So Sex And The City made $55.7 million in the US this weekend — and another $40 million overseas — to become the highest opening ever for an R-rated comedy and beating Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull into second spot in its second week. People, you only have yourself to blame if they make another one.
More interesting (at least to me) was the fact that The Strangers made in excess of $20m in the US. Considering the film doesn't have any stars (no offense meant to Liv Tyler or Scott Speedman but neither of you are, like, Will Smith) and has been sitting around for a while now, the numbers are terrific. Who said horror's dead at the box office? And when's it out in the UK?
Meanwhile, fire ravaged the Universal Studios Tour in Los Angeles, destroying two of the most popular backlot shooting locations, namely the New York Street and the Back to the Future courthouse square. The blaze also laid waste to the King Kong amusement park attraction and countless videos of Universal films and TV shows that were stored in a cavernous vault. I have very fond memories of visiting Universal both as a child with my parents and later as an adult when I was there interviewing John Landis. Fortunately no one appears to have been hurt.
And talking of disaster movies (as I tangentially was), The Happening press machine is gearing up with the film's release less than a fortnight away. Although there's still no confirmation of UK press screenings, Mark Walhberg was promoting it on Jonathan Ross on Friday night and the NY Times has a somewhat interesting article on M Night Shyamalan.
17 comments:
Shyamalan.
That's what I wrote.
No, I know; I really should have followed on with a "That guy..." or a *shakes fist* to better convey my increasing disdain for him, as we are here with the benefit of inflection.
My bad! But yes, Shyamalan. That guy... *shakes fist*
I know. I know. I tuned out when the alien showed up in Signs, but then went with The Village until he showed up... Consequently didn't go to Lady In The Water.
But I'm actually looking forward to this one. And I'm so hoping I won't be disappointed.
Well, the success of SEX & THE CITY shows that Hollywood, once again, underestimates approximately half of the population. They WILL go see a film if it is something that genuinely interests and engages them. I like one review that called it the female counterpart to AMERICAN PSYCHO if you look at it as protagonists obsessed with material possessions and looking perfect.
That was meant to be "without the benefit of inflection"...
I loved his first three films (Signs I'm actually an enormous fan of in particular) and The Village was decent enough that it made me wish he'd just made a straight period horror film, despite my having guessed its big reveal before seeing the film. Lady in the Water, on the other hand, it one of the most painfully self-indulgent train wrecks I've ever had the displeasure of bearing witness to, and that unchecked ego of his has just not sat right with me since.
Have you seen the clip from The Happening which released online? I've never seen two actors I admire so much give such flat-out awful performances. I hope it's just a case of the scene suffering when taken out of context and not indicative of the film's quality as a whole, cause, yeesh...
And PS, I'm at work but just read - Burton for Dark Shadows! Wicked!
Wicked indeed.
i love movies that you have to go see just based on "well... maybe THIS time they'll get it right." i'll keep going to see Shyamalan's stuff just because he's a master of the trailer-trap. i'm so confused with each new trailer that now i feel like, okay, what the fuck is going on?! stupid curiosity.
ps: the strangers gave me nightmares and all i saw was that one trailer where liv tyler goes up to the door and you hear the crazy person whisper "you're gonna die." i'm such a pansy.
so i take it you're not going to see the strangers then?
you don't have to flaunt your horror movie watching skillz. i know you has them. here's a shocker: i've never seen ANY elm street OR friday the 13th movies (classic as they may be).
when i was a lad in elementary school, some older kids were talking about the freddy movie where he popped out of the mailbox and kill the mail man and the girl got turned to goo or something... i was probably 7. i lived in the country. on a lonely dark wooded road. with a cornfield in my back yard. needless to say that "the strangers" freaks me out beyond belief (as did the blair witch project). thank god i never has any idea what children of the corn was about until i moved out...
I don't know what's the biggest concern, not having seen the films in question or the fact you would class any of the Friday 13th films as being classics. The first Elm Street, yeah. Some of the sequels were interesting too. But I've never really warmed to the Friday 13th series, although I quire liked Part 3 in 3D.
I think there's a script/book in your childhood!
classic in the sense that EVEYONE (sans me)has seen them. not classic in the sense that they were good...
not that i can comment, as i've not seen them.
Did you ever see Kevin Costner playing baseball in your cornfield. Cos that would be scary...
wasn't that Ray Liotta?
far scarier thank Kevi-bear...
True. true.
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