Jacob Hall
The ‘Hobbit’ Extended Editions May be Rated R For Some Reason
All of Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth movies have pushed the boundaries of the PG-13 rating, but it looks like the extended edition of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies may be the Halfling that breaks the Oliphaunt’s back. It seems that the longer version of the trilogy capper, which is returning to theaters this October, has been slapped with an R-rating by the MPAA.
Weekend Box Office Report: It’s Mission Accomplished For ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’
A few weeks ago, tracking for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was supposedly in the toilet. Early reports suggested that Tom Cruise’s fifth outing as super-spy Ethan Hunt was not getting people excited. This would be the end, the experts said, of a franchise that has kept Cruise’s career surging forward for the past two decades. Well, that was apparently a big load of crap because Rogue Nation opened well and opened in the same ballpark as the rest of the franchise. Even with inflation differences, this series keeps on hitting the same box office sweet spot.
Tom Cruise is Talking About ‘Edge of Tomorrow 2’ and All is Right With the World
Edge of Tomorrow — the best summer blockbuster of 2014 — may have underwhelmed at the domestic box office, but it’s difficult to find anyone who actually watched it who didn’t have a great time with it. So when Tom Cruise starts teasing a potential sequel that will reunite him and Emily Blunt for another round of time-traveling, alien-shooting, heavy-armor-wearing, yoga-posing awesomeness, our ears perk up. Yes please, we would like an Edge of Tomorrow 2.
‘The Night Before’ Trailer: Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt Have a Very Raunchy Christmas
There is a lot to love in the new red band trailer for The Night Before, which feels like someone took a long look at the career of Seth Rogen thus far, selected everything about his work that people enjoy, and assembled it into one crazy package. This trailer has everything you’d come to expect from a Seth Rogen movie in the year 2015: drugs jokes, fear-of-growing-up jokes, bromance jokes, relationship jokes, unexpected sentimentality, and, of course, a cast that includes a whole bunch of people you really like.
You Can Download the First Four ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies For Free
Paramount really wants you to see Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and they’re nudging you in the ribs using the most effective marketing tactic in the history of marketing tactics...they’re giving you free stuff. Specifically, they’re giving you free digital copies of the first four Mission: Impossible movies, reminding you that this series has been 75% good and that you should start getting excited for the new one.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Pixels’ Can’t Catch ‘Ant-Man’
At the time of this writing, early estimates for the weekend box office have Ant-Man edging out Pixels for the top spot in this week’s top 10. That could change. With less than $1 million separating the films, Pixels may very well slide into first place tomorrow, winning one very close competition. But even if it does claim ultimate victory, it doesn’t change the fact that Pixels’ opening weekend is a massive disappointment and another nail in the coffin of Adam Sandler’s career.
‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’ Trailer: The Game Is Coming to an End
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is going to be one the highest grossing films of 2015 no matter what, so every trailer and poster can’t help but feel ever-so-slightly redundant. Oh, remember that movie that you and everyone you know is already going to see anyway? Here’s an unnecessary reminder that it exists! And yet Lionsgate has been playing fans like a fiddle with their marketing campaign, and the latest trailer is one seriously impressive advertisement.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Ant-Man’ Goes a Little Small With Its Big Opening
It would be easy to label the opening weekend for Ant-Man a failure. After all, it’s significantly lower than the openings for recent Marvel Studios movies and it’s a good $130 million less than the three-day opening Avengers: Age of Ultron had a few months ago. But let’s not be so hasty. Its opening numbers may not have blown anyone away, but Ant-Man’s box office arrival is textbook Marvel.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Minions’ Takes Over the World
Universal was already bathing in its Furious 7 and Jurassic World money Scrooge McDuck-style before Minions opened this week. Now the studio is looking at its third truly massive hit of the year, a run that feels nearly unprecedented. Universal already released two of the biggest movies of all time within the past four months, and now it’s looking like it may have three.
‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and ‘Doctor Zhivago’ Star Omar Sharif Dead at 83
Omar Sharif, the legendary actor best known for key roles in classic movies like Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, has passed away. He was 83 years old.
The BBC has a statement from Sharif’s agent, who reports that the Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe winning performer suffered a heart attack in Cairo. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease earlier this year. Beyond that, details are unknown.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Terminator Genisys’ and ‘Magic Mike XXL’ Trail Last Week’s Champions
As expected, the Fourth of July holiday weekend saw a lot of people heading to the theater. Unfortunately for the new releases, those people gravitated toward films that have already been in theaters for a few weeks. Once again, Jurassic World and Inside Out dominated the top 10, leaving newcomers like Terminator Genisys and Magic Mike XXL out in the cold.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Jurassic World’ Take Down ‘Ted 2’
When Universal scheduled Ted 2, they surely had no idea that Seth MacFarlane’s swearing teddy bear sequel would be squaring off against one of the biggest box office juggernauts of all time...a juggernaut that they themselves had created. So it’s not surprising that Jurassic World topped the box office again and it’s not surprising that Pixar’s Inside Out held onto second place. What is a little surprising is how low Ted 2 opened, falling significantly short of its predecessor’s opening weekend.
Channing Tatum Won’t Be Starring in a ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie After All
A few days ago, Channing Tatum got honest about a few things, including the status of that second Ghostbusters reboot. The Magic Mike star made it sound like the project was stuck in development, toiling away under the watchful eyes of countless Sony execs. Today, it looks like Tatum was underselling the situation. In a separate interview with his producing partner (and Magic Mike XXL co-director), Reid Carolin, it was revealed that Tatum won’t be busting any ghosts after all.
‘Furious 7’ Passes ‘The Avengers’ to Become the Third Highest Grossing Movie of All Time
Breaking news: people all over the world really like fast cars, movie stars, and constant references to family. Related: Furious 7 has just become the third highest grossing movie of all time, overtaking 2012’s The Avengers.
‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ Trailer: Tom Cruise Almost Dies Multiple Times For Your Viewing Pleasure
No one has ever been shy about putting Tom Cruise’s apparent death wish front and center whenever it’s time to promote a new Mission: Impossible movie. Like with previous entries in the series, most of the chatter surrounding Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation has revolved around the myriad of ways the franchise’s leading man put his life on the line for our entertainment. The new trailer puts many of his craziest stunts front and center, including that still-jaw-dropping shot of Cruise clinging to the the side of an airplane as it takes off. The movie’s message is clear: this man almost died for you. Reward him with strong box office receipts.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Jurassic World’ Battle It Out
Here’s how crazy this weekend is: Pixar’s Inside Out had the biggest opening for an original, non-sequel of all time...and it still came in second to Jurassic World’s second weekend. There’s literally nothing to ashamed of here. Sure, it may be the first time a Pixar movie hasn't opened in first place, but the only reason it didn’t open in first place is because it was dueling 2015’s greatest juggernaut. These two are worthy opponents and both are victors.