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Elizabeth (1998)
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Branson to Launch Animation Studio
6 January 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Richard Branson, whose scattered businesses include records, air and train travel, and mobile phones, announced today (Friday) that he is launching an animated film company, Virgin Animation, that will produce films primarily aimed at the Asian market. Sharad Devarajan, was named CEO of Virgin Animation. (Devarajan is also listed as the CEO of Gotham Comics, which publishes comic books in Asia employing content from leading U.S. comic-book companies, including DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and MAD Magazine.) Devarajan said that Virgin Animation is teaming with director Shekhar Kapur (Bandit Queen, Elizabeth, Four Feathers) and film producer Gotham Chopra (Bulletproof Monk) to help "start a creative renaissance in India." The company will be based in Bangalore, India's high-tech capital.
Uproar Over Firing of Teacher Who Showed R-Rated Film
16 November 2005 (StudioBriefing)
The screening of an Oscar-nominated movie about the life of Queen Elizabeth I to students in an advanced class on British literature has resulted in the forced resignation of an admired teacher in the Atlanta suburb of South Gwinnett. On Tuesday, students in Ed Youngblood's class mounted a protest. "If 'First comes learning' is true, why do you get rid of the guy who holds that motto the best?" one senior in the class told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A spokeswoman for the Gwinnett County Public Schools told reporters that Youngblood chose to resign after he was told that an investigation had begun into the screening of the R-rated film, 1998's Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett in the title role. "Mr. Youngblood did not ask for a local review of the film prior to showing it, nor did he allow parents the option of opting their students out of the viewing," she told the Gwinnett Daily Post. Youngblood, who had taught at the school for 37 years, said that he was given five minutes to choose between resigning or being fired. "I didn't think about it being R-rated," Youngblood said. "It's such a good movie." (Besides receiving seven Oscar nominations, including best picture, Elizabeth also won the BAFTA award for best British Film, a best actress award for Blanchett and a supporting-actor award for Geoffrey Rush.)
Blanchett Suggests She's Snubbing 'Elizabeth' Sequel
2 September 2005 (WENN)
Cate Blanchett is leaving fans guessing about her regal return as British queen Elizabeth I after insisting industry reports about a sequel to the hit 1998 movie Elizabeth are untrue. The actress has reportedly signed up to play the flame-haired queen in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, but comments she made yesterday in Australia's Herald Sun might give producers pause for thought. She says, "I'm really good friends with Shekhar Kapur (director) and he's forever saying he's going to do this movie or that movie and I think there was talk about it. There's so much there if it were to happen, but my initial instinct is, why (make it)?" Hollywood's top trade magazines report the sequel would co-star Geoffrey Rush and Clive Owen and start shooting in April.
Kapur Makes Blanchett Queen Again
4 June 2004 (WENN)
Indian director Shekhar Kapur is ecstatic about his plans for a sequel to Elizabeth with Hollywood beauty Cate Blanchett reprising her Oscar- nominated role as the virgin Queen of Britain. The film's makers are using the working title Golden Age for the movie which focuses on the middle years of the controversial royal's reign - she sat on the throne from 1558 - 1603. The 58-year-old legend says, "It is about the battle between Elizabeth's life as a monarch and her personal life. It ends in the destruction of the Spanish Armada on the larger level when the English navy defeated the Spanish invasion fleet in the English Channel in 1588." A start date has yet to be set because of the commitments of director and star - according to British film magazine Empire.
Blanchett: Oscar Nomination Hindered Career
24 June 2003 (WENN)
Cate Blanchett's Best Actress Oscar nomination failed to boost her career - because producers just wanted her to repeat her celebrated role in Elizabeth. The Australian star found that, contrary to expectations, an Academy Award nomination 1998 actually hindered her desire to play a wide variety of roles. She explains, "Just because one is nominated for an Academy Award doesn't mean that everything changes. The offers I had after Elizabeth were to do the same thing again, and I wasn't interested in doing that. I wanted to reclaim or to claim the space to actually keep working. I'm in it for the long haul and not for the short-term benefits, and I've been lucky enough always to do work that interests me."
Desperately Seeking Cate Blanchett
9 June 2003 (WENN)
Antipodean movie star Cate Blanchett is proving a tricky customer for officials from her native country - they can't find her to give her an award. The Elizabeth actress - currently residing in North London, England - has been nominated for an honorary award marking noteworthy Australians by the country's government. But despite the authorities saying they have sent her numerous letters about this honor, her agents insist she knows nothing about it. Cabinet official Paul O'Neill laments, "You go through the agents and hope they pass the letter on. They probably see it as just another letter from a fan." However, Cate's Sydney agent Jillian Bowen says, "If they contacted me I would email her about it straightaway but I haven't seen anything. She would obviously think it is a great honor."
Freeman Set to Play Mandela
9 January 2003 (WENN)
Hollywood star Morgan Freeman is set to play celebrated former South African president Nelson Mandela in a new biopic. The Shawshank Redemption star was invited to play the coveted part by director Shekhar Kapur who has been developing the project for years. Elizabeth director Kapur says, "Mandela is a spiritual hero like Mahatma Gandhi. Mandela did not have to fight a bloody battle to win. I am delighted Morgan has accepted the role. He is ideal." Freeman, who has been Oscar nominated three times, has struck up a friendship with heroic Mandela and the pair have an agreement to meet up every time they are within 1,000 miles of each other. And Mandela has agreed to speak frankly to the star about his life and work. Freeman, 65, says, "I am honored, and completely terrified that I won't live up to the job of realistically representing this great man. But it is a role I feel I cannot turn down. It is an honor."
Cate Won't Quit The Movies
26 November 2001 (WENN)
Screen beauty Cate Blanchett has hit out at reports that she is to quit acting because she is pregnant. The Elizabeth star and her husband Andrew Upton are expecting their first child early next year. And Cate put back the filming of the new Joel Schumacher movie Chasing The Dragon in Dublin because of it. She says, "It's just a sexist notion that of course a woman's career ends once her body changes and she gives birth to a child. Andrew and I have to bring a child into this world, which is pretty major. But I'm not about to abandon my career." But Cate is planning on a break to enjoy her new baby - especially since her maternal instincts are already starting to surface. She reveals, "I've been waking up at 2am and tidying the kitchen. Life is about to change with bringing a baby into the world."
Subject Of Award-Winning Film Is Assassinated
26 July 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Phoolan Devi, the subject of director Shekhar Kapur's critically acclaimed 1994 film Bandit Queen, was assassinated outside her Delhi home Wednesday. Devi, a kind of female Robin Hood, had served time in prison for robbery from 1983 to 1994 and eventually became a member of the Indian parliament. Police said that she had just arrived home from parliament when three masked men jumped out of a car and began firing. In an interview with the London Times, Kapur, who won India's Filmfare award for best director in 1995 for Bandit Queen (and went on to direct 1998's Elizabeth), commented: "Just when it seemed she was finally getting her life together -- although no one who has been through the kind of things she has lived through can ever have a normal life -- it is sad that somebody has come and taken it away."
India Cracks Down On British Filmmaker
26 June 2001 (StudioBriefing)
The Indian government is reportedly cracking down on Britain's most powerful production company, Working Title Films, ordering at least one change in the script of a film being shot in the country and demanding that a government-appointed censor be present on the set at all times. According to the Singapore Straits newspaper, India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting informed Working Title that it must remove a reference to a nun in the film Guru of the City. It also listed ten other conditions, including the presence on set of a "liaison officer" -- at Working Title's expense -- to "ensure that nothing detrimental to the image of India or the Indian people will be shot or included in the film." Working Title, whose titles include Bridget Jones's Diary, Billy Elliot, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Elizabeth, Notting Hill, and the Coen Bros.' movies, is a division of Vivendi Universal.
British Film Company Going After Hollywood
2 May 2001 (StudioBriefing)
Britain's commercial Channel 4, whose FilmFour movie division has turned out such moderate low-budget hits as Trainspotting, The Crying Game and Elizabeth, announced Tuesday that it is altering its strategy and will begin producing more expensive films featuring major British and American stars. Channel 4 CEO Michael Jackson said Tuesday that the company is launching 4 Ventures Limited to attract investors in the company's film business. He said that it has already signed Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Andie MacDowell, Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris and Ian Holm for forthcoming projects, including the upcoming $22-million production of Charlotte Gray, based on the Sebastian Faulks novel and starring Blanchett and Crudup.
Morgan Freeman On Playing Nelson Mandela
31 July 2000 (WENN)
Actor Morgan Freeman admits he's surprised he was asked to play South African leader Nelson Mandela - because he doesn't care for politics. Freeman has signed up for the $45 million Gandhi (1982)-style epic about the former-president's life, to be directed by Elizabeth (1998) director Shekhar Kapur, after President Mandela asked for the Shawshank Redemption, The (1994) star himself. He says, "I didn't chose the film, it chose me. Mr. Mandela finished his book and said when it was published that if he had his choice, he'd chose me. I was flattered and honored. I'm not politically-minded really... Obviously I have attitudes and opinions, but I'm not really big on campaigns and soap boxes. I tend to be less direct, less confrontational."
Emily's Back On Track To Stardom
2 May 2000 (WENN)
British actress Emily Lloyd battled a crippling psychological disorder - but she's now back on the road to stardom. Emily who starred in the 1987 film Wish You Were Here (1987) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder after a trip to India. Now 29, Emily says, "It's all sorted now and my advice to anyone suffering from the same thing is - it does get better and having confidence in yourself does help... I needed a lot of time just to get away and deal with it. Counselling and some medication helped too but it's not something I want to dwell on because I think it's important to look to the future." With the future in mind Emily has got her eye on the kind of roles Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett get. She adds, "I'd love to do an Emma (1996) or an Elizabeth (1998). If somebody came up to me now and offered me a role like that, I'd jump at the chance."
Cate Blanchett Cooks Up A Bombay Dream
21 April 2000 (WENN)
Cate Blanchett has teamed up with Elizabeth (1998) director Shekhar Kapur to star in and co-produce a film version of BOMBAY DREAM. The Indian-born director is currently putting the finishing touches to a stage version of the musical, Bombay Dream, which he co-wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical will hit London's West End later this year. Blanchett, who has wanted to work with Kapur again since the filming of Oscar nominated Elizabeth (1998), is to turn her hand to producing, singing and acting in the tale of a native woman's struggle to survive in India. Kapur says, "Cate is going to co-produce and star in this film. She can sing and not many people know that about her... I believe we will start work on the project very soon... The film will be set in India and Cate will be playing a native."
Director Kapur Throws Down Gauntlet At Chief Indian Censor
18 August 1999 (StudioBriefing)
Director Shekhar Kapur has challenged the chairman of India's Central Board of Film Certification to a public debate over the board's demands that cuts be made in Kapur's award-winning film Elizabeth (1998). Kapur has spurned the demands and has been battling the board's chairman, Asha Parekh and her colleagues in the news media. In an open letter to Parekh, released today (Wednesday), Kapur accuses Parekh of being "ignorant, irresponsible, arrogant and arbitrary. ... I deliberately use such strong words because it is time for a public debate on the criteria by which persons are chosen and empowered to impose moral strictures on the people of India."
Kapur Slams Indian Censors Again
5 August 1999 (StudioBriefing)
Elizabeth (1998) director Shekhar Kapur has denounced as "horrifying" and "humiliating" a charge by India's chief censor that he is challenging the board's demands that three scenes in the film be cut in order to attract publicity. At a New Delhi news conference on Wednesday, attended also by Elizabeth costar Joseph Fiennes, Kapur said, "Why would I need publicity for a film which has already won sundry awards and grossed $100 million the world over? ... I am merely fighting because I believe no shot in the film is unimportant and every cut affects the film." Asked by a reporter why the film, which had been nominated for 7 Oscars, received only one minor award, Kapur, as reported in today's (Thursday) Times of India, replied: "The Oscars have become a financial consideration now. The whole business of an Oscar award increases the business prospects of the film by almost $ 100 million. There is so much at stake, so many pressures at work."
Director Responds To India's Chief Movie Censor
4 August 1999 (StudioBriefing)
Shekhar Kapur has responded indignantly to remarks by India's chief censor, Asha Parekh that the director is putting up a fight "over minor matters" in his film, Elizabeth (1998), that the Censor Board has deemed unsuitable. In an interview appearing in today's (Wednesday) Times of India, Kapur remarks. "There are a lot of other people, too, who are saying, 'Jaane bhi do, Shekhar!' ('Why bother, Shekhar!') 'Why must you bother about just three cuts? But all my life I have fought against this jaane-bhi-do attitude. Sometimes I have lost and sometimes I have won. But I have never given up." In the interview Kapur goes on to explain why he believes the cuts demanded by the board are not "minor matters." Responding to a demand that a scene showing a woman's bare breasts be removed, Kapur says that he recognizes that 5 percent of the audience might "whistle and pass comments ... simply because those people come only for entertainment. But What about the 95 percent of the audience which views films in a mature fashion?"
Director Refuses To Cut Film; Elizabeth Won't Run In India
2 August 1999 (StudioBriefing)
Director Shekhar Kapur has refused to cut scenes from his award-winning movie Elizabeth (1998) that the Indian censor board has deemed unacceptable. As a result the board has refused to allow the film to be distributed in the country. The board's decision came as Kapur and the film's stars, Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes, arrived in New Delhi to attend the Indian premiere of the film, which had been scheduled to take place this week. After the turn-down, the premiere was canceled.
India Demands Kapur Cut Scenes In Elizabeth
30 July 1999 (StudioBriefing)
India's official censor board, the Central Board of Film Certification, has refused to allow Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth (1998) to be shown in the country unless three scenes are edited, CNN reported from New Delhi on Thursday. The action raises the possibility that the film may not be released in Kapur's own country. One of the scenes that raised the ire of the censor boards, CNN indicated, shows a severed head on a stake.
Bafta Awards Go To Elizabeth, The Movie And The Actress
12 April 1999 (StudioBriefing)
It was an Elizabethan night at the 51st annual British Academy of Film and TV Arts (BAFTA) ceremonies Sunday night with five awards going to Elizabeth, the movie and a lifetime award going to Elizabeth, the actress. Cate Blanchett was named best actress for her role as the British monarch, winning over Gwyneth Paltrow, who took the best actress Oscar. The Australian beauty said later, "I really didn't expect the award. As the nominations were read out all I could think was that I needed the loo." Elizabeth also received the BAFTA award for best British film of 1998, while Shakespeare in Love (1998) was judged best picture overall. Roberto Benigni won the best actor award for Life Is Beautiful (1997). The man who had said that he had "used up" all his English at the Oscars, told the audience upon receiving the award that he was "filled with joy like a watermelon which is about to explode." The best director honor went to Peter Weir for Truman Show, The (1998). In accepting her BAFTA Fellowship Award, Elizabeth Taylor commented that she never thought she'd receive it because "I don't think of myself as an actress and I don't think any of you did." Backstage, she told reporters that she was no longer able to act because she is "uninsurable."
THE BAFTA WINNERS
Academy Fellowship: Elizabeth Taylor
Best Film: Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Best Director: Peter Weir, Truman Show, The (1998)
Best Original Screenplay: Andrew Niccol, Truman Show, The (1998)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Elaine May, Primary Colors (1998)
Best Actress: Kate Blanchett, Elizabeth (1998)
Best Actor: Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful (1997)
Best Supporting Actress: Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Best Film Score: David Hirschfelder, Elizabeth (1998)
Best British Newcomer: Richard Kwietniowski
Best Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin, Elizabeth (1998)
Best Production Design: Dennis Gassner, Truman Show, The (1998)
Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell, Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Best Editing: David Gamble, Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Best Sound: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Best Special Effects: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Best Makeup/Hair: Elizabeth (1998)
The Orange Audience Award: Two Smoking Barrels (1999)
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film: Elizabeth (1998)
Chicago Film Critics Split Vote
3 March 1999 (StudioBriefing)
Chicago film critics split their top awards Tuesday night, voting Saving Private Ryan (1998) best picture of the year but awarding Terrence Malick their best-director honor for Thin Red Line, The (1998). Accepting his award, Steven Spielberg expressed his esteem for Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel, who died last month. Spielberg said that Siskel and partner Roger Ebert had done "remarkable things" for motion pictures. The critics voted Ian McKellen their best actor award for his performance as Frankenstein director James Whale in Gods and Monsters (1998). Cate Blanchett won best actress honors for her performance in the title role of Elizabeth (1998).
Bafta Nominees Announced
2 March 1999 (StudioBriefing)
The British BAFTA awards ceremony will have a distinctly Elizabethan ring this year, judging from the slew of nominations for the films Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Elizabeth (1998) that were announced Monday. The former film received 15 nominations; the latter, 12. Geoffrey Rush received a best supporting actor nomination for both films. (In the biggest surprise, Ian McKellen, nominated for a best actor Oscar for Gods and Monsters (1998), did not receive a BAFTA nomination.) BAFTA chairman Tim Angel said, "I believe today's nominations are a true reflection of the state of the British film industry." The awards are scheduled to be announced at televised ceremonies in London on April 11.
Warner Finally Has A Hit
22 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
After being hitless in Burbank for far too long, Warner Bros. on Monday was cheered by word that its Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan reunion pic, You've Got Mail (1998), topped the weekend box office with $18.4 million -- more than the debut of Sleepless in Seattle (1993), which also starred Hanks and Ryan. In second place was DreamWorks' Prince of Egypt, The (1998) with $14.5 million, a disappointment, despite studio claims to the contrary, given the film's extraordinary cost. Disney/Pixar's Bug's Life, A (1998) was in third place with $10 million (aided by a new set of closing bloopers). Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) took a nosedive from first place during the previous weekend to fourth this weekend as it earned $8.3 million. Jack Frost (1998), another family film, was fifth with $5.1 million.
Final box-office results for the weekend as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. You've Got Mail (1998), Warner Bros., $18, 428, 000; 2. Prince of Egypt, The (1998), DreamWorks, $14, 523, 000; 3. Bug's Life, A (1998), Disney, $9, 988, 000; 4. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), Paramount, $8, 310, 000; 5. Jack Frost (1998), Warner Bros., $5, 107, 000; 6. Enemy of the State (1998), Disney, $4, 787, 000; 7. Waterboy, The (1998), Disney, $3, 141, 000; 8. Rugrats Movie, The (1998), Paramount, $2, 859, 000; 9. Psycho (1998), Universal, $1, 930, 000; 10. Elizabeth (1998), Gramercy, $931, 000.
Mckellen, Blanchett Win More Awards
22 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
Ian McKellen (Gods and Monsters (1998), Apt Pupil (1998)) and Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth (1998)) were named best actor and actress of 1998 Monday by the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. Steven Spielberg received the group's best director award for Saving Private Ryan (1998). Screenplay awards went to Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman for Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Scott A. Smith for Simple Plan, A (1998). The group said that its decision on best picture will be announced when the awards are handed out on Jan. 25.
There's Money In The Mail
21 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
The Christmas postal rush extended to You've Got Mail (1998) over the weekend as the film topped the box office in its debut with an estimated $18.7 million. In second place was DreamWorks' animated Prince of Egypt, The (1998), which earned a respectable but lower-than-expected $14.3 million. Entertainment analyst Art Rockwell told Bloomberg News Sunday that the movie would be "profitable but not the big hit they hoped for." (He also questioned the wisdom of releasing a film about Moses at Christmas time.) However, DreamWorks distribution chief Jim Tharp said that the studio was satisfied with the film's performance adding that the take was in line with the studio's projections. (Although the figure included a finger-to-the-wind guess for Sunday's attendance, it was difficult to determine how many church-going families might decide to take in the religious-themed film; final results will be released later today -- Monday). DreamWorks spokesperson Terry Press noted in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the film also had to compete against televised coverage of the impeachment vote on Saturday and that the studio would therefore "wait for people to be less distracted by factors that we couldn't possibly have known about." Meanwhile the Pixar/Disney animated feature, Bug's Life, A (1998) wound up its first full month of release with a take of $9.5 million, bringing its gross-to-date to $95.9 million and assuring it of membership in the $100-million club by the end of the week. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) descended at warp speed to fourth place -- it was No. 1 last weekend -- with $8.5 million, a 60-percent drop. The overall box office was down a whopping 22 percent from the comparable weekend last year, when Titanic (1997) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) opened.
The top-ten films at the box office, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. You've Got Mail (1998), $18.7-million; 2. Prince of Egypt, The (1998), $14.3-million; 3. Bug's Life, A (1998), $9.5-million; 4. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), $8.5-million; 5. Jack Frost (1998), $5-million; 6. Enemy of the State (1998), $4.4-million; 7. Rugrats Movie, The (1998), $3-million; 8. Waterboy, The (1998), $2.9-million; 9. Psycho (1998), $1.8-million; 10. Elizabeth (1998), $888, 000.
Shakespeare, Truman Lead Golden Globe Nominees
17 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
The 92 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., generally considered to be stalking horses for Oscar voters, picked Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Truman Show, The (1998) for nominations in six Golden Globe categories today (Thursday). Saving Private Ryan (1998) was selected in three. Terrence Malick's Thin Red Line, The (1998), which is expected to pick up numerous awards from critics groups and the motion picture academy, was completely ignored by the foreign press group. Two other critical favorites, Gary Ross's Pleasantville (1998) and Todd Solondz' Happiness (1998), were also overlooked, the latter garnering a single nomination for best screenplay and the former running out of the money. The Golden Globe awards are scheduled to be presented on Jan. 24.
Best Golden Globe drama nominees were:
Elizabeth (1998), Gods and Monsters (1998), Horse Whisperer, The (1998), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Truman Show, The (1998).
Best comedy/musical nominees were:
Bulworth (1998), Mask of Zorro, The (1998), Patch Adams (1998), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Still Crazy (1998), There's Something About Mary (1998).
Going Where Many Have Gone Before
14 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
Star Trek loyalists launched the ninth theatrical episode, Insurrection, to the top of the box-office winners list over the weekend, as they spent an estimated $22.4 million to see the film despite mostly mediocre reviews. That figure paled in comparison with the $31 million garnered by its predecessor, First Contact in 1996, but it was substantially higher than other forerunners. Paramount spokesman Rob Friedman told today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times that the feature should do well because of the lack of features aimed at the male audience being released over the holiday period. Robert Bucksbaum, president of Reel Source Inc., told Bloomberg News that the film will easily show a big profit for Paramount, "because the movie cost so little to make, particularly for a sci-fi film." The only other film to open wide over the weekend was Warner's Jack Frost (1998), which earned just $7 million. The poorly reviewed family film melted as it faced three others in the same category, Disney/Pixar's Bug's Life, A (1998), Paramount's Rugrats Movie, The (1998) and Universal's Babe: Pig in the City (1998). Compounding Universal's recent frustrations, its remake of Psycho (1998) took in only $3.8 million in its second weekend and now looks to take in domestically no more than the $20 million to $25 million that it reportedly cost to make.
The top ten films according to estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), $22.4 million; 2. Bug's Life, A (1998), $11 million; 3. Jack Frost (1998), $7 million; 4. Enemy of the State (1998), $6.6 million; 5. Rugrats Movie, The (1998), $4.5 million; 6. Waterboy, The (1998), $4.3 million (upping its total, after six weeks, to $136.5 million); 7. _Psycho (1998), $3.8 million; 8. Babe: Pig in the City (1998), $1.8 million; 9. Meet Joe Black (1998), $1.6 million; 10. Elizabeth (1998), $1.3 million.
Gods Wins First 1998 Best Film Award
9 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
Surprising many in the industry, the National Board of Review, which traditionally hands out the year's first movie awards, has selected Bill Condon's Gods and Monsters (1998) as the best film of 1998. The $3-million film, a fictional account of the last days of James Whale, the director known primarily for his 1930s horror films including Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), beat out nine other nominees, including the favorite, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998). In addition, Ian McKellen, who portrays Whale in the film, was named best actor. Fernanda Montenegro was voted best actress for the Brazilian film, Central Station (1998), which was also voted the top foreign-language film. Shekhar Kapur was named best director for Elizabeth (1998).
Bug's Has A Picnic
8 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
During a traditional slow weekend at the nation's theaters, the second week of Disney's Bug's Life, A (1998) was the only source of real life, as it garnered $17.2 million, much of it from children's half-price admissions, and helped lift total box-office receipts more than 45 percent above those for the comparable weekend a year ago to $64 million. Universal's Psycho (1998) produced an all-right $10 million for second place.
The top ten films for the weekend, according to final figures provided by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Bug's Life, A (1998), Buena Vista, $17, 174, 218; 2. Psycho (1998), Universal, $10, 031, 850; 3. Enemy of the State (1998), Buena Vista, $9, 668, 783; 4. Rugrats Movie, The (1998), Paramount, $7, 632, 293; 5. Waterboy, The (1998), Buena Vista, $6, 511, 707; 6. Meet Joe Black (1998), Universal, $2, 417, 780; 7. Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Universal, $2, 375, 065; 8. Elizabeth (1998), Gramercy, $1, 954, 089; 9. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Sony, $1, 732, 855; 10. Home Fries (1998), Warner Bros., $1, 725, 359.
Box Office Goes Bugs Again
7 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
Disney/Pixar's Bug's Life, A (1998) topped the box office for the second weekend in a row with $17.4 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday, bringing its total to $69 million. Drake & Co. entertainment analyst Art Rockwell told Bloomberg News Sunday: "Clearly they Disney and Pixar have to be very happy with Bugs Life. It's succeeded quite well. ... I'm not sure it's going to do as well as Toy Story (1995), but in initial release, it'll do more." In second place was Gus Van Sant's remake of Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), which earned an estimated $10.5 million, seeming to guarantee that the film, which cost about $20 million to make, will turn a profit, good news for Universal, which has witnessed a recent series of expensive duds. Nevertheless, the film's staying power is likely to be weak -- if the box-office pattern holds. Receipts on Saturday and Sunday for Psycho (1998) were already off from Friday, according to Exhibitor Relations. (Also, see reviews below.)
The top ten films according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Bug's Life, A (1998), $17.4 million; 2. Psycho (1998), $10.5 million; 3. Enemy of the State (1998), $9.5 million; 4. Rugrats Movie, The (1998), $8 million; 5. Waterboy, The (1998), $6.6 million; 6. Babe: Pig in the City (1998) and Meet Joe Black (1998), $2.4 million (tie); 8. Home Fries (1998) and Elizabeth (1998), $2 million (tie); 10. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), $1.8 million.
By Jimminy, The Bugs' Dream Comes True
1 December 1998 (StudioBriefing)
Although the final 5-day tally for Disney/Pixar's Bug's Life, A (1998) wound up nearly a million dollars below the studio's weekend estimate, its $45.7 million gross nevertheless broke the $45.1-million record set by Disney's 101 Dalmatians during the Thanksgiving weekend of 1996. Paramount's Rugrats Movie, The (1998) also performed surprisingly well in its second week -- even against the Disney competition. It earned $27.4 million, bringing its 10-day total to $57.9 million.