Apes rule the American box office

LOS ANGELES: New Hollywood film ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is at the top of the American box office earning over $ 104.9 million. Even though new films arrived in theaters over the weekend, audiences still flocked to ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’ which continued its dominance over the competition.

In weekend sales the movie took in $ 27.5 million.

None of the new films which debuted over the weekend saw such results, but ‘The Help’ which is an adaptation of a civil rights novel was the exception. It had ticket sales of $ 25.5 million.

Box office records broken: Bollywood’s July of joy

Four hit films in July create Bollywood box office history... Which one was your favourite? Delhi Belly, Murder 2, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, or Singham?

History is in the making at box office this month. With four blockbusters running successfully at theatres, this July has turned out to be the best ever in the history of Hindi cinema.

Going by the trade figures, the month saw a net collection of around Rs 210 crore at box office, which is a whopping figure. To give you a sense of proportion, it is roughly 26 percent of the total collection of the first half of this year which included the hits like Ready and Double Dhamaal.

In fact, these two films set the momentum in June, carried forward at the start of July with Delhi Belly, which turned out to be a runaway hit despite its A certificate and expletive-strewn dialogues. Bbuddah - Hoga Terra Baap, released on the same day, did not really create a ruck at ticket windows but did decent enough business.

Then came Murder 2, with its macabre tale of a psychotic killer, and minted money at box office despite being panned by the critics.

Box office hat-trick was consummated with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a life-affirming tale of three friends on a trip through Spain. The film managed to attract footfalls despite releasing just two days after the 13/7 Mumbai terror attacks. In fact, it surpassed the first weekend collection of Murder 2.

The fourth Friday of July brought more cheer with the release of Singham. The movie, starring Ajay Devgan, became the second best opener of the year after Salman Khan’s Ready. The film witnessed an exceptional weekend at box office and is still running strong, racing on its way to be a hit.

Compared to the July of 2010, this July has seen an 80 percent increase in box office business, making it the best ever July in Bollywood history.

The good news is that the coming months would see the release of some most eagerly awaited films of the year, like Bodyguard, Ra.One and Don 2. All of them are expected to be money minters.

'Transformers' fires up holiday weekend with $116M

LOS ANGELES: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" followed the franchise's previous installments to quick blockbuster status, hauling in $115.9 million over the long Fourth of July weekend.

The movie raised its domestic total to $180.7 million in just over six days.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Monday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Tuesday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Paramount, $115,886,050, 4,088 locations, $23,937 average, $180,651,397, one week.

2. "Cars 2," Disney, $31,629,695, 4,115 locations, $6,385 average, $122,560,310, two weeks.

3. "Bad Teacher," Sony, $17,261,534, 3,049 locations, $4,758 average, $62,707,505, two weeks.
4. "Larry Crowne," Universal, $16,098,795, 2,973 locations, $4,405 average, $16,098,795, one week.
5. "Super 8," Paramount, $9,527,129, 3,088 locations, $2,565 average, $110,070,156, four weeks.
6. "Monte Carlo," Fox, $8,588,318, 2,473 locations, $3,014 average, $8,588,318, one week.
7. "Green Lantern," Warner Bros., $7,928,176, 3,280 locations, $1,999 average, $103,616,460, three weeks.
8. "Mr. Popper's Penguins," Fox, $6,702,940, 2,861 locations, $1,936 average, $51,727,662, three weeks.
9. "Midnight in Paris," Sony Pictures Classics, $4,382,382, 858 locations, $4,172 average, $34,582,454, seven weeks.
10. "Bridesmaids," Universal, $4,354,515, 1,389 locations, $2,625 average, $153,728,880, eight weeks.
11. "X-Men: First Class," Fox, $3,617,628, 1,602 locations, $1,842 average, $139,329,355, five weeks.
12. "The Hangover Part II," Warner Bros., $2,799,390, 1,568 locations, $1,525 average, $248,651,272, six weeks.
13. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," Disney, $2,629,072, 1,473 locations, $1,487 average, $234,176,965, seven weeks.
14. "Kung Fu Panda 2," Paramount, $2,086,729, 1,281 locations, $1,300 average, $157,281,396, six weeks.
15. "The Tree of Life," Fox Searchlight, $1,307,156, 228 locations, $4,686 average, $7,810,592, six weeks.
16. "Beginners," Focus, $740,568, 108 locations, $5,539 average, $2,506,936, five weeks.
17. "Delhi Belly," UTV, $701,824, 89 locations, $6,539 average, $701,824, one week.
18. "Buck," IFC, $601,336, 131 locations, $3,671 average, $1,131,831, three weeks.
19. "Rio," Fox, $542,534, 308 locations, $1,451 average, $140,575,082, 12 weeks.
20. "Thor," Paramount, $470,820, 270 locations, $1,483 average, $177,988,100, nine weeks.
(AP)

Transformers 3 breaks box office record

LOS ANGELES: Transformers 3 is not only winning over audiences and breathing new life into 3D it’s also breaking box office records. Box Office Tracker Exhibitor Relations is showing that the third film Dark Of The Moon will bring in over $100million by the 4th of July making it the largest holiday box office on record.

3D Box office take has been on the slide over the last while with Green Lantern taking the hardest hit with less than 40% of its revenue coming from 3D ticket sales. Transformers 3D on the other hand has seen over 60% of its revenue come from 3D ticket sales.

Without question Transformers will become a billion dollar franchise in the next month if things keep up as they are at the box office.

Transformers: dark of the moon makes box office debut

NEW YORK: The third installment in the Transformers series “dark of the moon” is being released today. The movie will be released in both 2D and 3D formats.

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is set to hit theaters across the US on June 29. The move showcases a mysterious event from Earth's past which erupts into the present day; it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

‘Pirates 4’ still top pick at box office

LOS ANGELES: The fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie ruled the foreign box office for a second weekend, fending off strong debuts by the "Hangover" and "Kung Fu Panda" sequels.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," playing everywhere overseas, captured $123 million during the weekend, raising its total to $471 million -- more than three times its domestic gross ($153 million).

"The Hangover, Part II" pulled in $59 million from 40 markets. Warner Bros. said the opening is three times higher than the comparable opening gross of the original 2009 hit in the same markets.

The comedy drew huge numbers from its No. 1 U.K. bow ($16.4 million), while Australia chipped in $11.6 million and France $5.8 million. Germany and Russia will open this week.

"Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D followed closely with $57 million from just 11 markets, mostly in Asia.

The sequel to 2008's "Kung Fu Panda" finished in the top spot in nine markets, with China ($18.5 million), Russia ($15 million) and South Korea ($13 million) leading the list.

This week will see "Kung Fu Panda 2" adding 11 markets as it rolls out gradually over the summer months to capitalize on school holidays.

No. 4 on the weekend was "Fast Five," which grossed $13.3 million in 61 territories, pushing the foreign total for the turbo-charged street-racing sequel to $346 million.

"Rio" came in at No. 5 with $3.8 million from 37 markets for an overseas total of $321.9 million. (Reuters)

Rebooted 'Pirates' sets overseas box office record

NEW YORK (AP) — The reengineered "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise has sailed again at the box office, as the "On Stranger Tides" sequel took a record international haul of $256.3 million, according to studio estimates.

Walt Disney Co. said Sunday that the fourth "Pirates" installment earned $90.1 million domestically. That gives it a worldwide total of $346.4 million, the fourth largest global opening.

The new film jettisons co-stars Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, but brings back Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane introduce new characters.

"On Stranger Tides" was the only new film in wide-release on the weekend. In its second week of release, the acclaimed comedy "Bridesmaids" was second at the box office with $21 million.

'Thor' hammers 'Bridesmaids' at box office

"Thor" nailed down the No. 1 spot at the box office again.

Paramount's 3-D superhero film starring Chris Hemsworth as Marvel's hammer-toting god of thunder earned $34.5 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That brings the total haul of "Thor" to $119.2 million, though not quite as impressive as fellow comic book hero "Iron Man 2," which earned $211.2 million by its second weekend the same time last year.

"`Thor' had a really great playing field to work on for its second weekend in theaters," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "For a big-budget Marvel Comics film that opened very solidly to drop only 48 percent indicates some very strong word of mouth. I think Kenneth Branagh being the director really brought a lot to the table."

Universal's "Bridesmaids," the raunchy comedy starring Kristen Wiig as a down-on-her-luck maid of honor, debuted above expectations in second place with $24.4 million. Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, attributed the movie's good reviews and word of mouth to wide audience appeal: 67 percent of the audience was female; 33 percent male.

"That's pretty good considering this is a picture titled 'Bridesmaids,'" said Rocco.

The next adversary for "Thor" arrives next week with the opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth film in the blockbuster Disney franchise starring Johnny Depp as mischievous pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow. On Memorial Day weekend come the sequels "The Hangover Part II" from Warner Bros. and "Kung Fu Panda 2" from Paramount.

"The cavalry is about to arrive," said Dergarabedian. "We're poised for a strong Memorial Day weekend. We're down year-to-date about 13 percent on revenue. A month ago, we were down 20 percent. We're making up ground, and this weekend was down only 3 percent, which is impressive considering the strength of 'Iron Man 2' in its second weekend a year ago."

Universal's car-racing sequel "Fast Five" with Dwayne Johnson shifted into the third position with $19.5 million in its third weekend in theaters.

Sony's 3-D vampire-hunting graphic novel adaptation "Priest" opened in fourth place with $14.5 million, while Fox's animated bird tale "Rio" landed at fifth place with $8 million in its fifth weekend in theaters.

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

1. "Thor," $34.5 million.

2. "Bridesmaids," $24.4 million.

3. "Fast Five," $19.5 million.

4. "Priest," $14.5 million.

5. "Rio," $8 million.

6. "Jumping the Broom," $7.3 million.

7. "Something Borrowed," $7 million.

8. "Water for Elephants," $4.1 million.

9. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family," $2.2 million.

10. "Soul Surfer," $1.8 million.
(AP)

`Limitless' wins weekend with $18.9M debut

LOS ANGELES: "Limitless," starring Bradley Cooper as an author who taps his full brain potential after sampling a revolutionary new drug, topped North America's weekend box office, data showed Monday.

The darkly comic thriller film benefited from a charismatic lead actor in Cooper, of 2009 smash hit "The Hangover," to make $18.9 million in its debut weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

In second place was Paramount's eccentric animated film "Rango," with the voice talent of Johnny Depp in a tale about a chameleon who becomes sheriff to clean up the town of Dirt, had $15.1 million in ticket sales.

Slipping from the top spot to third was "Battle: Los Angeles," which tells the story of a unit of US Marines fighting invading aliens. The film took in $14.5 million across North America.

The Matthew McConaughey-starring drama "The Lincoln Lawyer" debuted in the fourth spot, with $13.2 million, while British comic star Simon Pegg's science fiction romp "Paul" took $13 million, also in its opening weekend.

In sixth was "Red Riding Hood," a gothic retelling of the classic fairy tale, starring Amanda Seyfried as a strong-willed teenager in a love triangle, had $7.2 million in sales as it slid three spots in its second weekend.

Thriller "The Adjustment Bureau" had $58 million in takings for the seventh spot, while Disney's "Mars Needs Moms!" slipped three slots for this weekend's number eight with $5.3 million in estimated sales.

Ninth place went to critically panned teen romance flick "Beastly" with $3.2 million, ahead of comedy "Hall Pass" with $2.6 million. (AFP)

China sets $1.5 bln box office record in 2010

BEIJING: China's film industry had a record year in 2010, grossing 10.17 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) at the box office, but domestic movies struggled against Hollywood blockbusters, according to state media.

National box office takings rose 63.9 percent on-year as more Chinese than ever went to the movies, Tong Gang, director of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's State Film Bureau told the China Daily on Saturday.

"Ten billion yuan is just something to feel good about, but not to show off about," Tong was quoted as saying.

"So far, it has not been possible to compete with such films as 'Avatar' and 'Inception'. Far too few domestic films are well received by the public," he added.

Combined, Hollywood's sci-fi fantasy "Avatar" and thriller "Inception" represented about a fifth of China's total box office takings while the highest-grossing domestic film, disaster epic "Aftershock", earned only 673 million yuan.

"China still lacks good films," Tong said.

Beijing officials are increasingly stressing that China needs to expand its cultural industries, which account for less than two percent of the country's gross domestic product.

China made 526 feature films in 2010 -- up 15 percent from 2009 -- making it the third-largest film producer after Bollywood and Hollywood, the China Daily said.

But critics, including "Aftershock" director Feng Xiaogang, one of the country’s most successful commercial directors, say censors at the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television often block the kind of originality needed to make great films.

"This is not an era that can produce masters," Feng told Sina.com in an interview last year.

China currently limits the number of foreign films screened in cinemas to 20 a year but in March it is due to address the World Trade Organization's call for it to open up its film market.

Tong declined to comment on what impact that ruling could have on the domestic film industry, the report said.

'Little Fockers' tops North American box office

"Little Fockers," the third in a series of Ben Stiller comedies playing on the nightmare in-laws theme, topped the Christmas weekend box office in North America, preliminary data showed Sunday.

Despite a lukewarm response from critics, the flick grossed 34 million dollars over the three-day weekend, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Oscar-winning brothers Joel and Ethan Coen came in second with their remake of the John Wayne western "True Grit."

Jeff Bridges plays drunken, hard-nosed US Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn in the new version of the 1969 classic, which took in 25.6 million dollars, giving the Coen brothers their best ever opening.

Bridges also stars in last weekend's top film -- "TRON: Legacy" -- which captured 20.1 million dollars in ticket sales in its second weekend, slipping down to third in the rankings.

The sequel to the 1982 sci-fi cult hit stars 61-year-old Oscar-winner Bridges appearing opposite a computer-generated version of his younger self from the original movie.

The original "TRON" -- about a hacker transported into a computer game world -- was one of the first-ever computer animated films. It did well at the box office and became a cult for a generation of budding sci-fi fans.

In fourth spot was "Voyage of the Dawn Treader," the third installment in the "The Chronicles of Narnia" series based on the classic C.S. Lewis children's books. It earned 10.8 million dollars.

"Yogi Bear," a blend of 3D and live-action fun, notched up 8.8 million dollars in earnings ahead of Mark Wahlberg's boxing drama "The Fighter," in sixth place with 8.5 million.

Jack Black 3D comedy "Gulliver's Travels," based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel about a voyage to the Lilliput kingdom of tiny people, opened in a disappointing seventh place, with 7.2 million in ticket sales.

Ballet thriller "Black Swan," starring Natalie Portman as a dancer in a New York company exploring the dark sides of the industry and her own sensuality, dropped down a notch to eighth. It made 8.38 million dollars.

In ninth place, the animated Disney fable "Tangled" about long-haired Princess Rapunzel netted 6.5 million dollars, notching up a total of 143.8 million over its five weeks in theaters.

Rounding out the top 10 was romantic thriller "The Tourist," starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. It earned 5.7 million.

British historical drama "The King's Speech," featuring Colin Firth as a stuttering King George VI who is helped to overcome his impediment with the help of an eccentric speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush, earned 4.6 million in a limited showing in 700 theaters.

Tron leads weak pack of newcomers at box office

LOS ANGELES: "Tron: Legacy," a costly 3D sci-fi movie that Walt Disney Co has promoted for more than three years, opened disappointingly at the weekend box office in North America, while a new comedy starring Reese Witherspoon was one of the biggest flops of the year.

The "Tron" movie, a massively hyped sequel to an obscure 1982 movie, earned $43.6 million during its first three days of release, Disney said Sunday. Industry observers had been expecting a three-day start in the $50 million range, although Disney said the opening was within its own expectations.

The effects-laden update reportedly cost $170 million to make, and more than $100 million to market worldwide. Disney never divulges budgets.

Internationally, the film earned a modest $23 million from No. 1 openings in all 26 of its markets, including Japan, Australia, Britain and Brazil. These markets represent about half of the international sales pie.

Meanwhile "How Do You Know" opened at No. 8 with just $7.6 million in the United States and Canada, far short of modest expectations in the $12 million range. The Columbia Pictures project cost about $100 million to make, with half the budget spent on salaries for Witherspoon, co-stars Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd, and writer/director James L. Brooks. Extensive reshoots also drove up costs.

Executives at the Sony Corp unit were despondent about the opening, although the film had suffered bad buzz for some time with no help from a forgettable title.

A third newcomer did not do much better. "Yogi Bear," a live-action/animated update of the old television cartoon, came in at No. 2 with $16.7 million. Distributor Warner Bros. said it had hoped for an opening between $18 million and $20 million, but the Time Warner Inc unit expected the Christmas holiday would boost business. The $80 million film stars Dan Aykroyd as the voice of the title character and Justin Timberlake as his sidekick Boo Boo.

Critics trashed all three films, which vied for the attention of holiday-distracted moviegoers alongside national expansions of acclaimed awards-season contenders Paramount Pictures' "The Fighter" (No. 4, $12.2 million) and Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan" (No. 7, $8.3 million).

Last weekend's champion, 20th Century Fox's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," fell to No. 3 with $12.4 million in its second weekend.

"The Tourist," a widely mocked caper starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, dropped three places to No. 5 with $8.7 million, also in its second weekend. The Columbia release tied with Disney's former chart-topping cartoon "Tangled."

The final weekend before Christmas is traditionally slow, although films often enjoy long runs as school holidays start to take effect. But overall business has been weak for some time, with year-on-year sales down for six weekends in a row.

"A malaise has crept over the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, head box office analyst at Hollywood.com. "The lack of momentum is hurting everybody across the board."

But Disney was bullish about "Tron: Legacy," a project that has occupied the attention of two regimes at the studio in recent years. It has been offering tantalizing glimpses to movie fans at the annual Comic-Con convention since 2008, and raised the heat in recent months with cross-marketing efforts across its theme parks, consumer-products and cable TV wings.

Jeff Bridges returns to "Tron" as a videogame developer trapped in a virtual environment called the Grid. While the original film appealed only to male youngsters, Disney targeted the reboot at men and women of all ages.

But exit polling indicated the film skewed to men aged 18 to 30, with relatively little interest in mainstream multiplexes. Instead, the film's tech-savvy constituency thronged 3D and big-screen theaters. About one-quarter of sales -- $10.3 million -- came from Imax Corp's 234 screens. The film played in almost 3,500 theaters overall.

'Tron' sequel set to hit $40 million at box office

Hollywood is once again overstuffing the Christmas stocking with films of all shapes and sizes, hoping to benefit from the most lucrative and intense stretch of the year at the box office.

Among the four new wide releases, Disney's 3D tentpole "Tron: Legacy" is expected to top the weekend with three-day sales north of $40 million.

Also battling for moviegoers are Warner Bros.' 3D family picture "Yogi Bear," Paramount/Relativity Media's "The Fighter," and Sony's romantic comedy "How Do You Know."

"Tron: Legacy" is tracking well among men of all ages. Disney introduced the $170 million follow-up to the 1982 cult classic to fanboys two years ago. Jeff Bridges returns in the role of Kevin Flynn, while Garrett Hedlund plays his son.

Yogi Bear brings an even more recognizable character to the big screen, at least among older moviegoers who grew up on the popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Warners will be happy if the film breaks $20 million this weekend.

Tracking for "How Do You Know" is on the softer side, indicating an opening of $12 million and possibly lower. The $100 million film stars Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson.

The two wild cards are "The Fighter," which opened in limited release last weekend, and Fox Searchlight's "Black Swan," which makes a major play in expanding from 90 theaters to 959. On Wednesday, "Swan" ups its screen count to 1,426.

Both films are early awards favorites, as is the Weinstein Co.'s "The King's Speech," which expands to 43 locations from 19 Friday. All three picked up significant Golden Globe, Critics' Choice and SAG nominations this week.

'Megamind' tops box offices for second week

Animated comedy 'Megamind' topped film charts for the second week on Sunday, claiming No. 1 at North American box offices with $30 million and beating new releases, including action flick "Unstoppable."

The family-oriented comedy pushed its two-week total to $89.8 million and showed staying power in theaters with a decline of 35 percent from last week's debut of nearly $48 million for its producers at DreamWorks Animation.

The relatively small drop, compared to other major releases that often see ticket sales fall 50 percent or more, has DreamWorks Animation hoping "Megamind" can hold its own against the widely anticipated "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" when it debuts in theaters next weekend.

"We're seeing lots of momentum with kids and especially young boys," DreamWorks Animation global marketing chief Anne Globe said, adding that the company expects "Megamind" to continue performing well in theaters equipped with 3D.

The new "Harry Potter" will not be show in 3D.

In second place over the weekend was runaway train movie "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It pulled in $23.5 million and was the top-grossing new release, pleasing its distributor 20th Century Fox.

The fast-paced thriller generally earned good reviews from both critics and positive response from fans, Fox said, which is rare in theaters these days.

"Unstoppable" debuted in about 3,200 theaters, for an average of $7,300 per location. "Megamind" pulled in $7,600 per venue in approximately 3,900 locations.

In its second week in theaters, Warner Bros. comedy "Due Date," starring Robert Downey Jr., dropped one position to the No. 3 slot on box office charts with $15.5 million, or $4,600 per theater in more than 3300 locations.

Sci-fi thriller "Skyline" was No. 4 with $11.7 million, while romantic comedy "Morning Glory" rounded out the top 5 with $9.6 million, a disappointing opening with major stars like Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton working alongside Rachel McAdams.

Director Tyler Perry's "For Colored Girls" fell to the No. 6 spot with a 65 percent drop in ticket sales to a total $6.8 million. That figure pushed its cumulative box office to just under $31 million in two weeks.

Rounding out the top 10 in descending order were four holdovers from recent weeks, "Red," "Paranormal Activity 2" "Saw 3D" and "Jackass 3D."

"Megamind," "Morning Glory," "Paranormal Activity 2" and "Jackass 3D" were all distributed by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.. "Megamind" was produced by DreamWorks Animation.

"Skyline" was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric's NBC Universal media division, and "Unstoppable" by 20th Century Fox is a division of News Corp. "For Colored Girls" and "Saw 3D" were released by Lions Gate, and "Red" by privately held Summit Entertainment.

Box office update: No let up in ‘Endhiran’ craze!

As fans continue to line up to watch Rajinikanth’s latest film Endhiran, the movie is smashing all box office records and writing history.

Making a film with a 60-year-old star and a whopping budget of Rs 160 crore did seem like a big gamble. But director Shankar has silenced all detractors, as the movie Endhiran shows no sign of slowing down at the box office down south.

According to a trade analyst, the Tamil movie (and its Hindi version Robot) has raked in a collection between Rs. 200 to 225 crores in just two weeks since its release on October 1. No other film in the history of Indian cinema has made so much money in just two weeks.

Going by the figures, Endhiran has collected Rs. 150 crores from Tamil Nadu only. Its collection from other south centres is close to Rs. 50 crore. And the earning of Robot (Hindi) stands close to Rs. 15 crore.

That’s not the end of it, as the film is likely to continue its good run in the weeks ahead.

'The Robot' may break box office records

Industry experts have predicted that the Bollywood science-fiction film Enhiran will break box office records due to the huge amount of hype and promotion surrounding its release.

BBC confirms that the film is the most expensive production ever made in India with a budget of 1.6bn rupees, the equivalent to £23 million.

The thriller, directed by S. Shankar, stars Rajinikanth as the scientist Vaseegaran who successfully creates a human robot hybrid and co-star Aishwarya Rai as his girlfriend.

The film's special effects have received universal praise, and it has been well-received by critics.

Enhiran, also known as The Robot, was released worldwide on Friday.

Affleck's heist film tops US box office

The Town, Ben Affleck's fast-paced bank heist flick set in his hometown of Boston debuted as the top movie at North American theaters this weekend, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

Supplanting Resident Evil: Afterlife in the top spot, The Town, the second film to be directed by the actor, earned 23.8 million dollars in ticket sales, according to projections from box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Second place went to another new film, teen comedy Easy A about a high school girl who lies about losing her virginity to improve her social standing, which earned 18.2 million dollars.

M. Night Shyamalan's Devil supernatural thriller about Satan trapping victims in a Philadelphia high-rise came in third, raking 12.6 million dollars in tickets sales.

Resident Evil, the latest in a long-running science fiction series, fell from the top spot last week to fourth with 10.1 million dollars.

Alpha and Omega, about a wolfpack in the wilds of a Canadian nature reserve, opened in fifth place with 9.2 million dollars in tickets sold.

In sixth place was Takers, the bank-robbery thriller starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I. which earned three million dollars.

George Clooney's spy flick The American was seventh with earnings of 2.76 million dollars.

Rounding out the top ten were Inception in eighth place with a shade over two million dollars in ticket sales; crime comedy The Other Guys with two million dollars, and romance flick Eat, Pray, Love which claimed 1.7 million dollars to finish in 10th place.

Resident Evil snatches box office lead

Sony's Resident Evil: Afterlife snatched the top of the North American box office this weekend with 26.7 million dollars in ticket sales, final figures showed recently.

The fourth in a long-running science fiction series, the film stars Milla Jovovich as a new age warrior fighting to protect humans from a world led by zombies.

Resident Evil films are based on a video game of the same name from Japan's Capcom. The latest film was directed by Paul Anderson, who also directed the original 2002 feature.

Jumping one spot into second place was Takers. The bank-robbery thriller starring Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and singers Chris Brown and T.I. earned 5.7 million dollars in its third week of release, bringing its overall take to 47.7 million dollars, said industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

George Clooney's spy flick The American fell from its top spot to land in third place with earnings of 5.7 million dollars. Mixing violence with a campy tribute to 1970s exploitation movies from directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, Machete came in fourth with 4.3 million dollars from Friday to Sunday, or 20.9 million since its release.

Holding steady at number five was new release Going the Distance, a romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long about a couple living on opposite US coasts who try to make their relationship work. It earned 3.8 million dollars in its second weekend.

The Other Guys, the latest Will Ferrell slapstick comedy, climbed up one spot to sixth place, taking in 3.3 million dollars for its story about two mismatched police officers paired on a high-profile crime investigation.

Seventh place went to the gruesome documentary-style horror movie The Last Exorcism, which fell from its fourth spot last weekend, taking 3.3 million dollars, or 38 million since its release.

The mockumentary, directed by Daniel Stamm and co-produced by Eli Roth, a director known for his bloody thrillers, follows a disillusioned minister supposedly filming his last exorcism for a documentary.

Falling to eighth place was The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone's film about a group of weathered mercenaries out to topple a South American dictator, which earned 3.2 million dollars in its fifth week in theaters.

Eat, Pray, Love, Ryan Murphy's adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's novel about a divorcee's jaunt to Italy, Indonesia and India, starring Julia Roberts, took ninth position with 2.9 million dollars.

Rounding out the top 10 was blockbuster Inception starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an expert infiltrator of people's dreams, which took in 2.8 million, or 282 million since its release.

Fail to impress box-office

Last Friday was a crowded week with as many as 16 films jostling for eyeballs at the box-office windows. These included five Hindi films - Aashayein, Hello Darling, Antardwand, Soch Lo, Madholal Keep Walking and Gumshuda- and two English re-releases James Cameron’s 3D Avatar with nine minutes of never-seen footage and Vertigo and its dubbed Hindi version, Khoon Ka Khel.

Add to the list one English sequel, Crank 2 (dubbed in Hindi as Kaminey, Company), an English flick Bitch Slap - and a Malaysian animated flick, Geng. Followed by a bouquet of regional films - the Bengali Aarohan, three Marathi films, Navra Ali Bayko Lovely, Sa.. Sasucha and Pardh, one Gujarati film Preet Piyu Ne Parnetar and even a rare Sindhi film, Tappad Tension Tey. And what we had was a veritable potpourri that, with the exception of Avatar, which grossed Rs 1.60 crore over the weekend in India, was largely unpalatable.

Aashayein“Isn’t it ridiculous!’ says an aggrieved trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “Even during Eid or Diwali, the market cannot take more than two-three films. And this is the lean Ramzan and Shraddh period. Every producer believes that his film is Sholay and samnewale cholay and releases his film to 5-10 per cent collections. Some of the films even had to cancel shows because there were no takers.”

Distributor Ramesh Sippy doesn’t find anything shocking about this annual flop parade. “It’s the only time small films can get an opening at multiplexes. If they wait till mid-September and October, they will be bulldozed by the biggies. So they brave the numbers and come out in the hope that they will strike a chord,” he points out.

Sushil Rajpal, producer-director of the National Award-winning Antardwand, echoes his view. “September 27 was the only Friday I was getting theatres, so my
distributors, PVR, decided to go ahead with the release,” he sighs.

Antardwand got decent reviews, but couldn’t make an impact commercially. “You need a strong film to work at this time. Last year, I released Wanted in the Bombay territory three days before Eid. It was a crowdpuller from the first show. This year, even though it’s not as big a hit, Lafangey Parindey has been holding on,” reasons Sippy.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra pegs last week’s loss at between Rs 20-40 crore for the industry and believes that it’s time our filmmakers learnt from others’ fall and do not go down the same path. “Of course, in some cases, the producers have no choices. I hadn’t even heard of films like Gumshuda and Soch Lo before,” he says.

Malplix Films Hello Darling was just one of the many films that didn’t get a release overseas, while Percept’s 18-month delayed Aashayein, was a washout abroad. “No NRI would pay in dollars and pounds to watch a comedian (Javed Jaffrey) play hero to three non-happening actresses or watch another hero (John Abraham) die,” Mehra argues.

This week, the industry’s hopes are pinned on Dharma Productions’ We Are Family that Mehra describes as a “decent family film”. But the one everyone is looking forward to is Salman Khan’s Eid release Dabangg.

“It’s got the Wanted feel, Salman’s looking hot and the music too has caught on. It will be a plus film for the producer from day one,” predicts Mehra. “Even after paying fancy terms, distributors have managed to woo the exhibitors with the promise of houseful shows and recover their costs. And that is a rarity today.”

Avatar re-release fails at US box office

Acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron's re-release of sci-fi epic movie Avatar has been reported a flop at the US box office at the weekend.

The horror film The Last Exorcism topped the box office chart, debuting with $21.3 million in earnings, followed closely by Takers, the crime drama starring Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Matt Dillon opening with $21 million, reports contactmusic.com.

Meanwhile, Cameron's 3-D special edition of Avatar, which included an extra nine minutes of footage, failed to draw cinemagoers in droves as it did last year. The film pulled up merely $4 million.

Sylvester Stallone's action hit The Expendables slipped to third place with $9.5 million, raising its three-week total to $82 million.

Rounding out the top five were Julia Roberts' feel-good film Eat Pray Love and Samuel L. Jackson's action comedy The Other Guys, taking in $7 million and $6.6 million respectively.