Moviegoers were in the mood for allegorical science fiction this past weekend. According to Boxofficemojo, District 9, distributed by Sony (NYSE: SNE) and produced by Lord of the Rings helmsman Peter Jackson, grossed an estimated $37 million at domestic theaters.

Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, based on the famous Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) toy brand, was second with $22.5 million. And coming in third was The Time Traveler's Wife from Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), a romantic drama that captured $19 million in ticket sales.

Continue reading Sony's 'District 9' debuts in first place: A lesson for Hollywood?

Sony's 'District 9' debuts in first place: A lesson for Hollywood? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

General Electric Company's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal needs all the help it can get if it wants to remain part of the famous Dow component. After all, how many times have we heard in the last several years that the huge industrial conglomerate should get rid of the media asset? Well, maybe a little glitzy dose of DreamWorks will increase the perceived value of the movie/TV division in the eyes of a management in the midst of financial-crisis turmoil.

After wondering whether it would be Universal, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), or Time Warner, Inc. (NYSE: TWX), the new DreamWorks has decided to strike a distribution deal with Universal after it became a free agent following its split from Viacom (NYSE: VIA). This is according to The Hollywood Reporter. The transaction reportedly means that Universal will be releasing six films per year from DreamWorks starting sometime in '09.

Of course, we don't know all the details yet, but since DreamWorks is being funded by Indian media-investment entity Reliance Big Entertainment, Universal will probably only end up with a modest distribution fee. Still, any studio would have loved to have had bragging rights in terms of the famous director. It was never meant to be a fair competition, though, since the move to Universal was pretty much set in stone. Spielberg has had a special relationship with the company for a long time, and it was considered a given that DreamWorks would end up with a pact at the classic studio.

Continue reading GE and Steven Spielberg: A dream come true?

GE and Steven Spielberg: A dream come true? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After years of squabbling between the creators of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and New Line Cinema (Time Warner, NYSE: TWX), today comes wonderful news that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh have agreed to create not one, but TWO new hobbit movies! The prequels will be produced and distributed by New Line Cinema and MGM, and are slated for release in 2010 and 2011.

The first will be based on J.R.R. Tolkien's earlier work, The Hobbit, which follows Bilbo Baggins as he discovers the ring that becomes the macguffin of the record-breaking trilogy. Along the way, we will again encounter Gandalf, as well as a dozen dwarves, two trolls and one very angry dragon.

The plot of the second film, meant to bridge the narrative gap between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, will be stitched together from the volumunous notes Tolkien made for his history of Middle Earth. I'm pleased that Jackson and Walsh are heading this effort, since they have shown that they respect Tolkien's vision.

I can't wait to follow them there and back again, again.

Thanks to Matt Betts for the tip.

New Line Cinema/MGM to make two new J.R.R. Tolkien films originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of our Money Face-Offs feature. Let us know who you think comes out ahead in this head-to-head match-up, and check out our other Money Face-Off posts.

"I will take the Ring," he said, "though I do not know the way."
-- Frodo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring

"There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it."
-- Voldemort, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

In the late 1920s, J.R.R. Tolkien started writing a fantastical story about magical creatures known as hobbits, elves, and dwarves, in a made up world he called Middle Earth, for the benefit of his children. The work he completed, The Hobbit, became the prelude to one of the great literary masterpieces of all time -- The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Some 70 years later, J.K. Rowling started writing a fantastical story about a different set of magical creatures known as witches and wizards, in a not so made up world called England, for the benefit of her daughter. That book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone here in the States), and the six books that followed in the series, have made Rowling the wealthiest woman in the world.

The authors share many similarities. Both are British, use initials in place of their first names, are famous for one major literary contribution (although Rowling, having the benefit of still being alive, will have many years to change that), and have had cinematic empires based on their works.

Continue reading Money Face-Off: JRR Tolkien vs. JK Rowling

Money Face-Off: JRR Tolkien vs. JK Rowling originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft and Peter Jackson join for Xbox content originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Microsoft's Xbox fans cheering -- things to watch for gaming investors

Microsoft's Xbox fans cheering -- things to watch for gaming investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 28 Sep 2006 10:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.