“Identity Thief” Steals Back the Box Office

With a couple of lackluster new films in the marketplace and Oscar weekend taking away moviegoers, a three-week old comedy was able to return to the top of the box office as Identity Thief stole away with another $14 million. The Melissa McCarthy/Jason Bateman hit has now pulled in $93 million and will give McCarthy her second consecutive $100 million grosser after Bridesmaids. I bet the actress makes it a three-peat with this summer’s buddy cop comedy The Heat co-starring Sandra Bullock in June… As for the newbies Thief defeated, The Rock’s latest Snitch opened best with an ok $13 million while the Keri Russell horror flick Dark Skies tanked with just $8 million. Also crashing hard in its second week was the latest Die Hard film which tumbled nearly 60 %. Perhaps word of mouth is really hurting this one? … For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and take a look at the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 2 Identity Thief Uni. $14,017,085 -40.8% 3,222 +57 $4,350 $93,619,615 $35 3
2 N Snitch Sum. $13,167,607 – 2,511 – $5,244 $13,167,607 – 1
3 4 Escape From Planet Earth Wein. $10,682,037 -32.8% 3,353 +65 $3,186 $34,812,699 $40 2
4 3 Safe Haven Rela. $10,454,713 -51.1% 3,223 – $3,244 $47,916,357 $28 2
5 1 A Good Day to Die Hard Fox $10,165,633 -59.1% 3,555 +2 $2,860 $51,967,897 $92 2
6 N Dark Skies W/Dim. $8,189,166 – 2,313 – $3,540 $8,189,166 $3.5 1
7 8 Silver Linings Playbook Wein. $5,750,866 -7.9% 2,012 -190 $2,858 $107,176,012 $21 15
8 5 Warm Bodies Sum. $4,825,388 -45.6% 2,644 -253 $1,825 $58,243,441 – 4
9 6 Beautiful Creatures (2013) WB $3,608,333 -52.4% 2,950 – $1,223 $16,570,598 $60 2
10 7 Side Effects (2013) ORF $3,357,039 -46.5% 2,070 -535 $1,622 $25,099,555 – 3

Melissa McCarthy~ Movie Star!

Three time Emmy nominee and a one time winner for Mike & Molly, Melissa McCarthy is comedy gold. She’s not only a tv veteran and a beloved character actor, but she’s an Oscar nominee for her side-splitting turn in last year’s Bridesmaids. Now, it looks like she is going to become a bona fide movie star with two high-profile and hysterical new movies. Melissa first hits the screens on February 8th in Identity Thief playing a con artist who steals Jason Bateman‘s identity. Then on April 5th, she teams up with Oscar winner Sandra Bullock for a female buddy cop comedy called The Heat. Both look like a riot and should cement McCarthy’s status as the funniest actress working in film today. Take a look at both trailers below and while you wait for the films to hit in 2013, catch McCarthy Monday nights on Mike & Molly on CBS.

Identity Thief

The Heat

Underworld Awakening Wakes up the Box Office

For a fourth installment in an action franchise, Underworld Awakening, reversed a downward trend and opened up bigger than the last film with $ 25.4 million. That was enough to hold off a surprisingly strong Red Tails which opened way above expectations at $ 19 million. Both pictures did well despite bad weather in many parts of the country and football competition. I’m sure it helped Underworld to have the original star, Kate Beckinsale, back in the series and the African-American fan base gave a great boost to the fighter pilot pic Tails…. Not faring well in fifth place was the Steven Sodebergh action pic Haywire which only opened to $9 million and was bested by the expansion of the post 9-11 picture Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close which nabbed $10.5 million. That was a pretty good number for a film with difficult subject matter. However, the movie starring Critic’s Choice winner Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks is benefitting from strong word of mouth (I gave the film an “A” grade mind you) and may have decent legs in the weeks ahead… For more on all the 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 Underworld Awakening SGem $25,400,000 – 3,078 – $8,252 $25,400,000 – 1
2 N Red Tails Fox $19,100,000 – 2,512 – $7,604 $19,100,000 $58 1
3 1 Contraband Uni. $12,200,000 -49.9% 2,870 +7 $4,251 $46,100,000 $25 2
4 36 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close WB $10,545,000 +11,484.2% 2,630 +2,624 $4,010 $11,237,000 – 5
5 N Haywire Rela. $9,000,000 – 2,439 – $3,690 $9,000,000 $23 1
6 2 Beauty and the Beast (3D) BV $8,556,000 -51.8% 2,625 – $3,259 $33,364,000 – 2
7 4 Joyful Noise WB $6,075,000 -45.9% 2,735 – $2,221 $21,903,000 – 2
8 3 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Par. $5,540,000 -52.6% 2,519 -827 $2,199 $197,349,000 $145 6
9 5 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows WB $4,805,000 -44.1% 2,485 -670 $1,934 $178,611,000 – 6
10 7 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Sony $3,750,000 -43.7% 1,907 -767 $1,966 $94,775,000 $90 5

Could getting “Extremely Loud” get Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock back in the Oscar race?

Two time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia) and recent Oscar winner Sandra Bullock (The Blindside) are teaming up for the first time this winter in the new drama, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, and it could put them both back in the Oscar race. The film is a drama about a young boy (played by newcomer Thomas Horn) who searches New York for the lock to fit a mysterious key his father left him after perishing in the 9-11 attacks. It’s based on the beloved book and is directed by Oscar nominee Stephen Daldry (The Hours, Billy Elliott, The Reader) and looks like a real tear-jerker. Watch for Hanks and Bullock to contend in the supporting categories alongside Max Von Sydow who could have a standout role and usurp both stars. Watch for the movie to hit theatres in late December and check out the first trailer below.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Mary J. Blige gives you “Living Proof”

Grammy winning R&B superstar Mary J. Blige has been through it all. Drugs, booze, ups and downs with career and relationships and she always pours it out into some great music. Who can forget the brilliance of “No More Drama” for just one example? … And now, she is serving up some more dramatic music as she mines her emotions and those of the characters of the new film The Help with the first single off the soundtrack, “The Living Proof”. On this beautiful ballad, Blige sings of surviving and thriving through one’s troubles just like the ladies of the Kathryn Stockett best seller. The book and the film tell the story of a young white writer (Golden Globe nominee Emma Stone) who chronicles the lives of the black maids who she grew up with in the South during the 1960′s. Co-starring in the film are Oscar nominees Viola Davis (Doubt) and Cicely Tyson (Sounder), Oscar winner Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter), Emmy winner Allison Janney (The West Wing) plus Bryce Dallas Howard (Twilight Saga), Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) and in a scene stealing performance, that like Davis’s, is getting Oscar buzz, Octavia Spencer (Ugly Betty). The much-anticipated film hits theatres in the August sweet spot (specifically Aug. 10th) that berthed the female-centric hits Eat Pray Love and Julie & Julia which as you might recall netted Meryl Streep another Oscar nod (which she should’ve won~ darn you Sandra Bullock). For more on the film, head here, and check out Mary J. Blige on what could become an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated song, “The Living Proof” from The Help.

Mary J. Blige “The Living Proof”

Will Maggie Thatcher Finally give Meryl that 3rd Oscar?

How on Earth does Meryl Streep only have two Oscars? And can you believe that her second Oscar win was 28 years ago?!!! That’s right, she last won for Sophie’s Choice at the 1983 ceremony! Her first win was for Supporting Actress in 1980 for Kramer v. Kramer. Since then she has amassed more nominations than any other actor in history with 16 nods. In my opinion, she should’ve won several more times by now, especially last year for Julie & Julia over Sandra Bullock.
Well, she still could grab that elusive third golden boy with her new project, The Iron Lady. In the film due at the end of the year, she plays former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the days leading up to the Falkland Islands war in 1982. So, you have a historical biopic drama starring Meryl Streep during a war co starring Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (Iris) as her husband. All of that says Academy Award to me. How about you? And check out the first picture of Meryl as Maggie below….

And don’t fret if she doesn’t win for this one. She’s also gearing up to take on the lead in the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play August Osage County opposite Julia Roberts, and if you’ve seen the play, you know that will land her another nomination. So, fingers crossed she’ll finally grab a third win this time next year. And check out all of her nominations below.

Meryl Streep Academy Award Nominations:

1979: The Deer Hunter (Supporting Actress nom)
1980: Kramer v. Kramer (Supporting Actress WIN)
1982: The French Lieutenant’s Woman (Best Actress nom)
1983: Sophie’s Choice (Best Actress WIN)
1984: Silkwood (Best Actress nom)
1986: Out of Africa (Best Actress nom)
1988: Ironweed (Best Actress nom)
1989: A Cry in the Dark (Best Actress nom)
1991: Postcards from the Edge (Best Actress nom)
1996: The Bridges of Madison County (Best Actress nom)
1999: One True Thing (Best Actress nom)
2000: Music of the Heart (Best Actress nom)
2003: Adaptation (Best Supporting Actress nom)
2007: The Devil Wears Prada (Best Actress nom)
2009: Doubt (Best Actress nom)
2010: Julie & Julia (Best Actress nom)

* Please note, the films were all released in the year prior to the above nominations/wins.

Move over Sandra, Julia Roberts is ready to reclaim her Box Office Crown

Throughout the 90′s and early 00′s, Julia Roberts was the undisputed female box office leader at the movies. With 12 of her films topping $100 million, Roberts was one of the few women who could “open” movies and remains one of the biggest stars in the world. After her Oscar win for Erin Brokovich, the hits weren’t as big with only the Oceans Eleven series topping the century mark. However, earlier this year, her ensemble comedy Valentine’s Day made $110 million and, if you ask me, she’s about to have another big hit with August’s Eat Pray Love. The film based on the best-selling novel costars Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Oscar nominees Richard Jenkins and Viola Davis and the enigmatic Golden Globe winner  James Franco as it follows Roberts character on a search for identity and meaning as she travels the globe. It will easily fill the late summer adult hit movie slot like fem-centric pics The Devil Wears Prada and last year’s Julie & Julia. The later starred renewed box office titan Meryl Streep who along with Sandra Bullock has usurped Roberts status as box office queens in Hollywood. Bullock had two gigantic films last year, The Proposal ($ 161 mill) and The Blindside ($ 255 mill) and is currently Hwood’s leading female movie star. But with Eat Pray Love, I think Julia will give her a run for the title yet again. The film has romance, comedy, drama, gorgeous locations and people and a wonderful message. It’s also directed by Glee mastermind Ryan Murphy, so that can only help. Heck, I’d say Julia might even be an Oscar contender with it. But enough from me, check out the new trailer for Eat Pray Love and let me know if you think Julia will be back on top when the film opens August 13.

Eat Pray Love

The Twi-hards own the MTV Movie Awards… and Xtina!

Last night was all about Twilight at the MTV Movie Awards where the sequel, Twilight: New Moon, swept the outrageous awards show for the second year in a row. On the one hand, it should be no surprise that it won everything because the Twi-tards are crazy obsessive in their support for this franchise, but it’s still rather annoying that the iminently unlikable and untalented Kristen Stewart wins best actress for it over Oscar winner Sandra Bullock. At least, Bullock picked up the “Generation Award” for her work. She also gave a great speech and received some plaudits from her funny costars Betty White and Bradley Cooper. Oh, and yeah, she kissed Scarlett Johanson, yada yada…. I guess it’s also interesting to note that New Moon demolished Avatar beating it in all of its categories. Apparently the all time highest grossing movie isn’t so loved after all. (And um, if you look at attendance numbers it is no where near being the most successful movie ever. It lags far behind Gone With the Wind, Star Wars, E.T. and others.) The show also featured comedian Aziz Ansari giving it his best shot as host. Unfortunately the hilarious star of Parks and Recreation suffered the fate of most hosts of this show: having to perform to a somewhat indifferent audience who wasn’t listening. We also got a lot of stupid comedy bits from the likes of Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Adam Sandler and his buddies and a terrible dance number from Tom Cruise (as his Tropic Thunder alter ego) with J Lo. I guess most of the audience was amused by the last one. Me, not so much. I did enjoy Christina Aguilera’s no holds barred performance though and Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry (who sang some of her song live even) were decent. For all of the info on the show, check out MTV’s website. Your full list of winners is below:

Best Female Performance: Kristen Stewart (New Moon)
Best Breakout Star: Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
Best Scared as Sh*! Performance: Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer’s Body)
Best Kiss: Stewart and Robert Pattinson (New Moon)
Best WTF Moment: Ken Jeong (The Hangover)
Best Villain: Tom Felton (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Biggest Badass Star: Rain (Um, who?)
Best Fight: Beyonce and Ali Larter (Obsessed)
Best Male Performance: Pattinson
Best Comedic Performance: Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover)
Best Movie: Twilight~ New Moon
Generation Award: Sandra Bullock

And here’s Christina Aguilera’s performance of “Bionic/Not Myself Tonight/WooHoo”

MTV Movie Award Nominations!

The most derivative and often the most fun Awards show in the biz, The MTV Movie Awards, just announced their nominations. As usual, the teen favorites are the frontrunners with Twilight New Moon, Dear John and Avatar leading the pack. This year the show will be hosted by the hilarious Aziz Ansari from TV’s criminally underrated Parks and Recreation. It will also feature a dynamic performance by Christina Aguilera and presenters including Bradley Cooper, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Biel, Steve Carrell, Diddy and more. Check out the full list of nominees below, log on to MTV.com to vote and please don’t let the Twi-hards take control of the results. (There are some worthy competitors here: Sandra Bullock, Gabourey Sidibe, Anna Kendrick, Sharlto Copley. Plus the incomparable Betty White is up for a nom! So vote!)

The 2010 MTV Movie Award Nominations~

BEST MOVIE (voting stays live throughout the 2010 Movie Awards ceremony)
Alice In Wonderland
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hangover
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

Amanda Seyfried – Dear John
Emma Watson – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Kristen Stewart – The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Zoe Saldana – Avatar

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

Channing Tatum – Dear John
Daniel Radcliffe – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Robert Pattinson – The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Taylor Lautner – The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Zac Efron – 17 Again

BEST BREAKOUT STAR

Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Chris Pine – Star Trek
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Logan Lerman – Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Quinton Aaron – The Blind Side
Zach Galifianakis – The Hangover

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

Ben Stiller – Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Bradley Cooper – The Hangover
Ryan Reynolds – The Proposal
Sandra Bullock – The Proposal
Zach Galifianakis – The Hangover

BEST VILLAIN

Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
Helena Bonham Carter – Alice In Wonderland
Ken Jeong – The Hangover
Stephen Lang – Avatar
Tom Felton – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

BEST FIGHT

Beyoncé Knowles vs. Ali Larter – Obsessed
Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber vs. Ryan Reynolds – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Logan Lerman vs. Jake Abel – Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Robert Downey Jr. vs. Mark Strong – Sherlock Holmes
Sam Worthington vs. Stephen Lang – Avatar

BEST KISS

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson – The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning – The Runaways
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds – The Proposal
Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner – Valentine’s Day
Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington – Avatar

BEST WTF MOMENT

Betty White – The Proposal, Cops a Feel
Bill Murray – Zombieland , Bill Murray?! A Zombie?!
Isabel Lucas – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Unexpected Transformation
Ken Jeong – The Hangover , Naked Trunk Surprise
Megan Fox – Jennifer’s Body, Vomits a Mysterious Black Ooze

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR (New Category)

Robert Pattinson
Kristen Stewart
Taylor Lautner
Johnny Depp
Daniel Radcliffe

BEST SCARED-AS-SH**T PERFORMANCE (New Category)

Alison Lohman – Drag Me To Hell
Amanda Seyfried – Jennifer’s Body
Jesse Eisenberg – Zombieland
Katie Featherston – Paranormal Activity
Sharlto Copley – District 9

BIGGEST BADASS STAR (New Category)

Rain
Angelina Jolie
Channing Tatum
Sam Worthington
Chris Pine

Betty’s Brilliance, the lost “Debbie Downer” sketch, muffins, and more!

We all know Betty White is a comedic TV legend who’s riding a hot streak in her 6th decade on-screen. With hit movies (The Proposal), big Super Bowl commercials, iconic TV roles on cherished shows (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls),16 Emmy nominations and 4 wins, Betty can do wrong, and she proved it yet again with her hilarious and brilliant turn hosting Saturday Night Live over the weekend. The 88 1/2 year old showed the kids how you do it with one of the funniest SNL’s in ages and its highest rated in over 2 years. She’s not easing up anytime soon either with a funny new TV Land sitcom, Hot in Cleveland, premiering in June (co-starring Jane Leeves, Valerie Bertinelli, and Wendie Malick), plus another comedy feature, You Again with Kristen Bell, out in September. Whew, I’m tired just typing. Imagine how Betty must feel. Oh, let’s be honest. She is the unstoppable energizer bunny and, I’ll say it, a national treasure. The SAG Awards even bestowed their Lifetime Achievement Award upon her in January where she gave an uproarious speech and memorably chided her Proposal costar Sandra Bullock. Everybody loves Betty! And you can love her some more right now. I’ve got arguably the funniest sketch from this weekend’s SNL for you, The NPR “Muffin” scene, plus the lost sketch with “Debbie Downer” and the full episode. Check them out below and long live Betty!

Betty White, Molly Shannon, Ana Gastayer “NPR Muffin” sketch:

The lost “Debbie Downer” sketch with Rachel Dratch, etc.
http://watching-tv.ew.com/2010/05/09/betty-white-saturday-night-live-downer/

The full episode with Betty White and guest stars Dratch, Shannon, Gastayer, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph (as Whitney again!).