'New Moon' breaks boxoffice record
'New Moon' breaks boxoffice recordSummit Entertainment’s vampire-romance sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” rung up a record $72.7 million in opening-day boxoffice on Friday, easily topping domestic rankings.
That bested a previous single-day boxoffice mark of $67.2 million, set by Warner Bros.’ Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” in July 2008.The first-day tally for “New Moon” included $26.3 million in boxoffice from a total 3,514 performances at12:01 a.m. Friday, which set a record for witching-hour coin.
Consensus pre-release forecasts put the likely first-weekend tally for “New Moon” at $85 million-plus. Not even a meteoric burnout on Saturday and Sunday would keep the largely female-fueled film from soaring well past those projections.
“Dark Knight” holds the record for the biggest opening ever, at $158.4 million. Whether “New Moon” – which is playing in more than 4,024 locations this weekend – will hold up well enough in its second and third days of release to approach that record is virtually unknowable, as the sequel is traveling into uncharted territory for the franchise.
The original “Twilight” – released a year ago this weekend – collected $36 million in its first day of release and $69.6 million in its first weekend. And that was considered a major over-performance at the time.
Elsewhere in the daily rankings, Warners’ Sandra Bullock-toplined drama “The Blind Side” debuted with $10.8 million, good for second place on the day. That’s a terrific start for the feel-good pigskin pic, which some thought would get blind-sided by “New Moon” and fail to rise above teen millions on the weekend.
Sony’s animated feature “Planet 51” landed in fifth place with a soft $3.2 million in first-day boxoffice. But the PG-rated pic should find a more lucrative orbit once Saturday and Sunday matinees kick in.
Sony’s scifi actioner “2012” -- which topped domestic rankings a week earlier – was third among all Friday grosses with $8.1 million. That gives the Roland Emmerich pic an $89.8 million cume through its first eight days in the marketplace.
'New Moon' breaks midnight screening record
Opening at midnight Thursday in North America, "New Moon" was way over the moon.
The second installment in the "Twilight" franchise scooped up an estimated $26.27 million in 3,514 theaters for a per-theater average of $7,476.
In doing so, it surpassed the previous record-setter in the midnight arena, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," at $22.2 million.
Summit also played the original "Twilight" movie in 2,057 on Thursday as a 9 p.m. warm-up screening for "Moon," and it grossed an additional $1.3 million.
On Friday, "Moon" will be playing in 4,024 theaters as it settles in for its first weekend run.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
New Moon (marketed as The Twilight Saga: New Moon and also known as Twilight 2) is an upcoming 2009 American romantic fantasy film scheduled for release on November 20, 2009. It is based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer and is the sequel to 2008's Twilight, which is based on Meyer's previous novel. Summit Entertainment greenlit the sequel in late November 2008, following the early success of Twilight. Directed by Chris Weitz, the film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprising their roles as Bella Swan, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black, respectively. Melissa Rosenberg returns as the screenwriter for the film. She handed in a draft of the film script during the opening weekend of Twilight.
Plot
When asked about the sequel, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke stated, "It's got werewolves, it's got visual effects that turn people into werewolves, it's got motorcycle stunts, you go to Italy. It's probably twice as much as [Twilight to film].
On December 13, 2008, Summit Entertainment released a synopsis of New Moon, which states: "Bella Swan is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested."
Starring
- Kristen Stewart
- Robert Pattinson
- Taylor Lautner
2012 Movies Preview
This article is about the film. For metaphysical and cosmological predictions centered on December 21, 2012, see 2012 phenomenon.
2012 is a 2009 disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. The film has an ensemble cast, including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Woody Harrelson. The film will be distributed by Columbia Pictures. Filming began in August 2008 in Vancouver.
Plot
The film begins in year 2009, when there is a huge explosion on the surface of the sun. We then see Adrian Helmsley travelling to India to meet his friend, who discovered that Earth's temperature is increasing rapidly. He returns to America and submits a report to his supervisor, who immediately takes him to president. In 2010, we see billionaires all over the world buying plane tickets for untold sums of money. Later it is revealed that The Institute for Human Continuity, a covert organization aware of the situation, has begun building huge arks beneath the Himalayan Mountains designed to withstand natural disasters, in order to save humanity, significant species, and mankind's greatest treasures in Tibet The story jumps ahead to 2011, to Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a divorced father who works as a limousine driver and writer, and his ex-wife, Kate Curtis (Amanda Peet), and children, Noah (Liam James) and Lily (Morgan Lily), who live with Kate's new boyfriend, Gordon (Thomas McCarthy).
In the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, the victims of a mass suicide adhere to the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which (according to the film) predicts that the end of the world will occur at the end of the current cycle, on or around December 21, 2012, which also coincides with the Galactic Alignment of December 21, 2012 (the northern hemisphere's winter solstice). There are debates about how and when the world's governments will alert their citizens, and how to select those who will survive Armageddon. Meanwhile, on a trip to Yellowstone with his children, Jackson meets Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), who hosts a radio segment that addresses the Mayans' prediction.
Enormous cracks soon develop along the San Andreas Fault, California. Despite government assurances that all is fine, Jackson grows suspicious. Hiring a private plane and gathering supplies, he drives to Kate's home to save his family and Gordon from the impending earthquakes of the Earth's crust displacement. Jackson quickly collects his family, and, Gordon pilots a plane out of the city. Los Angeles then collapses into the Pacific Ocean. When the plane runs low on fuel, they are forced to land in Wyoming. Jackson uses the moment to contact Charlie. Against Kate's will, Jackson and Lily go to look for Charlie, though discover his van empty. Over the radio, they learn that Charlie has gone to the mountains to watch the approaching catastrophe. Jackson takes the van to save Charlie, though Charlie refuses to leave. As Jackson and Lily escape from the now-erupting Yellowstone Supervolcano, Charlie mentions a map in the van that shows an escape route. Jackson and Lily drive back to the plane through a fiery maelstrom of lava, which kills Charlie. Upon arrival, Lily runs to the plane, while Jackson searches for the map, but takes too long to find it. As the earth opens up, the van falls into a crevasse. The family is horrified, but must leave. Jackson, however, was able to grab onto a ledge, and succeeds in reaching the plane, as the ground collapses. He is just fast enough to enter.
Huge earthquakes occur in South America; Washington D.C. has a tsunami in which the USS John F. Kennedy crushes the White House; and St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City crumbles, killing thousands. The U.S. Government finally admits that it is the end of the world. Jackson's group must find their way to China to board the arks, though the small plane is insufficient for the journey. Upon finding a much larger plane, they discover that it is already filled. However, Gordon stumbles upon an old client, Tamara (Beatrice Rosen). She is now accompanying Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric), who owns the plane. Jackson pleads with Yuri to allow them aboard, but Yuri refuses. Yuri's pilot, Sasha (Johann Urb), then states that he requires a co-pilot, whereupon Jackson points out that Gordon is an experienced pilot. The group eventually boards the plane, as the airport is destroyed by earthquakes.
While in the air, Sasha learns that the plane does not have enough fuel to reach China. He informs Gordon, and they agree to ditch. Sasha then discovers that they are no longer above the ocean: the Earth's crust has shifted thousands of miles and they are heading towards the Himalayas. Knowing the risks of landing the plane upon the snow, he suggests that the passengers go to the cargo bay where many cars are held, while he and Gordon maintain the controls and open the cargo door from the cockpit. They plan for the group to drive the cars from the cargo bay onto the ground below. Gordon reluctantly abandons Sasha in the cockpit and runs to the cars just in time. Sasha manages to land the plane on a cliff, but dies when it collapses. The remaining members land safely. Before they have time, Chinese helicopters carrying animals fly above. One helicopter descends, though the group finds that they will need to pay to get aboard. Yuri pays for himself and his sons, but refuses to pay for the others. Before boarding, Yuri tells Tamara that he knows she had an affair with Sasha.
The group has no choice but to hike over the mountains. A car soon drives by, and Jackson throws a rock at it. The car backs up, and the occupants allow the group to join them. In the car are a Buddhist monk, Nima (Osric Chau), and his grandmother (Lisa Lu). They are driving to meet Nima's brother Tenzin (Chin Han), who has a plan to sneak into an ark. When Jackson and company arrive with Nima and his grandmother, Tenzin is infuriated. He tells Nima that his plan could not possibly accommodate so many people, and that the others are unable to come. Jackson and Kate insist that Tenzin take the children. After further discussion, Tenzin allows the entire group to join.
The continental shift now causes massive tsunamis, flooding much of the world, including India and even the Himalayan mountains. The tsunamis now travel towards the arks. Jackson's group manages to sneak aboard an ark with the help of Tenzin. Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), the President's Chief of Staff, now Commander In Chief since Thomas Wilson, the President of the United States (Danny Glover) died when he remained in America, orders that the gates be closed, as supplies are insufficient. During the closing of the gates, Tenzin's leg is crushed and Gordon is killed. Yuri sacrifices himself to put his two sons on the ark. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), American scientist and the other world leaders order the gates be re-opened for remaining survivors. The gears of a gate on the group's ark become stuck and grind to a halt, leaving the gate partly-open. Tamara drowns when she is trapped in a chamber with rising waters. The engines of the ark cannot be started unless the gates are closed. As a tsunami hits the ark, a main supporting structure breaks, and the ark floats towards Mount Everest. Jackson and Noah manage to fix the ark's gear and the gate finally closes. The engines are re-activated to avoid hitting the mountains. The ark does make impact with Mount Everest, but sustains little damage. When the flood eventually recedes, the captains of the arks decide upon the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as a suitable place to reestablish humanity.
Starring
2012 is a 2009 disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. The film has an ensemble cast, including John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Woody Harrelson. The film will be distributed by Columbia Pictures. Filming began in August 2008 in Vancouver.
Plot
The film begins in year 2009, when there is a huge explosion on the surface of the sun. We then see Adrian Helmsley travelling to India to meet his friend, who discovered that Earth's temperature is increasing rapidly. He returns to America and submits a report to his supervisor, who immediately takes him to president. In 2010, we see billionaires all over the world buying plane tickets for untold sums of money. Later it is revealed that The Institute for Human Continuity, a covert organization aware of the situation, has begun building huge arks beneath the Himalayan Mountains designed to withstand natural disasters, in order to save humanity, significant species, and mankind's greatest treasures in Tibet The story jumps ahead to 2011, to Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a divorced father who works as a limousine driver and writer, and his ex-wife, Kate Curtis (Amanda Peet), and children, Noah (Liam James) and Lily (Morgan Lily), who live with Kate's new boyfriend, Gordon (Thomas McCarthy).
In the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, the victims of a mass suicide adhere to the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which (according to the film) predicts that the end of the world will occur at the end of the current cycle, on or around December 21, 2012, which also coincides with the Galactic Alignment of December 21, 2012 (the northern hemisphere's winter solstice). There are debates about how and when the world's governments will alert their citizens, and how to select those who will survive Armageddon. Meanwhile, on a trip to Yellowstone with his children, Jackson meets Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), who hosts a radio segment that addresses the Mayans' prediction.
Enormous cracks soon develop along the San Andreas Fault, California. Despite government assurances that all is fine, Jackson grows suspicious. Hiring a private plane and gathering supplies, he drives to Kate's home to save his family and Gordon from the impending earthquakes of the Earth's crust displacement. Jackson quickly collects his family, and, Gordon pilots a plane out of the city. Los Angeles then collapses into the Pacific Ocean. When the plane runs low on fuel, they are forced to land in Wyoming. Jackson uses the moment to contact Charlie. Against Kate's will, Jackson and Lily go to look for Charlie, though discover his van empty. Over the radio, they learn that Charlie has gone to the mountains to watch the approaching catastrophe. Jackson takes the van to save Charlie, though Charlie refuses to leave. As Jackson and Lily escape from the now-erupting Yellowstone Supervolcano, Charlie mentions a map in the van that shows an escape route. Jackson and Lily drive back to the plane through a fiery maelstrom of lava, which kills Charlie. Upon arrival, Lily runs to the plane, while Jackson searches for the map, but takes too long to find it. As the earth opens up, the van falls into a crevasse. The family is horrified, but must leave. Jackson, however, was able to grab onto a ledge, and succeeds in reaching the plane, as the ground collapses. He is just fast enough to enter.
Huge earthquakes occur in South America; Washington D.C. has a tsunami in which the USS John F. Kennedy crushes the White House; and St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City crumbles, killing thousands. The U.S. Government finally admits that it is the end of the world. Jackson's group must find their way to China to board the arks, though the small plane is insufficient for the journey. Upon finding a much larger plane, they discover that it is already filled. However, Gordon stumbles upon an old client, Tamara (Beatrice Rosen). She is now accompanying Russian billionaire Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric), who owns the plane. Jackson pleads with Yuri to allow them aboard, but Yuri refuses. Yuri's pilot, Sasha (Johann Urb), then states that he requires a co-pilot, whereupon Jackson points out that Gordon is an experienced pilot. The group eventually boards the plane, as the airport is destroyed by earthquakes.
While in the air, Sasha learns that the plane does not have enough fuel to reach China. He informs Gordon, and they agree to ditch. Sasha then discovers that they are no longer above the ocean: the Earth's crust has shifted thousands of miles and they are heading towards the Himalayas. Knowing the risks of landing the plane upon the snow, he suggests that the passengers go to the cargo bay where many cars are held, while he and Gordon maintain the controls and open the cargo door from the cockpit. They plan for the group to drive the cars from the cargo bay onto the ground below. Gordon reluctantly abandons Sasha in the cockpit and runs to the cars just in time. Sasha manages to land the plane on a cliff, but dies when it collapses. The remaining members land safely. Before they have time, Chinese helicopters carrying animals fly above. One helicopter descends, though the group finds that they will need to pay to get aboard. Yuri pays for himself and his sons, but refuses to pay for the others. Before boarding, Yuri tells Tamara that he knows she had an affair with Sasha.
The group has no choice but to hike over the mountains. A car soon drives by, and Jackson throws a rock at it. The car backs up, and the occupants allow the group to join them. In the car are a Buddhist monk, Nima (Osric Chau), and his grandmother (Lisa Lu). They are driving to meet Nima's brother Tenzin (Chin Han), who has a plan to sneak into an ark. When Jackson and company arrive with Nima and his grandmother, Tenzin is infuriated. He tells Nima that his plan could not possibly accommodate so many people, and that the others are unable to come. Jackson and Kate insist that Tenzin take the children. After further discussion, Tenzin allows the entire group to join.
The continental shift now causes massive tsunamis, flooding much of the world, including India and even the Himalayan mountains. The tsunamis now travel towards the arks. Jackson's group manages to sneak aboard an ark with the help of Tenzin. Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt), the President's Chief of Staff, now Commander In Chief since Thomas Wilson, the President of the United States (Danny Glover) died when he remained in America, orders that the gates be closed, as supplies are insufficient. During the closing of the gates, Tenzin's leg is crushed and Gordon is killed. Yuri sacrifices himself to put his two sons on the ark. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), American scientist and the other world leaders order the gates be re-opened for remaining survivors. The gears of a gate on the group's ark become stuck and grind to a halt, leaving the gate partly-open. Tamara drowns when she is trapped in a chamber with rising waters. The engines of the ark cannot be started unless the gates are closed. As a tsunami hits the ark, a main supporting structure breaks, and the ark floats towards Mount Everest. Jackson and Noah manage to fix the ark's gear and the gate finally closes. The engines are re-activated to avoid hitting the mountains. The ark does make impact with Mount Everest, but sustains little damage. When the flood eventually recedes, the captains of the arks decide upon the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa as a suitable place to reestablish humanity.
Starring
- John Cusack
- Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Amanda Peet
- Thandie Newton
- Oliver Platt
- Danny Glover
- Woody Harrelson
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