Tim Burton has always been considered a niche filmmaker — directing movies that rely on his uniquely skewed perceptions. It comes as a surprise, then, that his latest endeavor, the 3-D reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, has set box office records in its first weekend of release.
According to Box Office Mojo, Alice made an unprecedented $116.3 million domestically and $94 million overseas for a three-day total of $210.3 million. To give you an idea of the stratospheric nature of these numbers, the film crushed the previous record for an opening weekend in March, which was the $70.9 million made by 300 in 2007. It’s also far-and-away the largest opening for a Tim Burton film, the previous best being his Planet of the Apes remake, which topped out at $68.5 million.
It’s unlikely that Alice will maintain these numbers in the way that Avatar has, but it’s worth noting that the film also scored the biggest 3D release ever, beating the $77 million made by Avatar in its first weekend. The film also broke Avatar’s IMAX record of $9.5 million by gaining $11.9 million on 188 large format screens.
In light of the monstrous box office, and by all accounts because of it, ABC Family has wasted no time in purchasing the rights to televise the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In a deal with Disney-ABC Domestic TV, the network will premiere the film sometime in 2012, but has not yet decided whether it will be telecast in 3D or 2D.
That’s right, for everyone doing a double take, we are in fact entering an era of 3DTV. Samsung adverted a model during the Oscars, and Panasonic is known to have a huge investment in similar technology. It’s unlikely that they will be mainstream in households by the time the film’s DVD is released, four months from now.
The abbreviated release recently got Disney in a few terse negotiations with theater-owners who were miffed that such a huge film would only be screening for three months.
There’s no telling whether the knowledge of a shorter shelf life drove more fans to the theater to catch the film while they could, but don’t be surprised if this type of distribution method becomes the norm for these big releases. With the proliferation of digital screens, VOD, streaming HD movies, and the potential for 3DTV, it’s a rapidly changing market that could still go in a number of directions.
Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to get your faces hugged in 3D.
Alien prequel art director Rodger Christian confirmed in a recent interview with ShadowLocked.com that the upcoming franchise reboot will be shot in, you guessed it, 3D.
Christian would not deny or confirm if the new film will be the start of a new trilogy.
Ridley Scott, who directed the original film in 1979, will direct the prequel.
Specific details regarding the plot are scarce, but it is thought that it will take place 30 years before the events of the original film, in which a commercial spaceship responds to a distress signal coming from a nearby planetoid. The crew realizes too late that the distress signal is actually a warning. Cue the titular aliens.
Click here for the complete interview with Christian.
This should probably come as no surprise. Rumors have been swirling since at least 2007 that The Hobbit film adaptation would be springing onto screens in 3D. Of course, back then rumors still had Peter Jackson attached to direct. Since Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) signed on to direct, both he and Jackson have vehemently denied all rumors that they are aiming for a 3D release. As recently as last August, Del Toro plainly stated “we are not talking about 3D, we are NOT writing the screenplay for 3D right now.”
Of course, since then the film industry paid witness to a little thing called Avatar, which already seems to be pushing the studios towards finding the next 3D blockbuster. Del Toro provided a recent update in a post on TheOneRing.net forums about the ongoing possibility of seeing Hobbits in the third dimension.
“I wouldn’t read much on it just yet, but now, after all this time, after Avatar doing the Box Office it did, we have had enquiries from above about The Hobbit being in 3-D.
No impositions or heavy leaning. Just enquiries. Just fulfilling my promise to let you all know if discussions ever started.
Cheers
GDT”
This isn’t any sort of confirmation that the film will be 3D, but it certainly shows the studio is showing interested in providing for incentive to see what should already be a tentpole release.
There’s certainly great potential to filming this story in 3D, as Avatar definitely proved that the medium can provide a great venue for artistry. The only question is whether Del Toro and company are on the same page as their studio executives. Del Toro’s works have all been marked by a unique creative vision that incorporates several forms of visual effects, so it’s probably within his capabilities to imprint his idiosyncrasies on the form. But if the change to 3D is merely perpetuated by those looking to make a quick buck, without the complete consent of the filmmakers, it may not bode well for the vision of the project.
Currently The Hobbit is scheduled for release in December of 2011, with the second installment of the two-parter due a year later. There have been rumors that the two films could each be pushed back a year to allow for more creative freedom, and going 3D could certainly play into that.
After several weeks of a hushed online viral marketing campaign, anticipators of the 2010 Disney TRON sequel were treated to an all-new teaser trailer in IMAX theaters across the world on Saturday.
To celebrate the unveiling, director Joseph Kosinski and the original’s director, Steven Lisberger attended a screening for fans in Los Angeles. At the conclusion of the trailer, Kosinski reportedly stated, “I drove half an hour and I’m not leaving ’til we see it again!”
Due to the bulky nature of the IMAX print, it took 25 minutes to rewind the footage (part of the reason all other screenings were denied a repeat viewing), and Kosinski fielded fan questions, albeit coyly, in the intervening period.
In response to a query about popular European dance duo Daft Punk (who are confirmed to be scoring the film) playing an actual role in the film, Kosinski responded with “Yeah,” before adding, “[They're] in the movie. Their music is all over it.”
Fans of both the film and the band recently made a ruckus on the internet over a supposed leaked track from the soundtrack. That song was later exposed as a fake, but the music that accompanied this new teaser was indeed an all-new original piece composed specifically for the trailer. Some sort of Daft Punk live event is in the works as a sort of cross-promotion with the film, but specifics aren’t yet known.
In a follow-up question posed after the event by /Filmfounder Peter Sciretta and FirstShowing‘s Alex Billington, Kosinski elaborated on the IMAX footage seen in the trailer. He revealed that he shot five action sequences that will be displayed in the full-range IMAX format, just as Christopher Nolan did with select sequences from The Dark Knight. This is perhaps the next step in the direction of a film completely shot in the IMAX format, though it will certainly be difficult amid obstacles including, but not limited to, the sheer weight and bulkiness of the camera and equipment necessary to do so.
For fans who have been eagerly awaiting this sequel for 28 years (no, not just this guy), this new flurry of information only wets the palette for more excitement sure to come. What could easily have been a torrid Hollywood modernization of a quirky cult classic at least appears to be headed in the direction of a faithful, innovative update.
Tron Legacy opens in 3D theaters and IMAX 3D on December 17, 2010. You can check out the aforementioned trailer for yourself when it premieres in front of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland starting this Friday, March 5.
Theatergoers may be taking a 3D journey through the bizarre halls of the Shadowland mansion. PFG Entertainment has announced on its official site that plans are being made to adapt Peter Straub’s classic horror novel into a 3D movie.
From PFG’s website: A cross between Dead Poet’s Society and The Shining, Shadowland 3D is a teenage-Faustian thriller about a 17 year old schoolboy who has to choose whether or not to join the forces of evil in order to save the life of his best friend. Directed by Erik Canuel. Written by Larry Leahy. Produced by Donald C. Archbold and Larry Leahy.
Shadowland’s story is comprised of three parts. The beginning takes place on the campus of an all-male prep school in Arizona where two magic-obsessed boys, Del and Tom, meet and quickly become good friends. Next, the boys are shipped off to Del’s uncle’s strange estate called Shadowland for the summer. Del’s uncle is an alcoholic former magician who preformed using less than conventional means. Finally, the boys are forced to battle the forces of evil after they’re whisked off to an alternate world.
Published in 1980, Shadowland was released on the heels of Straub’s other horror classic, Ghost Story.
For an in-depth review of Shadowland, read this column by FM’s own Peter Schwotzer.
Here’s the international trailer for Warners’ upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans, which will be released in 2D and 3D on March 26.
And yes, there’s quite a bit more “Clashing” in this trailer, but more importantly a few performance moments with action-star-du-jour Sam Worthington as Perseus, current-shorthand-for-ultimate-villain Ralph Fiennes as Hades and movie-god Liam Neeson as Zeus. Not to mention a whole mess of James Bond alumnus!
As well as a heavy dose of monster-mania… Gotta love giant scorpions, tree people, etc. Get a load of that Kraken – nice how the new design manages to nod its head back to Harryhausen’s Ymir-inspired beastie of the original 1981 film.
Classic monster fans could have predicted this was coming – heck, the Creature beat Avatar by five decades…
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it seems that Warner Bros. has been testing a 3D-ification process – provided by an outside vendor – on their upcoming tentpole actioner Clash of the Titans, and are pleased enough with the results, that the WB is now planning to apply it to the upcoming two-part franchise finale Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The costs for this heavy duty process have come down significantly in the last few years, and it is reported that 3D conversion on Titans will only cost an additional $5 million, plus an additional $5 million for production of the stereoscopic glasses.
The monster heavy Harryhausen remake has seen its release pushed back a week to April 2, to accommodate the process. Titans will have to share 3D screens with Paramount/DreamWorks’ animated family flick How to Train Your Dragon, as well as (by then) old stalwarts Alice in Wonderland and Avatar.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I will be released November 19, with Part II coming next year on July 15, 2011.
Step Brothers and Knocked Up comedy star Adam Scott is going on a tangent. The actor has been cast for the male lead in Alex Aja’s Piranha 3D remake, based on the classic 1978 Joe Dante film. The news first came from Moviehole.net, who also reported on Elisabeth Shue’s casting for the female lead earlier this month.
Bloody Disgusting is also tipping fans that Nuke the Fridge (though the info still needs to be confirmed) is reporting that Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind) as been cast! “Richard Dreyfuss will reportedly appear in a cameo that will pay homage to Jaws,” they report. “His character will even be drinking Amity brand beer (the setting of Jaws). (Spoiler Follows) Reportedly, Dreyfuss might be the first character killed off in the new movie.”
Based on the original Joe Dante 1978 classic, “They’re back! Every year the population of sleepy Lake Havasu explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 for a single, wild weekend – the 4th of July, a riot of sun, drunken fun and sex-crazed mayhem. But this year, there’s something more to worry about than hangovers and complaints from local old timers. Havasu sits in the crater formed by a prehistoric volcanic eruption, and when earth tremors tear open a crack in the lake floor, all hell breaks through. Piranhas – a million ravenous, razor-toothed monsters, unchanged since the dawn of time. Unstoppable killing machines acting blindly under one primeval impulse: to hunt down anything that moves and strip it to the raw, bleeding bone. In seconds.”
Aja is said to begin lensing this month in Arizona. The film is scheduled to hit theaters May 19, 2010. Stay tuned for more news.
Will there really be another Mad Max? It sounds like it from this interview between MTV News and George Miller, writer and director for the three previous entries in the franchise. Here’s the shocking catch, Miller wants the fourth sequel to be an animated feature in 3D… however with no talks of Mel Gibson to return. Read for details in the full interview between MTV News and George Miller below.
“We’ll probably go a different route,” Miller told MTV News about the potential talent voicing the lead role. The plot would be partly lifted from the script of the fourth “Max” film, which was set to shoot in 2003 until financing collapsed in the wake of the Iraq War.
Now Miller is resurrecting the idea as an R-rated, stereoscopic anime flick for theatrical release. It’s a curious undertaking, to be sure, but one made all the more certain to happen after the runaway success in 2006 of his computer-animated “Happy Feet”—not that the newest, ever-violent “Max” film will have much in common with that kid-friendly penguin party.
“I see myself as someone who is very curious about storytelling and all its various media,” Miller said. “I’ve always loved anime, in particular the Japanese sensibility. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
The project is one phase of a “Mad Max” renaissance of sorts. Along with “God of War II” designer Cory Barlog, Miller is developing an action-adventure videogame based on the fourth film. Gibson won’t be participating in that endeavor, either.(more…)
I’m very excited to announce that a new trailer hit the net today for Neil Gaiman’s upcoming Coraline, directed by Nightmare Before Christmas extraordinaire Henry Selick. This trailer is my personal favorite and I’m more excited than ever for the movie. I’m creeped out, fancinated, excited, eager… you name it! Shot in stop-motion 3D animation, the film stars the voices of Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, Teri Hatcher, and Keith David. Check out the new trailer over at Latino Review and be sure to save the night for Coraline’s release on February 9, 2009.
From Henry Selick, visionary director of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling book, comes a spectacular stop-motion animated adventure – the first to be originally filmed in 3D!
Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door and discovers an alternate version of her life on the other side. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life and the people in it – only much better. But when this seemingly perfect world turns dangerous, and her other parents (including her Other Mother voiced by Teri Hatcher) try to trap her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to escape this increasingly perilous world – and save her family.
Bloody Disgusting reports that Chad Feehan, producer of All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, is prepping to direct his first feature film titled Kindling. The story, also written by Feehan, “will take place while on a cross country trip along Route 66 with his girlfriend, Paul O’Kelly stops at a mysterious, rundown motel, where he’s forced to remember the darkest secret of his past and confront the consequences of his actions in surreal and terrifying ways…” Paul will be played by Josh Stewart (The Midnight Man, The Haunting of Molly Hartley) has been cast to play Josh Stewart, while Angela Featherstone will take on the role as Sandy. Shooting begins this March in California!
The folks at Shock Till You Drop reports that producing team, Twisted Pictures, of the Saw franchise is “seriously mulling over a Saw 3D.” What could this mean? Well I hope for the franchise’s sake they mean for Saw VI. I don’t know if I can stomach a VII. With VI due to hit theaters on October 23rd however, re-creating the sequel using 3D technology may not be possible. How Saw V grossed over $100 million worldwide is besides me, but lets do it 3D and call it quits.
We can expect the next Batman movie in 2011 according to the Courier-Post. In an interview with the site, producer Michael Uslan offered an ETA for the next Batman movie. The Courier-Post read, “Uslan will be onboard as executive producer for the Dark Knight sequel, which he estimates will be theaters by 2011. As for the identity of the next round of Batman’s supervillains and love interests, Uslan remains tight-lipped. ‘It’s one of those deals where if I told you, I’d have to kill you,’ [Uslan] says with a chuckle.” This is the first solid word we’ve heard about a Batman sequel and the project is said to include the return of Nolan, Goyer & Co. reports Ain’t It Cool News. We’ll be back with more details when official former announcements are made.
According to Bloody Disgusting, Alex Aja revealed during an interview following his Mirrors DVD release, that Piranha 3D is almost ready to begin shooting. He addresses the impossible original July release for Piranha but encourages that we can expect to see the trailer in theaters with the release of Final Destination: Death Trip 3D (aka Final Destination 4) on August 21st. Piranha is still seeking a new release date, but in the mean time, here’s what Alex Aja had to say.
“I just came back from the stage where we are finishing all the preproduction on Piranha,” Aja told BD. “We were supposed to shoot in the Fall, but for reasons like not being able to shoot the movie under the water in Winter or Fall and for location reasons, we had to push back to Spring.”
Due to pushing back photography however, Aja explains they’re now able to “develop the script and get even more gags and more action pieces.” He elaborates, “Piranha is Spring break under attack by prehistoric fish that have been released by an earthquake under a lake in Arizona. So we keep that very kind of guilty pleasure style of movie where we set up a very easy storyline to just get the maximum gore and the maximum nudity. It’s a very strange movie to describe because it’s the movie I always wanted to see and make.”
“I spoke about it with Eli Roth and he said ‘Oh! This is my dream project. Can I come and do something in the movie?’ I think many people were sharing that thrill of going back and doing that kind of movie that we loved when we were 15.”
Aside from seeing the 3D effects, AJa’s remake doesn’t sound like it will add anything new to the Joe Dante’s original. He claims it to be however, so let’s hope I’m wrong. Keep it here for more Piranha udpates!
Tim Burton has always been considered a niche filmmaker — directing movies that rely on his uniquely skewed perceptions. It comes as a surprise, then, that his latest endeavor, the 3-D reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, has set box office records in its first weekend of release.
After several weeks of a hushed online viral marketing campaign, anticipators of the 2010 Disney TRON sequel were treated to an all-new teaser trailer in IMAX theaters across the world on Saturday.
