SYDNEY (Reuters) - Actor James Franco, star of Disney's new film 'Oz the Great and Powerful', has launched an online appeal after censors banned a gay film from screening at Australian film festivals.
The film 'I Want Your Love,' by director Travis Mathews, is the story of a gay man who has sex with his best friend while partying in Los Angeles. It has been screened at the Toronto LGBT Film Festival and other overseas festivals.
But the Australian Classification Board refused to exempt the film from classification rules to allow its screening at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival in March and the Brisbane Queer Film Festival in April, citing 'explicit sexual activity'.
Franco, 34, who co-directed a bondage film with Mathews that was shown at this year's Sundance Film Festival in the United States, said the ban was 'hypocritical' as sex was used in a sophisticated way in the film.
'This is such a disappointment to me and it just seems really silly,' Franco said in YouTube video that notched up more than 17,000 views on Tuesday.
'Sex is such a big part of our lives .. it's how we create children, it's how we connect ... I don't think we'd be having this conversation if he'd made a very violent film.'
Australian Classification Board officials said an application was made to exempt the film from classification under rules specific to film festivals but it ruled against this due to the content of the film.
'In this case, the film contains detailed and prolonged scenes of actual explicit sexual activity,' board officials said in a statement.
Lisa Daniel, festival director of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, said the move was embarrassing for Australia.
'It just makes us look like a cultural backwater, I think. It's pretty embarrassing given the film has screened all over the world and never been banned before,' she said.
Franco backed Mathew's petition to the Australian Classification Board to review its decision and allow the film. He collaborated with Mathews on the bondage film 'Interior. Leather Bar'.
'Frankly adults should be able to choose,' said Franco, who plays the Wizard of Oz in the new blockbuster Disney movie.
'They're not going in blind. I don't know why in this day in age something like this, a film that's using sex not for titillation but to talk about being human, is being banned,' she said.
(Reporting by Thuy Ong, editing by Elaine Lies and Belinda Goldsmith)
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Will pricey "Oz" stay on track after "Jack" got whacked at box office?
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - If the box office were baseball, Warner Bros and Disney would be sluggers, the kind of hitters that hush the crowd, take a mighty rip and then hit it out of the park.
Or strike out. That whooshing sound you heard over the weekend was WB swinging and missing with its costly and effects-laden fairy tale 'Jack the Giant Slayer.' Next up, Disney, with its own pricey CGI fantasy, 'The Great and Powerful Oz.,' which opens Friday.
When you spend about $200 million producing a movie - and half that much more marketing it - as they did on 'Jack' and 'Oz,' you're not looking for a single or a double. You're looking for a home run. Or even a grand slam, like the one Disney and Marvel hit last year with 'The Avengers.' It not only made $1.5 billion at the box office, it will bring in further billions to Disney over the next years via merchandising, rights deals and sequels.
These two studios have had more mega-budget hits than any others. They dominate the list of the biggest global earners - each has seven films in the top 20 - and the biggest budgets, with each having four in the top ten.
They both know their way around the blockbuster when it comes to fantasy, too.
Disney has scored big with its $3.7 billion 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise and 'Alice in Wonderland,' which made $1 billion in 2010. Warner Bros. and New Line are behind the 'Harry Potter' and Lord of the Rings' franchises, which have taken in $7.7 billion and $3.9 billion respectively. 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' just crossed the $1 billion worldwide mark this weekend.
The high-risk, high-reward strategy is a part of two studios' DNA at this point and both know that striking out with one of these mega-productions can affect the corporate bottom line for months. Disney had to write down $200 million when 'John Carter' tanked last March and Warners will find out just how big a toll 'Jack' will take on the bottom line once it's completed its foreign run.
The misfire on 'Jack' was an anomaly for Warner Bros., and few were surprised when it came in with such a soft opening. Most observers knew 'Jack' was way too long in development (it was launched in 2005), switched directors four years into the process and then traded a summer release date last year for this past weekend.
Comparisons between 'Oz' and 'Jack' seem inevitable because of their budgets, fantasy themes and most of all, the proximity of their release dates. Advance tracking shows 'Oz' heading for an opening far better - with maybe $70 million - than the $27 million 'Jack' managed.
But with that $200 million budget, it's no lock that 'Oz,' which stars James Franco, will wind up a major money earner.
Selling the movie going public on a redo - make that a prequel - of what may be America's most beloved movie ever, 'The Wizard of Oz,' is by nature tricky. And ironically, the fact that Warner Bros. controls the rights to the original 1939 film complicates things for Disney. In marketing the film, it can't use certain 'iconic imagery' - the ruby slippers, for example - either in the movie or the promotional materials.
Even if 'Oz' does pull off an opening in line with its strong tracking, it will be nowhere in the range of last year's March hit, 'The Hunger Games,' and that's bad news for an overall box office that has started the year very poorly.
Last year, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Eberdeen, Lionsgate opened the action fantasy (budget: $78 million) to $150 million. Weeks earlier, Universal had debuted its animated paean to ecology, 'The Lorax,' to a stunning $70 million, and those two drove the March 2012 box office to a record $940 million.
DreamWorks Animation has 'The Croods' opening on March 22nd and Paramount brings in 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' on March 29th, but this month won't match last March. With Universal's 'Identity Thief' still the year's only $100 million movie, the total domestic box office in February was $617 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That's 24 percent down from last year.
For the year, the box office is down roughly 13 percent from 2012, and barring a major surprise, it's going to get worse before it gets better.
But Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. executive vice president of domestic distribution, didn't sound discouraged.
'There's no mystery as to why the box office is down,' Goldstein said. 'It's the movies. They just haven't done it for audiences, but that's the saving grace, too. A couple of hits and things will be back on track.'
Or strike out. That whooshing sound you heard over the weekend was WB swinging and missing with its costly and effects-laden fairy tale 'Jack the Giant Slayer.' Next up, Disney, with its own pricey CGI fantasy, 'The Great and Powerful Oz.,' which opens Friday.
When you spend about $200 million producing a movie - and half that much more marketing it - as they did on 'Jack' and 'Oz,' you're not looking for a single or a double. You're looking for a home run. Or even a grand slam, like the one Disney and Marvel hit last year with 'The Avengers.' It not only made $1.5 billion at the box office, it will bring in further billions to Disney over the next years via merchandising, rights deals and sequels.
These two studios have had more mega-budget hits than any others. They dominate the list of the biggest global earners - each has seven films in the top 20 - and the biggest budgets, with each having four in the top ten.
They both know their way around the blockbuster when it comes to fantasy, too.
Disney has scored big with its $3.7 billion 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise and 'Alice in Wonderland,' which made $1 billion in 2010. Warner Bros. and New Line are behind the 'Harry Potter' and Lord of the Rings' franchises, which have taken in $7.7 billion and $3.9 billion respectively. 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' just crossed the $1 billion worldwide mark this weekend.
The high-risk, high-reward strategy is a part of two studios' DNA at this point and both know that striking out with one of these mega-productions can affect the corporate bottom line for months. Disney had to write down $200 million when 'John Carter' tanked last March and Warners will find out just how big a toll 'Jack' will take on the bottom line once it's completed its foreign run.
The misfire on 'Jack' was an anomaly for Warner Bros., and few were surprised when it came in with such a soft opening. Most observers knew 'Jack' was way too long in development (it was launched in 2005), switched directors four years into the process and then traded a summer release date last year for this past weekend.
Comparisons between 'Oz' and 'Jack' seem inevitable because of their budgets, fantasy themes and most of all, the proximity of their release dates. Advance tracking shows 'Oz' heading for an opening far better - with maybe $70 million - than the $27 million 'Jack' managed.
But with that $200 million budget, it's no lock that 'Oz,' which stars James Franco, will wind up a major money earner.
Selling the movie going public on a redo - make that a prequel - of what may be America's most beloved movie ever, 'The Wizard of Oz,' is by nature tricky. And ironically, the fact that Warner Bros. controls the rights to the original 1939 film complicates things for Disney. In marketing the film, it can't use certain 'iconic imagery' - the ruby slippers, for example - either in the movie or the promotional materials.
Even if 'Oz' does pull off an opening in line with its strong tracking, it will be nowhere in the range of last year's March hit, 'The Hunger Games,' and that's bad news for an overall box office that has started the year very poorly.
Last year, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Eberdeen, Lionsgate opened the action fantasy (budget: $78 million) to $150 million. Weeks earlier, Universal had debuted its animated paean to ecology, 'The Lorax,' to a stunning $70 million, and those two drove the March 2012 box office to a record $940 million.
DreamWorks Animation has 'The Croods' opening on March 22nd and Paramount brings in 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' on March 29th, but this month won't match last March. With Universal's 'Identity Thief' still the year's only $100 million movie, the total domestic box office in February was $617 million, according to Box Office Mojo. That's 24 percent down from last year.
For the year, the box office is down roughly 13 percent from 2012, and barring a major surprise, it's going to get worse before it gets better.
But Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. executive vice president of domestic distribution, didn't sound discouraged.
'There's no mystery as to why the box office is down,' Goldstein said. 'It's the movies. They just haven't done it for audiences, but that's the saving grace, too. A couple of hits and things will be back on track.'
Sunday, March 3, 2013
No box office killing for big-budget "Jack the Giant Slayer"
(Reuters) - 'Jack the Giant Slayer,' the first big-budget action film of the year, was anything but a killer at the weekend box office.
'Jack,' a retelling of the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' fairy tale, earned the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts with $28 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday.
But that was an underwhelming start for a 3D movie that cost $189 million to produce, plus tens of millions more to market.
'Jack the Giant Slayer' also grossed $13.7 million from 1,824 screens in 10 Asian markets.
Comedy 'Identity Thief' took in $9.7 million to capture second place, and new adult comedy '21 and Over' finished in third place on domestic charts with $9 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday.
Low-budget horror sequel 'The Last Exorcism Part II' took the No. 4 slot with $8 million, according to studio estimates.
'Jack' clearly was not a great opening by any means, said Phil Contrino, vice president/chief analyst with Boxoffice.com.
'But I wouldn't rush to call the film a financial flop just yet because overseas growth can really save a movie, and I feel that this is a movie that could do really well in other territories and make up for the fact that the North American haul was a little bit underwhelming.'
The movie stars Nicholas Hoult as a young farmer who ventures into the land of the giants to save a kidnapped princess. The film received a mixed reception from critics. As of Friday, 49 percent of reviews recommended the movie on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
Warner Bros. believes 'Jack' will perform well in overseas markets as it opens in more countries in the coming weeks. International sales, particularly for action movies, can run twice as high or more.
'It was within the range of our expectations,' Jeff Goldstein, vice president theatrical distributions at Warner Bros., said about the film's domestic weekend performance.
'We know that this is a global picture and the technology and the special effects will really drive this movie internationally,' he added.
Global takings helped to push 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' over the billion dollar milestone at the worldwide box office during the weekend, making it only the 15th film in history to achieve the feat.
'We could not be more proud to have reached this amazing benchmark,' Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures, said in a statement on Sunday.
MAKING BACK ITS BUDGET
'Jack the Giant Slayer' was produced by Time Warner Inc-owned Warner Brothers and Legendary Entertainment, which partnered with Warner on hits including 'The Dark Knight' trilogy and 'The Hangover' series.
Two of last year's films with bigger budgets flopped - Walt Disney Co's $250 million Mars epic 'John Carter' and the $209 million action movie 'Battleship' from Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures - forcing the companies to acknowledge financial losses.
'John Carter,' released in March last year, opened with $30.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Tony Wible, who compiles a database to project film performance, had estimated 'Jack' would need to open with at least $25 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters to make back its budget, not including marketing costs.
'21 and Over,' produced for $13 million, is a college party comedy about three friends who celebrate a 21st birthday on the night before a big exam. It was written by the screenwriters of 'The Hangover.'
The 'Last Exorcism' sequel follows the 2010 original about a minister who lets his demon-fighting be filmed by a documentary crew. In the new movie, the story resumes with the girl who was previously freed from an evil force running into more trouble. Distributor CBS Films, a unit of CBS Corp, acquired the sequel for about $3 million.
Rounding out the top five films was 'Snitch,' which brought in $7.7 million.
Another new release, 'Phantom,' failed to finish in the top 10 performing films. The movie stars Ed Harris and David Duchovny in the story of a Soviet submarine captain leading a secret mission.
'Identity Thief' was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast. 'Snitch' was distributed by Summit Entertainment, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment 'Phantom' was released by privately held RCR Distribution.
(Reporting By Lisa Richwine and Patricia Reaney; Editing by Bill Trott and Philip Barbara)
'Jack,' a retelling of the 'Jack and the Beanstalk' fairy tale, earned the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts with $28 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday.
But that was an underwhelming start for a 3D movie that cost $189 million to produce, plus tens of millions more to market.
'Jack the Giant Slayer' also grossed $13.7 million from 1,824 screens in 10 Asian markets.
Comedy 'Identity Thief' took in $9.7 million to capture second place, and new adult comedy '21 and Over' finished in third place on domestic charts with $9 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday.
Low-budget horror sequel 'The Last Exorcism Part II' took the No. 4 slot with $8 million, according to studio estimates.
'Jack' clearly was not a great opening by any means, said Phil Contrino, vice president/chief analyst with Boxoffice.com.
'But I wouldn't rush to call the film a financial flop just yet because overseas growth can really save a movie, and I feel that this is a movie that could do really well in other territories and make up for the fact that the North American haul was a little bit underwhelming.'
The movie stars Nicholas Hoult as a young farmer who ventures into the land of the giants to save a kidnapped princess. The film received a mixed reception from critics. As of Friday, 49 percent of reviews recommended the movie on aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
Warner Bros. believes 'Jack' will perform well in overseas markets as it opens in more countries in the coming weeks. International sales, particularly for action movies, can run twice as high or more.
'It was within the range of our expectations,' Jeff Goldstein, vice president theatrical distributions at Warner Bros., said about the film's domestic weekend performance.
'We know that this is a global picture and the technology and the special effects will really drive this movie internationally,' he added.
Global takings helped to push 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' over the billion dollar milestone at the worldwide box office during the weekend, making it only the 15th film in history to achieve the feat.
'We could not be more proud to have reached this amazing benchmark,' Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution of Warner Bros. Pictures, said in a statement on Sunday.
MAKING BACK ITS BUDGET
'Jack the Giant Slayer' was produced by Time Warner Inc-owned Warner Brothers and Legendary Entertainment, which partnered with Warner on hits including 'The Dark Knight' trilogy and 'The Hangover' series.
Two of last year's films with bigger budgets flopped - Walt Disney Co's $250 million Mars epic 'John Carter' and the $209 million action movie 'Battleship' from Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures - forcing the companies to acknowledge financial losses.
'John Carter,' released in March last year, opened with $30.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Tony Wible, who compiles a database to project film performance, had estimated 'Jack' would need to open with at least $25 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters to make back its budget, not including marketing costs.
'21 and Over,' produced for $13 million, is a college party comedy about three friends who celebrate a 21st birthday on the night before a big exam. It was written by the screenwriters of 'The Hangover.'
The 'Last Exorcism' sequel follows the 2010 original about a minister who lets his demon-fighting be filmed by a documentary crew. In the new movie, the story resumes with the girl who was previously freed from an evil force running into more trouble. Distributor CBS Films, a unit of CBS Corp, acquired the sequel for about $3 million.
Rounding out the top five films was 'Snitch,' which brought in $7.7 million.
Another new release, 'Phantom,' failed to finish in the top 10 performing films. The movie stars Ed Harris and David Duchovny in the story of a Soviet submarine captain leading a secret mission.
'Identity Thief' was released by Universal Pictures, a unit of Comcast. 'Snitch' was distributed by Summit Entertainment, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment 'Phantom' was released by privately held RCR Distribution.
(Reporting By Lisa Richwine and Patricia Reaney; Editing by Bill Trott and Philip Barbara)
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Richard Burton immortalized in Hollywood next to Taylor
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British actor Richard Burton finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next to that of his two-time wife, Elizabeth Taylor, on Friday, nearly 30 years after his death.
Welsh-born Burton, who died in 1984, received the career honor as part of the 50th anniversary of ancient Egypt movie drama 'Cleopatra,' in which he and co-star Taylor began their storied and tumultuous love affair.
The couple's adopted daughter, Maria Burton, accepted the honor of the iconic terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard in the historical heart of the U.S. film industry.
Burton was nominated for an Oscar seven times between 1953 and 1978 but never won the prize.
Actor and fellow Welshman Michael Sheen spoke at the unveiling and recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor, one of Hollywood's most famous couples, visited the village where Sheen grew up.
'The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles (on) and learned to failingly swim - it was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands,' Sheen said.
'They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time,' he added.
Burton, whose star is the 2,941th installed, starred in 11 films with Taylor, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966 and 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967.
The couple's scandalous love affair during 1964's 'Cleopatra' was made into a U.S. television movie 'Liz & Dick,' starring Lindsay Lohan, last year.
Burton and Taylor wed for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried the following year, but that marriage lasted just nine months.
Burton, who was born Richard Jenkins, was married five times and died in 1984 from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58. Taylor, who married eight times, died in 2011 at age 79.
(Reporting by Alan Devall; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)
Welsh-born Burton, who died in 1984, received the career honor as part of the 50th anniversary of ancient Egypt movie drama 'Cleopatra,' in which he and co-star Taylor began their storied and tumultuous love affair.
The couple's adopted daughter, Maria Burton, accepted the honor of the iconic terrazzo and brass star along Hollywood Boulevard in the historical heart of the U.S. film industry.
Burton was nominated for an Oscar seven times between 1953 and 1978 but never won the prize.
Actor and fellow Welshman Michael Sheen spoke at the unveiling and recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor, one of Hollywood's most famous couples, visited the village where Sheen grew up.
'The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles (on) and learned to failingly swim - it was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands,' Sheen said.
'They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time,' he added.
Burton, whose star is the 2,941th installed, starred in 11 films with Taylor, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' in 1966 and 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967.
The couple's scandalous love affair during 1964's 'Cleopatra' was made into a U.S. television movie 'Liz & Dick,' starring Lindsay Lohan, last year.
Burton and Taylor wed for the first time in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried the following year, but that marriage lasted just nine months.
Burton, who was born Richard Jenkins, was married five times and died in 1984 from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58. Taylor, who married eight times, died in 2011 at age 79.
(Reporting by Alan Devall; Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Sandra Maler)
Friday, March 1, 2013
Actress Jennifer Lawrence's "Silver Linings" clothes fetch $12,000
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Clothing worn by Jennifer Lawrence in her Oscar-winning role as an outspoken young widow in 'Silver Linings Playbook' beat expectations by taking in about $12,000 at auction.
The wool, full-length winter coat worn by Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated comedy topped all items, selling for $4,652 in the three-day online auction, Los Angeles auction house Nate D. Sanders said on Friday.
The memorabilia dealer had expected the items to fetch between $500 and $1,500 each following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Lawrence also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her 'Silver Linings Playbook' performance.
The custom-tailored white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper went for $3,493, and a package of a teal sports bra and blue long-sleeved shirt sold for $3,175.
A black tank top from Lawrence's wardrobe, but not worn in the film, fetched $624.
Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can bring in high prices from fans and collectors.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Xavier Briand)
The wool, full-length winter coat worn by Lawrence in the Oscar-nominated comedy topped all items, selling for $4,652 in the three-day online auction, Los Angeles auction house Nate D. Sanders said on Friday.
The memorabilia dealer had expected the items to fetch between $500 and $1,500 each following the 22-year-old's Best Actress win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Lawrence also won awards from the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild in January for her 'Silver Linings Playbook' performance.
The custom-tailored white pants Lawrence wore during the film's climactic ballroom dance scene with co-star Bradley Cooper went for $3,493, and a package of a teal sports bra and blue long-sleeved shirt sold for $3,175.
A black tank top from Lawrence's wardrobe, but not worn in the film, fetched $624.
Movie studios often hand off costumes to auction houses, where even small outfits can bring in high prices from fans and collectors.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Xavier Briand)
Balloon blitz promotes Disney's 'Oz,' studio franchise strategy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A bright blue hot-air balloon whisked James Franco to the premiere of his new Walt Disney Co movie, 'Oz the Great and Powerful,' delivering the star to Hollywood Boulevard where he walked an emerald green carpet with a yellow-brick road into the El Capitan Theatre.
The high-flying, and headline-grabbing, entrance last month was the signature event of a Disney marketing blitz on major TV broadcasts, social media and at Disney parks to stoke interest in 'Oz,' a $200 million production that is its first release of an expensive 2013 film slate. It debuts in theaters March 8.
The 3D 'Oz' also debuts the first full year of Disney CEO Bob Iger's strategy of investing in films with hefty budgets that the media giant can turn into 'brands' that bring in box office receipts, spawn movie sequels, drive toy sales and inspire theme-park rides.
After 'Oz' lands in theaters, the Burbank-based company scheduled three movies with budgets of more than $185 million for release through July 3, which is when it expects to unveil the $225 million film 'The Lone Ranger,' starring Johnny Depp as the masked man's sidekick Tonto.
'If anyone else tried it, it would be a very risky strategy,' said Peter Sealey, former head of marketing at Columbia Pictures and founder of The Sausalito Group.
'They're the only ones who could do it, based on the breadth of their company, the movies they have and their ability to squeeze money out of any film they make,' Sealey added. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have an Oz ride opening next week in Orlando.'
Following 'Oz,' Disney is scheduled to release on May 3 the third installment of its Marvel unit's giant hit 'Iron Man' movies starring Robert Downey Jr. On June 21, it debuts 'Monsters University,' a 'prequel' to Pixar's 2001 blockbuster 'Monsters, Inc.' that generated $562 million in worldwide tickets sales.
The Disney version of 'Oz' is a prequel to the 1939 classic 'The Wizard of Oz' and tells the story a small-time magician played by Franco who is mistaken for a wizard and becomes the leader of the land of munchkins and witches.
'Oz' looks like a hit, said Phil Contrino, chief analyst for Boxoffice.com. He projects U.S. and Canadian ticket sales of $65 million over the first three days, placing it among the industry's biggest March openings.
Nostalgia surrounding the original film will help bring families to theaters, he said.
'Look at success of 'Wicked' on Broadway,' he said. 'People are open to the idea of the 'Wizard of Oz' being played around with and new approaches taken.'
Disney is taking no chances, and is spending up to $100 million on marketing to supplement nostalgia. The company launched a New Year's campaign with a social media sweepstakes urging fans to tweet resolutions with the #DisneyOz hashtag.
The 'Oz' hot-air balloon, emblazoned with #DisneyOZ, made stops at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, and the Daytona 500, where Franco was grand marshal. It is heading to Central Park next week and an appearance on 'Good Morning America' on Disney-owned ABC.
Television promotions for the film have been hard to miss. Disney ran a pricey commercial during the CBS telecast of the Super Bowl. It also enlisted Mariah Carey to sing a song from the film on Fox singing contest 'American Idol,' according to producer Joe Roth.
On ABC's 'The Bachelor,' host Chris Harrison interrupted the dating competition to introduce a brief appearance by Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz, the actresses who play the film's three witches. A pair of Dorothy's red slippers from the original 'Wizard of Oz' made an appearance at ABC's Academy Awards broadcast in a glass case, which was covered until red carpet host Kristin Chenoweth unveiled it.
Disney experienced the expensive downside of its big-budget film strategy last year, when the $250 million film 'John Carter' became one of Hollywood's costliest flops, saddling Disney's studio with an operating loss of $84 million for the fiscal second quarter.
Only a couple months later, Disney saw the other side of releasing a big-budget movie when Marvel superhero mashup 'The Avengers' recorded the biggest domestic debut of all time and earned more than $1.5 billion around the world.
After 'John Carter' bombed, Disney named a new studio head, Alan Horn, a former Warner Bros. executive with a record of success managing 'Harry Potter,' 'The Dark Knight' and other major film franchises.
It also geared up its vaunted marketing machine, partnering with the HSN shopping network on an Oz-inspired fashion line and setting up a 'Land of Oz' garden at Epcot, on top of the millions it spent elsewhere.
'You have to hand it to Disney,' said Jeff Bock, box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. 'They do go all out. They're going to spend $200 or $250 million on these productions and make a real spectacle.'
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
The high-flying, and headline-grabbing, entrance last month was the signature event of a Disney marketing blitz on major TV broadcasts, social media and at Disney parks to stoke interest in 'Oz,' a $200 million production that is its first release of an expensive 2013 film slate. It debuts in theaters March 8.
The 3D 'Oz' also debuts the first full year of Disney CEO Bob Iger's strategy of investing in films with hefty budgets that the media giant can turn into 'brands' that bring in box office receipts, spawn movie sequels, drive toy sales and inspire theme-park rides.
After 'Oz' lands in theaters, the Burbank-based company scheduled three movies with budgets of more than $185 million for release through July 3, which is when it expects to unveil the $225 million film 'The Lone Ranger,' starring Johnny Depp as the masked man's sidekick Tonto.
'If anyone else tried it, it would be a very risky strategy,' said Peter Sealey, former head of marketing at Columbia Pictures and founder of The Sausalito Group.
'They're the only ones who could do it, based on the breadth of their company, the movies they have and their ability to squeeze money out of any film they make,' Sealey added. 'I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have an Oz ride opening next week in Orlando.'
Following 'Oz,' Disney is scheduled to release on May 3 the third installment of its Marvel unit's giant hit 'Iron Man' movies starring Robert Downey Jr. On June 21, it debuts 'Monsters University,' a 'prequel' to Pixar's 2001 blockbuster 'Monsters, Inc.' that generated $562 million in worldwide tickets sales.
The Disney version of 'Oz' is a prequel to the 1939 classic 'The Wizard of Oz' and tells the story a small-time magician played by Franco who is mistaken for a wizard and becomes the leader of the land of munchkins and witches.
'Oz' looks like a hit, said Phil Contrino, chief analyst for Boxoffice.com. He projects U.S. and Canadian ticket sales of $65 million over the first three days, placing it among the industry's biggest March openings.
Nostalgia surrounding the original film will help bring families to theaters, he said.
'Look at success of 'Wicked' on Broadway,' he said. 'People are open to the idea of the 'Wizard of Oz' being played around with and new approaches taken.'
Disney is taking no chances, and is spending up to $100 million on marketing to supplement nostalgia. The company launched a New Year's campaign with a social media sweepstakes urging fans to tweet resolutions with the #DisneyOz hashtag.
The 'Oz' hot-air balloon, emblazoned with #DisneyOZ, made stops at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California, and the Daytona 500, where Franco was grand marshal. It is heading to Central Park next week and an appearance on 'Good Morning America' on Disney-owned ABC.
Television promotions for the film have been hard to miss. Disney ran a pricey commercial during the CBS telecast of the Super Bowl. It also enlisted Mariah Carey to sing a song from the film on Fox singing contest 'American Idol,' according to producer Joe Roth.
On ABC's 'The Bachelor,' host Chris Harrison interrupted the dating competition to introduce a brief appearance by Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz, the actresses who play the film's three witches. A pair of Dorothy's red slippers from the original 'Wizard of Oz' made an appearance at ABC's Academy Awards broadcast in a glass case, which was covered until red carpet host Kristin Chenoweth unveiled it.
Disney experienced the expensive downside of its big-budget film strategy last year, when the $250 million film 'John Carter' became one of Hollywood's costliest flops, saddling Disney's studio with an operating loss of $84 million for the fiscal second quarter.
Only a couple months later, Disney saw the other side of releasing a big-budget movie when Marvel superhero mashup 'The Avengers' recorded the biggest domestic debut of all time and earned more than $1.5 billion around the world.
After 'John Carter' bombed, Disney named a new studio head, Alan Horn, a former Warner Bros. executive with a record of success managing 'Harry Potter,' 'The Dark Knight' and other major film franchises.
It also geared up its vaunted marketing machine, partnering with the HSN shopping network on an Oz-inspired fashion line and setting up a 'Land of Oz' garden at Epcot, on top of the millions it spent elsewhere.
'You have to hand it to Disney,' said Jeff Bock, box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. 'They do go all out. They're going to spend $200 or $250 million on these productions and make a real spectacle.'
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Final movie in 'Hobbit' trilogy moves to December 2014
(Reuters) - The final installment of 'The Hobbit' film trilogy will be released on December 17, 2014, five months later than planned, Warner Bros. said on Thursday.
'The Hobbit: There and Back Again' had been set to debut in July 2014. It will follow 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' which came out in December 2012, and 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,' which reached theaters in December 2013.
'We're excited to complete the trilogy the same way we started it, as a holiday treat for moviegoers everywhere,' said Dan Fellman, president of distribution for Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.
'The Hobbit' series is a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy 'The Lord of the Rings,' which director Peter Jackson made into three Oscar-winning films about a decade ago.
The first 'Hobbit' film was a blockbuster with global sales of $981 million, according to the Box Office Mojo website. The trilogy is financed by Warner Bros. New Line Cinema and MGM.
(Reporting By Lisa Richwine; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
'The Hobbit: There and Back Again' had been set to debut in July 2014. It will follow 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' which came out in December 2012, and 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,' which reached theaters in December 2013.
'We're excited to complete the trilogy the same way we started it, as a holiday treat for moviegoers everywhere,' said Dan Fellman, president of distribution for Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc.
'The Hobbit' series is a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy 'The Lord of the Rings,' which director Peter Jackson made into three Oscar-winning films about a decade ago.
The first 'Hobbit' film was a blockbuster with global sales of $981 million, according to the Box Office Mojo website. The trilogy is financed by Warner Bros. New Line Cinema and MGM.
(Reporting By Lisa Richwine; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
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