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Yes, of ALL TIME.

But Robert Downey Jr. and his repulsor ray were unable to take down the “The Dark Knight” for the biggest movie opening ever ($158M).  The only way that would have happened is if (God forbid) Downey croaked before the premiere.

The fifth-best opening weekend in Hollywood history definitely took away a slice of the pie from Mr. Kreuger, who got clawed back to a meager $9M.

Many believe that the “Iron” franchise left some money of the table by failing to release the movie in 3D, where ticket prices would have been jacked up even higher.

Forget “The Dark Knight,” “IM2″ isn’t even the biggest film of the year (yet). The Tim Burton “Alice in Wonderland” remake has grossed close to $1B (with a B!) worldwide so far.  Do you think “Iron Man 2″ will catch up?

Despite tepid reviews, fans proved that for 97 minute, they were willing to hop into a time machine, one where a striped red sweater can strike fear into your heart.

Without the support of original nightmare director Wes Craven and the first Freddy movie without Robert Englund playing the title character, the box office success can be considered a mini-triumph.

But Freddy should be scared.

Next week’s Iron Man 2 opening is sure to cut Krueger down to size.

Here’s the box office top five for the weekend of May 1 and 2.

$32M – Nightmare on Elm street
$11M – How to Train Your Dragon,
$8M – Date Night
$7M – Back-Up Plan
$7M – Furry Vengeance

James Cameron’s CGI movie Avatar has officially surpassed his own movie Titanic as the highest grossing movie of all time.

In the US domestic market Avatar reached a record $601,141,551 47 days after it was released in theaters. The take easily surpassed the $600,788,188 that Titanic earned for its whole run in the theaters.

The money shoveling also continued in the international market. Avatar has already surpassed Titanic’s worldwide take of $1,242,413,080. Avatar has earned an astonishing $1,446,989,293. It even achieved the record in far less time than Titanic, which, anyway you look at it, is just phenomenal. The total worldwide take Avatar is now pegged at $2,048,130,844, which leaves Titanic’s total take of $1,843,201,268 in the dust. Amazing, really.

I guess this means we’ll be treated to more of Cameron’s “I’m the king of the world!” arrogance this year.

And the numbers are finally out for the highly successful Avatar.

Avatar has continued its phenomenal performance and it’s now being proclaimed as the box-office superstar of the decade, much like how Titanic was in the previous decade. Avatar raked in $350 million in just 17 days and over one billion dollars worldwide. The James Cameron flick also set a New Year’s Day weekend box office records with $68.3 million, a drop of just 10 percent from the figures it posted during Christmas weekend. This makes Avatar the highest third weekend grossing movie ever, surpassing Spider-Man.

Expect next weekend to become another round of record setting as the movie hits the $400 million mark, which will push it past Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen as the highest grossing movie of 2009 and also making it part of the top ten highest grossing movies of all time.

What’s quite impressive about these figures is that Avatar is not even a sequel so there’s no prepackaged audience here. Secondly, most of the money is being made on 3D and IMAX screens, which could herald the start of a shift towards more “high tech” presentations for future Hollywood movies. Third, this is a movie that has been released in the holiday season, not in the summer where movies enjoy more audiences because people are on vacation. Avatar now has to contend with students returning to school and people going back to work after the holidays.

Whatever happens though, Avatar has made a mark financially. Artistically, the verdict’s still up.

Then a case opens, and Holmes tries to woo back his partner. So starts this comedy adventure. It’s your usual winning formula of villain on the quest for world domination + lovable hero + loyal sidekick + romantic sideplots. The movie also tops into the latest trend of witch craft and magic. Hmm. Sherlock meets Lord Voldemort.

The fight scenes are decent, with moments of genius. Watch for the scene at the shipyard. Unfortunately, Director Guy Ritchie tends to overedit some of the best sequences. Even the musical score has some great moments. Nothing to win an Oscar, but quite good for an action movie.

You get the feeling, after watching the movie, that the producers are gearing you up for a sequel. It may actually be a good idea. Robert Downey Jr. does a pretty good job of giving the Sherlock Holmes of classic lit a modern, sorta-sexy/sorta-funny vibe (the way Johnny Depp made being a pirate cool). And considering the Holmes-Watson tradition, there’s a deep well of possible story lines and a deep fan base who’ll follow the pair in whatever crazy adventure they get themselves into. (It may also turn the new generation towards the classics, and help them rediscover Sherlock Holmes and actually read the book!)

But this is no dainty princess: Tiana has dreams of her own — she’s not waiting for anyone to sweep her off her feet. Girls will like the spunky heroine, and possibly the songs. Because, oh, there are many songs. Disney went overboard with the soundtrack, which kind of slows down the story, though the variety is applaudable. Influences run from gospel to Broadway, though it’s not of the same caliber (in terms of catchiness) as Little Mermaid or Aladdin. The plot pacing is also a bit off: too much happens, too soon. Pity, because the characters are interesting. It’s cool how Disney has modernized the traditional princess, in response to a new generation of young girls who need more than a handsome prince to find a “happily ever after.”

Dr. Facilier is a cool villain and the voodoo world taps from the rich New Orleans culture. We only wish there were more of the Evil Doc. Unlike other Disney bad guys like Jafar or Mufasa, who hold their own against the hero, he doesn’t quite get the adequate air time.

The animation won’t win any awards for special effects: it’s classic 90′s Disney, and marks the studio’s nostalgic return to 2D animation — and the foolproof formula of a lovable heroine + a catchy song.

The story draws inspiration from a short story written by Christopher Isherwood. Set in the 1960s, it centers around George (played by Colin Firth), an English professor still grieving the death of his partner. Though several years have passed, he’s still trapped in the past — or miserably trying to escape it. In his depression, he, uhm, “seeks comfort” from his best friend (played by Julianne Moore). We all know how that goes.

So George decides to kill himself. And that would be a pretty horrible way for a Christmas movie to end (although, interestingly, suicides tend to rise during the winter season — must be the combination of the dreary weather and dysfunctional family reunions). But in the spirit of another holiday classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George has a “moment” that convinces him that yes, life is meaningful.
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Colin Firth was pretty darned good in this movie, and all things considered, Tom Ford did a fantastic job, too. It is his first film, and he took creative risks, including the subtle use of color to express mood or even shift time frames (must be the designer in him). Even the placement of objects is symbolic.

It won’t win any Cannes awards but “Single Man” is a brave directorial debut that tackles a powerful topic of enduring love, triumph over tragedy, and hope. All in all, it’s a thought provoking film, and one that will have you in a suitably reflective mood when you think about the holidays “and what really matters.”

Studio Weekend Actuals: July 10 to July 12, 2009
1 Brüno – $30,619,130
2 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs – $27,607,497
3 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – $24,213,875
4 Public Enemies – $13,794,240
5 The Proposal – $10,603,884
6 The Hangover – $9,933,238
7 I Love You, Beth Cooper – $4,919,433 3
8 UP – $4,715,746
9 My Sister’s Keeper – $4,294,382
10 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – $1,543,516

Bruno, though topping the weekend box office, is predicted by some to not only rake less money in compared to “Borat” but also have a short run. The reason for this is that “Bruno” did a lot better last Friday ($14.4 million) than Saturday ($8.8 million), which might mean that it is quickly losing steam. According to Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco the figure does not automatically equate to that though since such occurrences are usual during summer.

“Bruno” as we well know stars Sacha Baron Cohen and, like his first very notorious and successful film “Borat”, the movie is as shocking as ever, if not more. “Bruno” shows the exploits of a gay Australian fashion designer out to conquer America. Surely this film will turn out to be as controversial as ever given its very explicit content. My only tip would be to watch this film if you liked “Borat” and steer clear or regret it if you didn’t.

As for Eminem I only have one message for you: If you aren’t over the butt incident during the MTV Movie Awards better not watch “Bruno” because it will bring it all back to you.

Other movies that made it to the top of the weekend box office include:

#3 “Public Enemies” – Universal $25,271,675
#4 “The Proposal” – Disney $12,857,482
#5 “The Hangover” – Warner Bros.
#6 “Up” – Disney $6,521,389
#7 “My Sister’s Keeper” – Warner Bros. $5,788,327
#8 “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″ – Sony $2,534,228
#9 “Year One” – Sony $2,323,843
#10 “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” – Fox $2,043,288

“Transformers Revenge of the Fallen” was a fact-paced action-filled movie with such loud booms that my seat vibrated time and again. It was definitely entertaining and did deliver on the promise that it will provide plenty of action and lots of visual effects. My problem with the movie though was that I actually found the action scenes a bit too much. There were way too many action scenes that the storyline, though an interesting one, seemed like an excuse just to make a blockbuster action movie at times. Not only were there too many action scenes but the action scenes though they really looked great, were often too confusing. Half the time I couldn’t distinguish whether the Decepticons or the Autobots were getting blasted.

I did like the concept because it was great to learn more about the Primes and the history of the Transformers. The problem was that I would have liked the movie to be a bit more cerebral giving us more insight to the history and not coming up with lame symbols that looked senseless when Sam (Shia LeBouf) explained why Einstein’s theory was all wrong.

As for the actors the ones that did entertain were mostly the CG twins and the Decepticon that fell in love with Mikaela (Megan Fox). I liked Sam and Mikaela’s characters in the first Transformers movie but this time their characters seemed a bit lacking in substance this time. Megan Fox managed to be as sexy as ever but this time around it just fell flat, like they were just shooting scenes to show how sexy she was, it wasn’t funny, cool, nor significant, like in the first movie when her sexiness underlined the reason why Sam had the hots for her. Sam’s character also managed to seem a little shallow with his wanting to be normal problems. The Sam before meeting the Transformers is permitted to be shallow but who would still be totally wrapped up in oneself after such experiences? The characters I did like this time around were Agent Simmons (John Turturro), Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), and of course Sam’s mom (Julie White), who provided the laughs in the movie.

With all my criticism about the movie would I say that it wasn’t worth watching on the big screen? Definitely, not. It just didn’t deliver for me but it was still entertaining. If you plan on watching it at least watch it on the big screen to be able to enjoy the visual and sound effects, because it is the kind of movie where you can do without watching it at all if not for that. Watch it because of the CGI. Watch it because the first movie just compels you to watch this one. But don’t expect to be blown away by this film.

The bad news for Terminator though is that even without considering Night at the Museum’s performance it didn’t do that well in the box office, at least considering the amount of money poured into it. During the five days that it’s been running it has only earned a total of $67.2 million. It took $200 million to make the film. According to Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman they are not disappointed with the figures at all since they know that the sci-fi flick has a narrowly defined niche audience.

The weekend box office closed with “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” at No. 1 with $70 million, “Terminator Salvation” at No. 2 with $53.8 million, “Star Trek” slipping to No. 3 (not surprising since it’s already the movie’s 3rd weekend), and “Angels and Demons” at No. 4.

Not surprisingly the movie was mobbed by young girls ranging from toddlers (2yrs old) to teenagers (17yrs old). I guess the fact that many fans had to be accompanied by their moms of course helped boost the ticket sales.

Disney is of course very please with the results and as Chuck Viane, Disney’s president of domestic theatrical distribution said, “Outside of Wow! what can you say?” They also expressed surprise at the movie’s success but considering the success of the previous Hannah Montana movie I can’t help but think that the surprise is a bit contrived.The movie is the first Hannah Montana non-concert movie. The last movie, “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour,” was opened just a mill shy of thisone last year and ended up with a total of $65 million in total. It is now hailed as the top grossing movie concert of all time. With this record we can be sure that this new movie will be doing equally well if not better.

As for the plot of the movie anyone who’s seen the tv show knows what to expect.

So box office has given its nod but what about the critics? Quite frankly I can’t give a review yet since I have yet to see the movie but believe I’m going to remedy that problem this week. So far here’s what other reviewers had to say.

Long story short, if you’re not a fan of the book and can tolerate unintentional camp, give it a try. It’s not terrible. If you are a fan, try not to get your hopes up too much; just enjoy it for what it is. Zachary Lee of StudentPrintz.com

The film had outsized ambition, an obvious passion for the source material and some truly great moments…but long chunks where it feels somewhat hollow. I found myself wondering how anyone who hadn’t read the book could hang in for the loooong haul of the movie. Geoff Boucher of LATimes

Snyder does an overall good job with this depressing world… A problem that Snyder does have, though, is in elongating scenes. The first half of the movie is plagued by an overabundance of dialogue. It may be necessary in order to set the stage for a complex plotline, but it seems like Snyder simply refused to cut certain parts; perhaps blinded by his devotion to the novel. Antonio Hernandez of the RoundupNews

Still a gorgeous film in most senses, ‘Watchmen’ is best praised for knowing how to express itself. If you don’t agree with the viewpoint one character espouses there’s an eloquence that makes you listen. More weaknesses could be dredged up, but the strength of purpose and fascination of the players in ‘Watchmen’ makes me forgetful of criticism. Rewriting things as stable as facts, it arrives at a rarely expressed vision. Star Community

There you go. Yet again reading other people’s reviews won’t tell you how you’ll really like it because it all depends on your preference…Faithful or not? The eternal question for films anything adapted from books and comic books. At least they all said that the movie was enjoyable and had good scenes now its up to you to see just how much enjoyable it is.

Who doesn’t love Clint Eastwood? Men admire his tough characters. Women gush over his manliness. It is always a win-win situation for this veteran of the movies. With his latest stint in the movies, any doubts as to his versatility and star power are certainly dispelled.

The advertising posters for the move Gran Torino portray the usual scowling face of Clint Eastwood, giving the impression that his Dirty Harry character would be coming alive on screen yet again. However, even Eastwood himself says that the movie is more than the bad boy dirty Harry image he became famous for.

Gran Torino is all about a recently widowed Korean War veteran named Walt Kowalski, whose greatest challenge at the moment is to sit back and watch his neighborhood evolve. The issue of race is at the center of this movie as much as the struggle of one person as he recalls his own dark deeds in the past.

And where did the title come from? Eastwood’s character, Kowalski, has this most prized possession of his sitting in his garage – a 1972 Gran Torino.

I have not seen the movie – but I will definitely see it as soon as I can – but judging from the trailer and what other people have been saying, Gran Torino is something worth watching. It is bold, it does not hold anything back. Just try listening for all the racial slurs that you can catch and you will know what I mean. Probably not for those with delicate sensibilities. But that’s Dirty Harry for you.

You all have probably seen The Dark Knight – who hasn’t, right? I just read an article from Popwatch, written by Mike Bruno, which highlights how disappointed the writer was with the movie. Apparently, he only saw the movie over the weekend due to a busy schedule. His main message is this: he thinks that all the hype ruined the movie for him. He writes:

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed The Dark Knight, and I was not disappointed in the slightest by Ledger’s freakish, lip-smacking fiend. But at the same time, I was let down given the movie’s gargantuan box office haul, the almost universal critical praise, and the Oscar buzz surrounding it and its fallen star. I could see Ledger taking Supporting Actor, but while I haven’t yet seen all the other Oscar contenders this year, I would be a bit surprised if The Dark Knight took Best Picture.

Mostly, I think this movie was successful –- as well as hugely popular –- because it featured a character that we couldn’t take our eyes off of played by an actor who recently died way too young. Before it appeared on a single screen this summer, the movie was already larger-than-life because of Ledger’s passing, and six months of the hype machine working at full steam had no doubt set my expectations way too high. So maybe this really is an Oscar-worthy movie and I just need to hire a babysitter more often and catch movies earlier and with less context. But if I’m to be honest, I was disappointed with The Dark Knight and hope for more from this year’s other Best Picture contenders.

I have to agree with him that one reason behind the movie’s success was Heath Ledger’s untimely death. In fact, that was one observation I made right after seeing the movie – The Joker overshadowed Batman. However, I do think that the movie deserves an Oscar. How about you?

In spite of the fact that Tom Cruise’s credibility has suffered from some serious blows (yeah, who can forget his sofa-jumping episode at Oprah?), we cannot discount his talent as an actor. This is the man who brought Jerry Maguire – among many other movie characters – to life.

Come Christmas Day, I find myself looking forward to seeing Valkyrie, Tom Cruise’s newest movie. It is actually more than a good movie – as many critics are already saying – as this year marks his 25th year since Risky Business, the film that many say made Tom Cruise into what he is today.

In Valkyrie, Tom Cruise plays a real life character. The last time that he did this was in the movie Born on the Fourth of July, which was way back in 1989. Undoubtedly, that movie was a success. Would Valkyrie prove to be the same?

Tom Cruise, the director and star of the new movie, has done as much as he could to make that possible. He actually did research on his own – research on Germany, its history, the Third Reich, and even met some of von Stauffenberg’s descendants; von Stauffenberg being the main character of the film.

What does the star have to say about his latest film?

Because the picture is a suspense-centered film, to really understand von Stauffenberg was obviously very important. You try to comprehend the kind of pressure he was under. Things he couldn’t even discuss with his children. The odds that he was up against, and to make the choices that he made — I found it to be inspiring and very interesting.

I am hoping that my anticipation – and yours – will not be unfounded.

That is, with respect to style. For many people, style is everything. What they wear, how they wear it, and when they wear it – these are very important factors. And what better inspiration than the movies? How many times have you walked away from a movie thinking, “Wow, I should try to emulate the style of so and so!” I be that you have experienced this more than once – and you are not alone.

In the history of films and movies, there is probably a small percentage of flicks which actually held the power to influence the general public in terms of style. I think that The Los Angeles Times hit the nail right on the head with its list of 10 classic style movies that inspire moviegoers. Interested in finding out if you were ever influenced by the “right” movies? Here’s a snippet of the article:

Movies have always influenced style. In 1934 — when Clark Gable shed his shirt in the Frank Capra comedy “It Happened One Night” to reveal his bare chest — men’s undershirt sales reportedly plummeted. Men didn’t suddenly tire of layering. They saw an easy “in” to becoming a bit like Gable, who played an extraordinarily dashing ordinary Joe.

A woman slips into her husband’s trousers and striped necktie and she suddenly has entree to be as zany as Diane Keaton in “Annie Hall.” A guy, tired of his milquetoast silhouette, adopts the gait of a hungry thug wearing a slim-cut suit and Wayfarers, à la “Reservoir Dogs.” Clothes help shape our identities, and copying a film icon is like taking a shortcut to cool.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, folks. You can read the whole story in the link above. Reading this left me wondering, though…are we ever going to have movies that would leave us wanting to be like the characters like the old films?

Year in and year out, when December comes and January is just around the corner, we see all sorts of lists. Countdowns, best games, best songs, best TV shows, and of course, best movies. Naturally, every agency, person, and web site has his own “best list.” Which to believe? I’d say go ahead and make your own best movies of 2008 list!

If you’re too lazy to do that on your own and you need some help, though, here is one very interesting list from a reputable source – CNN International’s list. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find some of your favorite movies of this year on this list.

1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Hunger
4. Wall-E
5. Leonera
6. Gomorrah
7. Waltz with Bashir
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. W.
10. Elite Squad
11. The Good, The Bad, The Weird
12. Il Divo
13. Cloverfield
14. The Wrestler
15. Happy Go Lucky
16. Linha De Passe
17. Man on Wire

I think that the beauty of this list is that it includes more than American movies. Truth be told, a large number of people are limited to what Hollywood churns out year after year. There are, however, countless other excellent films to be seen and experienced, which are created by people from the international scene. Perhaps it is time for you to try and see what they are about; expand your horizons so to speak? This list is a good place to start.

Even before the Dark Knight came out, the hype reached immense proportions. Some people say that it was because of the untimely passing away of Heath Ledger – and that certainly is one of the critical factors. However, no one in his right mind can deny that the movie was a big hit on its own. The acting was superb, the effects magnificent, the story great. The result was that it broke box office records – not surprisingly.

It is also thus not a surprise that, not long after the movie’s release in DVD and Blu Ray, it is breaking records one more time. It was released on Tuesday in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. After the first day of being in the market, the figures that were tallied amounted to 3 million copies. Right now, the current record holder is Iron Man – another high profile movie that did not fail to impress – with a 7.2 million DVD and Blu Ray debut week. With almost half of that number in the bag within a day, it is thus safe to project that The Dark Knight will surpass that figure within its first week.

With the Oscars just around the corner, the sales of the DVD and Blu Ray copies just might skyrocket even more. If The Dark Knight receives a good number of nominations – which many (including yours truly) think will happen, the sales are sure to go up even more. So what about you, have you gotten your copy yet?

TDK is only the second movie after Titanic to break the 500 million mark and now has the record for the fastest to reach that mark by doing it in 45 days, compared to Titanic, which reached it in 98 days. Another piece of interesting information is that Titanic reached the 600 million mark in 252 days. This means that if TDK could actually last that long, it has a big chance of beating Titanic.

The new movie will be entitled Star Wars: The Clone Wars and will be shown this August. This will then be followed by the Star Wars television series that will start airing this fall. A unique CGI animation style is touted to be one of the selling points of the new movie. Of course, nothing will sell the movie more than the continuation of what has happened during the so-called clone wars.

Expect the Star Wars geeks to line up in front of theaters in full costumed regalia for this one.

“Nothing like this has ever been produced for television,” said Stuart Snyder, President/COO Turner Animation,Young Adults & Kids Media. “For 30 years, Star Wars has shown that it appeals to a huge breadth of fans. The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network will be appointment television for everyone in the family. We’re thrilled to be working with Lucasfilm again and very excited to be playing a role in bringing this remarkable adventure to viewers.”With a new story each week, Star Wars: The Clone Wars continues the tradition of thrilling stories, astonishing visuals and extraordinary music that have always been the hallmarks of the Star Wars Saga.

Lucasfilm Animation, which is based in Marin County, Calif., with a studio in Singapore, has produced more than 30 all-new episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and production continues on even more exciting episodes.

The first in a planned series of special web-only documentaries that chronicle the development of Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuts online today, and can be found here.

That’s huge news for Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, and director Jud Apatow.

The Top Five for the Weekend were:

1. Pirates 3 – $43,188,000
2. Knocked Up – $29,284,000
3. Shrek the Third – $26,704,000
4. Mr. Brooks – $10,020,000
5. Spider-Man 3 $7,500,000