May 11, 2024
Box Office
http://www.soulduster.com/ on: Friday Estimates by Klady
http://www.rehabsandrentals.com/ on: Friday Estimates by Klady
Joe Leydon on: Weekend Estimates by MacKlady
Abi on: Weekend Estimates by MacKlady
betavaftrar on: 3-Day Estimates By Klady That Made The Clown Cry
Tashie Jackson on: Friday Estimates by Klady
Jeffrey Boam's Doctor on: Weeeknd Estimate Leftovers by Klady
DiggityDawg on: Weeeknd Estimate Leftovers by Klady
David Poland on: Weeeknd Estimate Leftovers by Klady
berg on: Weeeknd Estimate Leftovers by Klady
Weeeknd Estimate Leftovers by Klady
Friday Estimate by MuthaSmurfin’ Klady
4 Day Estimates by Vehicular Klady
Friday Estimates by Green Klady
4 Day Estimates by Wolfpack Klady
Weekend Estimates by Screaming Rio Klady
Friday Estimates by Rio de JaKlady
see all »
[twitter-widget username="DavidPoland" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"][twitter-widget username="MCNTweets" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"]
Quote Unquotesee all »
It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
The typo on the MCN front page “crucifiction” is a nice Dan Brown-esque Freudian slip.
So, weekend before Memorial Day 2008 for “Angels and Demons” and weekend before Memorial Day 2010 for “The Solomon Key,” right? How long before the official announcement?
Dave,
You obviously did your research, but there is something you missed.
Finding Nemo did NOT open on a holiday weekend, it opened the last weekend of May in 2003, which was the weekend after Memorial Day Weekend.
Not a big deal, but I just thought I would point it out. Otherwise, very cool analysis.
My mistake…
I don’t think you should expect an announcement any time soon, MattM. DVC open solidly despite very bad reviews but I don’t think anyone would want to test their luck for an encore.
Announcement just came. Akiva Goldsman and the producers are back for Angels & Demons. No word on Howard or Hanks yet.
Of course they would bring back the least talented member of the team first.
^ But Ron Howard hasn’t committed yet. ;P
I just found out that in the book, (SPOILER) Langdon and Sophie fall in love. Glad they left that out of the movie!
Is the second chart comparing three-day openings or three-day weekends? I ask because Sith’s three-day opening (Thursday-Saturday) is bigger than Spider-Man’s three-day weekend (Friday-Sunday).
“Da Vinci seems poised to become the 30th film in history to crack the $600 million mark worldwide, Sony
Oh, BTW, David, Monday *was* a holiday… in Canada, at least, which celebrates Victoria Day the week before Memorial Day.
Actually, Langdon and Sophie don’t fall in love any more than Bond and any of his Bond Girls of recent vintage “fall in love.” Both TDVC and A&D end with a gratuitous scene of Langdon and the female heroine falling into bed with one another, which was quite wisely cut.
… And Angels & Demons was released before DaVinci Code, which means no Sophie.
So they’re making the film? I tought they were smarter than that. I’d like to apologize to everyone for being that naive. It won’t happen again…
Actually, if you’re looking for unlikely box office gold, howzabout Sir Ian McKellen? Since the dawn of this decade, he’s done three RINGS, three X-MEN and DA VINCI–not too shabby.
Angels & Demons can easily be altered to be a sequel to DVC. Or they could go the Temple of Doom route and stick with it being a prequel.
Does it even matter? It’s not like Langdon has a character arc in Da Vinci Code (the movie at least, never read the book).
So what are your predictions for worldwide and domestic grosses? How much will the international grosses outweigh the domestic?
Thank GOD we didn’t have to see Hanks and Tautou hop in the sack together. Talk about EW-worthy.
Just imagine in Alfred Molina, Ian McKellen and Orlando Bloom all made a movie together? The laws of averages suggest it’d make a trazillion dollars.
If we’re talking about supporting players who make movies that mean business, let me submit Shane Rimmer.
Who is he? Try some of these credits:
2 Superman movies
3 James Bond movies
Dr. Strangelove
Star Wars
Batman Begins
As a book I actually like Angels & Demons better than The DaVinci Code. I only read DVC because I’d thought A&D was pretty enjoyable, for what it was.
Or maybe I just think the upsidedown writing thing is cool, I dunno. I think my brain is still fried from the finale of 24 the other night.
Already “The Da Vinci Code” is having a ripple effect on the upmarket/arthouse side. “A Prairie Home Companion” was to have opened as a wide release on June 9 but will now open limited.
Chucky… that “wide release” was always a non-starter….
Where is Shane Rimmer in “Star Wars”? I’ve seen that movie a lot of times, and I don’t recall seeing him. IMDB lists his character as “InCom engineer”. InCom makes the X-Wing, so is he near the X-Wings or something?
DP, when you say ‘non-starter’ do you mean ‘never really going to happen’ or ‘doomed to fail if it had happened’?
I mean that there was never enough on the celluloid to make a wide release financially viable, even with unanimous raves, which the film has not gotten.
Altman hasn’t had a movie open wide in at least a decade. And Prairie Home Companion, which will inspire a lot of DVD sales, we must remember, is a hit on free radio.
Also, the most screens young Picturehouse has ever been on with one movie so far is 145, with The Thing About My Folks.
Yes, a small distributor can get 2000 screens if they try. But it’s very expensive. And unless they decided that APHC could do at least Gosford Park money (opened slowly and used Oscar), it was never opening wide.
I assume you were being amusing, but just in case: Rimmer was a bit player in most of those films; McKellen had major roles in the seven I mentioned.
David P.: Until this week Box Office Mojo was listing “A Prairie Home Companion” as opening wide. Picturehouse is owned by Time Warner and might have piggybacked on a corporate cousin for a wide release. “Da Vinci” took care of that.
Keep in mind that the AMC chain is now being more aggressive on arty product. (Variety has a story this week; check it out if you have access.)