Moviegoers had an appetite for fright this weekend, sending “Insidious: Chapter 2” to the top of the box office.
Movies
Film studio Warner Bros. announced Thursday that J.K. Rowling will write the screenplay for a movie based on “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” her textbook to the magical universe she created in the boy wizard’s stories.
What: “Insidious: Chapter 2”
The sci-fi thriller starring Vin Diesel as an intergalactic criminal with built-in night vision debuted in first place with $18.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Riddick” is the third installment in the series, following the $11.6 million debut of 2000’s “Pitch Black” and the $24.3 million launch of 2004’s “The Chronicles of Riddick.”
A summer that began with a string of hits whimpered to its conclusion after a run of underachievers. But with the arrival of autumn, grown-ups are finally welcomed back to the multiplexes.
The big-screen adaptation of E L James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” has cast its lead roles.
In the end, Hollywood made it through a precarious minefield of summer box-office bombs with a heftier wallet. The summer concluded with a record $4.7 billion in box-office revenue despite much maligned flops like “The Lone Ranger,” ”After Earth” and “White House Down.”
Japanese director Sion Sono wants to set the records straight: It was Bruce Lee and not Quentin Tarantino who transformed the yellow jumpsuit into a piece of film iconography.
For years, there’s been a sure-fire way to sound like a film snob without actually putting in the effort: Tell anyone who asks that your favorite director is Wong Kar Wai.
The rise to fame of the British boy band One Direction is chronicled in this documentary that also features plenty of footage of the guys in concert.
“The Great Gatsby” (PG-13): Leonardo DiCaprio gives an Old Hollywood-style star turn as the title character in director Baz Luhrmann’s wildly anachronistic take on the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic.
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” served up a second helping at the box office, topping the weekend with $17 million according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Internet erupted Thursday night after Warner Bros. announced that Ben Affleck will play the Caped Crusader for its Superman and Batman team-up movie.
“The Spectacular Now” rode out of Sundance atop an avalanche of positive buzz and near-rapturous reviews.