"Paranormal Activity" Breaks Record

"Paranormal Activity" has now officially passed "The Blair Witch Project" as the most profitable movie ever. Being that it was made for about $15,000 and has now made about $65 MILLION, the film has unbelievably generated almost a 415,000% return on its original cost. Paramount has also only spent about $10 million in the process of promoting the film. After slowly expanding into theaters across the United States, the film has become a must-see during the Halloween season. This, to me, makes "Paranormal Activity" the most successful movie in quite a while, due to both its unusual marketing strategy, and its release date.

"Spider-Man 4" Villain

Early reports had rumors of many different possibilities for the villain or villains in the new "Spider-Man" movie. Of these, the most popular were Carnage and The Lizard. Still, there were questions as to whether or not they would both have roles in the movie, or if only one would be developed. Thanks to the website Marketsaw, it is being reported that there will only be one villain in the new movie and it will be The Lizard. Reports have determined that actor Dylan Baker will be returning to fulfill his role as Peter Parker's college professor Dr. Connors. In the past films, Dr. Connors has made small appearances, even displaying his missing arm which, as fans know, leads to his transformation into The Lizard. The film is projected to be released some time in 2011, and it is rumored to also be filmed in 3D.

Heath Ledger's Final Performance

Following his historic performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's, "The Dark Knight," Heath Ledger began his next project as Dr. Parnassus in Terry Gilliam's, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." Unfortunately, he died during the filming of the movie. Still, the project continued, and the role of Dr. Parnassus was taken on by three other well-known actors: Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law. Now, as we approach the two year anniversary of Ledger's death, we also approach the release date of "The Imaginarium." The film is set to be released on Christmas Day of 2009. The movie is about the fictional traveling show of Dr. Parnassus who, thousands of years earlier, won immortality from the devil; Mr. Nick. Now as he has grown extremely old and has found the love of his life, he makes another deal, this time exchanging his immortality for youth. However, this deal was made on the condition that when Parnassus' daughter turns 16 years old, she will become the property of Mr. Nick. Now as she nears the necessary age, Dr. Parnassus struggles to protect her from he awaiting fortune.

New Additions to Classic Disney Franchises

"Toy Story 3"

This summer, Disney is adding to one of the most popular children's movie series of all time: "Toy Story." Recently, the first two films were re-released in 3D and played together in theaters, most likely as a marketing campaign for the third film, given that it has been 10 years since the release of the second. The 3rd film includes the return of voice actors Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as main characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively. The general plot of the movie is that Woody and Buzz's "owner" Andy is headed off to college and they are not sure what will happen or where they will go. The release date right now is set for June 18th, 2010.


"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"

It has been confirmed that Disney is making a 4th installment to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. Its release is projected for the summer of 2011, and there is some speculation on how the title, "On Stranger Tides," will be connected to the story of the film. As for cast members, the only definite is Johnny Depp, returning as of course Captain Jack Sparrow. For now, this is all I have come across. A follow-up post will be made as new information is uncovered.

"Michael Jackson's This Is It"

Tomorrow, the highly anticipated, last performances of Michael Jackson will be released in theaters and IMAX, in a behind-the-scenes documentary called "Michael Jackson's This Is It." It covers the "King of Pop's" preparation for his sold out, comeback tour in London. However, as everyone knows, these plans were cut short. Since the film will only be showing for 2 weeks, it will most likely make a decent amount of money and top the box office. The movie is being directed by Jackson's partner and stage show director, Kenny Ortega, and includes multiple interviews with some of Michael's closest friends. Overall, I think this should be a pretty good film and it should do fairly well in theaters considering the large Michael Jackson fan base. I'm not sure if it will be award-worthy but since it is about Jackson right before his death, you never know.

DVD Releases

Last week, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was released on DVD/Blu-ray. Despite early rumors, opening day sales did not reach 4 million, but instead reached a mediocre 2 million. I believe that much of this was due to the fact that many people were confused as to which discs came with what special features; or just the fact that, besides for the CGI action scenes, the movie was not as good as it could have been (even though it had the second highest opening day gross ever in the United States and Canada, barring inflation). My suggestion would be to purchase the two-disc DVD version in which you get the movie with its IMAX scenes in addition to commentary by Michael Bay and the writers and different 'making of the movie' options. Still, if you own a Blu-ray player, you would obviously buy the Blu-ray version. Prices generally range from about $15 to $40, depending on which version you purchase.

Another film that has recently been released on DVD is "Land of the Lost," starring Will Ferrell. Upon its release, the film recieved horrible reviews from both critics and the general consumer. Although I did not see the movie, most reviews I have read state that the movie had very little humor compared to what was advertised, and the rest of the movie was dry and boring. Still, these reviews do not pertain to everyone so, if you are debating whether or not to purchase this movie, I would suggest maybe renting it instead.

Now for a look into the future, another one of the summer's blockbusters is being released on October 27th; "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs." The third installment of the "Ice Age" franchise generated some very impressive numbers after its release, making about $42 million on its opening weekend. Being marketed more towards the younger generation, I am sure that when the DVD is released, it will sell quite well, as parents will buy it for their children.

"Paranormal Activity"

What began as a selective release has now turned into a nation wide obsession. The movie "Paranormal Activity" was filmed for about $15 thousand and has now risen to the top of the box office, beating out the new addition to the "Saw" series as well as "Where the Wild Things Are." As previously stated, this movie was released only in select theaters, but as viewers raved about how scary it was, it became demanded almost everywhere and turned into a wide release film. Making around $40 million since its release, give or take $5 million, it is now being considered by viewers one of the scariest movies of all time. Now the question is: with the amount of success this film is having, is a sequel a good idea? Since the film is being compared to the popular "Blair Witch Project," maybe not.
Please comment with your point of view. If you have seen the movie, please feel free to let us know what you thought (try to stay away from spoilers though since I, and others, have not yet seen it yet, but am planning to very soon).