Wednesday, December 28, 2011
'Mission' accomplished: Cruise's latest 'Impossible' helps save holiday box office
Tom Cruise’s latest mission has won a holiday weekend that’s shaping up with some silent nights at movie theaters as business continues to lag.
Studio estimates placed Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” a solid No. 1 with $26.5 million domestically over its first weekend in full release. The movie raised its total to $59 million since it started a week earlier in huge-screen cinemas and expanded nationwide last Wednesday, and distributor Paramount estimated that revenues will reach $72.7 million by Monday.
Cruise’s fourth “Mission” flick was a bright spot over a Christmas weekend filled with so-so tidings for Hollywood, whose usually busy holiday stretch since Thanksgiving has been a bust.
Generally well-reviewed movies from Steven Spielberg ("The Adventures of Tintin”), David Fincher ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) and Cameron Crowe ("We Bought a Zoo”) — with casts that include Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Daniel Craig — opened with modest to weak results.
Despite predictions from studio executives that 2011 could be a record-setter that would finish with a bang, domestic revenues remained stuck at a sluggish pace that has lingered all year.
Hollywood should finish the year with $10.1 billion domestically, down 4.5 percent from 2010, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.
The picture gets worse taking into account higher ticket prices, which mean Hollywood brings in fewer fans for each dollar spent. Actual domestic attendance for 2011 will close out at about 1.27 billion, down 5.3 percent from the previous year’s and the lowest head count since 1995, when admissions totaled 1.26 billion.
“Thank God 2011 is almost over, because we’ve had a real rough run here at the end of the year,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “We always count on the holiday season to give us a big boost at the end of the year, and it just didn’t happen.
“These admission numbers this year just tell me that we maybe have to set our sights a little lower in terms of attendance every year.”
Anne Curtis' star at its brightest in 2011
MANILA, Philippines – Actress Anne Curtis topped Star Studio magazine’s list of “most intriguing and inspiring people of 2011.”
While she may be humble enough not to brag about it, most people would definitely agree that 2011 is the year when Curtis’ star was at its brightest.
This past year, Curtis launched her own music album even though she is not a singer.
Her album “AnneBisyosa” received a gold record award 3 weeks after it was released.
Curtis was also one of the lead stars of Star Cinema’s “No Other Woman” which was a blockbuster hit.
It earned almost P220 million in ticket sales during its third week of showing.
In 2011, Curtis was also the first Filipino to be added to the roster of endorsers of an international cosmetic brand, putting her alongside popular Hollywood stars.
She also received a star at the Eastwood Walk of Fame this year.
Furthermore, she was able to conquer the stage of the Araneta Coliseum when she guested on Martin Nievera and Side A’s concert.
While Curtis considers this year overwhelming, she said she is glad that a lot of opportunities continue to come her way.
“I don’t think ‘Wow, I have all of this.’ It’s not like that at all. I have nothing more I can ask for. I’m just so happy. I’m just happy with what has come to me, and I just go on being the jolly and bubbly person that I am,” she told Star Studio.
Arwind sets pace in best player derby
MANILA, Philippines - Arwind Santos, Petron’s top gun noted for his regular double-double game, emerges the leading contender for the coveted Best Player of the Conference award in the current PBA tourney.
Santos amassed a league-best 523 statistical points (SPs) through the PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals, making him a top bet for back-to-back Best Player of the Conference awards.
Jay Washington, also of Petron, was the last player to win the BPC award in successive conferences, nailing it in the 2010-11 Philippine Cup. Ginebra’s Eric Menk also bagged the titles in the 2004-05 PBA transition tourney and the succeeding Philippine Cup while Vergel Meneses, then of Sunkist, and Danny Ildefonso were the other players who achieved the feat.
Santos, the Governors Cup BPC winner, averages 38.63 SPs a game, a good six points clear of closest rival Kelly Williams of Talk n Text.
In total SPs, Santos is almost 100 points ahead of Gary David of Powerade.
Also on the strength of his double-digit norms in scoring and rebounding, Santos emerged BPC in the last Governors Cup that Petron ruled to slam Talk n Text Triple Crown bid.
Santos has not slowed down a bit, averaging 18.3 points and 12.3 rebounds as he powered Petron to a third-place finish in the elims and to a two-game sweep of Meralco in the quarters of the ongoing conference.
The versatile forward from FEU leads the tourney in rebounds and is fourth in scoring behind David (22.5), James Yap (19.0) and Chris Lutz (18.33).
Williams, the 2008 MVP, puts in 32.92 SPs a game for second place in the BPC derby.
Petron guard Alex Cabagnot is at third with 31.88 SPs an outing, followed by Yap (31.38), TnT’s Harvey Carey (30.77), David (30.69), TnT’s Jason Castro (30.64), Powerade’s Marcio Lassiter (29.94), Barako Bull’s Willie Miller (28.80) and Alaska’s Sonny Thoss (28.50).
Rain or Shine prized rookie Paul Lee is just outside the Top 10 with 28.27 SPs a game.
Lee is the stats leader in the Rain or Shine team with averages of 13.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.9 steal.
