A Good Day to Die Hard celebrated its first weekend of release at the top of the box office with $25 million. Last week's No. 1, Identity Thief, slipped to the second spot, earning $23.4 million. A couple of the week's other new releases, Safe Haven and the animated film Escape From Planet Earth, followed up with $21.4 million and $16 million, respectively. Warm Bodies fell to fifth place with $9 million, and fellow fantasy romance Beautiful Creatures came in with just $7.5 million.
Comedy duo Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy helped Identity Thief top the box office in its opening weekend, taking in a $36.6 million haul. Warm Bodies, last week's No. 1, dropped to second place with $11.5 million, and Steven Soderbergh's pharmaceutical thriller Side Effects opened with $10 million at third place. Silver Linings Playbook held tight with $7 million, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters rounded out the top five with $5.8 million. Top Gun 3D, the week's other "new" release, earned $2 million in select theaters.
Warm Bodies brought some life to this weekend's box office, landing in the top spot with $19.5 million in its first weekend in release. Last week's winner, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, came in second with $9.2 million, while Oscar nominee Silver Linings Playbook continued its steady box-office showing at third place with $5.3 million. Jessica Chastain's films Mama and Zero Dark Thirty grabbed the fourth and fifth spots, with totals of $6.7 and $5.3 million, respectively. The other new releases of the weekend, Bullet to the Head and Stand Up Guys, didn't fare so well: the former earned $4.5 million, and the latter pulled in just $1.5 million.
Zombie romantic comedy Warm Bodies hits theaters this week, and we had the chance to catch up with all the film's major players at a recent press day in LA. See what the stars had to say about playing the undead (or wishing they did), what they love about zombie movies, and, most importantly, how they'd survive a zombie apocalypse.
Zombie comedy Warm Bodies comes to theaters this weekend, with Nicholas Hoult at the forefront as an undead Romeo. Is the unconventional romance worth a trip to the movies, though? Check out our video review to find out if you should watch, pass, or rent Warm Bodies.
Zombies have been invading movies and televisions for decades, but few if any of those films or shows have examined what it's like inside the minds of the undead — which is part of the reason why Warm Bodies offers a fresh take on the genre. The comedy centers on R (Nicholas Hoult), a young-looking (and, frankly, kind of cute) zombie whose mind is still intact, even if his memories and motor skills aren't. When R meets Julie (Teresa Palmer) during a routine flesh-eating fest with his fellow undead, he feels a sudden desire to protect her. And what unfolds is a tender love story that, believe it or not, is also relatable.
Warm Bodies solidifies Hoult has what it takes to carry a film, injecting just the right amount of charisma and comedy under all of that zombie makeup. What R lacks in verbal communication he makes up for in witty internal monologue, sharing the trials and tribulations of eating brains with the audience and reminding himself not to be too creepy around Julie. Julie herself is understandably hesitant to believe R's grumbles that he won't hurt her but soon becomes intrigued with how gentle he is — not to mention his surprising amount of nostalgia for records and other artifacts that he collects. Translation: he's a zombie hoarder. The pair actually connect in a way that feels authentic and fun to watch. It's basically a combination of Beauty and the Beast and Romeo and Juliet, but with a lot more laughs.
To see what else I liked about Warm Bodies, just read more
Nicholas Hoult takes on leading man status in Warm Bodies, but he's actually not playing a man — he's playing a zombie. Hoult stars as R, a zombie who falls for human Julie (Teresa Palmer) and does his best to win her over. I recently sat down with Hoult at the film's press day in LA, where we discussed the trials and tribulations of playing the undead, and how he'd fare in the event of an actual zombie apocalypse. He also compared his zombie makeup to that of his costume in X-Men: First Class. Check out the interview before Warm Bodies hits theaters on Feb. 1.
Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, and Dave Franco celebrated their new film, Warm Bodies, with a glamorous premiere in LA. Teresa, who wore a black lace Philip Armstrong gown, chatted with Nicholas at the premiere's afterparty and shared a cute moment with John Malkovich, who plays her father in the zombie romantic comedy. She was joined by her costar Cory Hardrict and his wife, Tia Mowry, and model-turned-actress Analeigh Tipton who wore a stunning Barbara Bui dress.
At the premiere, Nicolas spoke about his X-Men costar and ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lawrence, who most recently picked up a SAG Award for her highly acclaimed performance in Silver Linings Playbook. He admitted to being "very proud" of Jennifer so far and hoping that she wins an Oscar. A SAG trophy isn't the only award that Jennifer has picked up during this year's award season — check out Jennifer Lawrence's best award-season moments so far.
If you're a zombie movie fan, you should be counting the days until Warm Bodies lumbers into theaters this week. Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer headline the movie as star-crossed lovers, but in this case, Romeo is a member of the undead. Rob Corddry, Dave Franco, and Analeigh Tipton also costar in the horror-comedy-romance. Before you buy your tickets, take a look through all the pictures of the movie!
Rob Corddry provides Warm Bodies with a healthy dose of comic relief as M, fellow zombie and best friend to R (Nicholas Hoult). I sat down with Corddry at the film's press day in LA to discuss the trials and tribulations of prepping for his undead role — which he claims wasn't all that tough. He also reveals the hilarious one-liner he wishes didn't make it into the film. Watch the interview before Warm Bodies hits theaters Feb. 1.
