‘Air’ hero Sonny Vaccaro coaxed Nike into believing in Michael Jordan

NEW YORK, United States - The hero of the new movie "Air," released this week in the United States, is Sonny Vaccaro, a Nike employee who saw in a young Michael Jordan what "no one else had seen" and convinced the shoe brand to forge a revolutionary partnership.

During a 1984 meeting at Nike headquarters, Vaccaro proposed devoting all the money that Nike had earmarked to recruit future NBA players to one man -- rising sports star Jordan.

"Air," directed by Ben Affleck, traces the chaotic journey that brought about the singing of the barely-out-of-college player, even though Jordan had eyes on Nike's competitors, Converse and Adidas.

Nearly 40 years later, the Nike partnership with Jordan has grown into an empire, with $5.1 billion in sales last year from the Beaverton, Oregon-based company's Jordan Brand alone.

"I saw (in Jordan) something that maybe nobody else saw... and I bet my job that he would be the person," says Vaccaro, now 83, whose position at Nike was, at the time, under threat.

"Michael had something different. He had a killer instinct," Vaccaro says. "He was always competitive. And I don't know of another player that ever came along (like that)."

"The only one that I could put close to Michael and what he did... was Kobe Bryant," says Vaccaro, a multifaceted entrepreneur, businessman and talent scout. "Kobe had the same instincts... the same 'I don't give a damn about anything, I'm going to be the best.'"

In 1996, Vaccaro, who is played by actor Matt Damon in "Air," signed Kobe Bryant to Adidas, his employer at the time. He also came close to recruiting LeBron James to the brand in 2003.

'Paved the way'

Michael Jordan's arrival at Nike transformed the sports industry, revolutionizing both marketing and mass consumption, with billions of dollars at stake.

"That has really paved the way for corporations... to bet big on individual athletes and trend away from the team," says Thilo Kunkel, director of Temple University's Sport Industry Research Center.

Before Jordan, tennis players Stan Smith and Ivan Lendl, as well as basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, had already had their own Adidas models, as had NBA star Walt "Clyde" Frazier at Puma.

"Jordan probably got lucky and benefited from the trends that were happening already but I think he also contributed quite a bit to that trend," Kunkel says. "He accelerated it."

Until then, promotional campaigns were limited to full-page magazine ads and a few radio shows, recalls Vaccaro, who sees the marketing push promoting Jordan as groundbreaking.

"We did national television ads, and Nike made the best ads in the world. They invented it and it all worked out perfect," he says.

The imagery of Air Jordan, the brand created around the player, celebrated a charismatic athlete who was both cool yet fiercely competitive.

The ads were permeated with urban culture, the precursor of the "athleisure" phenomenon, which turned the sports shoe into a fashion accessory to be worn at all times and in all circumstances.

Although he was the linchpin of what remains, without doubt, the largest partnership in the sports industry, generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue, Vaccaro did not benefit financially.

"That's true," he concedes, "but I did okay, we made a good living, whatever. I'm happy with my life."

 Agence France Presse

9 films advance in Oscars shortlist for best foreign film

LOS ANGELES — The list of contenders for best foreign film got a bit smaller Friday as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the nine features that will advance to the next round of voting.

Included are Ruben Ostlund’s patriarchy-skewering avalanche film “Force Majeure” from Sweden, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan,” about a property dispute in a small Russian costal town, and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Polish drama “Ida,” about a young woman with dreams of being a nun who discovers some dark secrets in her family’s past. All recently received Golden Globe nominations, too.

Damian Szifron’s black ensemble comedy “Wild Tales,” from Argentina, also made the shortlist, as did Estonia’s “Tangerines,” the Golden Globe-nominated film about a man caring for a wounded soldier.

Other films on the shortlist include Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Timbuktu,” the first Mauritanian film ever submitted, Georgia’s “Corn Island,” the Netherlands’ “Accused,” and Venezuela’s “The Liberator.”

Missing from the list were a few high profile films, such as the drama “Two Days, One Night,” from the Dardennes brothers. Star Marion Cotillard has been singled out for her performance as a young mother in a desperate situation in a number of recent critics’ awards. Eighty three countries submitted films for consideration. Xavier Dolan’s critically beloved coming-of-age drama “Mommy” also failed to make the cut.

Of the 83 countries who submitted entries, six were chosen by a committee of several hundred Academy members based in Los Angeles who were tasked with screening the original submissions. Three additional features were then added by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee.

The five final nominees will be selected from this group of films and announced, along with the other Academy Award nominees, live on Jan. 15. Winners will be presented at the 87th Academy Awards on Feb. 22.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

US porn actors must wear condoms—court

LOS ANGELES – Hollywood porn film actors must wear condoms on set, a federal appeal court said Monday, throwing out their claims that it breaches US First Amendment rights.

The ruling upholding a Los Angeles County law, which was approved by a referendum in November 2012 as so-called Measure B, requires adult film producers to obtain a public health permit, follow all health and safety laws including condom use, and pay a permit fee.

Porn film companies claimed their industry already regulates itself sufficiently to protect actors against AIDS/HIV and other diseases. It also violates the First Amendment right to free expression, they said.

But that argument was rejected by a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld a decision taken in August last year.

Measure B “was narrowly tailored to achieve the substantial governmental interest of reducing the rate of sexually transmitted infections, and left open adequate alternative means of expression,” they said.

Porn film makers in California were forced to suspend production temporarily in 2011 after an actor tested positive for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, in the latest such disruption to the multi-billion-dollar industry.

The industry is primarily based in the San Fernando Valley north of LA.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Nominees for British Academy Film Awards

LONDON  — Nominations in the main categories for the British Academy Film Awards, announced Wednesday:

Best Film: “12 Years a Slave”; “American Hustle”; “Captain Phillips”; “Gravity”; “Philomena”

Outstanding British Film: “Gravity”; “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”; “Philomena”; “Rush”; “Saving Mr. Banks”: “The Selfish Giant”

Director: Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”; David O. Russell, “American Hustle”; Paul Greengrass, “Captain Phillips”; Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”; Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Original Screenplay: “American Hustle”; “Blue Jasmine”; “Gravity”; “Inside Llewyn Davis”; “Nebraska”

Adapted Screenplay: “12 Years a Slave”; “Behind the Candelabra”; “Captain Phillips”; “Philomena”; “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Leading Actor: Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”; Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”; Christian Bale, “American Hustle”: Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”; Tom Hanks, “Captain Phillips”

Leading Actress: Amy Adams, “American Hustle”; Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”; Emma Thompson, “Saving Mr. Banks”; Judi Dench, “Philomena”; Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”

Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”; Bradley Cooper, “American Hustle”; Daniel Bruhl, “Rush”; Matt Damon, “Behind the Candelabra”; Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”; Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”; Lupiuta Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”; Oprah Winfrey, “The Butler”; Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine”

Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt, “12 Years a Slave’: Barry Ackroyd, “Captain Phillips”; Emmanuel Lubezki, “Gravity”; Bruno Delbonnel, “Inside Llewyn Davis”; Phedon Papamichael, “Nebraska”

Film Not in the English Language: “The Act of Killing”; Blue is the Warmest Color”; “The Great Beauty”; “Metro Manila”; “Wadjda”

Documentary: “The Act of Killing”; “The Armstrong Lie”; “Blackfish”: “Tim’s Vermeer”; We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”

Animated Film: “Despicable Me 2″; “Frozen”; “Monsters University”

Rising Star: Dane DeHaan; George MacKay; Lupita Nyong’o; Will Poulter; Lea Seydoux

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

“The book thief” trailer

Based on the beloved bestselling novel, THE BOOK THIEF tells the inspiring story of a spirited and courageous young girl named Liesel, who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany.

For Liesel, the power of words and of imagination becomes a means of escape – and even joy – from the tumultuous events enveloping her and everyone she knows and loves. She is THE BOOK THIEF’s heart and soul.

Directed by Brian Percival, “The Book Thief” stars Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and newcomer Sophie Nélisse in the title role.

“The Book Thief” will open soon in 2014 nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Check out 20th Century Fox’s YouTube where trailer has just been launched – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxXMQojyl_8&feature=c4-overview&list=UU-JrjBL_iZAn5wjEsw9nRYA and 20th Century Fox (Philippines) Facebook page.

source: movies.inquirer.net

“Delivery Man” Brings Out Its New Poster

DreamWorks Pictures has just delivered the new poster art for its new comedy “Delivery Man” (pictured below) starring Vince Vaughn.

In the film, Vaughn stars as affable underachiever David Wozniak, whose anonymous donations to a fertility clinic 20 years earlier resulted in 533 children. David must now embark on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but also the father that he could become.

A DreamWorks Pictures and Reliance Entertainment presentation, the film is written for the screen and directed by Ken Scott, based on “Starbuck,” the original screenplay written by Ken Scott and Martin Petit, and also stars Chris Pratt and Cobie Smulders. “Delivery Man” is produced by André Rouleau and executive produced by Ray Angelic, Scott Mednick and Mark Sourian.

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Delivery Man” is a DreamWorks Picture distributed by Walt Disney Studios International.

source: movies.inquirer.net

Johnny Depp salutes horror icon Christopher Lee at London festival

LONDON — Johnny Depp has made a surprise appearance at the London Film Festival to give a career honor to horror icon Christopher Lee.

Depp called Lee “a national treasure” and “a genuine artist” as he presented the 91-year-old actor with a British Film Institute Fellowship.

Lee’s 250 movie roles include Dracula in a series of Hammer Films thrillers, Bond villain Scaramanga in “The Man With The Golden Gun,” the founder of Pakistan in “Jinnah” and Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings.”



During a ceremony Saturday, the London festival gave its best-picture prize to U.K.-based Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski for “Ida.”

The 12-day festival ends Sunday with a gala screening of “Saving Mr. Banks,” starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as “Mary Poppins” author P.L. Travers.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

‘Gravity’ soars to top of N. America box office

LOS ANGELES – Space disaster odyssey “Gravity” soared to the top of the North American box office in its debut weekend with $55.6 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The film, directed by Oscar-nominated Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney – both Oscar winners— as astronauts adrift in space after a devastating accident, has already been winning rave reviews and Oscars buzz.

It blew away the second place finisher, animated sequel “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2,” which took in $21.5 million in its second week in theaters, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Another new release opened in the third slot: crime drama “Runner Runner,” starring Justin Timberlake as a Princeton grad student who travels to Costa Rica to confront a tycoon, played by Ben Affleck, he believes has taken him for a ride on an online poker site.

The film earned an estimated $7.6 million.

Crime thriller “Prisoners” fell to fourth place. The film, starring Hugh Jackman as a desperate parent in search of his child and Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective in charge of the investigation, pulled in $5.7 million.

In fifth place was Formula One motorsport drama “Rush,” Ron Howard’s acclaimed account of the famous duel for the 1976 world championship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, earning $4.4 million.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s raunchy comedy-drama “Don Jon,” written and directed by “The Dark Knight Rises” actor, took sixth with $4.2 million in receipts.

The film sees Gordon-Levitt play a porn addict who seeks to change his ways in order to win the woman of his dreams played by Scarlett Johansson.

Not far behind, in seventh place, was “Baggage Claim,” a romantic comedy about a lovelorn flight attendant who traverses America looking for Mr Right. The film took in $4.1 million.

Horror sequel “Insidious: Chapter 2″ slid to eighth place with $3.9 million. The film, starring Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson as a haunted husband and wife, is a follow-up to the successful 2010 horror flick “Insidious.”

In ninth spot was romantic comedy “Pulling Strings,” which stars Laura Ramsay as a US consular official in Mexico who finds herself mixed up with a mariachi singer, played by Jaime Camil, whose visa she rejected the day before.

The film directed by Pedro Pablo Ibarra debuted in the US and Canada with $2.5 million in ticket sales.

And, rounding out the top 10, another romantic comedy, “Enough Said,” starring James Gandolfini in one of his last roles before his death this year, earned an estimated $2.2 million.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Thor battles to save the nine realms in “The Dark World”

From Marvel Studios comes the highly anticipated “Thor: The Dark World,” continuing the big screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that pre-dates the universe itself.

In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

Based on the ever-popular comic book series, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor with Academy Award® winner Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, award-winning Stellan Skarsgård as Selvig, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Christopher Eccleston as Malekith, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim, Kat Dennings as Darcy, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Zachary Levi as Fandral, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Jaimie Alexander as Sif with Rene Russo as Frigga and Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins as Odin.

Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor from a story by Don Payne and Robert Rodat and a screenplay by Christopher L. Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and is produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a.

In 1962, the now-legendary duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced “The Mighty Thor” to readers of Marvel Comics, unleashing a new era of action-adventure with their take on the hammer-wielding Norse god. Despite the Nordic-sounding names, the story was rooted in familiar, universal conflicts that have driven human drama since the beginning of time: a son impatient to prove his worth to his father; a lethally resentful brother; and a woman who helps a man see the world anew.

After the global cinematic success of Marvel’s “Thor,” the filmmakers reached once more into a rich archive of Norse mythology and comic book history for Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World.” The movie paints an adventure of the most epic and spectacular proportions. Again drawing on universal and familiar themes, the film pits duty and family allegiance against personal aspiration and love. It sees a nation in conflict with an enemy long thought to be dead, but who now threatens the very existence of the universe.



At the end of “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor’s adopted brother Loki is taken back to Asgard by Thor as a prisoner, after trying to take over the world. From this starting point, producer Kevin Feige, executive producer Craig Kyle, the screenwriters and a large team at Marvel sat down to look at where Thor’s story should go next. Screenwriter Christopher L. Yost explains, “We really wanted to look at how you could escalate the story personally for him and push things to the next level in terms of conflict.”



Director Alan Taylor, describing Thor’s journey, says, “In the first film, we saw Thor go from being an impetuous prince to taking his first steps towards maturing and growing up, and in our film that life story continues. He’s moving closer to actually claiming the kind of power that comes with Odin. He’s becoming not just a man, but potentially a king as well. In this story, as Thor matures and deepens, he has to give some things up and suffer.”

To create the conflict, the filmmakers give Thor a worthy adversary—the villainous Malekith. Introduced in June 1984 in issue #344 of Thor, Malekith is leader of the dark elves, who inhabit Svartalfheim, one of the Nine Realms. After waging war with the Nine Realms, and being defeated by Asgard, the dark elves were considered to be extinct. But Malekith put his planet and the surviving dark elves into hibernation for many thousands of years, until a calculated time when he was ready to avenge the universe and turn light once more into darkness. Malekith and the dark elves will prove to be formidable enemies with a violent and personal history with Asgard.


In creating “Thor: The Dark World,” Marvel filmmakers worked diligently to respect the film’s origins and the legions of comic book fans it spawned and worked carefully to endear and excite not only those fans but fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well.

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 30 in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Thor: The Dark World” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.

source: movies.inquirer.net

Harry Potter actor evolves with bold new roles

TORONTO — Daniel Radcliffe continued to evolve from his Harry Potter character with bold new roles, and he’s brought three of them to the Toronto International Film Festival.

While they cover some adult themes like murder and homosexuality, Radcliffe says his current roles are not part of some strategy to abandon his past. Rather they’re about doing what actors do best: “Take chances.”

Radcliffe told The Associated Press on Saturday that he goes by his instincts and makes the kind of films that he would want to see.

The 24-year-old actor spoke candidly about his movie roles during an interview for his new film, “Horns,” where he plays a man suspected of brutally killing his girlfriend and one morning awakens with a pair of horns on his head.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Sharlto Copley, a Cold-Blooded Mercenary in “Elysium”

Sharlto Copley (“The A-Team”) – director Neill Blomkamp’s childhood friend and the star of “District 9” – re-teams with the director to take on the pivotal and villainous role of Kruger, in TriStar Pictures’ futuristic action thriller “Elysium.”

“He’s ex-Special Forces, now a gun-for-hire operative, a professional soldier who works on Earth for the elite of Elysium,” explains Blomkamp.

In the film, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined planet. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the crime and poverty that is now rampant throughout the land. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.


“Sharlto will always find a way to make things funny – even subconsciously,” says Blomkamp. “Even in the most extreme, dire situation, there’s a natural, sardonic humor that comes out of him. He never, ever plays it straight. I provide the parameters for the character, and he turns it into a magnetic performance, that, to me, is extremely satisfying to watch.”

Copley was able to draw on his unique experiences to create the character. “Kruger wasn’t written as a South African, but I saw a way to play him that way,” he says. “I drew on two South African stereotypes to try and create a unique character that you’ve never seen before. Firstly, for his accent and sarcastic humor I drew on these guys from ‘The South’ – a tough neighborhood south of Johannesburg. Secondly, for the military aspect, there was a unit in the South African Defense Force during the apartheid years called 3-2 Battalion. It was a notorious but highly respected battalion – they fought in Angola during the ‘Bush Wars,’ trying to stop the spread of Communism in Africa. Kruger’s beard, his PT shorts and his utterly lethal military ability was inspired by them.”


Sharlto Copley is a South African actor, producer and director who has produced and co-directed short films which have appeared at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as commercials and music videos. He made his on screen debut as Wikus van de Merwe in the Oscar®-nominated science fiction film “District 9.” He is best known for his role of H.M. Murdock in the 2010 adaptation of Fox’s “The A-Team” for director Joe Carnahan.

Poised to have a breakout year, Copley also stars in several other upcoming films including Disney’s “Maleficent” (with Angelina Jolie) as the male lead.


 Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 04, “Elysium” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

source: movies.inquirer.net

The Naughties are out to trick Smurfette in “The Smurfs 2”

Bad wizard Gargamel has created the Naughties – Vexy and Hackus — and all he needs is Papa’s secret magic spell to turn his Naughties into ‘real Smurfs’ and have unlimited Smurf essence, in Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation’s magical sequel, “The Smurfs 2.”

When it comes to destroying the Smurfs, you can see Gargamel’s train of thought: if you can’t beat ‘em, make ‘em. After all, he did it before: take clay and just add wizardry. “Smurfette started as a lump of clay that Gargamel dropped into his cauldron and brought to life, so that she could infiltrate Smurf Village. But Papa Smurf saw the good in her, and used a magic spell to turn her into a True Blue Smurf,” says director Raja Gosnell.

In creating the Smurf-like characters called the Naughties, producer Jordan Kerner went the extra mile to make sure that Vexy and Hackus would fit squarely into the Smurfs universe. “Every step of the way on the Smurfs movies, we work very closely with Peyo’s daughter Veronique Culliford and Smurfs historian Tom Cosijn to make sure we are getting it right – in script development, production, all the way through the release of the films. And that went double as we created the Naughties,” he says. “The neutral color gray was their desire, as Peyo didn’t want the Smurfs ever associated with any particular human color. Peyo created this world – as we expanded what he built, we felt a duty to respect and honor what came before.”





Vexy is the sister that Smurfette never had — until now. But unlike Smurfette, she’s not as nice; she’s determined to be Naughty and do Gargamel’s bidding. It’s not easy having a dad like Gargamel – Vexy has grown up to be tough, devious, and very persistent in bringing Smurfette to the naughty side… but when she meets Smurfette, it turns out that Vexy may not be as Naughty as she thinks.

“Vexy is smart and mischievous and has lots of attitude. Attitude to spare,” says Gosnell. “And she really does want to please her father.”

Christina Ricci infuses the voice of Vexy with sarcasm and sauciness. Ricci says that Vexy and Hackus are just looking for the same thing any child needs. “They don’t have a family and love,” she says. “They’re not really bad – they’re just lonely kids. When they kidnap Smurfette, that’s just their way to try to get their ‘father’s’ love. But at the same time, I like that I got to play naughty.”

“In a strange way, voice work gives you so much freedom as an actor,” says Ricci. “As you work on one line, and the quality of your voice, and fine-tuning single syllables, over and over, you can dissect and pick apart and change little things and make it your own. It’s amazing to me how much fun that is.”

Of course, Vexy is just one-half of Gargamel’s dastardly plan. “Vexy is the brains of the operation,” says Kerner. “And her brother, Hackus, is the unbridled enthusiasm and brawn.”


Hackus is a lovable, sweet, hyperactive loose cannon easily influenced by his Naughty sister, Vexy. He’s a bit berserk, sweet to the core, a cyclone of energy, and is a Naughty of few words—very few, in fact.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm’s” JB Smoove is the voice behind the misbehaving Hackus.

Describing his character, he says, “He’s like an experiment gone wrong. Hackus loves to have fun and loves being naughty. Vexy and Hackus play tricks on Azrael, they play tricks on Gargamel, they play tricks on each other. He’s enthusiastic, happy, playful, curious, fun, and overwhelming. He’s Hackus. Hackus Hackus Hackus!”

Opening across the Philippines on August 07 in 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “The Smurfs 2” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

source: movies.inquirer.net

Armie Hammer excited to work with Henry Cavill

LOS ANGELES—If “Man of Steel” and “The Lone Ranger” work together, what do you get? “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, two of the hottest Hollywood male stars today, are teaming up in Guy Ritchie’s movie version of the classic 1960s spy TV series that starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as evil-fighting agents.

Armie plays David’s character, Illya Kuryakin, a Russian spy. Henry landed Robert’s role, Napoleon Solo, after Tom Cruise gave up the part due to a shooting-schedule conflict.

“I would have loved to work with Tom, but at the same time, I’m also excited to do it with Henry, because it adds a different twist to the movie,” Armie said in a recent interview in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

At the time of our interview, Armie said he has not met Henry or David. “I’m excited about meeting both of them,” said the great grandson of the late oil tycoon and art collector, Armand Hammer. “Hopefully, I’ll get to meet David while making the movie. We start shooting in August.”

“I’m also very excited about playing a Russian,” Armie added. “I’m in the middle of my research phase now. I’m studying the political climate during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a fascinating time globally. It’s such a great script (by Scott Z. Burns), and it’s so funny! Guy Ritchie has such a great take on it.”

Title character

In director Gore Verbinski’s very entertaining “The Lone Ranger,” Armie emerges as a full-fledged movie star. In a movie that taps his charisma and humor, the tall, beaming Armie is man of the law John Reid who becomes the masked title character. He’s a good match to Johnny’s Native American warrior, Tonto. It’s tough to share screen time with the always-appealing Johnny, but Armie holds his own against the screen icon.

According to Armie, it was just as tough to match the talents and charm of his other co-star, the dazzling white horse who plays his trusted Silver. “This movie wouldn’t have been possible without Bobby Lovgren, who trained all the horses,” Armie acknowledged. “Bobby has a way with horses that’s unlike anything I’ve seen.”

Armie shared an unusual thing that one of Bobby’s horses does. “Bobby was able to train a horse to walk up to a six-pack of beer, and drink the entire six-pack,” he said. (Later, Armie clarified that the six-pack contained water, not beer.)

Armie was also amazed at how Bobby trained his horses to hit their marks in a scene. “Bobby has a piece of wood with rubber on it. The director (Gore) will go, ‘I need the horse right over there.’ Bobby will just throw this piece of wood. He’ll just go, ‘Silver, get on your mark.’ The horse will go, clomp, clomp, clomp and put two feet right on that piece of wood—and hit it!”

Milestone

Of Johnny’s recent 5-0 birthday milestone and career, Armie enthused, “Yeah, it’s incredible. If you go look at his IMDb page and look at all of his movie titles, each one of them is amazing! But, the most encouraging thing about it is that, through it all, he’s been able to stay normal. He walks in, knows everybody’s name, is super friendly, hits his marks, knows his lines—he’s a pro.”

Given Armie’s string of big breaks lately, he will likely become even busier in front of the cameras. That prospect has not deterred Armie and his wife, Elizabeth, from starting a business venture. “We opened a bakery in San Antonio (Texas) called Bird Bakery,” he revealed. “It’s a made-from-scratch patisserie. We use local ingredients—no preservatives, artificial ingredients, shortening. Just as healthy as you can get while eating baked sugar.”

The food subject led to a question about what was the strangest meat he has ever eaten. “I ate a turtle heart once,” he replied. Later, when we asked Armie if he has tasted “balut,” a delicacy in the Philippines, he said he knew it was an unhatched duck egg, but he probably couldn’t eat one.

Looking into the near future, Armie said he did not think of “The Lone Ranger” as his shot at a franchise while shooting the film and doing various stunts in New Mexico. “I tried not to think about it,” he said. “You look at the involved parties—Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney, Gore, Johnny. Obviously, none of them are strangers to franchises, so part of you wants to be optimistic.

“But, at the same time, it all depends on how the movie is received. If Gore, Johnny and Jerry come back, then yeah, I would definitely consider it. But, at the moment, I’m still too sore from the first one to even think about a franchise!”

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Super powers transform Henry Cavill into “Man Of Steel”

He starred on the popular Showtime series “The Tudors” for four seasons, and most recently, in the No. 1 hit mythological actioner “Immortals.” Now, British actor Henry Cavill puts on the iconic blue suit with an S emblem in Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ epic action adventure “Man of Steel.”

Directed by Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”), the film tells of a young boy who learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

When we first meet Clark Kent (Cavill) in “Man of Steel,” he is a grown man hiding from the world. He is unable to remain unnoticed under the watchful and increasingly suspicious eyes of the people of Smallville—thanks in large part to the manifestations of his superpowers and his inability to keep them completely under wraps, as his Earth father, Jonathan (Kevin Costner), advised him. Therefore, Clark has abandoned all he knows and loves, wandering in a metaphorical desert of odd jobs and emotional isolation in search of his true self.

“Clark feels he has to stay on the fringes of society,” Snyder explains. “That way, if he’s forced to use his abilities—if he saves someone’s life or does anything else out of the ordinary—it is easy for him to disappear.”

However, it is a solitary existence, one devoid of companionship and equally filled with longing. Knowing he is not of this planet, he also worries about what humans would do to him if the degree of his uniqueness were to be revealed. And, if he is ever able to discover his true origins, will he find that he belongs there instead?

The director continues, “He’s wondering, ‘What is my purpose?’ We all ask that of ourselves, but it’s harder for Clark because the things that he’s best at are also the things that are most frightening about him to others; knowledge of his existence would call into question everything we know about who we are. So he’s on his own, trying to find out what his place is in the world, where he belongs, what is his destiny. I think the audience will relate because most of us share those same questions and insecurities when we are starting out in life.”

Cavill, who stars in the multi-faceted role, says, “Clark has always felt like an outsider. He was raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent to never react in an aggressive, violent manner and, most of all, never to reveal the things that he can do. But dealing with the very real growing pains of becoming a young man unlike any other, and being unable to share that with anyone else, has manifested a sense of isolation in him. That isolation is only amplified by the fact that he feels powerless to do anything about it, while actually having all the power in the world.”

“Henry really found a way to play the many contradictions in the character,” Snyder relates. “Clark is physically superior but can’t show it, he has X-ray vision but must learn to regulate it, and even though he’s misunderstood by the human race, he still finds the good in people; he still instinctively wants to help. Henry did an incredible job of conveying the conflict within him, while also projecting that sincerity that is inherent to the role.”

In taking on a part that was both physically and emotionally demanding, Cavill says he found an ally and invaluable guide in Snyder. “Zack was fantastic,” the actor states. “His energy was always up and, as much as the hours on set were long, he kept things interesting and moving, and it permeated throughout the cast and crew. We were making a Superman movie, after all, and Zack’s positive attitude reminded us of that every day.”



According to producer Charles Roven, playing Superman gave Cavill a boost in much the same way it’s given every child who ever donned a makeshift cape and imagined him or herself flying through the skies. “When he put on that suit, Henry’s whole demeanor changed. He really owned the character, on- and off-camera, and put an amazing amount of hard work and thought into every aspect of his performance. It was great fun to watch.”

Cavill began conducting his research into the part at the source: comic books. “I got into the comics and that gave me a great baseline to the character. He’s far more complex than I think most people know. He admittedly has a moral code, but he’s incredibly conflicted. In the story we’re telling, his origin story, he’s learning everything about himself right along with the audience. So, when he’s faced with having to fight for Earth or for Krypton, well…it’s not exactly an easy decision to make.”

“Man of Steel” opens across the Philippines on June 12 in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and regular theaters and is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

source: movies.inquirer.net

“Iron Man 3″ grosses P62.6-M on opening day, breaks all-time record!

MANILA – Tony Stark rewrote the record books, as Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” debuted yesterday to a stunning P62.6-million – the biggest first-day gross ever in Philippine history, foreign or local film.

This was announced today by Victor R. Cabrera, Managing Director of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Philippines, which distributed the movie.



“`Iron Man 3′ flew off the box office chart, soaring past the stratosphere to break the country’s all-industry, all-time Opening Day records,” said Cabrera. “P62-M in one day is previously unheard of. What a boost to the industry!”

The third “Iron Man” installment surpassed the opening day record of “Spider-Man 3” at P58-million which was achieved on a May 1 Labor Day holiday back in 2007.

“Iron Man 3” now also owns the biggest Wednesday gross ever in history, the biggest Marvel/Disney opening day ever, beating “Marvel’s The Avenger’s” record of P56-M last year.

To put this further in perspective, the opening day gross of “Iron Man 3” is double that of “Iron Man 2.”

Marve/Disney projects “Iron Man 3” to continue doing outstanding box-office business towards the weekend.

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, the iconic Super Hero, along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.

Now playing across the Philippines in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and regular theatres, “Iron Man 3” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

source: movies.inquirer.net

Tony Stark Strikes Back in Marvel’s “Iron Man 3″

From Marvel Studios comes “Iron Man 3,” which continues the epic, big-screen adventures of the world’s favorite billionaire-inventor-Super Hero, Tony Stark aka Iron Man.

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968, “Iron Man 3” returns Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, the iconic Super Hero, along with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin.

Shane Black directs Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” and the screenplay is by Drew Pearce & Shane Black.

After the “Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2” box-office successes, the Iron Man character, once again reprised by Robert Downey Jr., was last seen in Marvel Studios critically acclaimed “Marvel’s The Avengers,” which set the all-time, domestic 3-day weekend box office record at $207.4 million. The film went on to gross over $1.6 billion worldwide, becoming Disney’s highest-grossing global and domestic release of all time and marks the studio’s fifth film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.



“The exciting thing about ‘Iron Man 3,’ is that it’s not only the culmination of the first two films, but it’s also a follow up to ‘Marvel’s The Avengers,’” says producer Kevin Feige. “It’s one of the first situations where you have a movie that is the sequel to two different films and in a way that liberates it to be more unique than anything that has come before it, which is what we’re most excited about.”

In the Marvel cinematic universe, all events that happen within each film have a direct influence and consequence in future films and franchises. For Tony Stark the events and encounters he faced in “Marvel’s The Avengers” may be behind him, but he is still working hard to balance the demands of his own personal life.

For the storyline of Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” the filmmakers decided on a “back-to-basics” tone where they could explore what Tony Stark would do if all of his money and toys were stripped away from him and he was forced to find a way back to being a Super Hero.

“Early on in the development, we talked about this notion of taking Tony Stark back to basics because we wanted to see him just use his brain,” explains executive producer Louis D’ Esposito.  “You want to see what he can do when the odds are against him and it makes you wonder, ‘How is he going to get out of this one?’”


Executive producer Stephen Broussard explains the filmmakers’ decision to blend two different storylines together for the film. “There are two classic stories that have appeared in the ‘Iron Man’ comics—one is older and the other is more modern,” explains Broussard.  “The older is the character called The Mandarin, and he is one of the most famous villains in the franchise. The character dates back to the 1960s and we wanted Shane [Black] and Drew [Pearce] to take that idea and contemporize it for present-day audiences.”

Broussard adds, “We also wanted to combine that with another storyline in the comic called Extremis, which came out not too long before the first ‘Iron Man’ film in 2008.  It deals with the biological enhancement of humans and Tony must face super-powered humans in that. So we just thought, wouldn’t that be interesting if we tried to combine these two stories into one for ‘Iron Man 3’?”

An early believer in the Extremis story line, Downey Jr. says, “I remember when we were getting ready to shoot ‘Iron Man,’ I started reading ‘Iron Man’ comics and there was this one called ‘Extremis,’ and I thought it was really interesting and cool.”

“The thing about the Extremis storyline that always interested me in the comic books was that you had a sense that Tony Stark puts on an iron suit and hides inside it in a way,” says director Shane Black. “The character wouldn’t call it that, but that’s kind of the case. With the Extremis people, you always got a sense that they’re burning up from the inside. So one of them could actually say to Tony for instance, ‘you drive a car, I am the car.’”

There is plenty of angst from “Marvel’s The Avengers” to fuel Tony Stark’s arc too. Before “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Tony Stark thought he was the only Super Hero in the world, and in “Iron Man 3” he must deal with the revelation that he is not the only one out there. As Kevin Feige explains, “In ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ he faces a world-changing event that not only includes seeing the powers of other Super Heroes, but also having a portal to another world opened above his head.”

For Robert Downey Jr. the journey of Tony Stark in the “Iron Man” franchise is one that is very relatable to audiences. “The great thing about ‘Iron Man 3’ is that we really are going back to kind of an extension and continuation of some of the things that made the franchise fly to begin with,” says Downey. “With the execution and incredible success of ‘Marvel’s The Avengers,’ we’re afforded the opportunity to not have to set up another film and can really explore the character of Tony Stark in ways that are very organic and connectable and play to the strength of the franchise.”

(Opening across the Philippines on April 24 in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and regular theatres, “Iron Man 3” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures and DMG Entertainment. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige is producing and Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Charles Newirth, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Alan Fine, Stan Lee and Dan Mintz are executive producers. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.)

source: movies.inquirer.net

And the Oscar goes to . . .

While the Razzies are still mulling over who among Katherine Heigl, Milla Jovovich, Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Tyler Perry, Nicolas Cage, Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler and Robert Pattinson “deserve” to take home Golden Raspberry trophies for Worst Performances last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is getting ready to hand over Hollywood’s most coveted golden statuettes for the industry’s over-achievers at the glitzy Oscar Awards on Feb. 24 (morning of Feb. 25 in the Philippines).

After watching all the nominees for this year’s derby (thanks for “Amour” and “The Master,” Tcel), we polled 40 of Tinseltown’s award-giving bodies to see who’s ahead in the race. Unfortunately, one of the most crucial matches will not even be seen at the Oscars on Monday!

So far, the Best Director race has been a two-way duel between Ben Affleck (“Argo,”  our pick) and Kathryn Bigelow (“Zero Dark Thirty”), with eight wins each. Ironically, neither of them made it to the Academy’s five-nominees list! Their films have won 13 awards to date, while Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” could only muster three nods.

Tom Hooper, who helmed the screen version of the celebrated stage musical, “Les Miserables,” was also snubbed. If any of Affleck, Bigelow and Hooper’s movies would snag the top prize, it’ll go down in history as the Best Picture winner that directed itself!

Spielberg has one win, while Ang Lee (“Life of Pi”) and David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook”) have two each. Behn Zeitlin (“The Beasts of Southern Wild”) and Michael Haneke (“Amour”) complete the nominees’ circle.

Closest competitor

For Best Actor, Daniel Day-Lewis is unbeatable as the 16th president of the United States. For his crackerjack portrayal, the actor has won almost every accolade there is, amassing 30 awards so far!

His closest competitors are “The Master’s” Joaquin Phoenix (four wins) and “Silver Linings Playbook’s” Bradley Cooper (three). Denzel Washington (“Flight”) and Hugh Jackman (“Les Miserables”) have one award each.

Anne Hathaway is also set to grab her first Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress) for her stirring turn as the tragic Fantine in “Les Miserables.” With “only” five wins, it’ll be hard for Sally Field (as Lincoln’s disturbed wife, Mary Todd, in Spielberg’s historical drama) to keep up with the younger actress’ 21-trophy haul.

The category’s other nominees are Jacki Weaver (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Amy Adams (“The Master”) and Helen Hunt (“The Sessions”).

The race for Best Supporting Actor is a three-way fight between Phillip Seymour Hoffman of “The Master” (11 wins), Tommy Lee Jones of “Lincoln” (10), and “Django Unchained’s” Christoph Waltz (seven), who should have been nominated in the Best Actor category.

We’d be happy if either Hoffman, who’s as charming as he is menacing as an L. Ron Hubbard-type cult leader, or the riveting Waltz, as a bounty-hunting dentist, goes home with the coveted prize. Completing the list are Alan Arkin (“Argo”) and Robert De Niro (“Silver Linings Playbook”), in his first Academy nomination in 21 years!

The Best Actress derby is even more exciting: Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”) has won 17 awards to date, but among Jennifer Lawrence’s 14 accolades are crucial wins from the Screen Actors Guild, the LA Film Critics and the Golden Globes!

Naomi Watts is just as moving in “The Impossible,” Juan Antonio Bayona’s true-to-life drama about the 2004 Asian tsunami— but, Chastain deserves a hearty pat on the back, and the Oscar, for her pitch-perfect portrayal as a relentless CIA agent who tracks down Osama Bin Laden. Her formidable body of work also deserves a trophy!

If the Academy wants some novelty, it just might let its youngest (9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis of “The Beasts of Southern Wild”) or oldest nominee (85-year-old Emmanuelle Riva of “Amour”) pull a surprise!

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Report: 'Godzilla' Reboot to Hold Hall H Panel at Comic-Con 2012

Rumor has it, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures are set to deliver a very big surprise at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. It was Latino Review which first broke the report that the studios would be hosting a Hall H panel for their long-awaited reboot film "Godzilla".



The site stated that "Godzilla" would be brought to Comic-Con to join Legendary's "Pacific Rim" directed by Guillermo del Toro. According to the site, the anticipated presentation is going to be "sick" because it will "stomp both the audio and video system within Hall H two weeks from this Saturday (June 30)."

Both Warners and Legendary have yet to issue an official confirmation regarding the report. The "Godzilla" reboot has Gareth Edwards serving as the director, while Max Borenstein is currently re-writing the screenplay from David S. Goyer.

While it is still uncertain whether or not the "Godzilla" panel rumor is true, Comic-Con has announced its official movie panel schedule for Day 1. "The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Part II" will be the opening panel at Hall H, while "Frankenweenie", "Oz: The Great and Powerful", "Wreck-It Ralph" and "The Expendables 2" follow later on the day.

source: aceshowbiz.com

Ashton Kutcher to portray Steve Jobs in movie-report

LOS ANGELES- Ashton Kutcher will play Steve Jobs in a movie about the late Apple co-founder from his early days as a "wayward hippie" up through to his technology ventures, according to show business publication Variety.

The independent film "Jobs" is based on a script by Matt Whiteley and will be directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote").

A separate movie project about Jobs, based on the 2011 biography by Walter Isaacson, is being developed at Sony Pictures Studios.

Ashton Kutcher will play Steve Jobs in a movie about the late Apple co-founder from his early days as a "wayward hippie" up through to his technology ventures, according to show business publication Variety.

The independent film "Jobs" is based on a script by Matt Whiteley and will be directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote").

A separate movie project about Jobs, based on the 2011 biography by Walter Isaacson, is being developed at Sony Pictures Studios. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

'Hunger Games' gorges on $214 million global debut

LOS ANGELES - Post-apocalyptic action movie "The Hunger Games" opened with a staggering $155 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices, the highest domestic opening for a movie that isn't a sequel, and established what may become one of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster franchises.

Internationally, the Lions Gate Entertainment drama about an oppressive society's teen death match added $59.3 million from 67 markets for a global haul of $214.3 million.

The massive U.S. and Canadian debut for the film ranked as the third-highest domestic opening weekend in history behind only last summer's "Harry Potter" finale and 2008 Batman movie "The Dark Knight," Lions Gate said on Sunday.

The movie's success brings the first blockbuster franchise to Lions Gate, a smaller Hollywood studio best-known previously for the "Saw" horror series and comedian Tyler Perry's films.

"Hunger Games" set records for highest opening of a non-sequel film and biggest debut outside the summer blockbuster season.

"The first movie in a franchise, to post a number like this, is really insane. There is no other word for it," said Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com.

"'Harry Potter' had seven movies before it got to that point, and 'Dark Knight' had years and years of building the Batman brand. This movie comes and hangs with them in the same league," Contrino said.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" opened with $169.2 million domestically over its opening weekend, while "Dark Knight" took in $158.4 million, according to Hollywood.com.

"Hunger Games" is an action-filled survival drama based on the first of three best-selling young adult novels by Suzanne Collins. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen, a teen girl who fights in a televised battle-to-the-death ordered by her society's rulers. Everdeen becomes a beacon of hope for freedom against the totalitarian government.

Lions Gate executives got a sense of the huge appetite for "Hunger Games" when they ventured with director Gary Ross and producer Nina Jacobson to the ArcLight Cinema in Hollywood late Thursday ahead of the first screenings just after midnight.

Fans packed the lobby for showings on multiple screens, with many of the book's devotees dressed as characters. Similar scenes occurred across the country. By Saturday evening, executives went to bed thinking the film would finish the weekend with about $140 million domestically. But sales held up stronger than expected from Friday night to Saturday night, dropping just 25 percent instead of the typical 40 percent or more.

"To launch a franchise like this is incredible. It's above and beyond our expectations," David Spitz, executive vice president of domestic distribution for Lions Gate, said on Sunday. "We're just going to enjoy the ride."

Going into the weekend, industry forecasters projected about $125 million in domestic receipts from Friday through Sunday. Box-office watchers compared the movie's drawing power to the "Twilight" vampire romance films, another franchise based on popular young adult books.

The "Hunger Games" blew past the domestic debuts for each of the first four "Twilight" films, which Lions Gate now owns after buying Summit Entertainment in January.

"Hunger Games" rung up an average of $37,467 at 4,137 domestic locations over the weekend.

Audiences applauded the film adaptation of the book, giving the movie an "A" grade on average in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.

"Hunger Games" appealed to more adults and more males than "Twilight," which banked a large chunk of its receipts from teenage girls, Contrino said. Fifty-six percent of the "Hunger Games" audience was over age 25, and 39 percent was male.

The movie cost about $80 million to produce after tax credits. The studio pre-sold distribution rights in foreign markets other than Britain to cut its cost to about $30 million. That reduced the risk but also limited the money Lions Gate will get from overseas sales.

Social media marketing drive

To reach the film's core audience of younger viewers, the movie's $45 million marketing budget made aggressive use of the Internet, including a game on Facebook, YouTube videos and a blog on the site Tumblr dedicated to the film's fashion.

Anticipation built among fans and on Wall Street, where Lions Gate shares jumped nearly 33 percent in the six weeks leading up to the film's Friday opening. Shares rose from $10.95 on Feb. 8 to $14.53 on March 23.

The company's stock likely will see another boost on Monday following the "Hunger Games" performance, Piper Jaffray analyst James Marsh said. "Clearly it's much better than people thought" and bodes well for future films in the series, said Marsh, who has a $20 12-month price target on Lions Gate shares.

"Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" is set to reach theaters in November 2013.

Toy companies also are trying to score big off the movie. Teen retailer Hot Topic Inc said last week it had sold out some "Hunger Games" merchandise. Hasbro Inc and Mattel Inc also have licenses to market toys based on "Hunger Games."

To win the rights to make the film, Lions Gate beat out bigger and better funded rivals with personal appeals to Collins beginning in 2009.

At the same time, Lions Gate was simultaneously fending off investor Carl Icahn, who took a 33 percent stake in Lions Gate and launched an unsuccessful proxy fight to elect five board members to the studio's board of directors.

Icahn bailed out on Lions Gate in August 2011, selling his 44 million shares for $7 apiece and losing out on a $331 million profit based on Lions Gate's closing stock price on Friday.

Elsewhere this weekend, "Hunger Games" had little competition at the domestic box office. No other new movies were released nationwide.

Comedy "21 Jump Street" took second place for the weekend with $21.3 million, and animated "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" finished third with $13.1 million.

Rounding out the top five, Disney sci-fi adventure "John Carter" pulled in $5.0 million, and military drama "Act of Valor" grossed $2.1 million.

The movie division of Sony Corp released "21 Jump Street." Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures distributed "The Lorax." "John Carter" was released by Walt Disney Co. Privately held Relativity Media distributed "Act of Valor" in the United States, and Alliance Films released the movie in Canada. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com