"PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2" SCARES AWAY ITS RIVALS

Still from Paranormal Activity 2

Outdoing its predecessor which only was released a year ago, Paramount's Paranormal Activity 2 opened huge this weekend with an estimated total of $43.5 million from 3,216 theatres.  The film now holds the record as the highest grossing R-Rated Midnight Opening of all-time, raking in $6.3 million Thursday night, according to Nikki Finke at Deadline.  Paranormal Activity, made for only a budget of $15k, opened with $19.6 million last Fall and went on to earn $193.3 million worldwide.  Impressively, the film's sequel received fairly strong reviews also, with a 67% consensus at Rotten Tomatoes.

Last week's champion Jackass 3-D also from Paramount, slips to second with an estimated $21.5 million at the Box Office.  It opened last week with a spectacular $50 million and continues to perform strongly, as does Summit Entertainment's Action Flick Red filmed partly here in Toronto.  Red earned $15.2 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total to $43.6 million.

Clint Eastwood's Hereafter had an uncharacteristically weak opening in fourth spot for the iconic filmmaker, earning $12 million from 2,181 theatres.  The Warner Bros. film also is garnering mixed reviews from Critics, with a 51% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Audiences are still in-love with David Fincher's The Social Network which in its fourth week slips to fifth spot with $7.2 million based on early weekend numbers, putting it just ahead of Disney's Secretariat which is performing steadily, just now recouping its $35 million production budget.

"JACKASS 3-D" MAKES AN ASS OUT OF ITS COMPETITION AT BOX OFFICE

Still from Jackass 3-D

It's official. North Americans have no taste. Paramount's Jackass 3-D debuted Friday night with an astonishing $21.8 million in earnings from one night only, placing it heads and shoulders above its competition. The shocking Reality Television program-turned-Movie is expected to pull in $49.5 million this weekend at the Box Office, proving that it is not enough to be grossed-out in 2-D, but now we expect it to be done with an added dimension. The film was made for $20 million alone.

Action-Comedy Red (filmed partly in Toronto) with an all-star cast of Bruce Willis, Morgan Freenan, Mary Louise Parker, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich is expected to debut in second spot with $22 million. Perhaps if it was released a week earlier when Ticket Sales were tepid, it would have claimed the throne at the Box Office.

Two-week champion The Social Network is projected to take in $11 million in its third week, still going strong. The face for fourth spot will be tight with Disney's Secretariat expected to garner just-shy of $10 million, as is Romantic Comedy Life as We Know It from Warner Bros.  We'll soon see....

SUPERSTAR RACE HORSE ZENYATTA TO APPEAR ON NOVEMBER ISSUE OF W MAGAZINE

Zenyatta on November issue of W Magazine

This is amazing and I must commend W Magazine for thinking outside the box in celebrating Women, not only in Human form but Equine also.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the sport of Horse Racing, everything is all about Zenyatta right now.  She is perhaps, the greatest race horse of all time, although this subject always generates a lot of heated discussion as many will say Secretariat was and always will be the greatest.  After all, he does have a movie out in theatres right now.

What makes Zenyatta remarkable is that she's won an unheard of 19 races in a row, remaining undefeated.  Although a majority of these races have come against female race horses, she won the world's most important Horse Race last fall, the Breeder's Cup Classic.... against the Boys.  She became the first-ever female horse to win that race.  This in turn, sealed her fate as Horse of the Year and she is looking well on her way to repeating this feat again this year as she trains for the same race again Saturday, November 6, 2010 at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.   And she's been sharp in all her races so far this season, while originally her Owners were planning to retire her as really she has nothing left to prove other than to break some more records.

"THE SOCIAL NETWORK" ON-TOP FOR A SECOND

Still from The Social Network

Although it should come as no surprise, The Social Network hangs on for a second week at the top of the Box Office with $15.5 million earned, just edging out two tough new challengers, Life As We Know It and Secretariat. The David Fincher film about the story behind Facebook, has all of Twitter abuzz with celebrities like Rob Lowe and Alyssa Milano raving about it to their Followers.

Warner Bros.' Life As We Know It almost debuted on-top, taking in $14.6 million proving that Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl has what it takes to draw in movie-goers. And despite favourable reviews, Walt Disney's Secretariat just didn't perform like the champion Race Horse it is about, but $12.6 million (enough to land it in third) in its opening weekend is nothing to scoff at.

Surprisingly, Legends of The Guardian: The Owls of Ga'Hoole continues to perform consistently, landing in fourth with $7 million this weekend. To-date, it has earned $39.4 million domestically and  just beat-out Wes Craven's new 3-D horror My Soul To Take, which opened in fifth spot for Universal Pictures with $6.9 million.

Ben Affleck's The Town continues to perform like the monster that it is, bringing in $6.3 million this weekend in sixth spot, garnering (pardon the pun) a total of $73.5 million in just four weeks.

WALT DISNEY'S SECRETARIAT REVIEW

Secretariat Still

The danger of marketing a movie like Walt Disney's Secretariat is that it one - is a movie about the male-dominated sport of Horse Racing and two - at the same time, it is a female-centric story.  It's understandable that if you're not into Horse Racing or a lover of stories with strong females, this might not be a film on your radar.  What you need to understand though is that although Horse Racing obviously is a v. integral part of the film, we see this world through the eyes of a Heroine who like many of us, might not know a lot about the sport; we grow with her.  Above all else, the story has an infinite supply of heart and soul which transcends everything.  The Horse, The Trainer, The Jockey, The Owner are simply metaphors in this tale of perseverance and undying faith in one's dreams.

Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) steps-up to the daunting task of continuing the legacy her father created with his legendary Meadow Stable in this film based on the true story of the 1973 Triple Crown Winner Secretariat.  In the face of his deteriorating health, she finds herself having to learn the ropes of running a stable at record pace, but matters become complicated when she doesn't garner the support of her husband Jack (Dylan Walsh) who would rather see her at home in her role as Homemaker.  Above this, she is confronted with the ugly face of Sexism in the Sport of Kings, having to fight that extra bit harder to be taken seriously in negotiations.  

Chenery becomes fixated on a young horse bred by her father, enlisting the expertise of flamboyantly-dressed French Canadian Trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) and aggressive Jockey Ron Turcotte (Otto Thorwarth).  Despite a shaky start, the horse known affectionately as Big Red by his handlers, becomes eventually the World's Greatest Race Horse, delivering much promise as Horse of the Year in his first year of racing.  With expectations mounting in his campaign to win the U.S. Triple Crown and at the same time financial problems burdening Meadow Stable, will Chenery and Secretariat overcome the odds stacked against them?

DISNEY'S SECRETARIAT - CRITICS' CHOICE



Secretariat Still

It's official. Walt Disney's Secretariat is a hit critically.  Although there is a Press embargo currently on the Horse Racing Drama, the Broadcast Film Critics Association have rated the film Four Stars at 85%, making it one of the year's best.  Check it out here.

If you're in Toronto and still haven't entered Disney Motion Pictures Canada and Mr. Will-W.: Pop Maven's Secretartiat Premiere Giveaway, please enter here.  There are five pairs of tickets up for grabs for the Thursday, October 7, 2010 screening at Scotiabank Theatre.

WIN 1 OF 5 PAIRS OF TICKETS TO THE TORONTO PREMIERE OF DISNEY'S SECRETARIAT

Diane Lane in Secretariat

One of the most anticipated films of the year is Secretariat, starring John Malkovich and Diane Lane.  The story recounts Penny Chenery's rise to the top of the racing world after taking over her father's racing stable, with one of the world's greatest race horses of all time. Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven is thrilled to be partnering for the first time ever with Disney Motion Pictures Canada to give five lucky readers and their guests, tickets to the Toronto Premiere of Secretariat!   

But that's not all. One lucky winner will also receive a Grand Prize Pack which includes official Disney Secretariat memorabilia including a Hat, Shirt, Poster and Pin.

The premiere takes place at Scotiabank Theatre on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 7:00 PM.   Who's in?

All you have to do to qualify for the win is answer in an e-mail to mrwillw@mrwillw.com, the following three questions:

AN EARLY LOOK: SECRETARIAT

Just in time for the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, this gorgeous still was released from Disney's upcoming feature film Secretariat.  The biopic stars the quiet of late Diane Lane and John Malkovich and it is about Penny Chenery who takes the reigns at mecca racing stable Meadow Farm after her father Christopher passes away.  The stable was responsible for producing one of America's greatest race horses of all time Secretariat, more affectionately known as Big Red. 

I love drama, horses and strong female characters. I am going to love this.  I expect it to be a tear-jerker. The film has finished production and is slated for an October 8, 2010 release in North America, just around when the heavy hitters start surfacing for Oscars season.  Expect it to be a contender in the acting categories.

Check out the film's first trailer below: