• Amid sticky financial days for The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein tells you to “sit tight” and “don’t bet against” him and brother Bob. [New York Times]
• It must be going around, because ditto Universal execs Mark Shmuger and David Linde. [Los Angeles Times]
• Sharon Waxman is frustrated at the word-count of the Weinstein piece yielding little insight into the company’s financial woes. [The Wrap]
*All historic figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.
Internet hype doesn’t always translate into box office success, but “District 9” was able to live up to the buzz and debut with a strong $37 million and the top spot this weekend. For a film that cost a reported $30 million to make, this is obviously a huge win for Sony and one of the bigger surprises of the summer. As a buddy succinctly put it in a tweet: “’District 9’ might be the only movie this year I want to see that I didn’t know I wanted to see six months ago.”
Credit the fantastic marketing and an interesting/original concept in a summer-friendly genre for the success. The first two weeks of August are typically robust but then the month just dies and only two movies released past the 14th of the month have debuted higher than “District 9” (“Freddy vs. Jason” and “Mortal Kombat”). Audience reception is fantastic so I can see this one sticking around enough to reach $85 million or so. Now, who else is going as Wicus with a prawn arm for Halloween?
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” takes second place after a 59% drop to $22.5 million. That actually could have been worse so Paramount will take it. The running total is already $98.8 million and that’s enough to encourage the inevitable sequel. Might I suggest the title “G.I. Joe: The Recasting of Channing Tatum?”
Third place goes to “The Time Traveler’s Wife” with $19.2 million. I’ve got nothing to say about this because quite frankly, this movie bores me. I like Rachel McAdams so I wish she’d hurry up and make a movie that looks halfway tolerable again.
“Julie & Julia” dropped a respectable 38% to $12.4 million and that should be the largest drop it experiences during its run. No other direct competition comes into play until “All About Steve” after Labor Day so I expect Meryl and Amy to be the number one choice for adult females for a while.
I’m sure Armond White couldn’t be more thrilled with the amount of chatter about him this week, and all spurred by one solitary review to boot. It rather puts the lie to the perception that nobody cares about what critics have to say these days.
Now Roger Ebert, generally appointed by America as class captain of the critical artform, has decided to weigh in on the matter, and has come out in defence of White — only to rather confusingly revoke his support overnight.
Ebert backs up White’s take on “District 9,” agreeing with him that the film ends in “apocalyptic silliness” (Ebert’s own review heavily criticizes the third act) and praising him for both his political reading of the material and his off-the-beaten-track film references.
Finally, he stands up for White’s supposedly contrarian leanings, and in doing so, points out the stupidity of using Rotten Tomatoes as a barometer of critical worth:
More to the point is White’s reputation as a critic who “doesn’t like anything.” This is not true. It would be more accurate to say he dislikes a great many films approved of by fanboys. The last Tomatoes lynch mob raised against him was for his dislike of “Star Trek.” Man, did they hate him for that! You may be surprised to learn that White agrees (or, for that matter, disagrees) with the TomatoMeter exactly 50% of the time.
• The New York Film Festival unveiled a decidedly foreign lineup, with Alain Resnais and Pedro Almodovar at either end.
• Speaking of festivals, the long-awaited “The Road” was among the titles added to the Toronto slate this week.
• With everyone excited about “District 9” this week, we took time to chat to the film’s breakout star Sharlto Copley.
• Best Film Editing was the subject of this week’s installment of Tech Support.
I was supposed to participate in this edition of David Poland’s “Super Movie Friends,” but alas, I couldn’t make it. The conversation in the clip below revolves around “District 9,” the participants being James Rocchi of MSN and Netflix and Mark Olsen of the LA Times and Film Comment.
It’s a rather down-beat conversation at times. Rocchi calls the film “astonishingly derivative,” but appreciates that it clearly came from a place of passion. Olsen, meanwhile, says the hype got his expectations too high, that the film was “wildly uneven” and portions were “actively bad.” And David brings up his “Defiant Ones” parallel once again. He liked the film, though.
Side note: the way Olsen says “Nu, uhh, no, NO” as he tilts back the glass of water at the beginning totally cracked me up. If only that was Jameson on the rocks or something. Anyway, take a look:
Alright, we passed along the Comic-Con coverage, I’ve had my say, we’ve talked to the film’s star and we’ve offered up a road map of links to whet your appetite as you wait to give Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” a look this weekend. There’s nothing left to do but open the floor up to the readership, so come on back and give us your thoughts when you see the film. Also, for fun, any stabs at opening weekend box office numbers? It could go SO many different ways.
As I prepared this morning’s round-up, I kept stumbling onto various “District 9” features and articles that I wanted to pass your way. But I didn’t want to flood the post with one subject, so I thought I’d aggregate them all here.
Over at Film School Rejects, Cole Abaius gets round down to the point with seven reasons why you should see the movie. Keeping with the collectives, Devin Faraci over at CHUD, in honor of the film’s modest budget, cranks out a list of 10 great non-blockbuster science-fiction films of the 21st century.
Anne Thompson, at her new digs, wants you to root for “District 9” to do well, while Matt Bradshaw, in another lists, charts his favorite movie aliens.
On the interview circuit, Peter Jackson sits down with the wire services, Reuters and the Associated Press (both out of Comic-Con), while Sharlto Copley, who was featured in this space yesterday, gets his moment in the sun at the Los Angeles Times.
And that should about cover it. We’ll have a reactions thread later on, but if you’re sitting around with nothing to do, go catcha matinee — now!
“District 9” opens tomorrow. We’ve done our part to get the word out around these parts, and even spotlighted the film’s talented young star. But in due time, you’ll all make your mind up as to whether it’s a new staple of the science-fiction genre or a victim of its own hype.
In the meantime, however, there is a nice playlist featured over at YouTube collecting the short works of director Neill Blomkamp. Have a look and come back tomorrow to let us know your thoughts on the film (we’ll definitely have a thread available):
When actor Sharlto Copley first pops up on screen in Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9,” it isn’t a grand movie moment in the style of John Wayne’s arrival (albeit out of focus) in John Ford’s “Stagecoach” by any means. In fact, viewers might instinctively expect Copley’s character, Wikus Van De Merwe, to be a supporting player, what with his unassuming demeanor and character actor appearance.
By the end of the film, however, audiences will have witnessed one of the most controlled, authentic portrayals of the year. And this humble viewer’s prediction is that, down the line, the upcoming weekend’s wide release will ultimately be seen as the coming out party for an exciting new acting talent.
At the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills recently, Copley winds down at the end of a lengthy press day for the film. Fielding wall-to-wall questions from broadcast and print media can leave a person numb to the talking points, but as he hungrily chomps down on an apple, he still maintains focus on what it is about the project that interested him from the outset.
“I guess I was always interested in films that either had a comedic edge or a depth to them, an intelligent aspect,” he says, staring off toward the downtown Los Angeles skyline as he searches for the words. “As much as it could be exciting or whatever, that was always important to me. And I think what Neill’s done with this film is combine those things really well. You’ve got satire, you’ve got drama, so it’s a pretty unique situation.”
Indeed, “District 9” is seen in some quarters as indicative of a human interest science-fiction story in a genre that has increasingly lost its grounded footing. It makes for a nice sister film to Duncan Jones’s “Moon” in that way, sci-fi that interests itself with tangible emotional beats more so than the high concept science of it all.
It’s no shock that the first negative review of Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” has come from the New York Press’s Armond White, chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle and all around crazy person when it comes to reviewing films.
I’m all for diversity, but seriously, there are times I wonder if White isn’t just out to be “that guy.” And I guess I’m not alone in those ponderings, as some folks are much more up-in-arms at the critic’s most recent review, taking to Twitter to blow off some steam.
Peter Sciretta of /Film film didn’t mince words. “Is there any way to get Armond White disqualified from the tomatometer for purposefully trying to upset the balance,” he asked. IC friend Dennis Tzeng of Think Hero offered similarly that White “should be taken off RottenTomatoes, because he’s not really giving his opinion he’s just being contrarian.”
I’ll be posting my interview with “District 9” star Sharlto Copley later today or tomorrow, but in the meantime, I thought I’d pass along this Andrew O’Hehir interview with the film’s newbie director, Neill Blomkamp, over at Salon.
The piece is wide-ranging, moving from Blomkamp’s background in digital effects and advertising to Copely’s performance to racial issues raised in varrying ways by the picture. Indeed, one of the more obvious aspects of the film that taps into a grounded sense of human condition, and therefore helps the film to succeed as high science-fiction art among genre entries that largely miss such necessary nuance, is the parallel drawn between the ghettoized alien race of “prawns” and South Africa’s Apartheid system (the film is set in South Africa).
O’Hehir’s query turned into a nice springboard for Blomkamp to again discuss how important it was to set the film in Johannesburg, a perspective I haven’t properly conveyed in this space, despite the Comic-Con coverage.
*All historical figures are adjusted to today’s dollars
Paramount secured what is likely to be the last blockbuster opening of the summer with “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” this weekend. For a film that was plagued with bad buzz a few months ago and was withheld from most critics, a $56.2 million start is a fantastic result and on par with other kid-friendly action films like “Fantastic Four” and the early August start of “XXX.”
Of course, legs will be atrocious and a total gross of around $120 million is the likely tipping point, but Paramount will be more than happy to take that to the bank along with solid international grosses. It may not be a “Transformers”-like success, but the studo must have known Stephen Sommers is no Michael Bay. And Marlon Wayans is no Shia LaBeouf.
Sony’s “Julie & Julia” had a solid bow in the runner-up spot with $20.1 million on nearly half the screens of “G.I. Joe.” To be honest, I thought it would be bigger, but this is a film that could definitely play well through Labor Day. Reviews are good enough and older audiences are the only demographic left who don’t necessarily rush out on opening weekend. “Mamma Mia!” only debuted with $27.8 million en route to a $144.1 million finish, let’s not forget. Forget 3D, perhaps this was the film to usher back smell-o-vision.
Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” is primed to explode on the cinema landscape next week. At least I hope it is. I’m never good at reading the populist pulse, especially as it pertains to predicting box office and things like that, but on a $30 million budget, and being an exceptional piece of work that should become a word-of-mouth success on home video if not theatrically, I can’t imagine the film won’t pull a profit.
Entertainment Weekly’s cover story this month features actor Sharlto Copley, praised on high in this space during last month’s San Diego Comic-Con International, with the fetching headline: “Why ‘District 9’ will blow you away.” That’s a good start. I know plenty of people who ask me daily, “What’s the deal with ‘District 9?’” Breeding intense curiosity is always a win.
Scott Bowles sat down with the film’s producer, Peter Jackson (who made his first ever trip to Comic-Con to promote the film), in San Diego and got some great stuff, particularly Jackson’s revelation that working on the film reminded him of his guerrilla filmmaking roots.
• Nikki Finke takes umbrage with the “Nation’s Pride” trailer being used to promote “Inglourious Basterds.” [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
• Graeme McRanor sits down with “District 9” composer Clinton Shorter. [Jawbone.tv]
• Top 10 movie pregnancies. [The Film Experience]
• Kate Beckinsale talks about the gritty new roles peppering her career as of late. [The Times]
• The top 20 horror films of the last 20 years. [Entertainment Weekly]
• Recounting “District 9″‘s serendipitous path to the screen. [Los Angeles Times]
A double feature this morning and afternoon will keep me away from the computer for a spell, but stay tuned for an interview with Sharlto Copley either later today or tomorrow. I got a few minutes with the “District 9” star yesterday and am anxious to dig into the quotes. Sharp guy, caught in the whirlwind of offers and well-wishers, but grounded. And a hell of a talent. More later.
I wish I could tell you how awesome the “Iron Man 2” footage form yesterday’s Paramount panel was, but Hall H was packed to the gills and even us schmoes int he VIP line couldn’t get in because it was at capacity. Without a doubt, the event was the most popular attraction at this year’s Comic-Con.
It sounded good muffled through the walls. That’s all I got. Hoping for another screening in LA soon.
By far the highlight for me was the Entertainment Weekly Visionaries panel with James Cameron and Peter Jackson. It’s a pretty big leap from last year’s set of Zack Snyder, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow. Let’s hope next year isn’t a step backwards at the crew responsible for this momentous occasion gets creative and puts a few equally brilliant minds together on that stage once again.
Speaking of Jackson, “District 9” made a major splash here. The screening was very well-received on Thursday and the Saturday panel got the crowd chomping at the bit. In this community anyway, the film is sure to be a runaway hit.
Peter Jackson made his long-awaited first trip to Comic-Con yesterday in support of Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9,” which screened to a select audience Thursday. He received the expected standing ovation by the many Ringers and Bad-Tasters in attendance.
“This is a moment to remember for the rest of my life,” he said after snapping a few photos of the audience like a geek in heaven.
Jackson was joined by Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley on stage for a discussion of the thoughtful sci-fi film. An extended trailer (that, to my mind, gave away too much of the plot’s particulars) cranked the crowd’s anticipation for the film up to 11, but I personally wish the moderator had drawn out some more insightful commentary from Copley, whom I praised to the ends of the earth after seeing his riveting performance Thursday.
Jackson talked about the project’s genesis, being born from the ashes of his failed “Halo” project. The seeds of “District 9” can be found in Blomkamp’s short film “Alive in Joburg,” which crossed Jackson’s path when he was seeking out a helmer for “Halo.”
“The idea was that we would produce ‘Halo,’ but from the very beginning we wanted to find a new director, someone who was fresh, original, who would bring a new spin to the film,” Jackson said. “Neill had done a couple of short movies and we were really impressed. And then ‘Halo’ died due to studio politics. We got kind of disillusioned with what happened and we thought, ‘Why don’t we try to take control of the situation,’ so we suggested the idea of working on an original idea. Keep the budget low and put this energy into a different project. So it worked out for the best.”