By Bob Tourtellotte
Two weeks ago, Warner Bros. yanked "Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince" from a November release and pushed it to
next July, which could spell trouble at box offices because the
previous four "Potter" films averaged $920 million in worldwide
ticket sales. That is a lot of movie magic.
But a range of films from broad comedies such as "Beverly
Hills Chihuahua" to thrillers like "Eagle Eye" and art house
fare including "Flash of Genius" could sustain the summer
upswing, studio executives and box office watchers said.
"You've got it all," said Paul Dergarabedian of box office
tracker Media By Numbers, when assessing the outlook from
September through mid-November, when the new James Bond flick,
"Quantum of Solace," kicks off holiday season moviegoing.
Last year, Hollywood also came off a strong summer after
raking in a record $4.18 billion in North American receipts,
but then came a slate filled with war films such as "In the
Valley of Elah" and dark dramas that tanked at box offices.
When the summer movie season officially ends on Monday's
U.S. Labor Day holiday, box office watchers again expect a
summer tally of over $4 billion. A good chunk of that comes
from the blockbuster Batman sequel "The Dark Knight."
This fall Hollywood seems to have learned a lesson from its
bleak 2007 as it dishes up such light-hearted entries as Joel
and Ethan Coen's wacky new comedy "Burn After Reading" starring
Brad Pitt and George Clooney; the animated sequel "Madagascar:
Escape 2 Africa"; and Disney's latest teen confection, "High
School Musical 3: Senior Year."
On a more serious note, Clint Eastwood provocative
thriller, "Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie and John
Malkovich, will also make its commercial debut.
BAD ECONOMY, GOOD MOVIES
"Part of the reason the summer was successful is that most
studios made a lot of films people really loved, and it is a
great comment on the power of films that even in bad economic
times, audiences come to theaters for good movies," said Adam
Fogelson, marketing chief for Universal Pictures.
Of course, the question for movie fans is: "what is good?,"
and that question has as many answers as there are films.
Last year, the Coen brothers went into Telluride with clips
from "No Country for Old Men," and came out with good buzz that
propelled the movie to Oscars for best picture, best director
and best adapted screenplay. Teenage pregnancy comedy "Juno"
was a hit at Toronto in 2007, and three years ago gay cowboy
drama "Brokeback Mountain" won the top prize at Venice.
This year the Coen comedy "Burn After Reading," which stars
Pitt as hyperactive gym teacher who attempts to extort money
from a former CIA analyst, divided some critics at Venice but
will have a chance to wow a new group of reviewers at Toronto.
Other September and October releases winning early buzz are
director Spike Lee's "Miracle at St. Anna," about four black
American soldiers caught behind enemy lines during World War
II, and "Appaloosa," a crime thriller set in the Old West
directed by Ed Harris, starring Viggo Mortensen and Harris.
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino have paired up as a couple of
New York City cops in "Righteous Kill," and Leonardo DiCaprio
and Russell Crowe appear together in "Body of Lies."
Finally, there is the drama "Tyler Perry's The Family That
Preys," and on the lighter side, "Ghost Town," starring British
comedian Ricky Gervais as a man who can see ghosts, and "Nick &
Norah's Infinite Playlist," about two teenagers who find love.
Reuters/Nielsen
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