“The Dark Knight” Breaks Another Record: Quickest Ever to $200M July 23, 2008 3:41 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Batman, Box Office, Movies, News, The Dark Knight.1 comment so far
Warner Bros’ The Dark Knight broke yet another record on Tuesday, as it became the the fastest movie ever to cross the $200 million mark, doing so in just five days. That crushes the prior record held by three films; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. All three films took eight days to reach the $200M mark.
The Dark Knight hit the mark thanks to $24.49M Monday and $20.87M Tuesday performances, pushing its domestic total to an impressive $203.77M. Even more impressive is the fact that when Wednesday tallies are included, the film will have grossed in just six days more than its predecessor, Batman Begins, grossed in its entire theatrical run ($205.34M)!
Including the limited numbers we have from overseas grosses, The Dark Knight has taken in $245.07M worldwide ($203.77M domestically and $41.3M overseas).
In just under one week in release, The Dark Knight has already broken 14–major–records (it’s probably broken more, but who’s going to count them all?). Here they are:
- Widest release (4,366 theaters)
- Midnight Opening ($18.49M)
- IMAX Midnight ($640,000–included in $18.49M figure)
- Opening Day ($67.16M)
- Single Day ($67.16M)
- Single Day – Friday ($67.16M)
- Single Day – Sunday ($43.60M)
- Opening 3-Day Weekend ($158.41M)
- Opening 3-Day Weekend IMAX ($6.21M–included in $158.41M figure)
- July Opener ($158.41M)
- PG-13 Opener ($158.41M)
- 4-Day ($182.90M)
- Fastest to $200M (5 Days – $203.77M)
- 5-Day ($203.77M)
And guess what? It’s already made more money in five days than the record holder for 6 days and 7 days, so those two records are also beaten.
“The Rocker” Release Date Moved to August 20th July 23, 2008 2:59 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Release Dates, The Rocker.add a comment
20th Century Fox has announced that the release date for The Rocker has been changed to August 20, 2008. The film stars Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, Jeff Garlin, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone and was directed by Peter Cattaneo.
Check out the official site at therockermovie.com.
Synopsis
“The Rocker” is Robert “Fish” Fishman, the drummer for an eighties hair band. He’s living the rock n’ roll dream… until he is kicked out of the group. Twenty years later, the desperate rocker joins his nephew’s band, “A.D.D.,” finally reclaiming the rock-god throne he’s always thought he deserved — while taking his much younger bandmates along for the ride of their lives
‘Transformers 2’ Logo Revealed July 23, 2008 2:41 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Photos, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.1 comment so far
The official website for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has been updated with a new logo for the sequel to the hit 2007 film. Click the above image to enlarge.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters on June 26, 2009.
“Swingtown” Moving to Friday Night July 23, 2008 2:34 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, CBS, Flashpoint, News, Swingtown, Television.14 comments
This can’t be good news. CBS has announced that Swingtown is moving to Friday nights at 10pm. The timeslot that TV shows go to die. The reason is simple: ratings. The show hasn’t done all that well in recent weeks, usually dropping a little with each new episode. In the meantime, the networks other summer series, Flashpoint, debuted with a very solid 8.13 million viewers, and didn’t shed too many of those viewers in its second week. That show will be moving to Swingtown’s original timeslot, Thursday’s at 10pm.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
Edited to add ratings information and analysis [7/24/2008]
Through seven episodes (June 5-July 17), Swingtown has averaged a 4.3/8 HH rating/share, 6.05M viewers and a 2.0/6 A18-49 rating/share.
Flashpoint has aired just two episodes thus far and averaged a 5.0/10 HH rating/share, 7.63M viewers and a 1.7/6 A18-49 rating/share.
Looking at those two data sets, some may find it hard to understand why CBS is moving the show, but that average doesn’t tell the entire picture. The show started off much stronger (5.9/10 HH rating/share, 8.57M viewers and a 2.8/8 A18-49 rating/share) and its most recent airing was one of its lowest (3.9/7 HH rating/share, 5.32M viewers and a 1.6/5 A18-49 rating/share).
It’s also a favorite of mine, but it’s important to note that CBS isn’t entirely in the wrong here. They see an opportunity with Flashpoint, which yes, hasn’t done amazing, but still has the possibility to grow in a timeslot with much more exposure.
Tonight (Thursday, July 24th) was the first night that Flashpoint aired in its new timeslot, and tomorrow Swingtown airs in its new timeslot. Who knows, maybe both shows will do well. Check back tomorrow for a look at how Flashpoint does and on Saturday to see if Swingtown survives the move.
“Ninja Assassin” Photos July 23, 2008 2:26 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Ninja Assassin, Photos.add a comment
Two new photos from the James McTeigue directed/Wachowski Bros. supervised Ninja Assassin have been revealed. Check them out after the jump.
Synopsis
V for Vendetta director James McTeigue re-teams with that film’s producers Larry and Andy Wachowski for this action-packed tale of a skilled assassin who was trained by a mythical secret society, and patiently awaits the day he will avenge the death of his best friend. Swept off the streets as a young boy, Raizo (Korean pop star Rain) is transformed into an unstoppable killing machine by a secret society known as the Ozunu Clan. The Ozunu Clan is so proficient at keeping their existence a secret that most people think they are only a myth, but the moment Ozuno assassins kill Raizo’s friend, their days in the shadows are numbered. In the aftermath of that killing, Raizo manages to break free from the gang, subsequently biding his time until the day he can take the entire Ozunu Clan down.
Later, in Berlin, Europol agent Mika Coretti (Naomie Harris) discovers a money trail connecting multiple political murders to a mysterious network of elusive assassins from the Far East. While her superior Ryan Maslow (Ben Miles) orders Mika to back down and stop asking questions, she stealthily begins searching through classified agency files on a relentless mission to discover the truth about the murders. Singled out as a target as a direct result of her investigation, Mika is marked for death by lethal Ozunu assassin Takeshi (Rick Yune). Just as Mika is about to be silenced forever, Raizo saves her from certain death. But Raizo knows that Takeshi and the rest of the Ozuno Clan won’t stop until he and Mika are both dead. Now, as Raizo and Mika are hunted through the winding streets of Europe, their only hope for survival is to trust one another and stay alive long enough to bring the Ozunu empire crumbling to the ground.
Ninja Assassin hits theaters sometime in 2009.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Tuesday, July 22, 2008 July 23, 2008 2:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings.add a comment
A complete breakdown of the night’s ratings follows after the jump.
Ebert and Roeper Replacements July 23, 2008 2:17 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in At the Movies, News, Television.add a comment
With Ebert and Roeper both declining to re-up their contracts (read about that story here) with At The Movies, Buena Vista has announced two replacement hosts for the show. They are Ben Mankiewicz, a host on TCM, and Ben Lyons, from E! and son of film critic Jeffrey Lyons.
“Dollhouse” Pilot to get Re-Worked July 23, 2008 2:13 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, Dollhouse, Fox, News, Television.add a comment
Dollhouse, the upcoming Fox drama from Joss Whedon is getting a new pilot. Whedon explains the situation in a post over at Whedonesque.com, saying that the original pilot “…didn’t bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep.”
I really hope things don’t turn out bad for Dollhouse. After all, Firefly had a different premiere episode than what was originally intended to be shown, and that didn’t turn out so well. However, Joss explains that in this case, the decision to do a new pilot was all his:
Joss: Well, the idea to do a new first episode wasn’t the network’s. It was mine. I understood their consternation, and saw the gap between my style and their expectations, and I suggested I shoot a new ep and make the one I’d shot the second. It isn’t going to be buried, like the pilot of Firefly. It’s simply coming after another, slightly cleaner ep. And because unlike Firefly, it isn’t a two hour epic which introduces everyone to each other, the onus isn’t on the new ep to explain a million things.
The original pilot will now air in week two.
Dollhouse has been given a mid-season launch and will premiere in January 2009 and air Mondays on Fox.
“Witchblade” Director Chosen July 23, 2008 2:00 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, Witchblade.add a comment
Platinum Studios Inc., has confirmed that 
Michael Rymer will be the director of the upcoming comic book adaptation of Witchblade. Rymer is most recognized as a television producer and director of several episodes of Battlestar Galactica. An actress for the lead role has yet to be announced.
Witchblade is scheduled to hit theaters sometime in 2009.
HBO Releases “True Blood” Poster July 23, 2008 1:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Posters, Television, True Blood.add a comment
HBO has released a poster for Alan Ball’s (Six Feet Under) upcoming original vampire drama True Blood. Check it out after the jump. The series is set to premiere on the premium cable network on September 7th at 9pm.
“Caprica” Trailer July 23, 2008 1:29 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, News, Sci Fi, Television, Trailers.1 comment so far
SCI FI has released a trailer for the upcoming two-hour backdoor pilot, Caprica. Caprica is a prequel to the networks critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica. Check out the trailer below.
Roeper Joining Ebert in Leaving “At The Movies” July 23, 2008 1:26 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Television.add a comment
Richard Roeper, co-host of At the Movies, has decided not to re-up his contract and is leaving the show. Roeper, a Sun-Times columnist, signed on in 2000 after the death of original co-host Gene Siskel. Roeper says that he plans to “proceed elsewhere with my ninth year as the co-host of a movie review show that honors the standards established by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert more than 30 years ago, ” indicating that perhaps he and Ebert, who is a copyright holder on the signature “thumbs up-thumbs down” judgment says that he had “exercised his right to withhold use of the “thumbs” until he had a new contract, adding “Disney cannot use the `thumbs'”.
Jay Leno’s Exit from NBC Finalized July 23, 2008 1:19 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Late-Night, NBC, News, Television, The Tonight Show.add a comment
Jay Leno’s exit from The Tonight Show has been finalized. Leno’s last Tonight show will be Friday, May 29, 2009. Conan O’Brien, the announced new host of the talk show, will start the following Monday, June 1st, NBC executives told gathered press at the Television Critics Association.
Jimmy Fallon, Conan’s replacement on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, will take over in March or April of 2009. O’Brien’s end date hasn’t been announced yet, but he’ll likely wrap his run sometime in the first quarter of the year.
New “Dragonball” Poster + More Scans July 23, 2008 11:36 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News.add a comment
A new poster from the upcoming videogame adaptation Dragonball has found its way online. Check it out after the jump. There are also a bunch of new magazine scans from the movie.
Synopsis
James Wong adapts the rich mythos of the Dragonball series that grew from a manga into various popular animated series with this 20th Century Fox production starring Justin Chatwin. The plot revolves around Goku (Chatwin), Earth’s greatest champion, who must defend the planet against an invading race of alien warriors hell-bent on dominating the universe. Wong directs from his own script, with Kung Fu Hustle’s Stephen Chow producing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s James Marsters co-stars as the film’s villain, Piccolo, with Jamie Chung playing Chi Chi and Emmy Rossum portraying Bulma. Hong Kong legend Chow Yun-Fat rounds out the cast as Master Roshi, Goku’s mentor in the film.
Dragonball hits theaters on April 3, 2009.
“Watchmen” and “Batman: Mad Love” Motion Comics Launched July 23, 2008 11:28 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Motion Comics, News.1 comment so far
Warner Premiere’s Motion Comics division has launched with debut episodes of Watchmen and Batman: Mad Love. Batman: Mad Love, starring Batman, The Joker and Harley Quinn can already be downloaded to own (started on July 22nd) on Xbox Live and Verizon Wireless’ V Cast Video serivice, while the Watchmen motion comic will be available beginning August 2nd on iTunes and is available to view right now for an exclusive timetable on EW.com/Watchmen. The official press release of the announcement follows after the jump. (more…)
Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, July 21, 2008 July 22, 2008 2:50 pm
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“The Closer” and “Saving Grace”: New Episodes Tonight + “The Closer: Season Three” DVD Giveaway Reminder July 21, 2008 5:20 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in News, Saving Grace, Television, The Closer, TNT.add a comment
TNT has put up a few sneak peek videos for tonight’s new episodes of The Closer and Saving Grace. Check them out at the links below.
The Closer (9pm)
http://www.tnt.tv/dramavision.jsp?oid=40499&eref=sharethisUrl
Saving Grace (10pm)
http://www.tnt.tv/dramavision/?oid=40322&eref=sharethisUrl
And don’t forget that there’s still time to enter the DVD giveaway for the third season DVD set of The Closer. Click here for the rules to enter.
“The Dark Knight” Opening Weekend: Breaks Midnight Record with $18.5M, Single Day with $67.2M and 3-Day with $158.4M. Also Breaks FRI, SUN and IMAX Records [CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED] July 21, 2008 4:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, The Dark Knight.3 comments
UPDATED 7/21/2008 AT 4:30PM: Here are the final numbers: FRI – $67.165M, SAT – $47.650M, SUN – $43.596M = $158.411M. It beat all the records once held by Spider-Man 3, with the exception of the Saturday record, which Spider-Man 3 still holds ($51.337M).
UPDATED 7/21/2008 AT 2:00PM: Warner Bros. has released final numbers for The Dark Knight, and their estimate was lower than the actual number thanks to a bigger than expected Sunday take. The Dark Knight took in a record-breaking $43M. That pushes the movie safely past Spider-Man 3 for the all time 3-day record with an enormous $158.3M weekend. I’ll make another update once the Friday/Saturday/Sunday breakdowns are released.
Moving to critical praise, The Dark Knight is surprising still in first place at IMBd.com’s Top 250. It has a 9.5 rating with 69,135 votes. It’s still holding firm with a 94% Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, increasing its fresh amount (now 195 Fresh), while no additional rotten reviews have been added (still at 12 Rotten).
UPDATED 7/20/2008 AT 11:45PM: DHD is reporting that The Dark Knight is doing better than expected business on Sunday, besting WB’s Sunday estimate. It looks headed for a record-breaking $40M+, with a high-end of perhaps $43M. That means the three-day record is all but guaranteed and it now looks like the Sunday record is going down. The list of records beaten has been updated.
UPDATED 7/20/2008 AT 12:57PM: Warner Bros. is now estimating a record-breaking $155.34M 3-day weekend for The Dark Knight. That figure includes an updated $67.85M Friday (that number just keeps getting larger and larger doesn’t it?), a $48.07M Saturday and a projection for a $39.42M Sunday. That means Spider-Man 3’s current Saturday ($51.34M) and Sunday ($39.94M) records are safe (at least for the time being, we’ll see what the Actuals show on Monday), but the single day, opening day, Friday and 3-day records appear to have been broken (with the Friday number being the safest).
The film also broke the IMAX weekend record (held by Spider-Man 3–$4.7M). It made an impressive $6.21M from 94 IMAX locations for an extraordinary $66,107 PTA (per theater average).
All record stats updated in the article below.
UPDATED 7/20/2008 at 12:28pm: Estimates put Friday’s gross at an even more impressive $66.4M, shattering the single day record once held by Spider-Man 3. Saturday’s gross is estimated at between $47.4M and $48M (short of the record set by Spider-Man 3).
Keep in mind that the $66.4M Friday figure includes all the midnight previews ($18.5M), so Friday’s gross (from 3AM and upward) was about $47.9M without the sneaks.
The movie should add another $38-43M on Sunday (Sunday record is $39.9M) and that should be enough to push the film over the prior 3-day weekend record, with current estimates putting the weekend figure at between $153M and $155.3M. The Dark Knight will also help the box office to its biggest 3-day weekend ever ($253M), well above the 218.4M set on July 7-9, 2006 when Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest opened. Record stats updated below.
And updating the IMBd and Rotten Tomatoes watch, the movie has propelled itself to #1at the IMDb.com Top 250. The movie sits in that spot with a 9.5 rating with 23,611 votes. This is the first time The Godfather has been unsitted in a long, long time. At RT, it’s still sitting at a 94% Fresh Rating (184 Fresh/12 Rotten).
UPDATED 7/19/2008 at 8:35am: DHD is now reporting a $64-65M opening. Impressive. I’ll be out for most of the day, so be sure to check up on two main sites to keep informed: FantasyMoguls.com and DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com.
UPDATED 7/18/2008 at 10:30pm: Steve Mason over at FantasyMoguls.com is reporting via his sources that The Dark Knight has broken the single day/opening day record once held by Spider-Man 3. The movie is expected to gross an enormous $63 million today, moving it past Spider-Man 3 which had a $59.8 million opening day last May. It’s currently projected to reach $153 million for the weekend (which would also beat the record–$151.1M held by Spider-Man 3). Meanwhile, Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that the movie will do slightly less ($60M), yet still enough for the record. I’ve updated the record list below to reflect the performance in terms of the Friday number, but I’m going to hold off on making a statement on the weekend numbers, since we only have one day to work from currently.
On a different note, the movie has made its way to #3 on IMDb.com’s Top 250. It’s currently receiving a 9.1 rating with 7,041 votes. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, it’s holding steady at 94%.
————————
The Dark Knight broke the record for the biggest midnight opening, tallying up a massive $18.5 million in receipts from 3,040 theaters that previewed the movie (it will play in a record 4,366 theaters this weekend). That easily bests the prior record of $16.9 million set in 2005 by Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which was previewed in 2,915 theaters.
What’s even more impressive is that these numbers don’t include the special 3am and 6am screenings of the show that were added. The movie also broke the IMAX record for a midnight opening with $640,000 of the $18.5 million coming from IMAX screenings. With a near sell-through of tickets for the weekend (and still impressive reaction from critics–94% on Rotten Tomatoes), the movie has a very good chance of breaking several more records before the weekend is over with. Here are the key ones that could be broken (updated as records are broken):
- 3-day opening weekend: Spider-Man 3 ($151.1M).
- July Opening: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($135.6M)
- PG-13 Opening: Spider-Man 3 ($151.1M)
- Opening Day: Spider-Man 3 ($59.8M)
- Single Day: Spider-Man 3 ($59.8M)
- Single Day (Friday): Spider-Man 3 ($59.8M)
- Single Day (Saturday): Spider-Man 3 ($51.3M)
- Single Day (Sunday): Spider-Man 3 ($39.9M)
- Conventional/IMAX Midnight Previews ($640,000 for IMAX): Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith ($16.9M)
- IMAX Midnight Previews: $640,000
- IMAX 3-Day Opening: Spider-Man 3 ($4.7M)
I saw the movie at one of the 12:01am showings (in a conventional, non-IMAX theater, unfortunately) this morning. Absolutely amazing. Ledger’s performance as the Joker more than lives up to the hype. Eckhart’s portrayal as Harvey Dent/Two Face was also quite strong. I hope his performance doesn’t go unnoticed. The story was amazing, the direction was amazing, the set pieces some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. It was long, but didn’t feel long. It was dark, yet at the same time had some comedy thrown in here and there. I’m not sure if it completely lives up to the hype (which was outrageously high), but it gets pretty damn close. This isn’t just one of the best superhero/comic movies I’ve seen in a long time, this ranks up there as one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.
I’ll continue to update this post throughout the weekend as the numbers come in. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on the movie in the comments section below.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, July 20, 2008 July 21, 2008 3:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen Ratings, Television.add a comment
A complete breakdown of the night’s ratings follows after the jump.
The CW Fall 2008 Schedule Announced July 20, 2008 6:27 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, News, Programming Guide, Television, The CW.add a comment
The CW has unveiled their schedule for the upcoming fall 2008 season. MRC, which will be programming The CW’s Sunday nights, has also made some changes to their premiere dates. Check out both press releases after the jump. Also, my Fall 2008 Programming Guide has been updated to reflect the additions. With the reveal of The CW schedule, premiere dates have been set for all five major networks. Click here to download it the guide (which as always, can be found on my 2008/2009 Television Page).
Broadcast TV Ratings for Saturday, July 19, 2008 July 20, 2008 5:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
Broadcast TV Ratings for Friday, July 18, 2008 July 19, 2008 2:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
StarTrekMovie.com Updated With New Design and Downloads July 18, 2008 10:20 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movie Posters, Movies, Photos, Star Trek.1 comment so far
The official site for the upcoming Star Trek movie, StarTrekMovie.com, has been updated. The new look incorporates the recently revealed character teaser posters. At the newly designed site, you can download wallpapers (or icons) of each poster. Check it out here. I’ve included the high-res posters after the jump.
New “Watchmen”, “Harry Potter 6” and “Terminator Salvation” Photos July 18, 2008 7:39 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Movies, Photos, Terminator Salvation, Watchmen.add a comment
Warner Bros. has released a batch of photos from Watchmen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Terminator Salvation. The photos were all featured in this week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly. Check out the photos after the jump.
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Teaser Online July 18, 2008 5:50 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Movie Trailers, Movies, News.1 comment so far
The short, very short, 15-second teaser trailer of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that played before IMAX screenings of The Dark Knight can now be viewed online. Check it out below.
Suddenly I’m not so annoyed that it played only before IMAX screenings (since I saw the movie in a conventional theater). Could it have been any shorter!?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hits theaters on November 21, 2008.
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