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Eisner gets back into movies with Universal deal

Michael Eisner

Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner is getting back in the movie business. The 70-year-old said Tuesday that the media company he founded, The Tornante Company, will finance films that will be distributed by Comcast Corp.'s Universal Pictures.

 

'Snow White and the Huntsman' Sequel Shelved; Spinoff Planned

Snow White and the Huntsman

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has decided not to proceed with the sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. Instead, the studio will do with a spinoff focusing on Chris Hemsworth's character, the Huntsman. Kristen Stewart, who plays Snow White, is not going to be in the new movie, and it is likely that director Rupert Sanders will have no part in this as well, but his role is unknown at this point.

 

DVD: ‘Jaws,’ Seminal Blockbuster, Now on Blu-ray

Jaws

AS part of Universal’s centennial celebration that studio has reissued “Jaws” (1975) on Blu-ray in a newly restored edition, retrofitted with a remixed 7.1-channel stereo soundtrack. Happily, the filmmakers have resisted the temptation to replace Bruce, the balky mechanical shark (actually three of them, used for different types of shots) whose frequent breakdowns helped swell the shooting schedule to 159 days from 55, with a digitally animated creature. A C.G.I. shark might have been more convincing for contemporary audiences — poor Bruce can’t do much more than roll his eyes and flap his mouth, like the world’s most menacing Muppet — but the movie isn’t really about him, after all.

 

Box Office Report: 'Snow White' Fairest of Them All With $56.3 Mil in North America

Snow White and the Huntsman

The Universal event pic is the first of the recent fairy tale retellings to win at the box office; Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" opens overseas to stellar $35 million from only 15 markets, nearly matching the $39.3 million grossed by "Snow White" from 45 territories.

 

Watch the first ‘Les Miserables’ trailer

Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway star in director Tom Hooper’s (“The King’s Speech”) bigscreen adaptation of the iconic musical. Universal will release "Les Miserables" on December 14.

 

'Prometheus' and 'At the Mountains of Madness' Are Pretty Much the Same Movie, According to Guillermo Del Toro

Guillermo Del Toro

Guillermo Del Toro was developing a movie based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story At the Mountains of Madness at Universal, but the studio was reluctant to give the greenlight to a $150 million R-rated horror movie.

Senh: I think it has more to do with an R-rated horror film that cost $150M than Ridley Scott's "Prometheus." Although Guillermo Del Toro's track record at the box office is solid, he hasn't had a single film gross anywhere near $100M.

 

Google unveils online music store

Google unveils online music store

Google has launched an online music store in the US, which will allow devices running its Android software to buy, store and stream MP3 files. EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal and 23 independent labels are providing content to create a library of 13 million songs.

 

‘Cowboys & Aliens,’ ‘Smurfs’ tie for No. 1 spot in too-close-to-call weekend

‘Cowboys & Aliens,’ ‘Smurfs’ tie for No. 1 spot in too-close-to-call weekend

Little blue Smurfs and not-so-little green men from space are in a photo finish for the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office. According to studio estimates Sunday, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford’s sci-fi Western “Cowboys & Aliens” and the animated family adventure “The Smurfs” both opened with $36.2 million. That leaves Sony’s “Smurfs” and Universal’s “Cowboys & Aliens” tied for the top spot. Actual weekend rankings won’t be sorted out until final numbers are counted Monday.

 

'Hop' skips to box-office lead with $38.1M

'Hop' skips to box-office lead with $38.1M

With Russell Brand providing the voice of the reluctant new Easter bunny, "Hop" bound well beyond the expectations of industry analysts, who had figured the movie would debut in the $25 million range.

 

Friday Box Office: Universal's 'Hop' Beating Expectations

Friday Box Office: Universal's 'Hop' Beating Expectations

Universal's family Easter pic Hop over performed in its domestic box office debut, grossing north of $11 million on Friday and putting it on track to earn at least $35 million, if not more, for the weekend... It was a good day overall at the box office. Summit Entertainment’s Source Code and FilmDistrict’s debut title Insidious also opened well.

 

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