'Watchmen' conquers box office with $55.7 million

(03-08) 12:40 PDT LOS ANGELES, (AP) --

"Watchmen" clocked in with $55.7 million in ticket sales to claim the top spot at the box office, making director Zack Snyder's comic book adaptation about a team of twisted superheros the biggest opening of 2009 so far.

Still, it was not quite as big as the $70 million take of Snyder's "300" in 2007.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution for "Watchmen" studio Warner Bros., said it was unfair to compare the two films.

"They're two different movies," Fellman said Sunday. "This is a movie that runs two hours and 45 minutes. That really only leaves the exhibitor with one showing a night. If you have an 8 o'clock show, the next show is at midnight. So with essentially one show a night, I think this is outstanding."

Fans of the subversive comic book series by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons waited years for Snyder's big-screen version. The anticipation was complicated last year when Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox fought over who owned rights to the $125 million film. The studios eventually settled in January, keeping the March 6 opening intact.

Many "Watchmen" enthusiasts raced to IMAX theaters to see the exploits of Dr. Manhattan and company on the bigger screens. Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, said the movie sold out on all 124 IMAX screens it was playing on during the weekend and was the second largest opening in company history behind another superhero film, 2008's "The Dark Knight."

With no other new releases to compete against, "Watchmen" easily bumped off "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," which had held the top spot the two previous weekends. The Lionsgate comedy took in $8.8 million, good for second place, according to studio estimates Sunday. 20th Century Fox's "Taken," starring Liam Neeson, took the No. 3 position with $7.5 million.

For the year, movie attendance continues to soar, with revenue at $1.9 billion, up 16 percent through the same point in 2008. Even factoring in 2009's higher ticket prices, movie attendance is running 14 percent higher than last year.

Disney's "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" dropped from No. 2 to No. 9 at the box office.

"There have been some casualties this year," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "Not every film can be a hit — even during this box-office bonanza we're having right now. It dropped about 78 percent the second weekend. It's a young audience. The ones that wanted to see the Jonas Brothers came out last weekend."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Watchmen," $55.7 million.

2. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," $8.8 million

3. "Taken," $7.5 million.

4. "Slumdog Millionaire," $6.9 million.

5. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $4.1 million.

6. "He's Just Not That Into You," $4 million.

7. "Coraline," $3.3 million.

8. "Confessions of a Shopaholic," $3.1 million.

9. "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience," $2.8 million.

10. "Fired Up," $2.6 million.

Week 6- Point and Shoot: Documentary Film

Well, maybe they'd like it if I lose. I gotta try losing sometime.

-Billy Mitchell in The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

M 3.9/W 3.11
Point and Shoot: Documentary Film
Lecture: Introduction to Documentary Film, Pt. 1
Screening: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Gordan, 2007 USA)
Due: OSR 2

Modern Musical Scenes: Supplemental, Part III

Trailer for Save the Last Dance (2001):


"La Vie Boheme" from Rent (2005):


"Springtime for Hitler" from The Producers (2005):


Trailer for Idlewild (2006):


Amy Adams in "Happy Working Song" from Enchanted (2007):


Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron in "Can I Have This Dance" from High School Musical 3: Senior Year:


Beyonce Knowles in "I'd Rather Go Blind" from Cadillac Records (2008):

Modern Musical Scenes: Supplemental, Part II

Trailer for Breakin' (1984):


Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene in "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors (1986):


Samuel E. Wright in "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid (1989):


Amy Locane and Johnny Depp in "Please, Mr. Jailer" from Cry-Baby (1990):


Trailer for The Commitments (1991):


Music video for Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard (1992):


Brad Kane and Lea Salonga in "A Whole New World" from Aladdin (1992):


"This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993):


Julia Roberts in "I've Been Waiting for You" from Everyone Says I Love You (1996):


The Spice Girls in "Say You'll Be There" from Spice World (1997):

Modern Musical Scenes: Supplemental, Part I

Here are additional scenes and trailers from the modern era of musicals:

Trailer for Phantom of the Paradise (1974):


Trailer for The Muppet Movie (1979):


Richard O'Brien in "Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Show (1975):


Elton John in "Pinball Wizard" from Tommy (1975):


John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever (1977):


Trailer for Xanadu (1980):


Trailer for Fame (1980):


Julie Andrews in "Le Jazz Hot" from Victor/Victoria (1982):


Trailer for Flashdance (1983):


Prince in "Let's Go Crazy" from Purple Rain (1984):

Week 5- Razzle Dazzle ‘Em: Musicals

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the dancing queen

-Meryl Streep as Donna in Mamma Mia!

M 3.2/W 3.4
Razzle Dazzle ‘Em: Musicals
Lecture: Musicals—An Overview, Pt. 3
Screening: Mamma Mia! Due: OSR 3 (1960-1979)

Watching R-Rated Movies Boosts Kids' Smoking Risk

The finding could point to a general parental permissiveness, researchers say

MONDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Children who are allowed to watch R-rated movies are more likely to smoke, say researchers who analyzed data from a four-year study of more than 1,200 Massachusetts youngsters.

"We don't know why this is so. It may have to do with a parenting style that is permissive of activities that are not age-appropriate. Or it may be an outcome of all the smoking scenes in R-rated movies," lead author Chyke Doubeni and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Medical School said in a news release.

The participants were in the sixth grade when the study started in 2002 and were interviewed 11 times between then and 2006. The students were asked a number of questions about their access to cigarettes, whether smoking was allowed in their home and whether they were allowed to watch R-rated movies and videos.

Among those who were allowed to watch R-rated movies, smokers were nearly three times as likely and nonsmokers were almost twice as likely to say it would be easy for them to get cigarettes, compared to youngsters who weren't allowed to watch R-rated movies.

The findings are published in the Feb. 21 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

According to Doubeni, the study shows that parental permission to watch R-rated movies is one of the strongest predictors of children's belief that cigarettes are easily available, about as strong as having friends that smoke.

"We do know that kids who believe it is easy to get a cigarette are at risk of smoking," Doubeni said. "Our prior research has already shown that kids who perceive cigarettes as readily accessible are more likely to end up as regular smokers."

"Parents need to be mindful about the movies their children watch for a variety of obvious reasons," added co-author Dr. Joseph DiFranza. "This study points out one more reason for not allowing children to watch movies that are not appropriate for their age.