Night at the Museum 2 mopped the floor with Terminator Salvation, grossing $70 million to Terminator’s $53.8 over the course of the extended weekend. Salvation‘s attendance was actually lower than the last two Terminators, and its numbers were down from Friday to Saturday, “a rarity that could signal disappointing word of mouth.” Such a shame, it just doesn’t seem fair that the quality of the product should affect its revenue.
Elsewhere, Star Trek overtook Wolverine in domestic revenue, just like I said it would ($191 million to $165.4, respectively), while Angels & Demons made decent money but was down from Da Vinci Code, earning $87.8 million in the time it took Da Vinci to earn $144.9.
And finally, inexplicably, Dance Flick earned $13.1 million. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but writing, shooting, and editing couldn’t have taken longer than an afternoon. And I’m sure you think I’m exaggerating, but keep in mind, Keenan Wayans literally let his nephew direct. (top 10 after the jump)
(Hanks visits the place where they burned his old forehead)
As expected, Angels & Demons won the box office over the weekend, though its $48 million take was slightly below studio expectations, and well below the $77.1 million debut of The Da Vinci Code. All in all it did okay, was mediocre not great, and will probably be forgotten by next weekend. It’s basically the Olive Garden of movie franchises. Elsewhere, Star Trek was only down 46% off its opening weekend – a small drop, especially when you consider Wolverine was down 68% in its second weekend. Trek‘s total take now stands at $147.6 million to Wolverine‘s $151.1 (and closing fast, I imagine).
The weekend boasted only two other high profile pics, both in limited release. Jennifer Aniston’s “Management” got a pink slip from moviegoers, grossing just $378,420 from 212 screens for a measly per-screen average of $1,785. Meanwhile, the caper comedy “The Brothers Bloom” was a bright spot on the specialty side, ringing up $82,000 from four theaters for a $20,500 per-theater haul. [CNN]
Now all that’s left to figure out is who the hell keeps seeing Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
If you saw Star Trek, you probably noticed the abundance of lens flares. Director JJ Abrams acknowledges he went overboard, but he also wants you to know it wasn’t some cheesy Photoshop after effect. As he told io9…
It was one of those things… I wanted a visual system that felt unique. I know there are certain shots where even I watch and think, “Oh that’s ridiculous, that was too many.” But I love the idea that the future was so bright it couldn’t be contained in the frame.
They were all done live, they weren’t added later. There are something about those flares, especially in a movie that can potentially be very sterile and CG and overly controlled. There is something incredibly unpredictable and gorgeous about them. It is a really fun thing. Our DP would be off camera with this incredibly powerful flashlight aiming it at the lens. It became an art because different lenses required angles, and different proximity to the lens. Sometimes, when we were outside we’d use mirrors. Certain sizes were too big… literally, it was ridiculous. It was like another actor in the scene….
We had two cameras, so sometimes we had two different spotlight operators. When there was atmosphere in the room, you had to be really careful because you could see the beams. So it was this ridiculous, added level of pain in the ass, but I love… [looking at] the final cut, [the flares] to me, were a fun additional touch that I think, while overdone, in some places, it feels like the future is that bright.
He’s right. If I want to feel like the future is bright, I just look at this picture of Birthday Dog. You can’t look at this picture and not be happy.
Pictured: The pimpinest pimp daddy who ever pimped.
Meet Tony Alleyne. He oozes confidence and charm, as any guy who’d turned his apartment into a replica of a Star Trek ship would.
After his wife left him, Tony Alleyne set out to create the ultimate bachelor pad, painstakingly turning his flat into a Star Trek set. He started the project in 1999 and completed it in 2004, but then decided to give the flat a Star Trek: Voyager make-over
“I have always considered that of all the Starfleet ships, Voyager is, in terms of interior, the luxury liner of the galaxy,” he says. [He later called Depends 'the Cadillac of adult diapers.' -Ed.]
The 500-square-foot apartment features voice-activated lighting, LED lighting, running lights, air-conditioning – but no bed. A few years ago Mr Alleyne suffered from sciatica and was advised by his GP to sleep on the floor. “It cured the sciatica and gave me the opportunity to convert the bed area into the Transporter area,” he says. “Bed space is overrated”
His wife – who owns the flat – put it up for sale, but it fell through. “To be honest, I’m quite happy the sale didn’t go through as I do enjoy living here and carrying out upgrades periodically,” Mr Alleyne says. [via Telegraph - couple more pictures there]
Of course she tried to sell it – this guy’s probably shoulder deep in fresh poon now, and she can’t stand it. I think this is my favorite feature. It just wouldn’t be a future house without a wall covered in blinky lights labeled “SCIENCE.” I did the same thing in my bedroom with a chalkboard covered with equations. “This is where I do my research,” I tell the ladies.