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Thursday, November 26, 2009
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News Stories About Elf
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2008-10-28
A slower week in terms of first run releases with a second tier summer release topping that particular list. However, there are a few other releases that are more interesting, including the direct-to-DVD release, Tinker Bell, which is worth picking up on either DVD or Blu-ray, but the latter is better than the former. While that release is the DVD Pick of the Week, two non-DVD releases are worth mentioning above the fold: The Mental Floss History of the World - Buy from Amazon and The Best Of Bond... James Bond - Buy from Amazon. It goes without saying that it was another busy week in terms of total DVDs on this week's list, so much so that it had to be split into two. The second part of the list can be found here.
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2004-11-15
Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. Here is a list of wide releases, limited releases and a few from the growing TV on DVD section, including the winners of the DVD Pick of the Week, Iron Giant - Special Edition - Buy from Amazon and The Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 2 - Buy from Amazon
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2003-12-22
Expectations for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King were huge, but unlike so many other movies with huge expectations that opened this year Return of the King didn't disappoint. A record-breaking performance lead to a huge 59% jump in the box office from last week. But the major letdown in other films led to a 2.3% drop from last year.
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2003-12-16
For the fifth straight week Finding Nemo was number one at the international box office. And while the film is starting to show signs of slowing down, its weekly performance is still amazing. A total international take of $31.5 million on 5,200 screens made it the clear winner. Plus it was number one in 20 of 27 markets it played in and surpassed $300 million internationally. Current totals for the Pixar smash hit are $330.2 million internationally, (good for 20th place) and $669.9 million worldwide, (for 15th place.) The Lion King is the only animated movie to make more. With only a couple more markets to open in, Finding Nemo must rely on long legs to take top spot away from The Lion King.
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2003-12-15
While the weekend after Thanksgiving is usually soft, the weekend after that usually sees a bit of a rebound. Last year, for instance, we saw a nearly 20% week-to-week increase at the box office. This year we weren't so lucky. No movie in the top five beat box office expectations, while a couple did place higher on the charts due to weaker than expected competition. This led to a drop of nearly 9% from last week and 13% from last year.
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2003-12-09
The post Thanksgivings weekend was even tougher on the movie industry than predicted with only one movie in the top five living up to expectations. Some analysts are blaming it on the storm in the Northeast, but the internal multiplier doesn't really support that. And while the box office did drop 40% from last week, it was well ahead of last year to the tune of almost 20%. Year-to-date 2003 is still more than $100 million behind 2002 and with only one movie left that is a sure bet to make that much, catching up is not expected.
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2003-12-05
Guessing what movie will finish first this weekend is a no-brainer. Guessing where the second new release of the weekend will land is a little trickier. Leftovers... I mean holdovers will suffer the post holiday blues this weekend, especially family friendly films.
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2003-12-02
Finding Nemo's continued domination of the European market, (it was number one in 15 markets) helped it earn the number one position this week. It is also unseating Tarzan and The Lion King as biggest animated movie in almost every market and should become the biggest animated movie worldwide before its run is over. This week it added another $37 million to push its international total to $230.8 million, which is 54th overall, (just ahead of The Matrix Revolutions.) Its worldwide total is now an amazing $570.5 million, 21st overall.
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2003-12-01
While all but one for the movies opening over the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend failed to make a big splash at the box office, the holdovers picked up the slack. The extra helpings of family films helped this Thanksgiving weekend 7% up from last year for the 3-day weekend. But a weak Wednesday / Thursday lead to a 6% drop for the 5-day weekend. The mixed results sent 2003's box office a little further behind 2002.
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2003-11-28
This Thanksgiving is turning out to be rather disappointing. Early estimates are about on par with last year when all five wide releases failed to make a major impact at the box office. This year will be a little better, but only because of inflation.
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2003-11-24
here have been no massive hits like there were last year. This week there was a token increase from last weekend, (2.5%) but without a Harry Potter or a James Bond at the box office we're seeing more and more drops from last year. This week it was a 13% drop and year to date 2003 is now more than 1% lower than last year. That might not seem like much, but it works out $100 million despite higher ticket prices.
The Cat in the Hat's opening weekend was a little better than predicted earning $38.3 million. However, the chances for long-term success for the picture are not very strong. First of all, the reviews were just terrible at only just 14% positive, and while kids don't read reviews the parents who take them to the movies do. Secondly, the international appeal is limited; The Grinch earned $260 million domestically but just $80 million internationally. And lastly, the cost is just too high. Factoring in both production and P&A, it cost the studio nearly $150 million to get The Cat in the Hat into theatres. Strong home market sales and overwhelming marketing alliances will be its only saving graces.
It's hard to say is Gothika was a success based on a $19.3 million opening. It was the best opening of the four Dark Castle Entertainment films released so far; it was also the most expensive. And even though it only received 13% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, only House on Haunted Hill did better with critics. If it follows the same pattern as the rest of the Dark Castle Entertainment movies, it should end with $50 million at the box office. Their best effort so far, but barely more than the production budget.
With $18.7 million at the box office, Elf fell a little bit faster at the box office this week and will have to wait till next weekend to break $100 million. This is still an excellent third weekend figure and should result in a pay-raise for Will Ferrell.
Despite excellent reviews and an older demographic, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World had only an average week-to-week drop. The film dropped almost 40% to $15.2 million, sinking the hopes of the studio for long legs and profitability. Only Oscar hype can save this film now.
Of the three movies I predicted would battle for fifth place, only one managed to meet expectations.
Love Actually dropped less than 1% at the box office this week earning another $8.6 million. So far it has only made $30 million domestically, but it should continue to do well into the holiday season. It should also be noted that Love Actually could have not opened domestically at all and it still would have been a huge hit for the studio as it will earn $200 million internationally.
After only two weeks, The Matrix Revolutions started shedding theatres, that is all you really need to know about its performance so far. In week three it dropped almost 60% to just $7.0 million. It won't make $150 million, and it might make less than half what The Matrix Reloaded made just a few months ago.
After two weeks of holding up well to ever increasing competition, the bubble finally burst on Brother Bear. It only managed $5.3 million this week and it should see its theatre count drop dramatically in the coming weeks.
Another kids' movie that couldn't handle the increased competition was Looney Tunes: Back in Action. After only make $9.4 million opening weekend; Warner Bros. was relying on strong legs for any chance at profits. However, during its second weekend it collapsed at the box office dropping to just $4.2 million. On the bright side, sales of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection were so strong that a second collection is now in the works and should be released some time next year. Hopefully the next one will include Hillbilly Hare.
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2003-11-21
ss, I was going to do the whole column in rhyme, but I decided it might irritate some long-time readers. That and I can't find my rhyming dictionary anywhere.
The Cat in the Hat will easily finish first at the box office; thereby confirming quality doesn't mean everything at the box office. The reviews for this movie are absolutely horrible, currently sitting at just 11% positive. Compared that to The Grinch, which got 53% positive. No film currently in the top 10 comes close to that score; the last film to open with such a low score was Cold Creek Manor. Compounding problems is the strong competition from last week's winner Elf. The Cat in the hat will win this weekend, and will top Elf's opening as well with $34 million. But it's legs at the box office will be far shorter than Elf's.
Even with the increased competition, Elf should take second place with a very strong drop-off. Granted, it will be sharper than last weekend's 15%, but a third weekend drop-of a little more than 25% is excellent. That will give Elf a weekend total of just below $20 million and $100 million either late next week, or early next weekend.
Also holding up well, but for different reasons, will be Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. As with most movies with an older demographic, strong legs will be the saving grace of this film. A second week drop of just one third at the box office and a $17 million weekend will help recoup some of that $150 million budget.
Reviews for Gothika are only slightly better than the Cat in the Hat's, but its box office standing is significantly worse. Halle Berry hasn't had success carrying a movie, all her hits have either been ensemble pieces (X-Men) or supporting roles to already established characters (Die Another Day.) Her box office appeal will have a hard time overcoming the poor reviews leading to a $15 million opening weekend. Looks like she'll have to wait for Catwoman before she has a hit of her own.
There are three movies battling for the final place in the top five: Brother Bear, Love Actually and The Matrix Revolutions. All three should be within $1 million of each other.
Love Actually has the best shot at fifth place as it is adding another 500 theatres this weekend. This should offset most, if not all, or its drop in per theatre average. With almost no week to week drop-off, it will finish at $8.5 million and fifth place.
It seems every week Brother Bear has more competition for that coveted kids' demographic. And every week it holds up well, not great, but not poorly either. This week is no different with a slightly greater than one third drop to $8.0 million.
Unlike Love Actually, The Matrix Revolutions is shedding theatres, fast. It will suffer another greater than 50% loss to end at $7.5 million and seventh place. $150 million total box office is becoming less and less likely.
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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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2003-11-14
two new movies are opening wide and another opening quasi-wide, last week's quasi-wide release gets a wider release this week. With all the new films, holdovers might get lost in the shuffle.
Opening in over 3100 theatre and competing in the longest title of the year competition is Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. This Napoleonic naval epic cost a reported $150 million to make, and that doesn't include P&A. With such a large investment, the film will need to be one of the highest grossing movie for star Russell Crowe, right up there with his last film A Beautiful Mind. Amazing reviews will help, (including 100% from the Cream of the Crop) and so will a $34 million opening. And with an older target audience, expect great legs from this film.
There is a lot of competition for the kids at the box office this weekend, but even in its second weekend, Elf looks like it will win over that particular demographic. The Will Farrell hit will lose less than 25% landing at $24 million and second place.
When a movie performs poorly during the mid-week it means one of two things, it has poor word of mouth or its demographic is skewed young. The Matrix Revolutions is one such film, and since Elf has held up better mid-week I think it's more like that The Matrix Revolutions has poor word of mouth than an R-rated film having a younger demographic than Elf. Look for $21 million this weekend and a dubious future. Two positive notes, it will cross the $100 million mark in just 10 day and its international run will be much, much stronger than its domestic run.
During this time of the year in 1996 Space Jam opened with $27 million. Granted, that film was helped out by the popularity of Michael Jordan. This time around in Looney Tunes: Back in Action the human co-star is Brendan Fraser, who is no stranger to kids, having stared in the live action adaptation of George of the Jungle. Reviews are on the weak side at just over 50%, but kids don't read reviews so that should matter little. One last factor, the strong sales of the Looney Tunes: Golden Collection shows Bugs and Daffy have lost none of their popularity. So look for an opening weekend just north of $20 million.
Brother Bear will again be hurt by the direct competition of a new film. Last week it was Elf, this week it's Looney Tune: Back in Action. Last weekend, Brother Bear lost just 4% of its box office; however, on a day-by-day comparison that loss was a little more than 25%. And that loss should start accelerating, down to just under $12 million this week.
Despite more than doubling its theatre count, Love Actually will again miss the top five. But will have the best week-to-week performance climbing to $10 million at the box office.
The last movie to open in more than a handful of theatres is Tupac: Resurrection. In spite of good reviews, this biopic opens in only 800 theatres and will have trouble hitting $3.0 and the top ten.
On a side note, unless it completely collapses at the box office Scary Movie 3 should get the little less than $4 million needed to cross the $100 million mark.
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2003-11-12
s at the box office this week all finished in the top 5 per theatre average, with another spot going to Love Actually, which at only 576 theatres fell just short of a wide release.
Coming in first was The Matrix Revolutions with a not so impressive $13,842 per theatre average. Of the more than a dozen movies to open in 3500 theatres or more, only four have earned less than The Matrix Revolutions on a per theatre basis.
Coming in a close second was Love Actually with $11,995 per theatre, higher than almost all predictions. Helped by great word of mouth, Love Actually will hold onto most of that per theatre average when its theatre count more than doubles this weekend.
The other wide releases do well on the per theatre average chart were Elf at $9,324 per theater and Brother Bear with $6,114 per theatre.
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2003-11-11
ions made on Friday were beaten at the box office, (albeit mostly by very slim margins) but the one movie that failed to live up to predictions did so by such a large margin that it wiped out the gains of all the other movies. Even with The Matrix Revolutions under-performing, we still saw a huge increase from last weekend (up nearly 50%) but a much smaller increase from last year (up just 6%, roughly the average increase in ticket prices.)
Even lowered expectations after Wednesday's and Thursday's weak performance were too high as The Matrix Revolutions failed to crack the $50 million milestone for its opening weekend. The $48.5 million was just above Scary Movie 3's opening two weeks ago. Its three day weekend was barely more than half what The Matrix Reloaded made during its three day opening weekend, and The Matrix Revolutions earned almost 40% less during its first five days than The Matrix Reloaded earned in the first 4 days. It is important to keep in mind that this is still a good opening weekend, it's just not the massive hit most people were assuming it would be. But why didn't The Matrix Revolutions live up to expectations? It was mostly do to great expectations, when the film didn't break any new ground it was attacked. This led to very poor reviews and bad word of mouth. How well will it do for the rest of its run? It's a little too early to know for sure, but it will still be one of the biggest movies of the year. It will just be closer to X-Men 2 than Finding Nemo. And The Matrix Trilogy will go down in history as one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.
Elf could be the real story of the weekend. Costing just a fraction of The Matrix Revolutions, Elf earned $31.1 million for its opening weekend. Thus ensuring Christmas movies will open earlier and earlier each year till we're surrounded by the holiday all year long. Moving on … Elf's family friendly nature and excellent reviews should bode well for this movie's legs and it should top last year's early Christmas entry, The Santa Clause 2.
Brother Bear earned slightly more than prediction with $18.5 million, off just 4% from last weekend. However, it did have an extra day to earn that $18.5 million as it opened wide last weekend on Saturday, not Friday. Comparing this Saturday and Sunday to last Saturday and Sunday and we see a roughly 25% drop. Still good, but not spectacular given its target audience.
After earning $48 million during its opening weekend, Scary Movie 3 has struggled to reach the $100 million milestone. If it fails, it will be the only movie to open with $40 million or more that has failed to reach that mark. Fortunately for all those involved, it held up better during its third weekend than it did the previous weekend. $10.8 million is still a 46% drop, but it does all but guarantee $100 million at the box office. If not by next weekend, then it will earn it by the weekend after next.
Radio continues to show strong legs with $7.2 million. However, even with strong legs its total box office of $36 million is just above its production budget. Add in P&A and the theatres' cut and Sony will have to wait for strong home market sales before they see a profit.
Love Actually has sleeper hit written all over it. After a successful preview, it opened this weekend with $6.9 million, a bit higher than Sunday's Studio estimates. All this was done in fewer than 600 theatres to give the film a per screen average of just shy of $12,000. Love Actually should climb into the top five next week when its theatre count doubles. And the overall positive reviews should help it maintain its box office as we head into the holiday season.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl earned just over $600 thousand to surpass Star Wars: Attack of the Clones on the All-Time domestic charts.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-11-07
e opening wide this weekend each with their own target audience. The Matrix, which opened on Wednesday, counter programming in the form of Elf and pushing the envelope of the definition wide is Love Actually.
The Matrix Revolutions opened worldwide on Wednesday, and while the box office numbers are huge they are not the record breakers hoped for by the studio. Domestically, it opened with $24.3 million in 3,502 theatres, nearly $7000 per theatre. However, even with that figure it only came in 3rd for biggest Wednesday opening after Star Wars: Phantom Menace and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Combined with the sharp drop-off for Thursday and the less than impressive reviews and suddenly The Matrix Revolution's weekend doesn't look as strong as it did earlier in week. $65 million and crossing the $100 mark by Sunday. That would normally be great, but expectations for the final two installments for The Matrix Trilogy were just too great.
Also opening in more than 3000 theatres is the Christmas comedy Elf. Before I go into my prediction I have to say something. Christmas is in December, late December. This tread of extending Christmas earlier and earlier has to stop. This year when I went to pick up a party platter for my birthday party and I saw Christmas decorations … My birthday's in August! It's no wonder that by the time Christmas finally arrives I want nothing to do with the holidays anymore. Now that that's off my chest, back to the prediction. Will Ferrell is quickly becoming on of Hollywood's most in demand comic actors, but he's never been asked to carry a movie like this before. He had a very important part in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and was one of three leading men in Old School, but Elf is his movie. And if the reviews are correct, he's more than up to the job. Look for $24 million this weekend with $100 million run not out of the question.
It looks like Brother Bear's second weekend won't top the first, despite having one extra day to do it. Look for just $17 million, a very disappointing result for Disney.
Scary Movie 3 will continue its quick drop at the box office again losing more than 50% at the box office. Earning just $9 million during its third week will leave it one more week away from hitting $100 million.
Holding on to its audience will be a much easier task for Radio. But even so, it will have a tough time sticking in the top five with $6 million.
The last film to open in more than a handful of cities is the romantic comedy Love Actually. This is the first time directing effort from screenwriter Richard Curtis. Richard Curtis has had a lot of success writing comedies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones Diary. This success has been greater internationally where the previous films I mentioned have earned an average of $200 million. Love Actually isn't getting the quite the same warm reception by the critics as those films, but 68% positive is still quite good. Look for an opening week per theatre average of about $10,000 for a total box office just shy of $6 million. And over the next few weeks it should expand into many more theatres.
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2003-11-06
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.
50 First Dates
Current Content: The trailer was added.
Against the Ropes
Current Content: This first thing I noticed about this site was how idealistic it was. 'A boxer's manager has his best interests at heart.' Obviously they've never heard of boxing manager who shall remain nameless. This site has a more information on boxing than on the movie itself. Different punches, training methods, the role of coaches and managers, etc. The usual movie related features are all there, synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios. But read carefully, there is a quiz. One problem with the site, while there is background music, the looping is a little jarring and is not as smooth as it should be.
Alien vs. Predator
Current Content: The redirect was replaced by a placeholder site, which has not only the teaser trailer but some behind the scenes with writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson. It was great to see Paul W.S. Anderson was a fan of the films before he started work on the project. While a fresh face with new ideas can sometimes help more often than not being a fan of the source material is an invaluable aid. There are also three posters you can download, one teaser, one alien and one predator.
Calendar Girls
Current Content: After having the same site up for months, the site was completely redesigned this week. And while the design is new, most of the content is the same. However, the background music now loops which is an improvement.
Cat in the Hat
Current Content: The flash site went live this week and while it certainly has energy, it doesn't feel enough like Dr. Seuss to me. The site does have all the usual features, plus some fun extras like the time-lapse photography of the set being built. There's also lots of games for the kids to play, including a couple marked coming soon. Not a bad site per say, but it doesn't have the right feel.
The Day After Tomorrow
Current Content: So far only the trailer is on the flash site, but the film doesn't open till memorial day so that's not surprising.
Elf
Current Content: Two more features were added just in time for its release tomorrow, two video clips and an Etch-a-Sketch.
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Current Content: The flash site launched this week, and the site has the usual features (synopsis, trailer, cause and crew bios, production notes, image gallery) and its well done. There is a lot of information about the artist Johannes Vermeer, however, most of that information is off site. There are nice animated transitions and good background music, but nothing that makes the site stand out.
Gothika
Current Content: Most of what was previously marked coming soon, (production note and bios) were added this week. That just leaves the two film clips, but there's a good chance they won't be added till after the movie premieres in two weeks. This sit is still one of the creepiest I've reviewed and deservedly won the weekly website award when it launched not too long ago.
The Haunted Mansion
Current Content: More was to the site, mostly in the Visit the Mansion Tour section. I was a bit disappointed with this section; it was less interactive than I had hoped. There's still a lot marked coming soon, (production notes, behind the scenes, screen savers, winamp skins, and clips.)
Hellboy
Current Content: Hellboy is a comic book that most people have probably never heard of. So it makes sense that the site has character bios, background stories, etc. Like A.v.P., it was nice too see the videos that show how much the main people involved wanted to do the movie. There quite a few animation heavy sections like the B.P.R.D. Here you can check out Hellboy's home with a couple more areas marked coming soon, well 'Access Denied', but I think that means the same thing.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: A new flash site replaced the old, and while this one has more content even more is marked coming soon. It has the usual features plus what appears to be a lot of behind the scenes information marked coming soon. This includes interviews, script to screen, etc.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: The latest poster was added, which can also be sent as an e-card. Also, a great deal of information on Minas Tirith was added, some of it text, but also in video form.
Love Actually
Current Content: Just in time for its premiere tomorrow, the last TV Spots was added. This site has already won the Weekly Website Award and still richly deserves it.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: Huge update this week to celebrate the film's opening yesterday. Warning, a lot of this stuff was held back till after the release cause it contains many, many spoilers. There's just too much added to go into great detail, but the site itself has a breakdown of what's new. So check it out right away.
Mona Lisa Smile
Current Content: The flash site launched but the bast majority of the content is still marked coming soon. The site does have synopsis, trailer, image gallery and character bios. But production notes, cast and crew bios and four additional sections (challenge, living, legacy, your story) are all marked coming soon. Launching a site this way can be a good way to keep people coming back for more, week after week.
The Perfect Score
Current Content: The redirect was replaced with a placeholder site. So far just the trailer is there, but that should change soon.
Peter Pan
Current Content: New trailer was added.
The Punisher
Current Content: This is a site you have to keep coming back to. Things change and sometimes in subtle ways. For instance, all the items on the desk have been changed. Right now there's just a few images of briefing documents and a video camera. When you click the video camera it just says, 'Access Denied.' But by next week, when Apple.com has had a few more days of exclusive internet distribution of the new trailer it will be added to the site. This is an excellent site because when I first started hearing details about the movie I wasn't that impressed. But the more I see of the site, the more interested in the movie I become.
Shrek 2
Current Content: The placeholder site was replaced by another placeholder site. This one with realistic belching. Oh yeah, and the trailer.
Teacher's Pet
Current Content: Placeholder site with just the trailer.
Timeline
Current Content: Major update and most of the 1357 features were added. The 1357 features are broken down into three section, each of which has two or three subsections, each of which has one or more choices. That's a lot of content to get through. So fortunately much of it is still marked coming soon. The first feature is The Battlefield; it talks about battle tactics, (a Q&A session with the film's sword master) weapon details (marked coming soon) and concept art and interviews (also marked coming soon.) Second is The Castle with a Donnor Interview (marked coming soon) and more concept art (also marked coming soon.) The last section is La Dordogne and it deals with behind the scenes with production notes and feturettes, (two of which are marked coming soon, as is the IPix.) La Dordogne also has a Challenge the enemy game, which you have to explore the site before you can play. Each of these sub-subsections also has some images in the form of photos, wallpapers, ipix, AIM icons, etc. Obviously one of the biggest sites reviewed this week. If you are into medieval times, this site is a must. Even if you are not, it is still worthy of the venerated Weekly Website Award.
Tupac: Resurrection
Current Content: Another flash site that launched this week and it's quite bare. Synopsis, trailer, crew bios are there. But there's not enough on the music, which should be a main focus of the site.
Troy
Current Content: Another redirect that was replaced by a placeholder site. This one has the synopsis, poster and an image gallery and promises to have the trailer tomorrow.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-10-23
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.
21 Grams
Current Content: The redirect was replaced with a placeholder site. The only content on the placeholder site is the trailer.
Alien: The Director's Cut
Current Content: All six clips were added to the site, as was the interview. The only feature left to be added is the modern reviews.
Beyond Borders
Current Content: The movie opens this week, but there were no changes in the website from last week.
Brother Bear
Current Content: The movie opens in just two theatres tomorrow before opening in 2500+ next week. A couple more games have been added since the flash site first launched. I still think Rutt and Tuke are the best part of the site.
The Butterfly Effect
Current Content: Just a placeholder with the trailer, image gallery, wallpapers and poster.
Dawn of the Dead
Current Content: Just the placeholder site for now. The site has the synopsis, cast and crew (no bios) and the teaser trailer.
Elephant
Current Content: There is a lot of information on the production and the crew, but very little for the cast, most of whom were acting in their first movie. While the production notes were interesting to read, the lack of sound or animation was a disappointment.
Elf
Current Content: Activity center was added to the games and toys section.
Girl With a Pearl Earring
Current Content: Just a placeholder site with no real content for now.
The Haunted Mansion
Current Content: There was a major update this week, including a mostly new format and some additional content. The synopsis, trailer and image galleries are still there. Added to the site was the cast and crew, (no bios yet, not even ones marked coming soon) a good sized behind the scenes movie and a virtual tour of the mansion. So far the tour only lasts up to the front door, but there should be weekly updates till the movie is released.
Honey
Current Content: A music clip was added to the site, and not only is it very long for a website (clocking in at almost 24 seconds) it also loops extremely well.
In the Cut
Current Content: In the Cut opened on Wednesday, but so far the only content on the site is the trailer.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: A couple of games were added.
Love Actually
Current Content: The flash site launched this week and it has a lot to offer. This isn't surprising given the number of characters and relationships in the movie. Not only does the site have all the usual features, but also has plenty of extras. The best of which is the Find Love section that details the nine stories of love featured in the movie where you can click on each character to read a one sentence description and hear a quote from the movie. Each story has an audio clip, a video clip and a question for the Love Quotient Quiz. Some also have additional features like the Soundboard from Love American Style. With all these features, and a couple TV Spots marked coming soon, this site wins the beloved Weekly Website Award.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: This week's updates include three more 30 second TV spots and 2 15 second spots.
Polar Express
Current Content: The redirect was replaced by a placeholder site. The only content so far is the poster.
Radio
Current Content: The movie opens tomorrow, but no changes were made to the site. I guess we'll have to wait for the last two previews to be added.
Scary Movie 3
Current Content: Another movie that opens tomorrow that had no updated from last week. This site is particularly sparse with only the trailer. Not a good sign.
The Singing Detective
Current Content: Like the previous two sites, this movie opens this week but had no updates to talk about. Here is the original review of the site.
Timeline
Current Content: Two IPix and an Internet exclusive trailer were added.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-10-16
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 bit of a weird week, the best sites either had little or no changes to an already impressive site, or there was a major update but with most content being marked coming soon. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Alien: The Director's Cut
Current Content: The flash site was launched during the past week and while there is a lot of information, most of the multimedia is still marked coming soon. Synopsis, Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios, Production Notes and Legacy are there. So is an interesting twist on reviews, they have reviews for the original from 1979 and will have reviews for the Director's Cut when they are available. As I said, most of the multimedia is marked coming soon and this includes 6 clips, TV spots and an interview with Ridley Scott. The site also has good background music and animated intros. The only complaint I have is the animated intros are a little too long, they could be trimmed to improve the pacing of the site.
Beyond Borders
Current Content: The production notes and the cast and crew bios were added.
Big Fish
Current Content: The flash site launched this week but there is very little content. In fact, there is more content on the placeholder site then there is on the flash site. That could change as the release date nears, but there are no features marked 'coming soon' to let us know.
Elf
Current Content: Another game was added, Snowball fight, as was a section on Elf-themed self-help books.
Garfield
Current Content: The redirect was replaced with a placeholder site. Right now there's just the synopsis and cast list, but it says the trailer will be online in November. There's also more animation and sound than most placeholders have, and that's a good sign.
Gothika
Current Content: The flash site went live and it is good. Not so much for its content, (most of which is marked coming soon) but for the mood it creates. The background music helps, so do the little interactive features. And most pages there's something you can click on to see flashed from the movie and some text will appear. I even got the all the menu items to turn to, 'Not Alone' but I have no idea how and I can't seem to do it again. So far the site has the synopsis, trailer, more than two dozen images (all of which can be sent as e-cards) and quite a few downloads. Production notes, cast and crew bios and 2 movie clips are marked coming soon. This is the best mood for site since Identity, and just like that site Gothika wins the fervent Weekly Website Award.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: There was a complete redesign of the site last week, the third design used, and the flash site is marked coming soon. There's less information about the movie than the last site, but more extras like wallpapers, screensavers, image gallery and even two full-length cartoons.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: Three more interviews were added to the site featuring Viggo Mortenson, Karl Urban and Peter Jackson. Most of the interviews are text, but they are supplemented with video clips. Also, information on the upcoming release of the soundtrack was added.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Current Content: The trailer was added to the placeholder site.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Current Content: The Non-North American English International Sites is up, but it appears to be the same as the North American site.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: This week's updates include more photos and the cover for the upcoming comic book.
Pieces of April
Current Content: Another movie opening this week with a website that hasn't changed since I last reviewed it. It's worth checking out for the extensive intro alone.
Radio
Current Content: Another flash site that launched this week. There's not much content, Synopsis, Trailer, Cast and Crew Bios, and four part production notes. There are two more previews marked coming soon.
Returner
Current Content: No changes since I first reviewed the site. Given the movie in question, the site could have used more flash.
Run Away Jury
Current Content: This site has previously won the Weekly Website Award. Unfortunately, I can't seem to get to the site right now; it's gone 404 on me.
Scary Movie 3
Current Content: So far there's just the trailer, four posters and a TV you can find. Since the movie is released next week, expect a large update soon.
Sylvia
Current Content: Opening this week, there was a bit of content added. There are six main sections, and each one except the last start with a little bit of animation and some background music. The music doesn't loop, so you only hear it when you change sections. The site has the usual information, Synopsis, Trailer and three other clips, Cast and Crew Bios, Image gallery, some downloads. It also has biographical information on the two main characters portrayed in the movie.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Current Content: Not much has changed, just new background music. The clip itself is long enough but the gap between loops is too long.
Timeline
Current Content: This site underwent a complete redesign this week and a lot of content was added, but even more is marked coming soon. It has the synopsis, cast and crew bios, both the teaser and the full trailer, image gallery (including some behind the scenes), downloads and even your chance to ask the director Richard Donner a question. Most of what is marked coming soon is multimedia, movie clips, behind the scene clips, interviews, concept art, etc. Production notes and news are also marked coming soon, as are three mysterious wormholes on the main page. I'm not sure what they do, but they might have something to do with the 1357 features marked coming soon.
Veronica Guerin
Current Content: The film opens tomorrow, but the cast and crew bios and film clips are still marked coming soon.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-10-09
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.
This will be an abridged version due previously mentioned scheduling conflict. But you can't really tell.
The Alamo
Current Content: The full trailer is up, along with the old teaser trailer.
Barbershop 2
Current Content: A placeholder site so far with just the teaser trailer.
Big Fish
Current Content: Typical Sony placeholder site with just the synopsis and trailer.
Broken Lizard's Club Dread
Current Content: Typical Fox Searchlight placeholder site with just the synopsis so far.
Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind
Current Content: The site is based on the company Lacuna from the movie. Right now its just a commercial for that company, but it says to check back tomorrow for further updates.
The Dreamers
Current Content: Typical Fox Searchlight placeholder site with just the synopsis so far.
Dopamine
Current Content: Simple site without sound or animation. There's some interesting content, including some on the role of Dopamine in the brain. But overall there's not enough to keep a surfer's attention for too long.
Elf
Current Content: Another game was added, Stocking Stuffer. But that background music is getting to me something awful. And to think, I've got to listen to every week to check for updates.
Girls Will Be Girls
Current Content: The format is the same as most IFC sites, but there is more content than most of their sites. Trailer, synopsis and cast and crew bios are all there, so are a few clips, image gallery and even sites for the three girls from the film.
Good Boy
Current Content: Another game was added to the site, this one a variation on concentration. Overall, this is a good site especially for its target audience.
House of the Dead
Current Content: The original site was removed due its graphic nature. The new site is toned down, but relatively unchanged.
Intolerable Cruelty
Current Content: Two TV spots and four clips were added just in time for the movie's release.
Kill Bill
Current Content: No changes from last week, and with Volume 1 opening tomorrow I doubt the remaining three character intros will be added till Volume 2 is nearing its release date.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: The second blog was added to the site, which adds a bit more background information.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Current Content: Did they really need the whole name in the URL? I don't think so. A large portion of the site is called The Journey, which alternates between entries in the Captain's Log and information about life on a ship from the sails to meals. There are also regulars features, but so far much of this is marked coming soon. Synopsis, Cast and Crew Bios, Production Notes and Featurettes are all marked coming soon. That does leave the trailer, images, interviews with three consultants (in .pdf format) and something called The Broadband Experience. The last feature is for Internet Explorer users only, so I can't review it. There are also several international sites, but they are all marked coming soon. The only complaint is the URL, but to deny it an award based on that would be petty, so it wins this week's nugatory Weekly Website Award.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: As expected, there were more updates this week. This time it was information on The Matrix Reloaded's DVD release and a couple more posters, one just for international sites.
Mystic River
Current Content: There were no new additions since the last update. It is still an understated yet compelling website.
Shark Tale
Current Content: New name, new URL, same intro.
The Singing Detective
Current Content: The flash site launched and while it takes a little advantage of the animation flash allows, there is no sound outside the trailer and a clip from E.T. The site does have synopsis and cast and crew bios, but I was looking forward to for some behind the scenes info.
Spider-Man 2
Current Content: Quite a big update this week. A new webisode was added with director Sam Raimi and costume designer James Acheson that is about the changes to Spider-man's costume. The character section was added with brief bios and connections between the characters. In addition, the Ultimate Quiz will quickly show how much time you spent reading Spider-man comics as a kid (for me it was obviously too much.) There were also some more behind the scenes images and another wallpaper added.
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2003-09-24
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.
Duplex
Current Content: It's a Miramax site. Boring beige background. Short synopsis. Cast and crew, no bios. The film opens in two days and the trailer is still marked coming soon.
Elf
Current Content: I know I usually love it when a site has background music, but I don't think I can take this background music for much longer. Maybe I'm old fashioned, But I feel it's too early for Christmas. Besides the background music this site has synopsis, trailer, photos, lots to download and a coloring book. Two of the sections also have more content marked coming soon, but no details on what that could be.
Gothika
Current Content: The trailer was added to the placeholder site.
The Haunted Mansion
Current Content: The full trailer was added to the site.
Honey
Current Content: No new content this week, but there was a redesign of the site.
Intolerable Cruelty
Current content: One of many flash sites that launched this week, and this one takes the divorce theme of the movie to heart. For instance, instead of downloads its called Disposable Assets. Besides the usual suspects, this site has a lot of interactive features and downloads. It also have TV spots and clips marked coming soon.
Kart Racer
Current Content: Having multiple, complete songs on a site is becoming a more common feature on sites, and this site has two. Besides the songs the site has the usual content plus a trivia game you have to register to play.
Kill Bill
Current Content: The flash launched this week and while there's a lot of content, most of it is either from the old site or is marked coming soon. There are flash intros to each of the characters, including one on Hanzo the sword, which was first on the old site. The last three characters are coming soon so is most of the new content, (Cast and Crew, Locations and Press Notes.) The character intros are good, especially Go-Go's which has some information on the band 5.6.7.8's and one of their songs you can listen to. I'm looking forward to when the rest of the sections are added and seeing how it all fits together.
Love Actually
Current Content: Just the placeholder site for now with the synopsis, cast and crew (no bios) trailer and photo gallery.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Current Content: Typical Warner Bros. placeholder site with just the synopsis and a few images.
Luther
Current Content: The rest of the content has filtered in. There's an impressive amount of content, a lot of which deal with the historical aspect of the movie.
My Life Without Me
Current Content: Nothing new has changed since the site was first reviewed.
Mystic River
Current Content: The section on Clint Eastwood is now up. It consists of more than half a dozen interviews from the cast, the author of the novel and Clint Eastwood himself.
National Lampoon's: Dorm Daze
Current Content: This movie is set to be released this week, or maybe dumped is a better term. The site itself is offers nothing to keep the surfers attention. There's the trailer and four TV spots, none of which are intriguing, a few images and some posters.
Pieces of April
Current Content: The flash intro makes good use of flash animation and clips from the movie, both visual and audio. And it is definitely the best part of the site. All the usual suspects are there, (trailer, synopsis, cast and crew bios, production notes) but I kept going back to the introduction.
Prey for Rock and Roll
Current Content: Nothing new was added since the site was last reviewed but its still a great site with cool music that's just needed some extra flash to put it over the top.
The Punisher
Current Content: Complete redesign of the site. The old teaser site was moved and in its place is a new more in-depth site. It's still mostly teaser but there's a lot more background information.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Current Content: None, just a redirect.
Run Away Jury
Current Content: The sections that were marked coming soon last week were added this week. The last two characters were Nick Easter (3 clips) and Marlee (1 clip and 6 photos) as well as the clips section (4 clips) was added. Needless to say, this site is heavy into the multimedia. But it's not at the expense of other content, there's a synopsis, production notes and even a section on Hackman's and Hoffman's longtime friendship and how Run Away Jury is their first movie together. The excellent content combined with the animated intros, sound effects and background music add up to this week's emotional Weekly Website Review.
The Run Down
Current Content: A previously award winning site, this site have nearly everything a site should have. Animated intros, background music, video and audio clips, there's even a game to play. And this week several more multimedia clips were added including a behind the scenes featurette and three more clips from the movie.
The Singing Detective
Current Content: The trailer was added to the site, and the Coming Soon was removed.
Sylvia
Current Content: The teaser flash site is up with just the synopsis, trailer and image gallery. The full site is marked coming soon.
Tupac: Ressurection
Current Content: Nothing, just a redirect to the Paramount movie page.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Current Content: Just in time for this week's release, the flash site was launched and it has a good mix of multimedia and text content. For example, there's the trailer and five clips from the movie. There is also extensive cast and crew bios as well as behind the scenes information. There are also animated intros to each section and good use of music.
Yossi and Jagger
Current Content: This site is silent and still. In fact, the absence of any unusual features prevents the surfer from staying too long.
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2003-08-28
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.
21 Grams
Current Content: None, just a redirect to the Universal Pictures movie site.
Anything Else
Current Content: The flash site was launched this week and it has a lot of multimedia. This includes the trailer and 10 minutes of interviews with the two main cast members. Also included were four clips and a short behind the scene video. It is interesting to note that much of the clips and behind the scene stuff is also in the trailer and interviews, so there's a lot of repetitiveness. It also has synopsis/production notes, cast and crew bios and an image gallery.
Cabin Fever
Current Content: The last two photos have videos now, but they make about as much sense as the first two. Watch the trailer on the regular site before coming to the flash site. Or check out the old site for a little more information.
Cheaper by the Dozen
Current Content: Just the placeholder site for now, with just the trailer and cast and characters (no bios.)
Civil Brand
Current Content: The old site is back with the trailer as its only content.
Elf
Current Content: The trailer is back on the site.
Honey
Current Content: As I have mentioned early, Honey is the first site I wrote about and in that time there have been no substantive changes, until now. Half a dozen more images were added to the gallery this week. That may not sound like much, but it more than doubled the content of the site. Late Update: The trailer was added today. See, having the column a day late was a good thing.
Jeepers Creepers 2
Current Content: The content of this site is told almost exclusively through multimedia. Each section starts with a short clip, and there are eight sections in all. These include the image gallery, e-cards and storyboards. Plus two trailers, four clips and character intro (in the form of short clips.) There is only one section presented in text and that's the 'About the Film' section. Although there are five parts and it is quite extensive. There is also sound effects and background music. Unfortunately the music, while moody, was too quite compared to the rest of the site.
Mambo Italiano
Current Content: This site has a lot of information, synopsis, cast, crew and character bios (character bios are almost always a plus), press kit, trailer and seven clips. What it doesn't have is any sound or animations. Because of that this site is an effective but simple site. A little more flash might have really helped.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: Along with the content for the first two movies, the international trailer for the third movie was released. From now to its release expect plenty of updates to this site.
Mystic River
Current Content: The crew bios are now available, including Clint Eastwood. But the section on Clint Eastwood in the main menu is still marked coming soon. So I expect that to be much more detailed than the current bio.
Nola
Current Content: As long time readers of this column know I feel the most overlooked aspect of movie websites is sound, specifically background music. Many sites have no background music whatsoever, others have only short clips, (much of which is too short or poorly looped.) This site has not one, but two full songs. Right away that puts it ahead of the pack, and many weeks it would be enough to win the weekly website awards. But this site has even more. There is plenty of content with all the regular features present, (synopsis, trailer, image gallery, cast and crew bios) and some lesser used features like production notes, directors statements, wallpapers and e-cards, an interview with the director and 3 clips from the movie. Add in animated segues and you have this weeks winner of the inescapable Weekly Website Award. And it's the first winner with the new graphic.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Current Content: This is a week of double shots. First two movies with Emmy Rossum and now two movies that take their name from the classic Sergio Leone movie Once Upon a Time in America. The Flash site opened this week and it is a very well done site. The main part of the site has animated intros that rotate through the three main characters. There is also very good use of animation and sound effects for each section. For example, the options are shown as bullet holes complete with gunshots are they are created. The content is also well done with the synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios (the three main stars also have a few images) and production notes. And most of this information is given in both English and Spanish. It's a very nice touch indeed.
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Current Content: The second movie to borrow its title from Sergio Leone, this time the homage extends to the trailer (especially the fonts) and the background music for the website. It's a nice touch. The site also features a bit of animation to introduce the sections, which include all the major features (synopsis, cast and crew bios, production notes, and image gallery.) It’s not very flashy, which is probably for the best.
Something's Gotta Give
Current Content: Just the typical Sony placeholder site for now. Just the synopsis and the trailer and that's all for now.
Underworld
Current Content: The new, full trailer was added.
Wonderland
Current Content: Got an error message about the flash animation for this site, something about a slow script. So I can't give a review of the site.
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