Divergent warriors pip Muppets at box office

MONEY SPINNER: Divergent is adapted from a popular series of young adult novels by newcomer author Veronica Roth.

Dystopian thriller Divergent, the story of a society that divides people based on personality traits, dominated weekend movie charts with $56mn in US and Canadian ticket sales, kicking off a new franchise for Hunger Games producer Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

Walt Disney Co family comedy Muppets Most Wanted finished in second place, nabbing $16.5mn from Friday through Sunday, according to estimates provided by Rentrak.  Animated Mr. Peabody & Sherman, produced by Dreamworks Animation Inc, took the No. 3 slot with $11.7mn.  

Divergent is adapted from a popular series of young adult novels by newcomer author Veronica Roth. Ahead of the weekend, forecasters had predicted the film would debut with between $50mn and $68mn in North American (US and Canadian) ticket sales.

Shailene Woodley stars in Divergent as Tris Prior, a teenager who doesn’t fit in to a faction because she has multiple dominant personality traits, making her a threat to the government. She chooses to join the Dauntless faction of warriors who defend the society’s inhabitants. British actor Theo James plays Four, Tris’ mentor and love interest.

The debut of Divergent fell short of the box office heights of two other young adult franchises. Hunger Games started with a massive $152.5mn in March 2012 while Twilight opened with $69.6mn in November 2008.

Lions Gate said it was confident Divergent would become an important franchise for the company and it was moving ahead with the second film in the series, called Insurgent, which will reach theaters in March 2015.   

Noting that the Divergent opening was shy of blockbusters Hunger Games and Twilight, Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co, said “$56mn is a great opening for any film, and virtually locked down the proposed trilogy.”

“This is something to build on for the series, and with the cast expected to be in high demand, the Divergent  legacy will continue to grow,” Bock added.

Richie Fay, the studio’s president of domestic distribution, said, “We’re very pleased with the outcome for the franchise launch.”

The movie’s A+ CinemaScore grade from the under-18 audience bodes well for the coming weeks as spring break and Easter school holidays approach, Fay said, noting, “The young adult audience has been underserved in the last couple of weeks.”

The company spent $85mn to produce Divergent, plus $40mn to $45mn on marketing, according to a person with knowledge of the film’s budget. The studio has recouped about $70mn of the cost through international licensing deals, the person said. 

Muppets Most Wanted, a sequel to a 2011 Muppets movie, stars Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell alongside Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and other classic Muppet characters. In the new film, Kermit is imprisoned in a Russian gulag in a case of mistaken identity, while an evil impostor travels with his muppet friends on a European tour.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman brought its global sales through three weekends to $172mn. The movie was distributed by 20th Century Fox. Rounding out the domestic charts, Greek warrior sequel 300:

Rise of an Empire landed in fourth place with $8.7mn.  Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner, released 300: Rise of an Empire.  — By Lisa Richwine and Chris Michaud, Reuters

You’re the age you really are: Sharon Stone

Actress Sharon Stone, 56, says irrespective of what people tell you about how old you look, it is important to accept your actual age. Stone, who will be seen in John Turturro’s forthcoming film Fading Gigolo, turned 56 on March 10. “People can say you look 30 or you can lie and say you’re 42. But in the end, you’re the age you really are,” Stone said in a statement. She recalled a moment that came when she turned 40. With a magnifying mirror, she went into her bathroom and had a good cry. “I cried and I accepted myself. It wasn’t just a sad cry. It was just that shedding and accepting that I wasn’t the thing I was before,” she said. — IANS

Winslet finds Woodley ‘gorgeous’

Actress Kate Winslet has showered praise on her Divergent co-star Shailene Woodley, saying she is “gorgeous”.

“I have to say Shailene is one of the most gorgeous women I have ever met and she’s a very dear, sweet, humble person, and she’s really gentle and grounded and I think she’s going to be okay,” Winslet said in a statement.

The Oscar-winning actress is also happy to see the way Hollywood is accepting newcomers. “I like that there’s a lot of newcomers playing some of the roles in Divergent. It’s just great. You know, when I did Titanic, I still wasn’t really that very well known. And Titanic changed everything in my life. It’s just great to see the film industry embracing newcomers in that way,” she said.

Depp, Cruise and Jackman in hotel standoff?

Hollywood actors Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackman are reportedly in a tussle over booking their favourite London hotel suite as all three will be here at the same time.

The trio are said to be used to the services of an unspecified London hotel, but two of them will miss out on occupying the suite when they all film in the British capital later this year for separate stories, reports contactmusic.com.

“None of these guys are used to being told they can’t have something, so it’s a bit of a standoff at the moment,” a source told The Sun.

“Hotel staff are finding it a bit awkward because they have to keep telling them it’s still a problem. They’re all loaded, so it’s not a case of who can throw the most money around,” added the source. — IANS

Kids first, career comes later, says Julia Roberts

Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts says her children will always come before her career.

The Pretty Woman star is a mother of nine-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and six-year-old Henry and only accepts one movie a year, so she can spend most of her time with her family, reports contactmusic.com.

“I make one film per year and that’s a good balance. My older kids have just turned nine and my son is six; they still need me. My family takes up a lot of my time and my creative energy, but I’m lucky to have worked enough already to allow myself to take time off,” said Roberts, who made her acting debut in late 1980s. “When I see my friends struggling to juggle both, I feel very privileged. I act less, but better; I’ve always been demanding (of a role), now I’m difficult,” she added.

When asked about her family life, the 46-year-old said: “(It’s) the same as every other stay-at-home mom. Sometimes, there are wet bath towels strewn all over the house, dinner isn’t ready and the kids haven’t finished their homework...” — IANS