Scarlett Johansson is one of the most successful Hollywood actors out there. That is to be expected from a star who has acted in a plethora of famous works, including the likes of Avengers, Lucy, Her, and Lost in Translation, amongst other famous works. But that doesn’t mean that she has not faced the odd setback. Even she has had to face numerous rejections time and again, including losing out on a role to Lindsay Lohan.
Scarlett Johansson did not have it easy
Scarlett Johansson was turned down for many roles in her early days
Before Scarlett Johansson made it big as a Hollywood star, she had her fair share of struggles in the industry. It must be difficult for fans to believe that the Marriage Story star found it difficult to catch her big break very early.
That is the the case with most stars though. It is...
Scarlett Johansson did not have it easy
Scarlett Johansson was turned down for many roles in her early days
Before Scarlett Johansson made it big as a Hollywood star, she had her fair share of struggles in the industry. It must be difficult for fans to believe that the Marriage Story star found it difficult to catch her big break very early.
That is the the case with most stars though. It is...
- 4/4/2024
- by Smriti Sneh
- FandomWire
He lost a role in one major franchise, but gained another. In a recent interview, Josh Hutcherson claims he was almost cast as Kevin McCallister in one of the Home Alone movies.
“I was probably 11, I think, when I auditioned for it,” the 31-year-old actor recalled in an interview at BuzzFeed HQ. “It got down to me and the other guy. That was the first time that I tasted rejection, so that was really hard.”
It would have been a role in one of the later films in the series, following the first two films headlined by Macaulay Culkin. Alex D. Linz starred in 1997’s Home Alone 3, and three other movies followed in the series with different casts.
Hutcherson’s child actor career began with parts on ER and in the TV movie House Blend. Then he was in the 2007 fantasy film Bridge to Terabithia, followd by Journey to the Center of the Earth...
“I was probably 11, I think, when I auditioned for it,” the 31-year-old actor recalled in an interview at BuzzFeed HQ. “It got down to me and the other guy. That was the first time that I tasted rejection, so that was really hard.”
It would have been a role in one of the later films in the series, following the first two films headlined by Macaulay Culkin. Alex D. Linz starred in 1997’s Home Alone 3, and three other movies followed in the series with different casts.
Hutcherson’s child actor career began with parts on ER and in the TV movie House Blend. Then he was in the 2007 fantasy film Bridge to Terabithia, followd by Journey to the Center of the Earth...
- 1/20/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Josh Hutcherson has starred in some memorable projects since starting in the industry as a child, but there’s one role he lost out on that might surprise fans.
During a recent interview with BuzzFeed, the actor revealed he auditioned for one of the Home Alone films when he was younger.
“I was probably 11, I think, when I auditioned for it,” the Five Nights at Freddy’s actor recalled. “It got down to me and the other guy. That was the first time that I tasted rejection, so that was really hard.”
Though Hutcherson didn’t share what installment in the Home Alone franchise he auditioned for, based on the timeline, it would have been one of the newer films. Since the first two movies that Macaulay Culkin is most known for were released in 1990 and 1992, right around when Hutcherson was born.
As for the other installments, Alex D. Linz...
During a recent interview with BuzzFeed, the actor revealed he auditioned for one of the Home Alone films when he was younger.
“I was probably 11, I think, when I auditioned for it,” the Five Nights at Freddy’s actor recalled. “It got down to me and the other guy. That was the first time that I tasted rejection, so that was really hard.”
Though Hutcherson didn’t share what installment in the Home Alone franchise he auditioned for, based on the timeline, it would have been one of the newer films. Since the first two movies that Macaulay Culkin is most known for were released in 1990 and 1992, right around when Hutcherson was born.
As for the other installments, Alex D. Linz...
- 1/20/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New year, new Hulu! As the streamer welcomes in dozens of new and classic titles this January, including its new whodunit series “Death and Other Details,” it will first have to say goodbye to the old.
A few titles have already been removed from the library so far this month, including the hit samurai thriller “13 Assassins,” but over the next few weeks of January, dozens more titles will be leaving the platform, including the beloved baseball coming-of-age comedy “The Sandlot,” several Christmas classics, and the 1996 box office buster “Twister.”
Don’t miss your last chance to watch— fill up your watch list with The Streamable’s top picks (and everything else) for what’s leaving Hulu this month!
30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Hulu in January 2024? “Apollo 11” | Wednesday, Jan. 31
“Dinosaur 13” director Todd Douglas Miller picks another number with “Apollo 11,...
A few titles have already been removed from the library so far this month, including the hit samurai thriller “13 Assassins,” but over the next few weeks of January, dozens more titles will be leaving the platform, including the beloved baseball coming-of-age comedy “The Sandlot,” several Christmas classics, and the 1996 box office buster “Twister.”
Don’t miss your last chance to watch— fill up your watch list with The Streamable’s top picks (and everything else) for what’s leaving Hulu this month!
30-Day Free Trial $7.99+ / month hulu.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Hulu in January 2024? “Apollo 11” | Wednesday, Jan. 31
“Dinosaur 13” director Todd Douglas Miller picks another number with “Apollo 11,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Home Alone Star Macaulay Culkin’s 1500% Profit Making Film To The Last Movie Of The Series – Where To Watch Them All ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
McCauley Culkin has been in the news for the past few days due to a fan-made trailer of Home Alone 3. Culkin starred in the first part of the much-loved series of films where he played 8-year-old Kevin McCallister. The Christmas Comedy film was released in 1990 and is still one of the most loved films to watch in the Holiday season.
The first two movies of this film series were directed by Chris Columbus and starred the Richie Rich star, who was paid $100K and then $5 Million for each part, respectively. The first part was made on a budget of $18 Million and earned a profit of around 1483%, collecting $285 million in North America and $288 million worldwide.
As the film is jumping ranks on Netflix’s list of popular films,...
McCauley Culkin has been in the news for the past few days due to a fan-made trailer of Home Alone 3. Culkin starred in the first part of the much-loved series of films where he played 8-year-old Kevin McCallister. The Christmas Comedy film was released in 1990 and is still one of the most loved films to watch in the Holiday season.
The first two movies of this film series were directed by Chris Columbus and starred the Richie Rich star, who was paid $100K and then $5 Million for each part, respectively. The first part was made on a budget of $18 Million and earned a profit of around 1483%, collecting $285 million in North America and $288 million worldwide.
As the film is jumping ranks on Netflix’s list of popular films,...
- 12/26/2023
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
Christmas Holiday Films Box Office Ranked: From Highest-Grossing $285 Million Home Alone To Least-Grossing Elf (Picture Credit: IMDb)
As the Holiday season has officially started, we’ve got you covered for most of the days. If you need a relaxing couch session or want to spend time with your TV or laptop screens, we have the perfect list of the highest-grossing Christmas films ever.
Recently, while Bruce Willis ended the long pending debate about whether Die Hard is a Christmas film or not to Home Alone 3’s fan-made trailer starring Macaulay Culkin going viral on the internet, people are talking about the Christmas classics we’ve loved watching growing up, on Christmas or otherwise.
We’ve curated the list of top 5 highest-grossing films based on the theme of Christmas, which have raked in millions at the box office. While these films are yet again jumping the popularity charts, here’s...
As the Holiday season has officially started, we’ve got you covered for most of the days. If you need a relaxing couch session or want to spend time with your TV or laptop screens, we have the perfect list of the highest-grossing Christmas films ever.
Recently, while Bruce Willis ended the long pending debate about whether Die Hard is a Christmas film or not to Home Alone 3’s fan-made trailer starring Macaulay Culkin going viral on the internet, people are talking about the Christmas classics we’ve loved watching growing up, on Christmas or otherwise.
We’ve curated the list of top 5 highest-grossing films based on the theme of Christmas, which have raked in millions at the box office. While these films are yet again jumping the popularity charts, here’s...
- 12/25/2023
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
Home Alone Star Macaulay Culkin’s $18 Million Net Worth Decoded (Picture Credit: Facebook & Instagram)
Guess who is back in the news again? All of our alter egos – Macaulay Culkin. The boy whom all of us better remember as Kevin McCallister from Home Alone & Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. But why is he in the news again? Well, a fan-made trailer for Home Alone 3 has been going viral. This parody trailer titled Kevin’s Revenge has brought back all the memories of this Holiday Classic.
This parody trailer has grabbed a lot of eyeballs, and people have started recalling the Christmas Comedy Film. While some want to know how rich the McCallisters were, others want to know how rich Kevin is in real.
Well, have all covered here. Macaulay Culkin, who played Kevin in Home Alone when he was 11, enjoys a net worth of $18 Million. However, the actor,...
Guess who is back in the news again? All of our alter egos – Macaulay Culkin. The boy whom all of us better remember as Kevin McCallister from Home Alone & Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. But why is he in the news again? Well, a fan-made trailer for Home Alone 3 has been going viral. This parody trailer titled Kevin’s Revenge has brought back all the memories of this Holiday Classic.
This parody trailer has grabbed a lot of eyeballs, and people have started recalling the Christmas Comedy Film. While some want to know how rich the McCallisters were, others want to know how rich Kevin is in real.
Well, have all covered here. Macaulay Culkin, who played Kevin in Home Alone when he was 11, enjoys a net worth of $18 Million. However, the actor,...
- 12/24/2023
- by Trisha Gaur
- KoiMoi
The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering Ravenous was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Travis Hopson, Edited by Victoria Verduzco, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.
1999, a year of hope, a year of high fashion, nooo, no… 1999, the year when people prepared for Y2K, the year of all the odd choices when it came to fashion, and the year of interesting cinematic options. We got The Mummy which gave us all the hot cast members we could ask for and still gives us memes, we got End of Days, Stigmata, Idle Hands, House on Haunted Hill, The Haunting, Stir of Echoes, and The Blair Witch Project. It was a year for surprising hits, shocking failures, and offbeat horror films. So many smaller budgets did so well. Also out in 1999 was this movie about cannibalism in the olden days of the United States,...
1999, a year of hope, a year of high fashion, nooo, no… 1999, the year when people prepared for Y2K, the year of all the odd choices when it came to fashion, and the year of interesting cinematic options. We got The Mummy which gave us all the hot cast members we could ask for and still gives us memes, we got End of Days, Stigmata, Idle Hands, House on Haunted Hill, The Haunting, Stir of Echoes, and The Blair Witch Project. It was a year for surprising hits, shocking failures, and offbeat horror films. So many smaller budgets did so well. Also out in 1999 was this movie about cannibalism in the olden days of the United States,...
- 12/16/2023
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
Merry Christmas, you filthy animals. The time has come for your annual “Home Alone” marathon — but where exactly are those films calling home this holiday season?
In fairness, there are a lot of them to keep track of. Though the series ended in the hearts of most fans with “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” there were actually four more films that came after it. But, only the first two center on Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern). After that, new kids and new thieves take the reins.
The good news is, you can find all the “Home Alone” films in one place this year. But, you can also find them elsewhere, if you want to spend some money.
Where can I watch the “Home Alone” movies for free on streaming?
This holiday season, “Home Alone” and its many sequels are available to stream on Disney+.
In fairness, there are a lot of them to keep track of. Though the series ended in the hearts of most fans with “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” there were actually four more films that came after it. But, only the first two center on Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern). After that, new kids and new thieves take the reins.
The good news is, you can find all the “Home Alone” films in one place this year. But, you can also find them elsewhere, if you want to spend some money.
Where can I watch the “Home Alone” movies for free on streaming?
This holiday season, “Home Alone” and its many sequels are available to stream on Disney+.
- 12/15/2023
- by Andi Ortiz
- The Wrap
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Quick Answer: Watch Home Alone online with Disney+ and rented from Amazon Prime Video.
sign up for disney+ $7.99+
The McAllisters accidentally left their son Kevin all by himself — for the first time — more than 30 years ago. And then, they did it again.
Ever since its Nineties premiere, Home Alone has become a holiday classic to rewatch year after year. But the iconic franchise is just as popular as ever,...
Quick Answer: Watch Home Alone online with Disney+ and rented from Amazon Prime Video.
sign up for disney+ $7.99+
The McAllisters accidentally left their son Kevin all by himself — for the first time — more than 30 years ago. And then, they did it again.
Ever since its Nineties premiere, Home Alone has become a holiday classic to rewatch year after year. But the iconic franchise is just as popular as ever,...
- 12/14/2023
- by John Lonsdale
- Rollingstone.com
It’s not just about those repeats of A Christmas Story on TNT anymore.
Multiple linear channels and streamers are getting into the holiday spirit this month and next by dropping original Christmas movies, as well as old favorites and one-off holiday specials. As usual, Hallmark has wall-to-wall flicks planned until the end of the month, but Great American Family, Lifetime and BET have their own original slates as well to help ring in the new year.
And if the classics are all that you are looking for, there are still airings of It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone, The Santa Cause, The Wizard of Oz and Miracle on 34th Street scheduled for the boomers and Gen Xers.
And yes, on the big days, several channels have do have marathon programming events.
Check it all out below.
November 9
Christmas Angel (BET)
November 10
Everything Christmas...
Multiple linear channels and streamers are getting into the holiday spirit this month and next by dropping original Christmas movies, as well as old favorites and one-off holiday specials. As usual, Hallmark has wall-to-wall flicks planned until the end of the month, but Great American Family, Lifetime and BET have their own original slates as well to help ring in the new year.
And if the classics are all that you are looking for, there are still airings of It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone, The Santa Cause, The Wizard of Oz and Miracle on 34th Street scheduled for the boomers and Gen Xers.
And yes, on the big days, several channels have do have marathon programming events.
Check it all out below.
November 9
Christmas Angel (BET)
November 10
Everything Christmas...
- 11/6/2023
- by Lynette Rice and Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Freeform’s 2023 “25 Days of Christmas” lineup includes holiday favorites Home Alone, The Santa Clause trilogy, and classic animated offerings Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The network’s December lineup also includes all four Toy Story films, Frozen I and II, and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Noelle starring Anna Kendrick and Godmothered with Jillian Bell will screen this December on Freeform. 2018’s Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and a batch of Santa Paws films will help put viewers in a winter holiday mood.
A scene from ‘Frozen’ (Photo Credit: Disney)
Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” Lineup
Friday, Dec. 1
7:00 a.m. – “Unaccompanied Minors”
9:00 a.m. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
11:00 a.m. – “Eloise at Christmastime”
1:00 p.m. – “The Star” (2017)
3:00 p.m. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
5:00 p.m. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
7:00 p.m. – “Home Alone”
9:30 p.m. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York...
Noelle starring Anna Kendrick and Godmothered with Jillian Bell will screen this December on Freeform. 2018’s Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and a batch of Santa Paws films will help put viewers in a winter holiday mood.
A scene from ‘Frozen’ (Photo Credit: Disney)
Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” Lineup
Friday, Dec. 1
7:00 a.m. – “Unaccompanied Minors”
9:00 a.m. – “Richie Rich’s Christmas Wish”
11:00 a.m. – “Eloise at Christmastime”
1:00 p.m. – “The Star” (2017)
3:00 p.m. – “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”
5:00 p.m. – “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” (2018)
7:00 p.m. – “Home Alone”
9:30 p.m. – “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York...
- 11/1/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
With the holidays right around the corner, Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” is back.
This year, starting December 1, the special lineup event will introduce Disney+ holiday films “Noelle,” which stars Anna Kendrick, and “Godmothered,” which stars Jillian Bell, as the flicks make their Freeform debut.
In addition to the new favorites, the network will welcome back classic holiday movies, including 2000 film “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” “Frozen,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” and the 1994 version of “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Several beloved film franchises will also make their return, including the “Home Alone” and “The Santa Clause” trilogies alongside the “Toy Story” franchise. During the special event, Freeform will also air holiday episodes of “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.”
During last year’s “25 Days of Christmas,” Freeform distinguished itself...
This year, starting December 1, the special lineup event will introduce Disney+ holiday films “Noelle,” which stars Anna Kendrick, and “Godmothered,” which stars Jillian Bell, as the flicks make their Freeform debut.
In addition to the new favorites, the network will welcome back classic holiday movies, including 2000 film “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” “Frozen,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas” and the 1994 version of “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Several beloved film franchises will also make their return, including the “Home Alone” and “The Santa Clause” trilogies alongside the “Toy Story” franchise. During the special event, Freeform will also air holiday episodes of “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.”
During last year’s “25 Days of Christmas,” Freeform distinguished itself...
- 11/1/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
James Saito made his mark in Hollywood as a Chinese mob boss in Home Alone 3 and a Japanese military aide in Pearl Harbor. The actor has been in the industry since 1976; as such, Saito’s work as an actor is stretched across several decades. Even though the actor is widely known for his roles in movies, television, and theater, many things about him are still unknown to most fans. His extensive contribution to the acting world has made him a star in everyone’s eyes. His performance in recent projects such as Love Hard has made fans curious to know...
- 5/7/2023
- by Safwan Azeem
- TVovermind.com
A starry action-thriller from Nick Cassavetes is on its way to theaters. According to Deadline, Patriot Pictures and XYZ Films partnered with Wayward Entertainment to release the upcoming God Is a Bullet film. Maika Monroe, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), Karl Glusman, January Jones, Paul Johansson, David Thornton, and Jamie Foxx star, with a wide domestic theatrical release happening on June 23, 2023. God Is a Bullet also gets a digital release on July 11, 2023.
Nick Cassavetes directs from a script he wrote inspired by actual events and based on the novel of the same name by Boston Teran. God Is a Bullet tells the following story:
When vice detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a satanic cult, he is frustrated by bumbling botched official investigations. Bob quits the police force, gets tattoos, and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the charismatic cult leader, Cyrus, with...
Nick Cassavetes directs from a script he wrote inspired by actual events and based on the novel of the same name by Boston Teran. God Is a Bullet tells the following story:
When vice detective Bob Hightower (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a satanic cult, he is frustrated by bumbling botched official investigations. Bob quits the police force, gets tattoos, and infiltrates the cult to hunt down the charismatic cult leader, Cyrus, with...
- 4/20/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
If you’re like many of us, the Home Alone movie franchise has been a comfort in times of need. Whether you’ve stumbled across these movies on TV late at night, or watched them every year since their original release back in 1990; these films have continuously delighted audiences over the last three decades.
Whether it’s been a while since your last viewing, or you want to watch them all in order, here’s a complete guide to the “Home Alone” movies in order – from the oldest to the newest – so you can get your nostalgia fix!
Viewers worldwide are constantly charmed by the “Home Alone” franchise, a timeless American classic. Its unique charm and heartwarming storylines have kept people coming back to watch time after time!
The “Home Alone” movie series was created by John Hughes and followed the misadventures of young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin).
The first movie,...
Whether it’s been a while since your last viewing, or you want to watch them all in order, here’s a complete guide to the “Home Alone” movies in order – from the oldest to the newest – so you can get your nostalgia fix!
Viewers worldwide are constantly charmed by the “Home Alone” franchise, a timeless American classic. Its unique charm and heartwarming storylines have kept people coming back to watch time after time!
The “Home Alone” movie series was created by John Hughes and followed the misadventures of young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin).
The first movie,...
- 1/13/2023
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
If January sets the tone for any streamer’s year then 2023 is certainly going to be the Year of True Crime on Hulu. That’s right, Hulu’s list of new releases for January 2023 is highlight by several new true crime docuseries (and one charmingly goofy animated hero).
The true crime docuseries fest gets started with Death in the Dorms on Jan. 5. That will be followed by How I Caught My Killer on Jan. 12, and Web of Death on Jan. 19. The first is a six-episode series that will follow the real life case of murders at UCLA, while the latter two will both present several different stories.
It’s not just all true crime in January for Hulu. Jan. 9 sees the arrival of Koala Man, an animated series that envisions an Australian crime fighter of the same name. Also premiering is season 2 of How I Met Your Mather (Jan. 24) and superhero drama Extraordinary (Jan.
The true crime docuseries fest gets started with Death in the Dorms on Jan. 5. That will be followed by How I Caught My Killer on Jan. 12, and Web of Death on Jan. 19. The first is a six-episode series that will follow the real life case of murders at UCLA, while the latter two will both present several different stories.
It’s not just all true crime in January for Hulu. Jan. 9 sees the arrival of Koala Man, an animated series that envisions an Australian crime fighter of the same name. Also premiering is season 2 of How I Met Your Mather (Jan. 24) and superhero drama Extraordinary (Jan.
- 1/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
It’s the beginning of a new year and if you’ve already caught up on everything that’s a must-see in film and television for 2022, than Hulu has you covered with plenty of new offerings. The Disney-owned streaming service is coming into 2023 with plenty of appealing choices, including the second season of “How I Met Your Father.”
Debuting back in January of 2022, “How I Met Your Father” is a spin-off series to the popular CBS sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother” that aired from 2005 to 2014. The show stars Hilary Duff as a young woman navigating the dating scene in the hopes of landing the man that will be the titular father of the show’s title. Season 2 consists of a whopping 20 episodes to air weekly on Hulu.
“How I Met Your Father” Season 2 streams on Hulu starting January 24.
Below you’ll find everything coming to Hulu in January 2023.
January...
Debuting back in January of 2022, “How I Met Your Father” is a spin-off series to the popular CBS sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother” that aired from 2005 to 2014. The show stars Hilary Duff as a young woman navigating the dating scene in the hopes of landing the man that will be the titular father of the show’s title. Season 2 consists of a whopping 20 episodes to air weekly on Hulu.
“How I Met Your Father” Season 2 streams on Hulu starting January 24.
Below you’ll find everything coming to Hulu in January 2023.
January...
- 12/15/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Lenny Von Dohlen, best known for playing Harold Smith on Twin Peaks, has died.
He was 63.
The actor's sister, Catherine Von Dohlen, shared the news in a Facebook post this week.
"The world lost a magnificent man on July 5. Brother Len was passionate about everything and everyone," the social media post reads.
"He was always leading; whether it be riveting conversation, an artistic creation or a trip to new places. He loved a good laugh."
"He continues on his spiritual journey. Living life full in his memory," Catherine wrote.
Von Dohlen appeared on four episodes of Twin Peaks, as well as the spinoff movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
He played Harold, an acquaintance of Laura Palmer, the character whose death kicked off the series premiere.
Laura gave her secret diary to Harold, but her friends wanted access to it to help investigate her murder.
His arc on the...
He was 63.
The actor's sister, Catherine Von Dohlen, shared the news in a Facebook post this week.
"The world lost a magnificent man on July 5. Brother Len was passionate about everything and everyone," the social media post reads.
"He was always leading; whether it be riveting conversation, an artistic creation or a trip to new places. He loved a good laugh."
"He continues on his spiritual journey. Living life full in his memory," Catherine wrote.
Von Dohlen appeared on four episodes of Twin Peaks, as well as the spinoff movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
He played Harold, an acquaintance of Laura Palmer, the character whose death kicked off the series premiere.
Laura gave her secret diary to Harold, but her friends wanted access to it to help investigate her murder.
His arc on the...
- 7/8/2022
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Lenny von Dohlen, who played Harold Smith on Twin Peaks and its 1992 spinoff pic Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and starred in the 1984 rom-com Electric Dreams during a four-decade screen career, has died. He was 63.
His manager Steven Wolfe said von Dohlen died July 5 at his Los Angeles home after a long illness.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Born on December 22, 1958 in Augusta, Ga, and raised in Goliad, Texas, Von Dohlen made his screen debut in the 1981 telefilm Kent State and had a small role in the Robert Duvall country music pic Tender Mercies before getting his big break in Electric Dreams. He starred as Miles Harding, an architect whose new PC becomes self-aware and develops a love triangle his Miles’ neighbor (Virginia Madsen). The romantic comedy was the debut feature of prolific music video helmer Steve Barron, who went on to direct for TV, earning an Emmy nom for Merlin.
His manager Steven Wolfe said von Dohlen died July 5 at his Los Angeles home after a long illness.
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Born on December 22, 1958 in Augusta, Ga, and raised in Goliad, Texas, Von Dohlen made his screen debut in the 1981 telefilm Kent State and had a small role in the Robert Duvall country music pic Tender Mercies before getting his big break in Electric Dreams. He starred as Miles Harding, an architect whose new PC becomes self-aware and develops a love triangle his Miles’ neighbor (Virginia Madsen). The romantic comedy was the debut feature of prolific music video helmer Steve Barron, who went on to direct for TV, earning an Emmy nom for Merlin.
- 7/8/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Lenny Von Dohlen, who played Harold Smith on the hit series “Twin Peaks,” died on Tuesday, his agent confirmed to Variety. He was 63.
His sister Catherine Von Dohlen first announced his death Thursday morning on Facebook. No cause of death was given. “The world lost a magnificent man on July 5. Brother Len was passionate about everything and everyone. He was always leading; whether it be riveting conversation, an artistic creation or a trip to new places. He loved a good laugh. He continues on his spiritual journey. Living life full in his memory,” she wrote.
On “Twin Peaks” and the prequel film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” Von Dohlen played the agoraphobic Harold Smith, who refused to leave his house. Sheryl Lee’s character, Laura Palmer, gave Harold her secret diary, and after her murder, her friend Donna Hayward befriended Harold while investigating Laura’s death. However, Harold’s...
His sister Catherine Von Dohlen first announced his death Thursday morning on Facebook. No cause of death was given. “The world lost a magnificent man on July 5. Brother Len was passionate about everything and everyone. He was always leading; whether it be riveting conversation, an artistic creation or a trip to new places. He loved a good laugh. He continues on his spiritual journey. Living life full in his memory,” she wrote.
On “Twin Peaks” and the prequel film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” Von Dohlen played the agoraphobic Harold Smith, who refused to leave his house. Sheryl Lee’s character, Laura Palmer, gave Harold her secret diary, and after her murder, her friend Donna Hayward befriended Harold while investigating Laura’s death. However, Harold’s...
- 7/8/2022
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
This Obi-Wan Kenobi article contains spoilers.
Obi-Wan Kenobi brings back Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their iconic Star Wars roles, but the show also boasts a very strong ensemble cast beyond its central stars. There’s Moses Ingram as the menacing new villain Reva and Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor, as well as quite a few welcome surprises fans will be talking about far after the credits have rolled.
Here are the Obi-Wan Kenobi actors you need to know and where you’ve seen them before:
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
You know Ewan McGregor well. But in case you somehow missed the Prequel Trilogy, McGregor first played the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in 1999’s The Phantom Menace, reprising the role in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Before Star Wars, he was best known for his character Mark Renton in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting.
Obi-Wan Kenobi brings back Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their iconic Star Wars roles, but the show also boasts a very strong ensemble cast beyond its central stars. There’s Moses Ingram as the menacing new villain Reva and Rupert Friend as the Grand Inquisitor, as well as quite a few welcome surprises fans will be talking about far after the credits have rolled.
Here are the Obi-Wan Kenobi actors you need to know and where you’ve seen them before:
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
You know Ewan McGregor well. But in case you somehow missed the Prequel Trilogy, McGregor first played the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in 1999’s The Phantom Menace, reprising the role in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Before Star Wars, he was best known for his character Mark Renton in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting.
- 5/27/2022
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
It seems particularly cruel that the first thing we see in Home Sweet Home Alone is the 20th Century Fox fanfare—and yes, it is still the Fox fanfare when the floodlights come on and the brass section plays, no matter the text on the screen. That fallen movie studio was of course no collection of saints when it came to milking popular IPs. They even made that horrible Home Alone 3 back in ’97 you forgot existed. But Home Sweet Home Alone? The belated and opportunistic “legacy sequel” which attempts to manipulate your childhood nostalgia into crass dollar signs? That’s a modern Disney maneuver through and through.
The unique bit of ugliness about Home Sweet Home Alone’s cynicism, however, is that it’s not even nostalgia done particularly well. Disney rolls out the red carpet when they’re mining their own vaults for animated classics to remake, or...
The unique bit of ugliness about Home Sweet Home Alone’s cynicism, however, is that it’s not even nostalgia done particularly well. Disney rolls out the red carpet when they’re mining their own vaults for animated classics to remake, or...
- 11/11/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Scarlett Johansson's daughter wasn't exactly thirsty for more after seeing her mom appear in a movie that most people probably don't even realize is on the film star's resume. During her visit to Late Night on Monday, July 12, Scarlett told host Seth Meyers that she recently watched Home Alone 3 with 6-year-old daughter Rose, who she shares with ex-husband Romain Dauriac. Much to the 36-year-old Black Widow actress' chagrin, Rose wasn't particularly taken aback to learn that Scarlett has a role in the oft-forgotten 1997 sequel film. When asked about having recently showed Rose one of her formative projects, Scarlett explained, "I guess it wasn't intentional....
- 7/13/2021
- E! Online
Christmas has come early! Yesterday, Disney Plus added the Home Alone trilogy back to its library as a surprise festive treat for subscribers. The iconic holiday comedy movies were available on D+ at launch last year, but they were removed soon after due to a pre-existing license. That’s now been taken care of, though, so viewers can enjoy the adventures of Kevin McAllister and company once again this Xmas season.
“Surprise, ya filthy animals!” the Disney Plus Twitter account tweeted this Friday. “The Home Alone Collection is Now streaming on #DisneyPlus—it’s our early gift to you.”
Surprise, ya filthy animals! The Home Alone Collection is Now streaming on #DisneyPlus—it’s our early gift to you. pic.twitter.com/AJaitu1at5
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) November 13, 2020
1990’s Home Alone is beloved by generations – it wasn’t the highest-grossing Christmas movie for nearly three decades for nothing. Director Chris Columbus,...
“Surprise, ya filthy animals!” the Disney Plus Twitter account tweeted this Friday. “The Home Alone Collection is Now streaming on #DisneyPlus—it’s our early gift to you.”
Surprise, ya filthy animals! The Home Alone Collection is Now streaming on #DisneyPlus—it’s our early gift to you. pic.twitter.com/AJaitu1at5
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) November 13, 2020
1990’s Home Alone is beloved by generations – it wasn’t the highest-grossing Christmas movie for nearly three decades for nothing. Director Chris Columbus,...
- 11/14/2020
- by Christian Bone
- We Got This Covered
Hollywood actor Macaulay Culkin has found a novel way to spread an important message related to Covid.
The 40-year-old actor tweeted a photo wearing a "Home Alone" mask, which brought back memories of the all-time blockbuster film series that made him a global star as a child actor in the nineties.
"Just staying Covid-safe wearing by the flayed skin of my younger self. Don't forget to wear your masks, kids," he captioned the photo, in which he poses wearing a mask with a print of his childhood self from the 1990 hit film "Home Alone", screaming and slapping his face.
The 1990 hit was followed by "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" (1992), "Home Alone 3" (1997), "Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House" (2002), and "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist" (2012). --ians/nn/vnc...
The 40-year-old actor tweeted a photo wearing a "Home Alone" mask, which brought back memories of the all-time blockbuster film series that made him a global star as a child actor in the nineties.
"Just staying Covid-safe wearing by the flayed skin of my younger self. Don't forget to wear your masks, kids," he captioned the photo, in which he poses wearing a mask with a print of his childhood self from the 1990 hit film "Home Alone", screaming and slapping his face.
The 1990 hit was followed by "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" (1992), "Home Alone 3" (1997), "Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House" (2002), and "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist" (2012). --ians/nn/vnc...
- 10/8/2020
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Los Angeles, Oct 8 (Ians) Hollywood actor Macaulay Culkin has found a novel way to spread an important message related to message.
The 40-year-old actor tweeted a photo wearing a "Home Alone" mask, which brought back memories of the all-time blockbuster film series that made him a global star as a child actor in the nineties.
"Just staying Covid-safe wearing by the flayed skin of my younger self. Don't forget to wear your masks, kids," he captioned the photo, in which he poses wearing a mask with a print of his childhood self from the 1990 hit film "Home Alone", screaming and slapping his face.
The 1990 hit was followed by "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" (1992), "Home Alone 3" (1997), "Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House" (2002), and "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist" (2012).
--Ians
nn/vnc...
The 40-year-old actor tweeted a photo wearing a "Home Alone" mask, which brought back memories of the all-time blockbuster film series that made him a global star as a child actor in the nineties.
"Just staying Covid-safe wearing by the flayed skin of my younger self. Don't forget to wear your masks, kids," he captioned the photo, in which he poses wearing a mask with a print of his childhood self from the 1990 hit film "Home Alone", screaming and slapping his face.
The 1990 hit was followed by "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" (1992), "Home Alone 3" (1997), "Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House" (2002), and "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist" (2012).
--Ians
nn/vnc...
- 10/8/2020
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
For nearly 30 years, Rya Kihlstedt has been lighting up big and small screens with her acting abilities. Since making her debut in the TV series, Tribeca, Rya has gone on to have several significant roles. TV fans will recognize her from shows like Nashville and Dexter. Movie fans will recognize her from films like Home Alone 3 and The Atticus Institute. Whether the role she plays is big or small, Rya always puts on her best performance. Her role in the new series Love in the time of Corona will give fans a chance to see the more intimate
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Rya Kihlstedt...
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Rya Kihlstedt...
- 8/24/2020
- by Camille Moore
- TVovermind.com
Home Alone is now firmly established as a holiday season classic and there were cries of anger when the movie was pulled from Disney+ at the end of 2019. But fans of the premise won’t be left empty-handed for long, as the wheels are beginning to turn on a reboot of the concept that will air on the aforementioned streaming service.
We don’t know too much about it just yet, but multiple outlets are now reporting that Kenan Thompson, Ally Maki and Chris Parnell have joined the cast. Already announced as the star of the movie is Jojo Rabbit‘s Archie Yates, who’ll be playing Max, the Macauley Culkin role. Yates was one of the funniest actors in Taika Waititi’s Oscar-winning comedy, so I have high hopes that he can fill Culkin’s pretty big shoes.
Rounding out the cast, meanwhile, are Aisling Bea, Timothy Simons, Pete Holmes and Mikey Day.
We don’t know too much about it just yet, but multiple outlets are now reporting that Kenan Thompson, Ally Maki and Chris Parnell have joined the cast. Already announced as the star of the movie is Jojo Rabbit‘s Archie Yates, who’ll be playing Max, the Macauley Culkin role. Yates was one of the funniest actors in Taika Waititi’s Oscar-winning comedy, so I have high hopes that he can fill Culkin’s pretty big shoes.
Rounding out the cast, meanwhile, are Aisling Bea, Timothy Simons, Pete Holmes and Mikey Day.
- 7/16/2020
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
If you’re looking for an appropriate yet authentic Christmas gift – something which becomes harder to come by the older you get – you may want to check out this upcoming 4K Uhd Blu-Ray edition of the winter classic Home Alone, which will release on September 15th.
The film, which first hit theaters in 1990, tells the story of a mischievous yet resourceful young boy who must protect himself from two dimwitted criminals after his family accidentally forgets to bring him on their Christmas holiday trip.
It’s a classic story, one that – if you’re a human being with feelings – you’ve seen not once, not twice, but many times before. And yet, no matter how often you view this film or how well you know its plot beats, chances are you’ll find yourself wanting to watch it all over again when it’s on TV in December.
This year,...
The film, which first hit theaters in 1990, tells the story of a mischievous yet resourceful young boy who must protect himself from two dimwitted criminals after his family accidentally forgets to bring him on their Christmas holiday trip.
It’s a classic story, one that – if you’re a human being with feelings – you’ve seen not once, not twice, but many times before. And yet, no matter how often you view this film or how well you know its plot beats, chances are you’ll find yourself wanting to watch it all over again when it’s on TV in December.
This year,...
- 7/1/2020
- by Tim Brinkhof
- We Got This Covered
Are you a Raging Bull or a Joker? Try our fiendishly difficult quiz to find out
Modern Toss on Oscar nominated film 1917
Which nominated film contains the line: “Anybody order fried sauerkraut?”
Little Women
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood
What is the joke that Joker tells at the end of Joker?
“What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? You get what you fucking deserve.”
“What do you get when you cross a backstreet clown with an industry determined to undermine him? You get shot.”
“What do you get when you cross a road with a safari park? Double yellow lions.”
Which woman, by height, is the littlest woman in Little Women?
Saoirse Ronan
Florence Pugh
Emma Watson
What song does Adam Driver sing at the end of Marriage Story?
Being Alive
Staying Alive...
Modern Toss on Oscar nominated film 1917
Which nominated film contains the line: “Anybody order fried sauerkraut?”
Little Women
Jojo Rabbit
Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood
What is the joke that Joker tells at the end of Joker?
“What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? You get what you fucking deserve.”
“What do you get when you cross a backstreet clown with an industry determined to undermine him? You get shot.”
“What do you get when you cross a road with a safari park? Double yellow lions.”
Which woman, by height, is the littlest woman in Little Women?
Saoirse Ronan
Florence Pugh
Emma Watson
What song does Adam Driver sing at the end of Marriage Story?
Being Alive
Staying Alive...
- 2/4/2020
- by Stuart Heritage
- The Guardian - Film News
Earlier this month, countless Twitter users came out in support of director Raja Gosnell's Home Alone 3, which stars Alex D. Linz as Alex Pruitt, a nine-year-old Bostonian who must fend off international spies who seek a top-secret chip in his toy car. The 1997 sequel is of course a follow-up to Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, both of which star Macaulay…...
- 12/26/2019
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Halloween is over — and Christmas is already upon us.
Last week marked the launch of Hallmark and Lifetime’s extensive holiday slate. And on Friday, Freeform announced their full 25 Days of Christmas lineup, which kicks off Dec. 1.
As previously announced, the list includes the Good Trouble holiday special, which will feature a full reunion of the Adams-Foster family from The Fosters, including the moms, Sherri Saum and Teri Polo, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before heartthrob Noah Centineo.
The lineup also boasts the network’s movie, Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas, starring The Bold Type‘s Aisha Dee.
Last week marked the launch of Hallmark and Lifetime’s extensive holiday slate. And on Friday, Freeform announced their full 25 Days of Christmas lineup, which kicks off Dec. 1.
As previously announced, the list includes the Good Trouble holiday special, which will feature a full reunion of the Adams-Foster family from The Fosters, including the moms, Sherri Saum and Teri Polo, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before heartthrob Noah Centineo.
The lineup also boasts the network’s movie, Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas, starring The Bold Type‘s Aisha Dee.
- 11/1/2019
- by Aurelie Corinthios
- PEOPLE.com
Freeform is set to deck the halls with its annual 25 Days of Christmas programming extravaganza, which this year includes the highly anticipated reunion of The Fosters family.
As previously reported, Good Trouble‘s Callie and Mariana will be joined by moms Stef and Lena (Teri Polo and Sherri Saum), Jesus, Jude and Brandon (Noah Centineo, Hayden Byerly and David Lambert), as well as Brandon’s wife Eliza, her parents Jim (Robert Gant) and Diane (Susan Walters), and her brothers Jamie (Beau Mirchoff) and Carter (Spencer List). The two-hour holiday event is set to air on Monday, Dec. 16, at 9/8c. (For exclusive photos,...
As previously reported, Good Trouble‘s Callie and Mariana will be joined by moms Stef and Lena (Teri Polo and Sherri Saum), Jesus, Jude and Brandon (Noah Centineo, Hayden Byerly and David Lambert), as well as Brandon’s wife Eliza, her parents Jim (Robert Gant) and Diane (Susan Walters), and her brothers Jamie (Beau Mirchoff) and Carter (Spencer List). The two-hour holiday event is set to air on Monday, Dec. 16, at 9/8c. (For exclusive photos,...
- 11/1/2019
- TVLine.com
Joseph Baxter Rosie Fletcher Dec 11, 2019
A Home Alone reboot movie is in the works, set for an arrival on streaming platform Disney+.
Disney is seemingly dominating the entertainment industry these days with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars and its incredible animation back catalog, emboldened now more than ever with self-distribution grandeur, with streaming service Disney+ (home of Star Wars serial smash The Mandalorian!) providing a platform on which more of its rebooted IP can manifest, as recently exemplified by the debut of its live-action Lady and the Tramp movie.
Home Alone, a piece of property cheese nabbed by the monolithic Mouse in the company’s recent acquisition of Fox, happens to be on the docket for a Disney+ reboot treatment, joining similarly-fated properties in Night at The Museum and Diary of a Wimpy Kid; a reveal made by big boss Bob Iger at a Q3 earnings call back in August,...
A Home Alone reboot movie is in the works, set for an arrival on streaming platform Disney+.
Disney is seemingly dominating the entertainment industry these days with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars and its incredible animation back catalog, emboldened now more than ever with self-distribution grandeur, with streaming service Disney+ (home of Star Wars serial smash The Mandalorian!) providing a platform on which more of its rebooted IP can manifest, as recently exemplified by the debut of its live-action Lady and the Tramp movie.
Home Alone, a piece of property cheese nabbed by the monolithic Mouse in the company’s recent acquisition of Fox, happens to be on the docket for a Disney+ reboot treatment, joining similarly-fated properties in Night at The Museum and Diary of a Wimpy Kid; a reveal made by big boss Bob Iger at a Q3 earnings call back in August,...
- 8/7/2019
- Den of Geek
‘Show Dogs’ Distributor Will Edit Out Sexploitation Scenes That Angered Parents and Victim Advocates
Five days after “Show Dogs” opened as family-friendly fare in more than 3,200 theaters, distributor Global Road Entertainment announced that it will cut footage that — to parents and advocates — suggests sexual abuse. The Aussie theater chain Cineplex Australia had recently dropped the film from its lineup.
The company released the following statement to Deadline:
Responding to concerns raised by moviegoers and some specific organizations, Global Road Entertainment has decided to remove two scenes from the film ‘Show Dogs’ that some have deemed not appropriate for children. The company takes these matters very seriously and remains committed to providing quality entertainment for the intended audiences based on the film’s rating. We apologize to anybody who feels the original version of ‘Show Dogs’ sent an inappropriate message. The revised version of the film will be available for viewing nationwide starting this weekend.
A critic at Macaroni Kid instigated the film’s backlash...
The company released the following statement to Deadline:
Responding to concerns raised by moviegoers and some specific organizations, Global Road Entertainment has decided to remove two scenes from the film ‘Show Dogs’ that some have deemed not appropriate for children. The company takes these matters very seriously and remains committed to providing quality entertainment for the intended audiences based on the film’s rating. We apologize to anybody who feels the original version of ‘Show Dogs’ sent an inappropriate message. The revised version of the film will be available for viewing nationwide starting this weekend.
A critic at Macaroni Kid instigated the film’s backlash...
- 5/23/2018
- by Jenna Marotta
- Indiewire
Most people want to run away from comment sections and bullies (and the bullies in comment sections), but Dylan Marron isn't most people.
The New York-based writer and performer may be best known as the voice of Carlos in the beloved mystery podcast, Welcome to Night Vale, but as the host of his very own podcast, Conversations With People Who Hate Me, Marron is taking a break from fictional narratives to, as the title suggests, take on his haters.
"Online comment sections feel like a microcosm of our current political climate. As a writer and performer whose work exists mostly on the Internet, I would get a ton of hate messages and comments," Marron tells Et. "Initially, I wanted to just block out the negativity, but as I realized that (some of) these negative comments were opportunities for actual conversation, I didn't want to keep turning these people away from my digital front door. So I let some...
The New York-based writer and performer may be best known as the voice of Carlos in the beloved mystery podcast, Welcome to Night Vale, but as the host of his very own podcast, Conversations With People Who Hate Me, Marron is taking a break from fictional narratives to, as the title suggests, take on his haters.
"Online comment sections feel like a microcosm of our current political climate. As a writer and performer whose work exists mostly on the Internet, I would get a ton of hate messages and comments," Marron tells Et. "Initially, I wanted to just block out the negativity, but as I realized that (some of) these negative comments were opportunities for actual conversation, I didn't want to keep turning these people away from my digital front door. So I let some...
- 10/31/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
With Run The Series, The A.V. Club examines film franchises, studying how they change and evolve with each new installment.
By the time the Home Alone series reached its fourth installment, no one from the original film’s creative team was on board. No John Hughes screenplay. No Christopher Columbus direction. No Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, or Macaulay Culkin in the cast. And yet even though 1997’s Home Alone 3 had introduced entirely new characters, 2002’s Home Alone 4 (sometimes subtitled Taking Back The House) was inexplicably presented as in-continuity with the first two movies; once again, a grade-school-aged kid named Kevin McCallister found himself thwarting a home invasion by a crook named Marv. It had been 12 years since the first movie became a surprise blockbuster hit, but the producers of part four apparently figured the “child outsmarts criminals with elaborate ...
By the time the Home Alone series reached its fourth installment, no one from the original film’s creative team was on board. No John Hughes screenplay. No Christopher Columbus direction. No Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, or Macaulay Culkin in the cast. And yet even though 1997’s Home Alone 3 had introduced entirely new characters, 2002’s Home Alone 4 (sometimes subtitled Taking Back The House) was inexplicably presented as in-continuity with the first two movies; once again, a grade-school-aged kid named Kevin McCallister found himself thwarting a home invasion by a crook named Marv. It had been 12 years since the first movie became a surprise blockbuster hit, but the producers of part four apparently figured the “child outsmarts criminals with elaborate ...
- 3/29/2017
- by Noel Murray
- avclub.com
Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal...or whatever it is that Kevin says in Home Alone 3. Merry December, TV lovers, and welcome to another season of Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas, with the network playing almost non-stop Christmas programming every single day through Christmas, with the line-up officially kicking off at 3:30 p.m. Et today. This year's line-up includes perennial favorites, like Elf, Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, as well as animated classics. Two holiday classics that are Mia? Home Alone 1 and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, with two of the franchise's other offerings in the mix. So brew up a fresh cup of...
- 12/1/2016
- E! Online
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Warner Bros has struggled with its blockbusters of late. But back in summer 1997 - Batman & Robin's year - it faced not dissimilar problems.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Warner Bros, following a string of costly movies that hadn’t hit box office gold (Pan, Jupiter Ascending, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., In The Heart Of The Sea), was restructuring its blockbuster movie business. Fewer films, fewer risks, more franchises, and more centering around movie universes seems to be the new approach, and the appointment of a new corporate team to oversee the Harry Potter franchise last week was one part of that.
In some ways, it marks the end of an era. Whilst it retains its relationships with key directing talent (Ben Affleck, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan for instance), Warner Bros was, for the bulk of the 1990s in particular, the studio that the others were trying to mimic. It worked with the same stars and filmmakers time and time again, and under then-chiefs Terry Semel and Robert Daly, relationships with key talent were paramount.
Furthermore, the studio knew to leave that talent to do its job, and was also ahead of the pack in developing franchises that it could rely on to give it a string of hits.
However, whilst Warner Bros is having troubles now, its way of doing business was first seriously challenged by the failure of its slate in the summer of 1997. Once again, it seemed to have a line up to cherish, that others were envious of. But as film by film failed to click, every facet of Warner Bros’ blockbuster strategy suddenly came under scrutiny, and would ultimately fairly dramatically change. Just two summers later, the studio released The Matrix, and blockbuster cinema changed again.
But come the start of summer 1997? These are the movies that Warner Bros had lined up, and this is what happened…
February - National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
Things actually had got off to a decent enough start for the studio earlier in the year, so it's worth kicking off there. It brought Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo back together, for the fourth National Lampoon movie, and the first since 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Interestingly, it dropped the National Lampoon moniker in the Us, and instead released the eventual movie as Vegas Vacation. It was a belated sequel, back when belated sequels weren’t that big a thing.
The film was quickly pulled apart by reviewers, but it still just about clawed a profit. The production budget of $25m was eclipsed by the Us gross of $36m, and the movie would do comfortable business on video/DVD. Not a massive hit, then, but hardly a project that had a sense of foreboding about it.
Yet the problems were not far away.
May – Father's Day
Warner Bros had a mix of movies released in the Us in March and April 1997, including modest Wesley Snipes-headlined thriller Murder At 1600, and family flick Shiloh. But it launched its summer season with Father’s Day, an expensive packaged comedy from director Ivan Reitman, starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. It had hit written all over it.
Father’s Day was one of the movies packaged by the CAA agency, and its then-head, Mike Ovitz (listed regularly by Premiere magazine in the 1990s as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, if not the most powerful man). That he brought together the stars, the director and the project, gave a studio a price tag, and the studio duly paid it. Given Warner Bros’ devotion to star talent (Mel Gibson, then one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and a major Warner Bros talent, was persuaded to film a cameo), it was a natural home for the film. It quickly did the deal. few questions asked.
That package, and CAA’s fees for putting it together, brought the budget for a fairly straightforward comedy to a then-staggering $85m. The problem, though, was that the film simply wasn’t very good. It’s one of those projects that looks great on paper, less great when exposed on a great big screen. Warner Bros has snapped it up, without - it seems - even properly reading the script.
Premiere magazine quoted a Warner Bros insider back in November 1997 as saying “when [CAA] calls and says ‘we have a package, Father’s Day, with Williams and Crystal and Reitman, we say ‘great’”, adding “we don’t scrutinise the production. When we saw the movie, it took the wind out of us. We kept reshooting and enhancing, but you can’t fix something that’s bad”.
And it was bad.
The movie would prove to be the first big misfire of the summer, grossing just $35m in the Us, and not adding a fat lot more elsewhere in the world. Warner Bros’ first film of the summer was a certified flop. More would soon follow.
May - Addicted To Love
A more modestly priced project was Addicted To Love, a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick. Just over a year later, Warner Bros would hit big when Meg Ryan reunited with Tom Hanks for Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail. But here? The film was a modest success, at best.
Directed by Griffin Dunne (making his directorial debut), and put together in partnership with Miramax, Addicted To Love was based around the Robert Palmer song of the same name. But whilst it was sold as a romcom, the muddled final cut was actually a fair bit darker. There was an underlying nastiness to some moments in the film, and when the final box office was tallied, it came in lower than the usual returns for pictures from Ryan or Broderick. Counter-programming it against the release of The Lost World: Jurassic Park didn’t massively help in this instance either, especially as the Jurassic Park sequel would smash opening weekend records.
Addicted To Love ended up with $34.6m at the Us box office. It would eke out a small profit.
June - Batman & Robin
And this is when the alarm bells started to ring very, very loudly. Summer 1997 was supposed to be about a trio of sure-fire hit sequels: Batman 4, Jurassic Park 2 and Speed 2. Only one of those would ultimately bring home the box office bacon, the others being destroyed by critics, and ultimately leaving far more empty seats than anticipated in multiplexes.
Batman & Robin, it’s easy to forget, came off the back of 1995’s Joel Schumacher-steered Batman reboot, Batman Forever that year's biggest movie). It had one of the fastest-growing stars in the world in the Batsuit (George Clooney), and the McDonald’s deals were signed even before the script was typed up. You don’t need us to tell you that you could tell, something of a theme already in Warner Bros' summer of '97.
That said, Batman & Robin still gave Warner Bros a big opening, but in the infancy of the internet as we know it, poisonous word of mouth was already beginning to spread. The film’s negative cost Warner Bros up to $140m, before marketing and distribution costs, and it opened in the Us to a hardly-sniffy $42m of business (although that was down from previous Batman movies).
But that word of mouth still accelerated its departure from cinemas. It was then very rare for a film to make over 40% of its Us gross in its first weekend. But that’s just what Batman & Robin did, taking $107.3m in America, part of a worldwide total of $238.2m. This was the worst return for a Batman movie to date, and Warner Bros had to swiftly put the brakes on plans to get Batman Triumphant moving.
It would be eight years until Batman returned to the big screen, in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Warner Bros would undergo big changes in the intervening period.
As for the immediate aftermath of Batman & Robin? Warner Bros co-chief Robert Daly would note at the end of '97 that “we’d have been better off with more action in the picture. The movie had to service too many characters”, adding that “the next Batman we do, in three years – and we have a deal with George Clooney to do it – will have one villain”.
Fortunately, Warner Bros’ one solid hit of the summer was just around the corner…
July - Contact
And breathe out.
Warner Bros bet heavily again on expensive talent here, with Robert Zemeckis bringing his adaptation of Carl Sagan’s Contact to the studio for his first film post-Forrest Gump. Warner Bros duly footed the $90m bill (back when that was still seen as a lot of money for a movie), a good chunk of which went to Jodie Foster. It invested heavily in special effects, and gave Zemeckis licence to make the film that he wanted.
The studio was rewarded with the most intelligent and arguably the best blockbuster of the summer. I’ve looked back at Contact in a lot more detail here, and it remains a fascinating film that’s stood the test of time (and arguably influenced Christopher Nolan’s more recent Interstellar).
Reviews were strong, it looked terrific, and the initial box office was good.
But then the problem hit. For whilst Contact was a solid hit for Warner Bros, it wasn’t a massively profitable one. Had Father’s Day and Batman & Robin shouldered the box office load there were supposed to, it perhaps wouldn’t have been a problem. But when they failed to take off, the pressure shifted to Contact.
The movie would gross $100.9m in the Us, and add another $70m overseas (this being an era were international box office rarely had the importance it has today). But once Warner Bros had paid its bills, there wasn’t a fat lot over for itself. Fortunately, the film still sells on disc and on-demand. Yet it wasn’t to be the massive hit the studio needed back in 1997.
July - One Eight Seven
From director Kevin Reynolds, the man who helmed Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and Waterworld, came modestly-priced drama 187, starring Samuel L Jackson (in a strong performance). Warner Bros wouldn’t have had massive box office expectations for the film (although it can't have been unaware that the inspirational teacher sub-genre was always worth a few quid), and it shared production duties on the $20m movie with Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions. But still, it would have had its eye on a modest success. What it got in return was red ink.
The film’s not a bad one, and certainly worth seeking out. But poor reviews gave the film an uphill struggle from the off – smaller productions arriving mid-summer really needed critics on their side, as they arguably still do – and it opened to just $2.2m of business (the less edgy, Michelle Pfeiffer-headlined school drama Dangerous Minds had been a surprise hit not two years before).
By the time its run was done, 187 hadn’t even come close to covering its production costs, with just under $6m banked.
Warner Bros’ summer slate was running out of films. But at least it had one of its most reliable movie stars around the corner…
August - Conspiracy Theory
What could go wrong? Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts were two of the biggest movie stars in the world in 1997, at a time when movie stars still equated to box office gold. Director Richard Donner, one of Warner Bros’ favourite directors, had delivered the Lethal Weapons, Maverick, Superman, The Goonies and more for the studio. Put them altogether, with Patrick Stewart (coming to wider public consciousness at the time off the back of his Star Trek: The Next Generation work) as a villain, and it should have been a big hit.
Conspiracy Theory proved to be one of the more ambitious summer blockbusters of the era. It lacks a good first act, which would be really useful in actually setting up more of what’s going on. But Gibson played an edgy cab driver who believes in deep government conspiracies, and finds himself getting closer to the truth than those around him sometimes give him credit for.
Warner Bros was probably expecting another Lethal Weapon with the reunion of Gibson (who had to be persuaded to take Conspiracy Theory on) and Donner (it’s pretty much what it got with the hugely enjoyable Maverick a few years’ earlier), but instead it got a darker drama, with an uneasy central character that didn’t exactly play to the summer box office crowd.
The bigger problem, though, was that the film never quite worked as well as you might hope. Yet star power did have advantages. While no juggernaut, the film did decent business, grossing $137m worldwide off the back of an $80m budget ($40m of which was spent on the salaries for the talent before a single roll of film was loaded into a camera). That said, in the Us it knocked a genuine smash hit, Air Force One, off the top spot. Mind you in hindsight, that was probably the film that the studio wished it had made (the cockpit set of Warner Bros' own Executive Decision was repurposed for Air Force One, fact fans).
Still: Warner Bros did get Lethal Weapon 4 off Gibson and Donner a year later…
August - Free Willy 3: The Rescue
Yeah.
Warner Bros opened its third Free Willy film on the same day as Conspiracy Theory (can you imagine a studio opening two big films on the same day now), but it was clear that this was a franchise long past its best days (and its best days hardly bring back the fondest of memories).
Still, Free Willy movies were relatively modest in cost to put together, and Warner Bros presumably felt this was a simple cashpoint project. But in a year when lots of family movies did less business than expected (Disney’s Hercules, Fox’s Home Alone 3, Disney’s Mr Magoo), Free Willy 3 barely troubled the box office. It took in just over $3m in total, and Willy would not be seen on the inside of a cinema again.
August - Steel
Not much was expected from Steel, a superhero movie headlined by Shaquille O’Neal. Which was fortunate, because not much was had.
It had a mid-August release date in the Us, at a point when a mid-August release date was more of a dumping ground than anything else. And even though the budget was set at a relatively low $16m, the film – and it’s an overused time – pretty much bombed. It took $1.7m at the Us box office, and given that its appeal hinged on a major American sports star whose fame hardly transcended the globe, its international takings did not save it (it went straight to video in many territories).
It was a miserable end to what, for warner bros, had been a thoroughly miserable summer.
So what did hit big in summer 1997?
Summer 1997 was infamous for big films failing to take off in the way that had been expected – Hercules, Speed 2, and the aforementioned Warner Bros movies – but there were several bright spots. The big winner would be Barry Sonnenfeld’s light and sprightly sci-fi comedy Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Star power too helped score big hits for Harrison Ford (Air Force One), Julia Roberts (My Best Friend’s Wedding) and John Travolta (Face/Off).
This was also the summer that Nicolas Cage cemented his action movie credentials with Face/Off and Con Air. Crucially, though, the star movies that hit were the ones that veered on the side of 'good'. For the first of many years, the internet was blamed for this.
Oh, and later in the year, incidentally, Titanic would redefine just what constituted a box office hit...
What came next for Warner Bros?
In the rest of 1997, Warner Bros had a mix of projects that again enjoyed mixed fortunes. The standout was Curtis Hanson’s stunning adaptation of L.A. Confidential, that also proved to be a surprise box office success. The Devil’s Advocate didn’t do too badly either.
However, two of the studio’s key filmmakers failed to really deliver come the end of 1997. Clint Eastwood’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil failed to ignite (although many felt he was always on a hiding to nothing in trying to adapt that for the screen), and Kevin Costner’s The Postman would prove arguably the most expensive box office disappointment of the year. No wonder the studio rushed Lethal Weapon 4 into production for summer 1998. Oh, and it had The Avengers underway too (not that one), that would prove to be a 1998 disappointment.
The studio would eventually take action. The Daly-Semel management team, that had reigned for 15 years, would break up at the end of 1999, as its traditional way of doing business became less successful. The pair had already future projects that were director driven to an extent (Eyes Wide Shut), and it would still invest in movies with stars (Wild Wild West). But the immediate plan of action following the disappointment of summer 1997 – to get Batman 5 and Superman Lives made – would falter. It wouldn’t be until 1999’s The Matrix (a film that Daly and Semel struggled to get) and – crucially – 2001’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone that the studio would really get its swagger back...
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Movies Feature Simon Brew Warner Bros 16 Jun 2016 - 05:19 Conspiracy Theory Father's Day Addicted To Love Contact National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation One Eight Seven Steel Batman & Robin Free Willy 3: The Rescue...
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Warner Bros has struggled with its blockbusters of late. But back in summer 1997 - Batman & Robin's year - it faced not dissimilar problems.
Earlier this year it was revealed that Warner Bros, following a string of costly movies that hadn’t hit box office gold (Pan, Jupiter Ascending, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., In The Heart Of The Sea), was restructuring its blockbuster movie business. Fewer films, fewer risks, more franchises, and more centering around movie universes seems to be the new approach, and the appointment of a new corporate team to oversee the Harry Potter franchise last week was one part of that.
In some ways, it marks the end of an era. Whilst it retains its relationships with key directing talent (Ben Affleck, Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan for instance), Warner Bros was, for the bulk of the 1990s in particular, the studio that the others were trying to mimic. It worked with the same stars and filmmakers time and time again, and under then-chiefs Terry Semel and Robert Daly, relationships with key talent were paramount.
Furthermore, the studio knew to leave that talent to do its job, and was also ahead of the pack in developing franchises that it could rely on to give it a string of hits.
However, whilst Warner Bros is having troubles now, its way of doing business was first seriously challenged by the failure of its slate in the summer of 1997. Once again, it seemed to have a line up to cherish, that others were envious of. But as film by film failed to click, every facet of Warner Bros’ blockbuster strategy suddenly came under scrutiny, and would ultimately fairly dramatically change. Just two summers later, the studio released The Matrix, and blockbuster cinema changed again.
But come the start of summer 1997? These are the movies that Warner Bros had lined up, and this is what happened…
February - National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation
Things actually had got off to a decent enough start for the studio earlier in the year, so it's worth kicking off there. It brought Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo back together, for the fourth National Lampoon movie, and the first since 1989’s National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Interestingly, it dropped the National Lampoon moniker in the Us, and instead released the eventual movie as Vegas Vacation. It was a belated sequel, back when belated sequels weren’t that big a thing.
The film was quickly pulled apart by reviewers, but it still just about clawed a profit. The production budget of $25m was eclipsed by the Us gross of $36m, and the movie would do comfortable business on video/DVD. Not a massive hit, then, but hardly a project that had a sense of foreboding about it.
Yet the problems were not far away.
May – Father's Day
Warner Bros had a mix of movies released in the Us in March and April 1997, including modest Wesley Snipes-headlined thriller Murder At 1600, and family flick Shiloh. But it launched its summer season with Father’s Day, an expensive packaged comedy from director Ivan Reitman, starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal. It had hit written all over it.
Father’s Day was one of the movies packaged by the CAA agency, and its then-head, Mike Ovitz (listed regularly by Premiere magazine in the 1990s as one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, if not the most powerful man). That he brought together the stars, the director and the project, gave a studio a price tag, and the studio duly paid it. Given Warner Bros’ devotion to star talent (Mel Gibson, then one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and a major Warner Bros talent, was persuaded to film a cameo), it was a natural home for the film. It quickly did the deal. few questions asked.
That package, and CAA’s fees for putting it together, brought the budget for a fairly straightforward comedy to a then-staggering $85m. The problem, though, was that the film simply wasn’t very good. It’s one of those projects that looks great on paper, less great when exposed on a great big screen. Warner Bros has snapped it up, without - it seems - even properly reading the script.
Premiere magazine quoted a Warner Bros insider back in November 1997 as saying “when [CAA] calls and says ‘we have a package, Father’s Day, with Williams and Crystal and Reitman, we say ‘great’”, adding “we don’t scrutinise the production. When we saw the movie, it took the wind out of us. We kept reshooting and enhancing, but you can’t fix something that’s bad”.
And it was bad.
The movie would prove to be the first big misfire of the summer, grossing just $35m in the Us, and not adding a fat lot more elsewhere in the world. Warner Bros’ first film of the summer was a certified flop. More would soon follow.
May - Addicted To Love
A more modestly priced project was Addicted To Love, a romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick. Just over a year later, Warner Bros would hit big when Meg Ryan reunited with Tom Hanks for Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail. But here? The film was a modest success, at best.
Directed by Griffin Dunne (making his directorial debut), and put together in partnership with Miramax, Addicted To Love was based around the Robert Palmer song of the same name. But whilst it was sold as a romcom, the muddled final cut was actually a fair bit darker. There was an underlying nastiness to some moments in the film, and when the final box office was tallied, it came in lower than the usual returns for pictures from Ryan or Broderick. Counter-programming it against the release of The Lost World: Jurassic Park didn’t massively help in this instance either, especially as the Jurassic Park sequel would smash opening weekend records.
Addicted To Love ended up with $34.6m at the Us box office. It would eke out a small profit.
June - Batman & Robin
And this is when the alarm bells started to ring very, very loudly. Summer 1997 was supposed to be about a trio of sure-fire hit sequels: Batman 4, Jurassic Park 2 and Speed 2. Only one of those would ultimately bring home the box office bacon, the others being destroyed by critics, and ultimately leaving far more empty seats than anticipated in multiplexes.
Batman & Robin, it’s easy to forget, came off the back of 1995’s Joel Schumacher-steered Batman reboot, Batman Forever that year's biggest movie). It had one of the fastest-growing stars in the world in the Batsuit (George Clooney), and the McDonald’s deals were signed even before the script was typed up. You don’t need us to tell you that you could tell, something of a theme already in Warner Bros' summer of '97.
That said, Batman & Robin still gave Warner Bros a big opening, but in the infancy of the internet as we know it, poisonous word of mouth was already beginning to spread. The film’s negative cost Warner Bros up to $140m, before marketing and distribution costs, and it opened in the Us to a hardly-sniffy $42m of business (although that was down from previous Batman movies).
But that word of mouth still accelerated its departure from cinemas. It was then very rare for a film to make over 40% of its Us gross in its first weekend. But that’s just what Batman & Robin did, taking $107.3m in America, part of a worldwide total of $238.2m. This was the worst return for a Batman movie to date, and Warner Bros had to swiftly put the brakes on plans to get Batman Triumphant moving.
It would be eight years until Batman returned to the big screen, in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Warner Bros would undergo big changes in the intervening period.
As for the immediate aftermath of Batman & Robin? Warner Bros co-chief Robert Daly would note at the end of '97 that “we’d have been better off with more action in the picture. The movie had to service too many characters”, adding that “the next Batman we do, in three years – and we have a deal with George Clooney to do it – will have one villain”.
Fortunately, Warner Bros’ one solid hit of the summer was just around the corner…
July - Contact
And breathe out.
Warner Bros bet heavily again on expensive talent here, with Robert Zemeckis bringing his adaptation of Carl Sagan’s Contact to the studio for his first film post-Forrest Gump. Warner Bros duly footed the $90m bill (back when that was still seen as a lot of money for a movie), a good chunk of which went to Jodie Foster. It invested heavily in special effects, and gave Zemeckis licence to make the film that he wanted.
The studio was rewarded with the most intelligent and arguably the best blockbuster of the summer. I’ve looked back at Contact in a lot more detail here, and it remains a fascinating film that’s stood the test of time (and arguably influenced Christopher Nolan’s more recent Interstellar).
Reviews were strong, it looked terrific, and the initial box office was good.
But then the problem hit. For whilst Contact was a solid hit for Warner Bros, it wasn’t a massively profitable one. Had Father’s Day and Batman & Robin shouldered the box office load there were supposed to, it perhaps wouldn’t have been a problem. But when they failed to take off, the pressure shifted to Contact.
The movie would gross $100.9m in the Us, and add another $70m overseas (this being an era were international box office rarely had the importance it has today). But once Warner Bros had paid its bills, there wasn’t a fat lot over for itself. Fortunately, the film still sells on disc and on-demand. Yet it wasn’t to be the massive hit the studio needed back in 1997.
July - One Eight Seven
From director Kevin Reynolds, the man who helmed Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and Waterworld, came modestly-priced drama 187, starring Samuel L Jackson (in a strong performance). Warner Bros wouldn’t have had massive box office expectations for the film (although it can't have been unaware that the inspirational teacher sub-genre was always worth a few quid), and it shared production duties on the $20m movie with Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions. But still, it would have had its eye on a modest success. What it got in return was red ink.
The film’s not a bad one, and certainly worth seeking out. But poor reviews gave the film an uphill struggle from the off – smaller productions arriving mid-summer really needed critics on their side, as they arguably still do – and it opened to just $2.2m of business (the less edgy, Michelle Pfeiffer-headlined school drama Dangerous Minds had been a surprise hit not two years before).
By the time its run was done, 187 hadn’t even come close to covering its production costs, with just under $6m banked.
Warner Bros’ summer slate was running out of films. But at least it had one of its most reliable movie stars around the corner…
August - Conspiracy Theory
What could go wrong? Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts were two of the biggest movie stars in the world in 1997, at a time when movie stars still equated to box office gold. Director Richard Donner, one of Warner Bros’ favourite directors, had delivered the Lethal Weapons, Maverick, Superman, The Goonies and more for the studio. Put them altogether, with Patrick Stewart (coming to wider public consciousness at the time off the back of his Star Trek: The Next Generation work) as a villain, and it should have been a big hit.
Conspiracy Theory proved to be one of the more ambitious summer blockbusters of the era. It lacks a good first act, which would be really useful in actually setting up more of what’s going on. But Gibson played an edgy cab driver who believes in deep government conspiracies, and finds himself getting closer to the truth than those around him sometimes give him credit for.
Warner Bros was probably expecting another Lethal Weapon with the reunion of Gibson (who had to be persuaded to take Conspiracy Theory on) and Donner (it’s pretty much what it got with the hugely enjoyable Maverick a few years’ earlier), but instead it got a darker drama, with an uneasy central character that didn’t exactly play to the summer box office crowd.
The bigger problem, though, was that the film never quite worked as well as you might hope. Yet star power did have advantages. While no juggernaut, the film did decent business, grossing $137m worldwide off the back of an $80m budget ($40m of which was spent on the salaries for the talent before a single roll of film was loaded into a camera). That said, in the Us it knocked a genuine smash hit, Air Force One, off the top spot. Mind you in hindsight, that was probably the film that the studio wished it had made (the cockpit set of Warner Bros' own Executive Decision was repurposed for Air Force One, fact fans).
Still: Warner Bros did get Lethal Weapon 4 off Gibson and Donner a year later…
August - Free Willy 3: The Rescue
Yeah.
Warner Bros opened its third Free Willy film on the same day as Conspiracy Theory (can you imagine a studio opening two big films on the same day now), but it was clear that this was a franchise long past its best days (and its best days hardly bring back the fondest of memories).
Still, Free Willy movies were relatively modest in cost to put together, and Warner Bros presumably felt this was a simple cashpoint project. But in a year when lots of family movies did less business than expected (Disney’s Hercules, Fox’s Home Alone 3, Disney’s Mr Magoo), Free Willy 3 barely troubled the box office. It took in just over $3m in total, and Willy would not be seen on the inside of a cinema again.
August - Steel
Not much was expected from Steel, a superhero movie headlined by Shaquille O’Neal. Which was fortunate, because not much was had.
It had a mid-August release date in the Us, at a point when a mid-August release date was more of a dumping ground than anything else. And even though the budget was set at a relatively low $16m, the film – and it’s an overused time – pretty much bombed. It took $1.7m at the Us box office, and given that its appeal hinged on a major American sports star whose fame hardly transcended the globe, its international takings did not save it (it went straight to video in many territories).
It was a miserable end to what, for warner bros, had been a thoroughly miserable summer.
So what did hit big in summer 1997?
Summer 1997 was infamous for big films failing to take off in the way that had been expected – Hercules, Speed 2, and the aforementioned Warner Bros movies – but there were several bright spots. The big winner would be Barry Sonnenfeld’s light and sprightly sci-fi comedy Men In Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Star power too helped score big hits for Harrison Ford (Air Force One), Julia Roberts (My Best Friend’s Wedding) and John Travolta (Face/Off).
This was also the summer that Nicolas Cage cemented his action movie credentials with Face/Off and Con Air. Crucially, though, the star movies that hit were the ones that veered on the side of 'good'. For the first of many years, the internet was blamed for this.
Oh, and later in the year, incidentally, Titanic would redefine just what constituted a box office hit...
What came next for Warner Bros?
In the rest of 1997, Warner Bros had a mix of projects that again enjoyed mixed fortunes. The standout was Curtis Hanson’s stunning adaptation of L.A. Confidential, that also proved to be a surprise box office success. The Devil’s Advocate didn’t do too badly either.
However, two of the studio’s key filmmakers failed to really deliver come the end of 1997. Clint Eastwood’s Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil failed to ignite (although many felt he was always on a hiding to nothing in trying to adapt that for the screen), and Kevin Costner’s The Postman would prove arguably the most expensive box office disappointment of the year. No wonder the studio rushed Lethal Weapon 4 into production for summer 1998. Oh, and it had The Avengers underway too (not that one), that would prove to be a 1998 disappointment.
The studio would eventually take action. The Daly-Semel management team, that had reigned for 15 years, would break up at the end of 1999, as its traditional way of doing business became less successful. The pair had already future projects that were director driven to an extent (Eyes Wide Shut), and it would still invest in movies with stars (Wild Wild West). But the immediate plan of action following the disappointment of summer 1997 – to get Batman 5 and Superman Lives made – would falter. It wouldn’t be until 1999’s The Matrix (a film that Daly and Semel struggled to get) and – crucially – 2001’s Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone that the studio would really get its swagger back...
Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
Movies Feature Simon Brew Warner Bros 16 Jun 2016 - 05:19 Conspiracy Theory Father's Day Addicted To Love Contact National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation One Eight Seven Steel Batman & Robin Free Willy 3: The Rescue...
- 6/13/2016
- Den of Geek
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Er, a Home Alone film that won't even call itself Home Alone 5? This doesn't bode well - does it?
Spoilers lie ahead.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Home Alone 4 was the pitiful last gasp of once-majestic franchise. But time heals all wounds, including (apparently) fatal ones. Ten years after Home Alone 4, someone willed the series back to life. And this time they were determined not to squander the lingering goodwill that anyone might feel for the series.
The good news is that, over 20 years since the original was made, many of the kids who watched Home Alone now have kids of their own. And do you know what Gen Y adults like? Anything they remember from their childhoods. So it is that in the wake of Transformers, GI Joe and My Little Pony, we find ourselves the audience for a new Home Alone.
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Er, a Home Alone film that won't even call itself Home Alone 5? This doesn't bode well - does it?
Spoilers lie ahead.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Home Alone 4 was the pitiful last gasp of once-majestic franchise. But time heals all wounds, including (apparently) fatal ones. Ten years after Home Alone 4, someone willed the series back to life. And this time they were determined not to squander the lingering goodwill that anyone might feel for the series.
The good news is that, over 20 years since the original was made, many of the kids who watched Home Alone now have kids of their own. And do you know what Gen Y adults like? Anything they remember from their childhoods. So it is that in the wake of Transformers, GI Joe and My Little Pony, we find ourselves the audience for a new Home Alone.
- 12/21/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
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Macaulay Culkin was gone, Alex D Linz and Scarlett Johansson were in. Home Alone 3? Er, not many people's highpoint...
Spoilers lie ahead.
Readers, can you believe that Home Alone 2 – crappy though it was – did box office almost as high as the first? Sure you can, because you probably saw them both in the cinema. A third movie was inevitable.
But times change. By 1997, the world was no longer high off the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the freeing of Nelson Mandela, and Macaulay Culkin had quit the acting biz to become… whatever he became. The optimistic kids that dragged their parents to Home Alones 1 and 2 had become cynical, jaded teenagers uninteresting the continuing adventures of Kevin McCallister. What the franchise needed was a new hero. A new star. A new child star for America, and the world, to clasp to its collective bosom.
I...
google+
Macaulay Culkin was gone, Alex D Linz and Scarlett Johansson were in. Home Alone 3? Er, not many people's highpoint...
Spoilers lie ahead.
Readers, can you believe that Home Alone 2 – crappy though it was – did box office almost as high as the first? Sure you can, because you probably saw them both in the cinema. A third movie was inevitable.
But times change. By 1997, the world was no longer high off the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the freeing of Nelson Mandela, and Macaulay Culkin had quit the acting biz to become… whatever he became. The optimistic kids that dragged their parents to Home Alones 1 and 2 had become cynical, jaded teenagers uninteresting the continuing adventures of Kevin McCallister. What the franchise needed was a new hero. A new star. A new child star for America, and the world, to clasp to its collective bosom.
I...
- 12/21/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
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The first Home Alone movie remains the best. Here's the case as to why...
Spoilers lie ahead.
Compile a list of archetypical Christmas movies and sooner or later, you’ll have to put Home Alone on it. Whether you love or hate the film that made Macaulay Culkin a one-man cultural trainwreck, you have to admit that the basic concept – lone kid fends off attackers using household goods – is about as perfect a children’s movie as you can conceive. A mixture of wish-fulfilment and slapstick comedy, it’s a premise that’s virtually built to be done again and again.
Clearly someone agrees with this, because there have been four further Home Alone movies since the first was released in 1990. I know, because I was asked to watch them all and report back for Den of Geek. And I’ve done it. I’ve stared into the abyss,...
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The first Home Alone movie remains the best. Here's the case as to why...
Spoilers lie ahead.
Compile a list of archetypical Christmas movies and sooner or later, you’ll have to put Home Alone on it. Whether you love or hate the film that made Macaulay Culkin a one-man cultural trainwreck, you have to admit that the basic concept – lone kid fends off attackers using household goods – is about as perfect a children’s movie as you can conceive. A mixture of wish-fulfilment and slapstick comedy, it’s a premise that’s virtually built to be done again and again.
Clearly someone agrees with this, because there have been four further Home Alone movies since the first was released in 1990. I know, because I was asked to watch them all and report back for Den of Geek. And I’ve done it. I’ve stared into the abyss,...
- 12/21/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Twenty-five years ago, Macaulay Culkin taught the world that a home invasion can result in physical comedy magic and family fun for all. Yes, Home Alone first opened in theaters on Nov. 16, 1990. Of course, Home Alone taught us other lessons too. For example, you can accidentally abandon your child without getting in trouble with Child Protective Services. We learned that a scary old man next door just might be a lonely guy who's handy with a snow shovel. And perhaps most important of all, Home Alone proved you can make a successful movie starring one child actor onscreen alone for...
- 12/17/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
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Bill Murray festive special, A Very Murray Christmas, is available on Netflix now. Here's what we made of the musical variety show...
Bill Murray has become something of an enigmatic figure in recent years; he has a freephone number instead of an agent, is notorious for crashing private parties, and is inextricably linked with the phrase ‘No-one will ever believe you’. It’s perhaps appropriate, then, that the best word to sum up the actor’s new Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas would be ‘bizarre’.
One part comedy, two parts musical special, A Very Murray Christmas begins with the story of a doomed live holiday special, whose special guests have all had to pull out due to the dreadful weather. Despite his reservations, Murray is contractually obliged to go ahead with the performance. However, when further disaster strikes, he winds up spending his Christmas Eve...
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Bill Murray festive special, A Very Murray Christmas, is available on Netflix now. Here's what we made of the musical variety show...
Bill Murray has become something of an enigmatic figure in recent years; he has a freephone number instead of an agent, is notorious for crashing private parties, and is inextricably linked with the phrase ‘No-one will ever believe you’. It’s perhaps appropriate, then, that the best word to sum up the actor’s new Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas would be ‘bizarre’.
One part comedy, two parts musical special, A Very Murray Christmas begins with the story of a doomed live holiday special, whose special guests have all had to pull out due to the dreadful weather. Despite his reservations, Murray is contractually obliged to go ahead with the performance. However, when further disaster strikes, he winds up spending his Christmas Eve...
- 12/4/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, videos, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos talks with Deadline about the success of Beasts of No Nation:
It is worth sharing that this movie, in North America alone, has over 3 million views already. Which I think is a bigger audience than any specialty film could ever hope for in its first two weeks of release, and maybe for its entire run. And we’re just starting. We are just thrilled with the total audience reach of this film, not just in North America but the world. In the first week of release, Beasts Of No Nation was the most watched movie on Netflix, in every country we operate in.
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos talks with Deadline about the success of Beasts of No Nation:
It is worth sharing that this movie, in North America alone, has over 3 million views already. Which I think is a bigger audience than any specialty film could ever hope for in its first two weeks of release, and maybe for its entire run. And we’re just starting. We are just thrilled with the total audience reach of this film, not just in North America but the world. In the first week of release, Beasts Of No Nation was the most watched movie on Netflix, in every country we operate in.
- 10/27/2015
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Bill & Ted, Addams Family Values, Wayne's World 2 - the 1990s wasn't short of good comedy sequels. It's just not enough people watched them.
In recent times, Hollywood has enjoyed going back into the 1990s to come up with belated sequels to previous hit movies. So, we finally got Dumb & Dumber 2, for instance, whilst a third Clerks, a second Mallrats, a new Sister Act and a Naked Gun reboot are being cooked up somewhere. Further belated sequels? Zoolander 2 finally arrives next year, and Anchorman 2 celebrates, quietly, its second birthday this Christmas.
It was only at the end of the 1990s that comedy sequels suddenly really took off. There were exceptions beforehand of course, but few things raise the eyebrows of Hollywood high brass than lots of cash. This, whilst the enormous box office takings of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me were in part down to an utterly inspired marketing campaign,...
In recent times, Hollywood has enjoyed going back into the 1990s to come up with belated sequels to previous hit movies. So, we finally got Dumb & Dumber 2, for instance, whilst a third Clerks, a second Mallrats, a new Sister Act and a Naked Gun reboot are being cooked up somewhere. Further belated sequels? Zoolander 2 finally arrives next year, and Anchorman 2 celebrates, quietly, its second birthday this Christmas.
It was only at the end of the 1990s that comedy sequels suddenly really took off. There were exceptions beforehand of course, but few things raise the eyebrows of Hollywood high brass than lots of cash. This, whilst the enormous box office takings of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me were in part down to an utterly inspired marketing campaign,...
- 9/22/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Paramount tried a few approaches in the new Terminator reboot. But if a franchise hits the doldrums, how can a studio resurrect it?
Fingers are being crossed at Skydance and Paramount Pictures that the critical mauling handed out to Terminator: Genisys last week won't be reflected fully in the box office numbers. So far, the plan for a new trilogy of Terminator films is arguably just about alive, courtesy of a total gross for the new film of $131m worldwide. That's below expectations, but if it can eventually crawl its way to $400m, that's probably enough to move ahead with a Genisys sequel (it'd be more than the hugely-acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road).
But even if a new film gets greenlit, it's clear that things have to change again. As many have pointed out, the consensus is now that there have been more bad-to-middling Terminator films than good ones,...
Fingers are being crossed at Skydance and Paramount Pictures that the critical mauling handed out to Terminator: Genisys last week won't be reflected fully in the box office numbers. So far, the plan for a new trilogy of Terminator films is arguably just about alive, courtesy of a total gross for the new film of $131m worldwide. That's below expectations, but if it can eventually crawl its way to $400m, that's probably enough to move ahead with a Genisys sequel (it'd be more than the hugely-acclaimed Mad Max: Fury Road).
But even if a new film gets greenlit, it's clear that things have to change again. As many have pointed out, the consensus is now that there have been more bad-to-middling Terminator films than good ones,...
- 7/7/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Born on November the 22nd in 1984 in New York, Scarlett Johansson is a highly successful actress, model and sometimes singer. She is 5′ 4″ tall, part Danish, part Polish and part Russian.
Having begun acting as a child, she made her film debut at just nine years old, playing Laura Nelson in Rob Reiner’s North. She has since gone on to star in critically acclaimed movies like Hitchock and Lost in Translation, big budget blockbusters like The Avengers and Lucy, and a few she’d probably rather forget like like Home Alone 3 and Eight Legged Freaks.
The gorgeous star was voted by readers of FHM as the “Sexiest Woman Alive” in 2006 and “Sexiest Celebrity of the Year” by Playboy readers in 2007 and has dated the likes of Jared Leto, Josh Hartnett and Ryan Reynolds. She is now married to Frenchman Romain Dauriac – the owner of an independent advertising agency – and...
Having begun acting as a child, she made her film debut at just nine years old, playing Laura Nelson in Rob Reiner’s North. She has since gone on to star in critically acclaimed movies like Hitchock and Lost in Translation, big budget blockbusters like The Avengers and Lucy, and a few she’d probably rather forget like like Home Alone 3 and Eight Legged Freaks.
The gorgeous star was voted by readers of FHM as the “Sexiest Woman Alive” in 2006 and “Sexiest Celebrity of the Year” by Playboy readers in 2007 and has dated the likes of Jared Leto, Josh Hartnett and Ryan Reynolds. She is now married to Frenchman Romain Dauriac – the owner of an independent advertising agency – and...
- 2/8/2015
- by K.J. Stewart
- Obsessed with Film
Marian Seldes, the Tony Award-winning star of A Delicate Balance who was a teacher of Kevin Kline and Robin Williams, a muse to playwright Edward Albee and a Guinness Book of World Records holder for most consecutive performances, died Monday at age 86. She died peacefully at her home after an extended illness, her brother Timothy Seldes said. "It is with deep sadness that I share the news that my dear sister Marian Seldes has died," he said in a statement. "She was an extraordinary woman whose great love of the theater, teaching and acting was surpassed only by her deep love for her family.
- 10/7/2014
- by Associated Press
- PEOPLE.com
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