French Foodies Eating Up 'Ratatouille'

(NEWSER) - Cannes opened in an unusual way tonight—with the animated 3-D film Up from Pixar. It’s the first time either an animated movie or a 3-D flick got the honored spot, and Timothy M. Gray of Variety reports an “enthused” response from both audience and critics. The movie—about a cranky old guy voiced by Ed Asner who floats his house to South America—is a nice fit for this year’s toned down festival, “which despite global worries, boasted a shy aura of hope,” writes Gray. More»

'Ratatouille' is weekend box office champ, with $47M to 'Die Hard's' $33M

(NEWSER) - "Ratatouille," Disney's critically hailed animated flick about a gourmet rat, dominated the box office in its opening weekend, scoring $47.2M to the latest Bruce Willis vehicle's $33.15 million. Also bested was religious-themed romp "Evan Almighty." More»

Camcorder killer coming to a theater near you

(NEWSER) - Movie makers are preparing to launch a major assault on video piracy—in 3-D. In two years, more than 4,000 theaters will be 3-D-ready, and top studios are gearing up to create films in the new format, which can't be recorded off the screen. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are using it, and James Cameron is filming his first feature since Titanic in the format. More»

It's a midnight record for a non-sequel

(NEWSER) - Sold-out theaters scored a record-breaking $19.7 million for The Hunger Games at its midnight premiere last night. The box office receipts rank as the highest midnight total for a non-sequel, reports Entertainment Weekly , and the blockbuster is well on its way to an opening weekend above $100 million. The midnight take was the seventh-highest ever behind three Harry Potter sequels and three Twilight sequels. Click to read what critics think of the movie. More»

But skeptics take issue with Michelin Guide assessment

(NEWSER) - Japan has overtaken France as the fine dining capital of the world—at least according to the latest Michelin Guide, reports ABC News . The newly released 2012 edition of the influential guide has bestowed 29 Japanese eateries with a 3-star rating—the highest possible grade—compared with 25 in France. Japan collected a whopping total of 296 stars. More»