Nicolas Cage’s new movie, “Knowing” really took off this weekend with the box office gold at a $24,814,000 take this weekend. While it’s not the best showing, it knocked “Race To Witch Mountain” out of the top spot.
Coming in second place was the movie that I thought would take the top rankings in the charts, “I Love You, Man“. The Paul Rudd/Jason Segel comedy, brought in $18,005,000 in the second spot.
Taking third place this weekend was Julia Roberts’ and Clive Owen’s “Duplicity” with $14,402,000 in ticket sales. In fourth place on the charts was “Race To Witch Mountain“, which brought in $13,004,000 in it’s second week. “Watchmen” brought in $6,725,000 in it’s third week.
The movie is about a professor who stumbles on terrifying predictions about the future from a time capsule that’s been in the ground for fifty years, and sets out to prevent the events from happening.
What will it take for A-list actresses to earn as much as actors?
The ninth-highest grossing movie of the year so far — with $153 million in U.S. box office sales — is “Sex and the City,” a film that features four leading women and a cursory supporting role for Mr. Big. The 11th highest grossing film is “Mamma Mia,” another estrogen fest, which has earned $144 million.
So with female-centric movies performing so well at the box office (between them, the two films have earned $980 million worldwide), why are women still earning so much less than their male counterparts?
Only two women make the list of the top 10 earning actors in Hollywood between June 2007 and June 2008. Cameron Diaz comes in fifth with $50 million for her work in solid romantic comedies like “What Happens in Vegas” and “The Holiday.” She also earned big for her voice work in the “Shrek” films as the far-from-helpless Princess Fiona.
But she earned a full $30 million less than Hollywood’s highest earner, Will Smith, who cashes mega paychecks for films like the post-apocalyptic “I Am Legend.” In the same time period, Smith earned $80 million.
Hollywood’s top earners
Will Smith — $80 million:
Smith earns big bucks for his action hero roles in films like Hancock and I Am Legend. But he’s also looking out for an Oscar. He was nominated for his work in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.
Johnny Depp — $72 million:
Depp rakes it in with his bizarre turn as drunken Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Rumors are now swirling that he’ll earn $56 million upfront for a fourth installment.
Eddie Murphy — $55 million:
The reclusive comedian may have bombed with his most recent film, Meet Dave, but his overall track record for family-friendly fare is good enough for studios to keep producing his movies.
Mike Myers — $55 million:
His Shrek movies appeal to both kids and grown-ups, but his live-action films are a tougher sell. His summer movie The Love Guru earned a paltry $41 million worldwide.
Cameron Diaz — $50 million:
The top-earning woman on our list, Diaz turns out solid performances in romantic comedies like this year’s What Happens in Vegas. But she still earned $30 million less than top-earning actor Will Smith last year.
Leonardo DiCaprio — $45 million:
DiCaprio is the rare actor who can bring in large audiences for adult fare like Blood Diamond and The Aviator. He’s been nominated for three Oscars but has yet to win.
Bruce Willis — $41 million:
His action star days are mostly behind him, but Willis still managed to fill seats with his fourth turn as John McClane in last year’s Live Free or Die Hard.
Ben Stiller — $40 million:
Stiller’s Night at the Museum was a monster hit earning $575 million at the worldwide box office. No surprise that a sequel is in the works for next year.
Nicolas Cage — $38 million:
Cage’s films can be hit or miss but he still earns big paychecks. They pay off when a movie like National Treasure: Book of Secrets earns $457 million worldwide.
Keira Knightley — $32 million:
The second woman on our list, Knightley earns out from her role in the Pirate movies as Elizabeth Swan. When not appearing in the blockbusters, she sticks to more serious films like last year’s Atonement.
One of the most anticipated movies of the upcoming fall season is “Australia,” Baz Luhrmann’s epic mash note to his home country, which stars Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman as Outback lovers.
Kidman, more than anyone, is likely hoping it’s a hit. Despite winning an Oscar for her performance in 2002’s “The Hours,” Kidman has become the most overpaid celebrity in Hollywood.
Forbes looked at each star’s last three films that opened wide before Jan. 1 (in order to give each film time for a DVD release). They didn’t count animated movies, supporting roles or anyone consistently earning under $5 million per movie.
Nicole Kidman
Kidman has an Oscar and earns $15 million paydays, but she’s proved to offer a poor return on investment. Despite bringing in $370 million in worldwide box office, The Golden Compass only grossed $3.36 for every dollar Kidman was paid. The Invasion lost $2.68 for every dollar that went to Kidman. She has a chance for a high-profile comeback with this fall’s epic Australia, which could earn the Aussie her third best actress nomination.
For every dollar she was paid, Nicole Kidman’s movies averaged $1 of gross income.
Jennifer Garner
Garner has stayed fairly under the radar since her 2005 big-budget disaster Elektra, which cost $40 million to make and earned only $56 million worldwide. Unfortunately for Garner her follow-up films didn’t do much better. Both Catch and Release and The Kingdom underperformed at the box office.
For every dollar she was paid, Jennifer Garner’s movies averaged $3.60 of gross income.
Tom Cruise
His recent cameo as a foul-mouthed studio exec in Tropic Thunder is earning raves and might usher in the era of Tom Cruise comedies. In the meantime, Cruise has to deal with the fallout from his recent dramatic blunder, Lions for Lambs. The film’s box office ($63 million worldwide) was bad enough that even without taking any upfront pay Cruise still earned the movie only $1.88 for every dollar he was paid.
For every dollar he was paid, Tom Cruise’s movies averaged $4 of gross income.
Cameron Diaz
The highest paid actress in Hollywood, Diaz pulled in $50 million last year. But her high salary makes it hard for the romantic comedies she stars in to earn a good return. The Holiday brought in $205 million worldwide but Diaz’s high payday meant the film only grossed $3.70 for every dollar Diaz was paid.
For every dollar she was paid, Cameron Diaz’s movies averaged $4 of gross income.
Jennifer Lopez
The singer/actress/designer has struggled at the box office for the past few years, choosing small projects like 2006’s El Cantante, a low-budget musical biopic starring her husband Marc Anthony, which barely registered at the box office. Her last big film was 2005’s Monster-in-Law, which grossed $155 million worldwide returning $6.85 for every dollar Lopez was paid.
For every dollar she was paid, Jennifer Lopez’s movies averaged $4.10 of gross income.
Jim Carrey
Long gone are the days when Carrey could attract crowds with his talking backside. The actor’s latest attempt at a serious film, last year’s The Number 23, flopped at the box office, earning only $77 million worldwide. Carrey has a chance to turn things around with this winter’s Yes Man. Carrey has so much faith in the comedy that he reportedly took no money upfront for his starring performance.
For every dollar he was paid, Jim Carrey’s movies averaged $4.11 of gross income.
Nicolas Cage
2007 was a year of highs and lows for Nicolas Cage. Book of Secrets, the sequel to Cage’s 2004 hit National Treasure, grossed $456 million worldwide. The sci-fi thriller Next, released that spring, brought in only $73 million. The movie lost 50 cents for every dollar Cage was paid.
For every dollar he was paid, Nicolas Cage’s movies averaged $4.16 of gross income.
Drew Barrymore
Barrymore has been unlucky at the box office recently despite the title of her last film: Lucky You. The movie grossed a mere $8 million in worldwide box office, which means it lost 17 cents for every dollar Barrymore was paid. Maybe that’s why she’s taking a bigger role behind the camera. She’s currently directing her first film, Whip It!, about a female roller derby league.
For every dollar she was paid, Drew Barrymore’s movies averaged $4.38 of gross income.
Will Ferrell
The former Saturday Night Live star did well with high-grossing comedies like Blades of Glory. The sports tale grossed $4.95 for every dollar Ferrell was paid. But he stumbled with his more serious turn in 2006’s Stranger Than Fiction, which grossed $53 million in worldwide box office, only $1.63 for every dollar Ferrell was paid.
For every dollar he was paid, Will Ferrell’s movies averaged $4.67 of gross income.
Cate Blanchett
The actress is better known for her acting skills than her box office draw. She has been nominated for five Oscars. But she stumbled in our list with her 2003 movie The Missing, which earned only $38 million in worldwide box office but cost approximately $65 million to produce. For every dollar Blanchett was paid, the film lost $2.94. She did better with Babel, in which she played Brad Pitt’s injured wife. The film grossed $135 million worldwide, $13.20 for every dollar Blanchett earned.
For every dollar she was paid, Cate Blanchett’s movies averaged $4.97 of gross income.
All of them make entirely too much money — it is extremely amusing that both of Ben Affleck’s women made the list.
source: Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Movie Stars [forbes]
Kathleen Turner has apologized and agreed to a substantial charitable donation for claiming Nicholas Cage stole a dog and was twice arrested for DWI.
Nicolas Cage has settled a libel suit in a London court against Kathleen Turner, who falsely claimed in her autobiography that he had twice been arrested for drunken driving and had stolen a dog.
Neither of the stars attended the hearing at Britain’s High Court, where Turner’s lawyer, book publisher and the Daily Mail, which ran an excerpt, all apologized to Cage and offered to make a substantial donation to a charity of his choice.
Cage’s lawyer Simon Smith dismissed as “utter falsity” a section of Turner’s book “Send Yourself Roses,” describing the actors’ experience working together on the set of the movie “Peggy Sue Got Married” in 1986. In the passage Turner, 53, said her co-star, 44, was “arrested twice for drunk-driving and, I think, for stealing a dog. He’d come across a Chihuahua he liked and stuck it in his jacket.”
Turner, Headline Publishing Group and Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers now accept that, owing to a mistake on Turner’s part and despite the other defendants’ publishing in good faith, the allegations were defamatory and false, Smith said. All three agreed to pay Cage’s legal costs and make the charitable donation, Smith said.
How the hell do you make a “mistake” wherein you think someone got arrested twice and stole a dog when, in fact, they did not?
Source: Actors Cage and Turner settle libel suit [AP]
Robert Furo was arrested after breaking in to Nicolas Cage’s house in Newport Beach. Cage woke up to find Furo wandering around the house, wearing his jacket.
“We received a call at 1:27 AM from a gate guard who said he received a call from Cage, saying that a strange male was in his home.
Cage’s wife and son were in the home, when Cage, without incident, escorted the intruder into the backyard, where he was arrested a short time later by police. There were no signs of forced entry, and no altercation.”
Furo, listed his occupation as “tailor,” and was arraigned on the felony burglary charge, to which he plead not guilty. He was then remanded to custody. He is due back in court for a pre-trial hearing on October 10th.
Nicolas Cage has been tapped to play Magnum P.I. on the big screen, although George Clooney was another possible contender. This time around, though, Magnum won’t have the moustache. Maybe it’s because once the ’80s were over, most men with moustaches look like sex offenders. Orlando Bloom, anyone?
According to a source:
โNick has a very clear idea about what he feels should be done with the character and the movie, and one of them is not playing up to the stereotype of the TV series.โ
โThe setting, characters and the themes of the show will be in the movie but the moustache was Tomโs, not Magnumโs, so he may not have one in the movie.โ
Why do they keep bringing old TV shows to the big screen? They were good then, and that’s where they should stay. Miami Vice was brutal, and Dukes of Hazzard sucked. Stop killing the memory of great shows!
The newest collectible in Hollywood are prehistoric skulls. The latest bidding war for a 67 million-year-old dinosaur skull between Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage ended when it hit $276,000.
Cage walked away with the head of a tyrannosauras bataar, the Asian cousin of T-rex, proving dinosaur bones are emerging as the new, collectible must-haves for the multi-millionaires of Hollywood.
Later this year, the skeletons of two 20 ft long, 65 million-year-old aquatic predators are expected to fetch between $150,000 and $400,000.
โDinosaur bones and all sorts of fossils are increasingly hot right now. Hollywood heavy-hitters and the mega-rich types from the Middle East love this stuff,โ said Josh Chait, operations director.
โWhen you already have a Warhol or a Monet on the wall, you tend to want a change from traditional artwork and people are turning to natural history for that.โ
What happened to just going to the Museum of Natural History?
Christina Aguilera
Beyoncรฉ
Chris Brown
the Dixie Chicks
Gnarls Barkley,
Wyclef Jean,
John Legend,
John Mayer,
Corinne Bailey Rae,
Rascal Flatts,
the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Lionel Richie,
Smokey Robinson, Shakira,
Justin Timberlake (solo performance and with the winner of the “My GRAMMY Moment” competition),
the Police,
TI,
James Blunt, and
Carrie Underwood.
PRESENTERS:
Joan Baez,
Natasha Bedingfield,
Tony Bennett,
Lewis Black,
the Black Eyed Peas,
Nicolas Cage,
Ciara,
Ornette Coleman,
Melissa Etheridge,
Nelly Furtado,
Terrence Howard,
Jennifer Hudson,
Samuel L. Jackson,
Queen Latifah,
Pink,
Rihanna,
LeAnn Rimes,
Chris Rock,
Nicole Scherzinger (of the Pussycat Dolls),
Seal,
David Spade (”Rules of Engagement”),
and Stevie Wonder.
The 49th Annual Grammy Awards take place this Sunday, February 11th.
Basic Instinct 2 dominated The Golden Rasberry Nominations this morning with 7! The Golden Rasberry Awards aka The Razzies dishonor the yearโs worst performances and movies. Little Man also received 7 nominations.
Worst Picture
Basic Instinct 2
Bloodrayne
Lady in the Water
Little Man
Wicker Man
Worst Actor
Tim Allen, Shaggy Dog, Santa Clause 3 & Zoom
Nicolas Cage, Wicker Man
Dan Whitney, Larry the Cable Guy
Rob Schneider, The Benchwarmers & Little Man
Marlon Wayans & Shawn Wayans, Little Man
Worst Actress
Hilary Duff & Haylie Duff, Material Girls
Lindsay Lohan, Just My Luck
Kristianna Loken, Bloodrayne
Jessica Simpson, Employee of the Month
Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct 2
Worst Supporting Actor
Danny DeVito, Deck the Halls
Ben Kingsley, Bloodrayne
M. Night Shymalan, Lady in the Water
Martin Short, Santa Clause 3
David Thewlis, Basic Instinct 2 & The Omen
Worst Supporting Actress
Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns
Kristin Chenoweth, Deck the Hall, Pink Panther & RV
Carmen Electra, Scary Movie 4 & Date Movie
Jenny McCarthy, John Tucker Must Die
Michelle Rodriguez, Bloodrayne
Worst Screen Couple
Tim Allen & Martin Short, Santa Clause 3
Nicolas Cage & His Bear Suit, Wicker Man
Hilary Duff & Haylie Duff, Material Girls
Sharon Stoneโs Lopsided Breasts, Basic Instinct 2
Shawn Wayans & Either Kerry Washington or Marlon Wayans, Little Man
Visit Razzies.com for the rest of the nominations!
Marvel’s Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage, will be coming to a theater near you in February 2007. Sony has Trailers available in Domestic and International versions in several resolutions.
Here’s a version from YouTube:
It looks pretty interesting. Then again, it’s hard to make a comic book movie that I don’t like.
This year’s summer lead-ins: “Mission: Impossible III,” pitting Tom Cruise against supervillain Philip Seymour Hoffman; “Poseidon,” a remake of “The Poseidon Adventure” directed by Hollywood’s king of the sea, Wolfgang Petersen (”The Perfect Storm,” “Das Boot”); the animated “Over the Hedge,” an animals-against-humans comedy from the makers of “Shrek”; and “The Da Vinci Code,” reuniting Tom Hanks with director Ron Howard.
In addition to the usual sequels and remakes, there are all sorts of genre films to suit every taste. Most of them are sequels and remakes, too.
Tom Cruise’s first two “Mission: Impossible” capers were heavy on action and style. “Mission: Impossible III” director J.J. Abrams, creator of TV’s “Lost” and “Alias,” said he aimed to balance action with character interplay in the spirit of the television show on which the movies are based. “The thing I loved about the show is watching these incredibly accomplished operatives seamlessly working together to pull off a very specific goal,” Abrams said. “I honestly felt that as entertained as I was by the first two ‘Mission’ films, they didn’t embrace that aspect, which to me was the fundamental thing of the series.”
Wolfgang Petersen is back on the water with “Poseidon,” starring Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss and Josh Lucas in a remake of the 1970s disaster flick about a luxury liner overturned by a tidal wave. “It was a chance to do a film reflecting our phobias today, our fear of terrorism or disaster, like 9/11 or whatever nature can do to us,” Petersen said. “A natural disaster like this is sort of a metaphor for the impossible and most disastrous thing you can imagine, and what would we do when it hits?”
Also returning to the water: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and director Gore Verbinski with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the follow-up to their 2003 blockbuster. “Dead Man’s Chest” has Depp’s woozy pirate Jack Sparrow trying to weasel out of an old debt — his soul, which he owes to the sea devil Davy Jones.
Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell star in “Miami Vice,” written and directed by Michael Mann, creator of the 1980s cop show and Foxx’s director on “Collateral” and “Ali.” Farrell and Foxx take on the roles originated by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, playing undercover cops who infiltrate a South Florida drug ring. The TV show was known for glitzy fashion and hip music, but Mann’s new take is a grittier glimpse of cops on the street, Foxx said.
I didn’t care for “Pirates” so will likely skip the sequel. And I’m certainly not nostalgic for “Miami Vice,” which I thought was lame in the 1980s. And that’s lame.
Brandon Routh is the new Man of Steel in “Superman Returns.” Fighters for truth, justice and the rights of Mutant-Americans are back, led by “X-Men: The Last Stand,” the third installment in the franchise about the gang of super freaks, and “Superman Returns,” with the Man of Steel suiting up for his first big-screen adventure in almost 20 years.
Bryan Singer, who made the first two “X-Men” movies, directed “Superman Returns,” which introduces Brandon Routh as Krypton’s favorite flyboy. Co-starring Kevin Spacey as villain Lex Luthor and Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, the movie has Superman back on Earth after a prolonged absence. Though not a sequel to the Christopher Reeve “Superman” flicks, the film borrows from the look and mythology created in that series. Routh said he fashioned his performance to match, injecting his own personality into the character while trying to stay true to Reeve’s Superman. “Chris did such an amazing job. You can change things, but if you do it could be horrible,” Routh said. “When somebody does something so great, there’s certain things you can tweak, but to change it just to change it sometimes is dangerous.”
The “X-Men” sequel, directed by Brett Ratner (the “Rush Hour” movies), reunites all key cast members, including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn and Famke Janssen. Driving the action this time is the discovery of a “cure” for mutancy. Jackman said the movie will wrap up the “X-Men” trilogy, though another film is in the works centered on his Wolverine character — the bushy-haired mystery man with metal claws and rapid healing powers. “He’s that reluctant hero, and he’s a fairly classic version of it,” Jackman said. “He reminds me of characters I always liked, Mad Max, Dirty Harry, Han Solo, where there’s more going on than what they’re letting on.”
Summer also offers superhero comedies. Ivan Reitman’s “My Super Ex-Girlfriend” stars Uma Thurman as the ultimate woman scorned, a superhero who uses her powers to exact revenge on the boyfriend (Luke Wilson) who dumped her.
“Zoom” stars Tim Allen and Courteney Cox in an “Incredibles”-like tale of a former hero gone soft. “Tim plays a retired superhero, and I play a kind of comic-book-obsessed, nerdy scientist. We’re trying to find people to train kids to become the next round of superheroes,” Cox said of her first big-screen leading role since she and her “Friends” gang called it quits.
The “X-Men” movies have been excellent, so I’ll certainly see the next installment. Frankly, the television versions of the Superman mythos, both “Lois and Clark” and the current “Smallville,” have been better than the Christopher Reeves movie version. As to the others, I’ll likely wait for the DVD.
N
early five years after September 11 comes the first major wave of big-screen films dealing with the terrorist attacks.
“United 93″ mostly features a cast of unknowns in a gut-wrenching docudrama about the passengers who fought back and lost their lives during one of the September 11 hijackings.
Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center” stars Nicolas Cage in the story of two policemen trapped in the rubble of the collapsed towers.
On a smaller scale, “The Great New Wonderful” features Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tony Shalhoub and Olympia Dukakis in a sketch of five New Yorkers a year after the September 11 attacks.
I just have no interest in exploiting 9/11 for entertainment purposes quite yet. Granted, we had WWII and Vietnam movies while those wars were still ongoing but this just seems different somehow. Wars are massive societal undertakings whereas terrorists attacks are personalized.
There are also plenty of comedies, cartoons, and family flicks. I’ll likely see some of those but never find it necessary to see them on the big screen, which I reserve for big budget, special effects movies.
Nicolas Cage has settled a libel suit in a London court against Kathleen Turner, who falsely claimed in her autobiography that he had twice been arrested for drunken driving and had stolen a dog.
“We received a call at 1:27 AM from a gate guard who said he received a call from Cage, saying that a strange male was in his home. 
โNick has a very clear idea about what he feels should be done with the character and the movie, and one of them is not playing up to the stereotype of the TV series.โ
โDinosaur bones and all sorts of fossils are increasingly hot right now. Hollywood heavy-hitters and the mega-rich types from the Middle East love this stuff,โ said Josh Chait, operations director.
