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HANNAH IS FASTER THAN FAST The batting average of the box-office seers dropped further over the weekend as Disney’s Hannah Montana: The Moviebested the second week of Universal’s Fast and Furious.Indeed, the Miley Cyrus film earned more on Friday alone than it was expected to earn over the entire Easter weekend. Disney estimated that it took in $34 million – the studio’s best Easter weekend ever. On the other hand, Fast and Furious dropped nearly 60 percent in its second weekend, winding up with about $28....

CLOSE FINISH AT BOX OFFICE The top of the weekend box office was crowded tightly as just over $3 million separated the leading three films. Sony’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby remained the No. 1 film for the second week in a row with $22 million, somewhat lower than original estimates. Disney’s Step Updebuted with a stronger-than-expected $20.6 million, while Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center placed third with $18....

AN UNLUCKY FRIDAY THE 13TH AT BOX OFFICE? The first of three Friday-the-13th weekends this year (that hasn’t happened since 1998) is not auspicious for the box office. Several analysts are predicting that the box office, which has been on a hot streak since the beginning of the year, is likely to cool off. All three movies opening this weekend are receiving either negative or ho-hum reviews. Given the day on which it’s opening and it’s title, the latest Friday the 13thmovie is likely to top the box office, with analysts predicting a take of $15-20 million....

WILDER ABOUT HARRY Harry Potter retained his magic touch in spades Wednesday as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix collected $44.76 million, the best Wednesday gross in box-office history, according to Warner Brothers. The figure, which includes midnight screenings on Tuesday/Wednesday night, beat the previous record holder, Sony’s Spider-Man 2 which opened with $40.44 million on Wednesday, June 30, 2004. Box-office analysts are now predicting that the film will bring in as much as $125 through Sunday, although the studio itself is conservatively forecasting a $100-million debut over the five days....

PLETHORA OF NEW RELEASES FLOODS THEATERS Eight new films – count ’em, eight! – enter the box-office competition this weekend, each on more than 500 screens, which is likely a record. Box-office forecasters are by no means united on which film will come out on top, but the Sony vampire flick 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade and starring Josh Hartnett and Ben Foster, is generally given a slight edge, if only because of the fact that it is opening in the most number of theaters, 2,855....

CRITICS: DO WE NEED THE WANTED? NBC’s controversial The Wanted series, dubbed by some writers in advance as “To Catch a Terrorist,” makes its debut today (Monday) with newspaper TV columnists and critics making conflicting judgments about it – often in their own reviews. The series, produced by Echo Ops Productions, a private company working outside of NBC News but under its oversight, appears to have scripted scenes interspersed with real-life ones, several critics indicate....

Summering tells a melancholic coming-of-age story in the vein of Stand by Me. The film follows four eleven-year-old girls on a tragic mystery during the week before the start of middle school. Their fears of growing up and apart are told along with concerned mothers who want the best for their daughters. The girl power narrative has good intentions but fails to be substantive. The primary arc leads nowhere after befuddling developments....

It seems that a hit CW series is poking a little fun at its competitors… which could pave the way for a return of a popular actor. Entertainment Weekly’s Ausiello Files has posted an image of Supernatural’s Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) in a Seattle Grace-like hospital, in a nod to Grey’s Anatomy. Click below to see this interesting image of the Winchester brothers. The episode, appropriately dubbed Changing Channels, will air on November 5 and will also feature nods to the hit ABC drama CSI as well, according to the site....

If there is anyone qualified to bring the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley’s colorful story to life on screen, then Baz Luhrmann has got to be high up on the list, and we have had our first peek at just what the director with a flair for the spectacular has done with Elvis, the new biopic of one of music’s biggest ever icons. Having done Shakespeare, musicals and F....

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi just released its first trailer at D23 2022. Dave Filoni does not plan to disappoint, as he gives us our first look at Ahsoka Tano’s and Count Dooku’s histories. As the clips unfold, we see Ahsoka being trained by Anakin, Count Dooku growing more violent, and Yoda in another lightsaber battle. Considering this is just the trailer, Tales of the Jedi promises to be an incredible addition to the Star Wars canon....

According to Variety , Technicolor recently announced that its 3D-on-film solution has found support from DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate, Paramount, Overture, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., and the Weinstein Co. All of these studios plan to put out films in the format. The Technicolor system “looks to address the shortage of digital 3D screens by using conventional celluloid film prints capable of 3D imaging.” None of the exhibitors have said that they will install the system, but Technicolor’s president of strategy, technology and marketing, Ahmad Ouri, has said that he expects to announce the initial deployment deals for Technicolor 3D at ShowEast next week....

The Razzie Awards, also known as the Golden Raspberry Awards, is a parody award show in recognition of the worst performance or achievement in film. It was co-founded by Mo Murphy and John J. B Wilson, and the first award ceremony occurred on 31st March 1981. The awards are based on votes from members of the Razzie foundation. Since its launch, the Golden Raspberry has nominated many Hollywood actors and actresses....

There are many possible candidates for the best ninja in movies. Since the competition is so fierce, this list will give extra points to ninjas who display extraordinary skill, speed, and strength feats. A ninja master should be able to manage at least that much. MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY 10 Leonardo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) New Line Cinema As the leader of the TMNT, Leonardo has an impressive ninja resume....

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films and 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for The 83rd Academy Awards. Seventy-six live action pictures and thirty-three animated pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 live action films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: Ana’s Playground, Eric D. Howell, director (StoryForge, LLC) - The Confession, Tanel Toom, director (National Film and Television School) - The Crush, Michael Creagh, director (Purdy Pictures) - God of Love, Luke Matheny, director (Luke Matheny) - Na Wewe, Ivan Goldschmidt, director-producer (CUT!...

Peter Parker’s (Andrew Garfield) origin story is one that has been told in all mediums, and it was already done justice on the big screen in Sam Raimi’s 2002 effort Spider-Man. So don’t expect the same well-trod ground to be covered in this summer’s reboot The Amazing Spider-Man. Marc Webb, fearful of a bored audience, has revealed that the origins of Spider-Man will actually be spread out across multiple movies, and the mystery behind Peter Parker’s parents isn’t going to be easily resolved in this first outing....

Director Jodie Foster found her latest drama The Beaver in release limbo after star Mel Gibson fell into a bit of controversy. Today, Summit Entertainment released a new photo from the upcoming movie along with the news that The Beaver will finally see its debut in the spring of 2011. A trailer for The Beaver will be released tomorrow on Entertainment Tonight, followed by a launch on iTunes. Until then, you can get your first taste of Mel Gibson and his hand-puppet in The Beaver photo below:...

Dakota Fanning has had a career that was grown in the spotlight. She began her acting career at the age of five, and became famous at the age of seven after the 2001 drama I Am Sam, which made her become the youngest nominee ever for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In the early 2000s, Fanning was one of the most popular child actors and played major roles in the Uptown Girls (2003), Man on Fire (2004), Hide and Seek (2005), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte’s Web (2006), and others great films....

RoboCop is a 1987 Sci-Fi/Action movie from director Paul Verhoeven. On release, it was famed for its cutting edge effects and scathingly dark satirical humor regarding big business, the police force, and crime. Verhoeven, the Dutch-born filmmaker who would go on to helm Starship Troopers (a movie about bugs) and Showgirls (a movie about boobs), has always had about the same level of subtlety as the Hindenburg, and RoboCop is an example of that....

We have some sad news to pass along today, as voice actress Russi Taylor has reportedly passed away at the age of 75. Taylor is perhaps best known for voicing Minnie Mouse in a variety of Disney projects for over three decades, but her voice can be heard in many other movies and TV shows as well. At this time, the cause of death and circumstances surrounding her passing are not yet clear....

Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston talked with the Los Angeles Times about his 2011 summer blockbuster and said that the screen version of the hero will be true to his roots–up to a certain point. “We’re sort of putting a slightly different spin on Steve Rogers,” said Joe Johnston, whose past directing credits include “Jurassic Park III” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” He’s a guy that wants to serve his country, but he’s not a flag-waver....