MUMBAI: Imax theatres in the US are reporting sell-outs of its ‘Star Trek Into Darkness‘ sneak peek shows on 15 May with showings in Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego and Minneapolis now at capacity.
Interest Paramount adds continues to be strong at other Imax locations across the US, which are offering fans the opportunity to be the first to see the film at 8.00 pm that evening. In response, Paramount Pictures has moved the film‘s Friday, 17 May release up a day to 16 May.
Tickets are available on the film‘s movie app, a technology that allows users to delve deeper into the ‘Star Trek‘ universe, and can also be accessed via Imax.com or through Fandango.com, Movietickets.com, as well as other ticketing platforms and at theatre box offices.
The Imax release of the film will feature approximately thirty minutes of footage filmed with the extremely high-resolution IMAX® cameras. These specific sequences will expand to fill more of the screen exclusively in Imax.
Category: International
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Imax theatres in the US sell out for ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’
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Matthew Perry honoured at White House for drug court advocacy
MUMBAI: Friends star Matthew Perry received the Champion of Recovery award from US drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Perry is no stranger to the White House; he played one of the president‘s counsels on The West Wing or, for that matter, to politics, since his Canadian mother was Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau‘s press secretary.The comedy actor was honoured not only for his outspoken support of president Barack Obama‘s effort to make rehabilitation-centered local drug courts a key component of the nation‘s approach to combating addiction, but also for his upfront discussion of his own experience with prescription drug addiction and recovery.
The certificate of appreciation lauds the actor for "giving a voice to the millions of Americans in recovery." Perry called the ONDCP honor "surreal." "During my darkest times, I never could have imagined receiving an award at the White House," he told.
Perry became hooked on prescription painkillers, which he frequently mixed with alcohol during the height of his success as part of the ensemble cast of the hit TV show Friends. After two trips to recovery, he had become a frequent public speaker on the perils of prescription drugs, national drug policy and his own experience with recovery.
"Over time, I learned that drug courts are a wonderful solution to one of the biggest problems facing our criminal justice system: people suffering from substance-use disorders who are caught in the cycle of arrest and incarceration," Perry wrote in the post that appeared on the White House website. -
Spielberg to direct Bradley Cooper in a film on a navy seal
MUMBAI: Fresh from the box office success and critical accolades of ‘Lincoln‘ director Steven Spielberg‘s next film will be about the late Navy Seal Chris Kyle. It is scheduled to be released next year.
The film is based on the autobiography of the man who is considered to be the deadliest sniper in US military history. He was killed along with a friend earlier this year at a Texas gun range.
The film will star Bradley Cooper ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘. Cooper will next be seen in ‘The Hangover III‘ which releases later this month. -
‘Ironman 3’ makes $175.3 mn in the US on opening weekend
MUMBAI: The third installment in the ‘Ironman‘ franchise which released in the US this weekend has made $175.3 million. This is the second best opening for any film in the US.
Globally it was released in some markets earlier and has made a little over half a billion dollars making it total $680.1 million thus far.The film with the highest opening in the US is again a Marvel film. Last year ‘The Avengers‘ which featured Ironman as part of the ensemble made $207.4 million dollars over its first three days.
As far as the rest of the US box office is concerned over the weekend ‘Pain and Gain‘ made $7.6 million, ‘42‘ made $6.2 million and the science fiction film ‘Oblivion‘ with Tom Cruise made 5.8 million. -
Rule change in two categories announced for Oscar Awards
MUMBAI: For the first time, the entire voting membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will automatically be eligible to vote in all 24 Oscar categories. Academy president Hawk Koch announced this at a meeting of the Academy‘s members.
The Academy‘s Board of Governors approved a plan that will allow members to see the nominated documentary shorts and foreign language films either at a theatrical screening or on DVD.
Prior to the final round of voting, the Academy will provide members with DVDs of the nominated films in five categories: Foreign Language Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Animated Short Film, and Live Action Short Film. In previous years, members had been required to see the nominated films in a theater in order to vote.
Koch said, "This change continues our efforts to expand our members‘ participation in all aspects of the Academy‘s activities including, of course, voting for the Oscars. Building on this past season‘s 90 per cent record voter turnout, we want to give our members as many opportunities as possible to see these great films and vote in these categories next year."
The nomination processes for all categories remain unchanged.
Academy Awards rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Board of Governors for approval.
The Oscars will be presented on 2 March 2014 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.
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Sony has confirmed a fourth installment for the Men in Black franchise
MUMBAI: Sony has just confirmed that the fourth installment of the Men in Black (MIB) franchise is definitely on the way. It was revealed that the studio has hired a writer to pen the fourth film, said The Hollywood Reporter.
The sci-fi quadrilogy is still in its early stages, so there’s still no word on Will Smith’s association yet. Last year, Sony released the third installment in their hit MIB franchise, MIB 3 which went on to gross a franchise best $624 million and received warm reviews.
Oren Uziel, who is also penning the sequel to 21 Jump Street, has been hired to write MIB 4. 21 Jump Street already has a release date of 6 June 2014.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are back reprising their roles as underachieving cops and so are Phil Lord and Chris Miller as directors. -
Disney’s ‘Tangled’ director in talks with Jason Bateman for new animated feature
MUMBAI: Jason Bateman is set to lead the voice cast of a new Walt Disney Animation project directed by Tangled helmer Byron Howard, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As per the sources, the new project is an untitled animal comedy that does not yet have a release date.
For Bateman, the project would mark his first voice-over work for a feature. The actor, who is all set to shoot for Warner Bros’ version of the Jonathan Tropper novel ‘This Is Where I Leave You’, lent his voice in the short-lived Fox series ‘Sit Down, Shut Up’, among other shows.Howard is well-regarded in the animation community and is one of the great directors behind Disney Animation’s recent reappearance. In 2008, he along with Chris Williams directed ‘Bolt’, which was nominated for the Oscar, and with Nathan Greno co-directed the hit ‘Tangled’.
The next titles on the list from Disney Animation are Frozen, a nouveau princess tale that will be released on 27 November next year, as well as an untitled secret film project slated for 7 November 2014. DisneyToon Studios will release Planes, set in the world of cars, 7 August later this year. -
The Rock to feature in Wahlberg’s HBO pilot production
MUMBAI: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is now making his move to HBO, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The cable network has announced a new pilot in the pipeline that will star Johnson, and will see both him and his Pain & Gain co-star Mark Wahlberg as executive-producers.
Stephen Levinson, Wahlberg‘s Entourage producing partner, will not only write the script but also be producing the show. The show is being described as a half-hour ‘dramedy‘ following the lives of active and retired athletes residing in Miami.
Perter Berg director of the sci-fi flick Battleship, who also directed an episode of Entourage in 2012, is to helm the pilot.
This marks the most topical Wahlberg-Levinson collaboration for the network – in addition to Entourage, the two have also been attached to Boardwalk Empire, In Treatment, and How to Make It in America. -
Shyamalan’s Will & Jaden Smith starrer After Earth to release on 7 June
MUMBAI: Will Smith and son Jaden Smith will be seen together on screen in M Night Shyamalan‘s next film titled After Earth.
The father-son duo was recently seen interacting with fans at the Tokyo premiere of the movie. In India, After Earth is slated to release on 7 June.
In After Earth, a crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity‘s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.
The movie is presented by Columbia Pictures presents and produced by Smith‘s Overbrook Entertainment/Blinding Edge Pictures. The screenplay is by Gary Whitta and Shyamalan, whereas the story is by Will Smith. -
Jackson death doctor had huge debts, trial hears
MUMBAI: Michael Jackson‘s doctor Conrad Murray was in dire financial straits when he was hired to care for the US superstar, a policeman testified Wednesday.
Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 over Jackson‘s death, had tens of thousands of dollars in debts, including unpaid student loans, credit card bills and rent on his business, the policeman said at a trial over the late King of Pop‘s 2009 death.
Jackson‘s 82-year-old mother Katherine is suing tour promoter AEG Live over her son‘s death, accusing it of negligently hiring Murray and ignoring signs that the singer was deeply unwell, in their pursuit of profits.
Her lawyers say Murray‘s financial woes made him willing to do whatever Jackson wanted — including giving him the drug that killed him — because he desperately needed the $150,000 monthly salary on offer.
Detective Orlando Martinez, who investigated Jackson‘s death on 25 June 2009 — days before the tour was due to start — said Murray had debts in various places, including the US states of Nevada and Missouri, some of over $100,000.
"Does this substantiate your opinion that Dr. Murray was in dire financial straits?" Katherine Jackson‘s lawyer Brian Panish asked Martinez in the LA superior court; where the trial started Monday.
"Yes," replied Martinez.
The 50-year-old singer died from an overdose of powerful sedative and anesthetic propofol, administered by Murray to help the "Thriller" legend deal with chronic insomnia.
At the time of his death, he was rehearsing for a series of 50 shows in London, organised with AEG, in an attempt to revive his career and ease his financial woes.
In opening statements Monday, Katherine Jackson‘s lawyer accused AEG of sacrificing the troubled star in a "ruthless" pursuit of profit in the months before his death.
But Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) lawyer Marvin Putnam argued the mega pop star had hidden the evidence of his addiction and health woes from everyone, including his family and the concert promoters.
Putman also said Jackson was some $400 million dollars in debt when he approached AEG in 2008 with the idea of putting on the London shows, which were to be followed by a global tour and a possible Las Vegas residency.
On Tuesday the first witness at the trial, paramedic Richard Senneff, testified that Jackson looked emaciated and like someone at the end of a chronic illness when he arrived at the scene.
Wednesday‘s court session was shortened because one member of the six-man, six-woman jury had to attend a family funeral. The trial continues Thursday, with detective Martinez due to take the stand again. (AFP)