Top Box Office for Action Movies for 2008

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Top Box Office for Action Movies for 2008

Top Box Office for Action Movies for 2008

Dark Knight and Iron Man Movies dominate with Hancock involved.

2008 was a record year for the Hollywood box office, with both North American and overseas box office receipts setting new records.

Action films such as The Dark Knight, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Iron Man punched up box office receipts over 2007 by two per cent in North America and four per cent internationally.

About 1.36 billion tickets were sold in Canada and the U.S. in 2008, down from 1.4 billion in 2007, according to the National Association of Theater Owners. But ticket prices were up, resulting in record ticket receipts of $9.78 billion US.

Hollywood studios set a new record internationally of $9.9 billion US at the box office, with Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda, Mamma Mia and Wall-E among the favourites overseas.

The Dark Knight was the top grossing movie of the year, bringing in $531 million US in North American and $466 million US overseas. The most successful superhero title of all time, it is second only to Titanic in total box office revenues.

Many of the franchises that have been most successful for Hollywood studios, including the Shrek and Harry Potter series, had no new installments in 2008, and the studios had been concerned it would be a poor year for movie receipts.

The recession also hit hard in the second half of the year, but moviegoers didn't appear to care.

Speed Racer, Love Guru flopped
A total of 24 film titles brought in more than $100 million US in Canada and the U.S., including Sex and the City and Get Smart, both adaptations of TV shows and Quantum of Solace, the latest Bond picture.

And new franchises had a good start in 2008, among them Twilight, Kung Fu Panda and Iron Man.

High-profile flops included Speed Racer and The Love Guru.

Each of the six major Hollywood studios — Warner, Paramount, Disney, Sony, Universal, Fox —improved ticket sales.

The total number of new releases was down, at 148 films, compared to 160 in 2007. In part, that is a reflection of the Hollywood writers strike that stalled production earlier in the year.

Among the biggest films and their North American receipts:

The Dark Knight, $531 million US.
Iron Man, $318.3 million US.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $317 million US.
Hancock, $228 million US.
Wall-E, $223.7 million US.
Kung Fu Panda, $215.4 million US.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, $176 million US.
Quantum of Solace, $165.7 million US.
Sex and the City, $153 million US.
Mamma Mia, $143.8 million US.
Credit: CBC.CA

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The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight
Main article: The Dark Knight (film)
Christopher Nolan reprised his duties as director, and brought his brother, Jonathan, to co-write the script. The Dark Knight featured Heath Ledger as The Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent / Two-Face. Principal photography began in April 2007 in Chicago. Other locations included Pinewood Studios and Hong Kong. On January 22 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Ledger died of a sleeping pill overdose, leading to intense attention from the press and more people showing interest in the film. Warner Bros. had created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.[77][78] The film was released on July 16 2008; prior to its box office debut in North America, record numbers of advance tickets were sold for The Dark Knight. It was greeted with extremely positive reviews upon release, and became the second film ever to earn more than $500 million at the United States box office, setting numerous other records in the process

Batman Begins

Batman Begins
Main article: Batman Begins
Director/writer Christopher Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer began work on Batman Begins in early 2003[67][68] and aimed for a darker and more realistic tone, with humanity and realism being the basis of the film.[69] The film, which was primarily shot in England and Chicago,[70][71] relied on traditional stunts and scale models — computer-generated imagery was used minimally. A new Batmobile (called the Tumbler) and a more mobile Batsuit were both created specifically for the film.[72][73] Batman Begins was critically and commercially successful. The film opened on June 15, 2005 in the United States and Canada in 3,858 theaters. It grossed US$48 million in its opening weekend, eventually earning $370 million worldwide. The film received an 84% overall approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes.[74][75] Critics noted that fear was a common theme throughout the film, and remarked that it had a darker tone compared to previous Batman films.[75] Batman Begins has also popularized the notion of reboots in Hollywood.[76]

Batman 3 Rumors

Future
Warner Bros. president of production Jeff Robinov hopes a third film will be released in 2011.[81] Nolan is not committed to another sequel, explaining that he does not normally line up projects after completing a film, noting "Is there a story that's going to keep me emotionally invested for the couple of years that it will take to make another one? That’s the overriding question. On a more superficial level, I have to ask the question: How many good third movies in a franchise can people name?"[82] He added the only reason he would return would be if he found a necessary way to continue the story, but he feared midway through filming another installment he would find it redundant.[83] Nolan had written a rough story outline and made some notes by December 2008, despite his uncertainty in returning for the sequel.[84] Later in December, Alan F. Horn confirmed that while discussions with Nolan about a third film were ongoing, no casting had been done, and Horn categorically denied all such rumors.[85]
Gary Oldman is confident Nolan will return,[86] and Bale said he would return if Nolan did.[87] Oldman hinted in the third film Gordon would have to "hunt down Batman".[88] He has also speculated that the villain of the upcoming film might be the Riddler.[89] Nolan explained that as long as he is directing, he is not including Robin in the franchise because Bale is still portraying a "young Batman", which meant "Robin's not for a few films".[90] In addition, Nolan considers the Penguin difficult to portray on film, explaining, "There are certain characters that are easier to mesh with the more real take on Batman we're doing. The Penguin would be tricky."[91]
Kate Beckinsale has expressed interest in playing Catwoman,[92] while rumors are spreading that Angelina Jolie is reported to be Catwoman. Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman in the Batman series from 1966 to 1967, said "Angelina would own the part."[93] David Tennant and Brian Austin Green wish to portray the Riddler.[94][95] Aaron Eckhart had expressed his enthusiasm that he would reprise his role for a sequel if asked, although he later confirmed that, in talks with Nolan before Heath Ledger's death, the director considers Two-Face to be dead.[96] Michael Caine commented that a studio executive was interested in casting Johnny Depp as the Riddler, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin.[97] Hoffman later denied the rumor.[98]

Check out B.I.G. Sergio's Tribute to Jason Voorhees!

Thursday, January 8, 2009