Monthly Archives: February 2012

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Nicolas Cage plays with fire in “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”, but it is the box office competition that risks being burned this weekend.

The 3D sequel, featuring a demonic motorcycle superhero played by Cage, is set to be the # 1 President’s Day weekend movie. According to those who saw the pre-release audience surveys, the film will debut with around $ 30 million in sales Friday through Monday.

The heart-wrenching “The Vow” and action flick “Safe House,” which each opened to over $ 40 million last weekend, will likely battle for second place with around $ 20 million in sales.

Two new films, meanwhile, should follow. The romantic action comedy “This Means War”, starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, is expected to gross around $ 15 million over the four-day vacation. And “Arrietty’s Secret World,” an animated film first released in Japan in 2010 and now dubbed with the voices of American actors, will likely start with around $ 5 million.

The original “Ghost Rider” opened the same weekend in 2007 and debuted with $ 45.4 million, ultimately grossing $ 115.8 domestically and about as much overseas. The film has been one of the biggest hits of recent years for Cage, who has appeared in 14 amazing films since the release of “Ghost Rider”. Of these, most were action movies, with the highest grossing being the sequel “National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” which grossed around $ 350 million worldwide in 2007.

While outdoor commercials for the 48-year-old actor’s latest project highlight the recognizable Ghost Rider character, his face or name is not in the spotlight. The film has not been screened in advance for critics, indicating that Sony Pictures may be nervous about its public reception.

The photo was funded by Sony with production and financing company Hyde Park Entertainment for around $ 80 million, said a person familiar with the project who was not authorized to speak publicly. Hyde Park controls international distribution rights. The sequel was made for around $ 30 million less than the original and also features new directors, Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, well known to fans for their work on the “Crank” series.

“This Means War” was originally slated to officially open nationwide on Valentine’s Day, but last week 20th Century Fox pushed the release date back three days. In an effort to spread positive word of mouth ahead of the film’s debut, Fox premiered the image in about 2,500 theaters on Tuesday night. The image grossed $ 1.6 million when shown only around 7 p.m.

Fox and co-financier Dune Entertainment spent around $ 65 million to produce the film, with around two CIA agents vying for the affection of the same woman. The film is directed by McG, best known for his work on action films such as “Terminator: Salvation”. It has been in development at Fox for over a decade and in recent years has garnered the interest of stars such as Bradley Cooper and Sam Worthington.

The film, which has received poor critical reviews so far, debuts in 17 overseas markets this weekend, including Australia and Russia.

“Arrietty’s Secret World” was co-written by Hayao Miyazaki, the filmmaker behind “Ponyo” and “Spirited Away”. Miyazaki has a strong relationship with Pixar Animation Studio’s creative guru, John Lasseter, who also oversees Disney Animation.

It was Lasseter who helped bring “Arrietty” to the United States after the animated film gained international success in 2010. In that year, it became the highest grossing film in Japan and raised a total of $ 126 million overseas. Now the characters in the film have been updated with the voices of English speaking actors, including Bridgit Mendler as the main character, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett.

[Updated, 2:51 p.m., Feb. 16: An earlier version of this voice said actress Saoirse Ronan voiced the lead character in the U.S. version of “Arrietty.” In fact, she voices the lead character in the U.K. edition of the film.]

RELATED:

“This Means War” official release date delayed

‘The Vow’ Sets Valentine’s Day Record With $ 11.6 Million At Box Office

“Ghost Rider” sequel promises a “darker, nastier, nastier” anti-hero

– Amy Kaufman
twitter.com/AmyKinLA

Photo: a scene from “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”. Credit: Sony Pictures

The new romantic drama “The Vow” is about to steal the hearts of moviegoers this weekend.

The tearful with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams could make between 35 and 40 million dollars in its debut, according to those who saw the audience polls before the release. Sony Pictures, whose Screen Gems label produced the film, is forecasting a more conservative nationwide opening of between $ 28 million and $ 30 million.

It should be a good weekend at the multiplex, as three other new films are also expected to generate good ticket sales. “Safe House,” an action thriller directed by Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, will likely debut around $ 25 million. A 3-D reissue of George Lucas’ “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” in 1999 could fetch around $ 20 million, while the 3-D sequel “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” will likely start with around 13. millions of dollars.

“The Vow” is based on the true story of a woman who lost her memory in a car accident and had to fall in love with her husband for the second time. The film has a huge buzz online, where young women have been posting for weeks on Twitter and Facebook about the photo and her favorite star Tatum.

The 31-year-old actor appeared in a similar love story released around Valentine’s Day in 2010, “Dear John”. This film, based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, debuted with $ 30.5 million and eventually raised $ 80 million in the United States and Canada. The biggest hit to release around the February 14 holiday is the aptly named “Valentine’s Day,” which featured a cavalcade of top stars and opened for $ 56.3 million in February 2010.

“The Vow” was co-funded by Spyglass Entertainment and Screen Gems for approximately $ 30 million.

Universal Pictures and Relativity Media spent significantly more on “Safe House,” which was produced for around $ 85 million. The film, which stars Washington as a renegade CIA agent on a mission in South Africa, so far is primarily aimed at older men and African-American moviegoers.

The film is on course to open up to much the same character as the 57-year-old actor’s last outing, the 2010 action thriller. “Unstoppable, ”launched with $ 22.7 million.

Walt Disney Studios has had some success releasing a few of its classic 3D animated titles. Its reissue of “The Lion King” last fall grossed around $ 94 million, while “Beauty and the Beast” has grossed about half since its reissue in January.

Still, it remains to be seen whether audiences will embrace 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm’s updated version of the “Star Wars” episode – especially since the film was poorly received by fans during its original debut. However, the film grossed $ 924.3 million at the global box office, of which $ 431 million was from domestic ticket sales.

“Mysterious Island” is the sequel to 2008’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, which debuted with $ 21 million. The film performed well domestically, grossing a total of around $ 100 million, but made an even more impressive $ 140.3 million overseas.

The sequel has already been released in a number of foreign countries and has so far grossed $ 41.5 million internationally, achieving the best performance in Korea. It has already grossed 15% more than the 2008 overseas release during the same period.

The first film “Journey” starred Brendan Fraser, but the actor reportedly dropped the sequel in 2010 because it was not directed by Eric Brevig, the filmmaker behind the original. Fraser has been replaced by Dwayne Johnson, who plays a stepfather who embarks on an affair with his son (played by “Josh Hutcherson, star of The Hunger Games) to discover a secret island.

The film was funded by Warner Bros. ‘ New Line division for approximately $ 79 million.

RELATED:

‘Safe House’: director Daniel Espinosa does not take a safe road

‘Mysterious Island’: Kristin Davis wants to stroke Josh Hutcherson

“The Vow” Premiere: Making Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams Cry

– Amy Kaufman

Twitter.com/AmyKinLA

Photo: Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams star in “The Vow”. Credit: Sony Pictures