Can a 60-year-old ROCKY still K.O. the B.O.? |
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At the box office, it's all about the holidays. It will stay about the holidays until Tuesday, January 2, 2007. That's why, this installment, it's, "Kringle Bells, Kringle Bells, Kringle all the way!"
APOCALYPTO (December 8). Since Mel Gibson's unfortunate drunken Malibu arrest this summer, Hollywood has re-dubbed this motion picture, originally slated for August release, APOCALYPSE, MEL. Excepting for Catholic extremists, does anyone want to make this gay and Jew-hating filmmaker's pockets any deeper by buying a ticket? Face it, Mel: Jesus has a great following, not so, the long-defunct Mayans.
ROCKY BALBOA (December 22): Who better to deliver a holiday knockout box office punch than the movies' favorite heavyweight champion? This time around, Rocky's making a comeback, and the actor playing him for the sixth time, 60-year-old Sylvester Stallone, is trying to revive his comatose career, too. Can an actor who's been eligible for the Senior Discount at Denny's for five years still pack a winning wallop? If the South Philly slugger can still fill a multiplex, then ROCKY BALBOA will herald a major comeback for the aging pugilist - and for its senior citizen star. As for me, I wouldn't count Rocky out, or Stallone.
BOBBY (Now Playing): Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, and Elijah Wood are among the stellar 
DeVito dons his gay apparel for holiday flick |
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performers in this fictionalized account of 22 characters whose lives intersect in the hours leading up to and including the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in June 1968. This Toronto International Film Festival entry was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. Reviews have been highly mixed, with critics comparing the film both favorably and unfavorably to ensemble pieces ranging from GRAND HOTEL to the late Robert Altman's NASHVILLE.
DECK THE HALLS (Now Playing): "There glows the neighborhood!" the advertising promises. And so it glows. Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis, and Broadway's Wicked diva, Kristin Chenoweth star. Fa-la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. This is a family-friendly, but competitive, comedy about neighbors, each trying to outdo the people next-door when it comes to flaunting holiday spirit. But does anyone really stand a chance for winning the Most Ostentatious Award when DeVito is among the competitors?
One question remains: Will Holiday Match-Flickers follow DeVito to the box office in merry measure, or will they simply stay home, heeding the wind and weather?
CHARLOTTE'S WEBB (December 15): Paramount and Nickelodeon's retelling of this family farm classic is a live-action adaptation starring Dakota Fanning, as well as a dozen celebrity voice 
BOBBY is all about CAMELOT'S Younger Brother |
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characterizations, among them, Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, and Oprah Winfrey. In 1973, an animated version of this beloved tale featured voices including Debbie Reynolds, Danny Bonaduce, and Paul Lynde.
DREAMGIRLS (Christmas Day): We've saved the best for last. Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, and, in a stunning motion picture debut, Jennifer Hudson. You'd have to be standing beside a beehive to hear buzz louder than the droning surrounding Bill Condon's motion picture adaptation of the 1970s' Broadway musical hit. This is the CHICAGO screenwriter's highly anticipated second major musical. Audiences at test screenings are breaking into spontaneous applause following many of the flick's musical numbers. The cast and crew don't have to dream about Oscar nominations; they're going to receive them.
Match-Flickers who remember Diana Ross & The Supremes will find DREAMGIRLS eerily reminiscent of the Motown legends. The Berry Gordy-like character played by Jamie Foxx, discovers, then makes stars of, the Dreamettes, a girl trio. Soon he focuses on the career of only one of the girls, Beyonce's Deena, forcing out of the group, Effie (Jennifer Hudson).
Dashing to the show : Escape to the movies this holiday season. It's way better than watching the relentlessly depressing news from Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
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| The Business of Show |
Every other Friday
Does advertising, public taste, or overindulged stars determine a movie's box office fate? Christoper Stone explores what's going on behind the box office.
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| Christopher Stone |
Christopher Stone is the author of the international best seller Re-Creating Your Self. With Mary Sheldon, he co-authored three highly successful hardcover books of guided meditations.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
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