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Bourne Again or Ninth Life?
23 July 2004 (StudioBriefing)
A surfeit of blockbusters gorge the nation's theaters this week, with two new ones adding to the already towering heap. Universal's The Bourne Supremacy with Matt Damon, which cost about $80 million, and Warner Bros.' Catwoman, which cost about $100 million, will be duking it out with last week's winner, 20th Century Fox's I, Robot and Sony's Spider-Man 2 (not to mention Disney's King Arthur and, in its tenth week, DreamWorks' Shrek 2). At the same time, several smaller films that have caught on in limited release will be expanding this weekend. Fox Searchlight's Napoleon Dynamite will move into 389 theaters. MGM's Cole Porter musical-bio De-Lovely will move into 333, and the well-reviewed Jeff Bridges-Kim Basinger starrer The Door in the Floor, which opened last week, expands to 120.

Robots Triumph
20 July 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Will Smith's robots knocked Spider-Man out of first place at the domestic box office last weekend, as I, Robot grossed $52.2 million. The figure was just $31,136 above Smith's previous best -- 2002's Men in Black II. In its third weekend, Spider-Man 2 continued to expand a formidable web over the box office, landing in second place with $24.8 million, to push its total past the $300-million mark to $302.3 million. The only other new film opening wide was Warner Bros.' A Cinderella Story, which took in $13.6 million, landing in fourth place, just behind the Will Ferrell comedy Anchorman, which recorded $13.8 million. There were two films showing in limited release that performed strongly: MGM's Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely, which earned $1.5 million in 185 theaters, an average of $8,073 per location; and Focus Features' The Door in the Floor, which earned $456,876 in 47 theaters, or $9,721 per location -- a better per-theater average than any of the films on the top-ten list, with the exception of I, Robot.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. I, Robot, 20th Century Fox, $52,179,887, 1 Wk. (New); 2. Spider-Man 2, Sony, $24,775,450, 3 Wks. ($302,287,882); 3. Anchorman, DreamWorks, $13,849,313, 2 Wks. ($56,956,256); 4. A Cinderella Story, Warner Bros., $13,623,350, 1 Wk. (New); 5. Fahrenheit 9/11, Lions Gate, $7,175,674, 4 Wks. ($93,984,261); 6. King Arthur, Disney, $7,161,648, 2 Wks. ($38,110,849); 7. The Notebook, New Line, $5,651,212, 4 Wks. ($53,880,561); 8. DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, 20th Century Fox, $3,813,719, 5 Wks. ($105,165,752); 9. White Chicks, Sony, $3,436,328, 4 Wks. ($63,470,104); 10. Shrek 2, DreamWorks, $3,230,786, 9 Wks. ($425,011,646).

Spidey, The Champ
7 July 2004 (StudioBriefing)
It's now official: Sony's Spider-Man 2 set a Fourth of July box-office record of $115.8 million from Friday through Monday. It also set another record of $180.1 million for total ticket sales in it first six days. The film also helped the box office itself set a new record for a July 4 weekend with the top 12 movies recording $212.8 million in sales. Also continuing to amaze was Michael Moore's documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11, which earned $22 million, about as much as it did during its first weekend last week, bringing its total to $61.1 million. In limited release, MGM's De-Lovely, a biography of composer Cole Porter starring Kevin Kline, earned $400,000 in 16 theaters. The Robert Redford-Helen Mirren starrer The Clearing, from Fox Searchlight, took in $618,674 in 56 theaters. Before Sunset, which opened in 20 theaters, garnered $311,194. The only big loser among the new films was Disney's America's Heart and Soul which took in only $184,917 at 98 theaters, despite efforts by Fahrenheit foes to boost it as a patriotic counterweight and put bodies into seats.

The top ten films over the four-day Independence Day weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Spider-Man 2, Sony, $115,817,364, 1 Wks. ($180,072,888 -- From Wednesday); 2. Fahrenheit 9/11, Lions Gate, $22,027,125, 2 Wks. ($61,118,488); 3. White Chicks, Sony, $11,544,456, 2 Wks. ($46,664,718); 4. DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, 20th Century Fox, $11,355,165, 3 Wks. ($87,609,589); 5. The Terminal, DreamWorks, $10,750,087, 3 Wks. ($57,209,326); 6. The Notebook, New Line, $10,362,521, 2 Wks. ($31,674,074); 7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Warner Bros., $8,541,177, 5 Wks. ($225,719,716); 8. Shrek 2, DreamWorks, $8,387,681, 7 Wks. ($410,688,506); 9. Garfield: The Movie, 20th Century Fox, $4,283,154, 4 Wks. ($64,235,505); 10. Two Brothers, Universal, $3,882,180, 2 Wks. ($12,876,545).

Straight Actors Accepting More Gay Roles
6 July 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Although it remains virtually unheard of for an openly gay actor to play a leading romantic role opposite a female star, the number of straight actors willing to accept gay roles appears to be rising, published reports indicated on Monday. In fact, according to the British website gay.co.uk, Jude Law has agreed to play a gay character for a second time, this time opposite Paul Bettany in a new theatrical adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. (Bettany's character also has a female love interest in the movie, played by his real-life wife, Jennifer Connelly.) Law also played a gay character in the 1997 movie Wilde. Other straight actors appearing as gay characters: Colin Farrell in A Home at the End of the World and Alexander; Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain; and Kevin Kline in De-Lovely. (He also played a gay man in 1997's In and Out.

Web Slinger Nets Box-Office Records
6 July 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Moviegoers sat on millions of tuffets to see Spider-Man 2 in the nation's theaters over the Independence Day weekend, setting numerous records. The film took in an estimated $115.8 million over the four-day holiday period, setting a record for the holiday. It also set a record for its first six days -- $180 million -- and seemed certain to hit $200 million by Wednesday, which would make it the fastest film to pass that mark. The previous record for a six-day opening was set by last year's The Matrix Reloaded, which took in $146.9 million during that period. Meanwhile, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 remained a big draw as it took in another $21 million, just 12 percent less than last week, to bring its total to $60.1 million. In an interview with today's (Tuesday) New York Times, Tom Ortenberg, head of Lions Gate Entertainment, one of the film's distributors, remarked: "We absorbed the blow of Spidey quite well." Damned as unpatriotic by its opponents, the film was expected to take a steep dive over the patriotic holiday. By contrast, Disney's red-white-and-blue documentary America's Heart and Soul opened poorly with just $173,000 in 98 theaters over the four days, despite efforts by Fahrenheit foes to support it. In its seventh week, DreamWorks' Shrek 2, adding another $7.9 million to its gross, reached $410.2 million to become the fifth biggest domestic grosser of all time, replacing the original Spider-Man in that spot. Opening on just 16 screens, the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely, starring Kevin Kline, earned a strong $384,000. The Robert Redford thriller The Clearing from Fox Searchlight debuted on 56 screens, earning $647,000. And Castle Rock's Before Sunset bowed on 20 screens with $303,000. Ticket sales for the top 12 films totaled $158.5 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, up 25 percent from the comparable weekend last year, and the most ever recorded for a Fourth of July weekend.

The top ten films for the four-day holiday weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Spider-Man 2, $115.8 million; 2. Fahrenheit 9/11, $21 million; 3. White Chicks, $12 million; 4. DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, $10.45 million; 5. The Notebook, $10.3 million; 6. The Terminal, $10.2 million; 7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, $8.1 million; 8. Shrek 2, $7.9 million; 9. (tie) Garfield: The Movie, $3.6 million; 9. (tie) Two Brothers, $3.6 million.

Movie Reviews: 'De-Lovely'
2 July 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Reaction by the critics to the new Cole Porter biography/musical De-Lovely resembles the title to one of Porter's best-loved shows -- Anything Goes. Ty Burr in the Boston Globe observes that while the thought of Porter's music being sung by the likes of Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow "sounds like a hideous idea," the movie actually "turns out to be thoughtful, creative, and generally worthy of its subject, with sins that are more of ambition and miscalculation than of execution." Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times awards the film 3 1/2 stars and praises the performances of Kevin Kline as Porter and Ashley Judd as his wife, Linda Lee. Kline he says, "is ideally cast ... elegant, witty, always onstage, brave in the face of society and his own pain." As for Judd, he remarks, "Who might have known [she] would be so nuanced as Linda Lee?" Jack Mathews in the New York Daily News expresses some minor reservations about the film, but then remarks that overall, "De-Lovely has much de-loveliness about it. There are terrific performances from Kline and Judd, some breathtaking staging and production design, and, of course, some of the best music and lyrics of the 20th century." But Stephen Holden writes in the New York Times that the film is "lifeless and drained of genuine joie de vivre" and while he writes that Kline "can surmount any disaster," Judd, he contends, "Is clueless as to style. She seems to imagine that tilting her chin up to snob level, narrowing her eyes and maintaining precise elocution is all it takes to evoke class." Megan Lehmann in the New York Post writes that "after a fizzy beginning, De-Lovely withers and wanes, becoming a listless trudge through a life -- and ultimately doing an injustice to a complex man and his enchanting, immortal songbook." John Anderson in Newsday calls it a "De-bacle;" Manohla Dargis in the Los Angeles Times,"de-lousy;" and Rick Groen in the Toronto Globe and Mail says that it "isn't d'awful, but it's pretty damn close. ... better than a root canal, marginally superior to Gigli, but bad enough."

Williams Astounds in Movie Debut
28 May 2004 (WENN)
Pop hunk Robbie Williams is poised for a Hollywood movie career - after amazing famed movie producer Irwin Winkler with his acting talents in the eagerly awaited biopic De-Lovely. The 30-year-old Brit starred alongside Hollywood icons Ashley Judd and Kevin Kline in the new movie and impressed the Oscar-winning producer so much he is now determined to turn Williams into a movie star. Winkler excitedly explains, "He was so successful in this movie that when we do the TV slots to promote the film, we're using scenes of him singing De-Lovely. He's really great. I picked him up for the film because I had seen a TV special and knew he could do it." The Shipping News producer was concerned about the "Millennium" singer's tattoos but was delighted by his smart appearance in a tuxedo and is desperate to give him the starring role in a big-screen musical he's planning.

Williams Job Hunting in Cannes
12 May 2004 (WENN)
Singer Robbie Williams is flying out to the Cannes Film Festival in a desperate bid to land a major movie role - because he's become disillusioned with the music industry after failing to crack America. The star - who set up home in Los Angeles in a concerted effort to score US chart success - is traveling to the South of France next week, convinced his recent cameo performance in movie musical De-Lovely will be enough to win over film chiefs. Williams - who is officially attending the Cannes Film Festival to promote the movie - will be using his time in the glitzy city to seek out lead roles and plans to meet a series of big Hollywood names, according to Britain's The Sun tabloid. A pal says, "He would love a stab at acting in a film. He's a very intelligent and witty person and he would be brilliant in front of the camera. He's confident this could lead to other things. Cannes is a good chance to shake the right hands."

'Troy' Set To Debut at Cannes
1 April 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Wolfgang Petersen's Troy, starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom, is expected to be screened for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13th, the second day of the festival, Daily Variety reported today (Thursday). The trade publication observed that the 57th edition of the festival is likely to be a showcase for several major Hollywood releases. It had previously been announced that De-lovely, the musical biography of composer Cole Porter directed by Irwin Winkler, will close the festival after the award ceremony on May 22.

Cannes Exit To Be 'De-Lovely'
9 March 2004 (StudioBriefing)
The Cannes Film Festival announced Monday that Irwin Winkler's De-Lovely will close the 57th annual edition on Saturday, May 22. The film, a biography of composer Cole Porter, starring Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd, is to be given its world premiere at the festival, following the announcement of the prize winners by jury president Quentin Tarantino. After the screening, a fireworks show, an award party, and a live concert are scheduled. (The festival concludes on Sunday with a screening of the film that won the Palme d'Or.) The festival opens on May 12th with a screening of Pedro Almodóvar's Bad Education (La Mala Educación].

Williams, Crow, Others Lined Up for Porter Movie
2 June 2003 (WENN)
Pop stars Robbie Williams, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Elvis Costello are being lined up to appear in a big-screen musical about Cole Porter. The musicians will appear in forthcoming flick Just One Of Those Things - which stars actor Kevin Kline in the lead role - dancing and singing some of the songwriting legend's most famous songs. Robbie, who previously covered Porter's "Did You Evah?" for his Swing When Your Winning album, will sing It's De-lovely. Sheryl Crow will cover "Begin The Beguine," Alanis Morissette will dance and sing "Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love" and Elvis Costello will perform "Let's Misbehave." Producer Rob Cowan claims the film, which does not as yet have a release date as yet, will be unlike any musical seen in recent time. He says, "With complex characters and situations for the actors to explore, amazing costumes and choreography, and Porter's terrific music to drive the narrative forward - the result is moving and exciting."

Ashley Judd to Play Linda Lee Porter
6 March 2003 (WENN)
Sexy actress Ashley Judd is set to portray legendary socialite Linda Lee Porter in a Cole Porter bio-pic starring Kevin Kline. In the movie De-Lovely, Judd will play Linda Lee, who was married to acclaimed composer Cole - even though he was gay. Linda Lee was a source of inspiration for such musical compositions as Anything Goes and Kiss Me Kate. After she died in 1954, her husband never wrote another song. The unusual love story will begin shooting in London from May 5, which gives the High Crimes beauty time to make the film and be back in America to begin rehearsals for her role as Maggie The Cat in the revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.