Weekend Box Office: 'Puss in Boots' Sets Halloween Record

These 'Boots' were made for walking -- all over the box office competition. 'Shrek' spinoff 'Puss in Boots' easily won the weekend, not only outpacing two other new wide releases by a wide margin, but also setting a record for the biggest Halloween weekend opening ever. The fencing feline voiced by Antonio Banderas purred his way to an estimated $34 million opening. That was a lot less than expected, given the popularity of the 'Shrek' franchise, the fanbase the character earned in three previous installments, a boost from 3D surcharges and decent reviews and word-of-mouth. But a World Series whose clinching seventh game was played on Friday night and a Northeastern snowstorm on Saturday threw a wet blanket on predictions that had been in the $40 to $44 million range. Still, if Sunday's estimate holds, 'Puss' will beat the Halloween weekend record of $33.6 million set by the debut of 'Saw III' five years ago. By opening earlier than initially scheduled (the DreamWorks Animation film was slotted for Nov. 4 before moving up one week), 'Puss' may have dealt a fatal blow to last week's winner, 'Paranormal Activity 3,' which lost a hefty 65 percent of its business in its second weekend. The horror prequel slipped to second place with an estimated $18.5 million -- about $2 million more than 'Paranormal Activity 2' earned in its second weekend, but with a much greater depreciation (65 percent to 59 percent). Like the previous two installments, the movie is earning love-it-or-hate-it response from moviegoers. In two weekends, it's scared up $81.3 million. Opening in third place was 'In Time' with an estimated $12.0 million. That's not far below the $13 million or so that pundits predicted for the Justin Timberlake/Amanda Seyfried sci-fi thriller. Despite only so-so reviews, distributor 20th Century Fox must be pleased; the film did even better overseas, earning $14.5 million. In its third week, 'Footloose' stepped down one rung to fourth place. Losing nearly half of last week's business, the dance remake walked off with an estimated $5.4 million, for a total so far of $38.4 million. Just behind 'Footloose' was 'The Rum Diary,' opening in fifth place with an estimated $5.0 million. Johnny Depp's labor-of-love comedy, based on a semi-autobiographical tale that his friend Hunter S. Thompson left unpublished for nearly 40 years, was expected to open around $6 or $7 million, with its literary eccentricity trumping Depp's usual box office appeal. With a per-screen average of $2,205 on just 2,272 screens, 'Rum' isn't likely to have sturdy legs. With its release plan scaled back to just 265 screens, the speculative period drama 'Anonymous' opened outside the top 10 and earned an estimated $1.0 million. That's a modest $3,774 per screen; jury is still out on whether the Shakespeare-didn't-write-Shakespeare drama can drum up strong interest once it opens wider. A movie that should have a stronger wide-release future is long-distance romance 'Like Crazy,' which debuted on just four screens but earned a huge $30,000 on each, for an estimated total of $120,000. The other big box office story this weekend also happened out of sight of the domestic top 10. It was the international opening of 'The Adventures of Tintin.' We won't see the much-anticipated Steven Spielberg motion-capture saga until Christmas, but overseas, it picked up an estimated $55.8 million in 19 countries. By the time it drops down our chimney on Dec. 21, it'll already be a huge international hit. 'Puss in Boots' - Trailer No. 3 The full top 10: 1. 'Puss in Boots,' $34.0 million (3,952 screens), new release 2. 'Paranormal Activity 3,' $18.5 million (3,329), $81.3 million total 3. 'In Time,' $12.0 million (3,122), new release 4. 'Footloose,' $5.4 million (3,224) $38.4 million 5. 'The Rum Diary,' $5.0 million (2,272), new release 6. 'Real Steel,' $4.7 million (2,914), $73.9 million 7. 'The Three Musketeers,' $3.5 million (3,017), $14.8 million 8. 'The Ides of March,' $2.7 million (1,572), $33.5 million 9. 'Moneyball,' $2.4 million (1,631), $67.4 million 10. 'Courageous,' $1.8 million (1,134) $27.6 million [Photos: DreamWorks Animation, 20th Century Fox, FilmDistrict] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman RELATED

Stuntman Dies after Explosion on 'Expendables 2' Set

One stuntman was killed and two other stunt people were injured following an accident with an explosion on the Bulgarian set of "The Expendables 2," according to the Bulgarian Sofia News Agency's website. The accident took place during shooting at the Ognyanovo reservoir near the town of Elin Pelin, near the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, the report said. Bulgarian television confirmed the casualties but did not identify them, saying only the stuntman killed was "a foreigner," although a separate report by the "Sofia Echo"newspaper said that both men were "of Chinese origin."There was no word if any of the film's stars were involved in or present at the accident."The Expendables 2"is filming at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, and features action legendsArnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris andJason Statham.The Lionsgate sequel is set for release Aug. 17, 2012. The Hollywood Reporter

Igielko-Herrlich & Granath: Outsiders searching in

RUBEN IGIELKO-HERRLICHTwo decades ago, Ruben Igielko-Herrlich showed up at his professional apex just like a luxury-goods internet internet marketer, getting labored together with your legendary brands as Tiffany, Bulgari and Chopard.Accidentally, an MGM professional contacted the Havana-born Swiss native about scoring some free products for your film, "Harley as well as the Marlboro Guy." The Hollywood overture sparked an idea that increased being the genesis of Propaganda Jewel.He teamed round the venture with Anders Granath, an unlikely candidate understandably given Granath's background in manufacturing. The Two set to overcome Hollywood utilizing their perch in Geneva."Our initial insufficient skill increased being our strength," states Igielko-Herrlich, who acquired an Master of economic administration from Atlanta's Emory U. which is fluent in five languages. "Our fresh eye, with no anticipation, enabled us to identify and anticipate gameshifting forces, (like the development of) social media.InchANDERS GRANATHAs a Paris-born Swede getting experience in manufacturing, Anders Granath's outsider status couldn't be solid. Nevertheless, the first sort Caterpillar marketing professional put lower in 1991 to alter Hollywood's nascent product-positioning landscape.Granath co-founded Propaganda Jewel getting a mandate to develop upon the short-term vision that ruled, in which the modus operandi in those days was "strictly to produce product visibility, without any proper factors or alignment in the bigger, longer-term brand strategy." Being an advertising strategy consultant for Marks & Spencer inside the late eighties, the Geneva U. grad saw the chance in centralized brand-image building activities."Our vision of then is nearly the truth nowadays,Inch states Granath, who now calls Geneva home. "It's rather the communication and marketing landscape which has been altering -- progressively -- to get together with this visions of 2 decades ago."Propaganda Jewel at 20A positioning on the planet Savvy auds drive requirement of seamless show stuffers Outsiders searching in Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Iron Guy 3 To Shoot In NC

First Released: October 27, 2011 5:28 PM EDT Credit: Caption Robert Downey Junior. in Iron Guy 2 WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The following installment within the Iron Guy super hero film franchise will shoot inside a New York soundstage starting in a couple of days. Marvel Galleries will film Iron Guy 3 starring Robert Downey Junior. in Wilmington, with pre-production beginning soon and operate in the condition lasting about 10 several weeks, Gov. Beverly Perdue and Wilmingtons EUE/Screen Gems Galleries stated Thursday. The development is anticipated to produce 550 jobs for trades-people, specialists along with other crew people and most 1,000 spots for stars along with other talent. This is the biggest production to shoot in New York, condition film office mind Aaron Syrett stated. The prior films within the series, with different Marvel Comics character, featured Downey like a billionaire weapons-maker who fights criminals putting on a higher-tech suit of armor he produced. Iron Guy 2 co-starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson. Professionals at Marvel Galleries also considered locations in La, Michigan and New Mexico before determining Wilmington had the best mixture of space, talent, and citizen incentives, EUE/Screen Gems stated. New York this season elevated its regulations for movie and tv productions to as much as 25 %. Which means movie producers could discount as much as a quarter of their in-condition investing as much as $20 million using their condition taxes. The tax break is refundable, meaning a producer who qualified for any $20 million write-off but didnt owe much in New York taxes could collect the main difference having a multi-million-dollar check from citizens. The incentive has assisted make 2011 a large year for that states film industry. Twenty-nine productions had setup offices in New York by early September, investing a lot more than $200 million and a minimum of temporarily employing 3,000 crew people, Perdues office stated. Time productions range from the feature film The Hunger Games and also the television series Homeland, 'Eastbound and Lower and something Tree Hill. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Once Upon A Time' Stars Talk New Mythic Series

FROM MTV MOVIES: The figures inside the favorite anecdotes you was elevated hearing are people too. This can be a large part of the story behind ABC's fantasy series "Not such a long time ago." Within the minds of former "Lost" authors and producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, "Not such a long time ago" follows the lives of several storybook figures who finish up locked in the actual existence carrying out a curse is situated inside it. Jennifer Morrison ("Warrior") stars as Emma Swan, the woman designated with saving the fairy-tale world and coming back the happy being. Morrison states that you will find much more for the series in comparison to familiar faces, like Snow White-colored, that the show is about something bigger and even more relatable. "It's relationship driven. There's this type of underlying universal factor," Morrison mentioned. "We're presently inside our lives where the economy's kind of tough and jobs are tough, plenty of struggles people are facing. In by doing this, our show really ensures that inside the curse that's round the figures as well as the hope that you have a means out, you could band together and uncover a means out." See the full story at MTV Movies!

New 'Muppets' Trailer: Now With More Celebrity Cameos

.post-content img {display:none;} We have yet to be disappointed by anything 'Muppets'-related. Parodies, infomercials, festival appearances -- as long as Kermit is involved, we will be there. The newest trailer for the upcoming 'Muppets' movie not only shows off more plot, but features a few of the no-longer surprise celebrity cameos (Jack Black and Neil Patrick Harris among them). Also included? Miss Piggy dancing with Pepe the King Prawn, chickens singing Cee-lo and Statler and Waldorf making a timely, self-aware joke. You can see it all in the trailer, or when 'The Muppets' hits theaters on Nov. 23. [via Yahoo!] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Why 'The Thing' Is Everything Wrong With Modern Hollywood

Usually, when covering a brand new movie, it's customary use a plot summary and then any other information towards the top of your piece. When speaking relating to this weekend's 'The Factor,' however... right, what is the point? If you are really thinking about seeing 'The Factor,' you are able to remain in a few days ago watching it on DVD it had been produced in 1982 by John Contractor (itself a completely radical new interpretation of 1951's 'The Factor From Another World'). If you have seen the 1982 version, then remain in watching it again. Like a B-level sci-fi horror movie, the brand new 'The Thing' -- technically a prequel towards the 1982 classic -- is serviceably fine. As soon as you hook it up towards the John Contractor version though, it collapses underneath the weight of their own pointlessness. To place it candidly, 'The Thing' signifies everything wrong with modern Hollywood. (WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW) What's most frustrating concerning the new 'Thing' is the fact that by selecting to become a prequel to some pre-existing film, it appreciates the world built by John Carpenter's project is really interesting, it's worth exploring and growing upon again. But rather than attempting to tell a brand new story within that world or make the most of that movie's brains, 'The Thing' takes whatever originality was possessed within the original and crams it in to the generic template for "frightening movie" that we have seen again and again again. Here's only one example: Once the youthful American researcher (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) hides within the air-duct from the Thing's spaceship, and also the monster jumps to scare her and gradually walk toward her before she grabs the grenade she's dropped, it is a dull and lifeless moment. Because despite creating that the truth is a parasitic creature able to cellular transference, still it loves to meander to its prey. And despite it being 100s of 1000's of years of age and predatory on the microscopic level, still it can't crawl right into a vent by itself spaceship. And despite it's ship being so advanced that it may mix many years of dead space, still it takes 7 minutes to warm-up the engine -- sufficient time for that researcher to create her escape. But, hey: that's how these moments were completed in 'Friday the thirteenth Part 6' or 'The Relic' or 100s of other indistinguishable horror movies why alter the formula? Gone may be the systematic cinematography bathed within the darkness of the Antarctic wasteland this time around your camera is static, ensuring to record everything, so no shadow remains hanging within the scene. The acclaimed effects from the original by Take advantage of Bottin (with the aid of Stan Winston) are changed mainly by CGI -- giving the stars absolutely nothing to respond to within the scene. It may seem this can be a minor detail, however when we are able to identify the monster on-screen to be cartoon and never a strange, slimy, tangible factor standing near the stars, it produces a disconnect within the audience telling us "this really is fake." Watch a clip for 'The Thing' (2011)' This new movie removes all of the quiet, sneaking dread from the original and replaces it with crashes, bangs and explosions. Are you going to jump from your chair? Obviously you'll it's not hard to create a horror movie full of "jump scares" whenever you blast the audio to the greatest level and assault your audience without having-of-nowhere screams. You can't really not flinch in individuals moments. Even when it had been involuntary, still it counts like a jump apparently. And despite the fact that it's designated like a prequel, it upright lifts memorable set pieces in the first movie, which makes it so two separate categories of people -- who've never met one another and are available from different cultural skills -- so occur to interact with the identical type of behavior to indescribable extraterrestrial phenomena. The coincidental synchronicity isn't performed for just about any type of cosmic irony apart from "Hey, it labored within the first movie, therefore we can try it again without them losing any impact." The entire factor is a large labored find it difficult to get us towards the opening moments from the original movie, meaning everybody dies and absolutely nothing has transformed. It's ultimate goal would be to revoke any gains it can make, so it completes small particulars in the original and offers a "wink" to fans from the first. The driving pressure behind the film would be to answer the question of "What went down prior to the first movie started?" But what everybody associated with this production unsuccessful to think about was that real question is better left as rhetorical. Watch a clip for John Carpenter's 'The Thing' Trailer #1 The One Thing - MOVIECLIPS.com A prequel may be the worst type of horror movie you can make, and essentially misses the purpose of the genre. The main reason horror remains so timelessly effective is the actual way it plays with an audience's fears of both unknown as well as losing control. However, the best goal of the prequel would be to answer residual questions and explain how everything labored. Why must a crowd be frightened of the one thing getting around within the shadows, if you're attempting to reveal everything about this? What most boggles your brain is that if Universal wanted to revisit the field of 'The Factor,' did they believe it was a great way? To strip it of its originality and transform it into another generic "scare each week,Inch that audiences will ignore after opening weekend? At that time, why don't you just re-release the initial in theaters for any special Halloween run? 'The Lion King' has proven that audiences will go back to a classic movie around the giant screen when they like it enough. Should you reason that John Carpenter's movie is simply too dated for modern audiences, then why did they choose to create a new movie that really happens before it? The main reason 'The Thing' is everything wrong with modern Hollywood happens because it's set up-line movie making. Even with the remakes and prequels and sequels and adaptations, each one of these varied causes of inspiration get churned in to the same kind of final product. You could have probably the most exotic elements on the planet, however when whatever you do is shove these questions blender and using them as mush, individuals will get frustrated using the meal. To accomplish the meals example: when the original 'Thing' would be a gourmet meal crafted with a gifted chef, this really is cheap unhealthy foods you will get from the box. Don't we deserve a much better menu? Images from 'The Factor' (2011) See All Moviefone Art galleries » [Photos thanks to Universal Galleries] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED