All Jason Statham Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer

Three national releases dumped into the late-August abyss debuted outside of the
top ten with weak results. Yari Film Group’s well-reviewed boxing drama
Resurrecting
the Champ starring
Samuel L.
Jackson and
Josh Hartnett opened with an estimated $1.8M from 1,605 theaters for a poor
$1,152 average. Universal’s Latino crime drama
Illegal Tender
bowed to an estimated $1.4M from 512 sites for a mild $2,805 average. The most
miserable results came from the
Jon Voight
film September Dawn
which grossed an estimated $600,000 from 850 playdates for an embarrassing $706
per-theater average for Slowhand Releasing.
 

In limited release, the
Mandy Moore
drama Dedication
got off to a moderate start collecting an estimated $24,000 from only four
venues for an average of $6,000 on its opening weekend for The Weinstein Co.
 

Three films dropped out of the top ten over the weekend.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix grossed an estimated $2.5M,
down 34%, lifting the domestic haul to $283.3M. Despite the midweek launch in
July, the fifth wizard pic should end up with a final take nearly identical to
the $290M taken in by the last installment

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which had a Friday opening in
November which has been the most common type of launch for the franchise.
 

Buena Vista’s family film
Underdog fell 42% to
an estimated $2.2M and put its sum at $36.6M. A $42-44M final seems likely.
Adam Sandler‘s
latest comedy blockbuster
I
Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry grossed an estimated $2.1M, down 42%,
and gave Universal a total of $114.3M to date. The comedian has now generated
$100M blockbusters over six consecutive years trailing only Tom Cruise whose
streak is currently at seven straight years. Look for Chuck to end its
run with roughly $120M.
 

The top ten films grossed an estimated $85.5M which was up 12% from last year
when Invincible opened in first place with $17M; and up 10% from 2005 when
The
40-Year-Old Virgin remained in the top spot with $16.3M.

Author: Gitesh Pandya,
www.BoxOfficeGuru.com

Action stars Jet Li and Jason Statham face off this weekend in the new crime thriller War which leads a flood of new releases pouring into North American multiplexes trying to catch the final dollars of the summer movie season. The R-rated Lionsgate release finds the two playing an assassin and a federal agent, respectively, and will aim for young male audiences. Both actors have solid followings and the combination allows War to offer a two-for-one deal that will make the ticket price well worth it for many fans.

Li’s last films Fearless and Unleashed each bowed to just under $11M with averages of a little less than $6,000. Statham’s Crank opened over Labor Day weekend last year with $10.5M and an average of $4,158 over three days while during the same holiday frame in 2005 his action sequel Transporter 2 debuted to $16.5M with a $5,008 average over three days. Lionsgate has had a strong marketing push on War and should connect with male action fans. Last weekend’s top three films Superbad, Rush Hour 3, and The Bourne Ultimatum will all provide some direct competition, but a solid bow is likely. Opening in 2,271 theaters, War could premiere with about $14M this weekend.

Statham and Li compare wireless signals in War.

Johansson scaring young children in The Nanny Diaries.

Bean up to his usual tricks in Holiday.

Resurrecting the Champ

Jon Voight in September Dawn.

Rush Hour 3 will race past the $100M mark this weekend and could slide by 50% to around $10.5M. That would give New Line $107M after 17 days. Fellow threequel The Bourne Ultimatum should have a better hold and drop by 40% to roughly $12M putting the Universal smash at $185M overall with its eye on the double-century mark by Labor Day.

LAST YEAR: Buena Vista topped the charts with its football saga Invincible which bowed at number one with $17M on its way to a solid $57.8M. Will Ferrell‘s comedy Talladega Nights placed second with $8.1M while Little Miss Sunshine expanded and jumped up to third place with $7.4M. Warner Bros. opened its comedy Beerfest in fourth with $7M leading to a $19.2M final. World Trade Center rounded out the top five with $6.5M in its third frame. Two smaller films debuting far below were Universal’s Idlewild with $5.7M and New Line’s How to Eat Fried Worms with $4M. Final tallies reached $12.6M and $13M, respectively.

Author: Gitesh Pandya, www.BoxOfficeGuru.com

This week at the multiplex, you’ll have your
choice between babysitters (The
Nanny Diaries, starring
Scarlett
Johansson and
Laura Linney)
manchilds (Mr.
Bean’s Holiday, starring
Rowan Atkinson),
boxers (Resurrecting
the Champ, starring
Josh Hartnett
and Samuel
L. Jackson),  Mormons (September
Dawn, starring
Jon Voight),
and rogues (War,
starring Jet Li
and Jason
Statham). What are the critics saying?

The Nanny Diaries features a stellar cast that includes Scarlett
Johansson, Laura Linney, and
Paul Giamatti, and it’s directed by
Robert Pulcini
and Shari Springer Berman, the team behind the wonderfully unconventional
American
Splendor. So why, critics ask, is Diaries so mediocre? Perhaps it’s
because the tone shifts between dark satire and lighter comedy. Johansson stars
as a woman who takes a job tending to the child of an affluent-but-cold New York
City couple. Pundits say the biggest problem with the film is not the
performers, who do what they can with the material. It’s that their characters
are one-dimensional, and the satire lacks the edge to really make it work. At 24
percent on the Tomatometer, this Diary isn’t held dear.

“What’d I tell you about doing Jell-O shots before noon?"
Mr. Bean is something of an acquired taste, and critics say
Mr. Bean’s Holiday may not be the place to acquire it. But they also note the
irrepressible Rowan Atkinson works really hard to sell the gags, and families
could do much worse than this good-natured comedy. With a nod to
Jacques Tati‘s
legendary Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, the film finds Bean leaving the
dreary confines of London for Cannes, where he’s alternately mistaken for a
master filmmaker and a kidnapper. The critics say Bean is mostly harmless
fun, but if you aren’t already a fan (or a little kid) you may find this stuff
pretty tough going. At 43 percent on the Tomatometer, this one might not amount
to a hill of beans, but at least it’s a cut above the original
Bean (36
percent).

“I see London, I see France…”

Sort of a rough cross between
Cinderella Man and
Shattered Glass,

Resurrecting the Champ gives you two tropes for the price of one: the
washed-up coulda-been-a-contendah and the newspaper man whose hot story may all
be a hoax. Still, critics say Champ works surprisingly well, thanks to
committed performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett. Based on a true
story, the film tells the tale of a sportswriter (Hartnett) who finds what could
be the biggest story of his career in a homeless man (Jackson) who calls himself
Champ and claims to be a former ring king. Critics say that although the film
gets a little melodramatic at times, it’s wise in the ways of the newspaper
life, and it’s got plenty of heart. At 75 percent on the Tomatometer, Champ
puts up a good fight.

“I’ll fight you for the merry-go-round.”
September Dawn was denounced by the Mormon Church before its release; the
LDS claimed it was a distortion of the faith’s history. Now it’s movie critics’
turn, albeit for different reasons. Dawn tells the story of the Mountain
Meadows Massacre, a still-controversial 1857 attack in which a group of Mormons
attacked a wagon train (the church hotly disputes the film’s assertion that LDS
president Brigham Young approved of the killings). Despite the presence of such
acclaimed thespians as
Terence Stamp and Jon Voight, critics say the film works
neither as history nor drama, thanks to mediocre filmmaking throughout; they also
note Dawn‘s attempts to draw parallels to contemporary conflicts are
muddled at best. Dawn currently stands at 10 percent on the Tomatometer.

“Tonight we dine in Utah!”
It appears the folks behind
War have feared an attack from critics. That
seems to be the reason they’re using the cinematic equivalent of camouflage: not
screening the film before its release. Jet Li and Jason Statham star in this
tale of betrayal and revenge, in which the CIA, Yakuza, and Triads figure
prominently. Guess that Tomatometer.

“I’ll trade you all this for a Wii.”

Also opening this week in limited release:
Deep Water, a doc about a
fateful solo, around-the-world boat race, is at 100 percent;
Right At Your
Door, a drama about a terrorist attack in L.A., is at 68 percent;
Hannah
Takes the Stairs, about a young woman’s romantic angst, is at 61 percent
(check out our interview with
director Joe Swanberg here); No. 2, a Fijian
family dramedy starring Ruby Dee, is at 56 percent;
The Bothersome Man, a
Norwegian drama about a man who forgets his past and finds himself in a strange
town, is at 56 percent;
Dedication, an unconventional romance about a
troubled children’s book author starring
Mandy Moore and
Billy Crudup, is at 42
percent; The Hottest State, the
Ethan Hawke-helmed tale of a singer
trying to make it in New York, is at 42 percent; and
Illegal Tender, a
drama about a woman’s longstanding blood feud with her husband’s killer, is at
33 percent.

Slinky: the new cup and string.

Finally, props to
AudioNinja, who decided to eschew stealth and subsequently
came the closest to guessing
The Last Legion‘s 18 percent Tomatometer.

Recent Scarlett Johansson Movies:
——————————————
37% — Scoop (2006)
75% — The Prestige (2006)
35% — The Black Dahlia (2006)
79% — Match Point (2005)
39% — A Good Woman (2005)

Who’s up for another Jason Statham action flick? This one’s got Jet Li as the villain!

Previously known as "Rogue" (which is also the title of a killer croc flick that’ll be hitting your video stores some time soon), the Jason Statham / Jet Li actioner "War" will explode into theaters on September 14th. In it, Statham will play an FBI agent obsessed with tracking down a brutal assassin (played by Li.)

Here’s the trailer. The director (Phillip G. Atwell) and the screenwriters (Lee Anthony Smith & Gregory J. Bradley) are all first-timers, but hey, the flick’s got two solid action stars going toe to toe. Looks like enjoyable mindless fun. I hope.

Source: IGN Movies

RT’s "Rogue" set visit culminated with a candid sit-down with the pic’s star, Jet Li. Read on to hear what he says about his upcoming "Fearless," ticket prices in China, and getting a director for "Monk in New York."

Since the early 1980s, Jet Li has cultivated a virtual library of Hong Kong-action starring vehicles utilizing his background as a child prodigy in the martial art of wushu. Despite having over thirty star turns in Chinese-language films by the mid-90s, it wasn’t until he played a menacing Triad member in 1998’s "Lethal Weapon 4" that English-speaking audiences really took notice, and since then Jet has launched himself into Hollywood with his own brand of action (see "Romeo Must Die," "The One," "Unleashed").

With the recent North American successes of action-packed foreign films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and Li’s own "Hero," the former wushu world champion will soon be bringing another Chinese-language martial arts epic to Western markets, though he’s promised that August opener "Fearless" — a period biopic of a turn-of-the-century fighting master — will be his last epic martial arts hero flick. After that, Li hopes to make his long-in-development, light-on-action project, "Monk in New York" (see interview below). But first, he’s got "Rogue" to finish — and, as Senh and Phu witnessed, there’s still plenty of action left in him.

Never underestimate the power of a kick to the head…

Senh’s Scene Breakdown: As promised in yesterday’s Corey Yuen set interview, Jet filmed a fight sequence on the ‘Yanagawa Motors’ set of "Rogue" that left more than a few blood spatters on the floor (fake blood, of course).

The sequence took place in the mirrored section of the dealership, underneath the elevated offices in which two other scenes had previously been shot — one with Jet opposite a stern, femme fatale Devon Aoki, and another between Jet and Ryo Ishibashi.

As in the other fight we saw being shot, Jet was battling a few of Ryo Ishibashi’s goons downstairs. Before the shot, prop people gave one stuntman a mouthful of liquid right before rolling. Once action began, Jet appeared to land a high kick to one goon’s throat, with enough force that the goon was propelled backwards into one of the wall mirrors. The stuntman took Jet’s monster kick very convincingly, hitting the wall, causing him to projectile-spew blood.

Red liquid got everywhere, including a few splatters on Jet himself. Once cameras stopped, PAs mopped up the mess, cleaned off Jet, and they did another take! And another! And another! We left the set and they were still shooting the same scene.

——

Rotten Tomatoes: Can you describe your role in the movie?

Jet Li: I cannot say too much. If you know, it’s not fun anymore.

A few of our favorite Jet Li pre-Hollywood flicks: "Fist of Legend," "The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk," and "Once Upon A Time In China"

RT: But you are playing a bad guy?

JL: It really depends on your point of view.

RT: Since the movie pits you against Jason [Statham], who do you think the audience will root for?

JL: I don’t know. Ask them! (laughs)

RT: How is it working with Jason?

JL: We worked together before on "The One." But on this film, we haven’t met yet because the two characters haven’t been in the same scene. In maybe another two weeks we will work together a lot.

RT: You have worked with Corey Yuen for over a decade. What is it about him that made your relationship special?

JL: When you have a friend you work with for 15 years, you become like brothers.

Li’s Western-audience breakthrough ("Lethal Weapon 4"), his famous deadly pool ball scene ("Kiss of the Dragon"), and his Freshest English-language pic ("Unleashed")

RT: Why do you think of all the Asian actors, you and Jackie are the more successful?

JL: I should ask you (laughs). You know the American audience better than me, why they watch Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies. The audience makes the decision of what kind of actor they want to watch. I always have said in the last 20 years, the real boss is the audience.

RT: You said you no longer want to do epic martial art movies. Do you want to focus more on action or more on drama?

JL: I really want to retire. (laughs) I think "Fearless" is the last one. I won’t do martial arts movies anymore. But in my mind, martial arts movies are martial arts movies and action is action. It’s quite different, because martial arts doesn’t just have physical form; you have a philosophy, internal and external. A lot of it involves your life. How you see the world. An action film I think is just about the movement. I think it’s different.

RT: Why did you decide not to do any more martial arts movies, is it because you’ve done so many?

JL: I put a lot of energy into "Fearless." I’ve said what I wanted to say about martial arts in that film; why I learned martial arts, what is martial arts, martial arts in life.

Jet Li as a rogue assassin named, er, Rogue, in "Rogue"

RT: What do you think of the current state of movies in Hong Kong. When you did "Once Upon A Time In China," they were producing 300 movies a year, and now they’re doing 30-40 movies a year. What do you think of the current state?

JL: The market is smaller and smaller in Asia.

RT: Even with China?

JL: The last few years have been better, but before there was no market.

RT: Why do you think that is?

JL: We can have a three day discussion about it (laughs). It’s too expensive for people to watch a movie in theaters. It costs ten percent of one’s salary to watch one movie, how can anyone afford that?

RT: You’ve been talking about making "Monk In New York" for a while. What is the status on that?

JL: I’m still trying to make it, even with no studio involved. I talk about making a movie with a story about heart, without a lot of violent action in it. Not many studios want to make it. I’m still working on it.

RT: What kind of movies would you like to make in the future after "Rogue"?

JL: I really don’t know. "Monk In New York" you already know about. I want to make that. I already found a director, Wayne Wang. He’s a wonderful director, and I really appreciate his work. Two years already and we’re still putting the pieces together.