‘Wanted’ Breaks Box Office Records

From The New York Times today:

Sometimes it is important to take a political stand. And sometimes it is just fun to watch a cartoon panda trying to do kung fu.

Despite calls in China to boycott “Kung Fu Panda,” the animated movie about a panda with a passion for martial arts has become a huge box office hit.

The film, from DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures, has already grossed over $12 million after less than two weeks in release, making the film’s opening one of the strongest in China in recent years.

Globally, the movie has brought in $275 million, Paramount said Sunday.

Some Chinese critics had asked consumers to protest the film because Steven Spielberg, a top executive at DreamWorks, resigned last February as artistic adviser to the 2008 Beijing Olympics after failing to persuade Chinese officials to do more in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Another group, backed by the Chinese artist Zhao Bandi, who uses pandas as an inspiration for his work, also called for a boycott, saying the animated film is exploiting a national symbol.

But on June 21 the film opened to huge crowds in Beijing, Shanghai and other big cities. Chinese audiences have praised the quality of the film’s animation and its colorful and clever depiction of various aspects of ancient Chinese culture, architecture and scenery.

The release of the film was postponed in Sichuan Province, the country’s largest panda-breeding center and the site of a devastating earthquake that killed over 69,000 people last month. One reason for the delay was the sensitivities involved in a region that is still in mourning.

But after the film opened there last week, theater operators said their houses were packed.

“It is the most successful animation movie in our cinema history,” said Li Jiqing, general manager at Wangfujing Cinema in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. “The box office has done as well as the ‘Matrix,’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ ”

In China, a film that earns more than $15 million is generally considered a blockbuster, since ticket prices are often just $4 and film piracy is rampant.

One of the highest grossing films ever in China was “Transformers,” which earned about $42 million last year. But each year, only a handful of films earn over $15 million.

The American producers of “Kung Fu Panda,” which is set in the Li River Valley in the Guangxi Province of southwestern China, have called the movie a salute to Chinese culture and to Hong Kong martial arts films.

News shows and Internet bloggers in China are now debating the merits of the film and asking why Chinese filmmakers and animators are being outdone by foreign producers, who have created compelling images of ancient Chinese palaces and temples and turned their cuddly national icon into a Hollywood darling.

# 688 Lunacy from the Nuts @ 06/30/2008 at 8:29 pm
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Errr… didn’t the LA Times nearly got their @$$es sued after they accused P. Diddy of being involved in Tupac’s death? WTF is wrong with these newspapers and news outlets? It’s like they want to flush their credibility down the drain.

# 715 Shear Genius @ 06/30/2008 at 10:16 pm

OFF TOPIC

You all have to see this. It’s the most hilariou sh!t I’ve seen all day.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1030220/Youre-best-Jennifer-Aniston-hands-rocker-John-Mayer-gig.html

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I saw that on another site today and was LOL. The Urinator is looking straight into the camera. And yet they want people think that’s a real relationship? Pretty damned lame…

Did anyone scroll down and look at the second photo - it almost - I said almost - looks like his underwear is around his feet and she is contemplating his navel of something. Not a nice position to be photographed in.

You all have to see this. It’s the most hilariou sh!t I’ve seen all day.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1030220/Youre-best-Jennifer-Aniston-hands-rocker-John-Mayer-gig.html

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LOL at johnifer’s pics. Why is Jenjen always the aggressor in her fake relationships? Remember Vaughniston? She was always seen grabbing him, kissing him. And now it’s the same thing with Mayer. She is trying too hard. Shame.

# 733 anonymous @ 06/30/2008 at 11:26 pm Passing Through, what was the point of providing that link to Medialady? Aren’t you encouraging others to give more hits to that site? I have to wonder about some of the JP fans sometimes. It seems like you can’t live without the constant drama and actually relish it.
Why can’t a JP thread be about them for once and only about them without dragging other sideshows into it?
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it sure didn’t seem to me that she was encouraging people to visit the site. she cleary has a tendancy to back her posts up with references, research or in this case proof.

passing Through @ 06/30/2008 at 11:03 pm # 715 Shear Genius @ 06/30/2008 at 10:16 pm

OFF TOPIC

You all have to see this. It’s the most hilariou sh!t I’ve seen all day.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1030220/Youre-best-Jennifer-Aniston-hands-rocker-John-Mayer-gig.html

+++++++++++++++++

I saw that on another site today and was LOL. The Urinator is looking straight into the camera. And yet they want people think that’s a real relationship? Pretty damned lame…
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omg, that is so sad. He’s not even looking at her, once again - he’s looking straight at he camera - hahahaha! He is a bigger famewh*re than she is, and that’s sayin’ somethin’! He just looks really satisfied that the whole snogging of Perez episode has been buried under the weight of his May-December relationship with the biggest reject in the history of rejects. He doesn’t care at this point, that she definitely does not add to the cool factor - he seems to be very aware of that fact, and is soaking up her pretend adulation for the camera. It’s not about, look how much I like this woman, it’s him looking at the camera, and saying look how much she is into me. Pathetic. The things he’s said recently were so unenthusiastiz, generic and just non-descript, you almost feel sorry for the woman. I said almost. :-D

The odd thing about them — even with VV, you got the airplane sex mount and a dry boring smootch or two.

With these two, you’ve yet to see them actually kissing on the mouth, or looking passionate at each other (Look at ‘new’ couple Cam and Paul Sculfor, walking down the street and smootching and all into each other).

It’s very odd for a couple who are supposedly in a real romantic relationship to —

oh. wait….

..nevermind.

:lol:

wth the leeather jacket is up to 10,000 now. wow

Trippin @ 07/01/2008 at 12:04 am wth the leeather jacket is up to 10,000 now. wow
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Holy cow….it’s now over $10,000. :) :)

I saw this movie once on Saturday with my husband and Sunday with my Filipino friend Sonya. It is Rated R which means for adult audience. An adult who can differentiate art from reality. An adult who can put his or her shoes in the mind of an assassin. After two hours, and consuming your popcorn and turning on your cell phone, you go on with life as usual. You can go on the internet and donate to the U.N. You don’t meditate, how cruel was Morgan Freeman, how beaten up was James McAvoy! You call your friend instead and say, wow that was a thrill ride and what a fantastic car chase scene. It reminds me of James Bond and Indiana Jones. Angelina is so superb an actress, so convincing. She is Brad’s acting coach. And yes, she made this movie on Brad’s suggestion because she needs something physical to keep her mind of Marcheline’s passing. Also, on the contrary, I went to an IMAX showing and her naked butt looks mighty fine which my husband readily agreed. I respect the fans who missed the ending and remind them that Will Smith, Bruce Willis have also made box office movies for the sake of top rating that were way too bloody and violent than this movie. I don’t see their names as big charity donors, sad.

guli

I hope you are still on. I know you will sooon be leaving for your vacation. Have a safe flight, and a wonderful vacation. And come back rested, because we have RC for BAR to look forward to, and most of all, the twins. Good Times!!!

PT thanks for posting that EW link. That is a good article.

The media, entertainment shows, etc are trying to make it a competition between Wall E and Wanted. They kept saying that Wall E beat, kick, etc Wanted. There was no competition. Wall E was suppose to do $70 mill and Wanted $30 mill. So Wall E was suppose the win the contest.

What has everyone surprised is that Wanted did as well as it did. It challenged Wall E and it was R rated and in fewer theaters. It won first place, but not by the margin expected. So I would think Wanted could, or should be declared the defacto winner fo doing as well as it did with the rating it had and being in fewer theaters.

Of course this won’t happen. But we the fans know the truth. I watched the Daily 10 and they were talking about how Wall E beat Wanted. Debbie M needs to eat something and get a brain.

The next big event is the birth of the twins. Holy sh*t Batman the trolls will really go ape sh*t. I guess ET will have finally admit they were wrong and Angie wasn’t wearing a pillow.

Hey guli did you check your e-mail? Peace

test, test, test