Welcome to this week’s edition of “Movie News Monday!” (“MNM!”)
What is ‘MNM’ all about?
In case this is your first time here, “Movie News Monday!” (MNM) is the place to visit on Mondays for a quick recap of trending entertainment news! I’ve collected info, rumors, etc from all over just for you to keep you updated on movies being released, actors/actresses in roles, dvd releases to keep a lookout for, which movie won in the box office over the weekend, etc! Are you ready for your weekly update? Here it is!
This Just In!!…
#1- “The Weekend Winner.” Last weekend, Captain America: The Winter Soldier entered the box office arena as the sole new wide release to battle for top honors. Cap vs. Noah…and Cap won by a landslide and broke a record for an April box office opening (beating out Fast Five‘s record of $86.2 million). In additional box office news, Mr. Peabody & Sherman passed the $100 million mark for total gross but still falls short (domestically) of its $145 million budget. All 3 releases from the previous week (Noah, Sabotage, Cesar Chavez) fell by over 61% in their earnings in their second weekend, while 300: Rise of an Empire got booted out of the Top Ten.
Here are the weekend’s estimated results for Fri, Apr 4-Sun, Apr 6:
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier ~$96.2M
- Noah ~$17M
- Divergent ~$13M
- God’s Not Dead ~$7.7M
- The Grand Budapest Hotel ~$6.3M
- Muppets Most Wanted ~$6.28M
- Mr. Peabody & Sherman ~$5.3M
- Sabotage (2014) ~$1.9M
- Need for Speed ~$1.8M
- Non-Stop ~$1.8M
*Actuals may vary as earnings are updated much later on Monday afternoons. For updates, visit boxofficemojo.com.
Congratulations to Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. (My review)
What did YOU watch this weekend?
#2- “Goodbye, Mickey Rooney.” Sadly, the world lost a Hollywood icon yesterday as actor Mickey Rooney passed away at the age of 93. Having reportedly been ill for a lengthy period, Rooney succumbed to his ailments and, while specific cause of death has not been 100% verified, it is being reported as “natural causes.”
Known for his great skill in comedic delivery, Rooney received four Academy Award nominations, an honorary award in 1983 for his 50 years of memorable variety of film performances, and was the first teenager to win the Juvenile Academy Award (1939) shared with Deanna Durbin for his part in a silent film entitled Not to be Trusted.
Through the decades, Rooney made generations laugh and enjoy his movies from films such as Night at the Museum (2006) to It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) to Boys Town (1938) and more. Here are a few of my favorites of Rooney’s great career:
- Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936)
- Captains Courageous (1937)
- Boys Town (1938)
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939)
- National Velvet (1944)
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
- Pete’s Dragon (1977)
- The Black Stallion (1979)
- The Fox and the Hound (1981)
- Night at the Museum (2006)
This legendary actor is survived by his eighth wife, Jan Chamberlin, and a wonderful amount of family. RIP, Mickey Rooney.
What are some of your favorite roles of Mickey Rooney?
#3- “Goonies won’t die…they ‘Never Say Die.’“ Last week the news hit the web that director of the classic, The Goonies, Richard Donner stated that The Goonies II may finally be happening. TMZ caught up with Donner and he solicited the information himself. Check it out:
The story of The Goonies (1985) was written by Steven Spielberg and the film starred Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman and more. It will be interesting to see what they pull together for the sequel…30 years later.
The Goonies trailer:
Richard Donner also directed Superman (and a cut of Superman II), Lethal Weapon, Scrooged, The Omen, Maverick, Conspiracy Theory, Timeline and more. Look for more news on The Goonies II as time continues.
Do you want a this sequel? Who is your favorite of the Goonies?
#4- “Bond 24 Eyes Ejiofor.” With Bond 24 slated to begin production shortly, expect to see a ton of rumors and announcements over the next several months. The latest being that Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is being considered for the role of the villain in the next Bond flick. To follow in the footsteps of Javier Bardem’s amazing performance as the memorable villain of Skyfall is no lighthearted thing, but the acceptance of this idea on the web has been overwhelmingly positive.
Fan art. Click photo for source…and MORE!
The addition of Ejiofor brings another solid actor to the franchise. Ejiofor’s experience includes 12 Years a Slave, American Gangster, Children of Men, The Inside Man, the STARZ original series Dancing on the Edge, Serenity, Amistad and more.
No word, yet, on the official plot or additional casting for the film (i.e. the Bond girls), but director Sam Mendes did a great job with Skyfall and will do so with the next one that is scheduled to release on November 5, 2015 and star Daniel Craig, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and more.
Thoughts on the strong casting consideration?
#5- “This Week’s Blu-ray release.” This week, look for the following films on Blu-ray to possibly add to your collection:
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug- The continuation of Jackson’s telling of J.R.R. Tolkein’s beloved The Hobbit finally hits blu ray. This sequel, which I referred to as the “Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy” was very well done visually and entertainingly and was a welcome improvement upon the first installment. Starring Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Sir Ian McKellen and more, don’t miss this journey’s continuation. (My full review HERE)
Several other films also release this week. Check it out!
Also releasing:
- August Osage County
- Grudge Match
- Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
- Nurse 3D
- …and more.
Which will you pick up?
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Well, that’s it for this round of “Movie News Monday!”
Thanks for reading! Happy Watching!
-T, The Focused Filmographer
up next: “Time to Vote Tuesday!”
