News for 11/10/2003


Tyrese Makes a Verdict at MGM

Source: Variety


2 Fast 2 Furious star Tyrese will topline DA Verdict at MGM. Husband-and-wife team Cathy Konrad and James Mangold (Girl, Interrupted, dentity) will produce the film, based on a treatment scripted by Tyrese.

The dramatic thriller concerns a rising star (Tyrese) in an urban district attorney's office who is torn between his job and those he must prosecute from his neighborhood.

Tyrese can next be seen in The Flight of the Phoenix, 20th Century Fox's remake of the 1966 film, and Extortion, which is being produced by "2 Fast" producer Neal Moritz at Universal.

Upcoming for Konrad are two films that Mangold will direct for Columbia Pictures: Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and a remake of the 1957 pic 3:10 to Yuma.



Will Smith Gives the Last First Kiss

Source: Variety


Will Smith will make the Columbia Pictures' romantic comedy Last First Kiss his next film, and Sweet Home Alabama director Andy Tennant has been offered the job of director. An offer is out to Eva Mendes to play the female lead.

Smith will play a date doctor who claims his service can match lifemates in just three dates. A beautiful female journalist enlists in the program, intent on exposing the doc as a scam artist. Mendes is being courted to play the journalist.

Journalist Kevin Bisch wrote the script, which has since been rewritten by Jessica Bendinger. Shooting will begin in March.



Weekend Boxoffice


'Matrix Revolutions' Wins at Box Office

By DAVID GERMAIN
The Associated Press


LOS ANGELES - The sci-fi Matrix saga lost some of its spin at the U.S. box office, with "The Matrix Revolutions" pulling in $50.16 million in its opening weekend - off 45 percent from the previous chapter's weekend debut.

"Revolutions," pummeled by critics as harshly as "The Matrix Reloaded" was last May, has grossed $85.5 million domestically since debuting Wednesday, according to studio estimates Sunday. While the numbers are high, they are still down from "Reloaded," which had a $91.8 million weekend debut and took in $134.2 million over its first four days.

Distributor Warner Bros. preferred to focus on the worldwide results for "Revolutions." Warner opened the movie simultaneously in a record 109 countries, where it racked up a worldwide total of $204.1 million in five days, beating the previous global high of about $200 million for "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."

Will Ferrell's Christmas comedy "Elf," about a human raised among the little people at the North Pole, opened strongly in second place with $32.1 million domestically. In narrower release, the romantic comedy "Love Actually" had a healthy debut with $6.6 million, coming in at No. 6.

Despite the domestic debut for the final "Matrix" chapter, the "Matrix" franchise this year already is pushing the $1 billion mark.

"Anytime you have a billion dollars in box office, that's pretty impressive," Joel Silver, producer of "The Matrix" franchise, said Sunday. "I don't know how you point a finger and say there's anything wrong there."

Still, interest clearly has waned in the franchise, which began in 1999 with the Wachowski brothers' "The Matrix," starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss. The movie's sleek black fashion sense and slow-motion visual effects have become one of the most copied looks in movie history.

Many fans of the original were disappointed by "Matrix Reloaded," finding it a lackluster followup that emphasized style over substance.

"Reloaded's" opening weekend - the second-best ever after "Spider-Man's" $114.8 million - was greatly due to pent-up demand since the original movie. "Revolutions" lacked that buildup.

"I don't know what film could do $90 million and then repeat that with its next sequel just six months later," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Playing in 3,502 theaters domestically, "Matrix Revolutions" averaged $14,322 a cinema from Friday to Sunday, down from a $25,472 average for "Matrix Reloaded." "Love Actually," with an ensemble cast including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, averaged $11,458 in 576 cinemas, while "Elf" averaged $9,619 in 3,337 theaters.

Dan Fellman, head of domestic distribution for Warner, said "Matrix Revolutions" may hold up better in subsequent weeks than did "Matrix Reloaded," whose grosses nose-dived in its second weekend. Films tend to have longer shelf life over the holidays than they do in summer-blockbuster season, he said.

"The story really isn't over yet," Fellman said. "We might not have had the same impact in the opening weekend, but you need to play this out for the next few weeks and see if we play a little catchup."

"Elf" and "Love Actually" were scheduled against "Matrix Revolutions" as alternatives to the sci-fi franchise, whose core audience is younger males. Families and children accounted for most of the crowds at "Elf," while "Love Actually" played mainly to women and older adults.

"We assumed we would be swamped, and essentially, we did get swamped" by "Matrix Revolutions," said Russell Schwartz, head of domestic marketing for "Elf" distributor New Line. "We were not trying to be No. 1."

1. "The Matrix Revolutions," $50.16 million.
2. "Elf," $32.1 million.
3. "Brother Bear," $18.6 million.
4. "Scary Movie 3," $11.1 million.
5. "Radio," $7.4 million.
6. "Love Actually," $6.6 million.
7. "Mystic River," $4.83 million.
8 (tie). "Runaway Jury," $4.8 million.
8 (tie). "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," $4.8 million.
10. "The School of Rock," $3.15 million.



News for 11/5/2003


Samuel L. Jackson Returns for More XXX

Source: Variety


Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role of NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons in the XXX sequel, joining Ice Cube to star in the Revolution Studios sequel. Lee Tamahori is directing the film next summer for a 2005 release by Sony.

Cube replaced Vin Diesel in the lead role and Revolution is now looking to instill continuity through an encore performance from Jackson. Agent Gibbons returns as the handler of the incorrigible agent drafted to tackle unsavory thugs around the world.

Jackson has also reprised his role of Jedi knight Mace Windu in George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III.



Weekend Boxoffice


'Scary Movie 3' Continues Fiendish Pace

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES - Audiences were in a laughing mood for Halloween as the horror spoof "Scary Movie 3" took in $21.1 million to remain the top film for a second straight weekend.

In its wide-release debut, Disney's animated tale "Brother Bear" opened in second place with $18.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The haul for "Brother Bear" was only for Saturday and Sunday. After the movie premiered in two theaters the previous weekend, Disney chose to expand it into wide release on Saturday rather than the usual Friday, which was Halloween, typically a slow night at theaters.

"Halloween has grown and become such a family experience that we chose not to compete with that on Friday," said Disney head of distribution Chuck Viane.

Studios overall reported a big slump in ticket sales Friday because of Halloween, with only horror flicks such as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" holding up well that night.

"Halloween night has become like Christmas Eve," said Tom Sherak, a partner in Revolution Studios, whose feel-good drama "Radio" was No. 4 with $10.2 million.

The top 12 movies took in $91.9 million, down 9 percent from the same weekend last year.

The quiet weekend was the calm before the storm as theaters prepare for Wednesday's debut of "The Matrix Revolutions," the final installment of the Wachowski brothers' sci-fi saga.

The franchise's middle chapter, "The Matrix Reloaded," had an opening weekend of $91.8 million last May, the best debut ever for an R-rated movie.

"Scary Movie 3" pushed its 10-day total to $78.6 million, surpassing the $71.3 million gross of "Scary Movie 2" over its entire run. The original "Scary Movie" topped out at $157 million.

Playing in 3,505 theaters, "Scary Movie 3" averaged $6,020 from Friday to Sunday. For its two-day weekend in wide-release, "Brother Bear" averaged $6,119 in 3,030 theaters.

Meg Ryan's murder thriller "In the Cut," directed by Jane Campion, expanded to wider release after a limited debut the previous weekend. "In the Cut" came in at No. 10 with $2.3 million, averaging $2,788 in 825 theaters.

"The Human Stain," starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman in an adaptation of Philip Roth's novel, opened in 160 theaters and took in a solid $1.1 million for an average of $7,025 a cinema.

"Alien: The Director's Cut," Ridley Scott's new version of his 1979 sci-fi horror flick, debuted with $1.04 million, averaging $2,997 in 347 theaters.

"Shattered Glass" — starring Hayden Christensen as Stephen Glass, The New Republic journalist fired for fabricating stories — debuted well with $80,000 in eight theaters.

As it did last year with "The Santa Clause 2," Disney slipped "Brother Bear" into theaters to beat the rush of family films that arrive for the holidays. Next weekend brings the Christmas comedy "Elf," while "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" and "The Haunted Mansion" debut later in November.

"`Brother Bear' totally capitalized on a marketplace devoid of family films," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "There's always an opportunity where there's a scarcity of product for a particular segment of the audience."

1. "Scary Movie 3," $21.1 million.
2. "Brother Bear," $18.5 million.
3. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," $10.9 million.
4. "Radio," $10.2 million.
5. "Runaway Jury," $6.9 million.
6. "Mystic River," $6.3 million.
7. "Kill Bill — Vol. 1," $4.7 million.
8. "The School of Rock," $4.4 million.
9. "Intolerable Cruelty," $2.7 million.
10. "In the Cut," $2.3 million.



News for 10/27/2003


It's Destiny: R&B Singer Michelle Williams to Replace Toni Braxton in 'Aida'

Andrew Gans
Playbill On-Line


Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams will join the Broadway company of Aida next month.

Williams will replace another pop superstar - Toni Braxton- beginning Nov. 18. Braxton, who joined the Disney musical June 30, will play her final performance at the Palace Theatre Nov. 16. Aida also stars Will Chase as Radames and Mandy Gonzalez as Amneris.

In a statement Williams said, "I think it's every performer's dream to one day be on a Broadway stage. To play Aida is a dream come true. I'm very excited for this opportunity. Aida is a woman with such strength, and there are so many things about her that I relate to. I love this character and can't wait to truly find her within myself." Disney producer Thomas Schumacher added, "We are thrilled to welcome Michelle Williams not only to Aida, but also to Broadway. Michelle's talent makes her a perfect choice to play Aida."

Michelle Williams joined the hit R&B group Destiny's Child in 2000. Her first solo album, "Heart to Yours," is available from Music World Music/Columbia Records.

Aida - at the Palace Theatre - features a score by Elton John and Tim Rice; a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang; sets and costumes by Bob Crowley; lighting by Natasha Katz; choreography by Wayne Cilento; and direction by Robert Falls. The Palace Theatre is located at Broadway and 47th Street, and tickets are available by calling the Disney hotline, (212) 307-4747.



Taye Diggs Beats the Drum

Source: Variety Friday


Taye Diggs (Chicago) will topline the Armada Pictures feature Drum, which goes before cameras November 7 in South Africa under the direction of Zola Maseko.

Bringing Down the House writer Jason Filardi penned the project, which is based on the real life accounts of Drum magazine writer Henry Nxumalo, who risked his life exposing the brutal nature of the South African apartheid regime.

Diggs, who earlier this month was handed an excellence in filmmaking award at the 39th Chicago Film Festival, will next be seen in the GreeneStreet production Slow Burn.



Whitfield Joins Fox's Indie Beauty Shop

Source: The Hollywood Reporter


Dondre T. Whitfield has joined the independent feature Beauty Shop, an urban comedy starring Vivica A. Fox. Whitfield will play a smooth-talking hairdresser and ladies' man in the comedy, which was written and is being directed by Mark Brown.

The film centers on a beauty shop owner who is fighting to save a pillar of her inner-city neighborhood.

Queen Latifah will be starring in a similarly-titled, yet different project, a spin-off of the "Barbershop" films.



Weekend Boxoffice

'Scary Movie 3' Conjures Up Nearly $50M

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES (AP) - The "Scary Movie" franchise has risen from the grave, with part three of the horror-spoof series opening as the top weekend flick with $49.7 million, the best October debut ever.

"Scary Movie 3" bumped the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," to second place with $14.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Premiering in third place with $14 million was the feel-good drama "Radio," starring Cuba Gooding Jr. in the real-life story of a mentally disabled man befriended by a high school football coach (Ed Harris).

Angelina Jolie _ whose career had been on the skids with the flops "Original Sin" and "Life or Something Like It," plus a weak return on last summer's "Tomb Raider" sequel _ delivered another turkey with "Beyond Borders."

A downbeat story of doomed romance between humanitarian-aid workers (Jolie and Clive Owen), "Beyond Borders" opened at No. 11 with just $2 million.

The overall box office soared, with the top 12 movies taking in $121.1 million, up 39 percent from the same weekend last year.

"Scary Movie 3" was a lesson in resurrecting a declining franchise. Created by the Wayans brothers, "Scary Movie" was a surprise hit in summer 2000, with a total gross of $157 million. Their "Scary Movie 2" the following spring smacked of a rush job and did less than half the business of its predecessor.

Miramax, whose Dimension banner releases the "Scary Movie" flicks, tapped David Zucker, part of the team behind the disaster-film spoof "Airplane!" and the police parody "The Naked Gun," to direct "Scary Movie 3."

The audience was mainly younger than 25, but Zucker's involvement helped bring in older adults, Miramax co-founder Bob Weinstein said.

"David Zucker almost semi-invented this genre," Weinstein said. "You have those people who loved `Airplane!' but said, ah, `Scary Movie,' that's not for me, then going, oh, Zucker's doing it?"

Miramax also broadened the audience to younger teens by toning down the raunchy sight gags, holding "Scary Movie 3" to a PG-13 rating. The first two "Scary Movie" installments were rated R.

"The traditional wisdom is you don't mess with a franchise formula because you run the risk of alienating the core audience," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "In this case, the combination of retooling it and making it more accessible with a PG-13 rating was a perfect combination."

Zucker is returning to direct "Scary Movie 4," due out late next year, Weinstein said.

Disney's latest animated flick, "Brother Bear," debuted impressively in limited release, taking in $285,000 in two New York City and Los Angeles theaters. The movie, which features the voice of Joaquin Phoenix as an Inuit boy seeking to undo misdeeds that have transformed him into a bear, opens in wide release of about 3,000 theaters this coming weekend.

Also opening strongly in limited release were Jane Campion's dark murder thriller "In the Cut," starring Meg Ryan, and Gus Van Sant's "Elephant," featuring a group of unknown teen actors in a drama loosely inspired by the Columbine school shootings.

"In the Cut" took in $95,000 at six theaters. "Elephant," the top prize winner at last spring's Cannes Film Festival, grossed $90,000 in six theaters.

1. "Scary Movie 3," $49.7 million.
2. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," $14.7 million.
3. "Radio," $14 million.
4. "Runaway Jury," $8.4 million.
5. "Mystic River," $7.6 million.
6. "The School of Rock," $6.5 million.
7. "Kill Bill _ Vol. 1," $6 million.
8. "Good Boy!", $4.85 million.
9. "Intolerable Cruelty," $3.6 million.
10. "Under the Tuscan Sun," $2.2 million.



News for 10/21/2003


'CSI' Analyst Dourdan Sets 'August' Date

By Ian Mohr


NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Gary Dourdan of CBS' hit series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has signed to star in the indie feature "Black August" as Black Panther party field marshal and controversial civil rights activist George Jackson.

Veteran music video helmer Samm Styles is directing the feature, which goes before the cameras this month in the Bay Area.

"August" follows Jackson -- also a prominent leader of the Black Guerrilla Family organization -- until his death at the hands of San Quentin Prison guards in 1971. Jackson's writings include the book "Soledad Brother."



Weekend Boxoffice


'Chainsaw' Massacres Box Office Rivals

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES - Bloodshed continues to rule at theaters. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," the remake of the 1974 horror tale that helped launch the modern slasher genre, debuted as the top weekend movie with $29.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Quentin Tarantino's bloody vengeance saga "Kill Bill — Vol. 1," the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, slipped to second place with $12.5 million, lifting its 10-day total to $43.3 million.

The John Grisham court thriller "Runaway Jury," with Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz, opened in third place with $12.1 million.

After a strong debut in limited release a week earlier, Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" — starring Sean Penn and Tim Robbins — expanded to wide release and came in at No. 5 with $10.36 million.

Playing in 3,016 theaters, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" averaged a strong $9,649 a cinema, compared to a $4,298 average in 2,815 theaters for "Runaway Jury" and a $7,059 average in 1,467 cinemas for "Mystic River."

Cate Blanchett's "Veronica Guerin," in which she plays a real-life Irish journalist slain during an investigation of Dublin druglords, bombed with $603,000 in 472 theaters, averaging just $1,278.

In limited release, "Sylvia" — Gwyneth Paltrow's film biography of suicidal poet Sylvia Plath — opened strongly with $56,132 in three theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, averaging $18,711.

"Pieces of April," a Sundance Film Festival favorite that stars Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson, debuted with $48,000 in six New York City and Los Angeles theaters for an $8,000 average.

The overall box office soared, with the top 12 movies grossing $105.3 million, up 43 percent from the same weekend last year, when the horror tale "The Ring" was the top movie with $15 million.

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" stars Jessica Biel as one of a group of friends stranded in a Texas town, where they are preyed on by a clan of cannibals, including chainsaw killer Leatherface.

In its first weekend, the movie took in three times its $9.5 million production budget. Three-fourths of the audience was younger than 25, while the crowds were evenly split between men and women.

Biel's presence helped draw women into a gory genre flick that more typically appeals to men, said Russell Schwartz, head of domestic marketing for New Line, which released "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

"But also, women love to be scared, perhaps more than men," Schwartz said. "It's only the gory part that helps turn off the female audience, not so much the scary part."

"Runaway Jury" played to an older audience, with 82 percent of viewers age 25 and older, said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released the movie.

The opening-weekend gross came in on the low side of the studio's projections, but Snyder said movies aimed at older audiences often stick around longer at the box office.

"Adults don't necessarily run out to see a movie the first weekend," Snyder said. "We hope it'll be around for a good long time."

This past week, Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" inched past $300 million, the year's second movie to cross that mark, after Disney-Pixar's "Finding Nemo." It was the first time one studio had two movies topping $300 million domestically in a single year.

1. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," $29.1 million.
2. "Kill Bill — Vol. 1," $12.5 million.
3. "Runaway Jury," $12.1 million.
4. "The School of Rock," $11.3 million.
5. "Mystic River," $10.36 million
6. "Good Boy!", $9 million.
7. "Intolerable Cruelty," $6.9 million.
8. "Out of Time," $4.1 million.
9. "Under the Tuscan Sun," $3.4 million.
10. "The Rundown," $2.8 million.



News for 10/16/2003


Cheadle Into the 'Sunset'

By Borys Kit


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Don Cheadle has been cast opposite Pierce Brosnan and Woody Harrelson in the caper drama "After the Sunset," a project that reunites him with director Brett Ratner.

The New Line film is scheduled to begin production later this month.

"Sunset" begins with a master thief (Brosnan) sailing off to an island paradise after his last big score. However, when his lifelong nemesis (Harrelson) shows up to make sure the thief is really retired, a new cat-and-mouse game of friendship, suspicion and thievery begins.

Cheadle will play a crime kingpin in the Caribbean who tries to lure Brosnan out of retirement.

Cheadle worked with Ratner in 2000's "Family Man" and also had an uncredited cameo in the director's "Rush Hour 2."

He just wrapped "Assassination of Richard Nixon" opposite Sean Penn and Naomi Watts and will rejoin the "Ocean's Eleven" cast for "Ocean's Twelve," directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cheadle then makes his directorial debut on "Tishomingo Blues," an adaptation of the latest Elmore Leonard novel, in which he will also star.



News for 10/13/2003


Weekend Boxoffice

Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' Opens at No. 1

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES (AP) - It was payback time for Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman at the box office as their vengeance saga "Kill Bill _ Vol. 1" opened in first place with $22.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous weekend's No. 1 flick, "The School of Rock," slipped to second place with $15.4 million. The Coen brothers' romantic comedy "Intolerable Cruelty," starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones, debuted at No. 3 with $13.1 million.

"Good Boy!", a family flick featuring the voice of Matthew Broderick as a talking dog from outer space, premiered in fourth place with $13 million. The weekend's other new wide release, the horror tale "House of the Dead," opened at No. 6 with $5.5 million.

In limited release, Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" had an exceptional debut, taking in $591,390 in 13 theaters for a whopping $45,492 average. The dark murder drama starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon expands to more theaters this week.

Playing in 3,102 theaters, "Kill Bill" had a solid $7,312 average.

The overall box office rose, with the top 12 movies grossing $98.7 million, up 6 percent from the same weekend last year.

The opening installment of "Kill Bill," director Tarantino's first film since 1997's "Jackie Brown," did well enough to encourage distributor Miramax over prospects for "Vol. 2," due in theaters next February.

Tarantino and Miramax chose to chop "Kill Bill," a martial-arts epic with a three-hour running time, into two parts rather than dish it out to audiences in one big gulp.

Exit polls indicated 90 percent of the audience the first weekend wants to see "Kill Bill _ Vol. 2," said Rick Sands, Miramax chief operating officer.

"The gamble paid off," Sands said. "We think it was a smart decision to split the movie."

"Kill Bill," whose two parts cost a total of $65 million to make, also will be released to home video and pay television in two installments, giving Miramax a double revenue stream in those markets, Sands said.

An R-rated film awash in comic carnage including bloody maimings and beheadings, "Kill Bill" stars Thurman as a former assassin out for revenge against her old employer and his team of killers for hire.

While far from a blockbuster debut, "Kill Bill" delivered solidly at the box office for a genre picture steeped in violence, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"`Kill Bill' is a very specialized film. It appeals to an important segment of the audience, but kind of a limited audience," Dergarabedian said. "Grandma does not want to see `Kill Bill.'"

The weekend's other wide-release debuts also had niche audiences. While "Intolerable Cruelty" had Clooney and Zeta-Jones' star power, it appealed to fans of the Coens' off-kilter sensibilities rather than a mainstream crowd.

"This was a very different picture from the normal, broad, Friday night movie," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released "Intolerable Cruelty."

MGM's "Good Boy!" grabbed the family audience, which it has largely to itself until the holiday surge of family flicks hits in early November, said Erik Lomis, the studio's head of distribution.

1. "Kill Bill _ Vol. 1," $22.7 million.
2. "The School of Rock," $15.4 million.
3. "Intolerable Cruelty," $13.1 million.
4. "Good Boy!", $13 million.
5. "Out of Time," $8.6 million.
6. "House of the Dead," $5.5 million.
7. "The Rundown," $5.3 million.
8. "Under the Tuscan Sun," $4.8 million.
9. "Secondhand Lions," $3.3 million.
10. "Lost in Translation," $2.9 million.



News for 10/8/2003


Weekend Boxoffice

Jack Black's 'School' Rocks Box Office

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES - "The School of Rock," with Jack Black playing a rocker posing as a substitute teacher to coach fifth graders for a battle-of-the-bands contest, earned top grades from audiences with a $20.2 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Out of Time," starring Denzel Washington as a police chief scrambling to prove his innocence in a double murder, opened in second place with $17 million.

The Rock's action comedy "The Rundown," the previous weekend's top flick, slipped to third place with $9.8 million, lifting its 10-day total to $32.7 million.

Black, a relative newcomer to lead roles, edged established star Washington even though "School of Rock" opened in fewer theaters. Playing in 2,614 theaters, "School of Rock" averaged $7,728 a cinema, compared to a $5,527 average in 3,076 theaters for "Out of Time."

"I think it has more to do with the subject matter than the stars," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "`School of Rock' has a younger, school-age appeal. Black's like a big kid, like an Adam Sandler-type persona. Irreverent, funny, bucks the establishment. That brings in younger audiences."

"School of Rock" played well across the board, with audiences split almost evenly between men and women and those older and younger than 25, while drawing strongly on family crowds, as well, said Wayne Lewellen, head of distribution for Paramount, which released the movie.

"Out of Time" played more to movie-goers 30 and up, with women accounting for 55 percent of the audience because of Washington's sex appeal, said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for MGM, which released the film.

Sofia Coppola's art house hit "Lost in Translation," starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johannson, expanded to many small cities and took in a solid $4.3 million, coming in at No. 7. The film, which had been playing mainly larger cities and college towns, has grossed $14.2 million since debuting in mid-September.

Two films opened strongly in limited release. "The Station Agent," which won the audience award at last winter's Sundance Film Festival, took in $55,500 in just three theaters, for an impressive $18,500 theater average.

The film stars Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale in a comic drama of friendship between three lonely souls — a train-obsessed dwarf, a grief-stricken artist and a garrulous snack peddler.

"Wonderland," starring Val Kilmer in the real-life story of a former porn star connected to a 1981 quadruple homicide, grossed $90,000 in five theaters for an $18,000 average.

The overall box office declined, with the top 12 movies grossing $82.2 million, down 19 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Red Dragon" had a $36.5 million debut.

1. "The School of Rock," $20.2 million.
2. "Out of Time," $17 million.
3. "The Rundown," $9.8 million.
4. "Under the Tuscan Sun," $7.9 million.
5. "Secondhand Lions," $5.4 million.
6. "Underworld," $4.8 million.
7. "Lost in Translation," $4.3 million.
8. "The Fighting Temptations," $3.3 million.
9. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," $2.55 million.
10. "Cold Creek Manor," $2.5 million.



News for 10/3/2003


Oscar triumph was 'a cleanup award,' Washington says


By Susan Wloszczyna
USA TODAY


About a year and a half has passed since Denzel Washington became the only black actor after Sidney Poitier to win an Oscar for a lead role — long enough that he can joke about being recognized for his rotten-to-the core cop in Training Day. "They had no choice," he proclaims. "It really brings out my true side. People say, 'Now that was acting!' I've got news for you. It wasn't. That was the easiest part I've played."

And here we all thought he was more like his angel in The Preacher's Wife.

Kidding aside, he obviously felt honored. But he still doesn't invest much symbolic meaning, racial or otherwise, into his triumph.

"It was a cleanup award," Washington says, referring to Oscar's habit of making good on overdue wins. "It happens all the time. I remember when Al Pacino won, and I was up for Malcolm X that year. This was his eighth nomination. I didn't want to win. I have so much respect for him and what he's done. I didn't necessarily think (Scent of a Woman) was his best role. I think it was something like what happened to me in Training Day. It was his year. And that particular year it was my turn."

But instead of relying on the academy to encourage more opportunities for black performers, Washington prefers to return the favor and open doors for a new generation of actors, such as the cast of his directing debut, Antwone Fisher. After all, someday it may be his own career that is, as the movie title puts it, out of time.

"I'm glad to give others an opportunity, like young Derek Luke and Joy Bryant, because we're getting up there now."



Denzel and director stand the test of 'Time'


By Susan Wloszczyna
USA TODAY


TORONTO — As film directors go, Carl Franklin would be among the least likely to have a god complex. The understated gent who loads such genre formulas as detective noir (Devil in a Blue Dress, 1995) and thrillers (One False Move, 1992; High Crimes, 2002) with full-bodied characters and twisty plots is as easygoing as a mortal gets.

The former actor, 54, generously praises fellow family man Denzel Washington, his star in both Devil and the taut crime drama Out of Time, opening Friday, for avoiding Hollywood's fast lane. He recalls a car trip they made to Delaware during a thunderstorm to visit one of Washington's pals: "It was Denzel, it was Pauletta (his wife of 20 years), it was his four kids. There were no nannies, no nurses. He's driving along in a little van."

But when he has the power player in his clutches, Franklin becomes a benevolent tyrant. He giveth and he taketh away.

Washington may have a matched set of Oscars for 1989's Glory and 2001's Training Day. But one gripe regularly lobbed at his career, at least by those admirers of the female persuasion, is the deficit of romantic heat.

Not when Carl's in charge, however. In Devil, Washington's private eye fell prey to an eager-to-trot saloon tart. In Time, the trim 48-year-old gets a chance to show why he's still one of the sexiest men alive.

He's convincing as a years-younger police chief in a sultry Florida burg who gets physical with a married temptress (Sanaa Lathan) and ends up being framed for a double homicide, which he must beat the clock to solve.

Washington plays down the steam quotient. "Listen, it was too daggone hot to be sexy," he says of the shoot, which took place in the summer swelter. "There's nothing sexy about 100 degrees." Women may disagree when they see the results.

Franklin, however, also has a habit of dimming his lead's spotlight by saddling him with a sidekick who commits cinematic grand larceny. In Devil, Don Cheadle exploded into the public consciousness as homicidal hothead Mouse. In Time, John Billingsley snags the laughs as a jelly-bellied coroner who hates it when a body rudely interrupts his Friday cocktail hour. Think Jimmy Buffett crossed with Quincy.

"I'm the sidekick," Washington says, laughing. "I'm in the middle of the picture going, 'Is your name John or Cheadle?' Here we go again. He got the juicy stuff."

It's not that Franklin doesn't appreciate Washington's considerable contributions. "He plays different from the conventional actor. He doesn't play on the beat. He plays jazz. Those other folks are top 40. He's always going somewhere else with it. And you want that."

It's more likely that the give-and-take is part of a "cult of pain" the two have shared since they studied the influential works of gritty mystery novelist Chester Himes, including his autobiography The Quality of Hurt, in preparation for Devil's thematic milieu.

"What we love is administering pain to each other," Franklin explains in all semi-seriousness.

"Not physical but psychological," Washington continues. "Emotional damage. It was taken to another level where we found that being kind to the other person was the most painful thing. Especially when what you want from that person is" — he waits for Franklin to chime in — "PAIN."

Franklin doesn't disguise his disappointment that Devil, a stylishly ambitious study of blacks in post-World War II Los Angeles, never caught on. "I was very hurt. I thought we should have done better in a lot of ways."

Despite appreciative reviews, the period piece's underwhelming $16 million gross pretty much killed any chance of a franchise based on author Walter Mosley's popular Easy Rawlins series.

"The truth is that the genre is not big box office," Franklin says.

"The guns aren't big enough," Washington adds. "It doesn't move fast enough."

Which may be why Out of Time whizzes along like a Stealth bomber. Washington admits that, as an actor, "I like stuff to chew on," and Devil was one meaty bone. But, he says, "I like to make money, too."

But even a less challenging effort such as Time can hurt so good. Early last year, while promoting John Q, Washington declared himself too ancient for action fare: "Ducking. Fight scenes. Hanging off of stuff. I'm getting too old for that."

But what is he doing in the new movie? "Hanging off of stuff," he says of the scene in which he dangles from a hotel balcony. "Let me just tell you, there's this harness that you have to wear that you put down in your pants and put all around and through while you end up hanging for hours. Your register gets a little higher."

Franklin interjects. "There were a couple of extra takes. I didn't want to disappoint him."

Ah, yes, the pain.

It may take at least another eight years for the two to pair again. Franklin is putting a final polish on a script for a large-scale historical epic, The Last Pharoah. Will Smith is attached to the story of Taharqa, leader of Egypt's Nubian dynasty.

Meanwhile, Washington is moving onto The Manchurian Candidate, a remake of the 1962 political chiller directed by Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia) that shifts the military backdrop from the Korean War to Desert Storm. Meryl Streep co-stars as the matriarch who cruelly manipulates her brainwashed son (Liev Schreiber). Washington takes on the hero role originated by Frank Sinatra.

Washington looks to Franklin, wise in the ways of Streep since directing her in 1998's One True Thing, for any insight into the big-screen grande dame. "She's cool," the director assures. "I met her in Dublin when she was doing Dancing at Lughnasa. We went out drinking a couple of times."

"She was knocking 'em back?" Washington asks, impressed.

"We were all knocking 'em back," Franklin replies.

Then, remembering the pain, he adds, "She has a tremendous left hook."



Tangi Miller Sleuths Role in 'District'


LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Felicity" co-star Tangi Miller has joined the cast of CBS' drama "The District" in a recurring role as a district attorney and a potential love interest for Sean Patrick Thomas' detective character.

Miller will next be seen in the indie feature "Leprechaun: Back in Da Hood" and the Sci Fi Channel TV movie "Phantom Force."



Weekend Boxoffice


'Rundown' Earns $18.5M to Top Box Office

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer


LOS ANGELES - The Rock smacked down the competition with his action comedy "The Rundown," which debuted as the weekend's top movie by earning $18.5 million.

Diane Lane's romance "Under the Tuscan Sun" opened in second place with $9.41 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. It edged last weekend's No. 1 movie, "Underworld," which slipped to third with $9.4 million.

Playing in far narrower release, "Under the Tuscan Sun" outdid "The Rundown" on a theater-by-theater basis. "The Rundown" averaged $5,869 in 3,152 cinemas, while "Under the Tuscan Sun" averaged $7,672 in 1,226 theaters.

"You couldn't have two movies at the top of the chart that are more different," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It just shows there's an audience for every kind of movie."

The weekend's other new wide release — Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller's black comedy "Duplex," directed by Danny DeVito — debuted weakly with $4.6 million in 2,189 theaters, averaging $2,104.

Overall Hollywood revenues were down. The top 12 movies took in $79.1 million, off 14 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Sweet Home Alabama" opened at No. 1 with $35.6 million.

In "The Rundown," wrestler-turned-actor The Rock plays a hired strongman trying to bring home his employer's son (Seann William Scott) from a treasure hunt in the Amazon.

"The Rundown" managed barely half the business as The Rock's "The Scorpion King" — his debut in a lead role — did on opening weekend last year.

"The Scorpion King" was a spinoff of "The Mummy" franchise, so audiences packed theaters as though it were a sequel, said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal Pictures, which released "The Rundown" and "The Scorpion King."

"We're a culture where if your movie doesn't have a $50 million opening, you're defending it. But not every movie can open to $50 million," Rocco said.

"The Rundown" played to a broad demographic, boosting its prospects for a long life at theaters, Rocco said. Audiences were almost evenly split between those older and younger than 25, while nonwhite movie-goers accounted for 54 percent of the crowds, the studio reported.

Women accounted for 65 percent of the audience for "Under the Tuscan Sun," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which released the movie. It also proved a solid date flick, with couples making up most of the crowds for the early evening shows Friday and Saturday, Viane said.

The movie is based on Frances Mayes' memoir about moving from San Francisco to start a new life renovating a villa in Italy.

"This is the kind of season where couples really love to go the movies and take the time to enjoy something like this," Viane said.

1. "The Rundown," $18.5 million.
2. "Under the Tuscan Sun," $9.41 million.
3. "Underworld," $9.4 million.
4. "Secondhand Lions," $8.25 million.
5. "The Fighting Temptations," $6.5 million.
6. "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," $5.1 million.
7. "Duplex," $4.6 million.
8. "Cold Creek Manor," $4.3 million.
9. "Matchstick Men," $4.29 million.
10. "Lost in Translation," $3.5 million.