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Box Office Madness: “Puss” Beats “Heist,” Main Reporting Sites in Conflict

Roger Friedman
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Box Office Madness: “Puss” Beats “Heist,” Main Reporting Sites in Conflict

Movie box office reporting has become quite the game. Nikki Finke regularly puts up the wrong numbers every Saturday in order to “beat” everyone. Then the real numbers come in and she just erases her earlier post. The real story this morning is that “Tower Heist” with its all star cast was beaten soundly by “Puss in Boots”– a big surprise. But even weirder is what else is happening in Box Office land. BoxOfficeMojo.com, now owned by the IMDB (itself owned by Amazon) has gone haywire. First of all, it seems like the founder, Brandon Gray, is mysteriously gone. He started the site in 1999 and sold it to IMDB in 2008. I’m told he left about two months ago. The site no longer updates properly– which the current operator attributes to computer problems. But last weekend and this weekend. BoxOfficeMojo isn’t posting its numbers. They say Gray’s departure is just a coincidence. Meanwhile, showbizdata.com. which also posts box office numbers and has full site, hasn’t updated since October 16th. I’m posting the three different sets of numbers you could find today on the internet. And you wonder why there are so many lawsuits later by filmmakers.

Here are Box Office Mojo’s numbers for this weekend:

1.       Puss – $33 – $75.5

2.       Tower Heist – $25.1 – $25.1

3.       H&K3 – $13.07 – $13.07

4.       PA3 – $8.53 – $95.3

5.       In Time – $7.7 – $24.2

6.       Footloose – $4.55 – $44.8

7.       Real Steel – $3.4 – $78.8

8.       Rum Diary – $2.99 – $10.4

9.       Ides of march – $2 – $36.8

10.   Moneyball – $1.9 – $70.3

Here are the Hollywood Reporter’s numbers:

Top 10 Actual Domestic Box Office Nov. 4-Nov. 6

Title/Weeks in Release/Studio/Theater Count/Weekend Total/Cume

1. Puss in Boots (2), Paramount/DreamWorks Animation/3,963, $32.1 million, $75.5 million

2. Tower Heist (1), Universal/3,367, $25.1 million

3. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (1), Warner Bros./New Line/2,875, $13.1 million

4. Paranormal Activity 3 (3), Paramount/,3,286, $8.5 million, $95.3 million

5. In Time (2), Fox/New Regency/3,127, $7.7 million, $24.2 million

6. Footloose (4), Paramount/2,41, $4.6 milion, $44.8 million

7. Real Steel (5), Disney/DreamWorks/2,438, /$3.4 million, $78.8 million

8. The Rum Diary (2), FilmDistrict/GK Films/2,292, $3 million, $10.4 million

9. The Ides of March (5) Sony/Cold Creek/1,391, $2 million, $36.8 million

10. Moneyball (7), Sony/1,276, $1.9 million, $70.3 million

Here are Deadline Hollywood’s numbers:

SATURDAY PM, 4TH UPDATE:

1. Puss In Boots 3D (DreamWorks Anim/Paramount) Week 2 [3,963 Theaters]
Friday $7.8M, Saturday $15.3M, Weekend $34M (-10%), Cume $76.5M

2. Tower Heist (Universal) NEW [3,367 Theaters]
Friday $8.1M, Saturday $10.5M, Weekend $24.6M

3. Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas (NL/Warner Bros) NEW [2,875 theaters]
Friday $5.5M, Saturday $4.7M, Weekend $13M

4. Paranormal Activity 3 (Paramount) Week 3 [3,286 Theaters]
Friday $2.9M, Saturday $3.7M, Weekend $8.5M, Cume $95.3M

5. In Time (Twentieth Century Fox) Week 2 [3,127 Theaters]
Friday $2.5M, Saturday $3.2M, Weekend $7.8M, Cume $24.3M

6. Footloose (Paramount) Week 4 [2,811 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.8M, Cume $45M

7. Real Steel (DreamWorks/Disney) Week 5 [2,438 Theaters]
Friday $925K, Saturday $1.6M, Weekend $3.5M, Cume $78.8M

8. The Rum Diary (FilmDistrict) Week 2 [2,292 Theaters]
Friday $980K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.9M, Cume $10.3M

9. Ides Of March (Sony) Week 5 [1,391 Theaters]
Friday $600K, Saturday $925K, Weekend $2M, Cume $36.8M

10. Moneyball (Sony) Week 7 [1,278 Theaters]

 

Andy Rooney, 92, Goes Out The Right Way

Roger Friedman
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Andy Rooney, 92, Goes Out The Right Way

Everyone should go the way Andy Rooney did yesterday. He was 92, and actually “retired” just a month ago. He certainly must have known in his heart back in September that that was it. But what a way to have lived: dozens of books based on his thousands of “60 Minutes” essays, as well as his memoirs about the early days of CBS news, television journalism and World War II. If you only know Andy Rooney from the last few years, he was worse when he was younger. A curmudgeon? Yes. He railed against authority. If he’d been of another generation, he probably would have joined Occupy Wall Street. He made some mistakes along the way, but not many. In a wire piece today there’s a report that 20,000 people complained to CBS a few years ago when he called Mel Gibson a nut on “60 Minutes.” Good for him. A great era dies with Andy Rooney. With Walter Cronkite gone, and Mike Wallace quietly serving out his retirement, the grand era of Edward R. Murrow’s CBS News is completely over. Rest in peace, Andy.

Sid Melton, Famous as Danny Thomas’s Pal, Dies At 94

Roger Friedman
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Sid Melton, Famous as Danny Thomas’s Pal, Dies At 94

Comic actor Sid Melton, who played Danny Thomas’s fictional pal, club owner and manager Charley Halper on “Make Room for Daddy,” has died at age 94. It was Charley was constantly, and humorously, schlepping for Danny through his several TV shows from 1959 to 1971. He was just great, and terribly underrated. Melton had a ton of other credits including Green Acres, The Golden Girls,  Peter Gunn, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Munsters, Love American Style, Hunter, Empty Nest and Dave’s World.

Here’s a clip from Green Acres. Sid comes in at around 8:10. If anyone has a clip from the Danny Thomas shows, let me know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NsQh2ryVLY

Oscars: Spielberg, Streep, Daldry, Fincher Films Now Become the Focus

Roger Friedman
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With Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” not getting big Oscar type raves from its premiere, the Oscar focus for Best Picture now changes. The films no one’s seen that could be contenders include two from Steven Spielberg and one each from Stephen Daldry and David Fincher. They are respectively, “War Horse,” “The Adventures of Tin Tin,” “Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud,” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Everyone involved in the Oscar game is eager to see those four films. A fifth but maybe outside contender is Jason Reitman’s “Young Adult,” which screens tonight and said to be very funny. Also a complete question mark: Phylidia Lloyd’s “Iron Lady,” starring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. And then there’s the short list of possible Best Picture nominees: “Midnight in Paris,” “The Artist.” “Moneyball,” “Ides of March,” “My Week with Marilyn,” “Hugo,” and “The Help.”

Golden Globes Setbacks: Ricky Gervais and Lawsuits

Roger Friedman
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Golden Globes Setbacks: Ricky Gervais and Lawsuits

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is having a bad day, and a bad year. First of all, it does look like NBC is forcing them to take Ricky Gervais back as host. Gervais was spotted in Paris having lunch with NBC’s Doug Vaughn (we love Doug, who started out at Newsday on a gossip column), and the new president of the HFPA. Bringing Ricky back will mean high ratings. But the HFPA will have to endure the jokes he makes about them and about Hollywood stars. The public loves it. The HFPA does not. But NBC foots the bill, and it looks like they’re enforcing the rules. Good for them! At the same time, a judge has ruled that the lawsuits against the HFPA from their former publicist and from a charity can go forward. The suits are for breach of contract and for defamation. Discovery and depositions will now take place. It’s doubtful that the HFPA will do anything but settle the cases because, really, if their practices made it to deposition and trial, the whole thing would be over. All those years of letting Michael Russell do their dirty work means he has everything on them. (Their current publicist, Sunshine Sachs, should take note.) Circle January 15th, 2012–it’s going to be quite a night on NBC. Ricky, don’t lose that number! PS Also circle December 15th, 2011 for the Golden Globe nominations. Last year, the big gaffe was a nom for the awful movie “The Tourist” with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Let’s see what they come up with this year…

Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” Gay Love Story Premieres to Mixed Reviews

Roger Friedman
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Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” Gay Love Story Premieres to Mixed Reviews

Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” a movie rapidly being labeled as a gay love story about J Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson (Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer playing them) premiered last night to mixed reviews. The premiere at the American Film Institute was supposed to be embargoed, and New York press won’t see the movie until Monday. But of course no one obeyed the rules, so Variety and other trades published their reviews. They aren’t so good. They do follow reaction from the New York critics’ screening on Tuesday. Awards wise, it does feel like with the right backstage touting the Golden Globes and National Board of Review will probably be all over it.

From Variety: “While not exactly coy, Eastwood’s classically styled look at Hoover’s life takes a long time to arrive at questions of the character’s proclivities. When it does get there, however, this new dimension of the character so enlivens what has been a mostly dry portrayal of one man’s crusade to reform law enforcement that it becomes the pic’s focus”

From Todd McCarthy: “DiCaprio projects this odd authority figure with energetic earnestness, a strong grip on the man’s mindset and purpose, and an attentiveness to Hoover’s power to prevail over others in matters big and small. It’s a vigorous, capable performance, one that carries the film and breathes new life into the old tradition of plain real folk achieving retroactive allure by being played by attractive stars. But the characterization remains external, one of solid technique blocked from going deep because Hoover remains a fixed figure closed to taking a personal journey.”

Screen International’s Mike Goodridge was also mixed on the subject. “Clint Eastwood’s latest film, a portrait of the controversial FBI founder and chieftain J Edgar Hoover, is both admirable and frustrating, a murky muddle of selective historical moments which comes alive when its compelling human story of sexual repression and dedicated love is at the forefront. Its biggest achievement is to look at recent US history through a personal and distinctively gay lens. In fact, Eastwood delivers the most un-self-conscious depiction of a gay relationship in a mainstream studio movie to date, although gay rights activists will hardly be looking to promote J Edgar Hoover as any sort of role model.”

 

Charles Edwards, The Future Stuttering King, Has a NY Triumph

Roger Friedman
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Charles Edwards, The Future Stuttering King, Has a NY Triumph

Charles Edwards–you do not know who he is because you are not British. Last night he completed the second of two performances at NYU’s Skirball Center with better known actor Joseph Fiennes in a cool art theater piece called “Happy Days in the Art World.” Edwards is well known in England, and he may be here soon on Broadway. He’s set to play stuttering King George VI in “The King’s Speech,” starting this winter in Britain.

If all goes well, he won’t get replaced by a big TV star and keep the role on Broadway a year from now. He should. In last night’s piece, part of the “Performa” series, was terrific. He’s already been on Broadway in “The 39 Steps.” Even his co-star’s brother, Ralph Fiennes, was impressed at last night’s show.

Edwards is well suited to the King George part. He looks enough like Colin Firth, who won the Oscar for the movie. But he’s about 8 years younger, and has his own definite personality. He is not a Firth substitute. With Fiennes, he had a great stage presence as they acted out a kind of Donmar Warehouse-type “Welcome to Godot” by Danish playwrights. If anything, when Edwards comes to Broadway he’ll probably be a big “discovery” like Mark Rylance.

By the way, Kim Criswell pops up in the second half of “Art World” and sings the U2 song, “One.” Apparently the group — via Larry Mullen–gave the song without charge for this production. Criswell just kills it. Evidently, Criswell–who’s American–is well known in the West End musical circles. She’s a huge talent who should be working on Broadway and on TV and in music here. Someone do something–don’t let her go back to Britain!

“Funny Girl” Cancelled: Broadway, Soap Operas Affected by Bad Economy

Roger Friedman
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“Funny Girl” Cancelled: Broadway, Soap Operas Affected by Bad Economy

The economy is bad, and maybe worse than we thought. On Thursday evening, the producers of the revival of “Funny Girl” on Broadway–set for this winter–announced they were aborting plans. They simply cannot raise the required $12 million, a high price for a revival. Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale were set to star as Fanny Brice and Nicky Arnstein. The show would have opened on April 12th, and it would have been a big deal for the Tony Awards in June. It may happen in 2013, but who knows?

Meantime, Peter Kafka reports in All Things Digital that Jeff Kwatinetz of Prospect Park Productions doesn’t really have the dough to put “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on the internet as planned. http://allthingsd.com/20111103/can-one-life-to-live-get-new-life-on-the-web-heres-the-pitch/ This is not a surprise, but it is a shame. ABC was wrong headed to dump the shows, and replace them with junk like “The Chew.” (Same for CBS and “The Talk.”) There was a glimmer of hope that Prospect Park could pull this off. But apparently Kwatinetz has not been able to convince regular Hollywood investors to cough up the funds. So he’s turning to Silicon Valley. Let’s hope it works.

Prospect Park has announced more cast signings for “One Life” but very few for “All My Children.” Money is obviously at the root of everything here. Susan Lucci and “One Life” stars Robin Strasser, Bob Woods, and Hilary Smith don’t have deals–they would be expensive. Most of the actors signed so far are the less pricey ones. Kwatinetz is going to have problems if he can’t sign the heavy hitters. He’s no doubt hyper aware of this. But Strasser keeps Tweeting that she has no offer–maybe not realizing that Kwatinetz has no money.

No one wants to be a downer, but it’s always the economy that affects everything. New York City restaurants look a lot quieter a lot earlier at night lately. I walked past the much ballyhooed Lion on Thursday night. They still have the obnoxious guy at the door, waiting to interrogate potential customers. The only problem is, the place didn’t look very full. Soon that guy will be wearing a sandwich board out front.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Ryan Help Stars “Take Shelter”

Roger Friedman
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Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Ryan Help Stars “Take Shelter”

You know you’ve got a hot film when hot young stars like Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Ryan show up for a premiere. But they were among the A listers last night who helped screen Jeff Nichols’s “Take Shelter” for Peggy Siegal. Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain star in this remarkable little film about a coming storm–I don’t want to give too much away. “Take Shelter” is nominated for a Gotham Award at the end of this month, and will undoubtedly get Indie Spirit nominations. Shannon, Chastain, and Shea Wigham all give outstanding performances. After last night’s screening, Sony Pictures Classics’ Michael Barker–who has his hands full with Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method”–brought the guests to the private room below Rue 57. Gyllenhaal told me his mom, screenwriter Naomi Foner (“Running on Empty”) is prepping her new film with Elizabeth Olsen, Dakota Fanning, and Anton Yelchin. What’s Jake up to? “Just spending time with family”–meaning sister Maggie, and brother in law Peter Saarsagard–the latter will also be in Naomi’s film. Amy Ryan, meantime, is exited about the new Drake Doremus film she just finished with Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones. But it has to wait to be shown–maybe at Cannes–because Doremus’s “Like Crazy” is a hit. “Everyone’s talking to Felicity about it,” Amy said. That’s all right–Ryan’s daughter, Georgia, just turned two, and is keeping Amy and husband Eric Slovin pretty busy. Has she watched “The Office”? “Not really,” Amy told me. “I really miss working with Steve Carell, though.” Yes–someone should pair them in a film quick!

Tony Awards Final Answer: Julie Taymor Is “Spider Man” Director

Roger Friedman
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Tony Awards Final Answer: Julie Taymor Is “Spider Man” Director

(With update) The Tony Awards committee has met and made an important decision: Julie Taymor, not Philip William McKinley, is the director of “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark.” As I told you yesterday, the producers of “Spider Man” had recently put the director’s title underneath McKinley’s name and redubbed Taymor as a demotion. But it’s her show, and the Tony’s agree. The “Spider Man” producers must accept this decision, there is no turning back or appeal. And that should carry a lot of weight in Taymor’s arbitration. She still hasn’t been paid!  The Committee also ruled that stars Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano will be considered lead actors in a musical. They also ruled that Tyne Daly is a lead actress in “Master Class”–although I’m not sure why–she was certainly the lead.

Also read: http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/11/02/spider-man-on-broadway-update-taymor-still-unpaid-directors-credit-goes-to-mckinley

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