News

The studios often save the dog days of August for their weakest performers and sure enough, this weekend proved the rule. (In the past, “The Butler” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Straight Outta Compton” did strong business in August.) Yes, “Suicide Squad” grossed over $20 million, as it became the first non-animated film to have a three-peat at number one since “Dead Pool.” But three weak new releases— “Ben-Hur” (Paramount), “War Dogs” (Warner Bros.) and “Kubo and the Two Strings” (Focus) —opened to less than $15-million.

Making it even more challenging for this trio of weak domestic performers to make their money back: None are scheduled to open in China, which is increasingly the second and sometimes biggest single territory for theatrical grosses. That’s a big deal in a studio world increasingly shifting its focus on a sure thing.

The Top Ten

1. Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) Week 3 – Last weekend...

On its second weekend, “Suicide Squad” was set to repeat at number one. The question was how far Warner Bros.’ latest D.C. franchise bid would drop. The weekend surprise was Sony’s raunchy “Sausage Party” beating out Disney family remake “Pete’s Dragon” among new films.

Overall business is up with a healthy field of offerings in this jammed-up summer. That’s impressive considering competition from the Olympics. Business is surviving this year against them.

The Top Ten

1. Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) Week 2 – Last weekend #1

$43,770,000 (67-%) in 4,255 theaters (no change); PTA (per theater average): $10,287; Cumulative: $222,875,000

2. Sausage Party (Sony) New – Cinemascore: B; Metacritic: 67; Est. budget: $19 million

$33,600,000 in 3,103 theaters; PTA: $10,828; Cumulative: $33,600,000

3. Pete’s Dragon (Buena Vista) New – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 72; Est. budget: $65 million

$21,501,000 in 3,702 theaters; PTA: $5,808; Cumulative: $21,501,000

4. Jason Bourne (Universal) Week 3 – Last weekend #2

$13,620,000 (-39%) in 3,528 theaters (-511); PTA: $3,861; Cumulative: $126,782,000

5. Bad Moms (Stx) Week 3 – Last weekend #3

$11,450,000 (-18%) in 3,188 theaters (-27); PTA:...

After one of the best openings of the summer, Texas western “Hell or High Water” could become one of the strongest specialized releases of 2016. This bank robbery and pursuit thriller debuted at Cannes and scored among the best reviews of the year. CBS Films and Lionsgate opted to take the easier commercial route rather than chase awards via the standard September festival rollout.

Late summer has yielded a spate of arthouse successes including strong holdovers “Café Society” and “Indignation.”

Opening

“Hell or High Water” (Lionsgate) – Metacritic: 86; Festivals include: Cannes 2016

$592,000 in 32 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $18,500

A gamble paid off big-time for CBS Films, who acquired this independent Texas story of two struggling brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who rob a bank to save the family farm. Distributed by Lionsgate, “Hell or High Water” debuted well at Cannes. Knowing it had rave reviews, CBS decided to go broader than...

Late summer is an odd time in the moviegoing calendar, when the last gasps of blockbuster season share cineplex marquees with left-of-center indies and slightly off-beat studio projects. August brings a varied slate of new releases, from a fantastical children's stop-motion wonder to a true story dramatized as a wartime bro-out to a comedy showcase for the cream of the sitcom crop. Pretty much every taste can find something worth investigating this month, so read on for a full briefing on what's to come:

Suicide Squad (8/5)

It's good to be...

In case you were looking for proof that CBS’ upcoming MacGyver reboot would be heavy on action, take a peek at this first-look video, in which series star Lucas Till finds himself holding on for dear life during a high-flying sequence.

RelatedMacGyver: Rush Hour‘s Justin Hires Joins Cast of CBS’ Revamped Reboot

“The very first scene of this [episode],” he explains during production on the show’s revamped pilot, “is me hanging out of an airplane… trying to ground it with my Swiss Army knife.”

In between adrenaline-packed stunts, Till man is seen sporting Angus “Mac” MacGyver’s...

TVLine hits rewind on the TV season’s biggest “What Happens Next?” finales, then invites you to predict the cliffhanger outcomes.

“You’re firing me?!”

Elizabeth’s surprise and outrage in Madam Secretary‘s Season 2 finale echoed our own: After going through so much as President Dalton’s secretary of state, could her longtime friend/current boss really want to replace her?

The answer: Yes — but not for the reasons she suspected. Let’s back up a little.

RelatedThe Flash Season 3: Barry Saved His Mom! — What Happens Next?

Bess’ paranoia began when Mike arrived at her office with a...

Scream Factory will make this Halloween season one to remember for many horror fans, as they have just announced a Collector's Edition Blu-ray of William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist III.

Due out on October 25th, The Exorcist III Collector's Edition Blu-ray will feature a long list of yet-to-be-revealed bonus features, as well as a Director's Cut of the film that Scream Factory is taking extra care to put together:

From Scream Factory: "You’ve heard the rumors for months…and they’re all true! William Peter Blatty’s cult favorite The Exorcist III will be bearing its cross on a 2-disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set from us on October 25th.

Extras (of which there are tons of) are underway and will be announced at a date in Late Summer / Early Fall. The newly-designed front-facing artwork you see here is final (not pictured is the reverse wrap image...

Dr. Vegas is trying his luck at Angels Memorial.

Rob Lowe is joining CBS’ retooled Code Black as the medical drama’s new co-lead, TVLine has learned. The actor, fresh off his one-season run on Fox’s The Grinder, will play Colonel Ethan Willis, a doctor in the U.S. Military’s prestigious Combat Casualty Care research program who has been pulled out of a combat hospital in Afghanistan and embedded at Angels Memorial to teach what the military has learned about combat medicine. His aggressive, rule-breaking style is greeted enthusiastically by Dr. Leanne Rorish (Marcia Gay Harden), but not by all the other doctors.

AMC has announced that production has begun on The Walking Dead spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead. The show takes place in Los Angeles during the initial days of the outbreak. “We're going to show people all the insanity of civilization crumbling that Rick Grimes slept through,” says creator Robert Kirkman. “Buckle up.” At least that’s a moderately interesting distance from The Walking Dead, and they’re not just showing what’s going on with another small group struggling to survive in a rural area. Filming in underway in Vancouver, and I’m curious if the spinoff will stick to cities as a way to mark its distinct personality, or if, like The Walking Dead, it will eventually try to move away from urban landscapes. Click here to watch the creators talk about the new series, and check out the press release below. Fear the Walking Dead premieres this summer,...

Jina Jay Casting are searching for female urban street dancers, freerunners or acrobatic gymnasts for a prestigious feature film starring Michael Fassbender, and directed by Justin Kurzel.

There are 2 roles:

Teenage Girl aged 14 - 19

And

Young Woman aged 26 - 30.

No Acting Experience Is Required

We are looking for strong skills in street dance, hip hop, parkour and/or acrobatic gymnastics.

Any Ethnicity

You must be able to speak English but accented English is fine.

You can be based anywhere in the world to apply.

Filming: In London from Late Summer 2015

Please visit www.jinajaycasting.com for information on how to apply.

Closing Date: Monday 11th May 2015...

Update: Tickets are now on sale for the Pulp Fiction/Professional double feature. Late summer left Los Angeles repertory fans scratching their heads as the long-running New Beverly Cinema abruptly closed for the month of September with the promise of renovations and new programming to come starting in October. As it turns out, Quentin Tarantino, who owns […]

The post Quentin Tarantino’s First Wave of New Beverly Programming Announced [Updated] appeared first on /Film.

Strange days have found us. Late summer weekends can yield weird results, but rarely like this. Six of the Top Ten positions changed from Friday, which is rare, as two of three new films declined steeply. Meanwhile several of holdovers enjoyed solid jumps. Last week's top two films switched positions, with "Guardians of the Galaxy" (Buena Vista) returning yet again as the top grosser after having been bested by "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (Paramount) for the last two weeks. Those two films are the shining lights of August, but the less-heralded "Let's Be Cops" (Twentieth Century Fox) had a terrific hold--only down 38%-- to take fourth place. And that wasn't the best hold! Lower-budget sleeper success "The Hundred-Foot Journey" (Dreamworks/Buena Vista) fell only 22% in its third weekend. "Journey" has already outgrossed (with higher marketing expense) the summer's other foody hit, "Chef," and looks to build...

Andrew Baldwin has been tapped to work on the new installment of Universal’s Bourne franchise. This project is a sequel to the Jeremy Renner-starring Bourne Legacy. The film is so far untitled and has Justin Lin attached to direct. Earlier: Next 'Bourne' Pic to Hit Theaters in Late Summer 2015 Lin is also one of the producers, as is franchise veteran Frank Marshall as well as Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith from Captivate. Anthony Peckham wrote an earlier draft. Any and all plot details are not yet known -- presumably being kept locked deep in the head of an amnesiac Bourne-like sleeper agent.

read more...