Box Office Actuals (8/26/11 - 8/28/11): "Help" holds on through a Hurricane...

Information obtained via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, Deadline, and other sources:

I will opt for a more softer tone than others who have glibly wrote about how this past weekend was the "Worst Box Office Weekend Of 2011" and irresponsibly reported that the industry is in a tailspin. Hurricane Irene, which swept up and through the East Coast, caused more than 40 fatalities across 10 states and left millions of people without power. Half of our Awards Circuit team were potentially in harm's way and thankfully, all of them came through the situation unscathed. Hurricane Irene did impact things significantly it appears overall, but if everyone is being honest, the selections for the final week of the summer box office were not projected to be strong performers and seldom, if ever, are. Attention has shifted to the fall - home to the prestige Oscar pictures - and the studios treated the past weekend's new arrivals as largely afterthoughts.

THE HELP MAKES IT 2 IN A ROW...

Topping the survey for a second straight weekend is the resilient "Help", which looks to perhaps have enough in its tank for a possible third consecutive weekend stay at the top of the heap. Dipping a mere 27 percent in its third weekend, "The Help" rolled along to a 19-day total of $96.8 million. Each weekend, Buena Vista has been adding more theaters and increasing the film's reach and "The Help" continues to deliver the highest per screen averages of any wide release. Curiously, the film has never played on 3,000 or more screens, almost a must for a film with this kind of appeal and success.

With the long-simmering thriller "The Debt" arriving in theaters nearly 9 months after it was originally set to be released, and the found-footage mockumentary "Apollo 18" and gauche "Shark Night 3D" arriving to deafening silence, "The Help" could make it a rare trifecta at the top. "Apollo 18" and "Shark Night 3D" are not being screened for critics, telling you likely everything you could ever want to know about their prospects this weekend.

Paul Rudd plays an "Idiot", Zoe Saldana opens her first film on her name alone, and one documentary continues to race circles around its competition. More analysis, The Weekend Breakdown, and The Top 40 Most Attended all after the cut!

Circuit Round-Up, 08/28

* Last week, Joey Magidson and I closed the book on the summer of ’11. How did you feel about the last three months?

* I previewed the final summer films almost certainly destined to fail in the wake of Irene’s destruction.

* Joey’s DVD Picks of the Week was one of his most joyous installments yet, with his two of his favorite films of the year so far hitting shelves.

*Finally, Mike Ward reported on The Help’s box office dominance and ponders how far it'll go at the multiplex.

Box Office Actuals (8/19/11 - 8/21/11): A little "Help" goes a long way...

Information obtained via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, Deadline, and other sources:

In a weekend full of nostalgic reboots and remakes, audiences shunned leftovers and opted instead for the buzzworthy movie of the moment as “The Help” held off all challenges to the #1 spot at the weekend box office. Taking that rare climb into the #1 spot, only the third film to achieve such a feat since December 2009, “The Help” saw a minimal decline in attendance (-23.1%) and earned a strong foothold in the marketplace as a formidable box office draw.

The subject of much controversy and debate, including this article by our own Robert Hamer, “The Help” began to generate discussions reminiscent of the box office breakout that “The Blind Side” experienced in the fall of 2009. Projected to be a mid-level achiever, “The Blind Side” blossomed and drew rave reviews from audiences across all demographic and geographic locations. Shot for a mere $29 million, “The Blind Side” concluded its theatrical run with a $256.0 million haul, earned nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress, and saw lead actress Sandra Bullock win her first Oscar.

Tracking to this point shows that “The Help” does not have that same far-reaching appeal…yet. Where “The Blind Side” gained audiences in its first few weeks, “The Help” has dipped slightly, amassing a 12-day total of $71.3 million stateside. “The Blind Side” had just left $100 million in the dust at the end of its 10^th day in theaters.

Reports indicate that DreamWorks are settling in for a nice, long run into the fall with “The Help” and have already indicated steps are in place for a huge Oscar push targeting Best Picture, Director, Lead and Supporting Actress (but whom and where?), Adapted Screenplay, and technicals including Costume Design, Cinematography, Original Song, and Original Score. Those dismissive of the film's stability over the coming weeks should look forward. Doing so, you will find films that may find a tough time unseating the racially-themed drama.

Guillermo del Toro’s produced remake of “Don’t Be Afraid of The Dark” could draw a nice opening, but as this weekend proved, audiences have likely reached saturation with remakes and reboots and are seeking out fresher material. The Weinstein Company’s R-rated comedy, “Our Idiot Brother”, starring Paul Rudd is playing fine with critics but is suffering with a lackluster marketing campaign.. Elsewhere, Zoe Saldana’s “Colombiana” is drawing dismal buzz thus far and with two films, potentially not screened for critics, arriving in the first week of September (“Apollo 18” and “Shark Night 3D”), “The Help” might see robust success for some time.

For the second consecutive weekend, four films drop into theaters and this weekend, virtually all of them were met with disinterest from the populace. What happened, where and why they went wrong, as well as analysis regarding a handful of indies that are performing strong, The Weekend Breakdown, and Top 40 Most Attended Films after the cut!

Circuit Round-Up, 08/21

* Last week, Michael Ward reviewed Soul Surfer, 30 Minutes or Less and The Help, while Joey Magidson shared his thoughts on Peep World, Another Earth, The Change-Up, and Fright Night. He also declared Bellflower the best film of the year so far.

* Joey showcased a decent variety of releases for his DVD Picks of the Week.

* Mike reported on Rise of the Planet of the Apes holding on to #1 last weekend.

* I gave a somewhat bleak preview of the new releases.

* Finally, I decided to lend my thoughts to the controversy surrounding The Help and its accusations of invoking White Savior and Mammy stereotypes.

The Daily Show spoofs The Help...

Not exactly important entertainment or Oscar news, but still a funny bit from last night's episode.

Begins at 00:14 and "ends" around 01:31...

The Daily Show - Indecision 2012 - Elephant Stampede to the White House - Black Clouds & Red Herrings
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What's next for Viola Davis?

From Variety:

As The Help rides high at the box office, thesp Viola Davis is turning her attention to the small screen, shepherding a possible half-hour vehicle for herself at HBO.

Pay cable is close to finalizing deals for the untitled project Davis is developing with Pariah-helmer Dee Rees, scribe Margaret Nagle and John Lesher.

Series is said to be a look at the corruption of a city through the eyes of the headmaster of an exclusive prep school who has her eye on bigger things. Davis would play the headmaster, though sources cautioned that there is no deal yet in place for her to star.

Rees is penning the script and co-writing the story with Nagle, an HBO vet who mostly recently wrote for the network's period drama “Boardwalk Empire.” Rees may also direct the pilot once the final deals are hammered out.

Davis, Nagle, Lesher and his producing partner Adam Kassan would serve as exec producers, with Rees as a co-exec producer.

Rees made a mark at this year's Sundance fest with the LGBT-themed drama Pariah, which was scooped up by Focus Features (Daily Variety, Jan. 31).

What's next for Tate Taylor?

The Hollywood Reporter has the exclusive:

Tate Taylor, currently riding high off the critical and financial success of The Help, is in early talks to direct Peace Like a River, an adaptation of a Leif Enger novel that would see DreamWorks team up with Warner Bros. to bring it to the screen.

Brad Pitt and Plan B are producing with David Brown and Kit Golden.

The 2002 novel is narrated by an asthmatic 11-year-old named Reuben Land, who lives with his eccentric family in 1962 Minnesota. When two young troublemakers break into the family home, Reuben’s 16-year-old brother guns them down and is convicted in the ensuing trial. When the brother escapes, Reuben, his sister and his widowed father criss-cross the Midwest to find him.

The book, which won an award for best adult novel for teens as well an Independent Publisher Book Award, dealt with themes of forgiveness and miracles.

Warner and Plan B have long been working on adapting the novel. Back in the mid-2000s, the studio commissioned a screenplay by Kathy McWorter, and in 2005 it even had Billy Bob Thornton attached to star as the father. But a director who could juggle a tough-to-sell period setting and a large cast eluded them.

Box Office Actuals (8/12/11 - 8/14/11): "The Apes" outlast "The Help"...

Information obtained via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, Deadline, and other sources:

In a packed week of new releases both large and small, "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" held the #1 spot at the weekend box office, holding off a strong Sunday push from "The Help" to retain its box office crown. Other debuts involving teenagers dying, young adults trying to survive a bomb being strapped to one of them, and a 3-D concert movie for one of television's most popular shows all met with mediocre and/or disappointing responses.

"Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" held its ground, winning the weekend with $27.8 million at final count. Most science-fiction films slide between 55-60% in its second weekend, and "Apes" dipped only 49.2%. This greatly pleased 20th Century Fox reps, who started to boast that they could win the weekend when the film outperformed every new release on Friday, including Wednesday release, "The Help".

Cementing this franchise as one that just carries appeal across many demographics, "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" crossed the $100 million mark, earned back its $93 million production budget (shockingly low, don'tcha think?) and is closing on $200 million worldwide in 10 days. With the sequel already announced, this film might land in the $150-$175 million range domestically, which will be a tremendous success for the somewhat risky relaunch of the franchise.

A flurry of new movies vie for the almighty dollar, with "The Help" performing strong, "Final Destination 5" and "30 Minutes Or Less" splitting the vote somewhat, and what happened with the vaunted "Glee 3-D Concert Movie"??? More analysis, The Weekend Breakdown, and The Top 40 after the cut!

Today's Posters: The Help, Green Lantern, and Another Earth

The other two after the jump...