'Paris' rules niche biz

The leggy "Midnight in Paris" has earned a wider re-release. Christopher Plummer stars in Mike Mills' "Beginners," the best B.O. performer among the mid-summer specialty releases. "The Guard" At the specialty B.O. this summer, there was Woody Allen -- and precious little else.Allen's "Midnight in Paris" and Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" got the summer niche biz off to a sparkling start thanks to lengthy runs in both arthouses and commercial plexes. But for distribs rolling out pics bought at Sundance and other fests, it was tough to break out at the B.O. this summer, as "Midnight" and "Tree" accounted for roughly 71% of specialty earnings from the summer's top 10 indie titles."People are really looking for an alternative to the summer's mainstream films," said Michael Barker, co-prexy of Sony Pictures Classics, which released "Midnight" Stateside on May 20.More than 20 films from this year's Sundance have bowed since May, with three more ("Our Idiot Brother," "Higher Ground" and "Circumstance") launching Friday. Of the Sundance films already released, only six have cumed more than $1 million.Opening fest pickups in summer can risk crowding the specialty field. "Summer, really, is the earliest time to go with a Sundance pic, so you end up with a lot of movies from Sundance in June, July and August," said Roadside Attractions prexy Howard Cohen.Surprisingly, some of the summer's top titles were documentaries, including Sundance Selects' "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" and "Buck." Producers Distribution Agency's "Senna" opened with the year's highest per-screen average for a docu at $36,748. Werner Herzog's "Forgotten Dreams" has cumed $5.2 million (it's the rare specialty release to reap 3D premium prices), while domestic totals for horse whisperer docu "Buck" stand at $3.7 million.Commercial docs scoreSummer berths have proved successful for docs with more commercial appeal -- last summer, "Babies," "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" and "Restrepo" all clicked at the summer B.O.And this summer, two more nonfiction pics also landed among the top 20 indies: Sony Classics' "Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest" and Magnolia Pictures' "Page One: Inside the New York Times," both of which cumed around $1 million. But among the higher-profile docus that didn't work, Roadside's Sundance buy "Project Nim" has cumed just $334,452 since launching on July 8.Barker cautions that the doc onslaught can make it hard for those films to gain a following. There were 39 released this summer vs. 40 in the summer of 2010 and 34 in 2009."There are so many documentaries opening from week to week that when you get ahead of the pack, there's got to be something very distinctive about the film," Barker said.As for narrative features, Focus Features' Ewan McGregor-Christopher Plummer starrer "Beginners," with $5.6 million since its release on June 3, has made the most of any mid-summer specialty release -- but still nowhere near the total for "Midnight," which crossed $50 million domestically, or even "Tree of Life" at $12.7 million.The Weinstein Co.'s Holocaust drama "Sarah's Key" has played surprisingly well following the film's July 22 bow, with just north of $3 million. TWC launched "Sarah's Key" to a solid $23,142 per-screen average from five locations, then expanded the pic in its second weekend to 33 playdates with a perky per-screen average of $11,112.Michael Winterbottom's "The Trip" from IFC falls in between nonfiction and narrative, and stellar reviews helped the British made-for-TV pic cume a sturdy $1.8 million. (See separate story.)Irish cop comedy "The Guard," which Sony Classics launched on July 29, has totaled a respectable $1.2 million in just four weeks. The film has been performing exceptionally well in Boston, but cities in Texas like Houston, Dallas and Austin also are notable strongholds for "The Guard."Some fest faves founderHowever, other fest favorites including Sundance entries "The Future" and "Another Earth," from Fox Searchlight, and Sony's SXSW pickup "Attack the Block" (with $616,000) have struggled to find an aud outside New York or L.A.Miranda July's "The Future," which Roadside Attractions acquired at Sundance, launched the same weekend as "The Guard" but has tallied only $333,997. July's sophomore directorial outing may have been too offbeat for most auds (pic features a talking cat)."I do think it's harder now for a certain kind of independent film," Cohen admitted, before rhetorically asking, "Has the commercialization of independent cinema precluded independent cinema?"Searchlight spent around $2 million for English-speaking territory rights to "Another Earth" at Sundance. The complicated blend of sci-fi and romance bowed July 22 and has yet to crack $1 million. By comparison, Searchlight's "Tree," which arguably had a more challenging plotline (but also had Brad Pitt and Malick), reached $1.25 million after its second weekend.Searchlight had better luck with the July release of Wayne Wang's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," with $1.3 million."If you have a fresh movie and the stars are aligned, then you tend to do well," Barker said. "Still, that doesn't take away how hard it can be for smaller films." Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Fall TV First Look: Vampire Diaries Celebrates Elena's Birthday

Matt Davis, Nina Dobrev Mystic Falls celebrates Elena's birthday when The CW drama returns September 15. But cake is the last thing on her mind with Stefan missing and Jeremy seeing his dead exes, who could wreak havoc on the event. "Elena and Alaric discover new reasons to be concerned about Jeremy's behavior," says Vampire Diaries exec producer Julie Plec. Party pooper! Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

FCC Removes Justness Doctrine in Rules Shake-Up

The questionable Justness Doctrine and 82 other rules regulating electronic media were considered obsolete and, therefore, abandoned through the FCC on Monday. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski known as the guidelines "outdated" and stated these were being removed to reduce the burdens of regulation on media companies. Your decision includes significant cutbacks in satellite and broadcasting license costs. The FCC stated the moves are a part of its concentrate on getting rid of rules which are no more needed and studying others to mirror alterations in technology, "therefore clearing the road for greater competition, investment and job creation." Certain to make the most attention though is ditching the Justness Doctrine, a concept which was designed to pressure radio tv stations into offering just as much left wing political content because they offer right wing commentary. Even though doctrine is not enforced since Leader Taxation considered it unnecessary at best as well as an violation of free speech at worst, the rule was still being technically about the books. Liberal bloggers as well as some congress were agitating because of its enforcement again, though Genachowski has opposed as well as on Monday made its demise official policy. "The removal of the obsolete Justness Doctrine rules will remove a pointless distraction," Genachowski stated."When I have stated, striking this from your books guarantees there might be no mistake that what's lengthy been a defunct letter remains dead. The Justness Doctrine supports the possibility to chill free speech and also the free flow of ideas and was correctly abandoned over 2 decades ago.I'm pleased we're getting rid of these along with other obsolete rules from your books." Related Subjects Julius Genachowski FCC

The Lone Ranger Might Not Be Dead, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Also in this Monday edition of The Broadsheet: Pixar announces two new films… Paper Wings finds pilot… Peter Jackson talks West Memphis Three… and more ahead. · Hold your horses, Lone Ranger fans! (Groan.) In a new interview with Deadline, Disney chairman Rich Ross said the film might not be dead just yet. “I’m hoping to do it. I’m certainly hoping. I think it’s a compelling story and no one wants to work with Jerry [Bruckheimer] and Johnny [Depp] more than me so we’ll see how it works.” As Deadline points out, director Gore Verbinski’s name is not-so-conspicuously absent from that quote, meaning perhaps the studio could go ahead with The Lone Ranger at a reduced budget, but without Verbinski holding the reins. Rob Marshall, keep your iPhone charged. [Deadline] · Speaking of Disney, the studio held its Comic-Con competitor D23 in Anaheim over the weekend, where it announced plots for the next two Pixar films. The first — due out Nov. 27, 2013 — will follow what would happen if dinosaurs had not become extinct; the second, from Up director Pete Docter, will focus on the human mind (Inception cartoon!) and arrive in theaters on May 30, 2014. Before those films are released, Pixar has Brave and Monsters University coming in the summer of 2012 and 2013, respectively. [Slashfilm] · Sarah Jessica Parker is still pushing for a third Sex and the City film. “I know what the story is. It’s a small story, but I think it should be told. The question is, what’s the right time to tell it?” Answer that question for Sarah in the comments below. [Parade] · Brian Kirk — the Game of Thrones director recently hired to helm Thor 2 — has been put in charge of Paper Wings, a potential starring vehicle for Tom Cruise. Wings is about a rodeo star who falls for a country singer (once rumored to be Reese Witherspoon). [Variety] · Former television producer and current screenwriter Noah Oppenheim will pen the reboot of War Games that MGM is planning for director Seth Gordon. [Deadline] · West Memphis Three supporter and all-around good guy Peter Jackson took to his Facebook page to express joy and outrage about the way the trio was released from prison. “[L]et’s not think for a second that justice was served today. Far from it. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are finally free to get on with their lives after spending 18 years in prison in Arkansas for a crime they did not commit, but I’m finding it very difficult to suppress a deep anger.” He goes on from there, and it’s well worth your time. [Facebook]

Sean Penn Let Down by Final Edit of 'Tree of Life'

Sean Penn did not agree with the final edit of Terrence Malick's Tree of Life.our editor recommends'The Tree of Life'5 Things We Do Know About Terrence Malick's Mysterious 'Tree of Life' "I didn't at all find on the screen the emotion of the script, which is the most magnificent one that I've ever read," he tells French newspaper Le Figaro (via The New Yorker). "A clearer and more conventional narrative would have helped the film without, in my opinion, lessening its beauty and its impact." PHOTOS: Most anticipated films at Cannes 2011 "Frankly, I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing there and what I was supposed to add in that context!" he added. "What's more, Terry himself never managed to explain it to me clearly." REVIEW: Tree of Life Penn adds, "It's a film I recommend on the condition that one go only without preconceptions. It's up to each to find a personal emotional or spiritual connection. Those that reach this generally leave very moved." PHOTOS: Hollywood on the film festival circuit Co-star Brad Pitt (who played Penn's father) said at the Cannes premiere that working with Malick had a lasting effect on his career, however. PHOTOS: Stars hit the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival "It's changed everything I've done since," he said, describing Malick's shooting style: "He's like a guy standing there with a butterfly net, waiting for that moment to go by." The film had five editors and was in post-production for three years before finally being released in the United States by Fox Searchlight in May. Lindsay.Powers@thr.com; @LKPE Related Topics Brad Pitt Sean Penn The Tree of Life Terrence Malick

9/11 training: Loyal styles proliferate

Like J.K. Rowling's books, the 'Harry Potter' series got progressively more dark, and The almighty Voldemort found represent terror.The shock of 9/11 affected everybody in a different way, there is however no denying it transformed us. They refer to it as "terrorism" for any reason, and something need take a look at the form from the movies that adopted the planet Trade Center attacks to witness the worked up, unbalanced condition individuals occasions inspired.Earlier that summer time, a far more innocent type of moviegoer have been shoveling popcorn to "Gem Harbor," by which Michael Bay restaged that earlier attack on U.S. soil with the subtlety of the Super Bowl commercial. Within the immediate aftermath of 9/11, it's difficult to assume that project ever getting off the floor, but the anxiety of some other attack soon resonated in subsequent blockbusters. In 2002's "The sum of the All Fears," Film Clip is visible neglecting to recover a stolen nuclear warhead, which detonates and destroys the greater a part of Baltimore -- an upsetting twist that nonetheless reflected the system's fallibility in avoiding such actions.If Jack Ryan could not save us, maybe superheroes could. Though a "Spider-Guy" teaser featuring the webslinger catching bank thieves between your twin towers was drawn from screens from sensitivity, the film itself plays just like a Manhattan turf war where the patriotically hued hero dominates. Meanwhile, in Christopher Nolan's hands, Gotham City -- which bore little resemblance towards the New You are able to in Tim Burton's "Batman" movies -- grew to become a obvious stand-set for a terrorism-trapped metropolis by which a great guy within an extremely silly costume just handled to keep order. "Iron Guy" really required your dream to Afghanistan.Probably the most clearly 9/11-inspired hero might be available on television, where "24's" Jack Bauer defused one potential catastrophe to another, all inside a day's work (although he, too, wasn't always effective, permitting a nuclear explosive device to eliminate Valencia, Calif., in season six). But Bauer was certainly tough on terrorism, using whatever techniques essential to extract information from his criminals.Not since Watergate includes a single incident had this type of effective effect on popular culture. Nixon's disgrace shook our belief in government, leading to decades of entertainment by which corrupt political figures loomed large. Within our reaction to Osama bin Laden, patriotism was the foremost and most powerful reaction, serving to create the country together.We'd seen such bombastic Americanism before within the steroid-ripped action heroes from the eighties, but 9/11 briefly enabled the career of Vin Diesel ("XXX") and urged fresh support for that U.S. military. A silly yet satisfying 2002 release known as "Behind Enemy Lines," inspired with a true story in regards to a downed fighter pilot, was among the first to profit from such sentiment, offering "Rambo"-like relief to some stunned nation.As America joined into war against Iraq, a poisonous xenophobia taken the country, casting suspicion on Muslim countrymen and supplying Hollywood having a potent new stereotype. Nazis, who had offered because the go-to villains since The Second World War, turned into brown-skinned criminals. By 2004, the rah-rah spirit had grown so strong that "South Park's" Trey Parker and Matt Stone spoofed the nation's intense us-versus.-them attitude in "Team America: World Police," a Bay-style satire starring marionettes. Meanwhile, Bay required about the Transformers franchise, creating a trilogy of the items felt like feature-length Military recruitment videos using the full and passionate support from the U.S. military. However unlikely an alien robot invasion, this enormously effective series is significant for the reason that it breaks in the lone-hero model to exhibit political figures, ordinary people and troops cooperating to thwart evil.The Iraq War movies, once they came, focused more about the house front compared to enemy, though audiences tended to prevent such poignant insights as "The Messenger," "The Lucky Ones" and "Home from the Brave."Possibly typically the most popular villain from the publish-9/11 era was Voldemort, that master of terror and disguise who looms within the "Harry Potter" series. Individuals films, born inside a spirit of pure fantasy at the end of 2001, increased progressively dark and realistic because the franchise matured. Consequently, there is a certain symbolic poetry towards the fact it required the boy wizard nearly ten years to vanquish Voldemort, whose fall adopted bin Laden's only several weeks before. Contact Peter Debruge at peter.debruge@variety.com

The Actor-brad Pitt And Amber Heard Enjoy Some 'Rum'

Hunter S. Thompson fans rejoice: a brand new still from "The Rum Diary" featuring The Actor-brad Pitt and Amber Heard has hit the net. GK Films published the photo on the Facebook page. It shows Depp as journalist Paul Kemp and Heard as Chenault, the item of his affections, getting a conversation in Puerto Rico. "The Rum Diary" hits theaters in limited release on October 28. Browse the relaxation of present day film news following the jump! "To The Near FutureInch Backstory Want a chuckle trivia? "To the near futureInch co-creator Bob Gale revealed to mental_start flossing how Marty McFly and Doc Brown grew to become buddies! "For a long time, Marty was told that Doc Brown was harmful, a crackpot, a lunatic. So, as being a red-colored-blooded American teenage boy, age 13 or 14, he made the decision to discover just why this person am harmful. Marty snuck into Paperwork lab, and was intrigued by all of the awesome items that was there. when Doc found him there, he was delighted to locate that Marty thought he was awesome and recognized him for which he was. Each of them were the black sheep within their particular conditions. Doc gave Marty a component-time job to assist with experiments, often the lab, often your dog, etc. And thats the foundation of the relationship," Gale described. So you've now learned. "Resident Evil 5" To Shoot In Toronto "Resident Evil: Retribution three dimensional" is about the fast-track to being produced in time because of its September 14, 2012 release date. The Hollywood Reporter has found that the Paul W.S. Anderson-directed flick will begin shooting in Toronto from mid-October to December 23. To date only Milla Jovovich is connected to the flick. "American Reunion" Insists Upon Save The Date A poster for "American Reunion" has hit the net and it is adhering using the series' cake imagery. The tagline touts to "save the very best piece for last" like a slightly mutilated apple cake sits in the center of giant lettering for 2012. So make certain it will save you the date for April 6, 2012. The Key Of "The Lone Ranger" Demise Revealed A word: werewolves. Screen Rant reviews that apparently the Disney-funded flick would cost a button House up to $250 million because director Gore Verbinski and star The Actor-brad Pitt wanted "Lone Ranger" to involve werewolves. But due to this area office failure which was "Cowboys & Aliens," Disney made the decision the mash-up was too large of the risk and made the decision to close the lid on. Perhaps a modified script and cheaper budget will prove to add new existence to "The Lone Ranger" remake. Billy Very Wants His Oscar-Hosting Gig Back Billy Very says he really wants to host the Academy awards "a couple of more occasions," also it works out he could easily get his wish. Oscars producer Brett Ratner taken care of immediately Crystal's comments via Deadline, saying, "I did not see what Billy stated. I am really centered on finishing my film 'Tower Heist' at this time. [But] I had been relayed through the Academy which i do not have to come to a decision until mid-September." Fingers entered! Inform us your ideas on present day Dailies within the comments section below or on Twitter!

15 Movies That Made The Grade: A+ CinemaScore Posse

Tate Taylors The Assistance shot up from the class within hrs of their opening in The United States, generating a b+ CinemaScore. Merely a choose couple of movies have gained the very best grade, which more often than not guarantees a particularly lengthy and happy run. Its a top-notch club which includes the kind of The Nobleman Speech, The Blind Side and, obviously, Titanic. How come it mean a lot? An excellent CinemaScore means great word-of-mouth, the best idea publicity of for any film

Keck's Exclusives: CSI: NY's Danny Will get a brand new Lady

Jeananne Goossen Exotic Toronto beauty Jeananne Goossen continues to be signed to some two episode arc on CSI: NY as Officer Lauren Cooper, referred to in my experience like a youthful rookie officer who'll use Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo). While Lauren will initially be considered a supply of annoyance to Danny, she'll win him over very quickly. Positive thing, because she does not have considerable time as she's only slated to look in episodes three and four from the year. A brand new face to American audiences, Jeananne has made an appearance in a number of Canadian series, including 11 Cameras, Falcon Beach and Wild Roses. Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

The CW: Looking In the Mirror for an Identity (Analysis)

Cliff Lipson/CBS There's really no getting around this. It sure looks odd to see 50-something Mark Pedowitz as the face of The CW, this country's fifth broadcast network best known for catering to all things young and female. And yet there he was on stage at the Television Critics Association press tour, being asked how in the hell he was going to find a way to think like a female in the 18-34 demo. Pedowitz -- who always seems to have "well-liked executive" before his name in any story -- said he's got a 26 year old niece who might be able to tap for advice. Beyond that? "I have an excellent development team that's stayed in place that's headed by Thom Sherman, who has actually done a lot of the development and production of all these pilots that you see this year and in prior years," Pedowitz said. "So I am very comfortable with that.I am in my fifties, and I do have my feminine side at this point. So I am perfectly comfortable with this. I'm perfectly comfortable with my staff handling it and Thom and his team doing it." He might be the only one. They both have their work cut out for them. It's not like The CW is printing money, most of its shows get beat by cable channels that have done a better job of attracting that core audience (hello MTV, hello ABC Family) and, institutionally, there has to be some belief that the young girl demo might be a tad bit limiting. Oh, and that "we don't make comedies at the CW" needs to be addressed (and abandoned, which Pedowitz seemed to agree with). Nevermind the fact that for years the relevancy issue has been in play. Translation: Does the country need a fifth network -- and more specifically, does the CW need to exist at all? What Pedowitz seems to be tasked with, even if nobody is saying it out loud, is using his varied industry experience and acumen to make a go of The CW in some last-ditch effort to make it viable. The CBS Corporation brought CBS, Showtime and CW (of which it owns half; Warner Bros. owns the other) to the television critics press tour and the first entities had a lot of success to talk about. CBS even gave a series it passed on, Ringer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, to The CW, making the little sister channel instantly more interesting. At least for a bit. The trouble with the blueprint for The CW is that it appears to everybody involved like a brilliant idea. Cater to the highly-coveted young women and give them "TV to talk about " with their social networks and such. With the initial success of Gossip Girl and America's Next Top Model, the dropping of comedy and the focus on really pretty young people, The CW kept talking about all the buzz and success it was having. Trouble is, that demo may have be talking about the network but they're not necessarily watching it, at least not in a timely manner. Vampire Diaries draws viewers and Ringer might as well (plus, at the very least, Nikita is fun escapism). Beyond that, One Tree Hill is entering its final season (that makes, what, 17 seasons?) and Supernatural did not exactly get a ringing endorsement from Pedowitz when asked if this, too, was its final season: "It is not intended to be the last season. We will see where the ratings go." Yeah, ratings. You can market gloss all you want and tout all the buzz you want, but guess what advertisers want? Ratings. Said Pedowitz: "That is a great frustration to us because The CW shows are so popular," he said. "You see them in all of your articles. You see them on the cover of magazines. You see them on the social networking sites. So the way we view our success sometimes, as much as we have to live with the Nielsen ratings, is along with other measurement, what's being devoured in DVRs. For example, 90210's live women numbers doubled with live-plus-7. Unfortunately, we do not monetize live-plus-7. So we do know we are being viewed. We are frustrated about the measurement of the Nielsen situation, but, on the other hand, we found that our convergence strategy, which is our digital plan, has actually worked. We are getting monetizing (with) that. So we are getting our viewers to come in, and they are watching a full commercial load." And yet, still not the answer. You can't resuscitate a network with the slogan "Unfortunately We Do Not Monetize Live Plus 7." It has no ring to it. Look, everybody wants the young female demo. Even CBS. When you can't get it in numbers large enough to pay the bills, perhaps a broader strategy is at hand. The CW has toyed with this niche idea since 2006 but hasn't really landed a blockbuster scripted series or even something like Jersey Shore on the reality side. Close? Sure, some years. But not with any volume or consistency, which is precisely why a man with gray hair just took charge of a network that needs to be more mature about its viability. Email: Tim.Goodman@THR.com Twitter: @BastardMachine TCA The CW Ringer TCA Summer Press Tour 2011

On Set With 'Terra Nova': 8 Secrets Revealed From TV's Most Ambitious Fall Show