In this morning's WSJ, see bottom of this note.
** Meanwhile, caught a "Prada" late showing. Channing was right; it is more
enjoyable than "Superman Returns" but not in ways I expected.
** "The Devil Wears Prada" is a wisp of a movie with a linear rags to riches
Cinderella structure w/the obligatory princess being forced to choose
between an upscale career and shallow boyfriend vs. a down-home and more
"pure" career with a different boyfriend.
** But it's beautifully cast in ways that makes one forgive simplistic
formulas; Streep is magificent and Hathaway is radiant -- it's great to see
Streep re-capture the glamour for which she's always been capable, but not
seen rarely in recent films; her looks are flamboyant but her performance is
not; this is minimalist Streep and she's marvelous.
** The film has been altered from the book to give Streep's character a dose
of humanity/insecurity and is the better for it; it's a great, fact-based
story, though gussied-up and "MTV'd" a bit too much to cater to women, which
represents the bulk of this film's audience. Note that more men made
"Superman Returns" the champ this weekend; women tend to be less
enthusiastic or are being dragged along by their boyfriends.
** But Streep commands "Prada" like a true star. The film has a very smug
and satisfying ending; you end up hating and rooting for her character at
the same time; I don't think Streep would have taken the role otherwise.
It's a defining role in her stellar career. I hope Oscar voters remember
this performance, but I doubt they will.
** And Anne Hathaway has made me forgive her horrible performance in
"Brokeback Mountain." She has the perfect look and persona to pull off her
tranformation from wide-eyed innocent to New York designer label babe
without making you wince. And New York and Paris have never looked more
glamorous and romantic.
** BTW, back to "Superman Returns." One thing I keep forgetting to mention
is it was shot almost entirely in Australia. Yet another US-financed
picture shot in Sydney! What is going on that has made the land "down
under" the optimum venue to shoot blockbuster films? It's gotta be more
than just cost. Any of our Aussie friends on MoPo have ideas? 20th Century
Fox goes to Mexico to shoot its sea-faring films and then to Australia to
have it stand in for New York.
-koose.
===============
Monday, July 3, 2006
WALL STREET JOURNAL
'Superman' Performs Solidly,
But 'Prada' Dents Take
By KATE KELLY
"Superman Returns," Warner Bros. Entertainment's reinvention of the Man of
Steel franchise, sold $52.2 million in tickets in U.S. theaters during its
opening weekend, as the fashion-industry satire "The Devil Wears Prada"
siphoned off many female moviegoers.
That estimated three-day performance for "Superman" placed it firmly within
the top five Independence Day film releases, and the film has taken in $84.2
million since its release late Tuesday night.
But it couldn't top last year's "War of the Worlds" or 2004's "Spider-Man
II." Moreover, "Superman" next weekend faces Walt Disney Co.'s "Pirates of
the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which is performing extremely well in
pre-release audience polls.
Executives at Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc., said they were
pleased with the performance of "Superman." Dan Fellman, Warner's president
of domestic distribution, said the five-day performance was a record for the
studio and predicted the film would take in about $110 million during its
first full week.
"Any time you do $100 million in seven days, you're in good shape," he said.
Overseas, the film took in an estimated $19.8 million in 11 territories that
included Australia and parts of Asia.
"Superman Returns" was a labor of love for Warner Bros. The studio spent
more than 10 years tinkering with ideas, and about $60 million in costs for
new scripts, directors, and other costs were written off. Ultimately, the
movie cost Warner about $209 million to make.
During its first five days, the audience for "Superman Returns" was 57% men.
The balance was mainly women over 25, with younger women counting for just
16%.
"The Devil Wears Prada," the Twentieth Century Fox movie about a
fashion-magazine assistant and her fearsome boss, took in an estimated $27
million in its first three days in U.S. theaters, driven by an audience that
was 72% female.
ATOP THE BOX OFFICE
1. "Superman Returns,'' $52.15 million.
2. "The Devil Wears Prada,'' $27 million.
3. "Click,'' $19.4 million.
4. "Cars,'' $14 million.
5. "Nacho Libre,'' $6.2 million.
6. "The Lake House,'' $4.5 million.
7. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,'' $4.4 million.
8. "Waist Deep,'' $3.3 million.
9. "The Break-Up,' $2.8 million.
10. "The Da Vinci Code," $2.3 million.
Source: Exhibitor Relations
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