Jacob Hall
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Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Lights the Box Office on, Well, You Know
Everyone knew that 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' was going to do well this weekend, but the lingering question was always whether or not it was going to do "really, really well" or "stupidly, gobsmackingly well." We should know by now that you always bet on Katniss Everdeen defying the odds, because it was the latter and everyone made it look easy.
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Weekend Box Office Report: ‘The Best Man Holiday’ Stands Toe-to-Toe With ‘Thor: The Dark World’
If there's one thing that we're reminded of a few times a year here at the Weekend Box Office Report, it's that films targeted at black audiences are always ignored by many mainstream movie websites ... until they open huge at the box office. 'The Best Man Holiday' is the latest film to prove that there's an entire group of moviegoers who aren't being given the films they obviously want to see, and hopefully its success will spur Hollywood into action, allowing for the production of more movies with black casts and filmmakers. Maybe. This is Hollywood, after all.
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‘Divergent’ Trailer: Shailene Woodley Must Face Her Worst Fears
The business of adapting bestselling young-adult books into movies can result in untold riches (see 'The Hunger Games' and 'Harry Potter') or it can result in something instantly and completely forgettable (does anyone remember 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'?). The upcoming adaptation of Veronica Roth's novel is certainly hoping for the former, and unlike so much of the competition, the new 'Divergent' trailer makes it look like the film may have the pedigree to pull it off.
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‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Reviews: What Do the Critics Think of the Sequel?
The first batch of 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' reviews are in, following the worldwide debut of the highly anticipated sequel starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.
While the first film set the bar awfully high for the rest of the franchise -- telling a rich, brutal and exciting science-fiction story with genuine gravitas -- the sequel didn't always look like a sure thing. Original director Gary Ross dropped the project and the production was rushed to meet a release date, leaving many fans worried that the tale of Katniss Everdeen was in less than sure hands. But the first wave of critiques have washed ashore, and the verdict is ...
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So What Exactly Happens to Odin at the End of ‘Thor 2′?
'Thor 2' has plenty of surprising twists and turns, but one the biggest occurs in the literal final moments of the film, right before the cut to ending credits. Before you read any further, we're about to completely spoil the ending of the film, so turn back now if you haven't seen it yet. You've been warned!
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Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Thor: The Dark World’ Hammers the Competition
There was no question of whether or not 'Thor: The Dark World' was going to open at number one this weekend. Of course it was. The big question was whether it would get a post-'Avengers' bump, or if it would do similar business to its 2011 predecessor. Question answered: it got a bump and a pretty good one, too.
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‘The Wolverine’ Deleted Ending: Hugh Jackman Almost Got the Classic Costume
'The Wolverine' was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2013 summer movie season, but a newly released deleted ending gives us a look at a very cool moment that seems to have barely missed getting into the final cut.
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‘Lone Survivor’ Trailer: Mark Wahlberg Is the Last Man Standing
How exactly do you bounce back from a critical and financial bomb as big as 'Battleship'? If you're director Peter Berg, you go make 'Lone Survivor,' a war film based on true events that's already started generating extremely positive pre-release buzz. The newest trailer for the film has arrived and we certainly hope the finished film is as intense as it looks here.
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‘The Hunger Games’ Theme Parks Are a Possibility, Says Lionsgate
Thrill rides and attractions based on popular franchises have proven incredibly lucrative in the past decade, so it's not surprising that a massively popular young-adult book and film series is being eyed for the theme park treatment. What is a little surprising is that we're talking about 'The Hunger Games,' a franchise that takes place is a dystopian future where poor people suffer at the hands of the vicious Capitol and are forced to battle each other to the death on TV. You know, fun for the whole family.
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New ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Clip: Jennifer Lawrence Must Be a Distraction
'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' picks up almost exactly where the first film ended, with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) embarking on a victory tour to celebrate their surviving the Hunger Games and to spread government propaganda and fear. This section of the book (and, we imagine, the movie) is fairly action-free, but still pretty harrowing. A new clip from the film shows that a couple of good actors in a room can be just as exciting as an action scene.
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R.I.P. Blockbuster: Remaining US Stores to Be Closed
After years of struggling against the odds and barely surviving in a rapidly changing world, Blockbuster announced that it's officially set to close the remainder of its US stores. For some, this is a day or mourning. For others, a day of celebration. For all of us, it's just a reminder that the way we consume media has changed so drastically and so quickly that the thought of Blockbuster going out of business would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
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Weekend Box Office Report: ‘Ender’s Game’ Takes Flight
After months of boycott talk and constant controversy, the long in the works adaptation of Orson Scott Card's 'Ender's Game' opened at number one at the box office with decent but not spectacular numbers. It's a long road to profitability, but hey, this is a start.