'Dark Knight' sets box office record with $66.4M

Holy $66 Million Debut, Batman!

LOS ANGELES - Batman's joust with the Joker has set another box office record. Stoked by fan fever over the manic performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, "The Dark Knight" set a one-day box office record with $66.4 million on opening day, Warner Bros. head of distribution Dan Fellman said Saturday.

The movie's Friday haul surpassed the previous record of $59.8 million set last year by "Spider-Man 3." "The Dark Knight" might break the opening-weekend record of $151.1 million, also held by "Spider-Man 3."

"I think they're in jeopardy," Fellman said of the "Spider-Man 3" records.

"The Dark Knight" began with a record $18.5 million from midnight screenings, topping the previous high of $16.9 million for "Star Wars: Episode III — The Revenge of the Sith."

The opening day grosses for "The Dark Knight" far exceeded the full weekend haul of its predecessor, "Batman Begins," which took in $48.7 million in its first three days in 2005.

Reviews were excellent for director Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins," but they were stellar for his "Dark Knight."

"We've really never seen anything like this," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "The death of a fine actor taken in his prime, a legendary performance, and a movie that lives up to all the hype. That all combined to create these record-breaking numbers."

Buzz had been high for the Batman sequel well before Ledger died of an accidental prescription-drug overdose in January. Trailers last fall revealing Ledger's demented Joker, with crooked clown makeup, turned up the heat even more. The critical acclaim over his performance that built from advance screenings left fans in a frenzy.

"It's a combination of things. Certainly, that's a great part of it, but I think this movie's gross was partly because of the reviews it received and the incredible buzz and word of mouth that preceded it with our early screenings," Fellman said. "And the success and quality of the last one, `Batman Begins,' delivered by Chris Nolan just set the tone for the opening of this movie."

"The Dark Knight" reunites Christian Bale as Batman, the vigilante crime-fighter tormented by personal tragedy, and co-stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Maggie Gyllenhaal also stars.

The film spins an epic crime duel as Ledger's Joker orchestrates a reign of terror on the city of Gotham aimed to spread chaos and break down the restraint that keeps Batman on the right side of the law.

While critics are taking the film seriously enough to suggest Ledger could be in line for an Academy Award nomination, the action-packed movie also delivers as pure summer movie escapism.

"If you're worried about mortgage payments and gas prices, when you're sitting in `The Dark Knight' for two and a half hours, you're not thinking about any of that stuff," Dergarabedian said.

Source : AP

In this image released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger starring as The Joker, is shown in a scene with Christian Bale, starring as Batman in 'The Dark Knight.'

(AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Stephen Vaughan)

Hellboy, Hancock Hot; Meet Dave Not

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Hellboy had a good weekend. Will Smith had an impressive one. Brendan Fraser had an okay one. Eddie Murphy didn't. Have any of the above.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army topped the Friday-Sunday box office with $35.9 million, according to Exhibitor Relations estimates today.

In its second weekend, Smith's Hancock slipped to No. 2, but definitively proved its bad reviews were no match for its star's appeal and moviegoers' taste. The superhero tale grossed another $33 million, and scored the modern box office's ultimate compliment—ticket sales fell less than 50 percent.

Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth, a 3-D remake of the classic Jules Verne adventure, opened in third, with $20.6 million.

Murphy's Meet Dave, meanwhile, looked like it was in for a brief, unpleasant run.

The high-concept comedy about little space people bowed in seventh with $5.3 million, the lowest total for a debuting Murphy wide release since the actor's 2002 film The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

It is generally believed that, in box office discussions, it is not a good thing to be compared with Pluto Nash. Ever.

Other box office notes:

• Hellboy II is now the top-debuting Hellboy movie of all time. The original Hellboy opened with $23.2 million in 2004. • It's a good thing for Sony that Hancock held up as well as it did, for emotional as well as financial reasons. Sony released the first Hellboy but passed on the sequel, leaving Universal to score the box office win with Hellboy II. • One reason Hancock held up as well as it did: The movie's CinemaScore, as determined by audience polling, was a solid B-plus, significantly better than the movie's Tomatometer reading, as determined by movie-review sampling at Rotten Tomatoes. • Angelina Jolie had a better weekend than Wanted (fifth place, $11.6 million; $112 million overall), which didn't really have all that bad a weekend itself. • In its fifth weekend, The Incredible Hulk ($2.2 million) stood at $129.8 million overall, and continued its eerie mimicry of Ang Lee's Hulk, which stood at $128.1 million after five weekends, per Box Office Mojo stats. • The Incredible Hulk fell out of the Top 10, just like (wait for it…) Lee's Hulk, which fell out of the Top 10 in its fifth weekend. • Sex and the City ($1.7 million) departed from the Top 10 in its seventh weekend, and after a $148.2 million haul. • In limited release, the French thriller Tell No One enjoyed a Hancock-ian second weekend, grossing $241,000 at 18 theaters, per Box Office Mojo, for the biggest per-screen average of any movie. • Josh Hartnett's August did so-so, taking in $6,505 at one theater. • Harold, a new comedy about a balding 14-year-old played by Two and a Half Men's Spencer Breslin, wasn't especially virile, with $10,300 at three theaters, Box Office Mojo said. Here's a recap of the top-grossing weekend films based on Friday-Sunday estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

• Hellboy II: The Golden Army, $35.9 million • Hancock, $33 million • Journey to the Center of the Earth, $20.6 million • WALL-E, $18.5 million • Wanted, $11.6 million • Get Smart, $7.1 million • Meet Dave, $5.3 million • Kung Fu Panda, $4.3 million • Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, $2.4 million • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $2.3 million

The Avengers Headed to Movie Screens in 2011, Iron Man Sequel in 2010

Marvel reported their financial numbers over the weekend, which were quite nice, especially on the heels of Iron Man's incredible opening, but the real news was specific announcements for new films in our future.

Here's what we know:

Thor is coming in Summer 2010.

Iron Man 2 arrives on April 30, 2010.

On May 6, 2011, is The First Avenger: Captain America, followed in July with The Avengers!

( after The HULK's second installation 2008 - there is a possibility of tony stark joining the hulk ) http://gold-ticket.blogspot.com/2008/06/downeys-tony-stark-appears-in.html . cool

Iron Man Director Talks Sequel

Amazing how a $200-million opening can kick-start the notoriously slow moving wheels in Hollywood, evidenced by yesterday's announcement that Iron Man 2 would be hitting theaters in 2010. Now the Jon Favreau, the film's director, is already talking up the sequel with Entertainment Weekly.

Will you be involved with the sequel?

We've been speaking informally about it, and in concept we would all love to work together again. But I found out about the announcement last night, so it's not something that — we would definitely love to collaborate more with the sequel. There's no formal arrangement yet, but in theory we would all love to see it happen.... There's definitely a lot of ideas that we all have now. This type of movie is based on serialized materials, so it lends itself very easily to [many different sequel possibilities]. There's definitely a level of enthusiasm from myself and the cast to tell more stories.

Is Robert Downey Jr. under contract to do another movie?

He is.
(Source: Entertainment Weekly)

Terminator 4 Plot Details Revealed

Warner Brothers has announced that shooting of Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, better known as Terminator 4, has begun. With the announcement came a few nuggets as to what we can expect from the story.

From Warner PR:

"In the highly anticipated new installment of "The Terminator" film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind."(Source: Warner Press Release)

20 Things That Suck About Indiana Jones 4

Like every self-respecting geek, I went and saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this past week, and while I had prepared myself for a disappointing outcome, I left the theater more confused and conflicted than anything else. It isn't bad, but at the same it isn't very good. It's Indiana Jones, but at the same time it isn't. That's not to say the movie doesn't do some things well, but every time the movie takes one step in the right direction, it takes two steps back. So what did the movie do wrong? See for yourself:

Just a quick note: There are obviously spoilers in this list, so if you haven't seen the film, consider yourself warned.

1. The gopher
I have to get this one out of the way first, because it's the first thing that will likely piss people off about the film. When the movie opened with a shot of a CG gopher, I actually heard someone in the theater say "God damn you George Lucas!" It wasn't Jar-Jar, but it was bad. It's a sign of how little faith I have in Lucas anymore when I almost expected the gopher to start dancing to Kenny Loggins music a la Caddyshack, marking my cue to exit and give up on the film altogether. Little did I know that the CG rodent was only the beginning of Indy 4's problems.

2. Horrible set pieces
None of the latest Indiana Jones movie was filmed overseas. Think about that for a moment. Production was done entirely within the United States, and it shows. Every indoor scene looks like a terribly lit sound stage, while copious green screen and CG alterations to backgrounds make it evident that the crew didn't have to do much traveling for this film.

3. Shameful use of Indy's dad
Why did they establish that Sean Connery's character is dead? It didn't add anything to the story at all, and just made it impossible for him to come back for a future film.

4. Shameful use of Marcus Brody
I get that the actor's dead. I'm fine with him not being back. But the gag with the statue and having the head fall in the goon's lap? It wasn't funny. It was just awkward, especially when you see Indy's reaction.

5. Waste of acting talent
Why were Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent even in this movie? Cate could have been replaced by Winona Ryder and no one would have noticed. All of their characters were so poorly developed and one dimensional that the actors themselves looked bored to death.

6. Why is he practically never called 'Indiana'?
Maybe Indy dropped the nickname after The Last Crusade told us that he was named after the dog, but I got tired of always hearing him referred to as 'Henry' or 'Jonesy.' I think Marion might have yelled "INDYYYYYY" once just for old time's sake. His name is Indiana. Get it right.

7. The movie beats you over the head with nostalgia
We get it. It's a new Indiana Jones film. Guess what? Shots of the Ark of the Covenant and the snake gag don't make it a great Indy film, and neither do the Wilhelm scream or the reused musical cuts from the earlier movies. None of the previous Indy movies had to lean on their predecessors by beating you over the head with "HEY REMEMBER THIS?!" - Why should this one? Nostalgia can only go so far to make a film good, and that's only if done properly.

8. Sword fighting on jeeps
Lightsaber fighting while surfing on lava all over again. What the hell, George?

9. Gophers, again
We certainly didn't need the first shot, so why did they feel the need to show the gophers again, this time comically watching Indy on his rocket sled.

10. Russians with a rocket sled of their own?
How do the Russians immediately catch up to Indy's rocket sled that shoots across the desert at 500 MPH? Are their jeeps packing rocket engines too?

11. Area 51 is guarded by the US Army Reserve
Seriously, why are there about 6 guys guarding a base that holds all of America's darkest secrets and precious artifacts? The nuclear testing BS doesn't fly.

12. Ox sucks
Replace him with a tablet explaining where to go and you're set. He adds nothing to the story, save for plot holes. I don't really know what else to say, other than he was completely worthless.

13. Mac sucks
What a wasted character. You could see the double-cross coming from a mile away, then he comes back as a good guy, before a triple-cross and then a quick resignation to death. Of course they take the easy way out and write off his villainy to an obsession over riches. How dramatic. He was like Benny from The Mummy but less entertaining.

14. Marion sucks
This falls under the "beating you over the head with nostalgia" gripe, but was there really any need for Marion to be in this movie? She's only there in the second half , and doesn't even do anything noteworthy until the wedding scene at the end.

15. Indy's translation skills are amazing
We get that he's smart, but performing a translation in about 10 seconds of a language that by Indy's admission hasn't been used for thousands of years? That's stretching it.

16. Indiana Jones and the Movie for Dull-witted Audiences
Speaking of Indy being intelligent, does he really need to spend the entire movie beating the audience over the head with the plot? Either Spielberg has forgotten the art of subtlety, or he figures the majority of people that will see this movie are morons. Indy's constantly having to explain shit, and just in case you hadn't figured out by the end that the aliens were the ancient gods, Indy's going to hold the skull up to a wall painting for about 20 seconds. Did you figure it out yet?!

17. Aliens
Well I brought them up, so I might as well finish it. I don't have a problem with the aliens plot itself. It's no more far-fetched than a box containing the power of God that can melt faces, or a cup that grants everlasting life. I have a problem with how it was handled. Again the film's lack of subtlety is a principal undoing. There's no reason to show the big space ship and the alien. Show one, but don't show both. It wasn't necessary and only seemed to be there to fill out the film's CG budget.

18. Russians can't make up their damn minds
First they capture Indy and need to use him, then he escapes and they try to kill him. Then they capture him and need to use him again, followed by an inevitable escape and the Russians trying to kill him. Again. Repeat ad nauseum.

19. Tarzan, King of the Greasers
Mutt becomes a vine-swinging master, while at the same time able to command monkeys to attack evil communists. What the hell?

20. Surviving a nuke inside of a fridge
Thank goodness for that establishing shot of the "lead lined" sticker, because otherwise I never would have believed someone could survive a nuclear blast in a refrigerator. Hey Spielberg, there's a reason that idea was taken out of the original version of Back to the Future: it sucks ass. Don't you remember? Also, since when did metal enclosures stop the laws of physics? Shouldn't Indy be a glob of goo inside of the fridge after flying so far? See: Iron Man.
How about yourself? Did you nitpick the film to death or were you able to look past its flaws and enjoy it? Am I an asshole for tearing the movie apart? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section. (Source: InfoAddict Original)

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Science, Man Boobs and Harrison Ford

According to Meredith Small, Human Nature Columnist for LiveScience, the above photo supposedly shows Harrison Ford wearing a man-bra. She claims, "Ford is dressed in a pair of black pants and a slate blue T-shirt that shows off his buff mid section. But that T-shirt also reveals the shadow of what has to be a manzeer, in the parlance of Seinfeld."
I still don't see it, but whether or not Harrison Ford shops at Victoria's Secret is not the point here. The real issue is why do men have breasts in the first place?
They have them because men start out as women.
As much as men hate to hear this, the human fetal blueprint is initially female. We all begin as a ball of cells that quickly differentiates into various body parts. At five weeks of gestation, the fetus sports a neural tube that eventually become the spine, but other than that, we all look like a wad of chewing gum. Then at six weeks' gestation, the outlines of eyes, arms, legs and a face (and let's not mention the tail that also shows up for a while) appear.
In other words, men have breasts and nipples because they already had them before they became male.(Source: LiveScience)

Sam Raimi Wants to Direct Spider-Man 4

The future of Spider-Man movies isn't so hazy anymore, as Sam Raimi, director of the successful franchise, has told ComingSoon that not only is he interested in returning to the series but that a script for #4 will be done in a few months.

"James Vanderbilt is writing the script and I'm excited to read it. I think it's going to be done in a few months," Raimi told us, adding, "I'm hoping it's as great as our discussions were about it and I'm hoping it feels right for me because I love Spider-Man. I'm hoping I'm well rested enough to embrace it and I'm hoping Sony wants me to do it. If all of those things come together, I would love to do it. There are a lot of unknowns about the future."

This should come as great news for all those people who were scared shitless that Brett Ratner would somehow weasel his way into directing duties.

Downey's Tony Stark Appears in The Incredible Hulk 2008- Video

Now we're talking synergy! It's been the holy grail of comic-based movies, having characters from one movie appear in another character's tale. While it may only be a cameo, Robert Downey reprises his role as Tony Stark for a brief scene in the forthcoming Hulk, further extending the reality of the Marvel universe. You'll find evidence of Stark's appearance in the clip below. If we can somehow get Iron Man and Spider-Man joining forces in the future, well, there will be a ton of happy fans.