Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Thor, Captain America, Avengers Battle Later Releases
Thor is going to be thundering into movie theaters a little later than expected. Ditto some of his franchise-worthy crimefighting buddies.
Marvel Entertainment has pushed back the release dates of comic-book bonanzas Thor, The Avengers and The First Avenger: Captain America, delaying the films by up to a year.
As for why...well, it's all about building the buzz.
While the hammer-wielding Norseman was originally scheduled for release on July 16, 2010, he will now roar into theaters the following summer, on June 17, 2011.
The Avengers, meanwhile, is even further from fruition, nixing its planned July 15, 2011, release (and a showdown with the final Harry Potter) for one on May 4, 2012, instead.
Captain America fans have the shortest wait time, with the film's release getting a comparably measly delay of just a few months. The First Avenger is moving from a release date of May 6, 2011, to one of July 22 the same year.
No reason was given for the schedule shift, though Marvel Studios chairman David Maisel said that the switcheroo "maximizes the visibility of our single character-focused films, leading to the highly anticipated release of the multicharacter The Avengers film in 2012."
Spreading out the releases also gives the studio the shot of at least one of the films turning into a blockbuster and lessens—though far from alleviates altogether—the chances of direct competition with other Marvel releases.
And, of course, it builds buzz and recognition for the hopefully all-star characters set to appear in the superhero conglomerate The Avengers.
As it now stands, Iron Man 2 will be the sole Marvel release for 2010, while Spider-Man 4, Thor and The First Avenger: Captain America will hit screens in 2011. The Avengers will come later still in 2012.
Castmembers are already being rounded up to participate in the effects-heavy crowd-pleasing slate. As announced yesterday, Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson have both formally signed on to appear opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the highly anticipated Iron Man sequel.
That film's release date remains unchanged and is still on track for a May 7, 2010, release.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Giant Stingray Battles 13 Men And Loses
It was an angling moment which conjured memories of classic Jaws quote, ‘You’re going to need a bigger boat. That’s what British fishing enthusiast Ian Welch said when he caught this 350kg (771lb) giant stingray - with a rod. The fish took 90 minutes and 13 men to land.
‘It dragged me across the boat and would have pulled me in had my colleague not grabbed my trousers,’ said Mr Welch, who smashed the record for the largest rod-caught freshwater fish.
‘It buried itself on the bottom. I tried with every ounce of power but it just would not budge. After an hour, my legs went. Another 30 minutes went by and somehow I found the reserves to shift it.’
Mr Welch, 45, a freshwater biologist, was tagging stingrays in Thailand when he landed the fish and broke the 2005 record for a 293kg (646lb) catfish.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
'Watchmen' conquers box office with $55.7 million
"Watchmen" clocked in with $55.7 million in ticket sales to claim the top spot at the box office, making director Zack Snyder's comic book adaptation about a team of twisted superheros the biggest opening of 2009 so far.
Still, it was not quite as big as the $70 million take of Snyder's "300" in 2007.
Dan Fellman, head of distribution for "Watchmen" studio Warner Bros., said it was unfair to compare the two films.
"They're two different movies," Fellman said Sunday. "This is a movie that runs two hours and 45 minutes. That really only leaves the exhibitor with one showing a night. If you have an 8 o'clock show, the next show is at midnight. So with essentially one show a night, I think this is outstanding."
Fans of the subversive comic book series by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons waited years for Snyder's big-screen version. The anticipation was complicated last year when Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox fought over who owned rights to the $125 million film. The studios eventually settled in January, keeping the March 6 opening intact.
Many "Watchmen" enthusiasts raced to IMAX theaters to see the exploits of Dr. Manhattan and company on the bigger screens. Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, said the movie sold out on all 124 IMAX screens it was playing on during the weekend and was the second largest opening in company history behind another superhero film, 2008's "The Dark Knight."
With no other new releases to compete against, "Watchmen" easily bumped off "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," which had held the top spot the two previous weekends. The Lionsgate comedy took in $8.8 million, good for second place, according to studio estimates Sunday. 20th Century Fox's "Taken," starring Liam Neeson, took the No. 3 position with $7.5 million.
