Entertainment

Sony Pictures Hires Aaron Sorkin as Screenwriter for Film Adaptation of Steve Jobs’ Biography

by Sohrab Osati | May 16, 2012 | 13 comments

Sony Pictures, who is no stranger to working with Aaron Sorkin, the writer of The Social Network and Moneyball, each of which won an Oscar, is again turning to the acclaimed West Wing writer. Sony Pictures bought the rights to Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Steve Jobs and has been slowly gearing up production for the film. Sony Pictures Co-Chairman Amy said;

“Steve Jobs’ story is unique: he was one of the most revolutionary and influential men not just of our time but of all time. There is no writer working in Hollywood today who is more capable of capturing such an extraordinary life for the screen than Aaron Sorkin; in his hands, we’re confident that the film will be everything that Jobs himself was: captivating, entertaining, and polarizing.”

With a writer now at the helm, Sony can quickly begin putting together its cast and crew. With such a high profile writer and even more high profile subject matter, Sony should have no problem attracting talent. Rumored talent already include George Clooney and Noah Wyle as potential candidates to play the famous CEO of Apple. Noah Wyle famously portrayed Steve Jobs in the 1999 made-for-TV film The Pirates of Silicon Valley.

‘Community’ Gets Renewed for 13-Episode Fourth Season

by Chris Quibol | May 16, 2012 | 19 comments

Fear not loyal “Community” fans, your prayers have been answered. NBC recently announced that the cult-comedy has been renewed for a fourth season, which will air sometime next year and feature 13 episodes. After shaky ratings, a midseason hiatus with an indefinite return and the continuation of season three, this news is nothing short of miraculous for the extremely vocal “Community” fanbase.

Earlier in the year, Comedy Central picked up syndication rights for “Community,” and according to the Huffington Post, the 13 episodes from season four will also be a part of that deal.

While the show recently lost Garret Donovan and Neil Goldman as executive producers, creator Dan Harmon and executive producers Anthony Russo, Riss Krasnoff, and Gary Foster are set to return. “Changlorious,” indeed.

Be sure to watch the rest of season three of “Community” Thursday nights at 8pm on NBC. Hit the jump to check out a cool, fan-made “Community” tribute. It’s streets ahead.

The Weekend Box Office: ‘Avengers’ Repeat, ‘Dark Shadows’ Debuts a Distant Second

by Chris Quibol | May 14, 2012 | 2 comments

It seems that the greatest superhero team of all-time has conquered the world. Through just 19 days in theaters (and just 10 days in the United States), The Avengers has reached $1 billion worldwide, ranking 11^th all-time, but on pace to eventually surpass 2009’s Avatar and 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. On the domestic front, The Avengers, unsurprisingly, finished on top in its second weekend, with the Johnny Depp-starred/Tim Burton-directed Dark Shadows coming in a distant second place.

Hit the jump for a full rundown of this weekend’s box office results.

The Weekend Box Office: ‘The Avengers’ Edition

by Chris Quibol | May 7, 2012 | 19 comments

Let’s face it. You already know that The Avengers was tops in this weekend’s box office results. You’ve already seen the movie, maybe even more than once in the last few days, and yes, the movie was no less than amazing. But while most people expected The Avengers to make a huge debut, few could have anticipated that the film would smash all-time weekend records, which is exactly what Iron Man and his superhuman friends managed to do this past weekend.

The Avengers made about $80 million on Friday alone, which ranked second all-time behind 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2; however, the superhero team-up set records for Saturday and Sunday, with $70 million and $50.1 million respectively. Also, according to Box Office Mojo, the film was the fastest movie to reach $100 million, $150 million, and $200 million. The film is on track to become the highest grossing film of all-time and easily on its way to toppling 2008’s The Dark Knight as the most successful superhero movie of all-time.

Hit the jump for a full rundown of this weekend’s box office results.

Weekend Box Office Results: ‘Think Like a Man’ On Top Again, ‘Avengers’ Makes Huge Foreign Debut

by Chris Quibol | Apr 30, 2012 | 0 comments

Four fairly well-publicized movies debuted this past weekend, yet none could topple last week’s number one, Sony/Screen Gems’ Think Like a Man, which once again finished atop this weekend’s box office. Coming in second was animated feature The Pirates! Band of Misfits, giving Sony Pictures the top two movies at the domestic box office. Sony has had a lot of success from its film division this year, and this past weekend was no different.

A week ahead of its US release, Marvel’s The Avengers made a huge debut in the foreign box office, making over $178 million and finishing in first place in all of its markets, which includes England, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, and the Philippines. According to Box Office Mojo, The Avengers debut ranks just ninth on the all-time foreign openings list; however, the film has yet to open in huge markets like China, Russia, and Japan.

With its upcoming US release, look for The Avengers to dominate next weekend’s box office results.

Hit the jump for a rundown of this week’s box office results.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to Write ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 25, 2012 | 2 comments

If the wait between Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man which hits theaters on July 3 is longer than you would have liked, then we have some good news for you. Sony Pictures has just hired Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the duo behind blockbusters like Transformers, Star Trek, and Mission: Impossible to write the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man. More details, after the jump.

The Weekend Box Office: Sony/Screen Gems’ ‘Think Like a Man’ Takes Top Spot

by Chris Quibol | Apr 23, 2012 | 1 comment

Box office juggernaut The Hunger Games was finally toppled this weekend by a couple of unlikely suspects, one a battle-of-the-sexes comedy and the other a romantic drama starring Zac Efron. Taking this past weekend’s top spot was Sony/Screen Gems’ Think Like a Man, starring Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good, and Kevin Hart. This marks the fourth time Sony has had a movie open at number one, which is more than any other studio this year. Three of those number one movies have come under the Screen Gems label, including Think Like a Man, The Vow, and Underworld: Awakening.

Hit the jump for a rundown of this weekend’s box office results.

New Men In Black 3 TV Spot

by Allegra Osati | Apr 23, 2012 | 20 comments

Sony Pictures has just released the 4th TV spot for the upcoming Men in Black 3. Starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and Josh Brolin who plays a younger agent K, the 3rd installment of the series is set to release on May 23rd in 3D.

Sony to Cut 326 Jobs or 60% of EMI Staff

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 19, 2012 | 0 comments

In the wake of cutting 10,000 jobs at Sony’s electronic division due to sagging sales and sold off businesses, Sony is turning its attention towards their acquisition of the U.K. music company, EMI. Sony, who is one of the biggest music publishers in the world with Sony/ATV Music Publishing currently owns 750,000 songs, which include artists like the Beatles and Michael Jackson. EMI on the other hand has some 1.3 million songs, with hit artists like Alicia Keys and Kanye West. The proposed $2.2 billion takeover of EMI Music Publishing which is taking place in Europe is expected to ruled upon tomorrow by the European Commission which if confirmed, will give Sony a 31% market share of the music industry.

The Weekend Box Office: ‘Hunger Games’ On Top Again, ‘Titanic 3D’ Has Record Debut in China

by Chris Quibol | Apr 17, 2012 | 0 comments

In what should be a surprise to nobody, critically-acclaimed blockbuster “The Hunger Games” was once again the number one movie at the domestic box office, making this the fourth week in a row that the Lionsgate film has sat on top. A few high profile new releases also debuted; however, none of which made a particularly large splash in terms of box office numbers.

Interestingly enough, “Titanic 3D” debuted in China last week with $67 million, which bested “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” as the highest grossing debut ever in China.

Hit the jump for a full rundown of this weekend’s box office results.

Final Poster for ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Revealed

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 16, 2012 | 5 comments

July 3rd will be a giddy day for Spider-Man fans like myself who will see the beloved hero rebooted. Under the helm of Marc Webb, director of 500 Days of Summer, Peter Parker will once again start his journey to become the web slinging hero. Despite my own personal lack of interest in Marc’s previous work and enjoyment of Spider-Man 1-3, I’m still excited to see Spidy back in action. It seems that I’m not the only one excited as Sony is slowly beginning to start their marketing campaign machine by revealing the final poster for The Amazing Spider-Man. The full poster awaits you, after the jump.

The Weekend Box Office: ‘Hunger Games’ On Top for 3rd Week in a Row, ‘American Reunion’ Debuts in 2nd

by Chris Quibol | Apr 9, 2012 | 0 comments

Despite a 42 percent drop from last week and two formidable new releases, Lionsgate Studio’s “The Hunger Games” finished in first place for the third weekend in a row in this past weekend’s box office results. Universal’s “American Reunion” debuted in second place this Easter weekend and the 3D rerelease of “Titanic” debuted in third place, though both of those films could be considered minor disappointments from their respective studios.

Hit the jump to see a full rundown of this week’s box office results and the latest trailer for Sony Picture’s “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”

Sony Pictures Readies ‘Invertigo,’ DJ Caruso Set to Direct

by Chris Quibol | Apr 9, 2012 | 10 comments

Sony Pictures is currently in the initial phases of production on what could be the next big sci-fi thriller, tentatively titled ‘Invertigo,’ with Neal Moritz set to produce and DJ Caruso currently in talks to direct. According to Deadline Hollywood, Sony Pictures apparently has high hopes for the film, and Caruso, who previously directed moderate hits in “Eagly Eye” and “Disturbia,” has just finished working on his latest film and is currently available; however, Caruso is also rumored to be involved with the comic book adaptation of “Preacher.”

‘Invertigo’ is apparently a sci-fi drama where a fallen NASA satellite creates an inverted gravity vortex in New York City, and a rescue mission sets off to save the planet. The premise lends itself well to impressive visuals, and with Ehren Kruger (who recently wrote the script for “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) as one of the writers, the film should have its fair share of exciting moments. Look for more updates on “Invertigo” as production moves forward.

The Weekend Box Office: ‘The Hunger Games’ Stays On Top, ‘Wrath of the Titans’ Makes Strong Debut

by Chris Quibol | Apr 3, 2012 | 18 comments

In box office results that would surprise absolutely no one, The Hunger Games remained the number one movie this past weekend, despite over a 60 percent drop off from last weekend’s record breaking performance and solid debuts from Wrath of the Titans and the Julia Roberts-led Mirror Mirror. Wrath of the Titans made somewhat of an unexpected debut at second place after a poor critical reception of the previous film, 2010’s Clash of the Titans.

Hit the jump to see a full rundown of this week’s box office results.

Michael Lynton Named CEO of Sony America

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 29, 2012 | 21 comments

It seems that during this year, Kaz Hirai won’t be the only high profile Sony executive with a new position. Michael Lynton (pictured on the right), who became Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2004 and has seen tremendous success with The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the Spider-Man and James Bond franchise has now been appointed as the CEO of Sony Corp. Given a few months to conduct the transition, Lynton will officially take control of Sony America on June 27th. Current Sony CEO, Sir Howard Stringer who was previously the CEO of Sony Music/BMG before taking control of the company in June 2005, commented on Lyntons appointment, stating:

Lynton is an incredibly accomplished executive who has distinguished himself in at least three different fields — entertainment, technology and publishing