Movie News & Gossip

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Getting his project cast and financed was not the hard part for Grant Heslov.

His feature directing debut, "The Men Who Stare at Goats," starring George Clooney, opened Friday via Overture Films and earned a respectable $13.3 million during its first three days.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If it's the second weekend in November, it must be Christmas in Hollywood.

Walt Disney Co's high-tech adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" topped the North American box office on Sunday with lower-than-expected ticket sales of $31 million.

For moviegoers in the mood for darker material, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," opened at No. 13 after earning a hefty $1.8 million in just four cities. Lionsgate's acclaimed tale of a young, black, overweight, illiterate incest survivor will expand nationally on November 20.

Both movies overshadowed new releases featuring such big names as George Clooney and Cameron Diaz. Clooney's military comedy "The Men Who Stare At Goats" opened at No. 3 with a solid $13.3 million. "The Box," a thriller starring Diaz, opened at No. 6 with just $7.9 million. Also new was the alien-abduction thriller "The Fourth Kind" at No. 4 with $12.5 million.

Last weekend's champion, the Michael Jackson concert documentary "This is It" slipped to No. 2 with $14 million, taking its 12-day total to $57.9 million. The foreign total for the Columbia Pictures release rose to $128.6 million.

"A MARATHON RATHER THAN A DASH"

Industry pundits had forecast a three-day haul in the $35 million-$45 million range for "A Christmas Carol," a motion-capture animated fable featuring the likeness of Jim Carrey. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and received negative reviews from top critics.

But Disney said the opening hit its own target, and it expected the movie to enjoy some longevity once the Christmas spirit kicks in. This was the case with Zemeckis' 2004 holiday movie "The Polar Express," which totaled $180 million after a slow start.

"You know you're in for a marathon rather than a dash," said Chuck Viane, Disney's president of domestic theatrical distribution.

"Polar Express" also used motion-capture technology, as did Zemeckis' 2007 epic "Beowulf," which stalled at $82 million domestically. Disney said 3D theaters, which charge a premium for tickets, accounted for nearly three-quarters of "Christmas Carol" sales.

Carrey's likeness is used for both Ebenezer Scrooge, as well as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Also on board are Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

"A Christmas Carol" also earned $12 million from 18 international markets, led by Britain and Mexico. Disney does not disclose budgets, but various reports have said the price tag was at least $175 million.

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "The Box" also met the modest expectations of their respective distributors, Overture Films and Warner Bros., while Universal Pictures' "The Fourth Kind" did a bit better. Top critics were dismissive of all.

On the other hand, virtually everyone has swooned over "Precious," which stars newcomer Gabourey Sidibe as the ill-starred title character. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry have signed on as executive producers and cheerleaders of the film.

The tear-jerking drama debuted in 18 theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, playing to a mix of art-house and urban crowds. It will add five markets next week.

Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, said it hoped positive word of mouth and glowing reviews would help the studio overcome the difficulty of getting such challenging material into the mainstream.

Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. Overture Films is a unit of Liberty Media Corp. Universal Pictures is a unit of General Electric Co. Warner Bros is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

Watch the trailer for "Disney's A Christmas Carol":

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "A Christmas Carol," $31 million.

2. " Michael Jackson 's This Is It," $14 million.

3. "The Men Who Stare at Goats," $13.3 million.

4. "The Fourth Kind," $12.5 million.

5. "Paranormal Activity," $8.6 million.

6. "The Box," $7.9 million.

7. "Couples Retreat," $6.4 million.

8. "Law Abiding Citizen," $6.2 million.

9. "Where the Wild Things Are," $4.2 million.

10. "Astro Boy," $2.6 million.

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On the Net:

http://www.hollywood.com/boxoffice

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Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Rogue Pictures is owned by Relativity Media LLC; Overture Films is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp.

- MADRID (Reuters) -The French film "Un Prophete" (A Prophet) has been nominated for six European Film awards, including best film and best director, the European Film Academy announced on Saturday at the Seville Europe Film Festival.

Tahar Rahim was nominated as best actor for his role in the film, which also saw director Jacques Audiard nominated for European Screenwriter 2009 with Thomas Bidegain.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Depicting an awkward romance between two young misfits set in the backdrop of a traveling carnival, "Splinterheads" mainly comes across as a low-rent version of "Adventureland." Although Brant Sersen's comedy, which opened Friday (November 6), has amusing moments, they come too far between to elevate the film above the standard indie level of quirkiness for its own sake.

The romance is between Justin (Thomas Middleditch), a twentysomething slacker who lives at home with his mother (played by Lea Thompson, and doesn't that make you feel old?), and Galaxy, a comely tattooed con artist whom he meets when she scams him at a convenience-store gas station. It's certainly not hard to see what Justin sees in the gorgeous and sexy Galaxy, whom he later encounters at the carnival, where she works as a game-booth operator, or "splinterhead."

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Michael Jackson concert film "This Is It" has crossed the $100 million mark at international box offices as it enters its second weekend in theaters, the studio behind the movie said on Friday.

The film has grossed $144 million worldwide, including $44 million from the United States and Canada.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. And judging by what's in theaters this holiday movie season, his name is George Clooney.

Disney's release of the animated "A Christmas Carol" on Friday begins eight weeks of holiday moviegoing that brings a bag full of movies to theaters, from family friendly fare to Oscar hopefuls and this year, a lot of Clooney thrown in.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Isla Fisher is eyeing "Desperados," a feature comedy described as a female-oriented "Hangover."

The story is set in motion when a woman sends an indignant e-mail to her new beau, who's gone silent after they have sex. When she discovers he's comatose in a Mexican hospital, she races south of the border with her friends in tow to intercept the e-mail before he recovers.

- LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter)- British rocker Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame will team with Oscar winner A.R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire") to write the score for "Street Dancing," an against-all-odds movie set in the world of dance competitions held in Singapore and New York.

Cindy Gomez will make her big-screen bow in "Dancing." She previously was featured as a singing and dancing avatar in Nokia's cell phone game "Dance Fabulous."