Thor hammers the U.S. box office, but is it enough?

As per the numbers from Box Office Mojo, this weekend’s release of Thor from Marvel Studios made it the number one movie in the U.S., grossing an estimated $66 million USD, beating out the two new counter-programming romantic comedy releases of Jumping the Broom and Something Borrowed (which 9is based on a chick-lit book), distributed by Columbia TriStar and Warner Bros., respectively.

The reviews are also fairly solid, ranking a 78% fresh on the Tomatometer, and with that kind of good word of mouth, I can easily foresee that it will be able to make back its $150 million USD budget, and then some.

Perhaps the best news of all is that if the story of one of Marvel’s lesser-known heroes can muster this kind of box office, then things are looking up for the rest of the non-X-Men-related superhero movies on the studio’s plate.

The gravy train will continue with Captain America: The First Avenger, out on July 22.

Trailer Watch, Pass or Fail edition: Machete versus The Social Network, plus a bonus trailer

Good Lord, we’re behind on our movie trailers, aren’t we? Let’s get down to it, then!

Continue reading “Trailer Watch, Pass or Fail edition: Machete versus The Social Network, plus a bonus trailer”

Trisha’s Video of the Day: The Swingin’ Spider-Man

While I am not a total dance geek or nerd, I loved watching the ballroom dance competitions on my local PBS affiliate as a kid; Strictly Ballroom is one of my favorite movies as a result of this childhood fascination as well.

The best part of watching the ballroom dance competitions were the exhibition dances where notable pros and amateurs got to “go wild” and show off their more fun routines, flips, spins, and aerial lifts. And just like in competitive ice skating, if there are costumes, it’s even better.

Well, I believe I’ve found one video that not only exemplifies the fun of watching ballroom dance, but also adds in an additional geeky flair, courtesy of dancers Orion Hall and Colleen Vernon:

Marvel Studios starts looking at Dr. Strange

According to Mike Fleming in an exclusive for the New York branch of Deadline.com, screenwriters Thomas Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have been tapped to write the script adaptation of the Marvel comic Dr. Strange.

This isn’t the first geek-oriented property that Donnelly and Oppenheimer have been involved with. The duo, which was credited along with two other writers for 2005’s Sahara, had also been hired by Columbia Pictures to work on the script for the adaptation of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and have also worked on the upcoming remake of Conan.

Fleming opined that the property would be the first superhero property that would be made into a movie under the studio’s new arrangement with the Walt Disney Company, something which geeks everywhere will be watching with a wary eye.

Quick Cuts: Paul Rudd is an Idiot Brother, and other stories

  • Paul Rudd has just signed a deal to be the star of the Jesse Peretz-directed comedy called My Idiot Brother, about a sunshine-spewing optimist who brightens up the lives of his three sisters and overbearing mother. Written by Peretz’ real-life sister Evgenia and her writing partner David Schisgall, the film will start production in New York in July, even if the sisters haven’t been cast yet. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
  • Dustin Lance Black (Milk) is turning his writer’s and director’s eye towards comics; he will be doing both for the live-action adaptation of 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man. Originally a graphic novel from Dark Horse by Matt Kindt, the plot will concern the relationship between a daughter and her father–who just happens to be suffering from a strange medical condition where he can’t stop growing. Warner Bros. will be producing/financing. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
  • James McAvoy (Wanted) has been signed to star in X-Men: First Class as Professor Xavier; still no word who will be his star-crossed Magneto. (Source: Entertainment Weekly)
  • “Community” star Donald Glover has started a grass-roots campaign to get himself an audition to be in the Spider-Man 4 movie and all I can think of is that scene from the very first episode of “Boston Legal” where the Reverend Al Sharpton gave Alan Shore his rabbit by giving a speech in the courtroom which featured this line: “Give us an African-American Spider Man!” Glover, if you’re reading this, your people totally need to talk to Sharpton’s people (and the “Boston Legal” writing team). (Source: Donald Glover’s personal blog)