BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
1. Star Trek - $72.5 million ($76.5 million)
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $27 million ($129.6 million)
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - $10.4 million ($30.2 million)
4. Obsessed - $6.6 million ($56.2 million)
5. 17 Again - $4.4 million ($54.1 million)
6. Next Day Air - $4 million ($4 million)
7. The Soloist - $3.6 million ($23.5 million)
8. Monsters vs. Aliens - $3.3 million ($186.8 million)
9. Earth - $2.48 million ($26 million)
10. Hannah Montana The Movie - $2.41 million ($74 million)
Star Trek debuted #1 at the box office this weekend, earning $72.5 million over the weekend for a four day total of $76.5 million. Talks of a sequel have already been ramped up, as the 40-year-old science-fiction franchise is seeing an unprecedented surge in popularity.
Last week's champ X-Men Origins: Wolverine still ranks as the biggest film opening so far this year, but it dropped nearly 70% in its second weekend with $27 million to raise its total gross to $129.6 million. The film had a $150 million budget. Oh my God! Is it because of the leak?!?! No - it's because the movie's simply not that good.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past fell one spot to #3 in its second weekend with $10.4 million, while Obsessed fell one spot to #4 with $6.6 million and 17 Again fell one spot to #5 with $4.4 million for a running total of $54.1 million.
Have you seen the latest 4-minute trailer for Terminator: Salvation? No? Well get to it!
Mark my words - Wolverine and Star Trek are going to be distant memories once this beast is unleashed upon the screen. That's May 21, by the way. Be there.
A few days ago it was revealed that Brett Ratner was out as the director of the next version of Conan. Now, according to CHUD.com, James McTiegue (V for Vendetta) will take over the film, which could mean a huge drop in budget options. Only time will tell, but if they half-ass this movie it's going to be a damn shame.
Have you seen the latest pics of Robert Downey Jr. and Samuel Jackson from the Iron Man 2 set? Well get on it!
The film is scheduled to open on May 7th of 2010.
Check out the final poster for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen below.
The film opens in traditional and IMAX theaters on June 24th, and stars Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Benjamin Hickey, Ramon Rodriguez, Isabel Lucas and John Turturro.
Director McG, whose pay grade is about to make a significant leap once Terminator Salvation comes out recently, spoke with scifiwire.com about casting in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He cleared up rumors regarding Dwayne Johnson, to what will most likely be The Rock's dismay:
"I've never spoken to Dwayne Johnson about this. I like him. He's great. He's a wonderful human being and an excellent screen presence, but we have not spoken about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Not a word." Instead, McG wants Will Smith to take the lead role: "My intention is to show him Terminator and see if he responds to it. We're friendly. We'll see if it's on the cards."
He also shared a little more on the concept for the film: "I'm a big fan of Jules Verne, and what he was doing in the mid-19th century France I think speaks to what the world is experiencing today: the notion of power that can be destructive and wonderful. In that respect it's an allegory for nuclear power, but it's also my attempt to tip my cap to Raiders of the Lost Ark. 'He who holds the ark will lead an army that can't be defeated'."
The Hollywood Reporter is... reporting...that Keanu Reeves is currently in talks to star in a modern version of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson) is set to direct, while Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road) will write the script. Universal studios was developing a different version of the film, set in its original Victorian era, and Guillermo Del Toro was set to direct. But with Del Toro busy with The Hobbit, it looks as if the studio will go ahead with the modern take on the film. *
Venom in Spider-Man 4? Only if Topher Grace stays home! Todd McFarlane recently spoke with MTV News, and did more than hint that Venom could be back for Spider-Man 4.
"He was in the last Spider-Man movie. And I think he might make an appearance here in the next one, too," the comic god said, before explaining how he'd change direction from the last film. "I would've done a few things different. When I first created him, I made him huge. That would've been the first thing for me; I would've wanted somebody who looked like he was three times the size of Spider-Man, so it was almost like Spider-Man going against the Hulk. I want someone who is really formidable; whenever you have a skinny character against a big one it's like 'Woah, I'm going to have to work today.' But instead, the two of them were about the same size."
He also thinks that Venom needs to get meaner: "I would've done something more dramatic. [I also would've increased] the nastiness; I never cared too much about the comic's code. I always pushed the envelope until the editor said 'You'd better pull that back.'" Hell to the yes, is what I say. The studio's last-minute inclusion of Venom in Spider-Man 3 was a huge buildup for a massive letdown. If he's the central villain in the next one, they'd better flip the script on Venom, cause that's one character that shouldn't be half-assed.
According to Variety, Will Ferrell is currently in talks to join the cast of Neighborhood Watch. David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) will direct. Jared Stern wrote the script, which will see, "a urbanite's journey as he moves to a suburban community, joins the neighborhood watch and uncovers a large conspiracy".
Family Guy on the big screen? While celebrating the 100th episode of "American Dad," Seth MacFarlane spoke with Wired Magazine about Family Guy coming to the big screen:
"Fox wants it. We know what we want to do with it. It's just a question of finding the time. That's why The Simpsons took so many years to do theirs. It wasn't because they didn't know what they wanted to do with it. They just couldn't fit it into the schedule. There's so much to do for a weekly animated series — twice as much as you have to do for a live-action show. So, we're finding time where we can. We're in the early stages right now."
Does this excite you? Does this make you titter with glee? No, I didn't say Twitter, I said titter. And you should be tittering. Then maybe Twittering. Or tweeting. Whatever.
Screenwriter Chris Morgan (Fast and Furious and Wanted) spoke with MTV a few days ago about a planned big screen adaptation of Gears of War. "One of the things they're really talking about now is the budget of the film and how big of a spectacle this is going to be," he said. "My argument is, look at the underlying material. Look at the game and the scenario — the fact that the world is being taken over by the Locust, it has to be huge."
Will the movie follow the source material? "I think the gamer side is going to be thrilled with it. All the stuff you want to see, we put that in there and then we blow it out a little more, even. Now it's just a matter of honing in on all of the character arcs and determining production types of things." *
