Owing as much to unexpected hits as total smashes everyone knew would be blockbusters, Warner Bros. earned over

$2.1 billion in the United States this year, making it the box office champ once again. Last year, the biggest factor was obviously

The Dark Knight, but in 2009, WB had Harry Potter and Terminator earmarked as its biggest sluggers, although it

didn’t work out that way.

Potter is presently the number two film of the year, but Terminator tumbled, taking in just over $125 million and

finishing outside the top 20. However, let’s not forget about The Hangover, The Blind Side, and Gran Torino,

hich is technically a 2008 release, but its early 2009 expansion added over $100 million more to the studio’s total. Actually, that

film helped Warners crutch through a trio of underperforming films in he first half of the year, Watchmen, Observe and

Report, and, as we mentioned, Terminator.

The second half of the year was enormous. Nobody expected The Hangover to make more than a quarter-billion more than it cost,

The Blind Side has been the surprise hit of this season, and Sherlock Holmes will get close to $100 million in its

first week.

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I didn’t want to use a cat video today, I really didn’t.  And then this came along.  So stupid.  So entertaining.  [via OhHaveYouSeenThis]

DAILY CIRCLE J. LINKS

• Comedy Central might cancel Jeff Dunham’s show!  …Because he was already making more money than they’re paying him.  *sigh*  (And for the record, I don’t think it’s necessarily fair to call him a racist.  He’s just bad at comedy).  |WarmingGlow|
• Icy road car pinball. My favorite part is the crashing.  That’s what the movie Crash could’ve used more of. |HolyTaco|
• Seven supermodels who can’t act.  Look, I don’t need you to be Brando, just feign interest.  Pretend the gun and duct tape aren’t here.  |ScreenJunkies|
• Harold Ramis says Ghostbusters 3 will shoot this summer.  |Heeb|
• If movies of the 00’s had come out in other decades. |CollegeHumor|
• Freaky children’s books, including “Never Smile at a Monkey.”  I prefer the Junior Kama Sutra. |UnrealityMag|
• TMZ is launching TMZ Sports.  Here’s hoping this leads to Harvey Levin getting his ass kicked by an athlete with an attitude, not like those pussy actors he usually deals with. |WithLeather|

After the jump, numbers 5 through 1 on MTV’s most awkward interview moments, including John Cusack is allergic to boomboxes.

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Is this a reaction to G.I. Joe or something else? ThunderCats is dead as a movie property,

according to Collider. Warner Bros. has apparently cooled on

the idea, but since that studio isn’t as immersed in the toy property updates as, say, Paramount, this could be a smart move.

I’m not sure how they were looking to develop it, and that could be part of the problem. If it’s live action, it could look pretty

silly, even with effects similar to what were used in where the Wild Things Are. If it’s animated, the studio may have

trouble selling audiences that it’s something new and different.

The film was intended to be an origin story, and that implies that there would be bigger plans for the future, so if Warner Bros.

bailed, it could have something to do with trepidation about developing a two- or three-film arc.

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Grand imagery of worldwide destruction + epic music = great trailer. The marketing department at Columbia knew the formula and they stuck too it, and the result was a trailer that I had on repeat for at least a week.

One of my many movie-related regrets of 2009 was not having the financial backing to buy my very own theatre/cinema so I could watch these trailers on a big screen whenever I liked. Another regret I had was actually thinking Roland Emmerich could make a movie about the end of the world without turning it into a comedy.

I’ve also embedded the first teaser trailer for the film. It may have been released in 2008, but the sight of a tidal wave consuming mountains to the eerie music from The Shining is quite unnerving, and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to post it.

• Best Trailers of 2009: Terminator Salvation
• Best Trailers of 2009: Where the Wild Things Are
• Best Trailers of 2009: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Best Trailers of 2009: Star Trek
• Red Band trailer for Repo Men

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During this week’s At the Movies, film critic Michael Phillips not only chose There Will be Blood as his favorite film of the decade, but he also called Daniel Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview the performance of the new century. This, then, led me to think about the single best performances of the decade — a list I haven’t really seen too many people drawing up in these last moments of the year (partly because it’s such a huge undertaking and partly because such a list should and could include well over a hundred different performances).

So I began combing over the films and performances that stood out for me over the past decade, and I, like Phillips, kept coming back to Daniel Plainview. Not only is Day-Lewis’ performance stunning, scary and scandalous in every conceivable way, but Plainview — and his greedy, conniving plans to strike it rich at the expense of the small town working class — eerily mirrors the moronic actions of those who helped sink our country into a horrible recession, which, unfortunately, was probably the series of events that most impacted us over these past 10 years.

In one character, Plainview represents everything we hate about people, and yet in Day-Lewis’ performance we’re able to taste everything we love about going to the movies. It’s an unbelievable performance that’s shocking and sensational, and if it’s the best performance of the decade, then I’d rest his portrayal of William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting in 2002’s Gangs of New York right alongside it in the number two spot.

But that’s my opinion, and I’ll stop here in order to carry this conversation over into the comments section. Take a minute to let the question breathe (while watching the clip after the jump), and then let us know your pick for performance of the decade and why …

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Continue reading Discuss: Performance of the Decade?

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On Christmas day, my mom and I hit the local mall multiplex to check out It’s Complicated. Since the other movies showing were Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Avatar in 3D, and other big office fare, the place was packed with couples, families, and teens (including one in a leopard-print Snuggie, Uggs, and reindeer horns - you go, girl). As we were snacking on our popcorn and soda, the usher struck up a conversation with us, noting that the messiest crowds so far had been to see Sherlock Holmes, somewhat more adult fare compared to, say, Alvin or The Princess and the Frog, which was also playing there.

There are a lot of things to complain about when it comes to the theater-going experience these days, especially when it comes to audience members who aren’t respectful of others. But what about being respectful of the people who work at the theater and taking your own trash out? Admittedly, I don’t always clean up after myself, especially if there’s been a popcorn accident (I’m a little… clumsy), but I try not to make it a habit. Sure, there are people who are paid to clean up the theaters, but that’s gotta be a sucky job, so I try not to make it any harder. (Unlike, say, the woman sitting in front of me during Bones a few years ago who vomited on the floor midway through the movie and then stayed until the end.)

So, what’s the deal with you and your movie garbage?

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Filed under: Fandom, Polls

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Hollywood has mostly gone quiet for the holidays, as have the IGN Movies offices, but there’s one small tidbit of news floating around at the moment that certainly merits us getting off our butts and away from the leftovers for a minute so we can post it.

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The Avengers will be here in 2012, and most of the pathways that lead us there have already become familiar to us: Iron Man was a huge hit and its sequel is on the way in May, Hulk has been attempted twice and the more recent version is really underrated, and Thor is shooting soon, overcoming major hurdles to put together what sounds like a very interesting production. That leaves Captain America.

Cap will probably jump in front of cameras soon, if Joe Johnston is to be believed. He’s the director of The Wolfman and the man who is lined up for the fourth Avenger origin story. I think the success or failure of Wolfman could tell us a lot about whether or not Johnston stays attached to the project (for a while, it was going to be Nick Cassevetes directing it), but for the time being, he’s the guy.

Johnston tells Fangoria it starts in June, and getting this one off the ground smoothly is key. It is, after all, called The First Avenger: Captain America, and as the last of the four heroes to wind up in theaters, the transition from this film to the group adventure can’t be bumpy.

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I think James Cameron best described Terminator Salvation when he said that it was good, but it lacked a certain Je ne sais quoi. It didn’t reinvent the mythos, and it wasn’t that special in any way, unlike the first two Terminator movies. However despite poor US box office takings and negative-mixed reviews it did have a few cool trailers. The trailer below is probably the best one, and it was nominated for a 2009 Golden Trailer Award. I actually like this trailer more than I liked the film.

• 4 minute Terminator Salvation internet trailer
• New Terminator Salvation trailer online!
• Terminator Salvation Trailer!
• Terminator Salvation Teaser Is Now Online!
• Terminator And Watchmen Trailers With The Dark Knight

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During it’s opening weekend Avatar opened to $232 million worldwide, with $77 million of it coming from US audiences. This was a great result for 20th Century Fox. There are various reports on the films budget, however it probably earned half it’s budget back in it’s first few days of release. The big question, however, was whether the success would continue the following weekend with competition from Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes had a good opening in the US with $62 million, however it failed to topple Avatar from the #1 spot as James Cameron’s epic took $75 million, which is the highest-grossing second weekend ever, edging out The Dark Knight’s $75.2 million.

Those good with numbers will have worked out that Avatar made basically the same amount it did the previous weekend. It only had a 1.8% drop in the US, which is extremely rare. The film also had good legs worldwide and it’s current box office total stands at, wait for it, $623 million. I think it’s fair to say Avatar is officially a ‘hit’, and there is a chance it could join the billion dollar club.

I am very interested to see how well it does from here. It’s unlikely it will make another $70+ million next weekend in the US as it’s assumed everyone has seen it by now, however with strong word of mouth and repeat viewings it could rake in a nice amount.

Avatar 2 anyone?

• Avatar: The Making of the Bootleg
• Avatar box office update. Cameron talks Avatar sequels.
• So, what did you think of Avatar?
• Quentin Tarantino borrows some of Peter Jackson’s water
• ‘I See You’ Leona Lewis video for Avatar

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