Jacob Hall
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2′ Forecasts Big Opening Weekend
There's nothing like a family-friendly animated movie to help shake off the September doldrums and 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2' performed as expected. Although Sony's big release effortlessly took the number one spot, this weekend had a few other bright spots, namely a handful of independent films doing quite well in more limited release.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Prisoners’ Holds the Box Office Captive
September may traditionally be a wasteland of half-baked films unfit to open in a proper month, but the lack of competition can actually be a good thing. Could 'Prisoners,' a film made specifically for an adult audience, have opened as well as it did if it was released in a busier month? Probably not.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Insidious Chapter 2′ Has a Terrifyingly Huge Opening
James Wan has done it again. For the second time this year, a horror film that he's directed has opened to over $40 million, securing his position as the reigning king of mainstream horror cinema. He may be taking a break from the genre to direct 'Fast and Furious 7,' but after the jaw-dropping success of 'The Conjuring' and now 'Insidious Chapter 2,' you just know he'll be back. No one is bringin
‘Independence Day 2′: Will Smith to Return After All?
The last time director Roland Emmerich talked about 'Independence Day 2,' original franchise star Will Smith was not going to be involved. At all. He was "too expensive," a "marquee name" who would be "too much." But a few months (and some time to think about the bomb that was 'After Earth') can make all the difference in the world -- it looks like Smith may end up jo
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘You’re Next’ and ‘The World’s End’ Get Served by ‘The Butler’
Despite a bunch of new releases with all kinds of wide and varied appeal, this weekend's box office top 10 looks suspiciously like last week's. Apparently, none of the newcomers could match Lee Daniels' 'The Butler,' which effortlessly claimed the top spot once more.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Butler’ Disarms ‘Kick-Ass 2′
There's something thematically appropriate about a movie telling the story of a butler who quietly influenced the United States taking the number one spot at the box office over its flashy, bigger rivals. Lee Daniels' 'The Butler' took multiplexes by storm this weekend, taking down last week's competition as well as a handful of seemingly strong newcomers.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Elysium’ Wins a Busy Weekend
In a weekend with four new major releases but no definitive frontrunners, the Matt Damon sci-fi action flick 'Elysium' snagged the top spot over some seemingly powerful competition. Director Neill Blomkamp's film continues this summer's trend of R-rated fare opening big ('The Purge,' 'The Conjuring,' '2 Guns') and proves that there's plenty of box office success to be had in the typically slow fin
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘2 Guns’ Shoots Down ‘The Smurfs 2′
Ah, the continuing appeal of the one and only Denzel Washington. How much do people love this guy? They love him so much that they'll transform just about any movie he appears in into a respectable hit, even if that movie is a poorly marketed (but well-reviewed) action movie based on a comic book that no one read. We shouldn't be surprised that '2 Guns' shot to the top of the box office, but we ar
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Conjuring’ Conjures Up a Massive Opening
There was a lot of buzz surrounding James Wan's 'The Conjuring' going into this weekend. "Scariest movie of the year." "Best horror movie in a long time." And so on. But it paid off. 'The Conjuring' not only won the box office, it won the box office in a way that R-rated horror movies often don't. Between this and 'The Purge,' R-rated horror is officially back in a big way.
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‘The Simpsons’ and ‘Family Guy’ Are Doing a Crossover Episode
After years of sharing the same block on Fox Sunday nights, 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy' are finally doing something that no one ever expected: they're crossing over. To be more specific, an upcoming episode of 'Family Guy' will see Peter Griffin and his family stumble into the town of Springfield, where they encounter the Simpson family.
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Despicable Me 2′ Rides Over ‘The Lone Ranger’
Which would you expect to win the Fourth of July weekend: the Disney-produced, Johnny Depp-starring revival of an iconic American hero or the sequel to a French-made, Steve Carell-starring animated movie about a lovable supervillain? Well, it looks like American audiences simply aren't interested in westerns, even the uber-expensive ones starring Captain Jack Sparrow with a bird on his head. 'Desp
Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Heat’ and ‘White House Down’ Play Second Fiddle to Pixar
What happens when two new releases that look like sure-things smash into the unstoppable wall that is a Pixar movie? Well, you get one second place hit and one severe disappointment. 'The Heat' still looks good next to the continued success of 'Monsters University,' but it made 'White House Down' stumbling at the starting line look all the more horrible.