All articles by Robert Mitchell – Page 3
-
News
...and dethrones King Kong in North America
The epics were at it again this weekend but this time TheChronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe won out over KingKong.After a closely contested Christmas weekend saw Konghold the lead the four-day New Year weekend saw the great ape pass the crownback to Aslan and friends. ...
-
News
Star Wars and Harry Potter are 2005 box-office champs
Darth Vader and Harry Potter were the true dark lord andwizard master for 2005's box office.Worldwide George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III - RevengeOf The Sith was the year's champion with a stunning $848.5m. However,internationally (excluding North America) it was Harry Potter And The GobletOf Fire which finished the year ...
-
News
Narnia claims international crown over holiday season
Buena Vista International (BVI) was celebrating two foldthis weekend as Santa brought a sleigh full of international number ones for TheChronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.Doubling its international territory count from 13 to 26 overthe Christmas weekend the family fantasy film brought a blow to King ...
-
News
Kong gets bigger Christmas stocking at North American box office
It was a closely fought battle but King Kong bested TheChronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe over theChristmas weekend to retain its North America crown.Despite new comedy openers headlining Jim Carrey, SteveMartin and Jennifer Aniston and the wide release of Sony's Memoirs Of AGeisha the fight ...
-
News
UIP breaks $2bn international box office mark in 2005
United InternationalPictures (UIP) has proven that international audiences are there to be found in2005 having broken through the $2bn international box office mark last weekend.With the mega-studio'spotentially biggest film of the year, KingKong, still to come UIP is already (as of December 11) tracking 4% ahead ofits 2004 numbers - ...
-
News
Goblet of Fire still boiling in the UK
All eyes may have beenturned to family holiday rival TheChronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And TheWardrobe as it became Buena Vista International's (BVI) highest ever launchin the UK but Harry Potter And The GobletOf Fire refused to lay quietly in the background this weekend. Narnia gave BVI the ...
-
News
Day-and-date releasing comes under Euro fire
Some of Europe's leading distributors and marketers arenow questioning the drift towards day-and-date releasing.Judging by the remarks made at yesterday's European Box OfficeForum, hosted by Screen International at Waldorf Hilton Hotel in London, there is a growing consensus that filmscan suffer from a super-wide blitzkrieg release. Christian Grass, executive vice ...
-
News
Fox international chief issues theatrical wake-up call
One of Hollywood's top international film chiefs yesterday calledon his industry colleagues to treat this year's box office admissions slide as anecessary wake-up call."We desperately have to change," declared Tomas Jegeus, executivevice president - international, 20th Century Fox International, whiledelivering the keynote speech at Screen International's European Box Office Forum.Speaking ...
-
News
Cinema still attractive to videogame generation
Reports about cinema's death at the hands of DVDs, videogames, computerscreens, mobile phones and all today's other competing diversions have beengreatly exaggerated, according to leading experts on audience trends.In fact, their latest research suggests that theatre-goersacross all age-groups are now going to the movies more often than they used to.Such ...
-
News
Potter sets 20-year UK admissions record
The UK took yet another positive turn in its road to box-officerecovery with a record breaking weekend for admissions.The 3.8 million cinemavisits narrowly took the record for highest admissions in a three-day weekendperiod since modern records started in the mid-1980s. "It was a phenomenalweekend," Mark Batey, FDA'schief executive told Screen ...
-
News
New Saw ready to make the cut next Halloween
LionsGate Films has announced it will release a third Saw film for Hallowe'en next year. Currently scheduled for an October 27, 2006 release, the news of Saw III mirrors last year when the surprise success of the low budget original quickly prompted the announcement of a sequel for this year.Produced ...
-
News
Darker Potter still promising box-office magic
The 12A UK and PG-13 US certificates for Harry Potter And The Goblet OfFire won't damage its box-office strength when it opens tomorrow,according to Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, president of distribution Warner BrosPictures International.In fact, she believes the older certification may even prove to be a benefit by attracting teenagers."The movies have ...
-
News
Charity tie-in boosts UK In Her Shoes launch
The UK launch of Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes this weekend will be boosted by a tie-in with a majorcharity.The film's 253-siteopening has been accompanied by a celebrity shoe auction in aid of BreastCancer Care.Distributor 20th CenturyFox came up with the online sale for which celebrities have donated footwear. Many ...
-
News
Mike Leigh honoured with BFI Fellowship
Mike Leigh has been awarded the British Film Institute (BFI)'s 57th Fellowship in London. Leigh wasgiven the honour by BFI chairman Anthony Minghella atthe National Film Theatre (NFT), where the Bafta-winning director was taking part in an interview abouthis career, following a screening of his 1983 film Meantime."I don't thinkI've ...
-
News
Nanny McPhee sweeps to top of UK charts
NannyMcPhee has worked her magic on the UK box office, takingstop spot in its third weekend. The WorkingTitle film, which stars Emma Thompson, took $2.9m (£1.7m) over the weekend tobring its total after 17 days to $22.3m (£12.8m).It wasenough to leapfrog the week older Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of ...
-
News
Home-grown hits give UK box office a holiday hike
The once unthinkable prospectof the UK matching last year's record box office is now farmore likely after an astonishing half-term holiday run.At the end of the thirdquarter, the territory was 4% down with little likelihood of finding the $460m(£261.5m) in the final three months to equal 2004.Early disappointments like Kinky ...
-
News
UK box office promises strong end of year run
With a promising fourthquarter to come, the UK box office looks set to leave the rest of Europe in the shade and may even have an outside chance of beating 2004's numbers. After a phenomenal run forWarner Bros' Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, theterritory is just 4% down on last ...
-
News
Craig crowned as new James Bond
After taking$3.6bn worldwide, 43 years, 20 films, 58 girls and 18 Martinis, James Bond hasa sixth face - English actor Daniel Craig. The 37-year-oldactor was officially announced as the new James Bond today at a London newsconference held at HMS President, a naval training facility, on the RiverThames. Craig arrived ...
-
News
Daniel Craig crowned as 'blond' Bond
After $3.6bnworldwide, 43 years, 20 films, 58 girls and 18 Martinis, James Bond has a sixthface - English actor Daniel Craig. The 37-year-oldactor was officially announced as the new James Bond today at a London newsconference held at HMS President, a naval training facility, on the RiverThames. Commenting onwhy he ...
-
News
Campaigning for BAFTA awards season kicks off
The BAFTA awards season unofficially kicked off this weekwith the first lobbying of the organisation's members - more than five monthsbefore next the awards ceremony takes place (Feb 19, 2006).Yesterday (Aug 31) saw BAFTA members invited to Ang Lee'smuch anticipated Brokeback Mountain next week to be accompanied by starJake Gyllenhaal ...