newsmakers

newsmakers

Despite the bombs, Hollywood posts a record summer

NEW YORK

In the end, Hollywood made it through a precarious minefield of summer box-office bombs with a heftier wallet. The summer concluded with a record $4.7 billion in box-office revenue despite much-maligned flops such as “The Lone Ranger,” “After Earth” and “White House Down.”

The summer movie season closed out on Labor Day weekend as the boy-band concert film “One Direction: This Is Us” took in an estimated $18 million from Friday to Monday for Sony Pictures, according to studio estimates Monday. That wasn’t enough to unseat the Weinstein Co. historical drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which stayed on top for the third week with $20 million.

It was a positive note on which to end a tumultuous but profitable summer for Hollywood. More than ever before, the industry packed the summer months with big-budget blockbusters that ranged from the hugely successful “Iron Man 3” to the disastrous “The Lone Ranger.” Though the movie business has always been one of hits and misses, this summer brought particular attention to some big whiffs.

Yet the box office saw a 10.2 percent increase in revenue over last summer (not accounting for inflation), with attendance rising 6.6 percent. A portion of the revenue bump could be attributed to rising ticket prices which, on average, went up 27 cents from last year.

But the plethora of major releases — a more than 50 percent increase from last year in films costing $75 million or more to make — meant moviegoers had a parade of highly marketed, big-budget options through the early, most sought- after weeks of the summer. That meant faster blockbuster turnover that may have been better for the industry as a whole, but often came at the expense of individual films.

‘Fifty Shades’ movie casts Dakota Johnson, Hunnam

NEW YORK

The big-screen adaptation of E. L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” has cast its lead roles.

Charlie Hunnam will play the 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey, and Dakota Johnson will play the college student he captivates, Anastasia Steele. Focus Features and Universal Pictures announced the castings Monday.

The 23-year-old Johnson is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. She has had small roles in “The Social Network” and “21 Jump Street.”

The 33-year-old British actor Hunnam starred in this summer’s robot- monster battle “Pacific Rim.” He currently stars in the FX series “Sons of Anarchy.”

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film is to be released next August.

Beach Boys sound check interrupts Ohio wedding

CLEVELAND

A Northeast Ohio couple had planned every detail of their wedding — except for the sound check of a Beach Boys concert next door during their ceremony.

A few bars of “God Only Knows” played as Mark Kent and Jaime Diadium exchanged vows next to the Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica in Cleveland last month.

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reports that when the band found out about the timing of its sound check, the newlyweds’ guests were told they could attend the concert for free. Many of them wandered over for a couple of songs.

When the bride stopped by the concert, she was brought on stage for the encore and played the tambourine next to Mike Love as he sang “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

Associated Press