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Rogen Praises Funnyman Pegg
9 August 2007 (WENN)
Actor Seth Rogen is in awe of British funnyman Simon Pegg - because he can't believe how good his movie Shaun Of The Dead is. The Knocked Up comedian had a similar movie idea to Pegg's 2004 zombie comedy, but was pleasantly surprised when he found out he had been beaten to the big screen by the Hot Fuzz star. He says, "When I first saw Shaun Of The Dead, I thought, 'F**k! F**k those guys!' I'd been thinking of writing a zombie movie about two dudes, and then that came along. I couldn't believe it! Not only are these guys quicker, they're better than me, too!"

Movie Reviews: 'Hot Fuzz'
20 April 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The British action-movie spoof Hot Fuzz comes from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the creators of the 2004 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. For those who saw the earlier film, s'nuff said. "Hot Fuzz is one of the cleverest movie parodies to come along in some while," writes Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News, adding, "In fact, the last satire of this ilk that was nearly as good was Shaun of the Dead." Claudia Puig in USA Today remarks that the film has "some of the same engaging nuttiness" as the earlier one. Kevin Crust in the Los Angeles Times notes that the filmmakers don't simply string gags together as their American counterparts did with such films as the Scary Movie series. Instead, he says, they're "storytellers who weave their naughty bits into genuine characters and a plot. It's a ridiculous plot, but one that's absolutely in the spirit of the films they're satirizing." But Ann Hornaday in the Washington Post suggests that the movie may be ill-timed. "Blacksburg is still numb. The rest of us are still reeling. And Hot Fuzz, which pokes fun at America's fetishistic gun culture while deliriously wallowing in it, now arrives on screens striking a tone of antic overkill that, from its giddy lock-and-load sight gags to its climactic shootout on a placid village green, right this minute seems oddly tone-deaf and tasteless."

Pegg Accidentally Flashes Family Members
16 February 2007 (WENN)
British funnyman Simon Pegg was left red-faced when he accidentally revealed his naked self to his entire family. The Shaun Of The Dead star made the mistake of showing his parents and siblings a home-made film without censoring the tape's contents. He says, "I once showed a holiday video to my entire family and forgot there was a point where I flashed. I only realized about one second before it happened and couldn't get to the remote in time to stop them all from seeing me pull down my trousers and reveal myself. My sister screamed and my mum said, 'Ooh, that's changed.'" The actor is next set to appear in cop comedy Hot Fuzz.

Saturn Awards Handed Out
5 May 2005 (StudioBriefing)
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has awarded Spider-Man 2 its Saturn Award for best picture (fantasy) and Kill Bill - Vol.2 for best picture (action/adventure/thriller). Sam Raimi received the best director award for Spider-Man 2, while Tobey Maguire received the best actor award for the same film. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won a Saturn for best science-fiction film, while Shaun of the Dead won for best horror film. The Saturn for best animated film went to Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles.

'Vera Drake' Steals British Film Award Ceremony
8 February 2005 (WENN)
Vera Drake director Mike Leigh and actress Imelda Staunton were the big winners at Sunday night's 2004 Evening Standard British Film Awards in London. The gritty drama about a 1950s illegal abortionist was named Best Film and Staunton - who is also nominated at this year's Academy Awards Ceremony - was honored as Best Actress. Paddy Considine was named Best Actor for his performance in Dead Man's Shoes; Shaun Of The Dead star Simon Pegg picked up the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy; and Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason was voted Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004 at the British capital's Savoy Hotel. The Alexander Walker Special Award, which honors lasting contributions to the British film industry, was presented to Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner - the co-chairmen of Working Title films. The production company has produced a string of successes including My Beautiful Laundrette, Billy Elliot and About a Boy. Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt shared the Best Newcomer award for their performances in My Summer Of Love, and director Pawel Pawlikowski took the Best Screenplay crown. Roger Deakins won the technical achievement award for his cinematography on The Ladykillers and The Village at the ceremony attending by Dame Judi Dench, Kim Cattrall, Charles Dance, Bill Nighy and Colin Firth.

Dawn of a New Zombie Film
18 January 2005 (StudioBriefing)
First there was George Romero's classic 1978 zombie movie Dawn of the Dead. Then, last year, came the spoof of the movie, Shaun of the Dead. Now, Romero has a new film in the works, Land of the Dead, in which members of the cast of last year's spoof will be featured, one of the stars of the new movies has disclosed. John Leguizamo, who says he plays "a zombie killer" in the new movie, told the website ComingSoon.net, "I've got my own hypothesis too about [why Romero included the Shaun cast]. ... The beauty about Romero is that there's always been a sense of humor about things. I mean, there's always a little bit of a wink to it."

'Shark' Remains Biggest Fish
12 October 2004 (StudioBriefing)
DreamWorks' Shark Tale took another big bite out of the box office last weekend, earning $31.3 million in its second week and putting itself in position to cross the $100-million mark by next weekend. Its total gross now stands at $87.3 million. Meanwhile, Universal's critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights made its debut with a slightly higher-than-expected $20.2 million, to place second. Another newcomer, Fox's Taxi, took in a so-so $12 million. And a third new film, New Line's Raise Your Voice, hardly made a noise as it stumbled out of the starting gate with just $4 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Shark Tale, DreamWorks, $31,330,299, 2 Wks. ($87,350,275); 2. Friday Night Lights, Universal, $20,269,025, (New); 3. Ladder 49, Disney, $13,105,177, 2 Wks. ($41,025,820); 4. Taxi, 20th Century Fox, $12,029,832, (New); 5. The Forgotten, Sony, $7,605,742, 3 Wks. ($48,721,387); 6. Raise Your Voice, New Line, $4,022,693, (New); 7. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Paramount, $2,341,872, 4 Wks. ($33,932,601); 8. Shaun of the Dead, Focus Features, $1,708,113, 3 Wks. ($9,457,504); 9. The Motorcycle Diaries, Focus Features, $1,510,020, 3 Wks. ($3,293,132); 10. Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Screen Gems, $1,253,117, 5 Wks. ($49,010,903).

'Tale' Performs Swimmingly
11 October 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Moviegoers could not escape the jaws of Shark Tale over the weekend as the DreamWorks animated feature took an estimated $31.7-million bite out of the box office total of $98 million, representing about a third of the total spent, and, since many were half-price children's admissions, nearly half of the tickets sold. It was the second week in a row that the movie, which had received mostly negative-to-mixed reviews, held the top position. Its total gross now stands at $87.7 million. In second place was Universal's debuting Friday Night Lights, a critically praised film that took in a better-than-expected 20.6 million, according to studio estimates. Another newcomer, 20th Century Fox's Taxi, starring Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon, garnered an OK $12.1 million. But a third new film, New Line's, Raise Your Voice, starring Hilary Duff, took in a muted $4.6 million. Meanwhile, I Heart Huckabees, continued to astound in limited release. Expanding to 42 theaters, it earned an additional $940,000, or a per-screen average of $22,400. It is due to open wide (about 1,000 screens) on Oct. 22.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Shark Tale, $31.7 million; 2. Friday Night Lights, $20.6 million; 3. Ladder 49, $13.3 million; 4. Taxi, $12.05 million; 5. The Forgotten, $7.5 million; 6. Raise Your Voice, $4.6 million; 7. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, $2.3 million; 8. Shaun of the Dead, $1.6 million; 9. The Motorcycle Diaries, $1.4 million; 10. Resident Evil: Apocalypse, $1.25 million.

'Shark' Attack at Box Office
5 October 2004 (StudioBriefing)
The actual box office for DreamWorks' Shark Tale fell somewhat short of the $49.1 million that the studio had originally forecast. (The film did not, as previously reported, break the record for the best October opening, which remains held by last year's Scary Movie 3, which grossed $48.1 million.) Nevertheless, the movie's $47.6 million debut buoyed the studio's spirits as it prepared to go forward with a $650-million IPO for its animation unit. The success of the film also helped push ticket sales for the top 12 films to $104.4 million, up 30 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Shark Tale, DreamWorks, $47,604,606, (New); 2. Ladder 49, Disney, $22,088,204, (New); 3. The Forgotten, Sony, $11,820,733, 2 Wks. ($38,085,523); 4. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Paramount, $3,278,417, 3 Wks. ($30,590,216); 5. Mr. 3000, Disney, $2,526,420, 3 Wks. ($19,101,298); 6. Shaun of the Dead, Focus Features, $2,481,020, 2 Wks. ($6,933,441); 7. Woman Thou Art Loosed, Magnolia, $2,325,474, (New); 8. Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Screen Gems, $2,310,267, 4 Wks. ($47,027,651); 9. First Daughter, 20th Century Fox, $2,158,637, 2 Wks. ($7,125,371); 10. Cellular, New Line, $2,014,074, 4 Wks. ($28,157,508).

'Shark' Bites Box Office
4 October 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Although numerous reviewers did their best to sink it, DreamWorks' Shark Tale made a big splash over the weekend, taking in $49.1 million -- making it the biggest October opening in history. The success of the film will certainly come as a relief to DreamWorks, which is planning a $650-million IPO for its animation unit. Although it was far behind in second place, Disney's firefighter drama, Ladder 49, performed somewhat better than expected with an estimated $22.8 million, the studio's best October opening. Last week's top film, Sony's The Forgotten, dropped to third place with $12 million. The rest of the films on the box office list barely made blips on the box-office chart. Nevertheless, two of them made the list despite limited releases. Magnolia Pictures' Woman Thou Art Loosed opened in sixth place with $2.5 million although it played in just 408 theaters. Focus Features' Shaun of the Dead also held up well in its second weekend, earning $2.4 million in 645 theaters. Still, the most spectacular opening of the weekend was registered by Fox Searchlight's I Heart Huckabees, which grossed $300,062 on just four screens in New York and Los Angeles, an average of $75,016 per theater (compared with Shark Tale's $12,226 per theater).

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Shark Tale, $49.1 million; 2. Ladder 49, $22.8 million; 3. The Forgotten, $12 million; 4. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, $3.4 million; 5. Mr. 3000, $2.6 million; 6. Woman Thou Art Loosed, $2.5 million; 7. Shaun of the Dead, $2.4 million; 8. Resident Evil: Apocalypse, $2.3 million; 9. First Daughter, $2.15 million; 10. Cellular, $2 million.

A Weekend To Forget at Box Office
28 September 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Although Sony's The Forgotten exceeded analysts' expectations by taking in a solid $21 million over the weekend, landing in first place, most of the other box-office entries put in a poor performance, dropping the box office to a new low for the year. (It has set a new low during each of the past three weeks.) Paramount's Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, which cost $70 million to make, slid to second place in its second week with just $6.7 million, down 57 percent, bringing its two-week total to $26 million. Disney's baseball drama Mr. 3000 was hitting around .130 in its second week as it took in $5.1 million. Sony's Resident Evil: Apocalypse wallowed in fourth place with $4.04 million, while 20th Century Fox's First Daughter debuted weakly in fourth place with $4 million, to place fifth. One happy surprise was the performance of Rogue Pictures' Shaun of the Dead, which took in $3.3 million from just 607 theaters. But the re-release of the somewhat updated Fahrenheit 9/11, playing in 604 theaters, took in only $247,230.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Forgotten, Sony, $21,022,111, (New); 2. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Paramount, $6,658,035, 2 Wks. ($25,517,193); 3. Mr. 3000, Disney, $5,094,867, 2 Wks. ($15,418,888); 4. Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Screen Gems, $4,035,512, 3 Wks. ($43,463,183); 5. First Daughter, 20th Century Fox, $4,002,067, (New); 6. Cellular, New Line, $3,660,608, 3 Wks. ($25,071,475); 7. Shaun of the Dead, Focus Features, $3,330,781, (New); 8. Wimbledon, Universal, $3,323,570, 2 Wks. ($12,120,600); 9. Without a Paddle, Paramount, $2,353,609, 6 Wks. ($53,483,218); 10. Hero, Miramax, $2,244,628, 5 Wks. ($49,231,569).

'Forgotten' Is Memorable at Box Office
27 September 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Despite generally scathing reviews, hurricane threats, and a generally tepid box-office, Sony's sci-fi thriller The Forgotten, starring Julianne Moore took in a much-better-than-expected $22 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates. The film pushed last week's champ, Paramount's Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow into second place, with just $6.7 million, a 57-percent drop. (It also pushed Sony over the $1-billion mark for 2004, making it the first studio to reach that level this year. It is the third year in a row that the company has earned more than $1 billion.) Disney's Mr. 3000 dropped to third place with $5 million, while 20th Century Fox's First Daughter opened in fourth place with just $4 million, tying the third week of Sony's Resident Evil: Apocalypse. A big surprise was the debut of the British import Shaun of the Dead at eighth place, despite playing at only 607 theaters. The film took in $3.3 million, or $5,437 per theater. But Focus Features' The Motorcycle Diaries took in nearly 10 times that per-theater figure as it opened in three theaters in New York and Los Angeles with $157,054. Overall, the box office counted up $60 million in ticket sales, down a whopping 25 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. The Forgotten, $22 million; 2. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, $6.7 million; 3. Mr. 3000, $5 million; 4. (tie) First Daughter, $4 million; 4. (tie) Resident Evil: Apocalypse, $4 million; 6. Cellular, $3.7 million; 7. Wimbledon, $3.4 million; 8. Shaun of the Dead, $3.3 million; 9. Without a Paddle, $2.4 million; 10. Hero, $2.3 million.

Movie Reviews: 'Shaun of the Dead'
24 September 2004 (StudioBriefing)
Jan Stuart, writing in Newsday, figures there are two types of people Shaun of the Dead will appeal to: "People who love zombie flicks and especially people who can't stand them." Apparently film critics make up both types, because they are giving the British spoof some fine reviews. Ann Hornaday writes in the Washington Post: "If the zombie genre steadfastly refuses to die, we can be grateful to Shaun of the Dead for breathing fresh, diverting life into the form, with subtle visual humor and a smart, impish sense of fun." Leah McLaren in the Toronto Globe and Mail awards the movie 3 1/2 stars and concludes, "In the end, Shaun of the Dead plays perfectly on two levels -- it's a clever comedy, but disguised as a fun, dumb horror flick. A movie made to delight, and even accidentally enlighten, both the living and the dead." Indeed several reviewers remark about the classy direction, performances, and all-around care that went into the making of the film. Bob Strauss in the Los Angeles Daily News is one of them, writing: "The real marvel of Shaun of the Dead is how much compelling characterization it works in along with everything else. The actors are so subtly good at turning their comic archetypes into realistic (if not, technically, well-rounded) people that, whenever we lose one to the mindless munching masses, we feel the bite of real tragedy." And Tom Maurstad in the Dallas Morning News concludes his review by writing: "This movie is destined for cult greatness. See it now and you can say -- honestly, for once -- that you were there in the beginning."