The Final Destination of Summer Horror Landed in Top Spot

This weekend, the U.S Box Office arena has begin the head-to-head battle between two horror franchises, the modern day grim reaper in “The Final Destination” versus the classic serial killer of “H2: Halloween 2.” But it seems, the junior player had successfully outran the sequel of director Rob Zombie's "Halloween" and closed the three-day weekend by grabbing the #1 spot at the North American box office. Helped with the higher ticket prices for its 3-D runs in 1,678 3-D screens among the 3,121 theaters it was played, the thriller movie about a group of teens who try to cheat death collected $27.4 million worth of ticket sales. The opening weekend bow marked the highest opening weekend of the franchise as "Final Destination 3", which held the series' previous best only pulled in $19.1 million in 2006. The sequel streak of 3-D successes. The 3-D component accounted for 70 percent of the movie's revenues, even though only 54 percent of the 3,121 theaters where it played offered the movie in 3D.

"H2: Halloween 2" which failed to meet pre-release prediction of it debuting atop the chart is only managed to land at third position. Performing under Zombie's first remake on the horror classic, this Dimension Films horror raked in around $16 million, about $4 million less than what many analysts projected. It's unusual for two horror movies to open over the same weekend. While "Final Destination" and "Halloween II" competed for the same audience, both managed quite solid receipts. The Weinstein Co. plans to release "Halloween 3" in 3-D next summer, said Bob Weinstein, who co-founded the company with brother Harvey. While Zombie will not be back to direct, the next sequel will pick up from his story and give a new twist on
slasher Myers, Weinstein said.

Meanwhile, our last weekend’s winner the Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt's World War II saga, "Inglourious Basterds," secured a place in between the two gorefest films with $19 million. However, the Weinstein Co. release had raised its total to $73 million after 10 days in theaters.
The weekend's other new wide release, Focus Features' music romp "Taking Woodstock," opened a weak No. 9 with $3.4 million. Directed by Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Brokeback Mountain"), "Taking Woodstock" is a nostalgic look behind the scenes at the mammoth 1969 rock concert.

Below is the list for top ten weekend box office (8/28/09-8/30/09):
Rank – Film Title – Weekend Gross – Running Total
1 – The Final Destination – $27,408,309 – $27,408,309
2 – Inglourious Basterds – $19,303,653 – $73,022,841
3 – Halloween II – $16,349,565 – $16,349,565
4 – District 9 – $10,270,435 – $90,383,712
5 – G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra – $7,715,572 – $132,151,954
6 – Julie & Julia – $7,035,675 – $70,628,063
7 – The Time Traveler’s Wife – $6,452,270 – $47,900,418
8 – Shorts – $4,511,345 – $13,206,697
9 – Taking Woodstock – $3,457,760 – $3,478,335
10 – G-Force – $2,824,808 – $111,780,350

Sources: Yahoo Movie News, Ace Showbiz

Yuen Woo Ping’s “True Legend” Will Be Shot in 3D

3-D technology now reaching its hand to the martial arts movie industry. 24fps site recently had informed that the action sequences for Yuen Woo-Ping’s upcoming martial arts film “True Legend” were shot in 3D: "It has been revealed that the martial arts sequences of True Legend were filmed in 3D. Audience will be instructed to put on 3D glasses for viewing them." The first film to be directed by Woo-Ping since 1996’s “Iron Monkey 2” is based on the life of real life martial arts master Su Qi Er, also known as “Beggar Su” and “The King Of Beggars”, who “loses his fortune and reputation as a result of a conspiracy against him. After being forced out onto the streets, Su dedicates his life to martial arts and reemerges as a patriotic hero.”

The film which expected to release in the end of the year is currently in post production.
"True Legend" also marks the return of wushu star Vincent Chiu (Once Upon a Time in China 4, The Blade) to heading a feature film after spending the last nine years starring in martial arts-related TV productions in China. Chiu portrays legendary martial arts folk hero Su Qi-er, better known as Beggar Su. In Yuen's update to the legend, "Su is a wealthy man living during the Qing Dynasty who loses his fortune and reputation as a result of a conspiracy against him. After being forced onto the streets, Su dedicates his life to martial arts and reemerges as a patriotic hero known as the 'King of Beggars.'"

It has been reported that Yuen developed a new screen-fighting style with Chiu that combines street dancing with kung fu. It's possible that the director may be revisiting the b-boy angle he previously tapped in "Drunken Thai Chi" and "Mismatched Couples," both starring Donnie Yen. Also starring in the film is a starry list of cast which included Michelle Yeoh, Jay Chou, Zhou Xun and also features appearances by Gordon Liu and the late David Carradine. The character of Beggar Su has been done in film a number of times with names like Stephen Chow, Donnie Yen and even Yuen Woo-Ping’s late father Simon Yuen Siu Tin.

Guillermo Del Toro Talk Abut "The Hobbit" Rumors

Many rumors have been circled around "The Hobbit" film projects for the past month. Reports have suggested that both Peter Jackson and director Guillermo del Toro have been thinking about going 3-D, and that Tom Cruise's trip to New Zealand to meet with Jackson suggests that he is considering the role of Bilbo Baggins.
Del Toro has now taken some time to comment on TheOneRing.net (TORN) boards where he posts regularly, to clarify what's really been going on. And according to him, all those rumors are completely untrue. But he did confirmed that they're hiring Oscar winner Guillermo Navarro (of Pan's Labyrinth, Night at the Museum, Hellboy II) as the Director of Photography of Hobbit.

As he explains: "As a co-writer and director of this film (who works with the design teams, costume teams, creature teams, VFX teams every day of the week), let me be very clear one more time: we are not talking about 3D, we are NOT writing the screenplay for 3D right now - we are hiring my DoP Guillermo Navarro to shoot the film and we are not discussing 3D with him either or with WETA digital or WB or anyone else."

Del Toro added that he may, however, consider 3-D in the future: "If after AVATAR the market may change and demands are put upon us, etc that is in the future. But if such things happen and we start discussing 3D down the line, I'll let it be know here at TORN because that's the proper way of doing things. But make no mistake- I've been living in NZ for almost a year now and we have not been discussing 3D."
“Avatar” is currently being finished at Weta Digital in New Zealand, which is the same company that will eventually work on “The Hobbit”.

And regarding the casting rumors: "Neither David Tennant nor Tom Cruise are Bilbo and we are not redesigning Gollum."

Via: WP & FirstShowing