By Lucas Shaw
TheWrap

“Prisoners” grossed an estimated $9 million on Saturday, a 29 percent jump from the day before that has studios projecting a $21 million weekend for the Warner Bros. release — and all signs point to long legs for Denis Villeneuve’s dark thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Find: Hugh Jackman’s marriage

The mid-weekend surge was more than enough for “Prisoners” to take the box office crown its first weekend in theaters, beating out “Insidious: Chapter 2.” The movie alsosecured the second-biggest opening weekend in the history of Alcon Entertainment, which financed the film and has an output deal with Warner Bros.

“It’s a great weekend for Warner Bros and an exceptional weekend for Alcon,” Warner Bros. domestic distribution chief Dan Fellman told TheWrap. “You look at the movies and the CinemaScore and all the stars are lining up. It looks like we’ll have a long and healthy run with this.”

Fellman noted that the movie’s opening is comparable to several other recent R-rated fall releases, including “Looper” and the studio’s own “Argo.” Both of those movies grossed more than $100 million worldwide (with “Argo” topping $200 million).

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“Prisoners” stars Jackman as a father whose daughter is kidnapped along with her friend; he makes a hostage of the man he believes is responsible (Paul Dano). Though some analysts expressed concern that the movies dark subject matter and long running time would inhibit its financial performance, audiences embraced the movie as the weekend progressed.

The movies CinemaScore rating grew from a B+ to an A- by Saturday, echoing the largely stellar reviews from critics.

The movie appealed across all ages, though the largest contingent of moviegoers were those between the ages of 25 and 50. 46 percent of moviegoers fit in that adult demographic while 28 percent of moviegoers were under 25 and 26 percent over 50.

Also: What did the critics say?

“The most encouraging thing looking at the future of the movie is that 74 percent of its audience is under 50 and they gave it an A-,” Fellman said. “That sets it up for you.”The only competition next weekend is Sony’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,” which appeals to a much younger demographic than “Prisoners.”

Most of the movies in wide release had a strong Saturday, none more so than “Instructions Not Included,” the Liosngate/Panitleon movie that grossed 40-50 percent more this Saturday than the one prior. It is now on track for around $5.5 million, an increase from last week and good enough for a fourth place finish.

That places it ahead of “Battle of the Year,” the only other movie besides “Prisoners” opening in wide releases this weekend. Starring Josh Holloway and Chris Brown and about an international dance crew tournament, the film jumped 45 percent on Saturday but may still gross less than $5 million for the weekend.

A 3D re-release of “Wizard of Oz” should top $3 million on just 318 screens while “Rush,” which Universal opened in limited release, is on track for $200,000 from five screens. Universal decided to start small with “Rush” to build buzz based on the film’s exceptional reviews. Though its box office figure is less than what many had expected, it was a soft weekend at the box office.

The top 10:
“Prisoners,” $21.4 million
“Insidious: Chapter 2,” $14.5 million
“The Family,” $7 million
“Instructions Not Included,” $5.7 million
“Battle of the Year,” $5 million
“We’re the Millers,” $4.7 million
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” $4.3 million
“Riddick,” $3.7 million
“Wizard of Oz: An Imax 3D Experience,” $3 million
“Planes,” $2.9 million

WENN

Daniel Radcliffe is taking a month-long break after battling exhaustion during his recent stint on stage.

Search: Is Radcliffe out of control?

The “Harry Potter” star recently finished a run in London’s West End, appearing in “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” and he has now decided to schedule in a well-earned break to recover before he takes on any more acting work.

Radcliffe has penciled in three weeks of downtime next month, and he plans to spend his break in New York City. He tells Britain’s Daily Star Sunday, “I do need a break — doing ‘Cripple’ was amazing but the last month was slightly exhausting. I’ve got three weeks off in October and I’m going to bum around New York and see some shows. I need to get some proper downtime.”

He only hopes he can stay away from reading scripts: “I do need time off, but the truth is I’m a workaholic.”

Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, Johnny Depp, Phil Keoghan and the C.S.I. trio of crime scene investigators, Caruso, Petersen and Danson, respectively – will miss Bruck as the highly prolific producer in all of Hollywood.

WENN

A leaked script for Benedict Cumberbatch‘s upcoming WikiLeaks movie “The Fifth Estate” has been posted on the whistleblowing website weeks before the movie is due to hit cinemas.

Find: More buzz about ‘The Fifth Estate’

Cumberbatch plays WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the new film, which tells the story of the Australian journalist and his controversial website, and it recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada.

However, the film’s script has now emerged online weeks before the film’s official release in October. It has been posted on WikiLeaks.org with a message from the website’s editors, who call the movie “irresponsible, counterproductive and harmful.”

The note reveals the film script is a “mature version, obtained at a late stage during the principal photography of 2013” and goes on to defend the site against accusations made in the story.

An extract reads, “The film is fictional. Most of the events depicted never happened, or the people shown were not involved in them. It has real names, real places, and looks like it is covering real events, but it is still a dramatic and cinematic work, and it invents or shapes the facts to fit its narrative goals… People should not in any way treat this film as an historical account of WikiLeaks, its activities or its personnel. Hopefully, they will be inspired to approach the topic with an open mind, and to support WikiLeaks… Although The Fifth Estate purports to be about Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, the film was made without the involvement of WikiLeaks or any of its staff, including Julian Assange.”

Assange has previously criticised the film and even wrote an email to its star, Cumberbatch, urging him to walk away from the lead role.

“with some launching an online petition in a bid to force movie bosses at Marvel to find another Batman”

Since when did Marvel start making Batman or Superman movies? proof read your articles please.

WENN

Director Quentin Tarantino is set to play B-movie icon Roger Corman in a film biopic, according to a new report.

The filmmaker has signed on to lead the cast in “The Man with the Kaleidoscope Eyes,” according to the Daily Telegraph.

Bing: ‘Kill Bill 3’ in the works

The movie will tell the story behind Corman’s controversial drug drama “The Trip.” Corman says, “It’s the story of how I made ‘The Trip’ in the 1960s about LSD. It starred Jack Nicholson in one of his first roles and I took LSD so I knew what it was all about.

“It was very controversial but it was the only American picture invited to the Cannes Film Festival that year. I have a cameo role in the movie about it, playing the executive who didn’t want me to make the film.”

LONDON (AP) — Revenge thriller “Fatal Attraction” is the latest hit movie to get a stage adaptation, with a production opening in London’s West End early next year.

Producers announced Friday that former Royal Shakespeare Company chief Trevor Nunn will direct the play, based on the 1987 thriller starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close.

Bing: Roy Rogers musical coming to Broadway

The movie’s screenwriter, James Dearden, will write the stage version.

“Fatal Attraction” tells the story of a spurned woman who seeks revenge on her lover and his family, and is renowned for a scene in which a pet rabbit meets a nasty end.

Also: Sting’s musical ‘The Last Ship’ will sail to Broadway

Casting for the play has not been announced.

“Fatal Attraction” begins previews March 8 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, opens March 25 and runs to June 21.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee is at odds with a museum in her Alabama hometown that celebrates her literary achievement over use of the words in the title of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Lee is seeking a trademark for the words when they are used on clothing. The Monroe County Heritage Museum in Monroeville is opposing the application, contending the sale of souvenirs with the words is vital to its continued operation.

Lee’s New York attorney, Robert Clarida, said the 87-year-old author, who lives in Monroeville, has never received a penny from the museum’s sale of T-shirts, caps and other souvenirs. “They want to continue selling the merchandise without Ms. Lee getting any money,” he said Friday.

Bing: More on Harper Lee

Museum Director Stephanie Rogers said Lee’s book drives tourism in the rural south Alabama county. She said the museum has always been supportive of Lee, and she has never said anything about the souvenirs when visiting the museum.

“I feel like all we do is honor her here,” she said.

The nonprofit organization operates several attractions in Monroeville and uses “To Kill a Mockingbird” for its website address.

The organization’s attractions include the old county courthouse housing the courtroom that served as the model for the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The courthouse draws 25,000 to 30,000 visitors annually and features a display that tells Lee’s story in her own words. In April and May, it will present its 25th annual production of the play, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Rogers said the museum pays royalties to produce the play, but it has never paid for selling the souvenirs. She said tourists want a memento of their visit, and the proceeds are the key to museum’s continued operation and its educational programs.

Museum attorney Matt Goforth said Friday, “We are hopeful this legal dispute, originally initiated by Ms. Lee’s attorneys, will not damage our relationship.”

Also: Harper Lee settles lawsuit she filed to secure copyright of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

Lee’s attorney said people occasionally show up online up selling “To Kill a Mockingbird” merchandise, but a letter to cease usually takes care of that. He said the trademark application is aimed at the museum because of its continuous sale of merchandise.

That merchandise is remaining on sale while the trademark application is pending. Attorneys on both sides said the timeline for legal arguments set by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office means the case could take a year or more.

Last week, Lee settled the lawsuit she filed to secure the copyright to her classic novel.

A federal judge in New York City approved the order dismissing the case against Samuel L. Pinkus, the son-in-law of Lee’s former literary agent, and companies he allegedly created. Two other defendants had been dropped from the suit a week earlier.

Lee’s trademark application was first reported by The Monroe Journal, the newspaper in Monroeville.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Choreographer and dance instructor Patsy Swayze, the mother of late actor Patrick Swayze, has died. She was 86.

Swayze died Monday night at her home in Simi Valley, publicist Annett Wolf said. No cause of death was given.

Born in 1927, Patsy Swayze taught dance for decades, and her students included Tommy Tune and Debbie Allen. She taught at the University of Houston for more than a decade and also was a choreographer for the Houston Playhouse Center and the Houston Youth Symphony and Ballet Company.

She moved to Simi Valley in 1980 after choreographing the movie “Urban Cowboy.”

“It was rural, like Texas, and the three children still living at home could have horses and dogs,” Swayze said of her new home in a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Her skills apparently rubbed off on her five children, who became actors and dancers.

Patrick Swayze was well known for his leading roles in “Dirty Dancing” and other films, such as “Ghost.” He died in 2009 at 57 after battling pancreatic cancer.

By Greg Gilman
TheWrap

Almost two months after Universal’s pricey supernatural buddy cop flick “R.I.P.D.” bombed, star Jeff Bridges has joined the vast majority of critics who were not impressed.

During an interview for the October issue of GQ, Bridges he was “a little underwhelmed” by the movie, which has scored a 12 percent rotten rating on critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

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“I had such a great time working on that movie,” Bridges said. “I remember what we were doing. I thought, ‘This could be fun to see.’ And when I saw it, I was a little underwhelmed. For my mind, the studio made some, uh, choices that I wouldn’t have made.”

“R.I.P.D.,”an adaptation of Peter M. Lenkov’s 2001 Dark Horse graphic novel, cost $130 million to produce, but only grossed$12.7 million during its debut at the box office in July. According to Box Office Mojo, the costly film — featuring Bridges alongside Ryan Reynolds as a pair of dead cops who protect the living from malevolent souls — has grossed just over $68 million worldwide to date.

Also on TheWrap: R.I.P.D.: Havent We Seen These Men in Black Before?

Bridges, the famously laid-back Academy Award winner who portrayed The Dude in cult comedy classic “The Big Lebowski,” doesn’t appear to be too affected by the action flick’s disappointing reception.

“It’s kind of fun when the movie’s coming out. It’s like having a horse in the race. And they’re lining up, and they’re off! And you’re rooting for your horse,” Bridges said. “And in this case, the jockey fell off the horse and you came in last. Ha ha ha. You know. That happens sometimes.”

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