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FROM MTV MOVIES: What's old was new again as Disney's iconic "The Lion King" became the #1 movie at the box office over the weekend, taking in an estimated $29.3 million with a souped-up 3-D redo of the 1994 original.

"Drive," one of the year's best-reviewed films, was #3 in its weekend debut, while the poorly reviewed remake of "Straw Dogs" and Sarah Jessica Parker's even-worse-reviewed "I Don't Know How She Does It" both flopped in their debuts. Last week's #1 movie, "Contagion," dropped to #2 this week.

"The Lion King" 3-D re-release earned more than the other three new releases combined. The film's original-run, IMAX re-release (back in 2002) and the past weekend's numbers pushed "The Lion King" from #25 to #17 on the all-time domestic box-office chart, according to Box Office Mojo. The animated tale, which has also quite successfully been adapted for Broadway, has made $357.8 million in the United States to date.

Read the full story at MTV Movies!

Tags Drive, the lion king

It's a good time to be Alexander Skarsgard. He stars on a hit HBO series, "True Blood," where he plays a sexy vampire and makes women -- scratch that, make it everyone -- swoon. On top of that, he's got a bustling film career: last week, his super dark thriller "Straw Dogs" opened in theaters, he's currently filming "What Maisie Knew" in NYC and he's also poised to try his hand at the big blockbuster action genre in "Battleship."

When the "Battleship" trailer dropped a while back, it was a bit kitschy and kind of ridiculous, which some of us around MTV News really loved. After all, what else is to be expected of a film based on a board game? People, a board game!

That being said, when we talked to the dashing Alex at the New York premiere for "Straw Dogs," he hadn't seen the trailer, but had a lot of really gushing things to say about shooting the flick, which also stars a whole army (navy?) of stars like Liam Neeson, Rihanna, Taylor Kitsch and Brooklyn Decker.

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Tags Alexander Skarsgard, battleship

"Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage, just like a true Lannister, walked away from the 2011 Emmy Awards with a big victory under his belt in the Best Supporting Actor category. It was the only major win for the HBO series at this year's show, but those of you who've read the books already know that we haven't seen anything yet — in other words, if you enjoyed the first season, the next season of "Thrones" is sure to deliver countless sleepless nights and an equal number of future Emmys.

"Thrones" is currently shooting its second season, taking its cues from the second novel in author George R.R. Martin's series, "A Clash of Kings." As the title implies, the next time viewers are invited to breathe in the wintery winds of Westeros, there will be many kings, many clashes, and many, many shocks and surprises.

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Tags D.B. Weiss, David Benioff, emmys, Game of Thrones

In "Drive," the Nicolas Winding Refn film speeding into theaters this weekend, Ryan Gosling plays Driver, a quiet man with lots of intensity and very few words. The situation is not much different in our latest episode of After Hours -- throw some hilarious one liners and excellent comedic timing into the mix and it's virtually the same guy.

Watch as Ryan schools us in this special Oh Canada edition of American Talk, teaching us everything we need to know about poutine and "Star Trek" whales. You learn something new everyday!

Tags Drive, Ryan Gosling

Woe is the plight of the new "Ghostbusters" movie. Despite all the good intentions, the cast being excited to get together again, director Ivan Reitman onboard, and a script by "Year One" writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky in second draft stage, there's really no plan for when and if the production will begin.

MTV News caught up with potential star Sigourney Weaver at the premiere of her new film "Abduction" last night to see if there was any new news to report about the film, and most importantly, if she'd heard anything from notoriously elusive Bill Murray.

"I see Bill every now and then, [but] I'm not holding my breath," she admitted. "I'd like it to work out. I have about six movies coming out so I've been busy without thinking about it, but I hope we do do it."

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Tags ghostbusters 3, sigourney weaver

FROM MTV MOVIES: Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgård and James Marsden have teamed up for a new millennium re-imagining of the classic 1971 Dustin Hoffman thriller, "Straw Dogs." The violent, dark film revolves around a young couple (Bosworth, Marsden) who move back to her Southern hometown and find themselves pretty unwanted by the locals, including Bosworth's ex, played by "True Blood" vamp Skarsgård.

"I had not seen the original film when I was offered the role; I had read the script first," Bosworth told MTV News at the premiere on Thursday. "I knew the original was a real cult classic. I read it and it was really intriguing, and then I watched the film, and I was pretty blown away; big shoes to fill. I thought, 'Oh my god, this is going to be quite an intense one,' but I love a challenge."

Marsden was thrilled by the chance to tackle a character that was very new to him, even if it had been done before.

Read the full story at MTV Movies!

Tags Alexander Skarsgard, Straw Dogs

Buckle your seat belts because Nicolas Winding Refn's action-drama "Drive" speeds into theaters this weekend. One of the buzziest films of the year, the moody thriller stars Ryan Gosling as the laconic nameless "Driver," a stunt performer and mechanic by day and getaway wheelman by night, who becomes enamored of his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a sort-of-single mother who's raising a son while her husband serves time. Driver vows to do anything to protect the little family—including helping the just-released-from-prison husband (Oscar Issac) pull an ill-fated heist.

The film gained almost-instant critical acclaim when it debuted in May at the Cannes International Film Festival—and for good reason. This white-knuckle ride boasts an all-star cast, a gritty L.A. attitude and plenty of blood-drenched action that will leave you either queasy or begging for more. We've kicked the tires on this beauty and are pleased to report five reasons you need to see "Drive." Check them out after the jump!

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Tags albert brooks, Drive, Ryan Gosling

by Brian Phares

Fixed gear, no brakes. That’s how Joseph Gordon-Levitt rolls in his new messenger-bike-catch-me-if-you-can thrill ride, “Premium Rush.” At least he’s smart enough to wear a helmet.

And it’s a good thing too, because if my count is correct, Gordon-Levitt gets hit by what appears to be not one, not two, but three different vehicles in the trailer, all of which seem to be near fatal accidents. Not only that, but he is sporting some seriously fancy bike moves. This is certainly a far cry from his previous work, without a doubt.

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Tags joseph gordon-levitt, Premium Rush

by Uptin Saiidi

Anyone who's ever hummed the melody of “Circle Of Life” or can't escape the image of (spoiler alert?) Mufasa's terrified face after Scar releases him from a cliff to land to his death, should get excited for the release of “Lion King in 3D.” The movie was more than another Disney classic thrown into our childhood. For many of us, it was the first sad film we’d seen that moved us through despair and hope, through faith and love, ultimately teaching us about overcoming hardships and most importantly, our problem-free philosophy, hakuna matata.

What is a film with the title of “best-selling home entertainment movie of all time” supposed to do when they’ve shattered home-sales records? Come back to the big screen, but in 3D, of course! Sure, you're paying the movie theater price for a film you've already seen way too many times and often repeats on basic cable ... but can you really deny the animal kingdom popping out at the screen at you with more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done, to once again, teach you about the circle of life? I think not. Plus, the 3-D experience is much cheaper than the Broadway show, so there’s that!

After the jump, check out the five “Lion King” scenes in 3-D that will take your experience in the animal kingdom to a whole new experience!

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Tags the lion king

“Drive” hits theaters today (September 16), and director Nicolas Winding Refn’s stylized, synth-soundtracked action flick is one of the best things you’ll see this year – just trust us. We were blown away by the story of Driver (Ryan Gosling) – a stuntman by day and a getaway wheelman by night – who falls for a vulnerable neighbor in peril (Carey Mulligan), and finds himself embroiled in a twisted heist involving her husband (Oscar Isaac). Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Christina Hendricks deliver in top-notch supporting roles, and Albert Brooks is absolutely menacing as the villainous Bernie Rose.

The movie is chock full of elaborate stunts, which got us thinking – what was it like to coordinate the action of “Drive”? We sat down with Darrin Prescott, the film’s Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director, to find out. Darrin has been a member of the stunt crew on 95 films, including “Independence Day,” “Blade,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “Spider-Man 2,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “The Bourne Ultimatum,” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

Prescott enlightened us with behind-the-scenes knowledge of his work with Refn and Gosling, the collaboration involved in pulling off many of "Drive’s" sequences, and various other tricks of the stunt industry trade.

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Tags Drive, Ryan Gosling