‘Maleficent’ becomes Angelina Jolie’s highest grossing movie at half a billion dollars
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- Published on Tuesday, 24 June 2014 03:53
- Written by NY Daily News
The fairytale flick has a storybook ending for the actress, passing the $500 million box office milestone worldwide to pass her previous best, 2005’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith.’ Angelina Jolie's "Maleficent" held its spell on moviegoers last weekend, flying past the $500 million mark to set a new record for the actress.The fairytale flick — a live-action blockbuster that reimagines Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" from the sorceress' point of view — earned another $13 million during its fourth week in U.S. theaters to top $520 million in worldwide box office sales.Jolie's previous best was the 2005 movie "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which took in $478.2 million and co-starred her fiancé, Brad Pitt."Maleficent" was a passion project for Jolie, 39, who said she was ready to try something big and "bold" that her six kids — Maddox, 12, Pax, 10, Zahara, 9, Shiloh, 8, Knox, 5, and Vivienne, 5 — could watch and enjoy. "I wanted to have fun and explore different art and performance in a way I hadn't done," she said at a press event last month.
Jolie said she was profoundly "moved" by the script by "The Lion King" writer Linda Woolverton, which turns the title character Maleficient into a powerful heroine who bonds with a gutsy Aurora and rescues her in a surprising twist."I actually got really emotional when I finished it, and I thought it was one of the best scripts I'd read in a long time because of the issues it dealt with. And I thought it was in fact an important story to tell," she said. The gorgeous, globe-trotting humanitarian said she wasn't even sure she wanted to return to acting after her directorial debut with "In the Land of Blood and Honey" in 2011.She said "Maleficent" captured her imagination because it "wasn't anything normal.""It was such a crazy idea, and I was so challenged by it. And my kids are now all watching all these movies and wanting to play with mommy, and it was perfect timing to have them all on set, playing, being a part of the adventure with me, and for me as an actress, to not do something where I'm taking myself so seriously," she said.
"The artist in me felt it's good to do something bold every once in a while, that you're not comfortable with, haven't done. And I was a bit nervous to take her on. I just thought, you know, I don't have a big theater voice. I don't do things that are kind of comedic. This is such a crazy idea. I'm a fairy!" she said.She said it was indeed a family affair, with her youngest daughter playing Aurora."She was good. The first day was the day she had to catch the butterfly, and she just really didn't feel like doing it. So, I actually was holding the pole with the ball on the end, bouncing up and down and kind of dancing, trying to make her laugh. And daddy (Pitt) was on the edge of the cliff she had to jump off, kind of like making faces and doing all this stuff," Jolie recalled with a laugh. "She eventually did it, but she was taking her sweet time, and not wanting to do it twice, certainly," she recalled, referring to Vivienne."Then when we got to our scene, we kind of practiced it a little bit at home," Jolie said. "I'd say like, 'Okay, I'm gonna say go away, and you try to, you know, get back.' So by the time we did that one, we did it together, we had a good time, we played together. I was actually shocked that she was doing so well. You know, inside I thought, 'Ohhh, she went back and hit her mark.' That's frightening."
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Angelina Jolie & Elle Fanning Hit Japan In Style for 'Maleficent' Premiere!
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- Published on Monday, 23 June 2014 20:02
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie looks stunning in a strapless black dress while attending the premiere of her latest film Maleficent held at Ebisu Garden Place on Monday (June 23) in Tokyo, Japan.The 38-year-old actress was joined at the event by her co-star Elle Fanning as they both happily took time to sign autographs and take photos with the large crowd of fans.The film, which also stars Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, and Juno Temple, finally hits theaters in Japan on July 5!Last week, Angelina was spotted with her love Brad Pitt making their way through Heathrow Airport to catch a flight out of town.FYI: Angelina is wearing an Atelier Versace cocktail dress. Elle is wearing an Alexander McQueen gown, Valentino shoes, and Cathy Waterman rings.
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Angelina Jolie Angers Chinese Fans Into Possible 'Maleficent' Boycott
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- Published on Wednesday, 11 June 2014 12:39
- Written by Huffington post
The Chinese government softened for Angelina Jolie, letting her fiancé, Brad Pitt, into the country for the ongoing "Maleficent" press tour despite the fact that he was banned from China after filming "Seven Years In Tibet." Now, Jolie's the one on the outs with the nationalists.The Independent reports that the A-lister and UN Goodwill Ambassador recently “became the subject of controversy in China, after she labelled film director Ang Lee Taiwanese, not Chinese, inadvertently embroiling herself in complex cross-Strait relations.”It seems Jolie was asked by an AP reporter during a "Maleficent" press conference in Shanghai to name her favorite Chinese director. Her answer, reprinted in the Independent and the Wall Street Journal, was arguably carefully delivered:“I am not sure if you consider Ang Lee Chinese, he’s Taiwanese but he does many Chinese-language films with many Chinese artists and actors, and I think his works and the actors in his films are the ones I am most familiar with and very fond of,” she reportedly said.
The speech was “widely” disseminated across Chinese media, according to the Chinese-language news site ET Today. Those who took issue with it pounced on Jolie’s reference to Lee as Taiwanese.“By implying that Taiwan and China are two separate countries, in a moment of excitement, a brilliant woman [Jolie] became a stupid laughing stock,” said one Chinese Weibo user, according to the Independent. Another reportedly labelled Jolie a “deranged Taiwan independence supporter.”China has disputed the sovereignty of Taiwan since a rival government was established on the island in 1949, after the Chinese Civil War. Tensions have cooled, but China still sees Taiwan as a “renegade province” they are prepared to take by force, as the WSJ reports.“It’s not clear whether Ms. Jolie knew that she risked getting caught in the cross-Strait cross-fire,” continues the WSJ story, “but her comments certainly set off a volley of scathing comments among Chinese Internet users, with some threatening to boycott her movies for, as one put it, 'disrespecting China’s sovereignty.'"The movie has yet to open in China, but has held at number two in Taipei since its opening on May 30.Indeed, the WSJ reports, there’s been a “new surge in popularity” for the "Maleficent" star in Taiwan because of her comments. As the saying must go in the very large Jolie-Pitt household: you can’t win ‘em all.
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Angelina Jolie to Promote 'Maleficent' in China
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- Published on Wednesday, 04 June 2014 10:52
- Written by Hollywood Reporter
Meanwhile, Brad Pitt is expected to have a more low-key visit after he angered Chinese authorities with "Seven Years in Tibet," which led to the star being banned from the country.Angelina Jolie is set to promote Maleficent in Shanghai on Tuesday, with her presence sure to give yet more gloss to the performance of the Disney live-action fairytale, which opened with a $170.6 million global box-office haul.A big driver for the $70 million debut in North American theaters were girls and women. The female audience is also a key demographic for the movie in China.Jolie will be accompanied on the trip by Brad Pitt, who will not take part in the promotional activities for Maleficent, which is due to bow in China on June 20.Pitt's presence is significant as he has been persona non grata in China since he played Heinrich Harrer in Seven Years in Tibet, a movie disliked by the Chinese authorities, as it includes an account of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950 and subsequent ousting of the region's religious leader, the Dalai Lama, long considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing.There are signs that relationships are thawing though. Seven Years in Tibet was directed by Frenchman Jean-Jacques Annaud, who is currently directing Wolf Totem, which is backed by state-run film firm China Film Group.Annaud's status has shifted to that of a hero in China, with local media reporting tales of his befriending wolves during the shooting of the philosophical adventure story.Last year, Pitt posted on the Chinese version of Twitter, Sina Weibo, saying he would be coming to the country, but the message disappeared soon after.
Pitt's World War Z didn't make it into Chinese theaters, despite indications that it might, although the flesh-eating theme might have been the reason it didn't clear that hurdle despite The Walking Dead being available online in China.Chinese audiences increasingly reward stars who make the effort to come to China to promote a movie.Twentieth Century Fox tentpole X-Men: Days of Future Past took nearly $40 million in its opening weekend after Hugh Jackman and Peter Dinklage came to Beijing for their promotional duties.The Amazing Spider-Man 2's profile also was highly visible in the country after Andrew Garfield, Jamie Foxx and Emma Stone visited to promote the pic. Similarly, Johnny Depp's decision to come to China to promote Transcendence helped assure it made nearly as much here as it did in the U.S. in its opening weekend ($11.5 million in the U.S.).Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson came to Beijing to promote Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which made more than $108 million in China.
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Box Office: Angelina Jolie’s ‘Maleficent’ Making Magic With $70 million Plus U.S. Opening
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- Published on Sunday, 01 June 2014 09:06
- Written by Variety
Angelina Jolie’s got the box office magic with “Maleficent,” with early Friday forecasts pointing to a U.S. opening weekend that could wind up above $70 million.Disney’s assiduously marketed fantasy epic is on track to take in about $23 million to $26 million on Friday, including a solid $4.2 million from Thursday evening showings. Friday’s weekend projections for “Maleficent” ranged from the low $60 millions to the low $70 millions.Friday business appeared to be significantly more robust than trackers had expected, which had led to recent forecasts in the $60 million range. The live-action retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story will become the highest opening weekend for Jolie, easily topping the $50.9 million launch frame for 2008′s “Wanted.” Disney’s marketing push for “Maleficent,” which carries a $180 million pricetag, stresses her portrayal of a supernatural villain — albeit one with a human side. The studio saw a similarly strong performance last year with another fantasy-actioner, “Oz the Great and Powerful,” which opened with $79.1 million domestically on its way to a solid $234.9 million at the domestic box office.Matinee business for “Maleficent” was in line with the performance of “Oz,” which debuted in March 2013, when far fewer children were out of school. Reviews for “Maleficent” have been mixed, with a 49% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Friday’s forecasts were less sunny for Seth McFarlane in his first live-action starring role in “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” Universal’s R-rated Western comedy was heading for about $7 million to $9 million on Friday, leading to a weekend in the $20 million to $22 million range.
That’s less than half of the $49 million opening for “Neighbors,” another Universal comedy aimed at adults. “Neighbors” has grossed an impressive $120 million in its first three weeks.McFarlane stunned Hollywood in 2012 with “Ted,” which opened domestically with $54.4 million on its way to a $218.8 million domestic cume and took in another $331 million overseas.Reviewers have not been kind to “A Million Ways,” with a 34% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” showed plenty of punch at the start of its second weekend with Friday’s number in the $10 million to $12 million range on its eighth day in U.S. theaters after grossing $129 million in its first week.The mutant sequel, which earned an A CinemaScore rating, looks likely to finish the weekend with $35 million-$38 million — representing a decline of about 55% to 60% from the three-day launch of $91 million.That decline is at the low end of “X-Men” films in the series, which have dropped from 53% to nearly 70% in their second weekends.The third weekend of “Godzilla” will finish fourth with about $13 million after devouring $162 million in its first two weeks.
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