Don't fret Paramount... this is for the best. Last week, it was reported that "Saw VI" director Kevin Greutert had been hired to helm the unasked-for sequel to last year's found footage sensation, "Paranormal Activity." Whether or not you think a sequel is really necessary, Greutert's past experience with the gore-soaked "Saw" franchise would not seem to make him the ideal candidate for following up one of the most effectively understated horror films released in years.
It is with some relief then that I greet today's news of Greutert being shuffled back to the "Saw" franchise, to which Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures hold the keys. It seems that the director is contractually bound to direct "Saw VII 3-D" if the studio wants it, and they do, Deadline Hollywood reports. Greutert is unable to do both because of competing release plans, which have the two movies releasing on October 22 of this year. Read more...
"Paranormal Activity" isn't really a presence right now, as we swing into awards season. Still, it's hard to forget the stunning performance of a sub-$15,000 budgeted film that earned in excess of $100 million during its theatrical run. Awards-worthy or not, director Oren Peli accomplished something special with his found footage haunted house flick.
As a result of that, I'm leery of any sequel talk. Let's not forget "The Blair Witch Project," which had a similarly successful grassroots promotional campaign and budget-to-box office performance ratio. A sequel for that one dropped, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2," and it completely abandoned the spirit of the original. I won't discount a "Paranormal Activity" sequel out of hand... but I'm uncertain. Especially with "Saw VI" director Kevin Greutert hired to direct it. Read more...
One of the more remarkable showings in the world of film last year was director Oren Peli's found-footage haunted house flick, "Paranormal Activity." Made on a budget of less than $15,000 and first screened for festival audiences in 2007, the movie bounced around in the back corridors of Hollywood before finally opening wide to record-breaking numbers last fall, after more than 1 million fans "Demanded It" in an unconventional grassroots Internet marketing campaign staged by Paramount.
As we enter 2010, Peli has a lot to look forward to. "Paranormal" is fresh out on DVD/Blu-ray and his sophomore effort, "Area 51," will presumably hit theaters. The director was kind enough to share some of his thoughts on the excitement of 2009 for us to bring to on MTV Movies Blog, so here they are...
To our "Paranormal Activity" fans,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your incredible support now that "Paranormal Activity" is out on DVD and Blu-ray.
As many of you know, the road to getting this movie distributed was long and challenging, to say the least. Looking back on everything, I can truly say that it was your passion and enthusiasm that made it all possible. Read more...
FROM SPLASH PAGE: [SPOILER ALERT] Of all the scares delivered throughout the course of Paramount's "Paranormal Activity," it's shocking and unresolved ending is what really haunted many viewers.
Now, with the release of "Paranormal Activity: The Search for Katie," IDW is uniting the team of writer Scott Lobdell ("X-Men") and artist Mark Badger to provide viewers with some answers.
The story, available through iTunes for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, explores what happens after the film concludes and follows the mentioned, but never seen, demonologist Dr. Johann Averys on his search for the demon-plagued Katie.
Continue reading 'Paranormal Activity' Fans Find Answers In 'The Search For Katie' Digital Comic
While "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was busy crossing the $200 million box office threshold, director Oren Peli's "found footage" horror flick "Paranormal Activity" quietly slipped past $100 million in box office receipts. Not a bad haul for a movie that cost less than $15,000 to make.
It's been an impressive run from multiple angles, really. "Paranormal" was completed in 2007 and screened for festival audiences in 2008. It was picked up for release, shuffled around as studio forces re-aligned, pegged for a total re-do and ultimately trickled out slowly into theaters by way of an ingenious marketing campaign that ostensibly gave fans the power to bring the movie to their city. Anticipation worked up to a fever pitch and the flick opened wide to unprecedented numbers. Read more...
"Paranormal Activity" is one of the most impressive theatrical releases of the year, what with its miniscule budget and still-rapidly-climbing box office performance. As a result, everyone has been all sorts of curious to hear more about director Oren Peli's next project, titled "Area 51."
Peli has been adamant in his refusal to share any details about the movie, which is described as another "found footage" effort in the vein of "Paranormal." In the two times I've interviewed him, I don't even think he repeated the title; every question on the subject is greeted with a "no comment." Now, the first details have come to light. I hesitate to even post about it, since it falls into the realm of "leak." Needless to say, tread carefully, readers... spoilers lie ahead. Read more...
1. "A Christmas Carol" ($31 million)
2. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" ($14 million)
3. "The Men Who Stare At Goats" ($13.3 million)
2. "The Fourth Kind" ($12.5 million)
5. "Paranormal Activity" ($8.6 million)
Did Ebenezer Scrooge learn his lesson at the box office this weekend? It's difficult to say, as the Jim Carrey-starring "A Christmas Carol" certainly took the top prize with a $31 million weekend, though the result is considered relatively disappointing given the film's potential draw to family crowds and its hefty budget of $200 million. The odds of the holiday movie recouping that number anytime soon are rather small, though we've certainly seen stranger box office occurrences lately. Read more...
--Paramount is actively working on plans for a "Paranormal Activity" sequel. While a sequel would clearly lose the surprise factor that's made the Oren Peli-directed horror film such a success, folks behind the film insist that they can "come up with the right creative and marketing approach." (THR)
--On the flip side, studio heads at Sony are hoping that Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp are up for a "District 9" sequel, but the producer-director pair is allegedly holding off until they "figure out what the story is and organize their respective schedules." Sony's hopes are hardly surprising as "District 9" has officially crossed the $200 million threshold, a fantastic result based on the movie's $30 million budget. (Deadline Hollywood Daily) Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: As expected, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was the box-office champion over the Halloween weekend, taking in an estimated $21.3 million in the United States. The bigger news was that the documentary chronicling the King of Pop's final rehearsals for his planned 50-show comeback residency in London banked more than $101 million worldwide.
The totals easily made "This Is It" the #1 movie in America, beating out the still-strong thriller "Paranormal Activity," which was second with $16.5 million. Fans who didn't wait in line or rush out to see "This Is It" during its first few days in theaters also got a reprieve, as Sony Pictures — the studio that paid $60 million for the rights to release the film — announced that the planned two-week-only engagement will now be extended through Thanksgiving.
Continue reading 'Michael Jackson's This Is It' Banks $100 Million Around The Globe
Big shock there, right? A decade after the release of "The Blair Witch Project," we have director Oren Peli's found-footage supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity" setting Hollywood ablaze with an record setting box office performance in comparison to its miniscule, sub-$15,000 budget. So it's no wonder that the "Blair Witch" creators, in many ways the progenitors of this sort of phenomenon, are looking to bring it back home to their original success story.
We heard back in August from co-directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick that "Blair Witch 3" talk was happening, but Sanchez spoke to The Star last week a little more about how those talks are shaping up so far (via Latino Review). Read more...
