‘District 9’ crushes box office competition

In what feels like a box-office weekend from "The Twilight Zone," a low-budget and critically acclaimed movie with no stars and an unknown director managed to top the charts. “District 9,” the alien action pic produced by Peter Jackson and directed by the 29-year-old Neill Blomkamp who shot the film in Johannesburg, South Africa, of all places — crushed the competition by grossing $37 million, according to early estimates. Audiences clearly enjoyed what they saw too: “District 9” has already soared to No

Share

Box Office Weekend: G-Force Overruns Potter

Draco Malfoy and the slimy kids of Slytherin couldn’t have wreaked more damage on Harry Potter than a bunch of commando guinea pigs did to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this weekend. G-Force, the live-action and CGI action comedy, earned $32.2 million this weekend at the North American box office, besting the $30 million take of the sixth Potter film, according to the usual movie-studio estimates of the weekend frame. Final numbers are posted Monday.

Share

An ‘Up’ note to Cannes opening: Pixar goes 10 for 10

The Cannes Film Festival entrusted its opening to a Pixar film, and the animation studio did not disappoint. Pixar, which has produced such gems as “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles” and “WALL-E,” introduced its latest feature, “Up,” on Wednesday night at the French movie celebration.

Share