![furious 7]()
With an estimated $18.26 million, the seventh installment in the franchise won its fourth straight weekend box office race, finishing ahead of
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, which opened at $15.5 million.
The Age of Adeline had a strong third place finish its first weekend, earning $13.38 million, ahead of
Home, which came in fourth with $8.3 mil.
Unfriended rounded out the top five, taking in $6.4 million in its second weekend.
(BO)
Just a week after it became the fastest film to reach $1 billion in worldwide grosses — which it did in just 17 days — the film became the highest grossing film in China. Its $323 million haul surpassed
Transformers: Age of Extinction’s $319 million. Meanwhile, the film also crossed the billion dollar mark purely in worldwide grosses, with its stateside total of $320 million bringing the overall north of $1.3 billion, which makes it currently the fifth-highest grosser ever.
(VAR)
Darren Aronofsky and Scott Franklin's Protozoa Pictures will produce the film based on a script by Andrew Weiss, but the advantage this one has is that, unlike the other two projects — one at Universal and the other at Studio 8 — this project has the exclusive participation of convicted drug dealer “White Boy Rick” Wershe, the subject of the projects.
(THR)
Michael Green, who was one of the writers on the ill-fated 2010
Green Lantern film, as well as the upcoming sequels
Blade Runner 2 and
Prometheus 2, has been hired to craft the third solo film for Jackman’s signature character. James Mangold, who directed the 2013 hit sequel
The Wolverine, returns to helm
Wolverine 3, which will hit theaters March 3rd, 2017.
(CB)
The Oscar-winning actor tore his ACL while in preparation for
The Big Short, which is about to start shooting with Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell and under the direction of Adam McKay. While that film will continue, 20th Century Fox has postponed production on the adaptation of the John D. MacDonald Novel that introduced the world to salvage hunter Travis McGee. No word yet on new filming dates.
(CS)
Fox has bought the rights to the concept for
Controller, by Iranian-American filmmaker Saman Kesh, for
Real Steel director Shawn Levy to produce. Relative unknown Alev Aydin is writing the screenplay. The premise is that a kidnapped woman is able to control her boyfriend, who becomes a killing machine as he makes his way through an office building to her rescue. Its style and plot are heavily influenced by video games, even including a menu bar on screen.
(FSR)
Pre-orders for the DVD on Amazon U.K. advertise an "extended edition" with an "alternate ending.” Director Joss Whedon had admitted that there were a couple of small things he wished he could have included in the finished film, which hits theaters Friday, and now he’ll have the opportunity to let the public see those things. There is no exact street date yet for the Blu-ray release, but expect it before Christmas.
(IW)
Warner Bros. has released the first official image of Jared Leto as The Joker in next year’s adaptation of the DC comic book, directed by David Ayer. After much teasing and hinting, the Oscar-winning actor’s look is extreme, to put it lightly. The film hits theaters August 5th, 2016.
(TP)
There are a lot of life lessons from kindergarten, well worth hanging onto in the grown-up world of screenwriting. While many folks out there are debating whether or not you should pay to learn screenwriting for for a consultant’s advice, Script Magazine columnist Barri Evins think it’s time to remember what you have already learned but may have forgotten.
(SM)
