Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Nazi dramas test box office waters
| Entertainment
|  
 
 
  
  	
  	  
			 
  
  
    
    
    	
		
			
                
                    
 
                    
                
            
			
			
				
                    
             
                
				
					My Profile 
					 
                    
            
            
                
			
		
  
	
	
	
    
		
	
     
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
  
	
  
	
	
	
    
		
	 
	 
         
         
        
	
	
  
  
  		
  	You are here:
  
    Home
    
      >
      News 
      
      >
      Entertainment 
      
      >
      Article
	
    
		
	
  
 
          
	
    
               
      
Home
        
Business & Finance
        
News
        
U.S.
                
Politics
                
International
                
Technology
                
Entertainment
                
Film
                            
                        
Music
                            
                        
People
                            
                        
Television
                            
                        
Arts
                            
                        
Industry
                            
                        
            
Sports
                
Lifestyle
                
Oddly Enough
                
Environment
                
Health
                
Science
                
Special Coverage
                
Video
                
Pictures
                
The Great Debate
                
Blogs
                
Weather
                
Reader Feedback
                
      
	
    
		
	 
	 
         
         
        
	
	
  
               
      
	
Do More With Reuters
		
RSS
		
Widgets
		
Mobile
		
Podcasts
		
Newsletters
		
You Witness News
		
Make Reuters My Homepage
	
Partner Services
		
CareerBuilder
		
Affiliate Network
	
Professional Products
		
Support (Customer Zone)
		
Reuters Media
		
Financial Products
	
About Thomson Reuters
 
      
    
      
    
	
		
Nazi dramas test box office waters
	
Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:40am EST
 
	 
               
       
	
	
	 
		
			Email | Print | 
Share
 | Reprints | Single Page
	
			[-]
			Text
			[+]
	
	
	
	
       
		
    
    
By Gregg Kilday
    
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hollywood hasn't had to resort to any post-Christmas half-off sales.
    
Holiday releases -- ranging from warm puppy "Marley & Me" to kid-friendly "Bedtime Stories" to the luxe backward-running romance "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- attracted a stampede to the multiplex last weekend.
    
So the studios will ring out 2008 on the strength of their current year-end lineup as the industry heads toward another record-setting domestic gross, thanks to higher ticket sales.
    
With the coming New Year's holiday weekend serving as an opportunity for moviegoers to catch up with the film glut, including the awards-hopefuls still in limited release, no new wide openers will flood the already overcrowded theaters.
    
Instead, Paramount Vantage will launch exclusive runs of its World War II Jewish resistance drama "Defiance" while ThinkFilm follows suit with its Nazi-era drama "Good."
    
Directed by Ed Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay, "Defiance" is as much action picture as it is art house offering. Based on actual events, the movie stars Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell as Jewish brothers who lead an encampment in the Belorussia forest. Paramount had planned to open the film wide in mid-December, but now it will roll out the picture for broader audiences on January 16.
    
ThinkFilm will test the waters with exclusive openings of Vincente Amorim's "Good," an adaptation of the play by C.P. Taylor. The drama revolves around the relationship between Viggo Mortensen, playing a German literary professor whose work is taken up by the Nazis for propaganda purposes, and Jason Isaacs, who plays the professor's Jewish friend.
    
Meanwhile, buoyed by good weekday numbers and potentially strong holds over the holiday weekend, overall domestic box office is poised to set a record. As of Sunday, 2008's year-to-date box office stood at $9.45 billion, according to Nielsen EDI. By the close of business Sunday -- bringing down the curtain on the box office year -- 2008 should surpass 2007's record haul of $9.62 billion by a couple of percentage points.
    
The only caveat is that the record will be a result of rising ticket prices. The number of tickets sold is running 4%-5% behind last year's levels, which reached 1.41 billion.
    
The market share crown will go to Warner Bros., which early this week crossed the $1.7 billion mark to edge past the previous studio record set by Sony in 2006.
    
Warners, of course, got a boost from "The Dark Knight," the year's top-grossing film with nearly $531 million in domestic ticket sales. But the studio also benefited by absorbing downsized corporate sibling New Line Cinema, which contributed such hit titles as "Sex and the City," "Four Christmases" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
    
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
    
    
    
      
      
 
      
          © Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
    
               
      
	
    
		
 
	
		
 
		
Share:
		
Del.icio.us
		
Digg
		
Mixx
		
My Web
		
Facebook
		
LinkedIn
	
	
  
      
               
      
 
	
			
 
		
  		    Next Article:
		Kevin Bacon among latest hurt in Madoff scheme: reports
		
 
			
		
 
	
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
	
     
Also on Reuters
Tchaikovsky: Revival of an underrated great
Key gene linked to high blood pressure identified
Video 
Video: Times Square gets ready for New Year's Eve
  
	
    
						
						
						
	
		
		More Entertainment News
    
  
  
		
				Singer Bjork turns venture capitalist
			
		
				Rapper DMX headed for jail on drug, cruelty charge
			
		
				"Australia" another letdown for Nicole Kidman
			
		
				Kevin Bacon among latest hurt in Madoff scheme: reports
			
		
				Investors tuned out of radio stocks in 2008
			
		
More Entertainment News...
  
	
    
  
	
	
    
     
     
    
    
        
	
		
		
               
       
      
               
       
      
	
	
 
	
		
	
    
		
	
  
          
	
    
		
	
	
	
    
		
	
	
  
	
	
  
	
    
		
Editor's Choice
	
     
Slideshow 
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours.  Slideshow 
  
	
  
	
    
		
          
	 
	 
         
         
        
	
  
 
 
	
    
				
Most Popular on Reuters
				
					
					
Articles
					
Video
					
				 
			
			
  
               
      
	
	
		
		
						
				
			
Apple shares turn negative on Jobs "rumor"
				
		
			Facebook ban of breast-feeding photos sparks protests
				
		
			Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic
				
		
			"What are you doing here?": man asks wife at brothel
				
		
			Obama's silence on Gaza confirms low Arab expectations
				
		
			Consumer confidence and home prices hit grim records
				
		
			NASA says Columbia crew had no chance to survive
				
		
			Paulson says U.S. lacked tools to tackle crisis: report
				
		
			SEC halts alleged $23 million Ponzi scheme
				
		
			Woman kills husband with folding couch
				
		
		
			
			
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
		
		
      
               
      
	
	
		
            
                  
                  
										
                  Video 
		
    
			
 Blagojevich picks Obama replacement
    
			 Talk of the Town: Comeback kid
    
			 Russian volcano erupts
    
			 Calls for truce as Gaza deaths rise
    
			 An historic year in U.S. politics
    
			 Iraq shoe thrower's trial postponed
    
			 Gazans seek refuge in schools
    
			 Rocket kills Israeli
    
			 Sarkozy's EU presidency ends
    
			 And Finally.. The Oddest of 2008.
    
	
		
		
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
	
	
      
	
    
		
	
  
                    
	
	
      
Reuters Deals
 
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
  
	
    
		
 
 
	
  
          
  
    
Reuters.com: 
    Help and Contact Us  | 
    Advertise With Us  | 
    Mobile  | 
    Newsletters  | 
    RSS  | 
    Interactive TV  | 
    Labs  | 
    Reuters in Second Life  | 
    Archive  | 
    Site Index  | 
    Video Index
    
Thomson Reuters Corporate: 
		Copyright  | 
		Disclaimer  | 
		Privacy  | 
		Professional Products  | 
		Professional Products Support  | 
		About Thomson Reuters  | 
    Careers
  	
 
  	
International Editions:
  	
  	Africa  | 
  	Arabic  | 
  	Argentina  | 
  	Brazil  | 
  	Canada  | 
  	China  | 
  	France  | 
  	Germany  | 
  	India  | 
  	Italy  | 
  	Japan  | 
  	Latin America  | 
  	Mexico  | 
  	Russia  | 
  	Spain  | 
  	United Kingdom  | 
  	United States
    
 
    
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
    
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
  
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
Other News on Wednesday, 31 December 2008 Palestinian rocket reaches deep into Israel  
Iraq, Britain sign deal to allow troops to stay
| International
|  
Trial of Iraqi shoe thrower is postponed  
On Saddam anniversary, Iraq readies macabre museum
| International
|  
Russian leader signs presidential term extension: Kremlin  
Israel mulls brief truce, says blitz could last weeks  
Facebook facing protest over removal of nursing photos  
Jay-Z's $66 Million NY City Hotel Put On Hold Due To Slow Economy  
ECB chief Trichet does not exclude January rate cut: report  
World powers call for end to Gaza fighting  
Iran confirms detaining Iranian-Canadian blogger  
Sick former Yukos executive freed from Russian jail: lawyer  
Gambian court sentences British couple to one year hard labour  
NZ airline flies jetliner partly run on biofuel  
Apple shares turn negative on Jobs rumor
| Technology
|  
Libya orders oil cuts of 270K bpd  
Pakistan closes US supply route into Afghanistan  
China's 3G rollout sets off sales scramble  
Zia rejects Bangladesh election results  
Bangladesh ex-PM Kahleda Zia rejects polls result  
Thai PM dodges protesters for first key speech  
Nine Myanmar activists held for Aung San Suu Kyi protest: witnesses  
Update: Senate Majority Leader Calls Blagojevich's Appointment "Truly Regrettable"  
Pakistan wants talks, India denies military escalation  
Irish Minister Floats Idea To Take In Guantanamo Detainees  
Authorities Bust Alleged Ponzi Scheme Targeting Haitian-Americans  
Additional back—up mechanisms to be installed at Singapore Flyer  
Gov. Blagojevich Will Name Roland Burris To Fill Obama's Senate Seat  
US, China mark 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties  
Woody Harrelson weds longtime girlfriend
| Entertainment
|  
Spoiled Fish Treated With Carbon Monoxide Looks Fresh Watchdog Group Warns  
Chronology of US-China relations  
Sarah Palin most desirable celebrity neighbor: poll
| Entertainment
|  
Jena 6 Teen Undergoes Surgery After Accidental Shooting Incident While Cleaning Gun  
U.S. Consumer Confidence Falls To New Low In December  
Tom Cruise 'deeply moved' by Hitler movie  
Broadway to dim lights in honor of Pinter  
Broadway lights to be dimmed for Harold Pinter  
Expedition Reveals Three Previously Unknwon Coral Reefs Off Florida's Coast  
Barenboim and Haydn to premiere at Vienna New Year's concert  
Children's book based on Holocaust story is pulled  
Tourism in tiny Gambia takes a hit from financial crisis  
Correction: Delaney Bramlett obit  
Tom Cruise 'deeply moved' by Hitler movie  
Armenians, Georgians in unholy row over disputed church  
Chinese Dig Yields Dinosaur Bones, Including Giant Platypus With Nearly 66-Foot Wingspan  
Iran confirms jailing Iranian-Canadian blogger  
Man charged with spying for Saddam denied bail  
Israel posts video of Gaza air strikes on YouTube  
US, UN, EU and Russia urge immediate Gaza truce  
Builders unearth 18th century galleon in Argentina
| International
|  
Anxiety, satisfaction in Israel over Gaza assault  
Ten in a million: contest offers free trips to Obama inauguration  
Iranian leader presents bill to cut subsidies  
Israel mulls brief truce but warns assault could last weeks  
Analysis: Gaza assault seemed inevitable  
Singapore Air eyes unpaid leave for pilots -paper  
New Zealand win toss, bat first against West Indies  
Online holiday sales fall 3 percent
| Technology
|  
Singapore bank lending fell 1 pct in Nov from Oct  
Loser rejects results in Bangladesh's election  
Quake strikes off Indonesia's Sumatra island: seismologists  
Hundreds in Mich., NYC protest strikes on Gaza  
Mexico, US set extradition records in 2008  
Pennsylvania Firefighters Pull Puppy Out From Well With Vacuum Cleaner  
US Embassy in Brazil receives suspicious package  
Wall Street Rallies Despite Record Low Confidence  
Bush calls Abbas to discuss Gaza  
US concerned by detention of academic in Iran  
Defiant governor fills Obama's senate seat despite graft scandal  
Rapper DMX headed for jail on drug, cruelty charge
| Entertainment
|  
Australia another letdown for Nicole Kidman
| Entertainment
|  
Robert Plant and Terry Pratchett win UK honors
| Entertainment
|  
Broadway to dim lights for Harold Pinter
| Entertainment
|  
Madonna, Celine Dion top worldwide tours in 2008
| Entertainment
|  
Schwarzenegger's The Terminator is back. Forever
| Entertainment
|  
Country Music shrine to keep historic instruments  
Two Titanic passengers' letters to be auctioned  
Rapper DMX pleads guilty to drug, theft charges  
Americans stay away from TV on holiday week  
Man charged in Hudson killings appears in court  
NYE minus VIP equals partying at home for many  
Actors Bacon, Sedgwick among Madoff victims  
Dick Clark, 79, is still rockin' New Year's Eve  
Gary Coleman has habit of police involvement  
Firefighters Use Vacuum Cleaner To Rescue Puppy Trapped In Well  
NATO, US forces say 17 militants killed in Afghanistan  
Gaza quieter after days of heavy assaults
| International
|  
Iraq and UK agree to let troops stay until July
| International
|  
Protesters worldwide keep up pressure over Gaza  
Britain hunting lovelorn beaver  
Canada seeks access to detained Iranian-Canadian blogger  
SKorea considers expanding rebuilding role in Afghanistan: report  
Zimbabwe court keeps 16 activists in jail over alleged plot  
S.Korea to press North for talks, seeks U.S. help
| International
|  
First New Zealand-West Indies ODI abandoned  
Pro-Thaksin camp vows more Thai protests in 2009
| International
|  
Defiant governor fills Obama's senate seat despite graft scandal  
China reiterates no room for Taiwan sovereignty
| International
|  
Bangladesh poll winner Hasina says will share power
| International
|  
US charges second man for secretly aiding Saddam  
Oil prices end tumultuous year below 40 dollars  
China dairy boss delayed reporting quality issues  
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 559  
S.Korea inflation dips, c.bank vows to focus on growth  
China's Hu calls for military exchanges with Taiwan  
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,219  
NKorea to hold elections next year for post-Kim era: report  
Li, China Netcom sweeten PCCW privatization offer  
Foreign funds fuel Taiwan dollar gains at end-2008  
Sri Lankan rebels open to peace talks  
Dell preparing senior management changes: report
| Technology
|  
Sri Lanka says 12 Tigers killed as troops close in on rebel town  
Atheist Group Sues Government To Block Prayers In Presidential Inauguration  
RPT-GLOBAL MARKETS-Grimmest of years ends with touch of hope  
FDA Gives Nod To New Prostate Cancer Drug  
Former dairy boss tried over China tainted milk scandal  
New York Man Pleads Guilty To Aiding Hezbollah  
China's Hu urges closer ties with rival Taiwan  
Gunman Kills Manager At Colorado Ski Resort, Dies Later In Firefight With Cop  
Malaysia central bank says more stimulus measures may be needed  
Singer Bjork turns venture capitalist
| Entertainment
|  
Former spy cleared of Indonesian activist's poison murder  
Nazi dramas test box office waters
| Entertainment
|  
Kevin Bacon among latest hurt in Madoff scheme: reports
| Entertainment
|  
Investors tuned out of radio stocks in 2008
| Entertainment
|  
Cable makes big headlines in 2008
| Entertainment
|  
Norway prepares to punish sex purchasers, at home and abroad  
Jet Fuel-Jathropa Oil Mix Powers Air New Zealand Flight  
Woody Harrelson weds longtime love in Maui  
MLB Network gearing up for New Year's Day launch
| Entertainment
|  
Atheists Sue To Prevent Prayer, Oath To God In Obama Inauguration  
Plane Partly Fueled By Vegetable Oil Flies In New Zealand  
Vulnerable Israeli homefront rethinks withdrawals  
Pakistani investigators find Mumbai link: report
| International
|  
Volunteer Iranian bombers ask to go to Israel  
Bomb blast at Basque TV headquarters after ETA alert: police  
Pakistani helicopters attack militants in Khyber
| International
|  
Gazprom accuses Ukraine of 'blackmail' on gas transit: Gazprom  
China dairy boss pleads guilty in melamine case
| International
|  
Muted New Year festivities in India, Mumbai quiet
| International
|  
Zimbabwe court keeps activists in custody
| International
|  
Report on climate change effects on S’pore expected in 2009  
Vietnam economic growth slows to lowest rate since 1999: govt  
Singapore Flyer may resume operations in few days if given go—ahead  
World stocks end wretched 2008 with modest rally  
Protesting South Korean lawmakers form human chain  
Oil prices end volatile year below 40 dollars  
Dell says President Mike Cannon to retire
| Technology
|  
UBS sells 3.4 billion share stake in Bank of China  
Oil prices end volatile year below 40 dollars  
Serial cashcard thief nabbed  
HK stocks gain slightly, end year down 48 percent  
Singapore PM: 2008 growth below forecast, grim outlook  
Taiwan exchange expects 2009 IPOs to double to 18  
Philippines braces for bloody New Year's  
Central Florida Police Uncover Missing Person In Charred Remains Of Vehicle  
China approves long-delayed 3G mobile licenses  
Bangladesh election winner urges loser to concede  
Pakistan's 6-mth T-bill cut-off yield eases  
Cambodian court releases alleged killers of union boss  
Sri Lanka offers stimulus package to ride out global recession  
Japan PM Aso tells Israel's Olmert to stop bombings  
India coast guard retrieving bodies of immigrants  
Report on climate change effects on S’pore expected in 2009  
Flatley dances again thanks to Irish energy healer
| Entertainment
|  
Hollywood woos Colombia for hostage rescue film  
Peace and calm for 2009, but not economic recovery: soothsayers  
Hollywood woos Colombia for hostage rescue film  
Lee-hom falls prey to Diva  
Ryoko Hirosue goes nude for new movie  
Four Princes back at "One Million Star" as co-hosts  
Chew Chor Meng faces off with rare disease  
New Year's Eve Revelry Injures 165 So Far In Philippines  
U.S. vacates Baghdad palace ahead of handover
| International
|  
Bombs kills six in northern Iraq  
Amid worries, Cuba to mark 50 years of revolution
| International
|  
Ukraine PM heads to Moscow for gas crisis talks: government  
Matt Dillon Arrested For Speeding In Vermont  
Mia Farrow's Adopted Daughter Lark Previn Dies  
Gazprom warns of 'danger' to Europe gas supply  
NASA describes final moments of Columbia tragedy  
Guinea junta woos neighbors to avoid isolation
| International
|  
World stocks end wretched 2008 with modest rally  
Report on climate change effects on Singapore expected in 2009  
Log on to make resolutions to help others in 2009
| Technology
|  
China to boost railway spending by 80 percent  
Facebook ban of breast-feeding photos sparks protests
| Technology
|  
A look at violence numbers in Afghanistan in 2008  
U.S. Unemployment Claims Fall In Latest Week  
Record 151 US troops die in Afghanistan in 2008  
White House Getting Nervous Over Effects Of Prolonged Israel Campaign In Gaza  
Pakistani confesses to Mumbai attacks: official  
South Florida Veterans Group Declares State Of Emergency For Homeless Veterans After Two Homeless Military Vets Killed  
Pakistan kills 3 in Afghan supply route operation  
White House Site For Wednesday Vigil For Groups Opposed To Israel's Attacks In Gaza  
China dairy boss delayed reporting quality issues  
Obama Family Moving To Washington Hotel This Weekend  
Record Sydney crowd gets New Year party started  
China, Vietnam settle long-disputed land border  
China calls for military exchanges with Taiwan  
S’pore economy grew 1.5% in 2008, next year’s prospects appear difficult  
Sydney welcomes New Year with fireworks spectacular  
You could party with a rock star on New Year's Eve  
China Reveals It Will Begin Issuing 3G Licenses For Telecom Industry  
Major Security Flaw Uncovered With Internet Protection Protocol  
Actor Matt Dillon charged with speeding in Vermont  
Playwright Harold Pinter buried in London  
Norway: Date set for Amy Winehouse drug appeal  
You could party with a rock star on New Year's Eve  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights