Movie News Monday for April 18, 2011!

“Movie News Monday!” has finally arrived! Welcome to your weekly dose of Monday glory!! (One of the very few reasons to smile about Mondays!) 😀

In case this is your first time here, “Movie News Monday! (MNM)” is the place to visit every Monday 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.” It would seem that the ticket to winning the box office so far in 2011 has been animation! With Rango having held the highest earnings so far on any opening weekend in 2011, Hop winning the box office two weekends in a row, to the winner of this past weekend……Rio. Not only did Rio scare Scream4 away from even getting close to the amount of earnings it would need for 1st place, but Rio now holds the spot for the highest opening box office weekend (having surpassed Rango‘s initial earnings)!! WOW! To all you would-be filmmakers out there…..For January-April box office releases: pssst….Animation is the key! 

Here are the estimated weekend’s results:

1. Rio ~$40 million (NEW RELEASE)
2. Scream 4 ~$19.3 million (NEW RELEASE)
3. Hop ~$11.2 million
4. Soul Surfer ~$7.4 million
5. Hanna ~$7.3 million
6. Arthur ~$6.9 million
7. Insidious ~$6.85 million
8. Source Code ~$6.3 million
9. The Conspirator ~$3.9 million (NEW RELEASE) –only on 707 screens nationwide!
10. Your Highness ~$3.85 million

Congrats once again to Rio ! Did you see it? What did you think?

#2- “Cowboys and Aliens theatrical trailer!!” Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, and more star in the action packed mixed-genre film Cowboys and Aliens that releases July 29th, 2011. Here is the official synopsis from the official website for the film:

1875. New Mexico Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

Additional directors/executive producers include: Brian Grazer (American Gangster, Apollo 13), Bobby Cohen (Memoirs of a Geisha, Revolutionary Road), Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13), and Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, True Grit)!! Wow!

#3- “Harry Potter Photos.” New photos from the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 have hit the web! Here’s your sneak peek at what the film will include! Get ready for the end in 3D on July 15th!

#4- “American Reunion Officially Adds Another Reunion-ee!” You might not have been aware that the original American Pie series is gaining another sequel…but not another one of those sidestory installments like American Pie Band Camp or Beta House or The Naked Mile. American Reunion is set to be an actual reunion of the (hopefully) entire cast. Just last week Alyson Hannigan confirmed that she will return to the series and be part of the project alongside Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy.

Other actors that are still in negotiations include Tara Reid, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Chris Klein, Mena Suvari, and Jennifer Coolidge. The cast and crew remain hopeful in order to begin filming next month. To read a possible plot synopsis for this reunion sequel to American Wedding, check out this article from Collider. 

#5- “This Week’s Blu-ray release” The King’s Speech finally releases on Blu-ray this week! This fantastic multi-award winning feature film stars the likes of Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham-Carter, Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, and more! Click the picture below to check out the review for this film and go scoop it up this week!

If that’s not your thing, Rabbit Hole (starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a married couple dealing with the tragic aftermath of the death of their young son) also releases this week.

BONUS pics of the week! Check out this new banner for Transformers 3 and the new character pic of Sentinel Prime! That banner is A-MAZING!!! Can’t wait! 😀 (Photos courtesy of Lyricis Interactive and ComingSoon respectively!)

Well, that’s it for this round of “Movie News Monday!” Thanks for reading! Happy Watching!

–TheScarletSp1der

up next: Reviews for The Conspirator, Arthur, and then “Time to Vote Tuesday!” (Apologies…reviews were supposed to publish on Sunday but I was too busy, folks! I’ll have them up here shortly!) 🙂