Box office not too battered

Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in "The AssistanceInch While Hurricane Irene switched to be much less devastating than have been forecast on Friday, the storm's effect on weekend box office -- believed to possess cost B.O. $25 million -- was certainly greater than a blip, reducing overall U.S. totals 10%, or roughly $9.3 million. Most distribs had over estimated the storm's B.O. effect, with almost all of the very best 10 records doing much better than early weekend estimations. "The Assistance,Inch for instance, won having a modified $14.5 million versus. the the $14.3 million forecasted for that pic on Sunday. The sunnier figures also led to a small improvement in year-to-year weekend evaluations: Box office totals are actually lower 18.9% in the same frame this year versus. the initially forecasted 20%-25% deficit. But Irene's impact on theaters went beyond box office grosses. For many New England participants, for example Nj-based Clearview Movie theaters, which works 46 locations, almost all inside the New You are able to metro area, theater closings were circuitwide, company-enforced ordeals on Saturday or sunday. Other theater chains, like Landmark's Sunshine theater in Manhattan, closed some locations due to subway shutdowns, which stop the main way of transportation for a lot of employees. "We performed the films as lengthy once we could," stated Landmark Theaters Boss Ted Mundorff. "However when Philadelphia and New You are able to began announcing shutdowns, your patrons can't make it happen. Neither can the employees.Inch Based on one bizzer, some exhibs even filed claims on business-interruption insurance plans after closing several locations over the past weekend. But the amount of chains capable of making such claims was fairly small, because most BI guidelines have insurance deductibles that vary from 24 to 72 hrs, meaning the claims compensated don't start working until a minimum of 24 hrs following the first closure. (Regal Entertainment will pay for this type of policy through its overall insurance package, but which deductible it's wasn't known late Monday.) Regal and AMC Theaters -- the country's top two chains, correspondingly -- hold roughly exactly the same share of the market within the affected states, which will make up roughly 16% from the nation's overall box office. AMC apparently lost $2.3 million in weekend grosses about the New England. Using the storm dissipated and also the new week begun, a great number of theaters have returned ready to go, though a couple of continue to be coping with energy black outs. Individuals locations were likely to reopen over the following few days. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

DreamWorks Animation pacts with China's Youku

China's greatest movie streaming site, Youku.com, has struck an offer with DreamWorks Animation for online distribution from the "Kung Fu Panda" film franchise, the very first time the studio's films is going to be available on the web in China. Both "Kung Fu Panda" game titles are for sale to on-demand viewing on Youku Premium compensated content platform and can subsequently bow on Youku's Hollywood Movie Funnel following the compensated viewing window shuts, Youku stated inside a statement. Youku is effectively China's response to YouTube, that is banned in China. The organization on the New york stock exchange in December. Earlier this year, the organization reported its second quarter revenue nearly tripled from last year, although it ongoing to use baffled. The "Kung Fu Panda" franchise has made a lot more than $1.25 billion B.O. up to now, and "Kung Fu Panda 2" was China's greatest movie within the first half of the season, taking $92 million in B.O. It's been a large hit in China, despite coping with kung fu, pandas and Chinese background and folklore, subjects which are normally considered the exclusive terrain of Chinese filmmakers. The DreamWorks Animation artistic team visited China to acquire cultural references for that films. "It's particularly satisfying that Chinese audiences have responded so with excitement towards the cultural references inside our franchise and that we anticipate making both 'Kung Fu Panda' movies open to increasingly more customers in China through Youku," stated Kelley Avery, DreamWorks Animation mind of worldwide franchise strategy and distribution. Youku chairman and Boss Victor Koo stated contracts such as the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise deal permitted Youku to grow about the traditional movie release roadmap. "Both game titles possess a proven history of success with Chinese audiences, and that we anticipate growing our alignment with Hollywood galleries later on to provide much more compelling content," he stated. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

CBS Developing Cop Drama Based On Leslie Glass April Woo Book Series

EXCLUSIVE: Leslie Glass’ popular April Woo series of suspense novels is headed to TV. CBS has bought a drama procedural based on the 9 mystery books, which hails from Denis Leary and Jim Serpico’s Apostle production banner and CBS TV Studios. Novelist and TV writer Amy Bloom, creator of the Lifetime series State of Mind, will write the script and will executive produce the project with Leary and Serpico. Glass’ April Woo mystery series center on the title character, a brilliant young Chinese-American who becomes the first female head of detectives in Coney Island, New York. Raised in the traditions of modesty, good manners and quiet self-effacement, she is hardly a perfect fit to tackle Coney Island’s connected families, drug deals on the Boardwalk, feminist strippers, and corrupt politicians. The project stems from Apostle’s first-look deal with CBS TV Studios for network TV. Developing a drama series with a female Asian lead is a major step in diversity for the broadcast networks. It follows CBS’ recent casting of Black actors as the leads of 3 high-profile procedurals: LL Cool J on NCIS: LA, Laurence Fishburne on CSI and Forest Whitaker on Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. It also comes on the heels of CBS’ sister network launching the first major drama series with an Asian actress as the title character, thriller Nikita starring Maggie Q. The April Woo series spans 9 novels published over 12 years: Burning Time (1993), Hanging Time (1995), Loving Time (1996), Judging Time (1998), Stealing Time (1999), Tracking Time (2000), The Silent Bride (2002), A Killing Gift (2003), A Clean Kill (2005). Bloom and Apostle are repped by WME.

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See New Director Jonah Hill on the Set of His First Music Video

I don’t know how you are closing out your summer but Jonah Hill is ending his by directing his first music video. A day after officially joining Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn for Akiva Schaffer’s Neighborhood Watch, the actor has tweeted a picture of himself on the set of the Sara Bareilles music video “Gonna Get Over You.” Check out the photo and the song ahead, before sending Hill your best wishes. “Gonna Get Over You” is the third single off of the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter’s 2010 album Kaleidoscope Heart. Hill’s music video does not yet have a release date but this will allow him to join the semi-exclusive Actors Who Have Directed Music Videos ranks — alongside Ethan Hawke (Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You”), Sean Penn (Shania Twain’s “Dance With the One That Brought You”) and Gary Oldman (Chutzpah’s “Red Rover”) and Drew Barrymore (Best Coast’s “Our Deal”). Congratulations! [via @JonahHill]

Dinard British fest lines up slate

David Mackenzie's "You Rather," Paddy Considine's directorial debut "Tyrannosaur," Jim Loach's "Oranges and Sunshine" and Irish laffer "The Guard," helmed by John M. McDonagh, are are just some of the photos competing in the 23rd Dinard British Film Festival.Two more photos is going to be selected in competish for that Hitchcock d'Or award in the Gallic fest and become introduced now.The 2010 jury, lead by French thesp Nathalie Baye, includes thesps Hayley Atwell, Emmanuelle Devos and Jaime Winstone composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Armand Amar scribe Stephen Clarke helmer Eric Lartigau plus Francois Verdoux, editor of French film magazine Sonatine Models.Photos featuring within the Avant Premieres section for films preeming in France include helmer Terence Davies' "The Dark Blue Ocean" S.J. Clarkson's "Toast," starring Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore director Joanna Hogg's "Archipelago" and helmer Malcolm Venville's "44-Inch Chest."Fest, which runs March. 5-9 in Dinard, a seaside resort in Brittany, pays homage to Harold Pinter and celebrate the job of John Hurtwith a course of his films, including "1984" and "The Area." Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

Parks And Recreation star Nick Offerman to join Gay Dude cast

Nick Offerman, best known for his role as Ron Swanson in hit NBC comedy, Parks And Recreation, and his wife, Megan Mullally (who plays his ex, Tammy, in the show) have joined the cast of upcoming comedy, Gay Dude.The film is directed by Chris Nelson and follows two friends, Matty and Michael (Hunter Cope and Nicholas Braun) who promise to help each other lose their virginity before their high school prom.Things get complicated however, when Matty announces to Michael that he's gay, testing their friendship in the process.Offerman will be playing the role of Michael's father, with Mullally as Matty's mother.This won't be Offerman's first role on the big screen though, with one of his most memorable turns being the (brief) part of Mr Shlubb in Robert Rodriguez's adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City.He has a number of film credits to his name, but Gay Dude will bring him to the masses for the first time since the legend of Ron Swanson was born, and should hopefully bring much more attention to his grossly underappreciated talent.Parks And Rec writer Alan Yang wrote the script for the production, which also features Gary Cole and The Hurt Locker's Brian Geraghty. Gay Dude is currently scheduled for a 2012 release.

An Illustrated Guide to the Silliness of Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Illustrator/writer Lisa Hanawalt saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes over the weekend, and came away feeling a bit overwhelmed. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this movie, it’s that apes are CONSTANTLY jumping through glass windows. The shattering glass must feel good on their fur?” [The Hairpin]

Former Tribune CEO Randy Michaels Launches All-News Radio Station in New York

NEW YORK - Merlin Media, the new company of former Tribune CEO Randy Michaels, said on Monday that it has launched FM News 101.9 as the Big Apple's only 24-hour FM all-news radio station. Michaels left Tribune late last year amid controversy and reports that he had hurt its image by encouraging frat boy behavior. Earlier this summer though, he announced the acquisition of majority stakes in two radio stations in Chicago and WRXP-FM in New York with private equity firm GTCR. Merlin Media, which holds the stations, said Monday that the New York rock station will now be a news outfit - as some had predicted - and focus on "the real-life information needs of on-the-go adults and working parents." Beyond the on-air content, the station said it will offer personalized online and mobile content that promotes audience participation through social media and digital video. "As music moves to the mobile device, now is the time to put spoken word on the band most people use," said Merlin CEO Michaels. "Our one-to-many broadcasts will be supplemented by personalized, one-to-one interactive content so that instead of commercials that interrupt a tired music playlist, we offer our marketing partners multiplatform solutions that build brands and move product in the best possible environment." At the end of July, Merlin Media unveiled a similar strategy in Chicago with the launch of what it said would be the Windy City's only 24-hour all-news station - FM News 101.1. "Spoken word, since the beginning of radio, has consistently been the top billing format in the world," said Merlin COO Walter Sabo. "No one gets their news from a singular source in today's fragmented media world," said said Liz Aiello, vp of programming, Merlin Media. "In developing our strategy for FM News 101.9, we really wanted to create a unique environment that presents inspiring, relatable, pleasant and fun content that comes to you just as it would from a friend." Among the New York news station's talent is Steve Langford, formerly the lead reporter for Howard Stern's Howard 100 News. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Tribune Company

Do We Need a Third 'Bridget Jones' Movie?

It's time to start writing those petition letters to Universal, urging the studio: Please save us all, including moviegoers worldwide and Renée Zellweger's waistline, from a third 'Bridget Jones' movie. You'd have thought, after the raspberries that greeted 2004's sequel 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,' that they'd leave well enough alone. But no, that film earned $262 million worldwide (nearly as much as the $281 million earned by the initial film, 2001's 'Bridget Jones's Diary'), so the studio has been plotting for a couple years ago to make a third installment. Now, according to Entertainment Weekly's Inside Movies blog, they're going ahead with it. Brace yourselves for another round of a zaftig Zellweger being adorably inept and utterly incapable of choosing the right man, and another slap fight between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. There's no firm word on what the plot will be, or whether it will echo that of Helen Fielding's third 'Bridget Jones' novel, also currently in the works. But EW's Dave Karger, while reporting for Access Hollywood, learned a potential plotline from Firth. "I can tell you that Bridget and Mark can't have children," Karger quoted Firth as saying. "So then she makes the huge mistake of going back to Daniel Cleaver [Grant's character] for long enough to get pregnant. And I think he dumps her, and she's left stranded, and guess who comes back to rescue her?" 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' - Clip 1: Downhill The first 'Bridget Jones' movie was a delightful surprise. Not just because the Texas-bred actress pulled off a flawless British accent or made herself look pudgy and frumpy, but also because she gave a fearless comic performance as a smart and spirited woman not afraid to make herself look foolish in pursuit of Mr. Right. She was nominated for an Oscar and should have won (instead of earning a consolation prize Oscar for her supporting role as Granny Clampett in 'Cold Mountain' a couple years later). The second movie, however, ruined everything that was charming about the first. It upped the slapstick, made Bridget stupider, and essentially rehashed the plot of the first one, as if no one had learned anything from events that had taken place just weeks earlier. Despite its success at the box office, it left a sour taste in the mouths of critics -- and perhaps fans as well. It's no wonder that it's been seven years since Universal and production company Working Title have seriously contemplated doing a third movie. By the way, Zellweger is 42 now. That doesn't mean the pregnancy plotline is far-fetched, but it does mean that her character's repeated dithering over these two men, one of whom is clearly wrong for her, isn't as cute and lovable now as it was when she was 32. Also, all that yo-yo dieting that the reed-thin actress has had to do to put on the weight needed play the average-sized Bridget (and then to take it off for all her other roles) can't be healthy. Zellweger hasn't had a hit movie since 'Edge of Reason.' Given the short shelf life of Hollywood leading ladies, that seven years must seem like eons to her. (Grant, too, hasn't had a hit for a while, since 2007's 'Music and Lyrics.' Firth's career, however, is on fire after his Oscar this past winter for 'The King's Speech,' which was also a worldwide smash.) So it's no wonder that Zellweger (and probably Grant) would want to go back to that well. At least it's a proven brand with some residual fan good will. Still, at this stage, for Zellweger to start carbo-loading again in order to recapture long-past glories smacks of the desperation of a star past her prime, sort of like Sylvester Stallone training for another 'Rocky,' or Bruce Willis for another 'Die Hard,' or Harrison Ford for another 'Indiana Jones.' 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' - Clip 3: The Fight Yes, this is Hollywood, where no title with the least bit of familiarity will go unexploited until the last possible drop of inspiration and fan interest has been squeezed out of it. And yes, it's probably even more of a sop to overseas audiences, which are much more forgiving of shark-jumping franchises and lame sequels than domestic audiences are. (After all, 'Edge of Reason' made only $40 million here; it made the other 85 percent of its gross outside of North America.) Still, don't you wish they'd all leave well enough alone? 'Edge of Reason' did plenty to tarnish the reputation of Bridget Jones the character (and Zellweger) the way we'd like to remember them. Is it really worth a few quick bucks to risk ruining those memories completely? Do You Want to See a Third 'Bridget Jones' Movie?YesNoVote Follow Gary Susman on Twitter @garysusman.

Big Screen: Demons Never Die

Idris Elba on his new projectHe's played good guys (Luther), bad guys (Stringer Bell) and guys who guard things (Thor's Heimdall). Now Idris Elba is playing what we're calling "the money guy" as executive-producer of new Brit horror Demons Never Die. He, and Demons' director Arjun Rose, rocked up at Big Screen to talk about their new horror. "It's a UK slasher first and foremost," explained Rose. "It's in an urban setting but with kids from different worlds. It's quite stylised: a 'neo-noir slasher'. "Elba said that once Rose had approached him with the script at Takers' premiere, he'd leapt at the chance to spread his wings. "It's a great opportinity for me to do things other than what people expect me of as an actor... plus Arjun had a great sob story. " "And no shoes on," joked Rose. Was there talk of Elba appearing on the other side of the camera, too? "I asked but there's no drug deakers and no cops in it," grinned Elba. So what was the appeal of Demons for him? "Slasher movies are things we see Americans do a lot - we snigger in this country when we see people walk into dark rooms - so it was nice to do something like that with our accents and our sensibilities. We don't walk into dark rooms just because the creepy music's playing. "Elba divulged that he's a big scaredy-cat when it comes to haunted-house movies and that he's had a couple of close encounters of the spectral kind himself ("it's cold and there's a funny smell, although I wasn't sure if that was the ghost. ") He's also finding time to make "two or three" more films with Rose under his production marque, all while juggling a slate that's fuller than Mr Creosote's dinner tray. "Working with Ridley Scott (on Prometheus) and Guillermo del Torro (on Pacific Rim) has been amazing. " And what news of Pacific Rim? "The script is amazing and Guillermo's monsters are going to be something to look. I'm a little daunted. Guillermo is one of the most fearless filmmakers. " And? "I can't tell you anything else. " Phoey. What Idris could tell us is that Demons Never Die is out on October 31. Hang on, that's Halloween. Hmm....

Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon and Richard Jenkins Join Robert Redford's Company

Here’s some big casting news to spice up this particularly slow news day: Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon and Richard Jenkins will star in The Company You Keep, the drama which Robert Redford will direct and star in alongside Shia LaBeouf, Nick Nolte and Brit Marling. The film is being adapted from Neil Gordon’s novel about “an ex-Weather Underground militant wanted by the FBI for 30 years, who must go on the run when his true identity is exposed by a young, ambitious reporter.” Production begins in Vancouver next month. [Deadline]

Lifetime hires 'America's Supernanny'

Applicants to appear on Lifetime's new program may be wise to arrive via umbrella. The femme-centric cabler has greenlit an unscripted series entitled "America's Supernanny" and is holding open auditions for the title role. The reality show is a U.S. remake of Brit program "Supernanny," which follows no-nonsense child-minder Jo Frost. Series has since been retooled for Polish, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and Israeli editions, among others. "America's Supernanny" won't be the first "Supernanny" show set in the U.S., but it will be the first made explicitly for U.S. viewiers. Frost has been taming Stateside hellions for five seasons on the BBC, with reruns appearing in the U.S. on Style. Now, though, the format itself is being repurposed, and American moms and dads in search of some televised parenting aid will have a homegrown disciplinarian to tame their kids. Eight hourlong episodes of the series will be produced by Shed Media U.S. for the network. The show will follow the title character around the country as she doles out life lessons to families struggling with childrearing issues great and small. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

'Breaking Bad's' George Mastras Sells Two TV Projects (Exclusive)

AMC Breaking Bad author George Mastras has offered two TV projects. The very first from the pair, a legitimate drama that compares the underbelly of L.A.'s legal world,was bought by Fox Television Galleries. The untitled project, born from a blind script deal, has been developed internally with no network attached. Mastras' other effort comes included in a script development deal at Forex Productions. The project, also untitled at this time, is really a one-hour drama within the vein from the Treasure from the Sierra Madre. These projects will join a resume that already includes AMC's Breaking Bad, which he's offered like a author, in addition to ABC's Evidence and Syfy miniseries The Dresden Files. Mastras, who's also the writer of literary thrillerFidali's Wayand an alumnus from the Disney-ABC Writing Fellowship for Drama, started hiscareer like a lawyer, with stints like a criminal investigator for that public defender service, a counselor in a juvenile correctional facility, along with a litigator both in New You are able to and La. Heis repped by CAA, Management and Alexander, Nau, Lawrence, Frumes & Labowitz. Breaking Bad