Summer Movies Smash Record

(NEWSER) - Studios used to spending August releasing movies from slightly out in left field, free from the pressure of early summer blockbusters, are finding this year more stressful than usual, the New York Times reports. A soft four weeks has put releases such as Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds under pressure to perform well, but the disappointing performance of recent releases like Funny People and Bruno has Hollywood worried. 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»

(NEWSER) - The annual ranking of movie stars based on exhibitors' sentiment is out. Thing is, the Quigley Poll bases its list on what industry insiders think the stars brought in, not on hard numbers. Gina Serpe of E! takes a look at the discrepancies.

• Will Smith: Theater owners had a lot of confidence in the Hancock actor, putting him first in the poll. But his movies brought in just $271.8 million, paltry in comparison to the runners-up.

'Dark Knight' director Christopher Nolan is called in

(NEWSER) - Warner Bros. has hired Dark Knight impresario Christopher Nolan to be the “godfather” of its next Superman movie. Nolan probably won’t direct, but he will guide the film through development, insiders tell Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood . The studio doesn’t know much about the film, but one insider can confirm that “it would definitely not be a followup to Superman Returns.” More»

Viewers prefer innuendo to full nudity

(NEWSER) - Filmmakers looking to score a box-office hit should follow the lead of Twilight, Lord of the Rings, and Spider-Man: keep the love scenes chaste. So claims a new study of more than 900 films released between 2001 and 2005, which shows that, contrary to popular belief, nudity and explicit sex scenes don't boost a movie's bottom line. More»