New 'Passion of the Christ' to be 'biggest film in history'
by Joe Kovacs
Actor Jim Caviezel portraying Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ.”
Jim Caviezel, who stunned the world with his portrayal of Jesus in the 2004 blockbuster “The Passion of the Christ,” is now confirming he’s on board with director Mel Gibson for a sequel, and predicts it will be “the biggest film in history.”
“There are things that I cannot say that will shock the audience,” the 49-year-old actor told USA Today. “It’s great. Stay tuned.”
Both Gibson and Caviezel have not said much about the story focusing on the resurrection of Christ, but the star indicated he’s encouraged by the direction the project is taking.
“I won’t tell you how he’s going to go about it,” Caviezel said of Gibson. “But I’ll tell you this much, the film he’s going to do is going to be the biggest film in history. It’s that good.”
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The original “Passion of the Christ” followed the last 12 hours of Christ’s life. The movie brought in more than $611 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, and remains the highest-grossing R-rated film ever in North America with $370.8 million.
In 2016, Gibson spoke with USA Today about his plans for the sequel.
“The Resurrection. Big subject.” Gibson said. “We’re trying to craft this in a way that’s cinematically compelling and enlightening so that it shines new light, if possible, without creating some weird thing.”
Earlier this month in Chicago, Caviezel warned against false Christianity, and urged believers to publicly voice their faith in “this pagan world.”
“The Resurrection. Big subject.” Gibson said. “We’re trying to craft this in a way that’s cinematically compelling and enlightening so that it shines new light, if possible, without creating some weird thing.”
Earlier this month in Chicago, Caviezel warned against false Christianity, and urged believers to publicly voice their faith in “this pagan world.”
“I want you to go out into
this pagan world, I want you to have the courage to step into this pagan
world and shamelessly express your faith in public. The world needs
proud warriors animated by their faith,” he told the Fellowship of
Catholic University Students SLS Leadership Conference.
“Warriors like Saint Paul and Saint Luke who risked their names, their reputations to take their faith, their love for Jesus into the world.
“God is calling each one of us, each one of you to do great things but how often we fail to respond, dismissing it as some mental blurp. It’s time for our generation, now, to accept that call, the call of God urging all of us to give ourselves entirely to Him.”
“Set yourselves apart from this corrupt generation,” the actor continued. “Be saints. You weren’t made to fit in. You were born to stand out.”
“We must shake off this indifference, this destructive tolerance of evil. But only our faith and the wisdom of Christ can save us,” he said. “But it requires warriors, ready to risk their reputations, their names, even our very lives, to stand for the truth.”
“By God, we must live,” Caviezel concluded, “and with the Holy Spirit as your shield and Christ as your sword, may you join St. Michael and all the angels in sending Lucifer and his henchmen straight right back to hell where they belong!”
“Warriors like Saint Paul and Saint Luke who risked their names, their reputations to take their faith, their love for Jesus into the world.
“God is calling each one of us, each one of you to do great things but how often we fail to respond, dismissing it as some mental blurp. It’s time for our generation, now, to accept that call, the call of God urging all of us to give ourselves entirely to Him.”
“Set yourselves apart from this corrupt generation,” the actor continued. “Be saints. You weren’t made to fit in. You were born to stand out.”
“We must shake off this indifference, this destructive tolerance of evil. But only our faith and the wisdom of Christ can save us,” he said. “But it requires warriors, ready to risk their reputations, their names, even our very lives, to stand for the truth.”
“By God, we must live,” Caviezel concluded, “and with the Holy Spirit as your shield and Christ as your sword, may you join St. Michael and all the angels in sending Lucifer and his henchmen straight right back to hell where they belong!”
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How Overseas Film Sales Saved Hollywood From a Terrible Summer
By Anousha Sakoui
The duds just keep coming this summer in North America, from “The Mummy” to “Alien: Covenant” to “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” The season has been what critics politely call lackluster for Hollywood studios -- but don’t expect them to stop churning out more bombs.
That’s because as badly as so many franchise films and reboots have done in the world’s biggest cinema market, they’ve racked up solid ticket sales elsewhere. Theater-goers in America thought Paramount Pictures’ fifth “Transformers” was pretty much a yawner, but in China they liked it. And No. 6 is already in the works.
“Look at the casualties just this summer,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a Los Angeles-based analyst for ComScore Inc. “If they only had North America, it would be a monumental disaster for the studios.”
For now at least, the rest of the world -- China in particular -- is supporting Hollywood’s love affair with series, sequels and rehashes like “The Mummy,” Universal Pictures’ new take on a story that’s been told dozens of times. The risk is that sequel fatigue will set in overseas too. Chinese moviegoers are becoming more choosy, and the fastest-growing film market is slowing down. That’s a challenge for studios such as Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros., which plan and schedule movies years in advance.
Jonathan Papish, an analyst for China Film Insider, described as a “disaster” the $250 million that “Transformers: The Last Knight” is projected to record in the world’s most-populous country. The reason: the previous version from Viacom Inc.’s film division pulled in 17 percent more, “a worrisome sign for both Paramount and other Hollywood studios who have become far too complacent thinking that Chinese audiences will swallow whatever garbage they shove down their throats.”
Not every sequel or franchise entry has fallen flat in North America, of course. “Wonder Woman,” Warner Bros.’ fourth episode in the DC Extended Universe series, has taken in $346 million domestically and is one of the year’s top films. Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” topped the box office for two weeks and has taken in $383 million domestically.
And there are some big-hitters coming. Sony Corp.’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is expected to take in $301 million in North America after its release this weekend, according to BoxOfficePro.com.
“War for Planet of the Apes,” out July 14 from 21st Century Fox Inc., could grab $165 million.
But the second-quarter domestic box office ended down 3.6 percent from a year ago at $2.7 billion, Barton Crockett, an analyst at FBR & Co., said in a note. He blamed disappointing sequels; even with a better-than-expected “Wonder Woman,” he predicts a 15 percent decline for the third quarter.
Chinese box-office sales fell in June, as local movies as well as Hollywood imports failed to meet expectations. This month, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC pushed back its forecast for China’s movie market to overtake the U.S. to 2021 from 2017.
This weekend, Universal’s “Despicable Me 3” will test the Chinese market, after opening in first place in 44 out of 46 countries, according to data from the film division of Comcast Corp. A new installment in another Universal series, “The Fate of the Furious,” enjoyed strong demand in China, taking in $393 million there earlier this year.
Even with big budget films flopping at home, movies can earn money for years to come from digital downloads and sales to Netflix Inc. and other streaming sites and cable-television channels. The latest -- and last -- “Pirates of the Caribbean” may have missed expectations when it came out May 26, but it could end up generating a net profit of $219 million, according to an estimate from Wade Holden, analyst with S&P Global Market Intelligence.
That hasn’t stopped some analysts from complaining that studios have focused too much on making big-budget features.
“There is an over reliance on sequels,” said Richard Greenfield, a media and technology analyst at BTIG LLC. The major studios “are so worried about investing in an unknown property that they are all just relying on sequels and hoping that sequels will save them.”
While Disney has had tremendous success, Greenfield said it’s not bullet-proof. “The danger is that investors are essentially assuming that a movie like ‘Star Wars’ will be successful forever.”
As much as any studio, Disney has tied its future to sequels and remakes. The company’s 2017 schedule includes eight films, of which six fit that profile, according to Box Office Mojo.
Disney said its strategy sets it apart from the competition -- in 2016 its film business had its most profitable year ever. Other studios trying to ape it have had less success. Sony, for example, tried and failed to refresh its 1984 hit “Ghostbusters” last year in the hope that it could spawn a new series.
In any event, many future slates are laden with new installments of existing worlds of characters. 21st Century Fox and Sony, which license Marvel characters, are planning more “X-Men” and “Spider-Man” chapters.
Disney has laid out several years worth of Marvel superhero offerings and at least a six-picture series of “Star Wars” movies. Meanwhile, the company is revisiting “Mary Poppins” and “Mulan.”
“Studios are rushing these sequels,” said Jeff Bock, senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. “If you want to get the domestic audience back, you’ve got to do something a little outside the box.”
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Movie Theater Attendance Hits 24-Year Low, Ticket Prices Rise Nearly 4 Percent
2017’s average ticket price was $8.93
At that average, the estimated number of movie tickets sold last year is 1.23 billion. While that is only a rough estimate that does not account for the higher ticket prices for premium formats and theaters in more expensive cities like New York and Los Angeles, NATO’s estimate is the lowest since 1993, when “Jurassic Park” was the top grossing film of the year and an estimated 1.24 billion tickets were sold.
“2017 highlighted once again the importance of a balanced, 52 week movie calendar,” said NATO in its analysis. “A record Q1 (in box office and admissions) was offset by a disappointing summer, with a range of sequels that were not embraced by audiences in the numbers we are accustomed to.
Summer 2017 was 92 million admissions short of summer 2016. An unusually empty August accounted for half of summer 2017’s shortfall. Q4 2017 was nearly equal to Q4 2016, with 315 million tickets sold, compared to 319 million.”
Source: NATO and Box Office Mojo
While annual box office revenue stayed above $11 billion for the third consecutive year, revenue over the summer season plummeted to 18-year lows. Historic lows were also reached for Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. The 2017 box office was a case of bookends, as the struggling summer sat in between industry record highs for March and September that were powered by family films like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Boss Baby” as well as adult blockbusters like “Logan” and “It.”
Attendance has been on a downward trend since 2005, though small rebounds were seen in 2012 and 2015. A similar rebound is expected in 2018, with heavily anticipated films like “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” expected to provide a more robust summer.
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Jerry Van Dyke, 'Coach' star and brother of Dick, dies at 86
Aug. 25, 1992 file photo, Jerry Van Dyke, left, and his brother, Dick, laugh during a party in Los Angeles
by Mark Kennedy, AP Entertainment Writer
Jerry Van Dyke, the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke who struggled for
decades to achieve his own stardom before clicking as the dim-witted
sidekick in television's "Coach," died Friday in Arkansas, according to
his manager. He was 86.
John Castonia said Van Dyke died at his ranch in Hot Spring County. His
wife, Shirley Ann Jones, was by his side. No cause was immediately
known.
Van Dyke had an affable, goofy appeal, but he spent much of his career
toiling in failed sitcoms and in the shadow of his older brother, even
playing the star's brother in "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
Until "Coach" came along in 1989, Van Dyke was best known to critics as
the guy who had starred in one of television's more improbable sitcoms,
1965's "My Mother the Car." Its premise: A small-town lawyer talks to
his deceased mother (voiced by actress Ann Sothern), who speaks from the
radio of an antique automobile.
Other bombs included 1967's "Accidental Family," in which he was a
nightclub comedian, 1970's
"The Headmaster," in which he was a gym
teacher and 1963's "Picture This," a game show that lasted only three
months. He also joined "The Judy Garland Show" in 1963, to provide comic relief, but was fired at the end of the season.
"The show's writers wrote awful, awful, awful stuff," he recalled in a
1994 interview with The Associated Press, "and I was forced to do it.
For instance, I had to come out and say to Judy Garland, 'What's a nice
little old lady like you doing on television?'" He added: "And that was
just the first week!"
In "Coach," he finally made it, playing assistant coach Luther Van Dam,
comic foil to Craig T. Nelson's coach Hayden Fox. The two headed up a
hapless Minnesota college football team, its follies aired from 1989 to
1997, and Van Dyke was nominated four times for an Emmy.
"I never knew what success was like, or having a hit series, or even
doing something GOOD," Van Dyke told the AP. "Finally I got a job that I
enjoy doing, that's not hard to do — and I get paid a lot of money."
Nelson, his co-star on the show, paid homage to his former onscreen
partner Saturday: "I am incredibly sad to hear of Jerry's passing. He
was such a brilliant comedian and we had a great time working together
on 'Coach.' It is just devastating news."
Dawn Wells, an actress who starred with Van Dyke on an episode of
"Fantasy Island," called him in a statement "one of Hollywood's
funniest, kindest and personable comedians. He was a joy to work with.
He will be missed."
Over the years, Van Dyke made guest appearances on numerous programs,
among them "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," whose star had played his
sister-in-law on "The Dick Van Dyke Show."
He also appeared on "The Andy Griffith
Show," ''Perry Mason" and in such films as "The Courtship of Eddie's
Father," ''Palm Springs Weekend," ''Angel in My Pocket" and "McLintock!"
His decision to take the "Car" role was one of two disastrous career
moves in the mid-1960s. He also passed on a chance to play the title
role on "Gilligan's Island" and to replace the departing Don Knotts as
the deputy on "The Andy Griffith Show."
"My Mother the Car" lasted one season. (A New York Times critic cracked,
"last night's premiere made a strong case for not fastening your seat
belts.") But "Gilligan's Island" turned its star, Bob Denver, into a
television icon and is still airing endlessly in reruns. Van Dyke said
in 1990 that his brother told him "My Mother the Car" sounded good. (At
the time, a show about a talking horse —
"Mister Ed" — and other fantasy
sitcoms were doing well.)
"I never asked him for advice after that," Jerry Van Dyke said.
He also rued the loss of a role in 1982 when he was up for a supporting
gig in a series to star Bob Newhart, which would run for eight
celebrated seasons. But Tom Poston got his role as George the handyman
on "Newhart." In recent years, Van Dyke made recurring appearances on
"The Middle" (where he and brother Dick starred in an episode) and "Yes,
Dear."
Patricia Heaton, who played Van Dyke's daughter on "The Middle," tweeted
her respects: "Jerry, you were hilarious and terrifically talented —
what an honor to be able to watch up close as you and your brother
create your special magic."
He was born in Danville, Illinois, in 1931, six years after his brother.
He said he knew from childhood that he wanted to be a comedian, and
grew up listening to the radio shows of Bob Hope, Red Skelton and others. By age 8 he had earned a reputation as class clown.
He had his first brush with acting in a guest role on "The Dick Van Dyke
Show" as Rob Petrie's banjo-playing brother. "I came away thinking, 'TV
is a piece of cake; I want more of this,'" he told the AP.
Van Dyke entered Eastern Illinois University, but his education was
interrupted by service in the Air Force during the Korean War. He spent
much of that time entertaining colleagues at military shows with jokes
and banjo playing.
When he got out of the service, he took that act on the road, with
little success. Eventually he followed his brother to Hollywood.
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