The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| ‘Argo’ rises above ‘Cloud Atlas’ as Sandy spooks Posted: 29 Oct 2012 02:03 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Oct 29 — Acclaimed Iran hostage thriller "Argo" brought home its first box-office win over a quiet weekend, leading movie charts with US$12.4 million (RM36.8 million) in US and Canadian ticket sales as would-be moviegoers hunkered down for Hurricane Sandy. The tally for "Argo", directed by and starring Ben Affleck, topped the US$9.4 million for new sci-fi drama "Cloud Atlas". Halloween-themed animated film "Hotel Transylvania" scared up US$9.5 million from Friday through yesterday, narrowly edging "Cloud Atlas", studio estimates showed. After two weeks in the No. 2 spot, "Argo" moved into the lead and lifted its domestic sales to US$60.8 million through three weekends.  Actor-director Ben Affleck at the premiere of "Argo" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California, October 4, 2012. — Reuters file pic Dan Fellman, president of theatrical distribution for Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc, attributed the film's jump to "great word-of-mouth", which he called "the best form of advertising". "Cloud Atlas", also from Warner Bros, fell short of industry forecasts for a US$13 million debut at North American (US and Canadian) cinemas. Fellman said the film did better in larger cities, but struggled in the South and Midwest. The film, starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, cost US$100 million to make. Many in Hollywood thought the story, based on a philosophical novel by David Mitchell, was too complex to bring to the big screen. The nearly three-hour film with six interweaving stories divided critics, with the harshest reviewers saying it would try audiences' patience with multiple storylines and century-hopping plots. The film's stars also shift characters. Hanks, for example, is a shady doctor in the 1840s, a nuclear scientist in the 1970s and a simple valley-dweller in the distant future. But "Cloud Atlas" also drew praise as an ambitious and well-acted epic. Sixty-one per cent of reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes website recommended the film. "Hotel Transylvania" set a record for a September film opening in North America when it opened on September 28, and has performed solidly since then. In the family comedy, Frankenstein, the Invisible Man and other monsters gather for a party at a high-end resort operated by Dracula. Their celebration is disrupted when a boy discovers the hotel and falls in love with Dracula's daughter but must deal with her overprotective father. The president of worldwide distribution for Sony Corp's Sony Pictures studio, Rory Bruer, was not entirely surprised that the weeks-old movie beat "Cloud Atlas", despite the buzz around "Cloud Atlas". "Anything at this point doesn't surprise me," Bruer said. "It's like an annuity that keeps on giving and giving." Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst at Hollywood.com, said the Halloween weekend gave the film a boost, and is "still the number one choice for families" among the spooky seasonal films now playing. The weekend was fairly quiet at the box office in North America, which Dergarabedian attributed to Hurricane Sandy, the storm menacing the East Coast of the United States. However, the new James Bond movie "Skyfall" whipped up a storm of its own overseas, taking US$77.7 million in 25 countries. The latest instalment of the British spy saga took the top spot in all 25 countries, broke the all-time Saturday attendance record in the United Kingdom, and was the biggest film opening there of 2012. It will open in the United States on November 9. Rounding out the weekend's top five, low-budget horror sequel "Paranormal Activity 4" grossed US$8.7 million at domestic cinemas. "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" and "Taken 2" tied for fifth place, each pulling in US$8 million. Two other new films failed to crack the top five. New Halloween-themed comedy "Fun Size" brought in US$4.1 million at domestic cinemas, landing in 10th place. The US$14 million production tells the story of a boy who goes missing among trick-or-treaters, sparking his teen sister's frantic search to find him before her mother comes home. Sports drama "Chasing Mavericks" disappointed, failing to break the top 10. The movie stars Gerard Butler in the story of a surfer who tries to conquer one of the biggest waves on Earth. "Silent Hill: Revelation 3D" was released by Open Road Films, a joint venture between cinema owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc. Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, released "Fun Size" and "Paranormal Activity 4". "Chasing Mavericks" was distributed by News Corp's 20th Century Fox studio. Sony Corp's movie division released "Hotel Transylvania". — Reuters |
| Labrinth, Taylor Swift top UK music charts Posted: 29 Oct 2012 12:42 AM PDT  Taylor Swift swept the album charts with her fourth full-length release 'Red'. — Reuters pic It was the first No. 1 as a solo artist for the British singer. Boy band JLS was new in at No. 6 with "Hottest Girl in the World", the Official Charts Company said yesterday. The other new entry in the singles chart was "Wonder" by British rapper Naughty Boy, also featuring Sande, which took the 10th position. Taylor Swift swept the album charts with her fourth full-length release "Red". It is the first time the American country singer has topped the British charts. British band Lawson, another new entry, scored fourth position with their debut studio album "Chapman Square". — Reuters |
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