Welcome to this week’s edition of “Movie News Monday!” (“MNM!”)
What is ‘MNM’ all about?
In case this is your first time here, “Movie News Monday!” (MNM) is the place to visit every Monday for a quick recap of trending entertainment news! I’ve collected info, rumors, etc from all over just for you to keep you updated on movies being released, actors/actresses in roles, dvd releases to keep a lookout for, which movie won in the box office over the weekend, etc! Are you ready for your weekly update? Here it is!
This Just In!!…
#1- “The Weekend Winner.” Last weekend, 3 more wide new releases entered the box office arena and hoped for the top spots. And out of all them only one placed in the top 3 as #1 and #2 repeated their placement from the previous week. The Butler served the new releases a plate of disappointment as its earnings now have passed its budget. Mortal Instruments: City of Bones along with The Worlds End and You’re Next all received less than mediocre earnings. And Blue Jasmine‘s massive increase in theater count (the largest for any wide release of a Woody Allen film) ushered it into the top ten and pushed 2 Guns and Jobs from the top ten.
Here are the weekend’s estimated results for Fri, Aug 23-Sun, Aug 25:
- Lee Daniels’ The Butler — $17M
- We’re The Millers — $13.5M
- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones — $9.3M
- The World’s End — $8.9M
- Planes — $8.6M
- Elysium — $7.1M
- You’re Next — $7M
- Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters — $5.2M
- Blue Jasmine — $4.3M
- Kick-A$$ 2 – $4.27M
*Actuals may vary as earnings are updated much later on Monday afternoons. For updates, visit boxofficemojo.com.
Congratulations to Lee Daniels’ The Butler (My review).
What did YOU watch this weekend?
*Below you will find no further news on Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman in the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel. There was plenty about that on the web over the weekend. To join in on some more conversation, if you wish, visit Flixchatter’s article and discussion HERE.
#2- “Tony Jaa is Fast & Furious bound.” Martial arts actor Tony Jaa may not be in the upcoming Expendables 3 movie (currently filming), but he is about to take on the guys in the upcoming Fast & Furious 7.
Joining the likes of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and more, Jaa is currently in final negotations to be a part of the fan-favorite franchise. Thailand-born elephant herder-turned actor, best known for his role in the Ong Bak series, has some impressive moves and looks to bring a fast arsenal of kicks, throws and punches to the expected action-packed film. This will be, in fact, his first movie out of 14 in which English is the primary language.
Jaa stated:
“I have been a big fan of the Fast and Furious franchise, The films are fast-paced, fun and keep the audience involved. There is a great mix of humor and action, something I really appreciate. There is no better film to be involved in for a first U.S. studio production.”
Fast & Furious 7, directed by James Wan (The Conjuring) is set for release on July 11, 2014 so filming and production (which begins next month) will undoubtedly be as fast and furious as the title may imply.
Hey guys…wanna race?
Are you excited to see the route this car-centric franchise has taken?
#3- “Dive into the first Divergent trailer“ Shailene Woodley has received plenty of attention after her noteworthy performance in The Descendants with George Clooney. Her casting as Mary Jane for the Amazing Spider-Man series definitely sent waves through fandom and her recent dramedy entitled The Spectacular Now is a coming of age story lauded by several critics.
Another film with the starlet, that hopes to not only branch into a series but also take the reigns as the leading teenage film phenomena due to the void left by the Twilight series (The Host, Mortal Instruments; City of Bones, Hunger Games, Beautiful Creatures…all seem to be going for the same crowd), is the upcoming Divergent.
Based on the book series by author Veronica Roth, here is a quick synopsis from Cinemablend.com:
Divergent is set in dystopian Chicago, where society is broken up into five factions, which determine a person’s way of life. The story centers on Beatrice “Tris” Prior, a teen who comes of age and must decide whether to stay with her family’s faction, the selfless “Abnegation,” or choose a new faction. It’s only a mild spoiler to point out that she chooses Dauntless, the faction known for its daring and brave members. But before that, she discovers she’s “Divergent,” which means she’ll never truly fit into any one faction, and “they” can’t control her. The preview shows Tori (Maggie Q) feeding Tris this information in the form of a warning. To put it mildly, being Divergent isn’t something she should advertise.
Here’s the action-packed trailer:
Starring Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Theo James, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller and more, and directed by Neil Burger (Limitless), Divergent is set to release on March 21.
Are you interested in Divergent?
#4- “Tomorrowland begins Today.” Disney has announced the beginning of the Brad Bird project entitled Tomorrowland that is underway now in Vancouver. Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, The Iron Giant, Ratatouille) co-wrote this very secretive screenplay and it sounds great.
Check out the details in the synopsis and press release:
Synopsis: Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as “Tomorrowland.”
Press Release: DISNEY’S “TOMORROWLAND” BEGINS FILMING IN VANCOUVER
STARRING ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER GEORGE CLOONEY, HUGH LAURIE, BRITT ROBERTSON, RAFFEY CASSIDY AND THOMAS ROBINSON
Burbank, Calif. (Aug. 26, 2013) —Principal photography has begun on Disney’s mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring two-time Academy AwardÒ winner George Clooney (“Michael Clayton,” “Syriana”), Hugh Laurie (“Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Arthur Christmas”), Britt Robertson (“Under The Dome”), Raffey Cassidy (“Dark Shadows,” “Snow White and the Huntsman”) and Thomas Robinson (“The Switch”). The film is directed, produced and co-written by two-time Oscar® winner Brad Bird (“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “The Incredibles”). Damon Lindelof (“Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Prometheus”) and Jeffrey Chernov (“Star Trek,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”) are also producers. The screenplay is written by Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof from a story by Lindelof & Jeff Jensen and Brad Bird.
Jeff Jensen and John Walker (“The Incredibles”) will executive produce with Bernard Bellew (“Les Misérables,” “28 Weeks Later”) and Tom Peitzman, VFX producer (“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” “Alice in Wonderland”) serving as co-producers.
Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as “Tomorrowland.”
Bird has gathered a great team behind the lens with Oscar® winning director of photography Claudio Miranda (“Life of Pi,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), production designer Scott Chambliss (“Star Trek,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Cowboys & Aliens”), Oscar® nominated costume designer Jeffrey Kurland (“Inception,” “Ocean’s Eleven”) and Academy Award®-winning editor Walter Murch (“The English Patient,” “Cold Mountain”).
“Tomorrowland” will be released through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures on December 12, 2014.
Everytime I hear this title, I think of the theme park in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Remember? Click here.
What do you think? Are you ready for December 12, 2014?
#5- “This Week’s Blu-ray release.” This week, look for the following films on Blu-ray to possibly add to your collection:
The Great Gatsby- Beautiful and visually well-done, the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic tale retold with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and more. Director Baz Luhrmann brings his creative and imaginative way of storytelling to Gatsby in a way never seen before. Worth a watch. Fans of the book and previous versions on film will definitely enjoy. Read my full review HERE.
Several other films also release this week. Check it out!
Also releasing:
- Pain & Gain (my review)
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- …and more.
Which will you pick up?
This week’s WEEKLY WATCHES: I don’t get to review everything I watch. That being the case you don’t get an idea of my thoughts on some of the movies I check out for you that you may be interested in. At the bottom of ‘MNM’ I will attempt to, each week, post the films I DID watch over the week and (if you care to know my thoughts) if you ask about them in the comment section, I will share my feelings toward the film in question.
This week’s watches have all been submissions for the White Sands International Film Festival. More reviews are on the way. Stay tuned. For full coverage, click the photo.
-Also watched: Paperboy, The World’s End (my review will post soon) and more.
Tell me, what did YOU watch this week?
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Well, that’s it for this round of “Movie News Monday!”
Thanks for reading! Happy Watching!
-T, The Focused Filmographer
up next: ”Time to Vote Tuesday!”
