BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA['Transformers' and 'Shrek' flex muscles: A review of the summer blockbusters]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/25/transformers-and-shrek-flex-muscles-a-eview-of-summer-block/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/25/transformers-and-shrek-flex-muscles-a-eview-of-summer-block/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/09/25/transformers-and-shrek-flex-muscles-a-eview-of-summer-block/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

This summer was a very profitable one for box offices nationwide, with four movies grossing over $300M, and at least another nine grossing over $100M -- signaling in a big way the resurgence of the movie industry, which had been struggling for the last few years.

The four big $300M+ winners of the summer were Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE: SNE) 'sSpider-Man 3, which grossed $336M in the U.S., Viacom, Inc (NYSE: VIA)'s Paramount's Shrek the Third, which grossed $320M, Transformers, also from Paramount, which grossed $311M, and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS)'s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which grossed $308M.

Three of the four were third installments of well established big-budget franchises, so their success is hardly shocking, but the Transformers success clearly marks the start of a new blockbuster franchise (the release date of the sequel has been announced -- June 26, 2009). The robot-action extravaganza, which was directed by Michael Bay, was definitely a surprise, as I remarked in my summer movie preview that Transformers "has flop written all over it... there cannot possibly be enough substance in a story about alien robots that transform into vehicles to make this a hit with the general public." I was wrong -- very wrong. The movie killed at the box office, grossing over $330M on a $150M budget, and prompting a re-release on IMAX, which opened last week.


Continue reading 'Transformers' and 'Shrek' flex muscles: A review of the summer blockbusters

'Transformers' and 'Shrek' flex muscles: A review of the summer blockbusters originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>20th century fox20thCenturyFox28 weeks later28WeeksLaterblockbustercinemadisdisneyevan almightyEvanAlmightyexpire-images:2008-9-24filmgegeneral electricGeneralElectricgolden compassGoldenCompassharry potterHarryPotterhulkimaxindiana jonesIndianaJonesiron manIronManknocked upKnockedUpmovienew line cinemasNewLineCinemasnews corpNewsCorpnwsparamountpineapple expressPineappleExpresspirates of the caribbeanPiratesOfTheCaribbeanpixarpunisherrush hour 3RushHour3shrek the thirdShrekTheThirdsnesonyspider-man 3Spider-man3summersuperbadtime warnerTimeWarnertransformerstwxuniversalviaviacomwall-eTue, 25 Sep 2007 17:46:00 EST<![CDATA['Superbad' was super good to Sony (SNE)]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/20/superbad-was-super-good-to-sony-sne/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/20/superbad-was-super-good-to-sony-sne/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/20/superbad-was-super-good-to-sony-sne/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Sony Corp's (NYSE: SNE) "Superbad" ruled the weekend box office, raking in $31.2 million to become the No. 1 movie, according to estimates on Sunday. The teen comedy knocked off last weekend's top flick, New Line Cinema's "Rush Hour 3" to second place, and forced Warner Brother's (NYSE: TWX) "The Invasion," which stars veteran actress Nicole Kidman and the latest "James Bond," Daniel Craig, to open at No. 5.

Creating box-office hits seems to be a pattern for Judd Apatow, who has also directed "Knocked Up" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". In Apatow teamed up with Seth Rogen who coincidentally also starred in "Knocked Up", "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and several other Apatow films. The pair has worked together for over a decade.

Sony had modest expectations for "Superbad" to earn somewhere in the $25 million range, despite having a production budget of $20 million. The $31 million dollar opening weekend was similar to Knocked Up, which opened with $30.7 million and went on to hit $100 million in sales.

Paul Derarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers, believes that Apatow is a brand now, specializing in movies that appeal to older audiences who follow whatever he does, according to the Associated Press. Apatow is currently working on 6 films, including one with Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler, and two with long-time partner Seth Rogen. Unfortunately for Sony, they entertainment giant will not be involved in any of Apatow's next six films.

'Superbad' was super good to Sony (SNE) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Apatowceracraighillkidmanknocked upKnockedUpnew line cinemaNewLineCinemarogenrush hour 3RushHour3snesonysuperbadthe invasionTheInvasiontime warnerTimeWarnerMon, 20 Aug 2007 16:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Evan Almighty's arc just sank]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/25/evan-almightys-arc-just-sank/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/25/evan-almightys-arc-just-sank/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/25/evan-almightys-arc-just-sank/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

I recently blogged about my concerns if Evan Almighty flopped this weekend.

I, as well as many others, would classify the $32.1 million opening weekend of Evan as a flop. Peter Sanders of the WSJ believes that Evan Almighty was the first "major pothole" in Hollywood's sequel-filled summer. He also put Evan in the same category as Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, by saying May's blockbuster "threequels" were all expected to fall short of their previous domestic sales numbers.

Could that be true? Looking at the numbers, Sanders has a good argument. That's only if you thought sequels should outperform the original. Other than Shrek II, most of the recent sequels made less than its predecessors. Even the Harry Potter franchise couldn't make a sequel that outperformed the $317.5 million earned from Sorcerer's Stone.

Continue reading Evan Almighty's arc just sank

Evan Almighty's arc just sank originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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