Two New Releases Dethrone the King -- Posted by Radagast on Friday, June 18 2004 at 1:36 PM GMT
The Hollywood Reporter says two new releases dethroned New Line Home Entertainment's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King DVD on the video rental charts last week. But the final installment of the trilogy lost little of its power, dropping a scant 7% from the previous week and actually moving up a notch from No. 4 to No. 3 in Video Store Magazine's rental rankings.
Warner Home Video's Mystic River came in at No. 1 on the rental chart, while Universal Studios Home Video's Along Came Polly ranked second. "Polly" and "River" took the No. 1 and No. 2 slots, respectively, on Nielsen VideoScan's First Alert DVD sales chart, followed by "King." They pushed last week's No. 2, Monster, down to the fourth slot.
The only other new release entering the top 10 on the First Alert DVD chart was Buena Vista Home Entertainment's City of God.
For the week ending June 5, Monster and BVHE's My Baby's Daddy entered the Nielsen VideoScan DVD sales charts at Nos. 2 and 4, respectively. BVHE's Miracle fell from No. 2 to No. 6, and CTHE's Starship Troopers 2 debuted at No. 9. Source
I remain an amateur at heart, says Sir Ian McKellen -- Posted by Radagast on Friday, June 18 2004 at 12:42 AM GMT
Star of multi-Oscar-winner Lord of the Rings, and famed for his theatrical roles, Sir Ian is forsaking the bright lights to take part in a concert in memory of his sister, Jean Jones. Jean, of Fen Street, Nayland, died in November and he was unable to attend her funeral because of the world première in New Zealand of Return of the King, the third in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.... More
NEW Rare miniatures pages - From the Shire to the Barrow-Downs LRs. -- Posted by Illuvatar on Thursday, June 17 2004 at 6:02 AM GMT
These extremely limited stock of out of production 'M' series figures are available today - A definite blast from the past - Fill those gaps in your collection before they sell out.
Pop culture 101 -- Posted by kenzie on Wednesday, June 16 2004 at 8:05 PM GMT
To the shock of academic purists, today's students can now take classes in Buffyology (the study of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), Elvish (the language of "Lord of the Rings"), "Harry Potter" and other TV shows and movies, with a focus on everything from physics to military history, according to agencies' report quoted by China Daily Wednesday......more
The WB to air Lord of the Rings in HDTV -- Posted by kenzie on Wednesday, June 16 2004 at 8:02 PM GMT
Good news for owners of HDTV sets! Wizard News reader "Luna Louthan of Slytherin House" sends in this tip that her mom works for the WB and in a seminar they held yesterday, it was announced that when the WB airs all of the Lord of the Rings movies later this year, they will also do so in HDTV.
The WB will air the first movie, Fellowship of the Ring, over two nights in mid-November. Reportedly, the movies will be aired un-cut. Whether they will be showing the theatrical version or the extended versions is unknown at this time......source
Lord of the camps -- Posted by Radagast on Wednesday, June 16 2004 at 2:16 AM GMT
From sampling hobbit cuisine to writing hobbit haikus and simulating hobbit sword fights, the Summer Camp in Middle Earth is sure to be a study in, well ... hobbits.
For the third consecutive summer, the Palo Alto Unified School District is offering a four-week course exploring "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to sixth- through eighth-graders.... More
Hugo Weaving in The Myth & Little Fish -- Posted by kenzie on Wednesday, June 16 2004 at 2:05 AM GMT
First up, he'll play a swagging hero in a new Jackie Chan vehicle called The Myth. An adventure film in the vein of "Indiana Jones", the film sees Chan playing an archeologist-for-hire (in that he's enlisted by every company and their dog the moment they want something recovered) who is enlisted to track down the Tomb of the Chin Dynasty.
Next, Weaving has a role in Little Fish, Rowan Wood's new film about a troubled woman in Sydney's little Saigon district. Martin Henderson and Cate Blanchett will co-star......source
An Update from Narnia Fans.com -- Posted by Illuvatar on Tuesday, June 15 2004 at 5:29 AM GMT
According to Paul from Narnia Fans.com they have some brand new banners, a horse has been chosen for the Unicorn, and they have also released a start date for filming!
Arms of Valor - Weekly Featured Item! -- Posted by Illuvatar on Tuesday, June 15 2004 at 5:14 AM GMT
This week's item is simply a must have for all of you wicked wizards out there! ;o)
Our friends over at Arms of Valour are pleased to bring you The Staff of Saruman!
This authentically detailed staff is a reproduction of the one carried by Saruman and prominently featured in "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy presented by New Line Cinema. United¨ Cutlery Brands, industry leader in fine movie reproductions, has meticulously recreated the actual prop staff using the finest grade materials and craftsmanship of the highest quality available. Close attention to quality is a top priority in every piece. This towering staff, with an overall length of 76-1/8", is constructed of solid metal and the crown cradles a leaded glass crystal ball with frosted etch pattern. Each staff is presented with an antique iron finished wall mount with embossed designs.
Jason from AOV writes "We only have a few in stock, and they will go fast, why not give the WotR members the first chance to get one!"
Box Office: International -- Posted by Radagast on Tuesday, June 15 2004 at 3:15 AM GMT
There were no 63% drops (like in the USA) for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban overseas. Instead the production added 16 countries over the weekend and ranked No. 1 everywhere. Azkaban grabbed an estimated $65.5m from 40 countries and over 9,600 screens this weekend for a stunning $204m international total in just two weekends.... More
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's total is now $741,415,086 for a worldwide cume-to-date of $1,118,442,411
At the Movies with the Minnesota Orchestra -- Posted by kenzie on Tuesday, June 15 2004 at 1:52 AM GMT
The symphony orchestra has been part of the action in movies for years. Hear music written especially for the movies like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars and more. Also, classical pieces used to create the perfect effect in movies like Ocean's 11 and Fantasia 2000. Featuring hosts from Kare 11's Whatever, a weekly magazine show for teens, and live skateboard demonstrations on Peavey Plaza by 3rd Lair Skate Park. Click here for more info and tickets.
Orlando Bloom and Sean Bean voted Britain's sexiest -- Posted by kenzie on Tuesday, June 15 2004 at 1:49 AM GMT
Lord of the Rings and Troy hunk Orlando Bloom has beaten popular heart-throbs Jude Law, Hugh Grant and Ewan McGregor in the battle for first place in Sky Movies' Britain's sexiest actor survey. The 27-year-old is one place ahead of his Troy co-star Sean Bean followed by Grant, McGregor and Law while portly Cold Mountain star Ray Winstone shocked fans by being voted into fifth place.
A Sky Movies spokesman said: "It's usually the likes of Jude Law and Ewan McGregor who are voted Britain's sexiest actors. But it seems that Orlando Bloom's star is rising. He's been in some big films like Troy recently and appeals to all generations."
Bloom hit the big time when he was cast in Lord of the Rings as Legolas while still at drama school.......source
Movie piracy: Lord of the Rings 3 -- Posted by kenzie on Tuesday, June 15 2004 at 1:47 AM GMT
Which are the consequences of releasing a DVD after a long period of piracy? `The return of the King', the third episode of `The Lord of the Rings' could be an excellent case study... Now that advertising campaigns are going on, we observe a renewal of the digital piracy within P2P networks for this movie. All the figures hereafter are for new activity and do not reflect copies previously achieved.......more
The Third Age for Xbox Advanced -- Posted by kenzie on Monday, June 14 2004 at 12:21 PM GMT
The world of Middle-earth is steeped in adventure and lore; it’s a world that invites exploration. Consequently, it would appear to be a world that likewise invites commercial exploitation, as is evidenced by the slew of action-figures, memorabilia, and merchandise that call many a store shelf home. Recently, J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy universe has had more than a fair shake in the world of gaming; and EA’s efforts with the franchise have been so tremendously executed that they have been responsible for dispelling the stigmatism that has long attached itself to Hollywood’s forays into gaming. Despite their successes in translating the Lord of the Rings films into cinematic hack-n-slash gaming experiences, EA has yet to give gamers the next logical evolution in the franchise; that of the role-playing game........more
Harry Potter Tops Box Office a Second Weekend -- Posted by Radagast on Sunday, June 13 2004 at 10:19 PM GMT
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban topped the box office in its second weekend earning an estimated $35.1 million from 3,855 theaters. The second sequel suffered a big drop in sales of 62.6% but has still managed to collect $158.1 million in its first 10 days. "Sorcerer's Stone" had collected $186.9 million and "Chamber of Secrets" $148.4 million in the same amount of time.
Depending on final estimates, Vin Diesel's The Chronicles of Riddick opened in the second spot with an estimated $24.6 million from 2,757 theaters. Writer/director David Twohy's $105 million-budgeted follow-up to Pitch Black is the third-best debut for Vin Diesel, behind XXX ($44.5 million) and The Fast and the Furious ($40.1 million).
DreamWorks' Shrek 2 came in close in third making $24 million in its fourth weekend a massive total of $354 million. By Saturday, the sequel had earned $346.5 million to pass previous animated record set by Finding Nemo of $339.8 million in only 25 days. The film has also climbed to the ninth spot on the all-time domestic blockbuster list, surpassing The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ($341.8 million). It now sets its eye on Jurassic Park ($357.1 million) for the eighth spot and The Passion of The Christ ($369.9 million) for the seventh spot and the biggest earnings of 2004 so far..... More
Narnia: Dawn French to Play Mrs. Beaver -- Posted by kenzie on Sunday, June 13 2004 at 1:48 PM GMT
Actress Dawn French has been chosen to play the voice of Mrs. Beaver in the upcoming Narnia film.
Billed at IMDB in 24 films, French has been the voice of many films over the last 20 years. Her most recent role, according to IMDB, is "Fat Lady in Painting" in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The New Zealand Herald writes that "To add body to her visage, the film-makers will use the same type of computer graphic imaging that was a hit with Gollum."........source
They have also released GANDALF ON GWAIHIR ART PRINT
"Signed by artist Alan Lee and actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf), this limited edition framed giclee of Gandalf on Gwaihir depicts the flight of Gandalf the Grey from Isengard over the stone fortifications of Helm's Deep. This scene was cut from the film, but is brought to you as this fine art giclee, which is one of only 400 worldwide" You can check that out here.
More from Sideshow Weta soon, plus a great competition here, with them, at War of the Ring.
Well they have finally released proper images of the new Balrog figure.