Jacob Hall
‘The Program’ Trailer: Ben Foster Brings Lance Armstrong and His Lies to Life
Lance Armstrong went from being one of the greatest sports heroes in modern history to its greatest villain. Few human beings have ever turned heel with such cinematic flair, so it makes sense that he’d get his own movie sooner rather than later. The first trailer for The Program looks exactly like you’d expect a sports biopic from director Stephen Frears to look: classy, bold, and full of interesting actors scowling at each other.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘San Andreas’ Shakes Everything Up
In news that should surprise absolutely no one, the massive disaster movie starring Dwayne Johnson stomped all over the box office this weekend, effortlessly topping the top 10. San Andreas may not have matched flashier, more high concept “CGI buildings fall down” adventures like The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, but it has proven that audiences will still flock to mass destruction like no one’s bu
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Tomorrowland’ and ‘Poltergeist’ Struggle Against the Mighty ‘Pitch Perfect 2’
Tomorrowland may have taken the top spot at the box office in its debut weekend, but things still look awfully grim for the George Clooney sci-fi vehicle. Not only did the film open far below expectations, it faced serious competition in Pitch Perfect 2, which continued to kick aca-butt in its second weekend. And it wasn’t the only new release to under-perform, with the Poltergeist remake also falling short of early predictions. If you were a new release this weekend, things were awfully rough.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ Takes Charge and ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Gives Chase
In one weekend, Pitch Perfect 2 has handily outgrossed the entire run of its predecessor, proving that you should never underestimate a sleeper hit that steadily grows an army of dedicated followers through the power of Blu-ray and DVD. Right below it, Mad Max: Fury Road opened to respectable numbers that will look disastrous to anyone who doesn’t pay attention to the details. Let’s dive in.
‘The Fugitive’ Is Going Back on the Run, But Will Harrison Ford Return?
It should come as no surprise that Warner Bros. is planning to resurrect The Fugitive in some capacity. After all, a major film studio returning to the well of the comfortably familiar for a remake or a reboot (or a reboot of a remake) is pretty par for the course these days. What makes this news ever-so-slightly interesting is the suggestion that this may be a continuation of some kind, featuring the same characters that Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones played in the iconic 1993 film.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Avengers 2’ Leaves ‘Hot Pursuit’ in the Dust
As expected, Avengers: Age of Ultron dominated the box office for the second weekend in a row, pulling in numbers that would be the envy of most summer blockbusters’ opening three days. And while the only new release of the week faltered, it was a surprisingly strong week overall, with many of the films in the top 10 faring well despite facing one of the biggest movies of the year.
SNL Forces the Cast to Apologize to Their Actual Mothers
Last night’s generally unremarkable episode of SNL peaked early when it took advantage of its proximity to Mother’s Day to do something kind of remarkable. As part of her opening monologue, guest host Reese Witherspoon declared that the show was going to mark the occasion by bringing each cast member out with his or her mother...and then forcing them to apologize for their childhood transgressions.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Has the Second Biggest Opening of All Time
There’s a bizarre narrative floating around the internet: Avengers: Age of Ultron is already a disappointment because it didn’t open higher than The Avengers in its first weekend. This seems to be ignoring the fact that The Avengers had the biggest opening of all time and Avengers: Age of Ultron now has the second biggest opening of all time, which is nothing to scoff at. Sure, the sequel may not match the numbers of the first movie in the end, but it’s already well on the way to becoming one of the biggest movies of the year. And of all time.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Trailer Breaks Records With 88 Million Views
If there were any lingering doubts about the popularity of Star Wars in the year 2015, Star Wars Celebration killed them. Ruthlessly. When the the live-streamed panel for Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiered the second trailer for J.J. Abrams’ wildly anticipated sequel, you could feel the internet quiver and shake underneath the weight of the hype. It was a staggering event that made the next few geek-friendly trailers released in the following days feel like small potatoes in comparison. And yes, this hyperbole is backed up by raw numbers: the second trailer for The Force Awakens shattered the record for most trailer views in 24 hours.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Furious 7’ Outpaces ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2’
For the third week in a row, Furious 7 took the top spot at the box office and made it look easy. Not even a trio of newcomers could slow down the latest entry in the crowd-pleasing action series, which has become the fastest film to reach $1 billion worldwide. On the domestic box office, it’s equally impressive. It’s a juggernaut. A cultural event. At the end of the day, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 may make some money, but it’s making that money in the shadow of a genuine phenomenon.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Legacy Trailer Takes Us Back to the Beginning
It may not have a number in its title, but Mad Max: Fury Road is the fourth film in a series stretching back to 1979. And while original star Mel Gibson has been replaced by Tom Hardy, director George Miller is present and accounted for, still wrecking cars in the post-apocalypse for your amusement. The newest trailer for the Fury Road, labeled the “legacy trailer,” uses footage from the past films build up to the newest entry to remind potential viewers this isn’t just another action franchise. This is Mad freaking Max.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Furious 7’ Smashes April Records
The early estimates for the opening weekend gross of Furious 7 are all over the place and we probably won’t have a definitive number until tomorrow, when the dust finally settles and everyone gets a chance to breathe. However, this one thing we know for sure: the seventh film in the Fast and Furious series didn’t just shatter in-franchise records, it shattered records for any April release.