FilmChatter

Warner Bros. Pictures' "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" worked its magic at the boxoffice Wednesday.

The fifth feature in the franchise, which bowed in 4,181 theaters, took in an estimated $44.23 million at the North American boxoffice for the day, including $12 million from midnight screenings. That earned the movie the title of biggest Wednesday opening ever, trumping the previous record-holder, Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 2," which bowed to a single-day gross of $40.4 million in 2004.

The "Phoenix" opening also bested the $40.1 million first-day gross of 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the previous best first-day gross for any of the Potter movies, though in that case opening day was a Friday. "Phoenix" also notched the biggest IMAX opening ever, pulling in $1.9 million on 90 screens in North America.

    'Phoenix' Casts Boxoffice Spell Over Weekend - The Hollywood Reporter

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Posted by John at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Michael Bay destructo-machine 'Transformers' has been rated Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But, just barely! At 60% positive reviews, it has only squeaked by. But, even Roger Ebert's given it 3 Stars, so, it looks like Michael Bay has caught himself a break. Like the guy actually reads these reviews!

    Transformers - RottenTomatoes.com

    Transformers - RogerEbert.com

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(Wink, wink!) "Basic Instinct 2" bombed in a MAJOR way this weekend, only making it to Number 10 in its first week. Wow! That's gotta hurt! But, there are numerous filmmakers who see the erotic thriller as a thing of the past. Their opinion as to why: today's conservative climate.

    Whatever Happened to the Erotic Thriller? - CNN.com

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Creepy backwoods folk terrorize as Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer gives us the critical consensus this week:

    The Hills Have Eyes - 47%

    The Libertine - 34%

    The Shaggy Dog - 28%

    Failure to Launch - 27%

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Posted by John at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For movie critics hopped up to see "Ultraviolet," guess what? You're getting bupkis! The futuristic, actioner starring Milla Jovovich wasn't shown for critics. Columbia Pictures probably has its reasons, but they are unknown to us film fans. Will it rule the box office regardless of critical opinion? Yeah, probably!

     Review Roundup: 16 Blocks, Block Party, Aquamarine, not Ultraviolet - Cinematical

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David Chappelle throws a party as Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer gives us the critical consensus this week:

    Dave Chappelle's Block Party - 93%

    16 Blocks - 45%

    Aquamarine - 65%

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Posted by John at 01:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Paul Walker gets violent as Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer gives us the critical consensus this week:

    Running Scared - 37%

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Posted by John at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's how this week's New Releases rank on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer:

    Eight Below - 79%

    Freedomland - 21%

    Date Movie - 20%

    Night Watch - 63%

    Battle in Heaven - 47%

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Posted by John at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jonathan Demme has joined other narrative filmmakers like Sidney Pollack in becoming documentarians. Demme's is "Heart of Gold," a Neil Young concert film. Demme filmed two nights of a special Young performance at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium. Released by Paramount Classics, the film did well in indieWIRE's box office survey.

    Neil Young Doc "Heart of Gold" Has Strong Opening - indieWIRE

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Posted by John at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's how this week's New Releases rank on the Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer:

    Curious George - 73%

    Final Destination 3 - 50%

    Pink Panther - 32%

    Firewall - 24%

    On the Outs - 90%

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Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" premieres today in theatres and on cable. The "day and date" release scheme has been criticized by those who see it as a threat to movie theatres. Since the film is a very low-budget high-definition affair, any impact may be negligible. However, concern is still being heard.

The DVD will be released in 4 days on January 31st. This is due to Tuesday being the industry day for DVD releases. The film will be showing two times: 9:00 ET and 11:00 ET on HDNet Movies. Following each showing will be "Higher Definition," the network's regular show, this time with host Robert Wilonsky interviewing director Steven Soderbergh. I don't get high-definition programming myself, so if someone could tell me how the broadcast goes, I'd appreciate it!

     Boy in the Bubble - ComingSoon.net

     "Bubble" Review - Roger Ebert

     Bubble Reviews - Rotten Tomatoes

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Posted by John at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)