Only in Hollywood could a movie open with $52 million on Friday -- giving it the seventh highest opening day in history -- and be viewed as somewhat disappointing. But, too bad Iron Man 2. With the stakes ratcheted to "record breaking or bust" -- thanks to the advanced hype that Iron Man 2 would shatter the $158.4 million opening weekend record of The Dark Knight -- all anyone is going to talk about today is that it didn't break any records. Instead, it's just your run-of-the-mill mammoth blockbuster and will reap major profits for all involved. So, y'know, there is some good news. The top-five ahead.
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The clarion call of the weekend is audible in the near distance, so it's time to pack up our biggest news, interviews, commentary and other links into Movieline's Week In Review. It makes a great Mother's Day present if you're still a little late on that front; you had to know we were looking out for you. Be sure to check in over the next few days with weekend editor Christopher Rosen as well -- and have a great one!
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· Hopefully, you're about to watch the new Inception trailer, plucked from one o' them viral marketing sites. (That's if WB doesn't crack down on the video first -- and if they do, we'll replace it as soon as we can) What better way to head into the weekend than with some floating bodies and tilt-a-whirl cities? Your perspective might look very similar to this after a few beers tonight.
The video (fingers crossed!):
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Last time I saw Kristin Chenoweth guest star on Glee, I may or may not have made a few comments about her worryingly overtanned exterior, but all is forgiven, K-Chen! The actress and Broadway veteran has positively ripped into Newsweek for its ridiculous, Ramin Setoodeh-written article on how openly gay actors simply aren't believable when they play straight. Setoodeh saved the bulk of his criticism for Sean Hayes (who currently costars opposite Chenoweth in the musical Promises, Promises) and Jonathan Groff (who's also guesting on Glee, and about whom Setoodeh wrote "When he smiles or giggles, he seems more like your average theater queen"). In a comment posted under his article, Chenoweth has come after him with both guns blazing.
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Franky, you'll never measure up to Alison Brie's stature as the Queen of Copulation, but as one of Movieline's Commenters of the Week, you're entitled to a lesser rank in the fornication fortress: a knave! Nope, Jethro Tull didn't make knaves up. They're real. And now they're sexual troubadours of the fifth- or sixth-highest order! Follow Jethro's lead anyway and get your wind instruments ready. Now: Who wins?
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Should we be a little scared of the internet now? Online fans of Betty White somehow realized a long-held dream of seeing her host a now-mediocre variety program, installing the actress on Saturday Night Live tomorrow night through sheer force of Facebook clicks. High-profile though the victory may be, it isn't the first time that internet petitions and online movements have helped to change the face of popular entertainment. Here are 6 other victories that were mostly organized with the click of a mouse:
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Don't blame Lizzy Caplan if Party Down doesn't return for a third season. The actress told Vulture that she'll go to any length to keep her onscreen catering company afloat, even if that means hoping that her co-star Ryan Hansen's pilot isn't picked up: "I know, it's terrible to say, especially since he has a brand-new baby. A baby which needs to eat. I guess the baby deserves to eat, but I'd much rather do a third season." The Mean Girls alum is attached to the CBS sitcom True Love as a guest star, which means that she would be available for another season at Starz. [Vulture]
I might have had to drag them out of line for Iron Man 2, but grudgingly or not, the Say Whaaaa? Singers are here to serenade you with their dulcet tones of bafflement, confusion, amazement and general disbelief over the week's most bizarre news. Let's make this quick -- the You've Gotta Be Sh*tting Me Crooners are saving a couple seats for them on the aisle.
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Well, allegedly. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson taped an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show this week, and while they would not confirm their relationship during the show, Oprah allegedly forced the admission from them after cameras stopped rolling. In other news, Ricky Martin is gay and cigarette smoking is linked to lung damage. Oprah's Eclipse special, which also features Robsten's (Krisbert's?) co-stars Dakota Fanning and Taylor Lautner, will air May 13. [E!]
Despite the fact that the first sequel did less worldwide business than the original, Sony is betting that 3D can help revive the Men in Black franchise, setting a May 25, 2012 release date for the third installment. This will be the first film Smith has shot since 2008's Seven Pounds, so unless he finds a small film to shoot after MiB3, it's entirely possible he could be offscreen for four years. Sounds like someone needs to line up a 30 Rock guest spot, post haste. [Deadline]
· EW had the first look at Chloe Moretz in Let Me In, the remake of the Swedish chiller Let the Right One In. Now we've got a bigger, better version. Enjoy!
· Chris Pine may battle a yet-uncast male lead for Reese Witherspoon in This Means War.
· Anarchy in the U.K.! Vera Farmiga and and Ewan McGregor have ankled the Madonna film W.E.
· NBC has picked up The Event, Love Bites, and Outsourced.
· Who wants the female role in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo? Carey Mulligan, Ellen Page, Kristen Stewart, Mia Wasikowska, Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Olivia Thirlby, and Scarlett Johannson. Too bad it'll go to Taylor Lautner.
Estimates are in for Iron Man 2's midnight screenings, and they're not quite breathtaking. The sequel earned roughly $7.5 million on about 2,500 screens -- a distant cry from New Moon's record (from last Thanksgiving weekend, but still) $26.3 million midnight haul on 3,500 screens. It's also less than half of the $18.5 million The Dark Knight made in its own Friday morning debut in 2008. Blame a school night or whatever, but it's got some catching up to do. [THR]
Attention! The surly goddess of tween angst and longing will no longer stand for your judgment. "I hate it when they say I don't give a sh*t, because nobody cares more than I do," Kristen Stewart told Elle for its June cover story. "I'm telling you I don't know anybody who does this that gives a sh*t more than I do." Seriously, just watch The Runaways if you don't believe her. [Elle]
Producer Avi Arad has been slumping a bit since his glory days at Marvel, but there's reason today to be optimistic about the genre guru's big-screen future. According to reports, Arad will attend next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo as part of the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man video-game debut. There, it is said, he will "offer insight into the worldwide premiere of his newest Pac-Man project." Which can -- and should (or shouldn't, really, but you know how these things go) -- only lead to one obvious conclusion: Someone wants to make a Pac-Man movie.
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No sooner had Paramount locked in Mission: Impossible 4 for a December 2011 release date than Tom Cruise officially confirmed Oscar-winning Pixar alum Brad Bird as the film's director. "[W]e're working with Brad right now," Cruise told Empire, acknowledging Edgar Wright's own candidacy on the franchise short list. "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about it but everything's signed... Brad is doing it." [Empire]
