Ben Affleck's 'Argo' Passes $100 Million; Star Wars Producer Exits Lucasfilm: Biz Break

Ben Affleck's political thriller passed the milestone box office mark over the weekend not counting overseas grosses. Rick McCallum will pursue smaller indies after leaving Lucasfilm post-Disney sale. The Kennedy Center Honors welcomes inductees; Silver Linings Playbook solid among Specialty Releases as newcomers fizzle. And at the European Film Awards, Helen Mirren expresses uncertainty over reprising Queen role.

Ben Affleck's Argo Crosses $100 Million Mark in N. America
The Oscar hopeful directed and starring Ben Affleck crossed the $100 million mark, a notable feat for a historical drama. The title took in $2 million over the weekend. Internationally it has grossed $56 million, THR reports.

Rick McCallum Bolts from Lucasfilm
The Star Wars producer said Saturday via Lucasfilm's StarWars.com that he is leaving the company to produce a slate of smaller independent films including a Russian pic about the Babi Yar Massacre that Sergei Loznitsa will direct; a film by Laurence Bowen about the boy soldiers of Sierra Leone; and an action drama with Tomas Masin about two brothers who escaped Czechoslovakia during the Cold War while being pursued by thousands of Soviet soldiers, Variety reports.

Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman and Led Zeppelin Honored at Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center welcomed eight performing artists to its wall of fame Sunday at a festival Kennedy Center Honors event. Actor Dustin Hoffman, TV host David Letterman, blues singer Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova and the rock group Led Zeppelin (John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant) were saluted during the affair's 35th annual installment attended by the President and Mrs. Obama, Variety reports.

Holdovers Solid As Newcomers Bow Tepid in Specialty Box Office
Oscar contenders Silver Linings Playbook and Rust and Bone held solid in the specialty realm as they expanded. The overall box office had dreadful debuts from TWC’s Killing Me Softly and LD Entertainment’s The Collection. But Weinstein’s David O. Russell-directed Silver Linings held nicely with a per-theater average of just over $9K as the movie added four cinemas in its third weekend, Deadline reports.

Helen Mirren 'Unsure' Over Reprising Queen Role
Helen Mirren has admitted she felt "very unsure" about reprising her Oscar-winning role as The Queen in an upcoming London play. "I don't like going back to things," the 67-year-old said. "I like to go forward." But she was won over, she went on, by the "extraordinary team of artists who are putting the play together". The actress was speaking at the European Film Awards in Malta, where she received an honorary award, BBC reports.

'Twilight' Number One At The Box Office As Newcomers Fizzle

Newcomers Killing Them Softly and The Collection bowed soft over the weekend, with the latter barely making it into the top ten. Holdovers including Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Skyfall and Lincoln remained the top three pics domestically. The Weinstein Company's Silver Linings Playbook, meanwhile, placed just outside the top ten over the weekend, though the Oscar hopeful played in comparatively far fewer locations and is showing strength as it continues to roll out slowly.

1. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Gross: $17,410,000 (Cume: $254.6 million)
Screens: 4008 (PSA: $4,344)
Week: 3 (Change: - 60%)

Number one for three weeks, the final Twilight scored the top spot after a weak showing from newcomers. The feature dropped 62 locations from its second weekend and its $4,344 average was significantly lower than its $10,723 showing in week 2. Still, it is a bit better off than its previous installments and is within $1 million from matching New Moon.

2. Skyfall
Gross: $17 million (Cume: $246 million)
Screens: 3,463 (PSA: $4,909)
Week: 4 (Change: - 52%)

The highest grossing Bond film continues to show strength one month into its U.S. run. The pic averaged a solid $4,909, compared to Twilight's $4,344 average in its third week, though it is in 545 fewer theaters. Globally, Skyfall has grossed over $869 million, a good return for its $200 million budget. A $300 million domestic run is not out of the question.

3. Lincoln
Gross: $13,509,000 (Cume: $83,698,000)
Screens: 2,018 (PSA: $6,694)
Week: 4 (Change: - 47%)

Steven Spielberg's big Oscar contender remained in the same number of theaters in its third weekend, though its per screen average was almost halved from the previous weekend's $12,724. Still, it had the highest PSA in the top 10 for the weekend. Its nearly $83.7 million gross is outpacing the filmmaker's 2011 movies The Adventures of Tintin ($77.6 million) and War Horse ($79.9 million).

4. Rise of the Guardians
Gross: $13,500,000 (Cume: $48,947,253)
Screens: 3,672 (PSA: $3,676)
Week: 2 (Change: - 43%)

The Paramount/Dreamworks animation added 19 theaters and remained fourth in the overall top ten. Still, it will struggle to reach $100 million.

5. Life of Pi
Gross: $12 million (Cume: $48,361,141)
Screens: 2,018 (PSA: $4,098)
Week: 2 (Change: -46.6%)

The Ang Lee 3-D feature added just one location over the weekend, rounding out the top 5, though. Globally, it has grossed nearly $109 million ($60,500,000) abroad and is said to be performing well.

6. Wreck-It Ralph
Gross: $7,020,000 (Cume: $158,257,000)
Screens: 3,087 (PSA: $2,274)
Week: 5 (Change: - 57.6%)

The animated feature remained at the sixth position, though dropped 172 locations and had a fairly steep 57-plus percent drop from the week prior. Its $2,274 average compares to $5,085 last week and $5,131 the week before that. Still, it's had a good run and combined with foreign box office of $44 million, it topped the $200 million mark over the weekend.

7. Killing Them Softly
Gross: $7 million
Screens: 2,424 (PSA: $2,888)
Week: 1

The Cannes 2012 feature is one of Brad Pitt's worse performing openings ever, though not as bad as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which only made $3.9 million. The pic should fade from theaters soon.

8. Red Dawn
Gross: $6,550,000 (Cume: $31,322,708)
Screens: 2,781 (PSA: $2,355)
Week: 2 (Change: - 54%)

The film had a relatively steep 54% decline in gross compared to its first weekend, though it added 57 more venues. Its $2,355 average compares to its $5,241 opening. It may struggle to match its $65 million production budget domestically.

9. Flight
Gross: $4,540,000 (Cume: $81,526,836)
Screens: 2,603 (PSA: $1,744)
Week: 5 (Change: - 46.3%)

Flight shed 35 theaters in its fifth week after adding locations over the past month. Still, the Denzel Washington-starrer has performed well at the box office with a domestic come over $81.5 million vs its $31 million production budget. It may be a reach to hit the $100 million mark.

10. The Collection
Gross: $3,409,224
Screens: 1,403 (PSA: $2,430)
Week: 1

In its debut, The Collection barely made it into the top ten and its nearly $3.41 million opening is slightly off from its predecessor, The Collector's 2009 $3.57 million bow.

11. Silver Linings Playbook
Gross: $3,341,000 (Cume: $10,990,981)
Screens: 371 (PSA: $9,005)
Week: 3 (Change: - 23.8%)

Though not in the top ten, The Weinstein Company's Oscar hopeful Silver Linings Playbook has continued to gain traction after an opening that was a bit of a disappointment. It ranked 11th for the weekend, though it is in far fewer theaters than titles in the top ten and its $9,005 average was far better than any in the top ten. Word-of-mouth is clearly driving the title.

Oscar Index: Everything's 'Dark' And 'Miserables,' Until We Get 'Unchained'

Welcome back to Movieline's Oscar Index, where each week we take the pulse of the awards chatter en route to Hollywood's big day. This week both Tom Hooper's Les Miserables and Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty surged through the ranks after debuting in their first, successful, awards screenings, though Spielberg's Lincoln still reigns supreme — but Peter Jackson's 48fps gamble The Hobbit and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained are right around the corner, gunning for the spotlight...
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What If Vince Vaughn And Zooey Deschanel Starred In 'Silver Linings Playbook'?

There's nothing like a good bit of alternate "What if?" casting to make you appreciate a movie whose stars' chemistry works, so picture what might have been if David O. Russell had made his Oscar contender Silver Linings Playbook a few years back... with Vince Vaughn and Zooey Deschanel.
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'Midnight Meat Train'-Spotting: The Best Movie In-Jokes

Bradley Cooper’s past comes back to haunt him in The Silver Linings Playbook. Check out what’s playing at the movie theatre that serves as a backdrop for an emotional confrontation between Cooper and co-star Jennifer Lawrence. It’s Midnight Meat Train, a pre-stardom cult curio in Cooper’s career. It’s a nifty visual in-joke — perpetrated by Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell — that may escape those unfamiliar with Cooper's oeuvre or are too wrapped up in the intense scene to notice. After the jump you'll find a representative sampling of some you may have missed and things to watch and listen for so you don’t. more »

REVIEW: Less-Than-Sterling 'Silver Linings Playbook' Shines During Messy Family Moments

It speaks to just how good David O. Russell is at portraying raw, high-strung sincerity that Silver Linings Playbook is able to walk a line between likable and tolerable despite a premise the reeks of quirky bullshit.  In addition to its frequently cutesy treatment of mental illness, the movie features a love interest who instantly latches onto and pursues the film's mess of a hero like she read the script in advance and was assured things will eventually work out. more »

Lincoln Gets Presidential Screening; Breaking Dawn Part 2 Cashes In Overseas: Biz Break

Thursday's early look at five top news stories also include a new indie project for Sylvester Stallone. Also, strong Oscar contender Silver Linings Playbook changes release strategy and an AFI Fest winner is heading to U.S. theaters.
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Cooper On De Niro In 'Silver Linings Playbook': Calling Him Dad Came 'From A Real Place'

Bradley Cooper says it wasn't a stretch to call Robert De Niro "Dad" in Silver Linings Playbook. The Hangover actor plays Pat Solitano, the bipolar son of De Niro's extremely OCD Pat Solitano, Sr. in the film; and at the New York premiere party,  Cooper told us that his prior working-relationship with De Niro on Limitless blossomed into a friendship, making it easy to channel that familial bond with the Taxi Driver actor.  more »

'Silver Linings Playbook' Actor Chris Tucker Says He's Producing His Own Stand-Up Comedy Movie

After a five-year absence from the movie business, comic Chris Tucker makes his return to the big screen this weekend in   a quasi-dramatic role in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. But he's not leaving comedy behind.  At the New York premiere party for the film on Monday night, Tucker told me that he's producing a film of his stand-up act. more »

Win A 'Silver Linings Playbook' Signed Poster With Your Best 10-Word Review

David O. Russell (The Fighter) is gunning for awards season again with his Silver Linings Playbook, and Movieline's got a signed poster from the Oscar hopeful to give away! So sharpen your pencils and your wits and submit your best 10-word review of any film by director Russell for a chance to win.
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Tom Cruise Hints At Mission: Impossible 5; Hurricane Sandy Forces Broadway Shut For 3rd Day: Biz Break

Also in a round-up of news briefs Tuesday morning, the Academy is set to honor Stanley Kubrick; the Austin Film Festival announces winners of its Audience Awards; And, a doc spotlighting Levon Helm heads to U.S. theaters.
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Silver Linings Playbook And No Place On Earth Take Audience Prizes At 20th Hamptons International Film Festival

The Hamptons International Film Festival handed out awards Sunday for its 20th edition of the event with Umat Dag's Kuma and Cate Shortland's Lore tying for the Golden Starfish narrative prize, while Tora Martens' Colombianos took the Documentary prize. Toronto audience winner Silver Linings Playbook, meanwhile, also took the equivalent prize in the Hamptons, while No Place on Earth won the audience nod in the documentary category.
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Gael Garcia Bernal Joins Matthew McConaughey in Drama; Julianne Nicholson Joins August: Osage County: Biz Break

Also in Wednesday evening's round-up of news briefs, Toronto winner Silver Linings Playbook makes its U.S. move. Christopher Lloyd, Robert Vaughn, and Jerry Stiller set for a fete. And Focus Features unveils its winners for an African film program.
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Silver Linings Playbook Wins Top Audience Prize At Toronto International Film Festival

David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook took top honors at the Toronto International Film Festival, winning the Blackberry People's Choice Award Sunday. Unlike most of its top tier festival brethren, TIFF does not have a formal jury competition. Also taking an audience prize was Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths, which won the prize in the Midnight Madness category. The audience winner for Best Documentary went to Artifact by Bartholomew Cubbins.
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Silver Linings Playbook Trailer: Young Loonies In Love

Crazy people, they're just like us! Sure, we may not hurl copies of A Farewell To Arms through closed windows or live with our parents at age 37 (if the Wikipedia entry on Bradley Cooper is to be believed) but as far as the trials and triumphs of burgeoning love are concerned, David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook looks like a standard rom com on prescription meds.
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