• ALL
  • NEWS
    • GAY MOVIE/ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
    • GAY FILM TRAILERS
    • GENERAL MOVIE NEWS & TRAILERS
  • GAY SHORTS & SERIES
  • REVIEWS
    • GAY FILM REVIEWS
    • CINEMA REVIEWS
    • DVD & BLU-RAY REVIEWS
  • BGPS BLOG
  • COMPS
  • ABOUT
    • Contact Us
    • Join The Team
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Gays On Film – A Short History

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

ParaNorman’s Chris Butler Talks About Creating The First Gay Character In Mainstream Animation

February 2, 2013 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

paranorman-slideAlthough it’s only a brief joke at the end of the movie, Paranorman has been praised in many circles for bringing us what’s believed to be the first gay character in mainstream animation. Now screenwriter/co-director Chris Butler (who’s gay himself) has been talking to AfterElton about the movie and its gay character.

When asked about why he decided to reveal at the end that buff jock Mitch is gay, Butler says, “There are very good reasons why it was left to the end. The main thing being that the most important theme in the movie is about not judging a book by its cover. In fact, it’s a literal plot element in the movie. There is a book that’s judged! I wanted to make every character in the movie guilty of judging someone else, usually misjudging. That’s all of the characters, the good ones, the bad ones. It’s every character. They all look at someone else, think they know who they are without getting into a conversation with them, and judges them. I wanted to make the audience complicit in that. It’s not just Mitch; there are plenty of stereotypes that are presented in this movie. As soon as you see anything, you think, “I know that character. I’ve seen this before.” That was the fun thing for me. It was saying, “Yes, you’re watching this movie where all these people are learning not to judge each other, but hopefully you are too.” This stereotypically macho jock who you’ve seen in every teen slasher movie, you think he’s straight and he’s going to get the girl. But you don’t know him! You don’t know who he is. That was important to leave for the end. Plus, I thought it was a funny joke.”

chris-butler-paranormanBut was there any resistance from the studio about including a gay character in a family film? “Honestly? I never had any resistance from the studio,” Butler says, “That’s what’s really special about Laika [ParaNorman‘s animation studio]. I don’t think there’s any kind of agenda going on, but I think that Laika is brave and wants to create movies, tell stories that maybe no one else is doing right now. I think it’s them a really exciting place. That’s not to say — we did Coraline, and while that broke many of the formulaic boundaries of kids’ movies and in some ways it’s more terrifying than ParaNorman — but that’s not to say what we’re all about. What it says is that Laika is bold and willing to go there. There are plenty of things being developed at the studio that are really exciting because the other studios aren’t making them. They’re not the creepy-movie-for-kids studio. We are maybe the studio that is taking more chances creatively and that is exciting.”

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
DIRECTORS: Christ Butler  FILMS: Paranorman  

End Of Watch & House At The End Of The Street Tie At Top Of US Box office

September 24, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Normally by Monday morning, we know which movie has topped the chart over the weekend, but not so today, as there are three movies which could end up on top when final figures are released later on. Based on estimates, both End Of Watch and House At The End Of The Street took $13 million, while Trouble With The Curve was close behind with $12.7. There’s a chance any of those movie could end up at number one when final figures are tallied.

None of them can be described as a breakout hit, although End Of Watch and Trouble With The Curve certainly won’t be disappointed, as many had wondered whether they’d struggle more than they have.

Dredd however came to earth with a thud, taking $6 million to place sixth on the chart. While the film has had good reviews, it doesn’t seem to have struck a chord with American audiences, which is a shame.

The Master also made its first appearance in the top 10, after breaking records in extremely limited release last week. The film took $5 million as it expanded from five to 788 screens. With ecstatic reviews, it should continue to play well over the next few weeks.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 (based on estimates) for the weekend of September 21st-23rd.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 End Of Watch $13.0 $13.0
2 House At The End Of The Street $13.0 $13.0
3 Trouble With The Curve $12.7 $12.7
4 Finding Nemo (3D) $9.4 $29.9
5 Resident Evil: Retribution $6.7 $33.4
6 Dredd $6.3 $6.3
7 The Master $5.0 $6.0
8 The Possession $2.8 $45.6
9 Lawless $2.3 $34.5
10 Paranorman $2.2 $52.5
CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: End Of Watch, House At The End Of The Street, Trouble With The Curve, Finding Nemo, Resident Evil: Retribution, Dredd, The Master, The Possession, Lawless, Paranorman  

Resident Evil 5 Tops The US Box Office

September 17, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

It was yet another slow weekend at the US box office, allowing Resident Evil Retribution to top the chart with a decent but not particularly amazing $21 million. That’s lower than the previous three films, although slightly higher than the original (but if inflation and 3D premiums are taken into account, it sold fewer tickets). However as it grossed around $60 million in international territories, it’s still going to be judged a success and makes Resident Evil 6 more likely.

The only other new entry in the top 10 (or technically re-entry) was the 3D re-issue of Finding Nemo, which took $17 million to place second on the chart. It’s less than what The Lion King took when it got an extra dimension, but about on par with Beauty & The Beast.

However it was outside the top 10 that the most interesting news happened. The Master only made it to number 18 on the list, but its $730,000 in only five cinemas is the highest per average screen take ever for a live action movie with $146,000 per screen (topping Moonrise Kingdom’s $130,000 earlier this year). It bodes very well for its expansion onto 600 screens this Friday.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10, for the weekend of September 14th-16th 2012.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 Resident Evil: Retribution $21.1 $21.1
2 Finding Nemo (3D) $17.5 $17.5
3 The Possession $5.8 $41.1
4 Lawless $4.2 $30.1
5 Paranorman $3.0 $49.3
6 The Expendables 2 $3.0 $80.2
7 The Words $2.8 $9.1
8 The Bourne Legacy $2.8 $107.8
9 The Odd Life Of Timothy Green $2.5 $46.2
10 The Campaign $2.4 $82.8
CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: Resident Evil: Retibution, Finding Nemo, The Possession, Lawless, Paranorman, The Expendables 2, The Words, The Bourne Legacy, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, The Campaign  

The Possession Stays Top Of The US Box Office On Worst Weekend For Years

September 10, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

There’ll be some glum faced in Hollywood this week, with news that on the international market, box office is down about 20% compared to where it was this time last year (that’s more than a billion dollars less), and the US has seen its worse weekend for years. It’s the first time since 2008 that a movie has managed to hit the top spot with less than $10 million, with some sources suggesting that overall it’s the worst three-day total since 2001.

The Possession stayed top of the chart with just $9.5 million. The movie is doing okay for a mid-range horror flick, but on a normal weekend it would be at fourth or fifth place on the chart, rather than top.

Things weren’t helped by the new openers tanking badly, with the Bradley Cooper and Rober De Niro drama/thriller The Words taking just five million – which on many weekends wouln’t even put it in the top 10, but actually made it to number three.

The Cold Light Of Day truly flopped, taking just $1.8 million to place 13th. To be honest, that’s probably oddly good news for its star, Henry Cavill, as it means most people will have forgotten about its existence by the time Man Of Steel flies into cinemas next year.

Although early September is always a slack time as Hollywood transitions from their summer to autumn releases, but the weakness at the box office is pretty dreadful at the moment. Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend September 7th-9th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 The Possession $9.5 $33.3
2 Lawless $6.0 $23.5
3 The Words $5.0 $5.0
4 The Expendables 2 $4.7 $75.4
5 The Bourne Legacy $4.0 $103.7
6 Paranorman $3.8 $45.0
7 The Odd Life Of Timothy Green $3.6 $43.0
8 The Campaign $3.5 $79.4
9 The Dark Knight Rises $3.2 $437.8
10 2016 Obama’s America $3.0 $26.0
CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: The Possession, Lawless, The Words, The Expendables 2, The Bourne Legacy, Paranorman, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, The Campaign, 2016: Obama's America  

The Possession Tops Labor Day US Box Office

September 4, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Normally holiday weekends are when studios roll out some of their biggest movies, but Labor Day is pretty much the stepchild of these occasions, as the fact some States don’t recognise it and that it comes just before kids go back to school, mean it isn’t seen as a good time to bring out big movies.

It means that The Possession, which took $21.3 million over the four-day weekend, is the second-biggest Labor Day total ever. It’s an okay but not stunning start for the Sam Raimi produced horror movie, but as mentioned, it’s good for a Labor Day weekend.

The only other new opener in the top 10 was Lawless, which took second spot with $13.0 million over the weekend, and $15 million since it opened in the middle of last week. It’s not a particularly brilliant start considering the cast (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy etc.) and good reviews, but period movies often have difficulty getting a foothold. However if word of mouth is good, it’ll hopefully hold up over the coming weeks.

Perhaps the biggest box office news came at the other end of the chart, where the children’s movie Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure (a Tweenies/Teletubbies style endeavour with people in big foam suits), earned an abysmal $445,000. That’s the worst opening ever for a movie opening on over 2,000 screens, and the second worst per screen average ever for a nationwide release. It’s been estimated that on average, there were less than two people per screening.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of August 31st-September 3rd.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 The Possession $21.3 $21.3
2 Lawless $13.0 $15.1
3 The Expendables 2 $11.2 $68.5
4 The Bourne Legacy $9,3 $98.3
5 Paranorman $8.8 $40.3
6 The Odd Life Of Timothy Green $8.5 $38.8
7 The Dark Knight Rises $7.9 $433.2
8 2016 Obama’s American $7.0 $20.1
9 The Campaign $7.0 $74.5
10 Hope Springs $6.0 $53.3
CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: The Possession, Lawless, The Expendables 2, The Bourne Legacy, Paranorman, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, 2016: Obama's America, The Campaign, Hope Springs  

Expendables 2 Stays Top Of US Box Office

August 27, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

There’s been little cheer at the US box office, due to what was easily the lowest grossing weekend of 2012 so far. The problem was that the holdovers weren’t that strong, while the new entries barely made a dent. The Expendables 2 stayed top of the list with $13.5 million, a 53% drop on its first weekend takings, so that it’s now noticeably trailing the take of the first film in the franchise.

The top new entry could only place seventh on the list, with the Joseph Gordon Levitt action flick Premium Rush taking just $6.3 million. It’s a very weak start and some are blaming a rather lacklustre marketing campaign, as the film has had pretty good reviews and many believe that with the right push it could have done a lot better.

After expanding onto 1,091 screens, the documentary 2016 Obama’s America made its first appearance in the top 10 in eighth place, taking $6.2 million. It’s now the highest grossing documentary of the year and the highest ever for a political doc that takes a conservative viewpoint – in case you were wondering, the film doesn’t think America will be in a good place in 2016 if Obama gets elected for a second term.

The only other new entry in the top 10 is the Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell and Bradley Cooper comedy Hit & Run, which took a lowly $4.6 million. The only redeeming factor for that is that it’s believed it only cost a couple of million to make. And while horror is normally seen as a fairly sure thing at the box office, The Apparition couldn’t even make it into a very weak top 10, placing 12th with a lowly $2.9 million.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of August 24th-26th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 The Expendables 2 $13.5 $52.3
2 The Bourne Legacy $9.3 $85.5
3 Paranorman $8.5 $28.2
4 The Campaign $7.4 $64.5
5 The Dark Knight Rises $7.1 $422.1
6 The Odd Life Of Timothy Green $7.1 $27.0
7 Premium Rush $6.3 $6.3
8 2016 Obama’s American $6.2 $9.0
9 Hope Springs $6.0 $45.0
10 Hit And Run $4.6 $5.8
CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: The Expendables 2, The Bourne Legacy, Paranorman, The Campaign, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, 2016: Obama's America, Hope Springs, Hit And Run  

The Expendables 2 Tops The US Box Office

August 20, 2012 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

As expected The Expendables 2 topped the US box office over the weekend with $28.7 million, slightly below the $34 million the first movie made in 2010. Although it means the movie is still likely to turn a profit, with diminishing returns on the franchise already, it may put a spanner in the works of the already planned Expendables 3.

The action film was one of several new movies coming out now the Olympics have ended. The next highest new entry was Paranorman, which placed third on the chart with $14 million. That’s about in line with several other recent stop-motion efforts, which seems to be a subgenre that finds it difficult to appeal to a wide audience.

The musical Sparkle, starring Whitney Houston, made $12 million on its opening, which isn’t a huge amount but it considered okay for a movie that wasn’t strongly marketed. The final new entry was the long delayed The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, which made $10.9 million. Disney isn’t likely to be too happy about that, even if they have long seemed unsure what to do with the movie, starting the marketing for it a year ago, but never building much momentum.

Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of August 17th-19th.

Rank Title Weekend Gross (millions) Total Gross to date (millions)
1 The Expendables 2 $28.7 $28.7
2 The Bourne Legacy $17.0 $69.5
3 Paranorman $14.0 $14.0
4 The Campaign $13.3 $51.6
5 Sparkle $12.0 $12.0
6 The Dark Knight Rises $11.1 $409.9
7 The Odd Life Of Timothy Green $10.9 $15.1
8 Hope Springs $9.1 $35.0
9 Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days $3.8 $38.7
10 Total Recall $3.5 $51.7

 

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
FILMS: The Expendables 2, The Bourne Legacy, Paranorman, The Campaign, Sparkle, The Odd Life Of Timothy Green, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, Total Recall (2012)  

Paranorman UK Teaser – Stop-motion goes a little sixth sense

December 13, 2011 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Video: ParaNorman trailer (MSN Exclusive)
Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick may have moved on from Laika, the animation company he helped found, but Laika is still in the business of creating intricate stop-motion movies, and from the evidence of this teaser trailer, Paranorman will be no different. In ParaNorman, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits. The film reaches the UK September 2012.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick  DIRECTORS: Chris Butler, Sam Fell  FILMS: Paranorman  

Paranorman Teaser Trailer

October 31, 2011 By Tim Isaac Leave a Comment

Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick may have moved on from Laika, the animation company he helped found, but Laika is still in the business of creating intricate stop-motion movies, and from the evidence of this teaser trailer, Paranorman will be no different. In ParaNorman, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits. The film reaches the UK September 2012.

CHECK OUT THESE RELATED ARCHIVES:
ACTORS: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, John Goodman  DIRECTORS: Chris Butler, Sam Fell  FILMS: Paranorman  

Search this site:

We're Needy, Be Our Friend

RSSTwitterFacebookStumbleUponMySpace

E-maily Stuff

Get the latest in our daily e-mail

Most Recent Posts

Young Hunter Trailer – First teen gay love takes a dark turn into blackmail

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Trailer – The hit gay, drag West End musical is coming to the screen

Iris Prize Festival LGBT+ International Short Films 2020 – Part 3 (Short Film Reviews)

Iris Prize Festival LGBT+ International Short Films 2020 – Part 2 (Short Film Reviews)

Iris Prize Festival LGBT+ International Short Films 2020 – Part 1 (Short Film Reviews)

The Scottish Queer International Film Festival 2020 Has Opened, & It’s Online Across The UK

The Iris Prize LGBT Short Film Festival Returns Next Week, & It’s Online & Free!

An Apology From Big Gay Picture Show

Win The Miseducation of Cameron Post DVD & Book!

Seventeen Trailer – The vagaries of teen romance erupt in the lesbian-themed film

My Best Friend Trailer – Gay romance flickers between two teen boys

New Sauvage Trailer – The gay prostitute movie that divided Cannes is coming soon

Copyright © 2023 Muser Media · Powered by WordPress & Genesis Framework · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're OK with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Read More Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...