'Life of Pi' Gives Fox Unit Its Second-Highest Opening Weekend in India

'Life of Pi' Gives Fox Unit Its Second-Highest Opening Weekend in India

Twentieth Century Fox

The Ang Lee film, which stars Indian actors Irrfan Khan and Tabu, only drew less than "Avatar" for Fox Star Studios.

NEW DELHI – Ang Lee's Life of Pi collected $3.5 million (Rupees 195 million) at the Indian box office during its opening weekend, drawing the second-best opening weekend ever for a unit of News Corp.'s Fox here.

'Life of Pi:' What the Critics Are Saying

It stars Indian actors Irrfan Khan and Tabu.

The film, which was also dubbed in Hindi and regional languages, became the second highest opening weekend grosser for distributor Fox Star Studios India behind Avatar, which grossed Rupees 220 million during its opening weekend.

So far, the highest opening weekend ever by a Hollywood film in India has been recorded by this summer's The Amazing Spiderman, which grossed $6.2 million (Rupees 340 million). That film was released by Sony Pictures India. The studio's latest release, Skyfall, set the second highest opening weekend gross for a Hollywood release in India, collecting about $5.1 million (Rupees 275 million).

Life of Pi premiered at the ongoing International Film Festival of India held in Goa ahead of its theatrical release here on Nov. 23.

"The film has resonated quite well with Indian audiences and we are adding more screens given the strong opening," said Fox Star Studios India managing director Vijay Singh.

Sam Mendes's new James Bond plot! English News Sam Mendes's new James Bond plot

Sam Mendes's new James Bond plot!

English News Sam Mendes's new James Bond plot

Oscar winning director Sam Mendes is working on a follow-up after the success of Skyfall.

After the 2006's Casino Royale, Skyfall has bagged the title of most financially successful Bond film.

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who have been scriptwriters for the James Bond movies, have decided to call it quits. They reveal that screen writer John Logan and Sam Mendes have come up with another plot.

Well we are hoping you are going to give us a film better than Skyfall! 

'Breaking Dawn - Part 2' Eyeing Thanksgiving Win Over 'Rise of the Guardians,' 'Life of Pi'

'Breaking Dawn - Part 2' Eyeing Thanksgiving Win Over 'Rise of the Guardians,' 'Life of Pi'

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2"

Twilight's 'Breaking Dawn - Part 2' Launching the Biggest Foreign Opening of 2012

'Rise of the Guardians' Trailer Delves Into Jack Frost's Backstory (Video)

But none is expected to topple Summit Entertainment's holdover The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 from the top perch. Breaking Dawn 2, with a domestic gross of $151.2 million, is expected to earn between $55 million and $60 million for the Wednesday-Sunday stretch.

Of the new offerings, DreamWorks Animation's Christmas-themed toon Rise of the Guardians has the best shot of coming in at No. 2. Last year, Disney's The Muppets grossed $41.5 million during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, and tracking suggests that Rise of the Guardians will land in that range, though distributor Paramount is offering a more conservative estimate.

Rise of the Guardians, costing $145 million to make, is the final DWA pic that Paramount will distribute before its new deal with Fox kicks in.

While Rise of the Guardians could score one of the lowest openings for a DWA title, Paramount believes the 3D toon will have a strong hold through Christmas and New Year's since there's no other animated family pic in sight.

Directed by Peter Ramsey, Rise of the Guardians is based on William Joyce's The Guardians of Childhood book series, about how childhood holiday heroes are charged with protecting the world from evil.

In the film, Jack Frost, voiced by Chris Pine, is enlisted by the guardians to stop the villain Pitch, voiced by Jude Law. Alec Baldwin voices Santa Claus, Hugh Jackman the Easter Bunny and Isla Fisher the Tooth Fairy.

Rise of the Guardians could have to compete with James Bond pic Skyfall for No. 2. Skyfall, the most successful Bond film worldwide, has grossed $165 million in North America.

Ang Lee awards contender Life of Pi is a pricey gamble for Fox, costing a reported $120 million to make (the studio says the number was slightly less than that). Many thought it was impossible to adapt Yan Martel's prize-winning novel about an Indian boy lost at sea with a Bengal tiger.

Tracking suggests that Life of Pi will post a modest five-day opening in the $15 million to $20 million range, putting it in direct competition with MGM and FilmDistrict's Red Dawn and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, which enters its second weekend in nationwide release.

Fox insiders say Life of Pi, from the studio's Fox 2000 division, is a unique project that will play to audiences of all ages throughout the holidays and was a creative risk worth taking. Life of Pi, starring Suraj Sharma in his first acting role, is rated PG in the U.S.

But while Life of Pi has received strong reviews from a majority of critics, tracking has been soft for the film domestically, putting increased pressure on the movie's international performance. Life of Pi also opens in Taiwan -- where Lee was born -- as well as in China, Hong Kong, India and Puerto Rico.

Red Dawn, a remake of John Milius' 1980s cult classic, has been sitting on the shelf since 2009, its release delayed by MGM's financial woes. FilmDistrict acquired rights to release the film last year.

Several of the movie's stars -- including Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson -- weren't known at the time of production but have since shot to fame. Red Dawn also stars Adrianne Palicki, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Isabel Lucas and Connor Cruise.

Directed by Dan Bradley, Red Dawn features a group of young American patriots who try to save their city from enemy occupation by foreign forces. Originally, the enemies were Chinese, but the film was altered to change the villains to North Koreans so as to not hurt the movie's chances in China.

Among more limited Thanksgiving releases, David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook expands into a total of 367 theaters Wednesday after opening last weekend in 16 to modest results. The Weinstein Co. was originally going to open the critically acclaimed film nationwide Wednesday but scaled back in a bid to grow the movie through word-of-mouth.

Silver Linings, also an awards contender, stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver.

Opening Friday at the specialty box office are awards contenders Rust and Bone, from Sony Pictures Classics and starring Marion Cottilard, and Hitchcock, the Fox Searchlight film starring Anthony Hopkins as the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock and Helen Mirren as Hitchcock's wife,

Cheerful Weather for the wedding Opens in New York on December

'Cheerful Weather' directed by Donald Rice will open in New York City on December 7th 2012 at the IFC centre. The film features Felicity Jones, Luke Treadaway andElizabeth McGovern in lead roles. Mary Henely Magill and Donald Rice had have penned the script for this 95 minutes long film.

England, 1932. Today is Dolly Thatcham's wedding day, and her family is arriving at the manor house with all the cheerfulness, chaos and grievances that bubble to the surface at such gatherings. Trouble soon appears in the shape of Joseph, Dolly's lover from the previous summer, who throws her feelings into turmoil. Dolly's mother will not allow her carefully laid plans for her daughter's future to be threatened, and as the clock ticks the bride can't decide whether to run away with Joseph or start a new life in Argentina with her husband-to-be.

Documentary says inmate involved in Simpson case by lahari

Documentary says inmate involved in Simpson case by lahari


A documentary about an inmate on Florida's death row says the convicted killer might have been involved in the murder of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife and her friend.

The Investigation Discovery show, "My Brother the Serial Killer," will air Wednesday.

The film is a look at Glen Rogers, who was convicted by a Florida jury in 1997 for killing a woman.

Rogers was also convicted of murder in California and is a suspect in homicides in several other states.

Rogers, who is from Hamilton, Ohio, met Nicole Brown Simpson in 1994 when he was living in Southern California, his family says in the documentary.

A criminal profiler in the film says he received paintings by Rogers with clues possibly linking him to the murders of Simpson's ex-wife and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

Simpson was accused in those killings but the so-called "trial of the century" in Los Angeles ended with his acquittal in 1995.

Simpson never testified at the criminal trial, but memorably demonstrated in court that a glove found near the slaying scene did not fit his hand. He testified at length in a wrongful death trial that led a Los Angeles civil court jury in 1997 to find him liable for damages in the case.

Much of the film is narrated by Rogers' brother, Clay Rogers, who used to rob homes with Glen Rogers as a teen but in 1993, called police on his brother after finding a body at the family's Kentucky cabin.

Clay Rogers said that in 1994, his brother told him about meeting Nicole Brown Simpson.

"They've got money, they're well off and I'm taking her down," Clay Rogers recalls Glen Rogers saying.

Other family members also said Glen Rogers talked about meeting Simpson's ex-wife.

In a statement, Goldman's sister criticized the new documentary.

Barbie babe Valeria Lukyonova

Barbie babe Valeria Lukyonova

Most girls love their Barbie dolls when they are kids and slowly grow out of them as they mature.

Not Valeria Lukyonova, though!

This 21-year-old Ukranian model wanted to BE Barbie so much that she invested in plastic surgery, make up and a wardrobe change to morph into her doll icon!

With her huge eyes, narrow nose and chin, skinny waist and long blonde hair, she looks unnatural but is totally happy with it.

'I'm happy I seem unreal... it means I'm doing a good job,' she said during her first-ever photoshoot as a living doll. Each to their own, we guess!

Atkinson not excited about playing Mr Bean anymore mr bean by honney

Atkinson not excited about playing Mr Bean anymore

mr bean by honney

Actor Rowan Atkinson says playing the fun−filled character in comedy series Mr Bean does not suit him anymore and he might do less of it.

The 50-year-old actor admits that although playing the lead role in the show has been very successful, the mute character has become tiring for him.

"The stuff that has been most commercially successful for me - basically quite physical, quite childish - I increasingly feel I'm going to do a lot less of," Daily Telegraph quoted him as saying.

"Apart from the fact that your physical ability starts to decline, I also think someone in their 50s being childlike becomes a little sad. You've got to be careful," he added.

Mr Bean first aired on television in 1990 and was on air for five years and has received a lot success.

'Sons of Anarchy's' Theo Rossi: 'Juice Knows That the Dominoes Are Coming Down' Hollywood movie news

'Sons of Anarchy's' Theo Rossi: 'Juice Knows That the Dominoes Are Coming Down'

Hollywood movie news 

Just when he thought all was right in the world, the SAMCRO member's dark secrets are finally exposed.

Frank W. Ockenfels 3/FX

At the beginning of season five of Sons of Anarchy, Theo Rossi got to be part of a scene that reminded him of his early days on the show. His character, Juice, was visiting an escort service and decided to have a little fun of his own with the madam of the brothel.

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"Juice was kind of being funny, I remember I went to [creator] Kurt [Sutter] and said, 'Nice! Juice is back to being the funny guy,'" Rossi, 37, tells The Hollywood Reporter.

PHOTOS: Emmys 2012: Kurt Sutter and Wife Katey Sagal on the Set of 'Sons of Anarchy'

 

But Sutter had five little words for Rossi: "Don't get used to it."

[Warning: Spoilers from the Tuesday, Nov. 13, episode of Sons of Anarchy.]

The dark storyline that haunted Juice for most of season four has finally returned this season, and, of course, it surfaced right when Juice seemed to think that the world was finally getting back to the way it should be.

At the end of last Tuesday's episode, Juice had just watched his fearless former leader, Clay (Ron Perlman), finally recover his physical strength and then reunite with his estranged wife, Gemma (Katey Sagal).

"Before he got on that bike, before you see Jax following him, he thinks for a second, 'Maybe everything's gonna be OK. Maybe everything is going to get back to normal,'" Rossi says of those final moments.

PHOTOS: 'Sons of Anarchy's' 10 Most Dramatic Deaths

But, of course, everything is not OK. Everything is actually about to crumble down around the mohawked member of the motorcycle club. As the audience knew, Jax (Charlie Hunnam) had just found out that the member of the club who had become a source for the authorities was Juice.

On Tuesday's episode, Jax confronts Juice about the secret he's been keeping for so long now. Juice comes clean to Jax, telling him that he became a source for the Feds because they knew that his father was black, which would have been an instant ousting from the California motorcycle club.

"I think Juice knows that the dominoes are coming down. What do you do here? You go into survival mode," Rossi tells THR.

"I don't think he was prepared for this," he adds. "This isn't about hanging yourself anymore. This is the realization that you are most likely going to get massacred. You are most likely in a lot of trouble."

STORY: 'Sons of Anarchy': Joel McHale Reflects on His Wild Ride Into Charming

But Jax doesn't take the news to the table, instead telling Juice that the only way to save himself is to spy on Clay for him. That's a complicated option for Juice, who Rossi says has a very close relationship with the fallen leader of the club.

"He put Clay up on a really high pedestal recently," Rossi explains. "Clay had filled that void of the father figure. If you noticed, he calls him 'son' all the time."

"This is an absolute no-win situation for this guy, and I think that that's played out pretty magnificently by Kurt," he adds.

While Rossi can't say too much about where Juice goes from here (or if he even survives the season), he did talk about the unexpected growth of his character from the comedic relief into a man dealing with secrets that push him into situations that can have very tragic consequences.

"I'm just so lucky to have a character on a television show that I couldn't be more proud of, who gets to explore all of these emotions," says Rossi. "This show has changed my life in more ways than I could ever say."

Sons of Anarchy airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

Jon Bon Jovi's Daughter Arrested After Heroin Overdose

Jon Bon Jovi's Daughter Arrested After Heroin Overdose

Stephanie Bongiovi, 19, was unresponsive when paramedics arrived at the scene.

Getty Images

Jon Bon Jovi's 19-year-old daughter is recovering in an upstate New York hospital and facing drug charges after overdosing on heroin in her college dorm.

Stephanie Bongiovi was unresponsive when ambulance workers responded early Wednesday morning to reports of "a female who had allegedly overdosed on heroin" at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., according to a report from the Town of Kirkland Police Department.

VIDEO: Jon Bon Jovi, One of the True 'Stand Up Guys,' Opens Up as Never Before  

Police arrived shortly after and found a small amount of the drug. They then arrested Ian Grant, 21, who was with Bongiovi at the scene.

A search warrant later was obtained by the Oneida County Drug Task Force, and a subsequent search of the premises turned up "a quantity of heroin, marijuana and other drug paraphernalia."

Bongiovi was then arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and fourth-degree possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. All are prosecuted as class A misdemeanors.

Bon Jovi, 50, has two new songs on the soundtrack for the upcoming Al Pacino and Christopher Walken movie Stand-Up Guys. He is scheduled to perform at a Hamilton College concert benefit in Times Square on Dec. 5.

The college is one of an exclusive group of liberal arts schools informally referred to as the "Little Ivies."

' Skyfall may be on target to hit the billion dollar mark in global box office

Authorities appear to be ensuring that the James Bond film doesn't overshadow big-budget Chinese releases at the box office.

HONG KONG  – Sony Pictures' Skyfall may be on target to hit the billion dollar mark in global box office, but Daniel Craig's latest outing as James Bond won't be hitting theaters in China any time soon.


THR has learned that Chinese authorities are now eyeing a late January or early February bow, a solid three months later than its original release date of Nov. 2 -a date still listed on the official James Bond web site, www.007.com.

It's not that the authorities have problems with Skyfall's content. The official press, such as the English-language China Daily, has run quite a few wire stories about the fanfare surrounding the release of the film around the world. But the decision to push the film to January could be interpreted as overtly political and protectionist, since authorities appear to be ensuring Skyfall doesn't overshadow big-budget Chinese releases at the box office.

Feng Xiaogang's Back to 1942 and Lu Chuan's The Last Supper - both the kind of lavish, state-backed historical epics that China turns out regularly - are slated for late November releases in the country. By pushing Skyfall's into to the Chinese New Year theatrical window in late January or early February, Chinese officials may be attempting to secure bigger box office for Chinese films.

It wouldn't be the first time. Just last summer, the authorities pledged to make July the "month of protecting domestic films" by bumping all international summer blockbusters out of the release schedule. This led to an unhindered run at the box office for local productions, including the action fantasy Painted Skin: Resurrection, which took in $112.4 million (700 million yuan) as it nearly monopolized screens in the country during the month of June.

A Genuinely Great 'Twilight' Moment: The Cliff Diving Scene in 'New Moon'

A Genuinely Great 'Twilight' Moment: The Cliff Diving Scene in 'New Moon'

New Moon

The Twilight Saga franchise is worth billions of dollars. It has caused legions of teenaged girls (and sometimes, creepily, their mothers) to line up for each film's opening show days in advance. It has spurred the creation of a new vocabulary — ask any "TwiHard" what "Team" they're on and they'll have an answer ready. It has moved its fans to tears. It is not, however, good. And New Moon is widely considered the worst installment of the mediocre franchise. The series' second film centers on the premise that Bella (played by Kristen Stewart) is so in love with Edward (Robert Pattinson) that she would rather kill herself than live a life without him. Suicide in the name of first love is not something that I, personally, advocate. However, there is one moment in New Moon that is, indeed, genuinely good: When Bella jumps off the cliff.

I, in no way shape or form, condone Bella's decision to hurtle herself off a cliff into the rough and icy waters below in order to see Edward once again. But when she does, the audience is treated to a haunting underwater dreamscape. As Bella floats formlessly under the surface — knocked unconscious by a crashing wave — we are given a first glimpse of what Bella will one day become. Drowning, Bella has gone pale, and as a vision of Edward is conjured next to her, we see that for the first time she is the same hue as her undead lover. Bella has momentarily become a corpse — but not in the way she hoped for. She is not a member of the living dead but, momentarily, the actual dead.

The otherworldly melody of "Slow Life" by Grizzly Bear provides the foundation for Bella's graceful, watery brush with death. And in this moment, music and landscape join together to create a perfectly eerie tableau. The scene, buoyed by this choice of music, has an unexpected calmness and peace to it. You almost want Bella to be able to stay in this transient moment with her lovely vision of Edward forever. How much simpler and safer it is than the harsh world on land. But, as a mysterious hand reaches out to pull Bella to the safety of the surface, the dreamy music stops and we are brought abruptly back to the dangerous reality of this moment.

This scene highlights what Twilight is able to do best: visually capture the characters' dark interiority. While Twilight parades as a love story, it is at its core a dark, twisted fantasy — its subject matter is enough to make Kanye proud. Bella's love for Edward is more like infatuation; it is all-encompassing, obsessive and, ultimately, self-destructive. This is not an ordinary (or healthy) love story, and the films are most successful when they portray it for what it is. In those occasional moments when the grotesque terror shines — or glowers, as the case may be — through the stilted dialogue and one-dimensional characterizations, we are given a glimpse at what The Twilight Saga could have been.

Latest Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies

Latest Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies

New Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies news

Latest Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies

New Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Hollywood Online movies news

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Hollywood Online movies

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Hollywood Online movies

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy

The final chapter begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items responsible for his immortality. But as the mystical Deathly Hallows are uncovered, and Voldemort finds out about their mission, the biggest battle begins and life as they know it will never be the same again.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Latest Part 2 (2011) Hollywood Online movies
New Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Hollywood Online movies
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Latest Part 2 (2011) Hollywood Online movies
New Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Hollywood Online movies