A week ago we looked at the highest 10-day grossers of all time, now I bring you sort of a sequel to that list, the top 10 fastest films to ever reach $300 million in North America. Now as is with most sequels, there might be more than a few similarities, after all, sequels come from a lack of original ideas, right? But you’ll notice a few changes like, for example, the complete absence of a certain web crawler that was featured twice last time around. And yes, The Hunger Games has a spot on this top 10.

10. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) – This took 19 days to reach $302.8 million and ended up with $352.3 million. Interestingly, Dark of the Moon just barely missed the last top 10 with $223.3 million in 10 days ($225.1 million was the number for 10th place).

9. Toy Story 3 (2010) – The 3rd entry in the Pixar animated series needed 18 days to get to $301.8 million. That’s like 3 weekends and a day, very impressive and hopefully, when Toy Story 4 comes out (and as long as it’s just as good), it will get there faster. Toy Story 3 finished with $415 million.

8. Shrek 2 (2004) – Another film that wasn’t in my last top 10, Shrek 2 made it to $300 million in 18 days but unlike Toy Story 3, it got there with $302.6 million. Box office wise, this was the highpoint of the franchise with a total of $441.2 million.

7. Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith (2005) – 17 days to reach $300.3 million and it ended up with $380.2 million. While this is the fastest in the series to reach that mark, it’s only 3rd when taking into account the overall totals (if we don’t include re-releases, it’s 2nd after Phantom Menace).

6. The Hunger Games (2012) – The newest film on this list, it got here in 17 days with $302.4 million. Since every single film found here ended up with at least $350 million, it’s safe to say The Hunger Games should at the very least match that number at the end of its run.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) – 16 days with $311.3 million and this one finished with $423.3 million. It remains by far the highest grossing film in the franchise.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) – The last Harry Potter adventure needed 15 days to hit $303 million and finished with $381 million. This was only the 3rd Potter film to pass $300 million and it got there much faster than The Philosopher’s Stone (52 days) and Half-Blood Prince (77 days).

3. Avatar (2009) – The current highest grossing film of all time got to $308.8 million in 15 days and didn’t stop before $749.7 million (during its initial run). What’s more surprising than the success of this film is the fact we doubted James Cameron again, just like we did when Titanic was on the verge of release. While I don’t think Avatar 2 will match the total of the original, it should reach $300 million much faster.

2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) – Here stands probably the most hated film on this top 10. Trashed by everyone, Revenge of the Fallen still managed to hit $305.5 million in just 14 days and was out of juice at $402.1 million, where it stopped.

1. The Dark Knight (2008) – Batman got to $313.7 million in only 10 days, absolutely trashing every gross speed record by a wide margin. The film went on to a $533.3 million total, making it (at the time) only the 2nd film to ever pass the $500 million mark. This summer The Dark Knight Rises has a lot to live up to and I’m hoping it can deliver.

A few last words are supposed to come here and since I’m all out of ideas, I’ll finish this in a very factual way while trying to maintain my serious face in the process. You see, only 37 films have made it past $300 million in North America and while The Dark Knight was the fastest (10 days, in case you skipped to the end, cheater), Forest Gump came in last place (193 days). Also for the Lord of the Rings fans out there (I’m one) that might be wondering why there’s no film from the trilogy on here, well, they were a few years ago. Now Return of the King is the highest of the franchise in 14th with 24 days to hit 300 million.

I promise I’ll do a fastest to $400 million top 10 as soon as we have a new film reach that mark. What film you think will be the next to make $400 million?

Read similar posts to Box Office: Fastest films to $300 million on Filmonic

Before Michael Bay returns to the world of Transformers on the big screen, he’ll be venturing to Miami, Florida for a smaller film called Pain and Gain. Based on a real life story from Miami New Times writer Pete Collins, the film follows two bodybuilders who capture and torture a wealthy businessman, who survives and hires a private detective to exact his revenge. Now it looks like Transformers stalwart John Turturro could join the film as the kidnapped businessman.

Latino Review‘s source tells them Albert Brooks – who was fantastic in last year’s Drive – was originally sought for the part, but the deal fell through and now Turturro is in talks to take his place. Variety recently reported that funnyman Rob Corrdy has signed on as a gym owner, Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson are set to star as the two bodybuilders, and just a couple of weeks ago we wrote about how Ed Harris is circling the detective role, so this cast is shaping up to be really excellent. LR says the script is reminiscent of a Coen Brothers film, and since Turturro is a frequent Coen collaborator, it sounds like a good match. Turturro’s role in the Transformers series was always cringe-worthy for me, so I’m glad he’s looking to move on for the time being. (If Josh Duhamel is to be believed, none of the original Transformers cast are coming back for future films, but I’d bet if anyone returns, it’ll be Turturro.)

Are you excited about Pain and Gain?

Read similar posts to John Turturro in talks for role in Pain and Gain on Filmonic

Update: Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed the 2014 release to MTV, and said Michael Bay will return as director. He also said it will essentially be a reboot with a new cast and a whole new story, although some familiar faces may return.

Original post below

Although Transformers: Dark of the Moon was said to be the final film of the franchise, we all knew deep down that the billion dollar box office revenue and all-out popularity would be too valuable for Paramount to pass up. So even though we know the inevitable fourth installment in the series is coming, everything else has been unclear. Where will the story go? Who will be replacing Shia LaBeouf? And will Michael Bay return as director?

Well at least one question is clearer, that of the release date. Thanks to Coming Soon, we now know that Paramount is aiming to release Transformers 4 in…2014.

Even though no day or month was has been specified, it’s safe to say the film will most likely be released in the early summer of 2014, in order to continue the trend of the first three films.

What may come as a shock to some is that Paramount and Hasbro aren’t following their normal rapid-fire trend of releasing a hefty dose of Transformers in 2 year cycles, and are instead leaving an extra year of breathing room. That may be to allow extra time for Michael Bay to finish other projects, including the Dwayne Johnson/Ed Harris thriller Pain and Gain, but it could just be because Paramount already has it’s summer 2013 slate occupied (Star Trek 2 anyone?).

No matter the reason, the fact of the matter is Transformers 4 is a reality, so don’t pack up your merchandise just yet. Now that Paramount has essentially given themselves a deadline, our unlimited questions (Will Jason Statham star? Will it be part reboot? Will there be robots blowing stuff up?!) will soon be answered. So mark your calendar, folks, because Transformers 4 is coming to theatres in 2014.

Read similar posts to Transformers 4 aiming for 2014 release on Filmonic

It took three movies but the toys turned animated series turned live-action blockbuster finally broke the billion dollar mark worldwide. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (with the help of 3D, obviously) managed what Transformers in 2007 and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009 could only dream of.

With $1,003,920,148 in just 35 days, Transformers: Dark of the Moon became the 10th movie to reach the billion dollar mark and is now 9th worldwide after just passing The Dark Knight. Thanks to this the worldwide top 10 becomes a billionaire club:

1. Avatar $2.782 billion
2. Titanic $1.843 billion
3. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King $1.119 billion
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest $1.066 billion
5. Toy Story 3 $1.063 billion
6. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $1.033 billion
7. Alice in Wonderland $1.024 billion
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 $1,015 billion
9. Transformers: Dark of the Moon $1.003 billion
10. The Dark Knight $1.001 billion

As you can see, there are no less then three movies that opened this year above, all with over a billion, not bad for a year that started so lousy. Oh, and if you were wondering, yes, this is the first time such a thing has happened and yes, I blame it on the increased popularity of 3D around the world.

To conclude, Transformers made $709.7 million worldwide while Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen grossed $836.3 million, with over a billion so far, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a big leap forward (at least money wise) that should ultimately become the 5th highest grossing movie of all time with about $1.1 billion, if not more (Return of the King ain’t safe).

Read similar posts to Transformers: Dark of the Moon hits the $1 billion mark on Filmonic

I was wrong, yes, I said I will be first to admit and here it is, I was wrong thinking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 won’t have enough steam to carry itself past The Dark Knight‘s opening weekend record of $158.4 million (made exactly 3 years ago). But it wasn’t just the weekend, Potter destroyed the previous single day record of $72.7 million held by The Twilight Saga: New Moon with an astonishing $91 million (mostly thanks to a fantastic $43.5 million midnight opening, another record set by the boy that lived).

The exact sum generated by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is $169,189,427, almost $11 million more then The Dark Knight. But hold your horses, Potter had 3D and while it only factored 43% of the gross, it still made a big enough difference to boost the flick past Batman.

The previous Harry Potter record was held by Deathly Hallows Part 1 with $125 million last November, so going from that to $169 million is definitely more then just a 3D boost for the series. In the end Potter managed to come full circle after taking the opening weekend record way back in November 2001 with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, now coming back almost 10 years later to take what was rightfully his. Here’s a good question, will Deathly Hallows Part 2 hold this record for more than 6 months? You know, that is exactly how long it took for Spider-Man to break the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opening record in May 2002. The answer to that question is a definite yes since this came out in the summer while Philosopher’s Stone was a November release, so there is nothing coming out that could break said record, at least until The Dark Knight Rises rises July 2012.

Pottermania took its toll on Transformers: Dark of the Moon, down 54.7% in 2nd place with $21.3 million for a new total of $302.8 million in 19 days. Right now I’m inclined to think it will stop around $350 million and since Potter has a chance of making more, North America is still up for grabs, the race is far from over. Either way, I’m ready to bet it will be one or the other in first place at the end of 2011 in North America.

In 3rd place Horrible Bosses was not affected by Potter, falling only 37.2% for $17.7 million and $60.1 million in 10 days. Bad Teacher, a comparable movie that opened higher, was at $59.9 million after 10 days so Horrible Bosses is well on its way to $100+ million.

Zookeeper was 4th and surprisingly, only fell 38.5% grossing $12.3 million for just $42.3 million in 10 days. This is after all an $80 million flick that should have grossed a lot more by now. Horrible Bosses made so far $18 million more and cost $45 million less, the math is simple here.

Cars 2 continues to tarnish more then 15 years of Pixar legacy, now in 5th place with $8.4 million and $165.3 million. Don’t know how to put this any better so here we go: at this point there ain’t no way this cars can race to that fabled $200 million finish line, thus Cars 2 becomes the first Pixar movie not to match its budget in North America (cost $200 million to make).

Definitely not a fine year for animated flicks, at least in the US. Hopefully Tintin can change that when it opens in December.

Read similar posts to Deathly Hallows breaks box office records (Jul. 15-17) on Filmonic

In November 2001 the boy wizard had his big screen debut with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the US), a smashing box office success that set the highest opening weekend record at the time and went on to gross $974.7 million worldwide, something no other movie in the series has managed.

This July Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the 8th entry in the long running series, is going for the North American opening weekend record that has been in the hands of The Dark Knight for a good 3 years. Warner is really pushing for this and the magic number to beat is $158.4 million. Is Potter up to the task?

Unfortunately, even with the higher priced 3D tickets, Potter might not be all the way up to the task and Warner will have to settle for a bit less, probably $145 million, just under The Dark Knight ($158.4M) and Spider-Man 3 ($151.1M). You can’t really blame Warner if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 won’t beat that record since they have been pulling all the stops, 4375 theaters, over 11,000 screens not to mention the biggest 3D release ever in more then 3000 locations. Either way Potter will take the worldwide opening weekend record and won’t have much problem going past Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and the billion mark.

The only other question is how high can it finish in North America at the end of the year, where Transformers: Dark of the Moon is set to go over $360 million when all is said and done, a figure not easily accessible for Mr. Potter. But hey, if Deathly Hallows Part 2 can grab that record and finish the year ahead of Transformers, then I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong (and happy to do so). Reviews are the best we’ve ever seen for the series (97% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it would be a fitting end if Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 would finish first at the end of the year in both North America and the rest of the world.

Speaking of Transformers, Dark of the Moon is set to finish in 2nd place with probably around $24 million for a 19th days grand total of $305 million, not to shabby. At that point the Michael Bay robot spectacle will be close to $800 million worldwide.

Horrible Bosses should be a strong 3rd place with $14 million for over $57 million in 10 days. Winnie the Pooh, the other new release of the weekend, is going one on one with The Zookeeper for 4th place,both aiming for $10-11 million. Winnie the Pooh is opening in 2405 theaters without much in the way of advertising from Disney. What once looked like a return to form for the Bear, has become simple yet effective counterprogramming to the dark Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, a movie definitely not suitable for very young children.

Next week Captain America: The First Avenger is a superhero you might want to keep your eyes on while Friends With Benefits is… another R-rated comedy?

Read similar posts to Harry Potter aims for record opening weekend at the box office on Filmonic

Transformers: Dark of the Moon was first again both in North America and around the world. With over $679 million in just 2 weeks, this is now the fastest worldwide grosser ever and well on track to finish north of $1 billion. As for the new entries, Horrible Bosses performed above average for an R-rated comedy while Zookeeper was below expectations. More about this and others after the break.

With $47.1 million in North America, Transformers: Dark of the Moon had a series high 2nd weekend, besting both Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($42.3 million) and Transformers ($37 million). What this means is Dark of the Moon ($273M in 14 days) is slowly gaining ground on Revenge of the Fallen ($305.5M after 14 days) while leaving Transformers ($228.9M after 14 days) further behind. Get this, first one made $4.7 million on a similar 2nd week Tuesday, 4 years ago, Revenge made $5.7 million 2 years ago while Dark of the Moon grossed 6 million on Tuesday, 2 days ago. Based on all of the above Transformers: Dark of the Moon is headed for $360-370 million in North America.

Outside NA the autobots are more popular then ever with numbers that make the first two movies look like under-performers. In just 2 weeks Dark of the Moon made more than what Transformers generated in its entire run ($390.4 million) and almost as much as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with $406.2 million versus $434.1 million (again, entire run). With these kind of numbers, nothing short of a miracle (read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 eating away a huge chunk of business this weekend) could clip the wings of this box office behemoth before it can reach 1 billion worldwide.

Back to North America where Horrible Bosses was 2nd with $28.3 million, in line with other similarly successful R-rated comedies (that are not sequels, so no The Hangover Part II) released this summer (Bridesmaids opened with $26.2 million while Bad Teacher made $31.6 million). $100 million is what Horrible Bosses should aim for after this good start. On the other end Zookeeper, a PG family comedy with talking animals, was below previous Kevin James efforts of the past years (Paul Blart: Mall Cop opened with $40.5 million) but above this year’s The Dilemma ($17.8 million). Not to mention this was aiming for Night at the Museum kind of success and is failing horribly at that. About $65-70 million is as high as this could go.

Other notable movies:

• Cars 2 is at $153.2 million in North America and $274.8 million worldwide, still on track to finish with $650-700 million worldwide;
• Bad Teacher made $81.2 million in NA and $127 million worldwide;
• Super 8 $119.2M ($170.3M);
• Green Lantern $110.6M ($143.9M);
• Bridesmaids $158.9M ($207.7M);
• X-Men: First Class $142.5M ($343.4M);
• Kung Fu Panda 2 $159.3M ($568.2M);
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $236.5M ($1,021.9M), will pass Alice in Wonderland ($1,024.3M) this week to become the 6th highest grossing movie ever worldwide, unadjusted for inflation;
• The Hangover Part II $251.1M ($310.4M).

Read similar posts to Transformers continues box office march (Jul. 8-10) on Filmonic

Michael Bay has already said Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be his last Transformers movie and Shia LaBeouf doesn’t think he has “anything more to contribute”, but people don’t see the films because of them, they go for the robots, and luckily for Paramount modern technology can keep them around for a long time.

Transformers producer Don Murphy recently posted a message on his personal message board regarding the future of the franchise. He says there will not be a reboot, but we can expect more movies in the upcoming years.

Via TFW2005:

“What happens next? Certainly not a reboot. We haven’t lost the Transformers. They didn’t grow up or become expensive like Toby Maguire. I don’t know what happens next. I’m pretty sure there will be a second trilogy. I am pretty sure it will kick ass. And I am pretty sure some of you will hate it because it wasn’t all bots.”

In just over a week of release Transformers: Dark of the Moon is on the verge of making $500 million worldwide. The franchise is by no means over, and I can see Paramount hunting for a new director to fill Bay’s shoes in the near future.

Where should the franchise go from here? A prequel trilogy? Or a continuation from where we left off, minus Sam Witwicky and his supermodel girlfriends?

Read similar posts to Transformers producer expects another trilogy on Filmonic

It took three movies for Transformers to finally reach the international box office it was always destined to have. Transformers: Dark of the Moon opened to a whopping $219 million, second highest of the year (Pirates 4 scored $260 million) and if we go by worldwide numbers then Optimus Prime and his gang hauled an even more impressive $382.4 million, second only to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with $394 million.

With such fantastic numbers, Transformers: Dark of the Moon has a good chance at becoming the 2nd movie to reach $1 billion after Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides got there on Saturday. Back in 2007 Transformers grossed 390.4 million internationally and $709.7 million worldwide while in 2009 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen made $434.1 million internationally and $836.2 million worldwide. As you can clearly see, there wasn’t much in the way of international growth for the series between part 1 and 2 but for part 3 things are looking radically different. With Japan and China still to come later this month, Transformers: Dark of the Moon is on track for over $600 million internationally, even with higher 3D tickets, a 50% growth in just 2 years is damn impressive. So far the autobots have grossed $454 million worldwide in just a week.

A very distant 2nd place was Cars 2 with $22.1 million (1st place had $219 million) and so far this made $82.2 million. With a lot more markets set to open the flick in the coming months, Cars 2 is performing internationally a lot better then it is in North America.

Another big hit around the world, Kung Fu Panda 2, added $20 million for a new international total of $377.6 million and $536.8 million worldwide. It now seems like this will stop just shy of $600 million, so not that far from the final gross of Kung Fu Panda, $631.7 million.

4th place belongs to The Hangover Part II with $9.6 million for over $300 million around the world and $548.9 million if we include North America.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was 5th and thanks to $7.7 million over the weekend, it is now at $774.7 million internationally and $1,009.2 million worldwide, as in over 1 billion. This is now the 3rd Johnny Depp movie to reach that milestone and his 4th one in the worldwide top 10, something very few actors managed to ever achieve (Orlando Bloom with two Pirates and two Lord of the Rings flicks in 2007 and Harrison Ford way back in the 80′s with three Star Wars and at least two Indian Jones come to mind).

Bridesmaids and Bad Teacher were 6th and 7th with $7.2 million each while an Delhi Belly, a Bollywood flick, was 8th with an impressive $7.1 million.

Read similar posts to Transformers hauls gigantic International opening on Filmonic

As expected Transformers: Dark of the Moon had no problem dominating the box office over the long Independence Day weekend setting a new record for the time slot (Spider-Man 2 with $88.2 million was the previous holder). Cars 2 had the biggest 2nd weekend drop ever for a Pixar flick while newcomer Larry Crowne disappoints, more after the break.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon grossed 97.8 million over the 3-day weekend or $115.8 million if we count the 4th of July that fell on a Monday. In total the 3rd robot extravaganza made $180.6 million in 6 days, more then the $155.4 million made by Transformers in 2007 but less then Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with $214.9 million in 2009. This week is going to be crucial for the final tally of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, depending on weekdays and the coming weekend, we will know with a certain degree of accuracy how much it will gross when all is said and done in North America. At the moment I’m going to say it should finish somewhere between Transformers ($319.2 million) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($402.1 million).

Cars 2 is another big hit that (as the title suggests) features, well, cars. With $26.2 million over the 3-day weekend this had by far the biggest 2nd weekend drop for a Pixar movie. After 11 days Cars 2 has grossed $122.5 million, neck a neck with the original Cars that had $121.5 million at the same point. A week ago it had $6 million over Cars, now it is down to $1 million and when all will be said and done, it might not even make it to $200 million, a far cry from the $244 million of the original.

Bad Teacher was another movie that took a bigger dive then expected, down 54.1% for $14.5 million and 3rd place. With $62.7 million after 11 days, I’m starting to have doubts regarding the possibility of this finishing above $100 million in North America.

Larry Crowne, the Tom Hanks directed, written and starred romantic comedy, also featuring Julia Roberts, made only $13 million over the 3-day weekend and another $3 million on Monday. Definitely a lot less then the 20+ expected from the two once huge stars.

Super 8 rounded out the top 5 with $7.9 million for a total of $110 million after 25 days. If it keeps going at this rate, this should finish with over $130 million in North America, more then enough considering the $50 million budget.

The last opener of the weekend was Monte Carlo and that made $7.4 million for 6th while Green Lantern kept plummeting, down 63.6% for $6.5 million and $103.6 million in 18 days. This will stop around $115 million and I can’t really imagine how Warner must feel right now after spending $200 million on it.

Other noteworthy movies:

• Bridesmaids finally became the highest grossing Judd Apatow movie ever with $153.7 million in 53 days;
• X-Men: First Class will reach $140 million sometime today or early tomorrow;
• The Hangover Part II is now at $248.6 million while Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is at $234.1 million, both should be passed by Transformers: Dark of the Moon before the end of the week;

Read similar posts to Transformers rules over long 4th of July weekend (Jul. 1-4) on Filmonic