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Thursday, November 26, 2009
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2004-03-01
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. A bit of a slow week, which means I was able to reduce my choices for DVD pick of the week to just one: School of Rock - (Buy from Amazon.) I'm not counting Father Ted - The Holy Trilogy, because it was one of my Picks of the Week when it was originally supposed to be released.
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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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2003-11-18
, 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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2003-11-13
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.
Anything But Love
Current Content: For a movie that has music as such a central theme, for there to be no background music on the site is a very large oversight. There are four clips along with the trailer, synopsis, small image gallery and a few e-cards. But the lack of music is what stood out the most.
The Big Bounce
Current Content: Placeholder site with just the synopsis, photo gallery and some downloads. The trailer is marked coming soon, as is the flash site.
The Big Empty
Current Content: This movie opens this week in L.A. and opens wider next week. The site has just an image of the poster with 'more information' coming soon. The production company as more details on their site including the trailer. This is one of those movies that is so intriguing that you want to know more, but is probably so uncommercial that few will ever get to see it.
Chasing Liberty
Current Content: Typical Warner Bros. placeholder site with just the synopsis.
Fog of War
Current Content: This site's format is one of the most compelling I've seen. The timeline of events with audio clips, video clips, images, text and sometimes even a talking Mac. (You really have to see it to believe it. It seems so out of place on a website for a serious documentary, but it works.) There are more traditional features like the trailer and such, but it's the timeline that's the focus of this site.
Garfield
Current Content: The placeholder site now says the trailer will be online in December, not November as it previously said.
Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban
Current Content: The teaser trailer for the third film was added to the site this week.
Honey
Current Content: After months and months of the same placeholder, there was a redesign not too long ago, and now the flash site has finally been launched. And it was worth the wait. Content wise, it has all the regular features, with more than a few extras. In fact, it's the extras that make this site stand out. There are a couple of quizzes, short bios on how some stars started out, a video remix, a game called Six Degrees of Missy E and others. Each of these sections starts with an audio clip from the movie, and while that is playing the volume for the background music is lowered so the clip is easier to hear, which was a very nice touch. Speaking of the music, not only is there six clips that can be listen to in the background, the full music for 'I'm Good' by Blaque was added to the site. It was a close call for the award this week with this site just missing out to The Missing. But when the two TV Spots and two Interviews are that are marked coming soon are added to the site it has an excellent shot at winning.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: No real changes since it won the weekly website award.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Current Content: The flash site has launched, but there's very little content. It does have the trailer and a image gallery and some downloads; but there's no synopsis or other information about the movie. Also, while there's animation, there's no sound and that's never a good sign.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Current Content: Like the other movie opening wide this week, this site has previously won the weekly website award. Unlike the other movie opening wide this week, there were extensive updates on this site. All the material previously marked coming soon , (synopsis, Cast and Crew Bios, Production Notes and Featurettes) were all added to the site. Two more international sites, the German and one of the Spanish ones also launched this week.
The Missing
Current Content: Every site should have a hook, something that sets it apart from the pack. This site's hook is the commentary by Ron Howard, which is broken up into a dozen segments and sprinkled throughout the site. (You can also listen to them all in the Media section, but just exploring the site with the commentary on works better.) Another unusual feature is the Characters section. Each of the five main characters has a flash animation introduction that helps set the mood. These two features combined with the more standard fare, (synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios, extensive behind the scenes information) and excellent use of animation and background music help set this website apart from the others this week. And because of that, this site wins the enduring Weekly Website Award.
Something's Gotta Give
Current Content: Just a small change to the placeholder site.
Tupac: Resurrection
Current Content: The movie opens this week, but there were no changes in the site this week.
Troy
Current Content: The trailer was indeed added to the placeholder site.
Watchful Eyes
Current Content: So far the only content on the site is a flash intro that ends with, 'Website coming soon.'
Submitted by:
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2003-10-30
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: Placeholder site with no content.
The Alamo
Current Content: The flash site was launched just in time for the movie's release to be delayed, so don't expect many updates till we're closer to April of next year. So far the site has the regular features, synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios, image gallery. And a few extras like a Educator's Guide, (in Adobe Acrobat format) and others marked coming soon like Behind the Scenes and Screen Savers. There's also animated segues and sound effects, but no background music.
Alien: The Director's Cut
Current Content: The movie opened in a few hundred theatres yesterday, but the modern reviews have not been added yet..
Alien vs. Predator
Current Content: Redirects you to the Fox movie page. But the teaser trailer is available at Apple.com.
The Barbarian Invasions
Current Content: Typical Miramax site with the trailer marked coming soon.
Dirt
Current Content: Simple site with just the synopsis, trailer, cast bios and a few reviews. Outside the intro and the trailer there is no sound or animation, which is too bad since the quirky nature of the film would lend itself perfectly to a flashier site.
The Human Stain
Current Content: Typical Miramax site.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: Flash site launched and it definitely the most fun site this week. Most of the content is there to entertain, not inform you about the movie. In fact, they don't even have a synopsis yet. They do have the trailer, along with two cartoons, plenty of images, sound clips, descriptions of all the major characters, acme gadget, spy car, etc. There are also seven small games to play. Information on the soundtrack is marked coming soon; and when that section is added hopefully so will some background music. There is also a decided lack of subtly with product placements that is a problem. Even so, this site wins this week's whimsical Weekly Website Awards.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: Just in time for Halloween, monster wallpaper and e-cards were added.
Love Actually
Current Content: The first of two TV Spots was added this week.
Love Don't Cost a Thing
Current Content: A new placeholder site was launched with less content as the last placeholder site. But the flash site is marked coming soon.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: The cast and crew bios were added.
Paycheck
Current Content: Placeholder site with just the synopsis, trailer and image gallery.
The Perfect Score
Current Content: Just a redirect to Paramount's movie page.
Shattered Glass
Current Content: The movie opens in limited release this weekend and the new website was also launched. The site has the usual features including synopsis, trailer, cast bios and crew list (no bios.) There's also a learning guide (in Adobe Acrobat format) and a message board. There's also background music for the opening, but as soon as you enter the main site it stops.
Spider-Man 2
Current Content: A new poster was added to the site this week.
Troy
Current Content: Another redirect.
Submitted by:
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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.
Submitted by:
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2003-10-02
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. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
Beyond Borders
Current Content: The flash site launched this week with only half the content in place. The synopsis is there as is the trailer (both Quicktime and Flash), however, the production notes, bios for cast and crew are marked coming soon. There are animated segues, audio clips and background music, so all the extras are there.
Concert for George
Current Content: This is a very simple and subdued site, which is for the best as anything flashy would have been tacky given the subject. The site has the trailer, a description of the concert itself, some images and wallpapers and a store to buy some mementos.
The Event
Current Content: Unfortunately, there isn't a separate site for this film, you just have to go to Think Film's site and look for it there. Watch as the movies scroll by and eventually the link got The Event will pass by. Once you get there you'll find a rather simple site with the synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios and production notes (in .pdf format.) There are animated segues, but no sound.
Good Boy
Current Content: The last section, (The Scoop: cast and crew bios and production notes) was added this week.
Gothika
Current Content: A new placeholder site was launched this week, expect the full site to be up for the next update.
Jinx
Current Content: None, just a redirect to the MGM movie site.
Kill Bill
Current Content: Three new sections were added to the site, Cast and Crew, Locations and Press Notes. All that's left marked coming soon are the last three character intros.
The Last Samurai
Current Content: Slight change to the format with a couple of sections added. There are two choices under desktops and an image gallery marked coming soon.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Current Content: After months of just the teaser site, the flash site finally opened. But I was expecting more … animation. In fact, I was expecting a little more everything. They do have the teaser trailer and some other information, but no synopsis or cast and crew bios. There are sound effects, but no audio clips and no background music. And with only one section marked coming soon, I don't expect major changes.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Current Content: The trailer was added to the site, as were a photo gallery for The Two Towers Extended DVD and a new poster / e-card and a Q&A session with Miranda Otto. Of course most people only read to, 'The trailer was added …' before clicking on the link. Overall this is a beautiful site and well worth checking out on a daily basis in order to heighten your excitement for December 16th marathon showing of all three films! I can't wait.
Madagascar
Current Content: Placeholder site with no content outside the name and a vague release date.
The Matrix Revolutions
Current Content: Theatrical trailer and some TV spots were added. From now until its release this site will most likely have weekly updates.
Out of Time
Current Content: Not much has changed since the flash site first launched, just the rest of the downloads were added. It is a very well done site and is worth checking out.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Current Content: The placeholder site is now up. Typical of Sony placeholder sites, it has the synopsis, image gallery and the teaser trailer. The trailer is shown in a mock pop-up ad for Regenerate, which was a fun touch.
Returner
Current Content: There's little multimedia on this site. Outside the intro and the trailer the only sounds are a few beeps for sound effects. There are animated intros, but they are relatively short and simple. The rest of the content is well done if unspectacular.
School of Rock
Current Content: The rest of the site was added this week, and if you pardon the pun, it rocks. This site has everything a site should have. Regular features like synopsis, trailer, cast and crew bios. It also have all the extras like sound effects, audio clips, animated segues, etc. There are even interactive features like the Rock Aptitude Test, Stage Diving and the ability to doodle on the cast and crew bios and such. And not surprisingly for movie centered on Rock'n'Roll there's a lot of music on the site. There is a music video, two complete songs, clips from the other songs on the soundtrack and music accompanies most features. I have two complaints with this site and they are both about the music. First, there's no background music and you can't have either of the two full songs play while you are surfing the rest of the site. Secondly, Prince is not Funk. (No I won't let that go.) Still, despite this blatant miscategorization this is clearly the winner of the incontrovertible Weekly Website Award.
Shattered Glass
Current Content: The trailer and a small picture of the poster have been added to the site.
The Station Agent
Current Content: This looks like a truly unique movie, too bad the site is just another Miramax site.
Tupac: Ressurection
Current Content: The placeholder site replaced the redirect. The only content so far is the trailer.
Wonderland
Current Content: I'm still getting the script error when I try to launch this site, so I can't review it.
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