Bill Murray Is (Still) Awesome

You're aware Bill Murray is holding up Ghostbusters 3 from being willed into existence by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It's only brought up every six months for the last decade. Could the cycle of non-news finally come to a (long overdue) halt? The National Enquirer thinks so.

Murray's latest shenanigans suggest they've finally taken the hint of his wanting nothing to do with a second sequel after his "reaction" to the newest draft of the script:

"Then, after they sent him the latest reworked screenplay weeks ago, Murray fired back his shocking answer – nailing the coffin shut forever – by sending Dan and Harold a box containing the new script SHREDDED into confetti, along with this nasty note: 'No one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts!'

Insiders say furious Dan and Harold vow that Bill's off their 'who ya gonna call' list forever – and they'll make the movie WITHOUT him!"

From the get-go, Sony has said they'll only move forward with Murray's participation. So good luck at that "WITHOUT him!" thing, fellas.

Weekend Box Office: December 16 - 18

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - $40 million

2.  Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked - $23.5 million

3.  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - $13 million

4.  New Year's Eve - $7.4 million

5.  The Sitter - $4.4 million

6.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 - $4.3 million

7.  Young Adult - $3.65 million

8.  Hugo - $3.62 million

9.  Arthur Christmas - $3.6 million

10.  The Muppets - $3.4 million

The box office showed some slight signs of life this weekend, but not much considering that a pair of sequels opened much lower than their previous films did.  This weekend's winner, Sherlock Holmes, opened with $40 million, which isn't bad...when you leave out the fact that the original film grossed $62 million back in 2009.  The latest Alvin & the Chipmunks film opened lower than both of its previous films with $23.5 million. 

Granted, the previous films in both of those franchises opened up on Christmas weekend, so they had the benefit of families being off from school or work to have time for the movies.  With the holiday vacation time still a week away, it's within the realm of possibility that both of these films will see a boost next week.

In a limited (and mostly IMAX) release, the fourth Mission Impossible film did very well this weekend, earning $13 million.  And before anyone proclaims that the infamous prologue for The Dark Knight Rises was responsible for the film's good business thsi weekend, keep in mind that the preview is only showing on 42 of it's 425 locations.  So it seems to be doing well on its own.  We'll know for sure after the film goes into wide release on Wednesday.

For some reason, Christmas seemed like the perfect time to release the American remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, so that hits theaters next weekend.  It will be competing against the latest 3D motion-capture family film, The Adventures of Tintin, as well as Matt Damon's We Bought a Zoo. 

So...lots of choices for the rest of the year.  Happy Holidays, everyone!

First Poster For The Expendables 2

Harry Knowles over at AICN has gotten hold of the first official poster for the sequel to the nostalgia reliant action movie. As a kid of the 80's I'm looking forward to this but I hope it's a bit more polished than the first movie.

First Image From Bullet In The Head

No this is not a remake of the John Woo classic, it's a new Sylvester Stallone action movie directed by grizzly old action vet Walter Hill.

I'm enjoying Sly's comeback and this could be the best year for him in some time with two mainstream releases. The image itself is pretty intense and is it me or is that Kevin Nash?.....What? you thought he was dead just like Shaleen did?

Comingsoon.Net

Stallone plays a New Orleans hitman who teams with a New York City detective in a high-stakes investigation that leads from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington, D.C. The unlikely duo, brought together by two vicious murders, take on all who stand in their way, and are willing to sacrifice everything to exact revenge.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Lenticular Poster

IGN

Abraham Lincoln is reinvented as a vampire-killing president in this Timur Bekmambetov-directed action picture starring Benjamin Walker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, and Dominic Cooper. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith adapts his own book for 20th Century Fox. Tim Burton produces alongside Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley.

New Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance Trailer

Former stuntman and bounty hunter of rogue demons Johnny Blaze has been living in self-imposed exile, believing that his powers are a curse. But when he is approached by a member of a monastic order who is looking for someone to protect a mother and her son, who are being pursued by the devil in the figure of a man named Roarke, the Ghost Rider takes the case.

Yahoo!Movies

Hunger Games Poster

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. 

Jack the Giant Killer Poster

An ancient war is reignited when a young farmhand unwittingly opens a gateway between our world and a fearsome race of giants. Unleashed on the Earth for the first time in centuries, the giants strive to reclaim the land they once lost, forcing the young man, Jack, into the battle of his life to stop them. Fighting for a kingdom, its people, and the love of a brave princess, he comes face to face with the unstoppable warriors he thought only existed in legend—and gets the chance to become a legend himself.

New Images From The Amazing Spider-Man

The official site for the Spider-Man reboot directed by Mark Webb and starring Andrew Garfield as the Web Slinger and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, has revealed some cool new images from the movie. Check some out below and a few more at the site.

John Carter IMAX One Sheet

Fandango have gotten the IMAX poster debut for John Carter, it's not a great poster in execution but it gets the reason to see this in IMAX over loud and clear.

Official synopsis - "The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands."