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Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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News Stories About Hulk
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2008-09-15
We have a big list this week with more than 50 releases. This includes very few top-notch, first run releases, but that weakness is counterbalanced by the strength in the TV on DVD department, including a few contenders for DVD Pick of the Week like Duckman - Season One & Two and Pushing Daisies - Season One on DVD or Blu-ray. If I were to choose just one release this week, it would be the former; however, I think the latter has a better chance at mainstream appeal. As I previously said, this is a huge list this week, so much so that it had to be split into two parts. Part two can be found here.
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2006-12-12
While the number of DVDs coming out this week isn't has high as last week, there is still a high level of quality with several contenders for DVD Pick of the Week, including The Devil Wears Prada - Buy from Amazon and World Trade Center - 2-Disc Commemorative Edition. However, the clear winner was James Bond - Ultimate Edition, both Volume 3 and Volume 4.
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2004-08-09
Sometime in August the summer box office season ends, and it pretty easy to see when that happens. Last year it was the fourth weekend when the box office dropped 31.1%. The year before that it was the third weekend with its 22.4% drop. This year summer couldn't even last one weekend in August as it dropped 27.9% from last weekend and 19.9% from last year. The drop in weekend's overall box office was so steep that it took a real bite out of 2004's year to date lead over 2003, which now sits at 4.7%.
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2004-04-26
This was a weird weekend. We had a record-breaking event when two movies opened with $20 million and that's the first time that's ever happened in April. However, the total box office was still down more than 5% from last weekend. It was up 6% from the same time last year, sort of. It's getting really confusion doing the yearly comparisons because last year April had four weekends, while this year it has five.
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2004-04-23
Just the two wide releases this week targeting two entirely different audiences. So we could have two break out hits this week. Then again, probably not. April started out ok, but it has really started to suffer and it doesn't look better next weekend. Summer can't start too soon.
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2003-11-18
, there was a power outage last night.
Both wide releases faltered at the box office, one more than the other did. And with the other quasi-wide release not a factor in the top 5, it was a hard weekend at the box office. The box office was down 14% from last weekend, and almost 25% from last year, when Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets opened.
While there were two other movies aimed at kids were playing this weekend, they were no competition for Elf. The Will Farrell Christmas comedy dropped a stellar 15% taking in $26.3 million. That raised its two-week total to just over $70 million and makes $100 million a forgone conclusion. With a production budget estimated at $30 - $35 million, and a P&A budget a little lower than that, Elf should make a healthy profit during its domestic run.
Master and Commander: Far Side of the World wasn't so lucking at the box office. It was only able to make $25.1 million (or roughly $697 thousand per letter in its title.) Even with fantastic reviews, it won't have the legs to match the $150 million production budget and unless it has stronger appeal international, the studio won't see a dime of profit till long after its hit the home market.
It's hard to put a positive spin of The Matrix Revolutions' performance thus far. It opening to the third best Wednesday opening ever then quickly dropped before having to settle for $48.5 million opening weekend. But that's miles above its second weekend performance of just $16.4 million. That's a drop of a little more than 66%, only The Hulk had a bigger drop after finishing first. Expectations for The Matrix Revolutions were at $350 million when the year began, but they've been dropping ever since. Now, most analysts predict it will end closer to $150 million, barely more than its budget. And the backlash is so strong that it will affect the sales of the DVD box set.
Brother Bear might be remembered as one of the last feature length 2D animated cartoons released, at least for a long, long time. Weekend grosses are dropping much to fast for a Disney film, down almost 35% this weekend to $12.1 million.
The bad news is, Looney Tunes: Back in Action opening with only $9.3 million at the box office. The good news is, it had an internal multiplier of 4.28, which suggests good legs. The bad news is, the total budget to produce and advertise was $120 million. Average reviews won't help, so it looks like the studio will be stuck paying for this one for a while.
Love Actually wasn't able to live up to expectations. It did finish sixth with the best week-to-week performance, but the actual box office was only $8.7 million. Even if it disappoints domestically, it should easily earn $100 million internationally.
Tupac: Resurrection's weekend was strange, to say the least. It earned an impressive $2.5 million on Friday but ended the weekend at just $4.6 million. That's an internal multiplier of just 1.86, which is ridiculously low. It will be interesting to see how the rest of its run goes. Excellent reviews and genre suggest excellent legs. But that internal multiplier is very puzzling.
One final note, both The Matrix Revolutions and Scary Movie 3 cracked the $100 mark. They were the 22nd and 23rd movies to do so this year. One more and 2003 will tie last year's record.
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2003-09-03
the-numbers.com/movies/2003/PIRAT.php>Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl continues to perform well both domestically and internationally. This weekend its international box office was $20.5 million despite no major openings. Next week in a whole other story altogether, the swashbuckling flick opens in both Germany and Italy. Total worldwide take is over $400 million, with $500 million well within reach.
American Pie: The Wedding continues to amass large numbers in a small number of markets. Another $10.1 million was added to its international total this week in just six markets. The real surprise is how well the movie is holding onto its box-office with smaller than expected drops in most markets.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines cracked the $250 million mark internationally this weekend. With its nearly $150 million domestically Terminator 3 is now just a few hundred thousand from $400 million worldwide.
The international box office for Lara Croft: Cradle of Life is mediocre at best. In some markets is it performing well, but in most it is significantly below the original's performance. It did manage $7.2 million this week, but with only two more major international releases, its total will be disappointing.
$400 million worldwide is a popular number this week. Finding Nemo, or as I will refer to it, Finding Nemo: The Search for Nemo (It was the only movie in the top five without a colon in the name.) An international catch of $6.2 million pushed it past $400 million. More than 80% of its box office came from the record setting opening in Australia. However, after next week's release in Hungary there is a more than a month till its next release, October 10th in the U.K.
In other news, The Hulk managed to top $100 million internationally this week. That will allow the studio to save some face, but they still won't be happy with the results.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-08-26
ses this week did significantly worse than expected, however, the holdovers didn't pick up the slack as they usually do. This led to a massive 31.5% drop from last weekend but a 12.2% increase from last year. An interesting note, the top four films this week remained in the same order as they did last weekend. I don't know when that last happened.
While Freddy vs. Jason did finish first, that's a small bit of good news in an otherwise terrible second week performance. It was only able to grab $13.2 million, well below most predictions, which resulting in a 64% drop-off. The biggest second week drop off for a number one movie since The Hulk, and second largest such drop overall. Next weekend when the similarly targeted movie Jeepers Creepers 2 opens could spell an even worse result.
Second place again went to S.W.A.T. with $10.6 million. $100 million by next week is the goal and there's talk of a new TV spin-off in the works.
Just missing predictions by a rounding error was Open Range which added $9.5 million to it's total. Unfortunately, this genre usually doesn't do well internationally and the studio will most likely have to wait till the home market to see a profit.
Freaky Friday was the only movie to outperform its predictions, albeit by only a few hundred thousand. The $9.3 million earned this week makes the movie very close to showing a profit after only 3 weeks of release.
The first of three new releases this week was The Medallion, which could only manage $8.1 million and fifth place at the box office. The Medallion had the best reviews of any wide release of the weekend, but at 20% it really doesn't mean much. Despite similar reviews and international performances as The Tuxedo this movie couldn't find an audience domestically. This probably means Jackie Chan needs to do something different in his next film. And Around the World in 80 Days does look different than the usual Jackie Chan movie.
Some analysts had My Boss's Daughter finish in the top five. However, not only did it miss the top five, like I predicted, it barely landed in the top 10. It could only grab $4.9 million in its opening weekend, which was only good enough for tenth place. It also had the lowest per theatre average in the top ten. This movie wasn't screened for the critics, and for good reason. My Boss's Daughter only managed a lowly 11% positive.
Getting the worst reveiws of the week was Marci X. This could be the movie that stops people from making fun of Gigli. That's how bad it did both at the box office and with the critics. It's apropos that I compared Marci X to Grind since Marci X finished in 17th place with less than $900 thousand and Grind finished 18th. Marci X earned less in its first weekend than Finding Nemo did in its 13th. Marci X's per theatre average for its first weekend was lower than Daddy Day Care's in its 16th weekend. This is a failure that should result in people being fired and careers coming to an end.
To update the box office of the movies I mentioned on Friday, Thirteen and American Splendor both did well enough to be featured on the top ten per theatre average chart. Step into Liquid and The Magdalene Sisters both saw significant increases in their box office and both should cross the $1 million mark mid-week while The Secret Lives of Dentists crossed that mark on Friday. And Passionada saw its per theatre average increase from last weekend.
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2003-08-22
ems to be little to get a movie fan interested this week. At least when it comes to wide releases.
It's almost a foregone conclusion that Freddy vs. Jason will finish first this week, just as much as it's a foregone conclusion that it will lose at least 50% at the box office. Just the genre alone would suggest that. Add in the Fanboy effect and sequelitis and the like and a drop of closer to 60% is likely. Mid-week numbers have been horrible; Freddy vs. Jason has lost more than 84% of its daily box office since last Friday. That's on par with The Hulk, which went on to lose nearly 70% at the box office during its second week. The one thing this movie has going for it is the complete lack of competition this week. This should help it grab $15 million this weekend.
The Medallion has already opened internationally and the numbers are average at best. It's currently tracking about 10% lower than The Tuxedo, and that performance should be similar stateside. Reviews are also on lower than The Tuxedo, in other words, bad. Really bad. Although most reviewers did comment on how special effects are replacing stunts in Jackie Chan's movies. (He's turning 50 next year, cut him some slack.) The Medallion should earn about $12 million this weekend.
In third place is S.W.A.T. This TV show turned movie didn't drop nearly as much as expected last weekend and should continue to show some legs. Not a lot mind you, but better than average for the summer. The $11 million is should grab this week will put it close to $90 million and it should cross $100 million by the end of next weekend.
Open Range added a few more theatres in its second week, but it's still not enough to crack the top ten theatre count this week. It will fair better at the box office coming in fourth with $10 million.
Rounding out the top five is Freaky Friday. $9 million for its third weekend is good news for this $26 million movie. $100 million total could be in the cards for Freaky Friday.
Just missing the top five will be My Boss's Daughter. When judging how well a movie will do one of the factors to consider is advertising. Not just how well is the advertising done, but does it even exist. In the case of My Boss's Daughter I've only seen a few ads on TV and it doesn't even have an official website. Earlier in the week it was expected to open in about 1200 theatres, but Dimension Films pushed to have it opening is a respectable 2200 theatres. This after being bounced around to no less than 4 release dates. Add in the fact that is wasn't screen for critics and $7 million opening weekend is about as good as it gets.
Doing even worse and just missing the top ten will be Marci X. A lot of things have been blamed for the soft summer this year from pirates to text messaging. But the real culprit is quality or the lack thereof. You can't tell me there aren't better scripts that haven't been made. Like the previous movie, Marci X wasn't screened for critics and advertising has been nearly non-existent. And with a release of just over 1200 theatres, this movie will probably do even worse than last week's loser Grind did.
But fret not brave reader. There is hope at the box office this weekend in the form of limited releases. Thirteen opened on Wednesday and if the reviews are correct it deserves to find an audience. And the reviews are even better for last week's winner of the per theatre box office, American Splendor (which expanded into 26 more theatres this week.) Other limited releases that should be worth checking out include Passionada, (reviews.) Step into Liquid, (reviews), The Secret Lives of Dentists, (reviews) and The Magdalene Sisters, (reviews.) It may take a little more effort to find a theatre showing these movies. But if enough people see them, then maybe Hollywood will make more high quality movies and fewer movies like Marci X.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-07-07
w the release of 3 new movies, none of which were able to match analysts’ predictions. In fact, early numbers show the total box office was down approximately 15% from last year. Granted, there is a definite correlation between where in the week July 4th lands and how the box office performs. The last time July 4th landed on the Friday was in 1997. And this year’s box office was up nearly 10% in comparison, but the average ticket price is up over 30%.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines easy won the weekend, and beat Arnold Schwarzenegger’s previous best opening (Batman & Robin.) But even still, its weekend box office of $44.0 million and 5-day total of $72.3 million is seen as a disappointment, especially when the estimated $200 million production budget is taken into account. But there is good news on the horizon, reviews are very strong and that could help it in the long run. Also, internationally this movie should perform much better than it will domestically.
With a budget less than one quarter of T3, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde earned a little more than half its box office, $22.2 million, to finish in second place. This sequel has already taken in $39.6 million in just 5 days, however, poor reviews and sharper than expected drop-offs will most likely stop it from reaching the original’s final box office.
Dropping faster than even the most cynical analyst had predicted, Charlie’s Angels 2 could only manage $14.0 million and third place. Its drop of 62.8% would have been a record earlier in the year, but both The Hulk and 2 Fast 2 Furious have done worse. Not only is the original’s total of $125 million out of the question, $100 million is now a long shot.
In fourth place is our first, and only, good news in the top five. Finding Nemo pulled in $11.1 million to top The Matrix Reloaded to become the highest grossing movie of 2003. However, from now on milestones will be a little harder to come by and won’t be the weekly occurrence they’ve been in the past.
The Hulk’s third week performance was neatly in-line with predictions. $8.2 million, or just a 56% drop. It will be interesting to see how well this movie plays overseas and at the home market. But for now it could be considered the biggest disappointment of the summer.
Combining traditional cell animation with computer coloring and some computer animation has not been very successful. Both Titan A.E. and Treasure Planet failed to live up to expectations. And now you can add Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas to that list. It could only scrape together $6.9 million for the weekend and more than $10 million for its 5-day release, all on a budget estimated at $60 - $80 million.
Also of note, 28 Days Later performed admirably with $6.0 million. Total domestic box office is just over $20 million and could be enough to make a profit for the studio, (depending on their exact share of the box office, which is not known at this time.) It is just another example of how some of the most successful movies released this year were also some of the less expensive.
Submitted by:
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2003-07-04
dnesday’s and Thursday’s numbers, this situation this weekend is much clearer. And all three of the new movies have had their estimates reduced.
Coming in first this weekend will be Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but not with the numbers the studio was hoping for. $12.4 on Wednesday was significantly below initial predictions. It was also below current July 4th record holder, Men in Black II. However, Terminator 3’s Wednesday to Thursday drop-off was much better, (just 4.43% compared to 11.32%) and Terminator 3’s reviews are also much better, (71% to 38%.) Terminator could come from behind to earn the $52.2 million needed take the record, but it will be very close.
In comparison, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde beat estimates, albeit by just $147 thousand, but then dropped farther on Thursday than expected. With the two factors almost balancing each other out, it should fall just shy of the original prediction with $27 million.
The first of the holdovers, coming in third will be Charlie’s Angels 2. Given the sequel effect, recent history and poor word of mouth, this movie is almost guaranteed to lose more than 50% this weekend. And with direct competition in both the action genre and the female demographic, this movie will lose much more. We’re not talking a Hulk like collapse, but $15 million is still a big drop.
In a summer dominated by huge drop-offs, Finding Nemo has been one of the few exceptions. It continues to do strongly and is set for $10 million in its sixth weekend of release. That will not only give it top spot for computer animated movies, it should also give it the overall lead for 2003, passing The Matrix Reloaded.
Rounding out the top five is The Hulk, which is continuing its downward spiral. Granted, this week it will only drop a little more than 50% to $8 million, not the 70% drop that happened last weekend. Even with this decline, there still is talk of a sequel. (Although a sequel would probably do much better. After all, the first Hulk comic book series was cancelled after 6 issues.)
Doing much worse than analysts predictions was Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, which managed only $1.5 million on Wednesday. It did improve on Thursday, but not enough to get much more than half the original prediction of $14 million. Traditional cell animation was in trouble before this, and since Sinbad will only get a little more than $10 million after Sunday, studios could drastically cut back on future productions.
Submitted by:
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2003-07-02
Reloaded is not longer dominating the International Box Office, several films are all vying for their piece of the pie. Coming in first in its fourth week of international release was Bruce Almighty with $23.9 million. The divine comedy earned its box office in 17 markets on 2,414 screens, which is an excellent per theatre average for the international market.
Charlie’s Angels 2 managed second place thanks to opening first in 9 of 11 markets, mostly in Asian markets. The Hulk came in third with $11.3 million, again mostly thanks to new openings. In markets where The Hulk debuted last week saw very large drop-offs mimicking its North American results. Also dropping fast is 2 Fast 2 Furious, which still came in fourth with $11.1 million despite losing more than half its box office in most markets.
One last note, The Matrix Reloaded earned another $9.9 million to raise its total to $397.2 million. It will cross the $400 mark any day now.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-07-02
3 and it’s time to look at the state of the movie industry, and the news is decisively mixed. The overall box office is down approximately 1.5% while the average ticket price has increased more than 2.5%. And there’s no monster hit like last year’s Spider-Man. But despite this, so far in 2003 just the top ten movies represent almost 40% of the box office. (Up nearly 4 percentage points from last year.)
Good news is the dramatic increase in the number of $100, $200 million movies, and the number of $50 million openings. All are double what they were this time last year. Also good news, production budgets seem to be coming down, closer to 2001’s figures.
But even with lower average costs, of the 60 movies that received a wide release, only about half made more at the box office than it cost to make. Factor in P&A budgets and theatres’ share and only a handful will make a profit domestically.
Highest grossing movie by June 30th
2002: Spider-Man at $395,874,471.
2003: The Matrix Reloaded at $269,409,164.
Number of $200 million movies
2002: 2 (Spider-Man and Attack of the Clones)
2003: 4 (The Matrix Reloaded, Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty, X2: X-Men United)
Number of additional $100 million movies
2002: 3 (Ice Age, Scooby-Doo, The Sum of All Fears)
2003: 6 (Anger Management, Bringing Down the House, 2 Fast 2 Furious, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Hulk, Daredevil)
Number of $50 million openings
2002: 3 (Spider-Man, Attack of the Clones, Scooby-Doo)
2003: 6 (The Matrix Reloaded, X2: X-Men United, Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty, The Hulk, 2 Fast 2 Furious)
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-30
e saw a disappointing box office. The box office was down almost 15% from the same time last year and more than 20% from last weekend. Overall, June’s box office was down just 2% from last year.
Expectations for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle were high, with some predictions going as high as $70 million. But not only did it not live up to predictions, studio estimate, it even failed to match the original’s. It opened with only $37.6 million, and with reviews that just don’t cut it, this movie’s box office won’t even match its budget, (estimated at $120 million.) Add in the P&A budget and the theatres share and you get a bomb.
The Hulk’s plummet at the box office could be the story of the week. Making just $18.9 million, a drop that was just a few hundred thousand shy of 70%. Eighteen movies have opened with more than $60 million at the box office. Of those, only one has failed to make $200 million. Not only will The Hulk fail to make $200 million, it will fail to make $150 million.
Fortunately, there is some good news at the box office. Finding Nemo earned $14 million at the box office to cross the $250 million mark. And after tonight, it should have beaten Monsters Inc. to become the highest grossing Pixar movie. Up next, Shrek’s crown highest grossing CG movie ever. There should be a new king sometime early next weekend.
The good news continued as 28 Days Later beat even my prediction. $10.1 million in only 1258 theatres is fantastic, more than doubling some analysts’ predictions. With a total budget estimated at under $15 million, Fox Searchlight must be ecstatic over this movie’s performance. But how well this movie does in the long run is still a bit unsure. Going against it is its genre; most horror movies drop fast at the box office. But the positives, including amazing reviews, outweigh any negative effect the genre might have.
2 Fast 2 Furious just managed to make the top 5 one last time, beating Bruce Almighty by only $35,000. $6.2 million was added to its running total of $114 million, which is still not enough to make a profit anytime soon.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-27
wide opening this weekend, predicting which movie will win is very easy.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle will come in first, and probably double its nearest competitor. The original opened way back in 2000 with a $40 million opening. As with many sequels these days, expect Full Throttle to open bigger and drop faster. $55 million for an opening weekend, but a final total that’s not much more than the first. Reviews won’t have much of an effect on this movie’s box office, which is good news for the studio cause they are mostly bad. It managed only 41% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, that’s 27 percentage points below the original. Another movie that will open big then fall fast.
Speaking of falling fast, The Hulk appears ready to challenge 2 Fast 2 Furious’ record for largest second weekend drop for a number one movie. From Friday to Thursday The Hulk lost 83.2% of its daily box office; in comparison 2 Fast 2 Furious lost 83.6%. However, 2 Fast didn’t have as strong competition its second weekend out. At this point, anything less than a 60% drop would be is better than expected. The Hulk will pull in just shy of $24 million.
Another week, another milestone for Finding Nemo. This time around it’s passing the $250 million mark, which it could do as early as Saturday. The weekday numbers are starting to show signs of weakening, but that’s to be expected for a movie that’s been out nearly a month. $13 million this weekend is a safe prediction. On a side note, by Tuesday Finding Nemo should beat Monsters Inc. to become the highest grossing Pixar movie.
The only other movie to open in more than just a few cities is 28 Days Later. Opening in only 1258 theatres will limit this movie’s initial draw at the box office. But with very strong reviews this could be the sleeper hit of the summer. Other predictions for this movie range from less than $5 million to over $8 million, but I’m going to be bold and prediction $9 million with lots of legs as well.
Rounding out the top five will be Bruce Almighty, with $6.5 million. This Jim Carrey flick is unlikely to cross anymore major milestones, but it will be in the top 40 all-time when the weekend it over.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-25
ttp://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2003/MTRX2.php>Matrix Reloaded made its sensational debut in May, no one could really tell how far THIS rabbit hole would go.
But it soon became clear that Reloaded was a big thing, Critics say it has dropped off to quickly in the US. Nonsense,
reloaded has stuck in the top ten for 40 days. Thats a Long time for any flick to stay in that reigon, and its takings offshores are still strong despite the same stiff competition that knocked it off the US top rolling out across the world. But reloaded is set to stop at around 720-740 Million, depending on US performance in the months to come. "2 Fast 2 Furious" furiously smashed in at number one in the uk after extensive advertising. It took $2.7 Million($4.5 Million) for its first weekend, but Reloaded only took 660k. But with a healthy $30 Million ($50.5 Million) from the UK alone in its bank, And no sign of slipping to let the nearest rival, Identity, overtake it, Reloaded should stay in the top three for a few weeks yet.
But Identity has started out strong, knocking Anger Management down to fourth. The movie has opened to brilliant reviews and good buzz, being likened to intellegent hits like "The Usual Suspects" it did take a fairly healthy $51 Million in the us, enough to cover its budget.
But the main competition for all, sure to crush the other grosses, its the mega-hyped and Uber advertised "Bruce Almighty" which hits cinemas this friday in the UK. With three weeks of pre-release advertising under its belt, Bruce is sure to demolish the box office competition, In previews alone in limited theartres this weekend, it took an astonishing $1.8 Million($2.9 Million).
The hit comedy looks like its legs will be challenged too, with Charlies Angels 2 making its debut the week after Bruce's release, it will just show how Mighty he is. One things a dead cert, 2 Fast wont be Furious enough to fight of Bruce and The Angels, its expected to drop to fourth when Bruce is released. Reloaded could make big dropoffs, but due to a surprisingly strong UK support base, its likely to fluctuate between 2-4th positions for a while.
Elsewhere on the UK Charts, Igby Goes Down, the "Indie-Teen Movie Of The Year" rose a place, knocking X-2 down to 11th while it nestled into the top ten. And John Travolta's "Basic" debuted with an embarrasing £248k ($412k) Weekend, while a good figure for UK, the number was much lower than the millions expected, but the critics trashed the return of travolta, "Connie Nielsen is like a walking acting folio, she morphs her accent more than she blinks, and Travolta is totally outshone by Jackson"
Bringing Down The House slipped three places in the charts. The Queen Latifah hit had not mirrored the huge success it enjoyed in the US, it is expected to close in the UK at around $5 Million.($8.3 Million)
British Classical Diva, Charlotte Church's acting debut, "I'll Be There" is also opening soon, but reviews have been mixed, one speaking on Church-"Is worse than Madonna and makes you realise Britney wasnt that bad in Crossroads" and another on the same subject "Church is up to the role, it was written with her personality in mind, so the acting wasnt challenging, and it shows"
Forthcoming UK Releases Summer 2003
Sure Hits:
Bruce Almighty, Charlies Angels 2: Full Throttle, T3: Rise of The Machines, Legally Blonde 2*, Tomb Raider 2
Maybes:
The Extraordinary Leauge Of Gentlemen, Hollywood Homicide, Bad Boys II, The Hulk, Spy Kids 3D
Report Researched and Writ
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2003-06-23
r theatre average, The Hulk easily led the Per Theatre Average this weekend. None of the other movies opening this week performed well, with only Bonhoeffer making it above $10,000 per theatre. And last week’s winner, Whale Rider, saw a large drop in its per theatre average as it expanded into 78 theatres.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-23
uper Hero movie opened this week to record breaking numbers. Unfortunately, the overall box office didn’t do as well, down roughly 5% from last year.
The Hulk opened in first place this weekend, $40 million ahead of the nearest competition and $8 million above the previous record holder for largest June weekend. And even still the $62.1 million it brought in was seen as a disappointment. The really telling figure is the drop off from Friday to Saturday, nearly $3 million or 11.3%. Reviews were much better than most films released this summer, but probably not good enough to let the Hulk have much legs.
Finding Nemo continues to have amazing legs beating most industry predictions with $21.1 million in it’s fourth weekend at the box office. It is now the second highest grossing film of the year, and could overtake The Matrix Reloaded before its run is finished.
2 Fast 2 Furious didn’t drop as badly as predicted, ending up with $11.1 million. This was enough to cross the $100 million milestone, but that should be the last major milestone for this movie.
As predicted, Bruce Almighty was able to earn $9.8 million and overtake X-Men 2 for third highest grossing film of this year. There’s still some life left in its box office run, and by the end the studio’s take should cover the production and P&A budgets.
Surprising nearly everyone by landing in fifth place was The Italian Job with $7.2 million. Despite losing 600 theatres this week, this remake was able to hang on to nearly 75% of its box office. That was a drop in the per theatre average of only 4%.
Alex and Emma opened almost exactly as predicted, $6.1 million and seventh place. It was also one of the worst reviewed movies of the year, getting only 11% positive.
Doing even worse was From Justin to Kelly, which earned only $2.7 million and finished in eleventh place. And with even worse reviews don’t expect much more at the box office.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-20
are opening wide, only one is making any news.
Everyone is predicting the Hulk will easily win this weekend, and most analysts agree it will break the record for a June opening currently held by Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me at $54.9 million. But how well will it compare to the other monster openers of 2003. Some are predicting The Hulk will beat fellow Marvel Movie X-Men 2. But I think matching Finding Nemo is a more likely scenario. $69 million for an opening weekend, and based on the good reviews, enough legs to get well past $200 million.
The week to week drop-off for Finding Nemo was even better this week than last week. So look for an even smaller drop off this weekend. A box office of $20 million and second place for the year this weekend, after breaking $200 million Wednesday.
Speaking of $200 million, Bruce Almighty was able to cross that milestone on Thursday, completely a week which say it lose very little of its box office. If this trend continues, and it should despite losing nearly 400 theatres, Bruce Almighty should earn $9 million and could overtake X-Men 2 for third place this year.
2 Fast 2 Furious didn’t drop quite as badly during the mid-week, but it is losing nearly 10% of its theatres in just it’s third week. So another 60% drop at the box office should be expected. Still, this leaves it at $8 million for the weekend and just shy of $100 million total box office.
Rugrats Go Wild has held up surprisingly well during the midweek, and a drop of less than 40% could help this movie make a profit, eventually. Look for $7 million on the box office and enough legs to get at least close to $40 million.
Alex and Emma is the second new movie opening wide this weekend. On paper, this movie should be a sure hit. But the terrible reviews, including 0% from the cream-of-the-crop suggest it will be anything but a hit. Look for it to get worse numbers than other ‘also ran’ comedies like The In-Laws and Down With Love. About $6 million and missing the top five is in store.
The last new movie released this week is From Justin to Kelly, which wasn’t screened for critics. Some are comparing it to The Real Cancun; another reality TV turned movie. I think it’s safe to assume From Justin to Kelly will not do quite as badly, with an opening weekend roughly the same as The Real Cancun’s total gross. Or about $4 million, but it may not make the top ten.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-18
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Alex and Emma
Current Content: No changes from the last time the site was reviewed. But it was an effective site, so no real changes were needed.
American Wedding
Current Content: A new trailer was added to the site.
Bad Boys II
Current Content: Issue 3 was added to the site, but it deals more with the first movie than with the new one. Also, both interviews from issues 2 and 3 have yet to be added.
Elf
Current Content: This site as again switched back to the new site, but it’s missing the trailer. There’s still not much content, just some images (poster, gallery, and wallpaper.) The music is well done, the clip is long enough but it doesn’t quite loop effectively.
From Justin to Kelly
Current Content: Some more behind the scene footage was added. So was information of the music, but they’re just link to Kelly and Justin’s homepages.
The Hulk
Current Content: This site is absolutely packed. Not only are all the usual suspects present, (synopsis, cast and crew bios, trailer) but there are more extras on this site than on all the other sites reviewed this week, combined. There are half a dozen clips from the movie, interviews with 9 different members of the cast and crew, a 14-part interview with Stan Lee, 8 clips from the press conference. And that’s just the multimedia section. There are games, trivia, background information galore, scientific information, etc. You could easily spend hours here. And that’s why this site wins the inconceivable Weekly Website Award.
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Current Content: Quite a basic site that doesn’t even have a trailer, but it does have the rest of the usual information, plus some images and production notes. Worth noting is the background music, which was long enough to not become repetitive too fast, but it did seem out of place. Perhaps it was used in the trailer.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Current Content: There were a lot of changes made in the past week, but it was mostly style without much new content. New animated segues are used, new animations in some of the menus, etc. There is a new game in the Fun Stuff section and cast and crew bios, with more marked coming soon.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-11
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
American Wedding
Current Content: A rather large warning about the film’s content was added to the site.
Delgo
Current Content: This was the only new site on this list that wasn’t a placeholder site. And by that note, it wins the essential Weekly Website Award almost by default. But that is not to say it’s a bad site, far from it. The content is good, focusing more on images than text. There’s a very short synopsis, and equally short character bios, plus several photos. Each of the crew has a filmography and awards, plus several photos. There’s also a scrapbook, which is quite amusing. But the most unusual feature is the Digital Dailies where you get to look at the making of Delgo through some of the Dailies. Warning, some of these dailies are several megs long. And getting through them all could take days. The one complaint I have is about sound, or the lack of it. This is a silent site, which really detracts from the surfer’s enjoyment.
Dumb and Dumberer
Current Content: Just before its release into theatres, the site gets one more update. This time instructions on how to view the ‘glow in the dark’ site. Like most of the content that has been on the site, this update is simply a joke. In fact, there’s little on the site that isn’t a joke. There is no synopsis, no cast and crew bios, etc.
Elf
Current Content: Last week, just after I uploaded the Weekly Website Update, this site was updated. Not much, just a new trailer and such. But this week I check it out, and it’s back to the old site. It may switch back after I’ve posted this story.
Gigli
Current Content: Just the synopsis and cast and crew (no bios.)
Good Boy
Current Content: Another site that was released was just the bare bones, this time with only the synopsis and a teaser trailer. Although the dogs in the background a little something. More should be added at the release date nears.
Hollywood Homicide
Current Content: Despite being a major release from a major studio, this site doesn’t have a flash site just two days from its opening. There were some images added to the site, but that hardly makes up for the lack of flash.
The Hulk
Current Content: A new science section opened this week. It talks about Adrenaline, Gamma Radiation, Nanotechnology and DNA, all of which appear in the movie. It’s quite interesting to read, but hopefully isn’t necessary to watch the movie.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life
Current Content: New trailer is up, and so are the international sites.
Radio
Current Content: The third ‘teaser site’ opening this week. This one has just the trailer.
Rugrats Go Wild
Current Content: This site is obviously meant of kids, and it does a good job of creating an interactive environment for them to play with. There is also a lot of content, from synopsis, trailer and character info to a few games and downloads like wallpapers and screensavers.
Stuck on You
Current Content: Just the trailer. However, there is some sound and a short music clip.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-05-23
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Bruce Almighty
Current Content: A very well balanced site that has everything a site should have in both content and format. Content wise it has the usual synopsis, trailer, extensive cast and crew bios. It also has an image gallery, wallpapers, screensaver, e-cards and information on the soundtrack marked coming sound. Its format is also good with an animated intro, animated segues, and good use of sound effects. They could have emphasized Jim Carrey a little more, but maybe that’s just me.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
Current Content: The second episode of the animated prequel is up, There should be one more per week till the release date arrives.
Gigantic
Current Content: This is a low frill website. It has the trailer and a few photos, but what it has the most of is behind the scenes information. What it doesn’t have is sound, which is strange for a website for a documentary about a band, (They Might Be Giants.)
Hollywood Homicide
Current Content: The flash site still hasn’t launched, but three new sections opened on the main site. A short synopsis, a very funny Police Blotter and a comparison of New York, Chicago and L. A. cops.
The Hulk
Updated Content: Added over a dozen clips of Stan Lee talking about the Hulk, from early character concepts to the latest movie.
The In-Laws
Current Content: This site is great. It not only does it have great content with synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios, soundtrack information. It also has lots of extras, two TV spots, image gallery, poster, screensaver, wallpapers, e-cards, lots of buddy icons, etc. This site is one of the best when it comes to the use of sound. Not only is the background music is good, (The main page has a flawlessly looped clip of Get Down Tonight by K.C. and the Sunshine Band.) this site is also one of the best when it comes to the use of audio clips. For example, Plan The Wedding section (new this week) is a perfect example of the use of sound; each part has background music, sound effects and audio clips. All this made The In-Laws website the winner of the irrepressible Weekly Website Award.
The Italian Job
Current Content: A couple of clips and a few more wallpapers are filtering in. But that interface is driving me nuts, especially with the clips.
Kaena: The Prophecy
Current Content: This site concentrates mostly on background information for the movie, there’s information, and images, for the characters, the races, the locations, and even the fauna. There’s also the more traditional website content like synopsis, trailer and movie clips, cast, crew bios, and some more unique features like behind the scenes, interviews, and even a very in-depth look at how the main character (Kaena) was created. But by far, the most unusual feature is a section called The Prophecy. I’d describe it, but really I can’t. You have to see for yourself.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: The official site was launched, but there’s still very little content. Right now it’s just the trailer and a little background history of Japan.
Respiro
Current Content: A very unusual style to this website. The content scrolls continuously past, first the synopsis, then a biography of the director and then a statement from him. Next is a biography of the lead actress, Valeria Golino, then an image gallery and the poster. The final section is for the trailer, which was just made available this week. The unique and engaging way this site was put together is definitely worth checking out.
Rugrats Go Wild
Current Content: The Thornberrys adults are added to the Spike search game, and a new Animal Rescue game. However, you have to log into Nick.com to play the game.
Submitted by:
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2003-04-25
y released what is in
my opinion, the first movie to ever successfully marry computer effects with
live action scenes and actors. The saga
pitted Jeff Bridges,
a computer gaming programmer gone rogue against an evil electronic A.I. that
abducts him into a cyber world and places him in combat scenarios against
hordes of battle vehicles and humanoid programs. This movie - Tron - was in essence the Matrix of its
time. Since then, Visual Effects
technology has been used to create character enhancements and action scenes
that previously would have cost production companies millions of dollars in
time and materials. A technology so
advanced, that we now have CGI characters playing important roles in
movies. A technology that is so well
received and relatively economical that the advent of completely digitally
animated features are common place. A technology which has trickled down to
every day use in video games and small screen productions.
And a technology that is so excessively used
in film, and at times so poorly rendered, that it smacks of the campy falseness
that was a Godzilla costumed, Japanese actor, stomping through a miniature of
1960’s Tokyo.
T M I?
Not to offend die-hard Godzilla
fans mind you, or you aspiring computer
visual effects specialist, because for one, I am a Godzilla fan from
way back and I am annually parked in-front of the Sci-Fi channel during their
October Godzilla marathon. Believe me,
campy, cheesy over sized lizards are my passion.
Two, I am a die hard
technologist, and Generation X-er who not only appreciates the hard work and
effort behind the 3D-modeling, rendering programming, CGI, and various other
skills involved, but I regularly pray at the alter of Bill Gates while back
flipping, high kicking, and round house punching my way through a well designed
game using a half naked, bouncy, digitally rendered babe named Divinity on my
X-Box. Believe me, I salute you
computer artists, and subsequently so do the good people of Kleenex Tissues and
Saint Ive’s Hand Lotions.
But... (and you knew the "but" was coming)
There are some movies that did it right, and others, that
just plain did it wrong. Instead of
treading through the murky depths of what can be a very categorized field
encompassing a wide array of technologies and techniques, I will instead look
at specific movies and scenes that were impressively done and I will look at
other movies that weren’t so impressively done. In the interests of server space and tired fingers (there are
so many movies using and/or abusing digital effects these days I could
write a book) I will concentrate on the top-earning visual effects movies of all
time, and some particular movies that I feel need to be pointed out for one
reason or another.
[Author's Note: The original top 10 list that inspired this article was compiled by www.digitalmediafx.com, a group that
provides content and information mainly for people who are in the industry.]
Top 16
Visual Effects Movies of All Time
The following is a list of
the highest grossing FX movies of all time.
Note: "Visual Effects Movie"
refers to a film that heavily relied on special effects in the telling of its
story. Visual Effects can be
model-based or computer generated.
Results are based on how much money the movie made in the U.S./Canada
Domestic box office and may include money made in re-releases (depending
on circumstances). In addition, the list
does not allow for inflation or higher ticket prices. The original list is at http://www.digitalmediafx.com/specialreports/topfxmovies.html
Men in Black
Starting from low to high
in terms of box office numbers on this list and working our way up, we have Men
in Black. A feature which I felt
crossed the line regularly with their use of digital visual effects, only to be
saved thanks to the on screen chemistry of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
Frank the Talking Dog was
well done, and so were many of the scenes involving various space aliens and
technology. But it’s always easier to
animate something that doesn’t exist in real life, because no one can really
say what an alien with an exploding head looks like when growing a new noggin,
or what worm aliens should look like when drinking coffee. Still, these effects-laden films have to
remember that digital effects, computer rendering, and modeling, is far from
perfect, mostly because it looks too perfect on screen! The clarity and smoothness of CGI
characters, slightly off color and shading, and almost too fluid motion, makes
for glaring examples that can overpower a scene with its blatancy. Occasionally, MIB did the smart thing
balancing a mix of CGI, Special effects robots, make up, and live models for
this film. Because it could have been a
lot worse and because the acting and story helped pull my attention away from
all of the CGI, it is in my personal "Did It Right" category.
Batman and The Grinch
The next two films on our
list were surprises to me but welcome ones nonetheless. I group these two films together because
more traditional effects magic were used in the making. Computer animation was held to a minimum and
modeling and make up specialists took the lead.
More movies should do it this way; at least until the computer VE (Visual
Effects) side of the house is perfected.
Not
much to say on The Grinch. There wasn’t
a chance in the world that any type of visual effects would have been able to
direct the audience away from Jim Carrey's
acting. Mostly make up effects here,
and I believe that if you can’t notice the effects, if it doesn’t pull you
away from the story, then it "Did It Right!".
Batman,
which used a lot of green or blue screen shots (Placing an actor in front of
a blue or green screen and then inserting the back round later) and city
modeling, played well in the dark comic book world that was Gotham City. It might not have been so in another
film. However, the fight scenes were
tight, realistic, used simple camera shots, and great martial arts
choreography, really making this movie memorable. A more recent visual effects movie similar to Batman that isn’t
on this list, but I feel really shows an important contrast, is the Blade series
starring Wesley Snipes. The first Blade being well done, and the
fight scenes being just as impressive as the first Batman movie. However, Blade II, which I
still found to be thoroughly enjoyable, made the mistake of using CGI for their
vampire on vampire fight scenes.
Particularly noticeable were the acrobatics preformed by Wesley Snipes
character Blade and the Leonor Varela character Nyssa during the GOD
lights fight sequence. Also of
particular note was the end fight scene between Blade and Luke Goss character
Nomak. Again, production companies
using any type of visual effects have to remember that new technology and
methods doesn’t always mean better or more entertaining. I would personally prefer not to see digital
effects in action sequences. If you
need to make for a more stunning sequence, The Matrix style wirework plays well
and is visually stunning in most respects.
My call on all of these films, Batman, The Grinch, and Blade "Did It Right!". Blade II, in most vampire on
vampire scenes, "Did It Wrong!"
Star Wars: All Of Them
No big surprise here in regards to Star Wars. Currently holding 5 of the top 16 spots,
this is again a perfect example of how it was done right the first time, and on
the second go around, just didn’t quite make it. George Lucas pioneered some impressive modeling techniques and
make up work during the original production of Star Wars. Ground breaking work to which my words just
can’t do justice (Note: Death star scenes where X-wing
fighters were making strafing attacks on the surface, used miniatures and drive
by camera work off the back of a pickup!). On its recent re-release, the George Lucas studio and George
Lucas himself, decided to add some upgrades via CGI. In my opinion, all of these scenes are obvious and not worthy of
the original visual effects craftsmanship.
The Star Wars opening scene with the chasing Imperial Destroyer is still
one of the most realistic and awesome scenes I have seen to date and it was
done in 1977. In regards to Star Wars
Episode 1, just three words: Jar Jar Binks!
My call for the Star Wars series, great movies, awesome story lines,
great acting and the first time around, "Did It Right!". On re-release
and on the newer series, "Did It Wrong!".
Independence Day
The visual effects in this film were stunning. The shots of the alien saucers floating
above various US monuments and in orbit were amazing and I couldn’t tell just
by looking at it that they were all digitally inserted. Some of the F-15/alien ship dog fight scenes
were suspect, but overall, an amazing job.
Animatronics/puppeteering type technology was used for close up shots
involving the aliens and the blue/green screen shots were flawless. Fox did it right in this film and coupled
with a fantastic cast and script, the only surprise here is that it isn’t
closer to the number 1 spot. Simply put
"Did It Right!"
Jurassic Park
I was going to duo this film with Independence Day, but it was so well
done, and the technology used to create the dinosaurs so groundbreaking, it
needed its own line. One of the first
to use CGI on such a large scale, Jurassic Park really demonstrated to other
production companies and film makers that the sky is the limit in terms to what
you can do with effects, as long as your budget is sky high as well. I can still pick out the CGI, but only
because I know dinosaurs have long been extinct. Close up shots of the dinos were animatronics and it was all
superbly done. Hey, we have all seen
clips of the old stop motion dinosaurs from the movies past, and the scenes in
movies where nothing but animatronics (Skins and artist created sub-dermals
stretched over remote control robots) were used. Anyone remember Baby - Legend
of the Lost Dinosaur? By the end of
this movie, I was hoping that Baby would just die. Jurassic Park, "Did It Right!".
Spider-Man
I don’t know where to start with this film. A big Marvel
Fan, and Spider-Man fan myself, I was happy to see a live action Spider-Man film
being released into the theaters. The acting was fantastic and I really loved
how they brought the character to life on the big screen; not many characters
can make such a successful transition. But I was really not impressed with any
scene involving Spiderman climbing, jumping, and web slinging through the city
streets. I was down right disappointed in the fight scenes between Spider-Man
and the Green Goblin. The movement of CGI characters just doesn’t look right.
No, I have never seen a crime fighting spandex clad human with the powers of a
spider making his way through a city, so no I don’t have a point of reference
to which I make that comment; But I do know what looks real and natural and
proportioned and Spider-Man CGI was not. As unfortunate as it is because I
really loved the movie, the CGI in the film in almost every action scene, "Did
It Wrong".
Titanic
When I first saw this film on the list, I was very surprised, only
because the visual effects weren’t of long extinct animals, super natural
beings, or aliens and alien technology. The technology wasn’t as a character in
the movie like the others. Titanic was a movie that used visual effects to
recreate an era and an environment and strikingly so. How appropriate that it resides in the number 1 spot, because it
is number 1 in my personal list of movies that flawlessly utilized digital
effects to help present the story. This
movie was shot on a partial mock-up of the boat in a huge water tank. The background was digitally inserted, as was
the vast ocean. The sinking of the ship
and violent collision with the Iceberg was digitally rendered then inserted. Titanic went completely over budget and was
a huge risk for everyone involved.
Hands downed, "Did It Right!".
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE RINGS MAN... THE RINGS AND THE POTTER??
Because I would prefer not to be hunted down in the
streets and flogged by a crowd of readers lead by Bruce Nash for not mentioning
it, lets take a look at Lord of The Rings: The
Fellowship of The Ring, The Two Towers,
and the Harry Potter movies. Bruce actually updated the Digitalmediafx chart to include the newer movies which is why it's a top 16 as opposed to a top 10. Afterall, as my
editor so keenly pointed out, Lord of The Rings raked in $313 million and The
Two Towers over $337 million. Harry
Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone brought in over $317 million with the
sequel, Chambers of
Secrets only bringing in a modest $261 million; (That was sarcasm by the
way). Sorry Grinch, MIB and Batman, time to move over, here comes
something with bigger box office takes. The first movie in both of these franchises are
without a doubt in the "Did it Right!" realm. However, I wasn’t
necessarily impressed by everything I saw. It looks like the cave troll that
attacked both Harry Potter and the Fellowship graduated from the same
University of crappy CGI. (Would that be CCGIU then?) Other then that, both prequels were
brilliant. Harry deserving particular mention for the Broom flying scenes during the Quibbage Event, and The
Fellowship for the scaling effects used to make the hobbits (played by full
size actors) appear smaller then their co-stars. And then we have the
sequels!!! What is it with these two movies anyway? They must be sharing visual
effects companies because the house elf in the Chambers of Secret looks just as
crappy as Gollum did in the Two Towers. And good thing for Harry that the Mr.
Riddles snake wasn’t in more of this movie or I would have really went off the film. Conversely the ying to their yangs, came in the form of the amazingly
created flying car sequences and again with another awesome broom flying Quibbage game for Harry Potter. In Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, the CGI tower modeling and
environmental inserts were equally brilliant. Those particular CGI marvels,
along with excellent acting, fantastic story lines, and superb cast chemistry
help propel both into the "Did it Right!" category.
A Constantly Changing List
To be honest, this list will probably be defunct by the time this year
is out. With the exception of Titanic
and the first Star Wars, we can expect the rest of this directory to be updated
annually. Digital effects in movies have made for great movie magic and will
continue to do so for years to come.
This year alone we will see The Hulk, X-Men 2, Terminator 3: Rise of
The Machines, and the Matrix: Reloaded
hit the screen and the production of big budget movies with big budget effects
isn’t showing signs of slowing.
Digital effects can be a great thing if done so in a subdued manner, or when the movie
using them is pioneering, but when main characters and huge scenes rely on the
technology, watch out because it is going to distract. With the exception of the Matrix (I wish it was on this list, because it should be a bible of how action computer visual effects should be done), some of the most visually appealing and
realistic movies I’ve seen are early 80’s and 90’s films that relied on make up
and sweat as opposed to numbers and processors. Movies are fun because they pull you into a whole new world with
whole new characters and scenarios, but the illusion is easy to break when hit
with "in your face" CGI and technology. Just remember, if you watch a movie and
it looks like Intel and Microsoft will appear in the credits, then someone has
just committed digital overkill.
(Author End Note: The field is growing and changing on a regular basis.
Especially by movies who aren’t afraid to do something new and exciting for a
first time. Wired
Online Magazine has a great article on The Matrix: Reloaded which is a nice
read)
Additional source: ww
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2003-04-02
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. This was a very busy week with lots of placeholder sites that were launched, so many that they were placed in there own section at the end of the list. In the coming months I’ll keep track of these sites reporting on new content as it added, (if any is added.) If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Bullet Proof Monk
Current Content: This site offers a good mix of style and substance. In addition to the usual features, (synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios) there’s a storyboard of one of the fight scenes narrated by the director, Paul Hunter. There are also come downloads, (wallpaper, buddy icons and E-cards) and a section for movie clips marked, coming soon.
City of Ghosts
Current Content: New Flash site added. Navigating the site is easy and the graphics are very intriguing. In addition to the previous content, there are cast and crew bios, new images, wallpapers, buddy icons and a map of Cambodia. There are also clips from the movie marked coming soon.
Cowboy Bebop
Current Content: Well laid out design with good content both in text (synopsis, background information) and multimedia (images, trailer and movie clips.) The background information is especially helpful to surfers who have not seen the TV show.
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry met Lloyd
Current Content: The new site is back after appearing for several hours a couple of weeks ago. The bulletin board presentation is a nice touch. While there is plenty to watch, (trailer, photos and even a toilet) there’s not much to read. No synopsis, no cast and crew bios, no behinds the scenes.
The Good Thief
Current Content: A little different sense of style sets this site apart from others. And the usual information, (synopsis, cast and crew bios, photo gallery and trailer) make this an effective, if somewhat plain site. There is background music, but the clips are a little short to add much to the experience.
Holes
Current Content: An excellent site with a lot to check out. There are extensive cast and crew, and character, bios to read, as well as a synopsis and behind-the-scenes information. The trailer is available and so is a 60-second clip of the music video Dig It by the D-Tent Boys. A clip of the song plays on the main site as well, it’s long enough to be effective, but the looping is a little rough. Also, sound clips from Mr. Sir play occasionally, so there’s a lot to listen to as well as watch. And then there’s the interactive portion of the site. In the Wreck Room you can play a game of Find Zero! make your own creepy crawly or send e-cards. Plus, there are lesson plans for teachers to use. The best site of the week and winner of the festive Weekly Website Award.
The Hulk
Current Content: A little bit as been added, as the release date grows nearer. New game called Hulk Smash Up. Basically a clone of the old Rampage arcade game.
Levity
Current Content: Nothing new since it was first reviewed, so here’s a cut and paste of that review. “Flash Site starts with scenes from the robbery with happen 22 years before the events of the movie. Once the intro is done, there’s lots of information to read (synopsis, cast and crew bios, production notes and the director’s statement. Periodically images from the flash intro of the robbery reappear. While this is an interesting concept, it does make reading the text very difficult and disrupts the flow of an otherwise good site.”
A Man Apart
Current Content: Some new content since it was first reviewed most notably 3 short videos, (each about 30 seconds long) narrated by Vin Diesel. Also there are flash intros to some of the section.
The Man Without A Past
Current Content: A well done site, simple but effective. And after watching the trailer, it is quite safe to say the movie is the same. Quite a lot of information on the movie, including the usual suspects (Synopsis, Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios) and a statement from director Aki Kaurusmäki and information about his other projects.
Phone Booth
Current Content: Starts with a rather long and interactive intro, which makes the rest of the site a bit of a disappointment. Besides the intro there is a synopsis, cast bios, photo gallery and the trailer.
What a Girl Wants
Current Content: A very busy site that tries to pack in a lot on information. And for the most part succeeds. There’s text information that includes not just the synopsis and cast and crew bios, but information on the music, the costumes and the filming in England. You can view the trailer and couple of clips, download poster, screensaver, buddy icons, wallpapers and a calendar. Create your own e-cards, ask Amanda a question, flaunt your style or send a text message to a friend. There are a couple of contests you can enter (for US residents only.) Or visit What I Like About You or Amanada Bynes’ Official sites. Told you there was a lot. The transitions between sections help keep the site cohesive.
XX/XY
Current Content: A very utilitarian site that lacks style. However, there is a fair amount of substance. Synopsis, Trailer and cast and crew bios are joined by an interview with the director, three clips from the movie and a clip of the director talking about his inspiration.
Placeholder Sites
Duplex
Current Content: Like the rest of the Miramax movies’ site that launched this week, this one only has the synopsis and a trailer marked coming soon. All these site look identical and don’t keep a surfer's attention for more than a few seconds.
DysFUNKtional Family
Current Content: Another Miramax one page site. Includes just a synopsis and the trailer.
The Great Raid
Current Content: Synopsis and a trailer marked coming soon.
The Human Stain
Current Content: Just the synopsis and a trailer marked coming soon.
Jersey Girl
Current Content: Right now it’s just the synopsis. But as the release date comes closer expect View Askew to come up with a much more in-depth site. Thou it might not be at the current address.
Man on the Train
Current Content: So far, just the Synopsis. However, there’s a least a hint that more content will be added later on.
The Singing Detective
Current Content: Just the synopsis, with no additional features marked coming soon.
The Station Agent
Current Content: Just the synopsis and a trailer that is marked coming soon.
United States of Leland
Current Content: None, just a placeholder site till the release date gets closer.
Yossi & Jagger
Current Content: Just a synopsis and a theatre finder.
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2003-03-12
t week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Basic
Current Content: Synopsis, Trailer and other Clips, Photo Gallery, and a Flash site with the previous features plus Cast and Crew Bios, production notes and wallpapers.
Bend It Like Beckham
Current Content: Synopsis, Trailer and other Clips, Cast and Crew Bios, Photo Gallery, Reviews, Theatre Finder, Message Board, E-Cards, Madlibs and a Psychic Soccerball. This week’s co-winner of the indescribable Weekly Website Award with Willard.
Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle
Current Content: Synopsis, Teaser Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios, Photos and Behind the Scenes shots. Much more is labeled coming soon, including Flash Animation and Games.
The Hulk
Updated Content: Added a new Flash Intro and some more wallpaper to an already packed website with more to come as the release date nears.
Jet Lag
Current Content: Synopsis and cast and crew.
The Magdalene Sisters
Current Content: Synopsis and cast and crew.
My Baby’s Mama
Current Content: Synopsis and cast and crew.
Pokemon Heroes: Latias and Latios
Current Content: Synopsis and cast and crew.
Valentin
Current Content: Synopsis and cast and crew.
Willard
Updated Content: Synopsis, Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios, Production Notes, Photos and a Slideshow, Wallpaper, build your own wallpaper, AIM Icons, Poster, Screensavers, E-Cards and Rat Packs. There’s a Q&A section with the Rat Wrangler and other information of the trained rats in the movie. Also included is a music video of Crispin Glover singing Ben. It’s almost too surreal to watch, but you have to see it! Co-Winner of the Weekly Website Award with Bend it Like Beckham.
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