Box Office: 'Ouija' Possesses #1 with $20M; 'John Wick' Opens Strong at $14.5M

1. Ouija- $20M
If it's Halloween, expect the folks at Blumhouse to come up with another low-budget horror flick to rule the box office. Ouija is the latest attempt by Hasbro to launch one of their toys into a movie franchise, but unlike the bloated flop Battleship this one's actually a success. The $5M Ouija racked up $20M from the genre fans looking for their scare fix. They probably went home disappointed on that score, and chances are the film will drop 70% next week and be gone in a flash, but for now Ouija is a hit.
2. John Wick- $14.5M
Here's a case of solid buzz and star power overcoming low expectations. The Keanu Reeves-led action flick John Wick opened at $14.5M, a strong debut for a movie nobody knew about two months ago. But once those early screenings started rolling out and people started talking about the bloody revenge tale as Reeves' big comeback vehicle, John Wick suddenly was on a lot of radars. And it truly deserves all of the positive response as the film is extremely good, one of the best action movies of the year, and Reeves as good as ever. I'm really digging this new phase of his career focusing on genre films that, tangentially, harken back to his performance in The Matrix. Last year's Man of Tai Chi was excellent and had some amazing fight choreography, and the same goes for John Wick. So yes, let's see some sequels, please.
3. Fury- $13M/$46M
David Ayer's WWII thriller Fury slipped 45% in week two, with the $68M film totaling $46M in two weeks. That's not bad, and the film will earn a profit domestically for sure. However it should do even better overseas since Brad Pitt is such an international superstar.
4. Gone Girl- $11.1M/$124M
5. The Book of Life- $9.8M/$29.9M
6. St. Vincent- $8M/$9.1M
Expanding more than 2200 theaters is the Bill Murray/Melissa McCarthy comedy, St. Vincent, adding $8M for a total of $9.8M.  Reviews have been solid but unspectacular, so this one is being powered by the strength of Murray and McCarthy's appeal.
7. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- $7M/$45.5M
8. The Best of Me- $4.7M/$17.6M
9. The Judge- $4.34M/$34.3M
10. Dracula Untold- $4.3M/$48.3M

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Box Office: 'Fury' Steamrolls to #1 with $23.5M; 'Dear White People, 'Birdman' Both Open Strong

1. Fury- $23.5M
When was the last time we had a big Hollywood war movie? It's been awhile, and apparently audiences were eager to see Brad Pitt in an R-rated war flick like Fury, as the film opened with $23.5M, basically hitting all the projections. While the $68M movie was largely sold on Brad Pitt back on a war footing for the first time since Inglourious Basterds, the strong debut is also a feather in the cap of David Ayer, the director best known for cop dramas like End of Watch and Sabotage. As he pushes ahead to direct the DC Comics adaptation Suicide Squad, this should go a long way in establishing him as a director capable of painting on a larger canvas.
2. Gone Girl- $17.8M/$107M
Another solid hold for David Fincher's Gone Girl, moving past the $100M in week 3 and totally $181M worldwide. And just as it hurt the chances of success for The Judge last week, I think it may have done the same to The Best of Me's debut. More on that later.
3. The Book of Life- $17M
For my money the best animated film of the year, 20th Century Fox's Latin-themed The Book of Life opened strong with $17M. The $50M film had the backing of producer Guillermo Del Toro, and a number of popular celebrity voices in Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Ice Cube, and Diego Luna, along with many popular Mexican entertainers. It's been a strong year for movies geared at Latin audiences and The Book of Life is just the latest example, but it also saw benefit from an ad campaign that emphasized how different it was from the familiar projects by other studios. Sometimes audiences do reward movies that dare to be different.
4. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- $12M/$36.8M
5. The Best of Me- $10.2M
Opening with a scant $10.2M was The Best of Me, the latest melodramatic romance adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. This is actually the ninth film based on the author's work, and it's also the lowest-debuting of the bunch, which hopefully means people are getting tired of them because they're all telling the same story but with different white people. And yeah, that is a factor in today's multicultural society where diversity is seen as a virtue; Sparks' films seem antiquated by comparison. I hesitate to blame stars Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden because Sparks adaptations have never needed big stars to be a hit. Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough starred in Safe Haven and that nearly broke $100M. The bigger problem may be competition, with Gone Girl locking down much of the "date night" audience. Whether this is the start of a trend we'll find out soon enough because two Sparks adaptations are on the way in The Longest Ride and The Choice, both with essentially the same plot. Ugh.
6. Dracula Untold- $9.8M/$40.7M
7. The Judge- $7.94M/$26.8M
8. Annabelle- $7.92M/$74.1M
9. The Equalizer- $5.4M/$89.1M
10. The Maze Runner- $4.5M/$90.8M

Opening in limited release were two of this season's most anticipated films. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's meta-comedy Birdman opened in four theaters and banked $415K, while Justin Simien's satire on race, Dear White People, made $344K at only 11 locations. Not bad for both, and they'll likely keep up the pace upon expansion in the next few weeks.

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Box Office: 'Gone Girl' Finds Another $26M; 'Dracula Untold' Not Far Behind with $23M

1. Gone Girl- $26.8M/$78.2M
As expected, David Fincher's Gone Girl held strong to its audience, slipping only 29% and adding another $26.8M. Genre films like Annabelle or even Dracula Untold tend to be heavily frontloaded while those aimed at older audiences having longer life spans. Unfortunately, this is exactly the audience The Judge was trying to nab, and we'll see how that worked out further down on the chart.
2. Dracula Untold- $23.4M
So perhaps we should take Universal's relaunch of their classic movie monsters more seriously? Unabashedly geared towards fans of superhero flicks, Dracula Untold shifts the vampire villain into a tragic hero in a Braveheart-style war for freedom. The $70M film had a star in Luke Evans, best known for his cheekbones in The Hobbit and Fast & Furious 6, so it didn't pack a ton of star power. That means audiences were genuinely interested in Drac's origin, a fact which should make Universal extremely happy.
3. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- $19.1M
The film with the overlong title got off to a blistering start with $19.1M, practically guaranteeing Disney is going to make a mint on the $28M-budgeted adaptation of Judith Viorst's book. Interesting connection to Gone Girl: Viorst is jokingly pitched as a suspect in Amy Dunne's disappearance at one point in Gillian Flynn's novel. Anyway, this one will benefit from the presence of Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner, plus the trailers and TV spots have just been a ton of fun. Audiences clearly responded to it, giving it an 'A-' Cinemascore, and with the Columbus Day holiday tomorrow we may see 'Alexander' do even better. 
4. Annabelle- $16.4M/$62.1M
5. The Judge- $13.3M
Not that anybody was expecting Iron Man-type numbers for the family courtroom dramedy, The Judge, but $13.3M is still pretty disappointing for a Robert Downey Jr. film. Once eyed as an Oscar hopeful, all that died pretty quick once reviews starting coming out, with positive notice only given to Downey and Robert Duvall's performances. But the truth of the matter is it might have done better if Gone Girl wasn't around targeting the same audience looking for adult-oriented, R-rated thrillers.
6. Addicted- $7.6M
Ever seen Zane's Sex Chronicles late at night on Cinemax?  They were more popular than you may know, just as the erotic novels by author Zane are probably read by just about every woman you know. And so there was a deep built-in audience for the adultery drama, Addicted, which opened at only 846 theaters and pulled in a sizable $7.6M. The R-rated film boasts no major stars or big time direction but never really needed it, and this is probably going to encourage Lionsgate to build this as their next urban franchise after parting ways with Tyler Perry early this year.
7. The Maze Runner- $7.5M/$83.8M
Has now surpassed $200M worldwide, by the way.
8. The Boxtrolls- $6.6M/$41M
9. Meet the Mormons- $3.5M
Mormons are people, too, and apparently they go to the movies. And star in them. Meet the Mormons is a documentary about six mormons living in different parts of the world, and their various experiences trying to escape the shadow of Mitt Romney. Okay, I added that last part. But really, the point of this one is showing that Mormons are just like everybody else, and it's a message that is obviously clicking. The film was originally meant to only be shown in the Mormon hotbed of Salt Lake City, but audience reaction convinced the LDS to expand it further. Good move.
10. Left Behind- $2.9M/$10.9M

Also releasing in limited fashion in more ways than one is Kill the Messenger, the Jeremy Renner-led biopic of journalist Gary Webb. Webb had exposed the CIA's drug connection to Contra rebels and had his character assassinated for it. The film is not off to a promising start. Bad reviews have killed any buzz for Renner as an Oscar contender, and it only earned $939K at 374 locations. Yikes. Off to a much better start is the Sundance Award-winner Whiplash, which stars Miles Teller as an aspiring drummer terrorized by JK Simmons. Opening at 6 sites the film earned $143K.

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Review: 'Dracula Untold' starring Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper

There's only a droplet of historical truth in Dracula Untold, a film that dares to take the king bloodsucker and give him a full-blown superhero origin. That's right, Dracula, once the scourge of Universal's classic array of movie monsters, is now on the side of the angels...which is weird considering his lack of soul and all. This version is a fearsome warrior, a defender of the innocent, a caring father and husband who gave up literally everything to protect his people. It's the Marvel-ization of Dracula in a PG-13, multiplex-ready package, but in exploring the myth of Vlad the Impaler the film offers plenty to sink your fangs into.

So how in the world do you make a guy named Vlad the Impaler a good guy? It seems like the kind of task any writer would balk at, but you do it by coming up with an enemy that's far worse or giving him a just cause to fight for. Luke Evans, whose chiseled features have been seen recently in Fast & Furious 6 and The Hobbit, plays Vlad before he becomes the Dracula we're all familiar with. Voiceover gives us his origin before the origin, recounting his time as the brutal slayer nicknamed "The Impaler", for reasons that are pretty obvious. But he's given up fighting and has retired home to Transylvania with his lovely wife Mirena (Sarah Gadon) and young son Ingeras (Art Parkinson). However when Turkish ruler Mehmet II (Dominic Cooper, looking none too Turkish) demands 1000 boys to fill his army's rank, Vlad does what any self-respecting leader would do. He climbs a mountain where he encounters he knows a vicious creature (Game of Thrones' Charles Dance) lurks, and enters into a Faustian bargain he may soon regret.

While we all know how Vlad's story will eventually turn out, Dracula Untold keeps us intrigued by the sheer desperation of his scheme. Granted incredible vampiric powers for three days, Vlad must also refuse to give in to the blood thirst that plagues every vampire. If he can deny it, he'll return to normal; but if not he'll be damned for eternity. The creature, credited simply as Master Vampire, is a trickster of sorts, gambling his own freedom on Vlad giving in to the lust for human blood.

It's the constant struggle for Vlad's soul that drives much of the story, as his family begins to fear him and so too the people he's sworn to protect. Glimpses of his evil future arise in brief flares of anger directed at his own soldiers, but Vlad's wrath is mostly reserved for Mehmet's army. Impressively scaled battles, murky and violent CGI showcases ala 300, nonetheless are pretty bloodless which may disappoint those looking for something more gruesome. They're in the wrong place if looking for horror thrills as debuting director Gary Shore has mapped out this story as an action flick, first and foremost. The visual effects are incredibly well done, from Vlad's "radar vision" to his ability to use transformation as a deadly battlefield weapon. Ever seen an entire battalion wiped out by a swarm of bats? You will in Dracula Untold and it looks spectacular.

There's very little connection to the Dracula we're familiar with, and the film works best when you forget everything that came before. If you can't, it may be tough to swallow that Dracula is really just a nice guy who made a noble, if tragic mistake. Evans is probably the most handsome Dracula to ever hit the screen and there's real passion in his performance. Other than Charles Dance who strikes a fine balance between mischievous and menacing, the rest of the cast barely register.

Designed as the beginning of Universal's newly-minted "cinematic universe" of classic monsters, Dracula Untold makes for a curious yet successful franchise-starter. Mostly it deserves credit for putting the teeth back into Dracula's well-worn story.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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*CLOSED* Free Advance Screening of 'Dracula Untold'

Witness the origin of Dracula in the new film, Dracula Untold, starring Luke Evans as Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for vampire legend. We're offering our readers a chance to learn Dracula's secret early by attending a free advance screening held on Tuesday, October 7th at 7:30pm at Regal Majestic in Silver Spring.

To enter, follow the simple instructions in the Punchtab widget below. Winners will be selected and notified on Sunday, October 5th.  Dracula Untold opens October 10th.

Almost an entire century after the world’s cinematic introduction to Dracula placed audiences under his haunting spell, the studio that pioneered the genre reawakens one of legend’s most captivating figures in an action-adventure that heralds a pulse-pounding rebirth of the age of monsters. LUKE EVANS (Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit series) transforms from the cursed man history knows as Vlad the Impaler to an all-powerful creature of the night in Universal Pictures’ Dracula Untold, the origin story of the alluring immortal we have come to fear as the sun sets: Dracula. 

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'Dracula Untold' to Kick Off Universal's Shared Monster Universe

Every studio is looking to build their own Marvel-style shared universe, even when it doesn't seem like that good of an idea. Sony is doing it with its Spider-Man franchise, 20th Century Fox has the X-men, and Universal recently revealed their plans to do the same with their revamped stable of classic monster movies. But that kind of left the question open where Dracula Untold, which has been developing longer than the vampire has been alive it seems, would fit into that equation. Well now we know, as producer Alissa Phillips confirmed to HeyUGuys it is the official start of their new monsterverse.

The film opens next week with Luke Evans in the starring role, and basically it's a Batman Begins-style origin story telling how Prince Vlad became a vampire to save his people from destruction. It's partly based on historical fact but the giant plumes of vampiric power seen in the trailer are definitely not in Vlad the Impaler's Wikipedia entry. The bigger problem may be that the movie is getting ripped in early reviews, and hopefully this won't be a failed franchise-starter the way Green Lantern was for Warner Bros.

So if Dracula Untold was filming before this new plan by Universal was put into effect, how can it work as a tie-in movie? Badass Digest may have the answer....
  
“A few months ago sources told me that Universal did some reshoots on Dracula Untold in order to allow it to fit into the larger Monsterverse, and word from junketeers who have seen early screenings backs this up. I don't know what they have included in the film, but they have put some elements in that will allow the studio to tie this movie into the new initiative.”

Next on the monster list for Universal is Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan's The Mummy, which was originally going to be the start of the shared universe. So a post-credits scene of Drac and Mum sharing some shwarma? 

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New Trailer for 'Dracula Untold' Starring Luke Evans and Dominic Cooper

Universal is in the midst of a campaign to revive their stable of classic movie monsters, once the crown jewel of Hollywood's horror realm. That plan includes reboots of The Mummy, Van Helsing, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and more. The centerpiece is a Batman Begins-style origin story for the king of all vampires, Dracula, in the action flick Dracula Untold and with the film arriving in theaters next month a new international trailer has surfaced.

While not markedly different than prior trailers, there are bits of new footage here offering a better look at red-hot star, Luke Evans. He plays Vlad Tepes, the real life inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula and the man who gave up his soul for the power to fight back against Mehmet II (Dominic Cooper) who demanded a sacrifice of 1000 Transylvanian boys. Historical truth blended with mythology is the approach taken by director Gary Shore, which should separate it from the countless other Dracula movies. The trailer was cut for Japanese audiences and it still retains the Dracula Zero title it had back when Sam Worthington and Alex Proyas were involved.

Also starring Sarah Gadon and Samantha Barks, Dracula Untold opens October 17th. 


DRACULA UNTOLD International Trailer by itsartmag

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The World Needs a Monster in First Trailer for 'Dracula Untold' Starring Luke Evans

*UPDATE* The first trailer released a few days ago was a leak, but here's the official one from Universal. Hey, they're exactly the same!

The story of Dracula has been told just about every way imaginable since Bram Stoker introduced us to the king of vampires back in the 19th century. There have been countless movies, a recent TV series, he's a Marvel supervillain, not to mention Dracula's face has been plastered on cereal boxes and in animated movies for kids. Basically, being Dracula, and by extension vampires as a whole, are no longer much of a big deal. But one thing we haven't seen much of is the story behind the real-life man who inspired Dracula's story, and that's about to change with the help of some big budget special effects in Dracula Untold.

Starring the red-hot Luke Evans and marking Gary Shore's directorial debut, the first trailer for Dracula Untold comes with a great deal of spectacle in the Game of Thrones mold. Evans plays Vlad Tepes, later known as Vlad the Impaler), who fights to save his family from the threat of Mehmed the Conqueror (Dominic Cooper), and in an effort to protect them makes a deal with an ancient creature that turns him into Dracula. "Sometimes the world doesn't need another hero. Sometimes what it needs is a monster". Sarah Gadon plays Vlad's understandably concerned wife as her husband begins to transform, while Les Miserables' star Samantha Barks also has a role.

Obviously this is playing fast and loose with Vlad's story but some moments, like when he attacks Mehmed's men for trying to recruit his son for war, are based on a actual events.  Dracula Untold hits theaters on October 17th when it should appeal to the Halloween crowd.


Dracula Untold Official Trailer (2014) Luke Evans, Horror HD by NewTrailers BOS

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Luke Evans is Vlad the Impaler in First 'Dracula Untold' Poster

After playing key supporting roles in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Fast & Furious 6, Luke Evans will lead what may be his own franchise in Dracula Untold. In the works for years and once with Sam Worthington and Alex Proyas attached, the film is directed by Gary Shore with Evans as the man who would become Dracula, and now the first poster has been released.

Both origin story and historical epic, Dracula Untold is based on the famous Bram Stoker novel but uses actual events to chronicle the rise of Prince Vlad Tepes before he became known as Dracula the Prince of Darkness. And clearly producers studied up on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy for this image which shows a brooding Evans as his cape transforms into bats.

Also starring Dominic Cooper, Charlie Cox, Samantha Barks, and Sarah Gadon, Dracula Untold opens October 3rd.

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