suspenseful. Finally we’ve got the trailer for the latest from John Sayles, Amigo. Sure it boasts Sayles’ name and a top-notch cast including Chris, but – yawn! The voice over makes Amigo feel more like a dreadful high school history lesson rather than an entertaining and riveting feature film.
10. Box Office: Not only is Transformers: Dark of the Moon the highest earner of the weekend, but it’s also officially the most successful film of the year. Dark of the Moon added $47 million to its pot in week two, brining its grand total to $261 million, beating out The Hangover Part II and its $250.8 million intake. Even without snagging the #1 spot, Horrible Bosses still had a strong start, earning $28.1 million with a $9,247 per theater average. Coming in at #3 was Zookeeper with $21 million. Again, not bad, but the film’s got a ways to go before earning back its $80 million budget. Cars 2 didn’t fall quite as hard this time around, only losing 42.1% of its week two profits to earn $15.2 million in week three. In the fifth position is Bad Teacher, which held on impressively well, only falling 38% and taking another $9 million to the bank. (via Box Office Mojo)
