Hangover Hauls in Huge $86.5M Debut

Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis star in Todd Phillips' film

(NEWSER) - If the first Hangover was a wild party, the second is, well, the hangover. Critics are savaging the latest effort from Todd Phillips:

• Writing in Salon , Andrew O’Hehir smacks the film’s “mind-boggling awfulness.” It’s a “clumsy, homophobic, cliché-ridden, and terminally unfunny sequel” that “takes dude comedy to its Sex and the City 2 nadir.” The guy who tried ( and failed ) to stop the film with a lawsuit was “accidentally trying to perform a public service.” (Read more of O'Hehir's fuming and funny review .)

Cinema owners say actress was the biggest draw of the year

(NEWSER) - Cinema owners love Sandra Bullock, even if critics don't always agree. The owners named Bullock the Hollywood star with the most drawing power in 2009, thanks to her roles in The Proposal, The Blind Side, and even the widely panned All About Steve. The annual survey isn't based strictly on numbers but on which star brought in the most moviegoers by name alone, notes Reuters . Following her were Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, George Clooney, and Robert Downey Jr. More»

Football flick capitalizes on strong Thanksgiving weekend

(NEWSER) - Building on strong word-of-mouth and an unexpectedly lucrative Thanksgiving weekend, The Blind Side caught and passed New Moon at the weekend box office. The Sandra Bullock vehicle pulled in $20.4 million to $15.7 million for the teen vampire sequel. Both dwarfed Brothers, which underperformed despite stars Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Tobey Maguire, the Los Angeles Times reports. Another big name, George Clooney, has reason for optimism after Up in the Air raked in $1.2 million in only 15 locations. The top five: More»

Football flick tops vampire saga in Thanksgiving receipts

(NEWSER) - New Moon extended its domination of the the box office over the Thanksgiving weekend, but The Blind Side showed surprising resilience and even outdrew the vampire picture on the holiday. New Moon raked in $42.5 million in 3 days, bringing its 10-day total to $230.7 million. The Blind Side did $40.1 million, actually rising 18% from its opening weekend total, according to the Hollywood Reporter . The top five: More»

Latest 'Twilight' entry enjoys 3rd-biggest weekend ever

(NEWSER) - In the third-largest weekend debut ever, The Twilight Saga: New Moon rang up $140.7 million, riding records for a midnight opening and a single day to totals trailing only The Dark Knight and Spider-Man. Audiences were four-fifths female, with the remaining 20% mostly teen boys, USA Today reports. The Blind Side outperformed expectations, doing $34.5 million. Precious fell out of the top five but remained in the top 10, taking in $11 million. The top five: More»