The Big Screen Bulletin 12.26.11: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Captures the Box Office!
Posted by Steve Gustafson on 12.26.2011
News and thoughts on the Dark Knight Rises trailer smashing records, the latest The Hobbit production diary, sequel updates for Mission Impossible and Green Lantern, Thor 2 getting a new director, Jason Statham possibly joining Fast & Furious 6 and more!
Welcome to the Big Screen Bulletin! My name is Steve Gustafson and this is where we hit the big movie news from the weekend and anything else going on in the world of Hollywood!
Get your celebrity and hot girl fix with the ORIGINAL The Hollywood 5 & 1! Not for the faint of heart! This week: Kate Upton, Sophie Howard, Monica Bellucci, and Emily Scott do battle while Kelly Brook takes on Rachel Aldana in Vs, the Kardashians deny child slave labor rumors, Conan O'Brien surprises a lucky staff member and is Blake Lively a step up from Scarlett Johansson? Plus, J-Woww is your "& 1" Model of the Week and more!
Do you enjoy the 5 & 1 format? Of course you do! Check this out. First up is the NEWEST member to the 5 & 1 club...Sean Garmer with his The Games 5 & 1! Following up is Stewart Lange with his The MMA 5 & 1! Next is The Music 5 & 1 by Jeremy Thomas. Bringing up the rear is The Wrestling 5 & 1 by Greg De Marco. Check it out! Oh yeah, besides writing about the zany lives of famous people, I cover movie news! Yes, that's right. Each and every Monday I do the Big Screen Bulletin.
Usually I don't mess around with the Wrestling section outside an occasional Fact or Fiction but I have the opportunity to interview former WWE superstar and current adult film start Chyna this past week and I took! Is she an escort? You'll have to read the interview to find out!
I also spoke to Playboy Playmate Miss January 2012 Heather Knox! Awesome gal and a lot of fun!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK!
Is it me or did 2011 feel off in movies this year? There was plenty of big event type, especially from the super hero set but nothing had that epic feel to it. And no real "Oscar" buzz selections like in previous years. I've heard lots of talk around Tree of Like and will hunt that down eventually. As you can see, I didn't get out as much as I had wanted to so my personal Top 10 is lacking in diversity BUT that's where YOU can come in and tell me what I'm missing. Without further
Sorry, I've never been a Harry Potter fan so he didn't make the list!
10. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Way better than I thought it would be. I went in thinking it was going to be one thing and came out pleasantly surprised!
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel hit a home run with Captain America, which bodes well for The Avengers!
8. X-Men: First Class
Yes, the X-Men's movie continuity is already a mess but this movie was a great relaunch to the franchise.
7. Bridesmaids
Who would have thought this movie would be better than Hangover 2?
6. Horrible Bosses
The strength of the cast won me over.
5. Fast Five
Is the new formula for franchises to "Add The Rock"? It worked here!
4. Super 8
If I was younger I'd love this even more. A simple throwback movie that worked on a number of levels.
3. Drive
The first time I watched it I thought it was good. By the third time, I loved it.
2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Watch this in IMAX. Brad Bird put on an action clinic in this one!
1. 50/50
Joseph Gordon Levitt. That's all I have to say.
My question to you: What are your Top 10 Movies of 2011? And please make them movies you actually SAW and not heard/read about.
VOTE BELOW!
CRAZIEST CASTING RUMOR OF THE WEEK!
Before director Patty Jenkins was brought on to direct Marvel's sequel to this year's blockbuster Thor (and ultimately stepped away from the project, much to the chagrin of star Natalie Portman) TV director Brian Kirk was in talks to helm the feature. Now Deadline reports that Alan Taylor, a different director who has worked on the same series as Kirk such as Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, is in talks to direct the sequel written by the first film's co-writer Don Payne thus keeping it on track for its release on November 15th, 2013.
YOUGOTTABEKIDDINME!
But what does this mean? The new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises smashed the record for most combined downloads through the iTunes Movie Trailers site ( www.itunes.com/trailers ) and the iTunes Trailers iOS app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The trailer went online at 10:00 Monday morning, December 19, and was viewed more than 12.5 million times in its first 24 hours, breaking the previous record by well over two million.
Let's get into the REAL news!
HOBBITS!
Let me hear it Hobbit fans! Share your thoughts below! As if the first trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey weren't enough of a holiday surprise for fans, Peter Jackson released (via the film's Facebook page) a brand-new production video from the set, clocking in at nearly 12 minutes and jam-packed with extensive behind-the-scenes footage.
The Hobbit follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters, and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever...Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
An Unexpected Journey will be followed up by The Hobbit: There and Back Again on December 13, 2013.
Sequel Roundup!
Several interesting sequel tidbits finished out the week! Most of these briefs aren't solid guarantees, but the updates are certainly worth noting. The first comes in the form of Paramount's joy at seeing Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol grossing $121 million worldwide so far, and the holiday weekend number one spot. Moviehole says the numbers have executives at Skydance Productions wanting to put together a Mission Impossible 5 sooner than later, and it also has them eager to get that gestating Top Gun sequel off the ground as well.
As reported, the thought of a Mission: Impossible 5 isn't surprising, but the question is whether or not this means those rumors of Jeremy Renner being set up to inherit the franchise are true. Simon Pegg recently weighed in on that concept saying: "I think that might have been the plan earlier on, but as the film progressed and we enjoyed it so much I think the idea of Ethan Hunt retiring fell by the wayside. Tom [Cruise] suddenly remembered why he loved doing these films so much and suddenly thought ‘well maybe I do want to do more?' It'd be nice to see them go into a mission a little better equipped and prepared and have some things that actually work." That combined with the fact that Tom Cruise still has some juice when it comes to getting opening weekend numbers means Renner and Cruise will most likely work together.
Meanwhile, as for sequels to Gremlins and Green Lantern, Moviehole has a separate report about Warner Bros. registering website domains for Gremlins3.com and GreenLantern2.com. Now this isn't necessarily solid news that either franchise will get a sequel since studios always prepare for stuff like this well in advance of getting a project off the ground. Green Lantern wouldn't be a shock despite a less than impressive box office performance when compared to the money spent to make the film. However, the thought of a Gremlins 3 has been rumored for years and years, including the most recent talk of a sequel in 3D which director Joe Dante quickly debunked. However, with several other films from the 80's getting remakes and reboots, perhaps Warner Bros. will make this happen.
Which sequel are you most excited about: Mission Impossible 5, Top Gun, Gremlins, or Green Lantern?
Prequel REVEALED!
How many out there were surprised to learn that this is a prequel to Alien? Well, the secret is out! 20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for Ridley Scott'sPrometheus, starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Logan Marshall-Green. and Patrick Wilson.
The sci-fi thriller, opening June 8th, takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life's ultimate mystery.
What could that mystery be?
Fast! Furious!
Buckle your seatbelts! Back in October we learned that Universal was considering shooting back-to-back sixth and seventh sequels for their highly lucrative Fast and the Furious franchise, and that Jason Statham just might hop in the driver's seat with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker heading to Europe this time around. As of now there's no word on whether Statham will sign up for the adrenaline fueled action, but Diesel himself recently confirmed to Heat Vision that a seventh film is being written simultaneously with the sixth. However, at this time it's not clear whether the sequels will actually be shot back-to-back as originally reported.
Would Statham be a good addition to the franchise?
Woody Time!
After having the title changed from The Bop Decameron to Nero Fiddled back in October, the next project from Woody Allen is now even closer to a reality as Sony Pictures Classics has just announced that it will distribute Allen's film in North America and The United Kingdom. Following the recent success of Midnight in Paris, which just received four Golden Globe nominations, Sony is eager to get back in the saddle with Allen. This will actually mark their fifth collaboration after You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Whatever Works, Sweet and Lowdown, and the aforementioned comedy starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.
Your thoughts on Woody Allen, the director?
Trailer Talk
Did you catch the Sweded trailer for The Avengers a couple of months ago? Well, those same guys went and did the same to The Dark Knight Rises
This should make up for the Dark Knight trailer getting yanked last week.
What do you think?
1. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol $26.4 million ($58.9 million total)
2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows $17.8 million ($76.6 million total) Read the review!
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked $13.3 million ($50.3 million total)
4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo $13.0 million ($21.4 million total)
5. The Adventures of Tintin $9.1 million ($17.1 million total)
6. We Bought a Zoo $7.8 million ($7.8 million total)
7. New Year's Eve $3.0 million ($32.3 million total)
8. Arthur Christmas $2.7 million ($44.2 million total) Read the review!
9. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 $2.1 million ($207.9 million total)
10. Hugo $2.0 million ($43.6 million total) Read the review!
Box Office Survey!
Instead of me just repeating what you can see, how about we ask some questions about the weekend box office? Answer in the comments and NO CHEATING!
* Is the 4th Mission Impossible the best one ever?
* Which NEW movie surprised you with its UNDER-performance the most? The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The Adventures of Tintin, or We Bought a Zoo.
* Was We Bought a Zoo marketed wrong?
Before I say GOODBYE!
I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the other OUTSTANDING articles on www.411mania.com. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't peep around the site. I always get my daily habit of reading. Here's a small sample!
Bridesmaids sucked, can't understand why people thought it was funny.
Posted By: Guest#0017 (Guest) on December 25, 2011 at 11:06 PM
movies i havent seen yet that would have a chance to make my list:
rise of the planet of the apes, mission impossible: ghost protocol, contagion, dont be afraid of the dark, a very harold & kumar christmas
honorable mentions: (i really like all of these movies, it was really hard to leave them off my list... but the top 10 are the movies i loved this year!)
horrible bosses, bridesmades, captian america, thor, fast five
10.drive angry
(pure grindhouse fun, over the top, cage was brilliant!)
9.paul
(pegg & frost are brilliant together as always!)
8.source code
( 1 of 2 sleeper hits this year i didnt expect)
7.limitless
(the other sleeper hit)
6.insidious
(a great original horror film!)
5.troll hunter
(instant cult classic! took the blair witch style and made a awesome monster movie)
4.super 8
(goonies meets e.t. a masterpiece)
3.warrior
(every bit as good as the fighter, and as inspirational as rocky)
2.harry potter and the deathly hallows pt 2.
(wow... just wow... so, im not a potter fan at all but i thought this movie was amazing, easily best in the series!) (potter fan or not, whether you've seen the series or not, watch the deathly hallows pt 1 & pt 2... their amazing films!)
1.xmen 1st class
(ok, i had low expectations going into this film... i like xmen, love x-2 and hate x-3, so i had no idea what to expect with this film... what i saw was easily the best xmen film and definitely a top 5 comic book film of all time! the plot was good, the special effect were phenomenal and kevin bacon as Sebastian Shaw is easily one of the best acted villains in any comic film!
Posted By: Guest#5918 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 12:22 AM
i simply cant wait for next year!
ghost rider spirit of vengence
underworld 4
avengers
the dark knight rises
prometheus
the expendables 2
47 ronin
and theirs still many more !!!
hell yes jason statham is a good addition to fast 6!
and as far as which sequel im most excited about: TOP GUN 2!!!
Posted By: Guest#0456 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 01:07 AM
HM: Captain America
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Limitless
10.Horrible Bosses
9. Paranormal Activity 3
8. Thor
7. The Big Year
6. Super 8
5. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
4. Fast Five
3. X-Men: First Class
2. The Lion King 3D
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Posted By: chAd_b (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:19 AM
^^what you said!
Posted By: cd (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:51 AM
That "Sweded" tailer of Dark Knight Rises was extremely good.
I guess the cat was let out the bag when it was revealed that "Prometheus" is the Alien prequel. Either way, I am so anxious to watch this.
Not sure if F6 and F7 has enough room for a guy like JStatham (especially since EMendes and Rock will return) but if the script works and makes sense why not?
Only memorable movie for 2011 was Warrior. Nothing comes close.
Posted By: TheR (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 04:03 AM
Ghost Protocol is a great movie. Nothing groundbreaking, story or character wise, but Brad Bird does a hell of a good job with live action. The action sequences in the dust storm is pretty inspired and Jeremy Renner fits in perfectly.
He would be a great replacement lead in the franchise, but hes already got Hawkeye and not-Bourne on his plate!
Pretty awesome that MI series gets better as it goes along. Low point was John Woo's movie which had 5 minutes of plot and 2 hours of slow motion.
Love Woody Allen. Granted, aside from Match Point and the wonderful Midnight In Paris, he really hasn't done anything really memorable in the last 10 or so years, but, geez, check out his earlier resume. The guys got 20 Oscar nominations, and thats so many brilliant stuff younger audiences did to take the time to check out. Hell, they'd probably love Deconstructing Harry's scene of Elaine from Seinfeld giving a dude a blow job with a blind lady in the room.
Posted By: Earl (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 04:05 AM
Bridesmaids was terrible!
My top three for this year:
X-men: First class
Drive
Warrior
Posted By: Craig L (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 07:03 AM
Super 8 was my favourite movie this year.
Posted By: Baron Skinny (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 07:48 AM
my 2011 top 5 movies were; 5)Fast5 4)Capt. America 3)Transformers3 2)X-men 1st class 1)Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Posted By: Pilon82 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 10:40 AM
I agree that 2011 was an off year for movies.
There were some sleeper hits along the way though, like "Source Code", "Super 8", "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", and "Take Shelter".
Even though I'm not a Harry Potter fan (and only followed the series very loosely), I thought that "Deathly Hallows Part 2" was a worthy blowoff to that franchise. "X-Men: First Class" and "MI-4: Ghost Protocol" were awesome as well, far better than any movies Marvel put forward this year.
Out of all of the movies I've seen this year though, I've got to give Best Picture 2011 to "Hugo". It's the perfect mix of childhood innocence and history of Cinema, even better if you see it in 3D. Score another victory for Martin Scorsese.
Posted By: Guest#3530 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Honorable Mentions: Bridesmaids, Straw Dogs, Everything Must Go, The Adjustment Bureau, Hugo
10. Hanna
9. Friends With Benefits
8. Thor
7. Source Code
6. The Muppets
5. Limitless
4. X-Men: First Class
3. Melancholia
2. Super 8
1. Another Earth
Posted By: Erik... (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 01:46 PM
For a moment, I thought Woody Allen was doing a "Fast" movie.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:12 PM
^^what you said!
Posted By: cd (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 03:28 PM
I'm suprised about how Dragon Tattoo did or maybe I'm not. I'm like one of only two people at work that have seen the original versions, but I still haven't read the books. I think its one of those that will do well in DVD sales the more people talk about it.
Posted By: Guest#5918 (Guest) on December 27, 2011 at 01:34 PM
I only recall seeing three movies, this year, so I guess my top three would be:
3. Harry Potter (I never read the books, save Half-Blood, but I watched all the movies, most in the theatres. This one was good, but I felt like I wanted more out of it. I don't know if that's good or bad)
2. Captain America (I love me some Cap, and I had low expectations going into this. Thankfully, they were blown out of the water)
1. Fast Five (Vin Diesel... and the Rock?! Come on. The only way to improveme it would be to add Jason Statham...)
I might be slightly surprised over Dragon Tattoo not doing to hot, but then again it's something over-hyped and rated R. And, it's long. Tintin, which I want to see, I've suspected wouldn't do big box-office because I don't think many people are familiar with the character. And Zoo, well, that just doesn't look like the type of movie that's gonna run away with the box-office.
Posted By: G-Walla (Guest) on December 27, 2011 at 02:14 PM
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