“Madagascar 3″ and “Prometheus” make a Big Box Office Duo

The summer movie season got another nice boost this weekend as two new films opened big giving the business hope after a dreadful May (despite the massive success of The Avengers). Opening in first was the animated three-quel Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted which found an undeserved family audience to the tune of $60 million and lots more to come. Right behind it with $51 million was the sci-fi thriller Prometheus from Ridley Scott and stars Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron. Prometheus gives Theron two films in the top three as her Snow White and the Huntsman fell to third with an expected 59% for $23 million and $98 million total…. For more on all these numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted P/DW $60,316,738 – 4,258 – $14,166 $60,316,738 $145 1
2 N Prometheus Fox $51,050,101 – 3,396 – $15,032 $51,050,101 – 1
3 1 Snow White and the Huntsman Uni. $23,058,790 -59.0% 3,777 +4 $6,105 $98,537,475 $170 2
4 2 MIB 3 Sony $13,895,720 -50.5% 3,792 -456 $3,664 $135,901,094 $225 3
5 3 Marvel’s The Avengers BV $11,249,738 -45.1% 3,129 -541 $3,595 $572,300,463 $220 6
6 6 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel FoxS $3,267,156 -27.1% 1,298 +4 $2,517 $31,040,735 – 6
7 7 What to Expect When You’re Expecting LGF $2,788,226 -36.8% 2,087 -820 $1,336 $35,823,598 – 4
8 4 Battleship Uni. $2,276,410 -55.3% 1,954 -1,190 $1,165 $59,820,215 $209 4
9 5 The Dictator Par. $2,242,563 -52.3% 1,651 -998 $1,358 $55,281,103 $65 4
10 13 Moonrise Kingdom Focus $1,559,670 +77.9% 96 +80 $16,247 $3,731,001 – 3

A Few Thoughts on today’s Oscar Nominations…

This morning Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) announced this year’s contenders and as always we saw the front runners like The Artist and Hugo grab headlines. However, we also saw some shocking snubs and some interesting inclusions. I already posted the full nominee list, so let’s take a look at a few thoughts I have on those who will be contending for this year’s Oscar.

Favorite Nomination: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)… I was so happy to see her included in this hilarious film. She gave a wonderfully hysterical performance that had way more layers than you might expect. Comedy needs more representation at the Oscars, so this is a nice start. (Also kudos to Kristin Wiig and her Oscar nominated script for the film).

Best Surprise: Rooney Mara and all the love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This fantastic film nabbed 5 nods in total. I just wish it was up for Best Pic and Director (David Fincher).
Biggest Snub: Michael Fassbender (Shame)… apparently his great performance may have been overlooked by his hot nekkid body? Or he cancelled himself out with other great turns in A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre.

Other Big Snubs:
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)… looks like academy members really didn’t like this film, which is a shame because Leo was great
Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)… another film that may have been too dark and unlikable to get it’s great star a nod.
Albert Brooks (Drive)
Drive in all other categories (except sound)
Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Young Adult… apparently this acerbic dark comedy just didn’t resonate with Oscar voters. I’m sad, cuz it was a good flick.
Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for Director
Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) both proved its hard to get nominated for big popcorn action films… oh and motion capture performances may never get nominated.
Elizabeth Olsen and Martha Marcy May Marlene… this great indie introduced us to a major acting star in Olsen and still got bupkiss
50/50 and Joseph Gordon Levitt… another great indie that should’ve gotten some love
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 in all big categories…. why oh why couldn’t this amazing franchise ever pull out a Best Pic nom? Especially when the final installment was clearly one of the best films of the year.

More Snubs: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Animated film), Carey Mulligan (Shame), the casts of The Ides of March and Midnight in Paris, Beginners for Screenplay and Director (Mike Mills)

~ And a Big Boo to the voters for dissing The Help for Screenplay, Score, Song, Costume Design and Director… That wonderful film should’ve had 9 noms, not just 4.

~While I’m complaining, I just have to say yuck to all the nods for The Tree of Life. Oy vey!

Other nice inclusions:
~Demian Bichir (A Better Life)… this wonderful performance in this small indie broke through with a SAG nod and he made the list today. I’m thrilled.
~Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)… can you believe this is his first nomination? I just wish it was for a better film.
~Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Max Von Sydow... I’m so happy one of my fave films of the year finally got some love. And I was kinda shocked to see it among the 9 nominees for Best Picture.
~Moneyball grabbed more noms that The Descendants, hehe….
~W.E. got into costume design. Yes, a film by Madonna got an Oscar nod. (I just wish her Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” had been eligible)

Speaking of Best Song….
What the heck is wrong with that category? By having a ridiculously difficult rule of the songs needing to rate 8.5 or higher by the music branch (out of 10), only 2 songs made the cut… And the one from The Muppets wasn’t even the best song from that film…
Look at all the snubbed songs that should’ve gotten mentioned:
“Life’s a Happy Song” (The Muppets)
“Pictures in My Head” (The Muppets)
“Bridge of Light” (Happy Feet 2) by P!nk
“Hello Hello” (Gnomeo & Juliet) by Elton John
“The Living Proof” (The Help) by Mary J. Blige
“Lay Down Your Head” (Albert Nobbs) by Glenn Close, etc

So, there are just a few thoughts for you… Now, let’s see who is gonna win… I’d say The Artist is still out in front despite Hugo landing the most noms…. I still have hope for The Help too.. and Meryl better win… With that said, what are your favorite noms? And who is the worst snub? Sound off below and watch for more on the Oscars in the weeks ahead.

Charlize Theron is a Ninja Assasin!

Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron (Monster) turns ninja assassin in her latest project. No, it’s not a big new action movie franchise. Instead, the gorgeous former model is starring in the new video for the first single from The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers, “Crossfire”. In the new clip for this fantastic track, Theron plays the heroine rescuing her damsel, er um, dude, in distress in a twist on the typical gender roles. It’s a great video and Theron makes a strong case for playing an action heroine. Check out the video below and watch for Flowers debut solo album, Flamingo, to drop on September 14.

Brandon Flowers “Crossfire”