OH, WHAT A NIGHT FOR NEWS CORP
News Corp said today (Wednesday) that its profit climbed 6.2 percent in its third quarter, largely due to the box-office hit Night at the Museum and a 34-percent jump in revenue at its Fox News Network. Net income increased to $871 million from $820 million during the comparable quarter a year ago as overall sales rose 21 percent to $7.51 billion. Earnings from its movies soared 82 percent as Museumearned $571 million worldwide in theaters and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit of Glorious Nation Kazakhstan took in $39.5 million from domestic video sales.
DISNEY WON’T OPEN MOVIES IN THEATERS AND CABLE ON SAME DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
SPIDEY’S TICKET SALES SLOW
Sony’s hope of going into the coming weekend with $200 million already in the bank for Spider-Man 3 appeared dashed on Tuesday as ticket sales slowed. Nevertheless, the film had taken in an estimated $169.5 million by Tuesday, leaving open the possibility of matching Spider-Man 2’s record of making it to the $200 million level on its eighth day of release (Friday). It took the original Spider-Mannine days to reach that level.
SPIDER-MAN 3 “SILLY,” SAYS LUCAS
George Lucas has joined the major newspaper critics in their negative appraisal of Spider-Man 3. In an interview with FoxNews.com’s Roger Friedman, Lucas said, “It’s a silly movie. … There just isn’t much there. Once you take it all apart, there’s not much story, is there?” Over the weekend, Spider-Man 3surged ahead of Lucas’s Star Wars’ episode Revenge of the Sith to take the record for the biggest weekend box-office record. Star Warswas also criticized as being “silly,” Lucas noted. “But it wasn’t.” He also disclosed that he is working on at least two other Star Warsmovies for television. “But they won’t have members of the Skywalker family as characters. They will be other people of that milieu.”
SHREK TO TOUT HEALTHY MEALS AT MCDONALD’S
McDonald’s and DreamWorks have selected the unlikely character Shrek as the centerpiece of a new campaign to promote its healthy meals, including apple slices and salads. The character, who, judging from his girth, has clearly not eaten many of those items himself, will also be featured in online programs and TV public service announcements to promote physical activites involving children. The four-week campaign kicks off on May 11. In reporting the deal, Reuters observed Tuesday that Shrek is also being used to promote M&M’s chocolates and such sugar-laden cereals as Kellogg’s Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes.
