NTSC User's News Page

Disney Pixar’s Cars 2 has topped the US box office in its opening weekend.

The company’s first sequel not related to their Toy Story franchise took $68 million, despite the relatively poor critical reception endured by the family film so far.

The Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake comedy Bad Teacher opened with a respectable $31 million in second place, followed by last weekend’s superhero box-office topper Green Lantern with $18.3 million.

JJ Abrams’s monster epic Super 8 follows in fourth place with $12.1 million, followed by Jim Carrey’s family comedy Mr. Popper’s Penguins, which rounds out the top five with $10.3 million.

This week’s US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) Cars 2 – $68,000,000
2. (-) Bad Teacher – $31,000,000
3. (1) Green Lantern – $18,350,000
4. (2) Super 8 – $12,100,000
5. (3) Mr. Popper’s Penguins – $10,300,000
6. (4) X-Men: First Class – $6,600,000
7. (5) The Hangover Part II – $5,865,000
8. (7) Bridesmaids – $5,372,000
9. (8) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – $4,700,000
10. (9) Midnight in Paris – $4,480,000

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World will be screened using Aromascope technology, it has been announced.

The fourth instalment in the children’s franchise will allow viewers to interact with the film through their sense of smell, according to a press release from Dimension Films.

“This innovative and celebrated franchise will now be the first to introduce audiences to the new adventure of 4D where they will have eight special opportunities throughout the movie to access the action interactively through smell,” reads the release.

“The introduction of scent in the movie going experience adds to the outrageous fun by enhancing the action, adventure and comedy to take you where no film has gone before.”

(more…)

Peter Falk has died at the age of 83.

The Columbo star passed away last night at his home in Beverly Hills. The family declined to reveal any details pertaining to the legendary actor’s death.

According to his adopted daughter, Falk had been suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for a long time.

“Peter Falk, 83-year-old Academy Award nominee and star of television series Columbo, died peacefully at his Beverly Hills home in the evening of June 23, 2011,” read a statement from his family.

“Peter Falk is survived by his wife, Shera, of 34 years, and two daughters from a previous marriage.”

(more…)

Iron Man 3 will begin shooting next February, according to star Don Cheadle.

The actor, who plays superhero Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) confidant James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, also suggested that his character may get a War Machine movie spinoff.

“Iron Man 3 is coming back. We’ll probably do that again in February and there’s talk of a War Machine spinoff, which I guess, unless I get recast, I would probably do,” he told Collider.

Asked if he’ll be appearing in Marvel ensemble project The Avengers, featuring Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Cheadle said: “Not this one that they’re shooting right now. Thank God!”

(more…)

The DC Comics adaptation Green Lantern has topped the US box office in its opening weekend.

The Ryan Reynolds-led film, which has been savaged by critics, took a estimated domestic total of $52.6 million, placing it way ahead of last weekend’s number one film, J.J. Abrams’s much hyped sci-fi epic Super 8.

Jim Carrey’s latest outing in the family comedy Mr Popper’s Penguins opened to a disappointing $18.2 million, followed by Fox’s mutant prequel X-Men: First Class with $11.5 million.

Rounding out the top five films of the weekend is Todd Phillips’s comedy juggernaut The Hangover Part II, which took $9.6 million and is currently on course to achieve an overall revenue of $500 million.

This week’s US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) Green Lantern – $52,685,000
2. (1) Super 8 – $21,250,000
3. (-) Mr. Popper’s Penguins – $18,200,000
4. (2) X-Men: First Class – $11,500,000
5. (3) The Hangover Part II – $9,635,000
6. (4) Kung Fu Panda 2 – $8,700,000
7. (6) Bridesmaids – $7,487,000
8. (5) Pirates of the Caribbean 4 – $6,236,000
9. (8) Midnight in Paris – $5,237,000
10. (7) Judy Moody – $2,241,000

The Weinstein Company has announced that Scary Movie 5 will launch in cinemas in April 2012.

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that the studio were planning a fifth instalment in the long-running horror spoof franchise.

Despite the announced release date, it is still unknown whether stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall will reprise their roles as Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks respectively.

The franchise’s last entry Scary Movie 4 took $41 million at the US box office upon its release in April 2006, and went on to gross around $91 million domestically.

Scary Movie 5 is expected to hit cinemas on April 20, 2012.

Mark Ruffalo has confirmed that The Avengers is not shooting in 3D.

The Shutter Island actor, who is portraying the Hulk in the comic book adaptation, revealed that the movie is not being filmed with special stereoscopic cameras.

“Avengers is not being shot in 3D,” he posted on Twitter in response to a fan question.

Ruffalo – referring to his CGI enhancement in the film – jokingly added that co-stars Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth are envious that he did not have to train at a gym to achieve the required physique.

“Evans and Hemsworth are jealous that I am that ripped and didn’t have to go to the gym. It ain’t fair,” he wrote.

Directed by Joss Whedon, The Avengers arrives in theatres on May 4, 2012.

The record-breaking box office success of James Cameron’s Avatar appeared to herald the arrival of 3D as a permanent fixture in multiplexes. With $2.7 billion in the coffers worldwide for Avatar, and Cameron cheerleading the format, the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3 and Tron: Legacy delivered strong numbers to cement 3D back into the mainstream.

Avatar appeared to herald the arrival of 3D as a permanent fixture in multiplexes. With $2.7 billion in the coffers worldwide for Avatar, and Cameron cheerleading the format, the likes of Alice in Wonderland, Toy Story 3 and Tron: Legacy delivered strong numbers to cement 3D back into the mainstream.

Is audience enthusiasm for the format evaporated completely, though? The likes of Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender tested cinemagoers’ patience – delivering mediocre 3D post-conversions at an elevated ticket price. Now, the format appears to be waning at the box office. In recent weeks, more US movie fans have opted to fork out for 2D screenings of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Kung Fu Panda 2 than their 3D counterparts.

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg described the 3D decline as “heartbreaking” to The Hollywood Reporter. The producer, whose last five DreamWorks animated releases have all debuted on 3D screens, theorised that “genuine distrust” had emerged between the paying public and Hollywood after a string of movies that “seriously undermined” the 3D experience.

“It’s really heartbreaking to see what has been the single greatest opportunity that has happened to the film business in over a decade being harmed,” Katzenberg said. “The audience has spoken, and they have spoken really loudly.”

JJ Abrams’ latest science fiction epic Super 8 has topped the US box office in its opening weekend.

The film, which stars Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler, overtook last week’s box-office topper X-Men: First Class by taking $37 million, compared to the Matthew Vaughn prequel’s $25 million.

Comedy sequel The Hangover Part II falls to third place with $18.5 million, but officially became the highest-grossing film of 2011 earlier this week.

Animated family film Kung Fu Panda 2 falls one place to fourth taking $16.6 million, while Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides rounds out the top five films with $10.8 million.

This week’s US box office top ten in full (studio estimates):
1. (-) Super 8 – $37,000,000
2. (1) X-Men: First Class – $25,000,000
3. (2) The Hangover Part II – $18,500,000
4. (3) Kung Fu Panda 2 – $16,635,000
5. (4) Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides – $10,845,000
6. (5) Bridesmaids – $10,154,000
7. (-) Judy Moody – $6,267,000
8. (8) Midnight in Paris – $6,146,000
9. (6) Thor – $2,370,000
10. (7) Fast Five – $1,714,000