Big Gay Picture Show

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema and more

Taking a look at the world of film through gay eyes - news, reviews, trailers, gay film, queer cinema & more

Looper (Blu-ray)

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Time travel is a tough nut to crack. It’s an idea that’s full of possibilities but it also has major pitfalls, not least of which are the endless paradoxes and logic knots that time travel films can tie themselves up in. Although Looper doesn’t completely resolve these problems, its gets closer than any film since Twelve Monkeys and presents a reality that’s actually pretty close to how some quantum physicists think time travel could actually work.

Indeed as Twelve Monkeys and Looper both feature Bruce Willis, perhaps all prospective time travel movies need to be given the Brucey seal of approval before they go into production. [Read more…]

Paranormal Activity 4 Soft But Still Tops US Box Office

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While each of the previous Paranormal Activity movies has opened stronger than the last, Paranormal Activity 4 broke that streak with a soft $30 million debut. It will still be an incredibly profitable film, as it only cost $5 million to make, but it’s certainly a dip from part 3’s $52.6 million.

However Paranount can console itself with the fact that elsewhere in the world the movie has opened stronger than the last film. That said, with dodgy reviews and apparently soft word of mouth, it may not hold up stunningly well in the rup up to Halloween.

Although it’s a rather made up record, Warner is trumpeting that Argo has had the best hold of any live action movie ever released outside the November and December holiday window, dropping just 15% from its debut. It added another $16.3 million, suggesting amazing word of mouth.

Other than PA4, the only other new movie to hit the top 10 was the Tyler Perry starrer Alex Cross, which opened to a disappointing $11.75 million. Despite a marketing campaign that tried to sell the film outside Perry’s core African American audience, trying to lure in James Patterson fans, 74% of the those buying tickets were black. It’s not a great start and is likely to nix plans that were already in motion for a sequel.

Here’s the US top 10 for October 19th-21st.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Paranormal Activity 4 $30.2 $30.2
2 Argo $16.6 $43.1
3 Hotel Transylvania $13.5 $119.0
4 Taken 2 $13.4 $105.9
5 Alex Cross $11.7 $11.7
6 Sinister $9.0 $31.9
7 Here Comes The Boom $8.5 $23.2
8 Pitch Perfect $7.0 $45.7
9 Frankenweenie $4.4 $28.3
10 Looper $4.2 $57.8
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Taken 2 Stays Top Of US Box Office, Just Ahead Of Argo & Sinister

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Taken 2 has topped the US box office for a second week running, taking another $22.5 million to take it total to $86 million after 10 days. While the holdover stayed top, Ben Affleck’s Argo was a strong second, outpacing many people’s expectations by taking $20 million to place second on the charts. It also got a very good reaction from audiences, suggesting it should have a good run at cinemas.

Sinister placed third with a good but not amazing $18 million. As it only cost $3 million to make, it’ll be very profitable, even if it’s now unlikely to reach true horror heights.

Here Comes The Boom did less well, marking a low point for Kevin James as a leading man with $12 million to place fifth. Although not a disaster, it’s less than Sony had hoped. Seven Psychopaths did even less well, taking just $4.2 million to place ninth. Although it was showing on fewer screens than many other releases, its per screen average still wasn’t great.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of October 12th-14th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Taken 2 $22.5 $86.7
2 Argo $20.1 $20.1
3 Sinister $18.2 $18.2
4 Hotel Transylvania $17.3 $102.1
5 Here Comes The Boom $12.0 $12.0
6 Pitch Perfect $9.3 $36.0
7 Frankenweenie $7.0 $22.0
8 Looper $6.3 $51.2
9 Seven Psychopaths $4.2 $4.2
10 The Perks Of Being A Wallflower $2.1 $6.1
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Hotel Transylvania Takes September Record At US Box Office

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Sony execs will be smiling today, as while September is usually seen as a bad time to release family films in the US, Hotel Transylvania took a strong $43 million, which isn’t just good for an original animated movie, but is actually the biggest weekend gross any movie has ever taken in September. Indeed the month is normally such a slow time the previous record holder was Sweet Home Alabama, which took $35.6 million on its opening in 2002.

Looper also did well thanks to lots of buzz and great reviews, taking $21 million in its first three days. Although that may not seem a lot for a sci-fi film, it’s actually very good for the sort of cerebral sci-fi the movie deals in. Word of mouth should also ensure it has a long run.

The real overperformer was Pitch Perfect, which may have only reached number six on the chart and $5.2 million, but it did so on only 335 screens, giving it the highest per-screen average of the weekend. It bodes well as the Anna Kendrick movie expands onto more screens over the next few weeks.

The final new entry is Won’t Back Down, which rather flopped as despite the Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis movie opening on 2,550 screens, it took just $2.7 million. That’s the second worst opening ever for a film opening on more than 2,500 screens (indeed many have wondered why it got such a big screen count, considering the minimal marketing push).

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of September 28th-30th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Hotel Transylvania $43.0 $43.0
2 Looper $21.2 $21.2
3 End Of Watch $8.0 $26.1
4 Trouble With The Curve $7.5 $23.7
5 House At The End Of The Street $7.1 $22.2
6 Pitch Perfect $5.2 $5.2
7 Finding Nemo (3D) $4.0 $36.4
8 Resident Evil: Retribution $3.0 $38.7
9 The Master $2.7 $9.6
10 Won’t Back Down $2.7 $2.7
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New Looper US Trailer Hits

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Just yesterday we posted a new UK trailer for Looper, and now a fresh US one has arrived, giving a different and yet still very exicting look a the time-travel movie. In the film Joe (Jospeh Gordon Levitt) works as a looper, a futuristic assassin who receives and eliminates targets sent back in time by a criminal organisation. The only rule is that you do not let your target escape – even if that target is you. Looper stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Emily Blunt and is released on September 28.

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Looper Trailer – Loads more plot in the UK promo for the Gordon-Levitt & Willis flick

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While we had a trailer for Looper a few weeks ago, it was a bit light on plot. However that’s been remedied with the new UK promo, which gives a much better sense of Rian Johnson’s time travel move. Joe (Jospeh Gordon Levitt) works as a looper, a futuristic assassin who receives and eliminates targets sent back in time by a criminal organisation. The only rule is that you do not let your target escape – even if that target is you. Looper stars Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Emily Blunt and is released on September 28.

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Looper Trailer – Joseph Gordon-Levitt needs to kill his future self!

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I think it’s fair to say the quandary Joseph Gordon-Levitt faces in Looper is one few people have had to deal with – what if you job was to kill people sent to you from the future (so there’s no evidence of the crime), but you’re suddenly sent your own future self (Bruce Sillis) to murder? Hmm, toughy. That’s the basic set-up of Looper, which promises to be a truly intriguing pic, reteaming Gordon-Levitt with Brick helmer Rian Johnson. After a few days of teases, the trailer is finally here! The film’s due in cinemas on September 28th.

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Looper Trailer Tease – First look at the Joseph-Gordon Levitt time travel movie

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I have to say I’m not a big fan of the person who invented the new phenomenon of trailers for trailers, but it’s becoming an ever more popular way to build early hype. It’s now spreading beyond the big budget blockbuster type movies to the likes of Looper, which is hoping that by releasing a trailer tease, it’ll suggest people should be as excited about it as they are an event movie. The time travel movie follows a hitman, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is sent victims from the future so that he can kill them in the past, and then there’s absolutely no trace of the crime in the present. When the hitman’s older self (Bruce Willis) arrives with orders to be killed, things get difficult. The film reteams Gordon-Levitt with Brick director Rian Johnson and is currently set for UK release on September 12th. A full trailer should arrive later this week.

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First Pics Of Joseph Gordon-Levitt In Looper

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Rian Johnson made a big splash in movie circles with Brick, although his follow-up, The Brothers Bloom, failed to excite the same attention. However he’s now reteaming with Brick’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt for the time-travel thriller, Looper, and the first images from the actor in movie have now shown up online.

The time travel movie follows a hitman, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is sent victims from the future so that he can kill them in the past, and then there’s absolutely no trace of the crime in the present. When the hitman’s older self (Bruce Willis) arrives with orders to be killed, things get difficult. To be honest, you’d have thought they’d have found another hitman, as asking someone to kill themselves is a bit of a big ask (although Joe’s victims are normally sent hooded, so he doesn’t known who he’s killing).

The film’s currently due out September 12th in the UK, but take a look at the new pics above and below.

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