(Apr. 26) Audiences were in the mood for some fatal attraction action at the box office.
Beyonce Knowles and Idris Elba's "Obsessed" debuted as the top weekend movie with $28.5 million in ticket sales. The Sony Screen Gems thriller stars Knowles and Elba as a couple whose ideal marriage lands on the rocks after a psychotic temp played by Ali Larter begins stalking the husband.
Mickey Rourke has signed on to star in a remake of the 1986 Brit gangster flick 'Mona Lisa,' Variety reports. He'll star as an ex-con who butts heads with a powerful crime boss after he falls for the high-end escort he's been hired to chauffeur. 'Casino Royale' starlet Eva Green is in negotiations to play the escort. Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson and Michael Caine starred in the original. (May 15)
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Westwick, Arterton Reach for 'Wuthering Heights'
'Gossip Girl' badboy Ed Westwick and 'Quantum of Solace' good girl Gemma Arterton have signed on to play star-crossed lovers Heathcliff and Cathy in the latest big-screen incarnation of Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights,' according to the Hollywood Reporter. 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' helmer Peter Webber has been tapped to direct. (May 15)
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Statham Joins 'The Killer Elite'
Jason Statham has signed on to headline the British action thriller 'The Killer Elite,' Variety confirms. Based on real events, the story centers on a group of former British special forces members being targeted by assassins. Statham will play a ex-Navy SEAL forced out of retirement to save his close friend, most likely while not wearing a shirt. (May 15)
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Cyrus Gets a New Love Interest
Aussie actor Liam Hemsworth has been cast as Miley Cyrus' love interest in the Disney adaptation of Nicolas Sparks' upcoming novel 'The Last Song,' the Hollywood Reporter has learned. The story follows a rebellious teen forced to spend the summer with the father who abandoned her four years earlier. Hemsworth, who made his U.S. debut in 'Knowing,' will play a cool kid -- and killer beach volleyball player -- who catches Miley's eye. (May 15)
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Scorsese to Direct 'Sinatra'
Martin Scorsese is bringing legendary crooner Frank Sinatra back to the big screen. Variety reports that the 'Departed' director has signed on to helm 'Sinatra,' a biopic that will cover Ol' Blue Eyes' storied career, tumultuous love affairs, high-profile friendships with the likes of President Kennedy and his possible Mafia ties. Though no actor has been set to play the iconic entertainer, producer Cathy Schulman says that Leonardo DiCaprio, who has starred in Scorsese's last four features, is an obvious candidate. Luckily, he does have blue eyes. (May 14)
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Lohan Turns to 'Other Side'
With her latest flick 'Labor Pains' going straight to TV, Lindsay Lohan is moving to 'The Other Side.' Variety has learned that LiLo will join musicians-turned-actors Dave Matthews and Alanis Morisette, as well as Woody Harrelson and Giovanni Ribisi, in the indie fantasy comedy -- which centers on a grad student (Lohan) moves to a remote island for the summer and, while there, encounters a quirky community hiding the secret of a long-ago tragedy. (May 14)
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Ruffalo, Kunis, Liotta Join 'Date Night'
The Steve Carell-Tina Fey comedy 'Date Night' continues to rack up big names. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Mark Ruffalo, Mila Kunis and Ray Liotta have joined an all-star cast of supporting players that includes Mark Wahlberg, James Franco and Kristen Wiig. Ruffalo will play Wiig's husband and Carell's best friend, Kunis the low-rent criminal wife of Franco's character and Liotta a "villain of peace" in the flick, which stars Fey and Carell as a longtime couple on a date gone horribly awry. (May 14)
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Whitaker and Jackson Are 'Jekyll and Hyde'
Forrest Whitaker and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson will star as the title characters in 'Jekyll and Hyde,' Variety confirms. A modern-day reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,' the film will put a contemporary spin on the story of a scientist who invents a potion that unleashes his violent alter ego. (May 14)
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Jackman, Weisz, Pattinson Are 'Captives'
Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz and Robert Pattinson have signed on to star in 'Unbound Captives,' a film which will mark Madeline Stowe's directorial debut, Variety confirms. Stowe also co-wrote the script, which follows a 19th century frontiersman (Jackman) who rescues a mother and son (Weisz and Pattinson) from a Comanche war party. He does not make use of retractable adamantium claws in the process. (May 13)
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Kidman Bails on Woody Allen Film
Nicole Kidman has dropped out of the untitled Woody Allen film she was supposed to film in London this summer, Variety reports. There is no word yet on why Kidman bolted or who her replacement will be. She was set to play a princess en route to India in the flick, which co-stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto. Get more on PopEater. (May 13)
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The strong opening for "Obsessed" helped maintain Hollywood's hot streak, with overall revenues at about $112 million, up 23.5 percent from the same weekend last year, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
The busy summer season starts Friday with 20th Century Fox's spinoff "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," starring Hugh Jackman in the title role he played in three "X-Men" blockbusters.
Studios head into summer on a box-office tear, with receipts running at a record pace. Revenues for the year are at $3.06 billion, up 17.4 percent over last year. Factoring in higher ticket prices, movie attendance is up 15.7 percent.
"We have never been in this strong a position heading into the summer season, ever," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.
Zac Efron's "17 Again" and Channing Tatum's "Fighting" were neck-and-neck for the No. 2 spot. With Sunday estimates of $11.7 million, the Warner Bros. comedy "17 Again" had the edge. After debuting in first-place a week earlier, "17 Again" raised its 10-day total to $40 million.
Rogue Pictures' "Fighting," starring Tatum and Terrence Howard in the story of a rising star in New York City's underground bare-knuckle fight circuit, debuted with $11.4 million.
The two movies were close enough that rankings could change when final numbers come out Monday.
Paramount's drama "The Soloist" opened at No. 4 with $9.7 million. It stars Jamie Foxx as a schizophrenic music prodigy living on the streets of Los Angeles and Robert Downey Jr. as a reporter who befriends him.
Disney's nature documentary "Earth" premiered in fifth place with $8.6 million, bringing its total to $14.2 million since opening Wednesday.
"Obsessed" was not screened in advance for critics, and those who reviewed it generally trashed the movie as a lame retread of 1987's "Fatal Attraction," which starred Glenn Close as a demented woman pursuing a married man, played by Michael Douglas.
But "Obsessed" had the lure of singer Knowles stepping out from her pop star image and duking it out with the crazy lady threatening her home and marriage.
"There's something about wanting to see Beyonce kick butt. She's taking on one wacked chick, played very well by Ali Larter," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "Let's face it, everyone loves Beyonce, and to see her in this role is a treat."
Documentaries rarely open in nationwide release or break into the top 10, but Disney aimed for a wide audience with "Earth," which traces families of polar bears, elephants and humpback whales over the course of a year.
Disney pledged to plant a tree for every viewer who sees the movie in the first week, with the number climbing to more than 2 million after five days. The film was tied to Earth Day and was the first release of the studio's Disneynature label.
"We just felt like if we make an event out of this, tied it to this whole plant-a-tree effort, tied it to Earth Day, maybe we could break the mold and come up with the kind of opening that you'd be satisfied with on a regular film," said Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.
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