Bullock Rules 2009 Box Office

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»

It's well above expectations, on track for March record

(AP) - Audiences are just mad about Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, helping it earn a whopping $41 million in its first day. After its big start yesterday, the 3D Disney release should be on track for a $100 million weekend, well above expectations. It could end up being the second-biggest opening outside of summer, notes the LA Times , behind only The Twilight Saga: Next Moon. 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»

With the Evil Empire as the bad guy, Hollywood made some great flicks

(NEWSER) - Maybe the reason Betsy Sharkey is feeling nostalgic about Cold War flicks is that the era offered a clear, if flawed, idea that we were the good guys. Regardless, it made for some good movies. The Los Angeles Times critic's faves, by "capricious category":

• Aliens: With "subtexts rich in what the 'aliens' might be capable of," films like the original Day the Earth Stood Still shine. Also of note is the ghetto freakout Brother From Another Planet (1984).