Archive for the ‘Film News’ Category

‘Paul’ claims UK box office No. 1

Monday, February 21st, 2011
'Paul' still

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s Paul has topped the box office on its first week in UK cinemas.

The sci-fi road comedy, boosted by an early release on Valentine’s Day, racked up £5.5 million in ticket sales to send last week’s chart topper Gnomeo & Juliet into second place.

Colin Firth’s Oscar-tipped royal drama The King’s Speech is at number three, having taken in more than £37 million in the UK since its release in January.

True Grit charts at number four, while Martin Lawrence comedy sequel Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son is a new entry at number five.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Paul – £5,517,121
2. (1) Gnomeo & Juliet – £2,223,978
3. (2) The King’s Speech – £1,685,180
4. (4) True Grit – £1,466,979
5. (-) Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son – £1,433,778
6. (5) Yogi Bear – £1,370,585
7. (3) Tangled – £1,295,709
8. (6) Just Go With It – £984,355
9. (-) Justin Bieber: Never Say Never – £820,592
10. (7) Black Swan – £696,332

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‘Gnomeo & Juliet’ storms UK box office

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Still from Gnomeo & Juliet

Gnomeo & Juliet has topped the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The 3D animated movie, featuring the voices of Emily Blunt and James McAvoy, re-imagines William Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers with a cast of garden gnomes and an Elton John soundtrack.

Its £2.9 million opening haul is enough to see it ease past The King’s Speech‘s £1.9 million and secure the top spot. Last week’s number one Tangled falls to three, while new releases True Grit and Yogi Bear round out the top five.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s romantic comedy Just Go With It lands at number six with £1.6 million in ticket sales. Brit drama Never Let Me Go makes a disappointing chart entrance at number nine, taking in just over £600,000.

Elsewhere, The Fighter and Sanctum 3D are the week’s biggest fallers as they each drop five places to numbers eight and ten respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Gnomeo & Juliet – £2,945,627
2. (2) The King’s Speech – £1,986,871
3. (1) Tangled – £1,969,148
4. (-) True Grit – £1,823,254
5. (-) Yogi Bear – £1,820,405
6. (-) Just Go With It – £1,628,265
7. (4) Black Swan – £1,069,931
8. (3) The Fighter – £1,002,454
9. (-) Never Let Me Go – £625,496
10. (5) Sanctum 3D – £361,832

‘Tangled’ holds on to UK box office lead

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Tangled

Tangled has topped the UK box office for the second consecutive weekend.

Disney’s 50th animated film, featuring the voices of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, again holds off competition from The King’s Speech to secure first place in the chart with £4.5 million in ticket sales.

Colin Firth’s royal drama makes £2.7 million in its fifth weekend in cinemas and has now taken more than £30 million in the UK alone.

New release The Fighter lands at number three ahead of Black Swan, while the James Cameron-produced survival drama Sanctum 3D makes a disappointing debut at number five with just over £850,000.

Elsewhere, Kate Hudson’s latest romantic comedy A Little Bit Of Heaven bows at number seven and the remake of Brighton Rock is at number nine.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Tangled – £4,569,135
2. (2) The King’s Speech – £2,739,204
3. (-) The Fighter – £2,118,140
4. (3) Black Swan – £1,725,630
5. (-) Sanctum 3D – £859,064
6. (4) The Mechanic – £532,839
7. (-) A Little Bit Of Heaven – £443,156
8. (8) Gulliver’s Travels – £396,804
9. (-) Brighton Rock – £352,815
10. (6) The Green Hornet – £302,240

‘Tangled’ topples ‘King’s Speech’ at UK box office

Monday, January 31st, 2011
Tangled

Disney’s Tangled has ended The King’s Speech‘s three-week reign at the top of the UK box office.

Featuring the voice talents of Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, Tangled retells the classic Rapunzel fairytale and is Disney’s 50th animated feature film.

Tangled‘s impressive £5.1 million opening haul pushes Colin Firth’s royal drama – which earned £3.6 million – down into second spot. Ballet thriller Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, is in third place with £2.5 million.

Jason Statham’s latest action movie The Mechanic lands at number four on its first weekend on release, while comedy-drama The Dilemma completes the top five.

Elsewhere, the chart sees new releases Hereafter and How Do You Know bow at numbers seven and ten respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Tangled – £5,106,612
2. (1) The King’s Speech – £3,634,265
3. (2) Black Swan – £2,566,346
4. (-) The Mechanic – £921,554
5. (4) The Dilemma – £669,368
6. (3) The Green Hornet – £655,797
7. (-) Hereafter – £601,728
8. (5) Gulliver’s Travels – £585,250
9. (6) 127 Hours – £409,363
10. (-) How Do You Know – £374,933

Bond composer John Barry dies aged 77

Monday, January 31st, 2011

Composer John Barry, famous for his work on Born Free, Out of Africa and the James Bond films, has died in New York of a heart attack aged 77.

Born John Barry Prendergast in 1933, the York-born musician first found fame as leader of the John Barry Seven.

His arrangement of Monty Norman’s James Bond theme led to him composing scores for 11 films in the series, among them Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice.

His work saw him win five Oscars, while he received a Bafta fellowship in 2005.

‘King’s Speech’ holds off ‘Black Swan’ at UK box office

Monday, January 24th, 2011
Colin Firth in The King's Speech

Colin Firth’s The King’s Speech has topped the UK box office for the third consecutive weekend.

Despite four new movies opening on Friday, the royal drama took in £4.2 million – just £200,000 down from last weekend’s total – to emerge as the UK’s number one film. King’s Speech has now made an impressive £18 million after only three weeks in theatres.

Natalie Portman’s ballet thriller Black Swan bows at number two, while Seth Rogen’s 3D superhero adventure The Green Hornet is in third place with £1.1 million.

Vince Vaughn comedy-drama The Dilemma completes the top five, faring better than Harrison Ford comedy Morning Glory (number eight).

Elsewhere, Peter Mullan’s violent coming-of-age drama NEDS opens in tenth spot.

The UK box office top ten in full:

1. (1) The King’s Speech – £4,226,074
2. (-) Black Swan – £2,762,429
3. (2) The Green Hornet – £1,187,652
4. (-) The Dilemma – £1,102,798
5. (4) Gulliver’s Travels – £992,382
6. (3) 127 Hours – £805,418
7. (5) Little Fockers – £685,046
8. (-) Morning Glory – £524,356
9. (8) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – £346,787
10. (-) NEDS – £283,210

‘King’s Speech’ continues UK box office reign

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
A still from the movie 'The King's Speech'

The King’s Speech has retained its place at the top of the UK box office.

Colin Firth’s royal drama – which scooped 14 BAFTA nominations this week – has boosted its opening weekend earnings by 25%, taking in £4.4 million to best Seth Rogen’s superhero movie The Green Hornet.

Xavier Marchand, managing director of Momentum Pictures, said of The King’s Speech‘s success: “We are blown away by the second weekend’s box office for The King’s Speech. Feedback from the cinemas suggests repeat viewing and a broadening of the audiences towards students and teens.

“We’re still getting really positive reactions from cinemas and fans across the UK. The King’s Speech is a British crowd pleaser.”

Danny Boyle’s survival drama 127 Hours falls to number three, Gulliver’s Travels holds its spot at number four and comedy Little Fockers completes the top five.

Elsewhere, Hilary Swank’s Conviction and hotly-tipped indie drama Blue Valentine debut just outside the top ten, at numbers 12 and 14 respectively.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (1) The King’s Speech – £4,401,926
2. (-) The Green Hornet – £1,878,905
3. (2) 127 Hours – £1,342,432
4. (4) Gulliver’s Travels – £1,252,107
5. (3) Little Fockers – £1,224,667
6. (6) Love & Other Drugs – £608,577
7. (5) The Next Three Days – £539,562
8. (7) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – £533,141
9. (9) The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader – £410,757
10. (8) Tron: Legacy – £330,701

‘King’s Speech’ beats ‘127 Hours’ at UK box office

Monday, January 10th, 2011
A still from the movie 'The King's Speech'

The King’s Speech has opened in first place at the UK box office on its debut weekend on release.

The royal drama – starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush – pulls in £3.5 million to edge out the week’s other big new movie, Danny Boyle and James Franco’s 127 Hours.

Little Fockers and Gulliver’s Travels fill third and fourth place respectively, while Russell Crowe’s The Next Three Days rounds out the top five.

Love & Other Drugs falls to number six ahead of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The first instalment in the two-part Potter finale has now made more than £50 million at the UK box office.

Tron: Legacy and The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader occupy the eighth and ninth slots in the chart. Nicolas Cage’s latest offering Season Of The Witch makes a disappointing debut at number ten with just over £500,000 in ticket sales.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) The King’s Speech – £3,523,102
2. (-) 127 Hours – £2,168,570
3. (2) Little Fockers – £1,798,677
4. (1) Gulliver’s Travels – £1,554,266
5. (-) The Next Three Days – £1,046,333
6. (3) Love & Other Drugs – £807,912
7. (7) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – £712,728
8. (6) Tron: Legacy – £639,903
9. (5) The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader – £621,393
10. (-) Season Of The Witch – £559,769

‘Gulliver’s Travels’ storms UK box office

Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver’s Travels has topped the UK box office over the New Year weekend.

The Jack Black-led version of Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel pulls in more than £7 million to debut in first place over the holiday period. The Gulliver’s total is more than double that of its nearest rival, last week’s number one Little Fockers.

Debuting at number three is Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway’s romantic comedy Love & Other Drugs with £1.6 million. Close behind with £1.3 million is new release The Way Back, director Peter Weir’s first film since 2003’s Master And Commander.

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader falls three places from last week and lands at number five.

Elsewhere, Tron: Legacy, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Megamind and The Tourist experience a surge in business – more than doubling their takings from last week’s quiet Christmas weekend – but each still tumbles down the chart three places.

Animation Animals United completes the top ten.

The UK box office top ten in full:
1. (-) Gulliver’s Travels – £7,028,747
2. (1) Little Fockers – £2,614,802
3. (-) Love & Other Drugs – £1,606,253
4. (-) The Way Back – £1,327,650
5. (2) The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader – £1,207,264
6. (3) Tron: Legacy – £1,059,569
7. (4) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – £1,040,826
8. (6) Megamind – £612,327
9. (7) The Tourist – £396,758
10. (8) Animals United – £243,442

Pete Postlethwaite dies aged 64

Monday, January 3rd, 2011
Pete Postlethwaite

Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite has died at the age of 64, a spokesperson has confirmed.

Andrew Richardson, a journalist and close friend, stated that the screen star passed away at a hospital near his home in Shropshire following a long battle with cancer.

Postlethwaite received an Academy Award nod in 1994 for his work on IRA biography In The Name Of The Father and was made an OBE in the 2004 New Year’s Honours List.

By the the time of his death, Postlethwaite had built up an extensive filmography of over 90 titles and was last seen in 2010 features Inception and The Town.

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