Last summer, Universal’s Despicable Me was a resounding success that was really well received both critically and at the box office, turning a $70m. into more than half a billion dollars worldwide. Very impressive stuff.

Following the great news that Javier Bardem has finally officially self-confirmed his involvement in Bond 23/Skyfall, word now comes that he’s also in talks to lend his voice for the sequel to last summer’s terrific success, Despicable Me 2, THR report.

Co-directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud made such fantastic feature debuts with the original, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us with the second film. The plot is currently, and understandably, being kept under wraps, but I’d be willing to bet that it’s going to be another great one from the pair.

If talks go well, Bardem will be playing the role of a new villain, El Macho, who has a son by the name of Machito.

Steve Carell, who’s really been doing well for himself for some time now, will be returning as the loveable lead, Gru, and the majority of the rest of the cast are expected to return for the sequel too.

Despicable Me 2 is currently tentatively scheduled for a 3rd July, 2013 release date, which puts it just a few weeks before Monsters University on 19th July – two awesome sequels to look forward to in close proximity. With that date still being a while off, I’ll leave you with this great video from the first film showing the adorable Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher) in slow-motion. You’ve no doubt seen it before, but it maintains its brilliance no matter how many times you watch it. Enjoy.

To celebrate the release of DESPICABLE ME, out to own on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Copy from February 21st, we have teamed up with Universal Pictures to offer you the chance to win one of 5 copies of the film on Triple Play (Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Copy).

Synopsis: In a happy suburban neighbourhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbours, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow minions, we discover Gru (Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s CGI feature, Despicable Me.

Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.

One of the world’s greatest super-villains has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

To be in with a chance of winning this hilarious movie (any scene with Agnes is especially priceless!), all you have to do is answer the following questions using the form below:

Which famous musical actress voices ‘Gru’s Mom’ in Despicable Me?

The small print:

• The competition is open to UK residents only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close February 21st (release day) at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

© 2010 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s the new poster for kids animated feature Hop, which ties in very nicely to this evening’s Super Bowl.

From the creator’s behind Despicable Me, Hop tell’s the story of the Easter Bunny who is incapacitated when he is accidentally hit by a car, leaving the offending driver to save Easter.

Featuring the vocal talents of Kaley Cuoco, James Marsden, Elizabeth Perkins and Despicable’s mad scientist Russell Brand, the film is due for release in the UK on the 1st April.

Poster courtesy of IMP Awards

The Producers Guild of America announced the nominations for the 2011 Producers Guild Awards.

Highly acclaimed films The Social Network, True Grit, 127 Hours and Black Swan are all nominated in the Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures category, with Toy Story 3, Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon competing for the Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures.

The winners will be announced by Judd Apatow at the 22nd Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The nominations in full are below:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures –

• 127 Hours: Producers Danny Boyle and Christian Colson
• Black Swan: Producers Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy and Brian Oliver
• Inception: Producers Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas
• The Fighter: Producers David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg
• The Kids Are All Right: Producers Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray
• The Social Network: Producers Dana Brunetti, Ceán Chaffin, Michael De Luca and Scott Rudin
• The King’s Speech: Producers Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin
• The Town: Producers Basil Iwanyk and Graham King
• Toy Story 3: Producers Darla K. Anderson
• True Grit: Producers Ethan Coen, Joel Coen and Scott Rudin

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture –

• Despicable Me: Produces John Cohen, Janet Healy and Christopher Meledandri
• Toy Story 3: Producer Darla K. Anderson
• How to Train Your Dragon: Producer Bonnie Arnold

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures -

• Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer: Producer(s) TBC
• Earth Made of Glass: Producers Reid Carolin and Deborah Scranton
• Inside Job: Producers Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• Smash His Camera: Producers Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger
• The Tillman Story: Producer John Battsek
• Waiting for Superman: Producer Lesley Chilcott

This is the third Mini Movies that Universal have made for Despicable Me and it’s just as good as the other two! We’ve already had Banana where we get to see just how much The Minions love fruit, then it was all about the Home Makeover where Gru’s mansion is turned into a child friendly home and today is Orientation.

In this video, we get to see how the Minions learn to work in Gru’s factory but also discover what hazards they may have to overcome!

If you missed it, last week’s Banana videos is here and Home Makeover and can watched here. You’ll love them!

Last week, Jon put up the first Mini Movie from Despicable Me and thousands of you out there came to the site to watch it. Now, Universal have released another called Home Makeover where we get to see what happens when the Orphanage send someone round to make sure that Gru’s house is fit for Children! Don’t worry, there are plenty of Minions to enjoy!

If you missed it, last week’s video was called Banana and is excellent Click here to check it out but only after you click play on the video below. We think you’ll like!

Black Swan, the forthcoming psychological ballet thriller from acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky, picked up an unprecedented twelve nominations at the annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

The King’s Speech and True Grit follow closely with eleven nominations each, while The Social Network and Inception each accumulated nine.

The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards will take place on January 14, 2011 at the Hollywood Palladium and will be broadcast on VH1.

The nominations for the 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are listed below in full:

Best Picture

- 127 Hours

- Black Swan

- The Social Network

- True Grit

- Winter’s Bone

- The Town

- Toy Story 3

- The Fighter

- Inception

- The King’s Speech

Best Actor

- James Franco, 127 Hours

- Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine

- Jeff Bridges, True Grit

- Robert Duvall, Get Low

- Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

- Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actress

- Natalie Portman, Black Swan

- Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

- Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

- Noomi Rapace, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

- Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

- Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor

- Christine Bale, The Fighter

- Jeremy Renner, The Town

- Andrew Garfield, The Social Network

- Sam Rockwell, Conviction

- Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

- Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right

Best Supporting Actress

- Mila Kunis, Black Swan

- Amy Adams, The Fighter

- Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech

- Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

- Melissa Leo, The Fighter

- Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Young Actor/Actress

- Chloe Moretz, Let Me In

- Kodi Smit-McPhee, Let Me In

- Elle Fanning, Somewhere

- Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

- Chloe Moretz, Kick-Ass

- Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Best Acting Ensemble

- The Kids Are All Right

- The King’s Speech

- The Fighter

- The Town

- The Social Network

Best Director

- David Fincher, The Social Network

- Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

- Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

- Christopher Nolan, Inception

- Danny Boyle, 127 Hours

- Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit

Best Original Screenplay

- Another Year, Mike Leigh

- Inception, Christopher Nolan

- The Fighter, Scott Silver & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson)

- The Kids Are All Right, Lisa Chodolenko & Stuart Blumberg

- The King’s Speech, David Seidler

- Black Swan, Mark Heyman & Andres Heinz & John McLaughlin

Best Adapted Screenplay

- 127 Hours, Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

- True Grit, Joel & Ethan Coen

- Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

- Toy Story 3, Michael Arndt (Story by John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich)

- The Town, Ben Affleck & Peter Craig & Sheldon Turner

- The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin

Best Cinematography

- 127 Hours, Andrew Dod Mantle

- True Grit, Roger Deakins

- Black Swan, Matthew Libatique

- The King’s Speech, Danny Cohen

- Inception, Wally Pfister

Best Art Direction

- Alice in Wonderland, Stefan Dechant

- Inception, Guy Hendrix Dyas

- True Grit, Jess Gonchor & Nancy Haigh

- Black Swan, Therese DePrez & Tora Peterson

- The King’s Speech, Netty Chapman

Best Editing

- Inception, Lee Smith

- Black Swan, Andrew Weisblum

- 127 Hours, John Harris

- The Social Network, Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter

Best Costume Design

- Black Swan, Amy Westcott

- Alice in Wonderland, Colleen Atwood

- True Grit, Mary Zophres

- The King’s Speech, Jenny Beavan

Best Make-up

- Black Swan

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

- Alice in Wonderland

- True Grit

Best Visual Effects

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

- Alice in Wonderland

- Tron: Legacy

- Inception

Best Sound

- Inception

- Black Swan

- Toy Story 3

- The Social Network

- 127 Hours

Best Animated Picture

- Toy Story 3

- The Illusionist

- Tangled

- Despicable Me

- How to Train Your Dragon

Best Action Picture

- Kick-Ass

- Red

- The Town

- Inception

- Unstoppable

Best Comedy Picture

- Easy A

- Cyrus

- Date Night

- The Other Guys

- I Love You Phillip Morris

- Get Him to the Greek

Best Picture Made For Television

- You Don’t Know Jack

- The Pacific

- Temple Grandin

Best Foreign Language Picture

- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

- I Am Love

- Biutiful

Best Documentary

- Restrepo

- Exit Through The Gift Shop

- Waiting For Superman

- Inside Job

- Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

- The Tillman Story

Best Song

- I See the Light, Tangled

- We Belong Together, Toy Story 3

- You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet, Burlesque

- Shine, Waiting for Superman

- If I Rise, 127 Hours

Best Score

- Black Swan, Clint Mansell

- The Social Network, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

- True Grit, Carter Burwell

- Inception, Hans Zimmer

- The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat

Keen to ride the wave of positive momentum from the release of their Steve Carell starring animation Despicable Me Universal have given us a sneak peek of a new Mini-Movie.

It all sounds like the Pixar shorts, and is set to be included on the forthcoming Blu-ray/DVD pack.

Titled Banana, this footage showcases the movie’s popular yellow tictac shaped minions, and in Gary’s review of the film he included a couple of clips Universal were keen to put out showing off their new creations. You can read the review and watch those clips here.

Here’s the clip,

The full list of nominations for the 38th Annie Awards were announced today with Dreamworks’s How to Train your Dragon gathering up the majority of nominations including Best Feature, Animation, Character Design and Voice Work for Gerard Butler and Jay Baruchel, as well as Directing nominations for Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

Pixar’s Up took home the Best Animated Feature earlier this year at the 2009 awards and when the awards are announced next February Lee Unkrich and his team are up from a number of awards, along with Disney’s Tangled, but the recent decision of Disney to withdraw support for the awards may go some way to explaining the relatively few number of nods.

It has been a great year for animation as the films on the list below attest, and it’s nice to see Sylvain Chomet’s enchanting film The Illusionist scoring a point against the domination of CG here. The awards will be announced on the 5th of February next year.

Here’s the full list of nominations,

2010 ANNIE AWARD NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature
Despicable Me – Illumination Entertainment
How to Train Your Dragon – DreamWorks Animation
Tangled – Disney
The Illusionist – Django Films
Toy Story 3 – Disney/Pixar

Best Animated Short Subject
Coyote Falls – Warner Bros. Animation
Day & Night – Pixar
Enrique Wrecks the World – House of Chai
The Cow Who Wanted To Be A Hamburger – Plymptoons Studio
The Renter – Jason Carpenter

Best Animated Television Commercial
Children’s Medical Center – DUCK Studios
Frito Lay Dips “And Then There Was Salsa” – LAIKA/house
‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Winter Olympic Interstitial “Speed Skating” – DreamWorks Animation
McDonald’s “Spaceman Stu” – DUCK Studios
Pop Secret “When Harry Met Sally” – Nathan Love

Best Animated Television Production
Futurama – The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
Kung Fu Panda Holiday – DreamWorks Animation
Scared Shrekless – DreamWorks Animation
Star Wars: The Clone Wars “Arc Troopers” – Lucasfilm Animation, Ltd.
The Simpsons – Gracie Films

Best Animated Television Production for Children
Adventure Time – Cartoon Network Studios
Cloudbread – GIMC
Fanboy & Chum Chum – Nickelodeon, Frederator
Regular Show – Cartoon Network Studios
SpongeBob SquarePants – Nickelodeon

Best Animated Video Game
Heavy Rain – Quantic Dream
Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Good-Feel & HAL Laboratory
Limbo – Playdead
Shank – Klei Entertainment Inc.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Andrew Young Kim “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Jason Mayer “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Brett Miller “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Sebastian Quessy “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures
Kryzstof Rost “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Television Production
Nicolas A. Chauvelot “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation
Savelon Forrest “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” – ShadowMachine
Elizabeth Havetine “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” – ShadowMachine
David Pate “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Nideep Varghese “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Mark Donald “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation
Anthony Hodgson “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation
Gabe Hordos “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Jakob Hjort Jensen “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
David Torres “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Quentin Miles – Clash of the Titans
Ryan Page – Alice in Wonderland

Character Design in a Television Production
Andy Bialk “The Ricky Gervais Show” – W!LDBRAIN Entertainment
Stephan DeStefano “Sym-Bionic Titan” – Cartoon Network
Ernie Gilbert “T.U.F.F. Puppy” – Nickelodeon
Gordon Hammond “T.U.F.F. Puppy” – Nickelodeon
Steve Lam “Fanboy & Chum Chum” – Nickelodeon, Frederator

Character Design in a Feature Production
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
Carter Goodrich “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Timothy Lamb “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation
Nico Marlet “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Television Production
Bob Anderson “The Simpsons” – Gracie Films
Peter Chung “Firebreather” – Cartoon Network Studios
Duke Johnson “Frankenhole: Humanitas” – ShadowMachine
Tim Johnson “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Gary Trousdale “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation

Directing in a Feature Production
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
Pierre Coffin “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Mamoru Hosoda “Summer Wars” – Madhouse/Funimation
Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Lee Unkrich “Toy Story 3″ – Disney/Pixar

Music in a Television Production
J. Walter Hawkes “The Wonder Pets!” – Nickelodeon Production & Little Airplane Productions
Henry Jackman, Hans Zimmer and John Powell “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Tim Long, Alf Clausen, Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement “The Simpsons: Elementary School Musical” – Gracie Films
Shawn Patterson “Robot Chicken’s DP Christmas Special” – ShadowMachine
Jeremy Wakefield, Sage Guyton, Nick Carr, Tuck Tucker “SpongeBob SquarePants” – Nickelodeon

Music in a Feature Production
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
David Hirschfelder “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures
John Powell “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Harry Gregson Williams “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment

Production Design in a Television Production
Alan Bodner “Neighbors From Hell” – 20th Century Fox Television
Barry Jackson “Firebreather” – Cartoon Network Studios
Pete Oswald “Doubtsourcing” – Badmash Animation Studios
Richie Sacilioc “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Scott Wills “Sym-Bionic Titan” – Cartoon Network Studios

Production Design in a Feature Production
Yarrow Cheney “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Eric Guillon “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Dan Hee Ryu “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures
Pierre Olivier Vincent “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Peter Zaslav “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in a Television Production
Sean Bishop “Scared Shrekless” – DreamWorks Animation
Fred Gonzales “T.U.F.F. Puppy” – Nickelodeon
Tom Owens “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation
Dave Thomas “Fairly OddParents” – Nickelodeon

Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Alessandro Carloni “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Paul Fisher “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Tom Owens “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Catherine Yuh Rader “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Television Production
Jeff Bennett as The Necronomicon “Fanboy & Chum Chum” – Nickelodeon & Frederator
Corey Burton as Baron Papanoida “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – Cartoon Network
Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” – Cartoon Network
Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown “The Cleveland Show” – Fox Television Animation
James Hong as Mr. Ping “Kung Fu Panda Holiday” – DreamWorks Animation

Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Jay Baruchel as Hiccup “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Gerard Butler as Stoick “How To Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Steve Carrell as Gru “Despicable Me” – Illumination Entertainment
Cameron Diaz as Fiona “Shrek Forever After” – DreamWorks Animation
Geoffrey Rush as Ezylryb “Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” – Warner Bros. Pictures

Writing in a Television Production
Daniel Arkin “Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Heroes on Both Sides” – Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.
Jon Colton Barry & Piero Piluso “Phineas & Ferb: Nerds of a Feather” – Disney Channel
Geoff Johns, Matthew Beans, Zeb Wells, Hugh Sterbakov, Matthew Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth Green, Mike Fasolo, Douglas Goldstein, Tom Root, Dan Milano, Kevin Shinick & Hugh Davidson “Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III” – ShadowMachine
Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham “The Simpsons: Stealing First Base” – Gracie Films
Michael Rowe “Futurama” – The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Writing in a Feature Production
Michael Arndt “Toy Story 3″ – Disney/Pixar
Sylvain Chomet “The Illusionist” – Django Films
William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders “How to Train Your Dragon” – DreamWorks Animation
Dan Fogelman “Tangled” – Disney
Alan J. Schoolcraft, Brent Simons “Megamind” – DreamWorks Animation

JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award – Brad Bird, Eric Goldberg, Matt Groening

June Foray – Ross Iwamoto

Ub Iwerks Award – Autodesk

Special Achievement – “Waking Sleeping Beauty”

Variety got all sourcey with this.

Coming six years after Pixar’s tale of those domesticated defenders of good, The Incredibles, DreamWorks Animation pulls on the spandex and attaches the long flowing cape to deliver a superhero spoof with a difference in the form of Megamind.

The twist in the tale here is the story focuses instead on the devious villain, and not the bright-shining, incorruptible hero. Voiced by Will Ferrell (pleasantly restrained), Megamind is an evil genius with a skin tone which would make the Na’vi proud and a bulb-shaped head to cope with his huge, overstimulated brain. He is forever battling for control of Metro City from it’s lantern-jawed defender, Metro Man (Brad Pitt doing Brad Pitt), a muscle-bound do-gooders cut from the same heroic cloth as Superman.

After accidentally disposing of the city’s hero in a cleverly staged trap early on in proceeding, Megamind soon begins to lament the lack of action and competition when he finds himself in the position of ruler. Hitting on the idea of creating another superhero to fill the gap left by Metro Man, he finds himself falling for the Lois Lane-like reporter Roxanne Ritchi (30 Rock’s Tina Fey) who he initially used as bait in trapping Metro Man. Could she be the key to him giving up his evil ways and opting instead for a life as a defender of good, and not a destroyer of it?

No prizes for those who have already guessed the outcome, but there is much pleasure to be had from the film before the conflicted villain finally makes his Megamind up. DreamWorks have upped their game of late, producing a number of slick, well-crafted pieces of family entertainment which more than stand up to the likes of Woody and Buzz, and Megamind is no exception. The plot flies along at a breakneck pace, although never sacrificing astutely-observed character moments or development in the process. Like the Shrek series before it, the film contains the usual fun visual pop culture references which cater for an older, knowing crowd (there’s an amusing Donkey Kong gag for eagle-eyed viewers who grew up in that gaming era) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the film also contains a number of humorous homages to the Man of Steel himself.

In a beautifully-constructed flashback prologue, we see Megamind as a baby (aided by his loving parents) escaping the destruction of his home planet (à la Krypton), only for the well-known myth to be hilariously turned on it’s head when Megamind’s pod ends up crash landing in a concrete prison yard and not in some corn field near Smallville. From there, he’s brought up and educated by the kind of criminals his parents initially envisioned him ridding the world of.

The nods to Superman don’t end there either. Megamind’s construction of a new superhero, achieved by using DNA left over from Metro Man, strongly echoes the plot for the much-maligned forth entry into the Christopher Reeves series of films. Megamind also disguises himself as a mentor for his new creation, whose image and voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Marlon Brando’s character in the first Superman movie, complete with his silver Mr Whippy-style quiff.

It’s also a handsomely animated tale, although its budget is clearly much bigger to that of Despicable Me’s – the recent 3D feature from Fox, and a film which Megamind will no doubt be compared against. Despite both having a central premise which hinges on the transformation of a bad guy who just needs a little love in his heart for him to see the error of his ways, like Antz and A Bug’s Life before them, the two films manage to be thoroughly entertaining in their own right, regardless of the similarities.

Alongside the likes of Ferrell and Fey, strong voice support also comes in the form of Judd Apatow regular Jonah Hill, who plays Ritchi’s infatuated cameraman and eventual subject of Megamind’s superhero replacement. Hill manages to make his character even creepier to that of his recent role in indie comedy Cyrus, and his transformation from puny, overweight wannabe love interest to powerful super being who still can’t get the girl, is genuinely unpleasant and presents something a little more disturbing behind the obvious bad guy boo-hiss theatrics.

Already this year there have been a number of CG-animated films which have resonated deeply with the popcorn crowd as well as appeasing those hard-to-please critics. Megamind is a welcome addition to that list and will hopefully be a continuation in quality for DreamWorks. Although it’s too early to tell if the film will have the longevity of some of its animated predecessors, it’s a welcomed slice of superior Hollywood entertainment and engaging enough for a mainstream adult audience, tired of being let-down by all the below-par live-action product on offer out there.

Yet another computer-animated kids film has brought in the big bucks at the US box office this past weekend.

The Will Ferrell/Brad Pitt starring Megamind has brought in an estimated $47.7 million. Although not quite up there with Toy Story 3’s incredible $110 million opening, this is still an impressive feat considering it’s both a month before the usual heavy-hitters emerge and also the fact that, although it’s bears a resemblance to Despicable Me (this was actually in production first), it’s an original story which haven’t been derived from any other media.

Due Date has also done great business at number two with $33.5 million, which has beat Borat by becoming the highest-grossing opening ever for an R-rated comedy in November.

In third position is another success for one-man hit factory Tyler Perry. His ninth cinema feature Colored Girls made an estimated $20.1 million – just under $1 million shy of the film’s overall budget!

Figures courtesy of Box Office Mojo.

With Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton recently announcing that 3D is here to stay - that while “the fad element will die down” the extra dimension “is not going to go away” – it appears that more movies than ever are being shot especially for, or converted into, 3D.

According to Variety, one such project will be SND’s Asterix: The Land of the Gods. Produced by the M6 Group, Land of the Gods will loosely adapt the Mansion of the Gods, originally written  and drawn by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo respectively. The film will follow Caesar’s attempts to usurp the Gaulish village of Asterix and Obelix by building a giant Roman colony next door.

Mac Guff, the Parisian studio behind Universal’s Despicable Me, are in talks to animate the character’s latest big screen adventure once Alexandre Astier has finished penning the script.

The successful Asterix series of 34 books, translated into over 100 languages, has so far lead to 11 films, a number of games and even a theme park based around the franchise. The last big screen outing, released in 2006, grossed $11.4 million in France alone, with Paul Giamatti, Sean Austin and Evan Rachel Wood voicing the English translation.

This summer has seen the continual rise and dominance of the CG animated feature film. Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 has made over $400 million at the US domestic box office to date – a phenomenal amount, and the results over here are not too shabby either (in fact, it’s now the UK’s second highest grossing film of all time behind James Cameron’s Avatar!)

But it’s not just this studio that has seen a success with an animated feature this summer.  Universal Pictures have made almost $250 so far off Despicable Me (another thoroughly impressive figure, considering that it didn’t come from the house of the mouse) – you can read our full review here.

Having seen the film myself a couple of days ago at the European Premiere courtesy of Sky Movies HD, I can report that this one too, manages to present a thoroughly engaging world, which (like Toy Story 3 before it) is just as entertaining for adults as it is for young children.

The story follows a mean supervillain named Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) who plans to use three orphan girls as a means of enabling him to take that one step closer to world domination (by stealing the moon!) His wicked lifestyle suddenly takes a drastic change the worse (or best, depending on your disposition) when he finds that he’s looked upon as a father figure by the girls, and that a maybe the life he’s been leading is not the way forward in finding happiness and contentment.

It’s a charming and beautifully told story of how the absence of love in a person’s childhood can be remedied in adult life and that void in the heart can be filled, sometimes in the most unusual circumstances. In the case of Gru, he life has taken that initial turn for the worse mainly due the lack of support and interest displayed be his own mother, hilariously portrayed by Julie Andrews (who is the type of character that Mary Poppins would have beaten to death with her brolly, if their paths were to cross).

The film also marked the first time I set foot on that red carpet, or yellow in this case (matching the colour of Gru’s fantastic little army of scatterbrained minions), for the European premiere at The Empire on Leicester Square.

Having grown up watching footage and seeing images from many of the premieres that have taken place in London’s cinema capital, it was nice to finally be on the other side, although I was under no illusions that every time both myself and my girlfriend passed the lenses of the cameras pointing at our direction, it was a good time for the photographers to stop what they were doing and take a quick peek at the shots of Russell Brand they had snapped.

The Empire was, unsurprisingly, teeming with excited kids, all having their photos taken with life-size replicas of Gru’s little minions and being caught up in the thrill of having the opportunity to be amongst the stars and flashing lights. I could only imagine myself at that ages attending the premiere of, say, The Empire Strikes Back and having to receive immediate medical attention from St John Ambulance crew, owing to the overwhelming effect of a replica C3-P0 extending his hand out for me to shake.

Being seated in the cinema with 3D glasses perched on head, ready to view the film and being surrounded by all those kids who are buzzing with anticipation, really does remind you of that same excitement you felt yourself at that age and in similar surroundings. It was also magical to hear all the “ooh’s” and “aah’s” filling the room when the 3D kicks in.

If Hollywood can keep churning out family films to the same standard of Despicable Me, I’d to tempted to give up on all it’s mainstream live action features (and with the exception of perhaps one of two films this summer, who could blame me) and opt for the more simple and satisfying delights of 3D wonders like this.

The October episode of The Family Show on Sky Movies is a Despicable Me Special in which host Craig Stevens bring viewers all the excitement from the film’s European Premiere in London’s Leicester Square, as well as interviews with the star-studded cast including Steve Carrel and Miranda Cosgrove.

Steve Carell gets animated in Despicable Me, out in cinemas this week and we’re giving you the chance to win a prize pack and a family pass (2 adults, 3 children) to your local Apollo Cinema to enjoy the film.

We reviewed the film here, and to check out all the trailers and posters for the film to get you in the mood click here.

More details of Apollo Cinema’s nationwide locations are available here: http://www.apollocinemas.com/ and here’s what you could win.

All you have to do is answer the following question using the form below

Which US TV Sitcom does Steve Carell star in?

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

The small print:

• This competition is open to the UK only
• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close on Thursday the 21st of October  at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

Well this has made my afternoon! I just got an email from the people who can make things happen at Universal Studios – the design team. They told me that something funny seemed to be happening on YouTube and that Despicable Me has taken over?!

Intrigued, I clicked the link (click the Minion image to take you there) to get an Error 404 Page NOT Found and then a Minion came to my help to try and remove a mark on my computer screen. After smashing my compuiter screen, the minions decided to start creating the Despicable Me YouTube page. No idea what I’m talking about? Well, click here and you see what I mean!

While you’re watching, click pause a few times when the trailer loads to see the Minions start doing some funky things!

Massive credit to the guys from HyperHappen.com and Feref.com who have made what I can only describe as the best marketing exercise for a movie I’ve ever seen.

Despicable Me is released tomorrow, 15th October and you can read our review here or check out all our coverage here.

After watching the trailer, check out the other links including a Flash Mob for the movie with an army of minions! So cool! If all this doesn’t put you in a good mood, nothing will!

And then I click another link to find the below! IT’S SOOOO FLUFFY!!!

Despicable Me is coming out next week (Friday, 15th October to be exact) and while I was watching the trailer for the movie again recently, I got hooked on the ‘does this count as annoying’ bit  of the trailer by character Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher) and it made me laugh so much! It got me thinking that maybe we could do a feature on the cutest and creepiest kids in movies.

Since Despicable Me is an animated film, I’ve gone down the line of animated for the cuties and live action for the creepies! Have a little look down the list and then feel free to let me know who I’ve missed in the comments section below.

CUTE  ANIMATED KIDS

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Does this count as annoying?!

Agnes (Despicable Me)

Lets start with Agnes since she’s the inspiration for the post. She’s cute and you just want to squidge her! We don’t know masses about her as yet other than the fact she had rather big cheeks and wants to slap them!

Cute quotes:

• Does this count as annoying?!

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I may look cute but nothing scares me!

Monsters Inc.’s most fearless character has to be Boo who throughout the entire movie, doesn’t seem phased by anything. Whether it’s being intimidated by giant monsters or by travelling through a maze of endless doors!

Cute quotes:

• Mowki Kowski.

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Squirt (Finding Nemo)

Dudeeeeeeeeeeeee

OK, he’s not a kid so technically doesn’t fit in this category but we don’t care, as there’s no denying that he’s the cutest turtle in the ocean!

Cute  Quotes:

• Good afternoon. We’re gonna have a great jump today. Okay, first crank a hard cutback as you hit the wall. There’s a screaming bottom curve, so watch out. Remember: rip it, roll it, and punch it.
• Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!

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I'm not afaid of dust bunnies

Just look at her, how can you deny that she’s one of the cutest kids in animated film?! Miyazaki’s talent for creating beautiful, dreamlike worlds and populating them with vivid characters is legendary and little Mei is a curious child, coping with her family’s difficulties with the help of some peculiar and equally cute creatures.

Wide-eyed, fearless and full of life, she is one of Miyazaki’s many charming creations, she makes us feel childlike again.

Cute Quotes:

I’m not afraid of dust bunnies! (erm…. OK!)

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My best friend is an Iron Giant - is that normal?!

I’ve had a good old think and decided that good old Hogarth should make an appearance. Why’s he cute? Well, having the name Hogarth for a start! His best friend turns out to be an Iron Giant who is also a little bit cute – isn’t he?!!

Hogarth is also cute after doing his best to hide the giant and giving him lots of metal objects to eat as well as teaching him to speak! He’s probably the outside of the group but I think there’s a lot of love out there for him!

Cute Quotes:

• He’s a giant robot. It’s a little undignified.
• Welcome to downtown Coolsville! Population: us.
• You are who you choose to be! (darn right!)

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Look at me like that again and I'll kick your butt!

Jack-Jack is only a tiny little baby but don’t let that fool you. He’s not to be messed with. Blessed with super powers that he’s acquired from his parents, Jack-Jack could kick your butt whenever he wanted to. If you’ve not found them yet, check out the extra features on The Incredibles DVD where we get to see exactly what happened to Jack-Jack when he’s left with his babysitter in a short called Jack-Jack Attack!

Cute Quotes:

• (About Jack-Jack) Violet: We act normal, mom! I want to *be* normal! The only normal one is Jack-Jack, and he’s not even toilet trained!

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Ponyo (Ponyo)

Can someone take this Tesco shopping bag off my head please!

This entry can also include Sōsuke, the small boy Ponyo befriends in another of Miyazaki’s masterpiece from Studio Ghibli. The transformative power of love is central to this charming fairytale whose magic and imagination is matched by the wonderful characters who lead us through the trials of a little child of the sea who wants to become human.

Miyazaki’s talent for creating engaging young characters are honed to perfection here and if you don’t fall in love with Ponyo then you truly have no heart at all.

Cute Quotes:

• Ponyo loves Sosuke!
• Ponyo wants ham! (of course she does!?)

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Was my name chip before I was a cup?! If so, am I missing my nose?!

Again, technically not a kid in the movie BUT (spoiler warning) becomes one at the end and was originally a child therefore is completely allows in this feature! Chip is one of the reasons this story ends well, without him, the Beast would have been The Beast forever!

Cute quotes:

Chip: Are they gonna live happily ever after, Mama?

Mrs. Potts: Of course, my dear. [Gives a contended sigh] Of course.

Chip: [pause] Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?

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CREEPY REAL KIDS

OK, now we move onto the creepy kids and this is where it gets rather interesting! Again, let us know who we’ve missed in the comments below!

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Danny Lloyd (The Shining)

"I think i swallowed a fly!"

If this kid doesn’t freak you out then no one will! He rides a bike around his house, his dad coined one of the most famous horror movie phrases of all time ‘Here’s Jonny!’ and he freaks me out every time I see him!

Creepy Quotes:

• Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.
• You mean they ate each other up?
• His dad says “Here’s Johnny!” – obviously he may grow into that one day!

What else is there to say?! Creepy!!

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"Erm, excuse me Bruce, I seem unable to stop seeing dead people!!"

Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment – The Sixth Sense)

When you think of creepy kids in movies, Cole Sear aka Haley Joel Osment isn’t too far down the list from his performance in  The Sixth Sense! It’s probably not his faul;t that he’s so freaky in this movie but when you read the scary quotes, you may understand why! I mean, when you grow up seeing dead people walking around wherever you go or get shut in cupboard with them at the local bullies birthday party, you know you’ve got problems! Or even while eating your cereal and watching every single cupboard door and drawer get opened while you’re trying to enjoy your coco-pops isn’t a really what i would call, ‘good times’!

Creepy Quotes:

• I see dead people!!!!!!

I don’t think we need any more than that – creepy!

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Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick – The Omen 2006)

"You'll pay for making me have this haircut!!"

He watches people while they sleep and has what looks like an upside-down bowl has been placed on his head when in fact that is his haircut! Damien aka Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick  does a fantastic job in the 2006 version of The Omen of freaking the heck our of everyone watching with his pure freakishness! Because of all those different ways of saying freaky, he goes in the list!

Check out this image of him at the premiere of the movie, he even looks freaky here! Shouldn’t someone have told him he could break character once the cameras stopped rolling?!

Creepy Quotes:

• Did I scare you, Mommy? I didn’t mean to. (he blatantly did!)
• They’re afraid… (too right they are, look at your haircut!)

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"Please please please can I get rid of these stupid pig-tails?!"

And from one freaky-ass hair cut to another. She may look all sweet and innocent in this image but no, those pigtails tell a different story! Emily Callaway  played by the sweet and innocent Dakota Fanning in Hide & Seek might be all nicey nicey on the outside but on the inside she’s creeptastic! The quotes tell us all we need to know!

Creepy Quotes:

• Emily: It was Charlie. (LIES!)
• Emily: You’re gonna make him mad.
• Emily: Can you see now, Daddy? (That you’re a creepy character?! Obama said it best – YES WE CAN!)

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Sadako (Inou Rie – Ring)

"If only I didnt have this blasted fringe!"

It’s obviously something to do with haircuts. Here’s the third in a row with completely physcho hair. I mean, do you think if they got it cut it might make them that little more appealing?! Maybe not in the case of Sadako aka Inou Rie from Ring (1998). This is the movie that spawned American remake, The Ring and few years later and Sadako does her best to freak you right and and does a great job doing it! I mean, she crawls out of a television for Pete’s sake! What’s not creepy about that?!

Creepy Quotes:

• Well, she doesn’t really say much…. just crawls out of TVs but we still give that a 10/10 on the creepy scale!

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Kayako (Takako Fuji – The Grudge)

"Does my face look creepy with all this makeup on?! Ummmm.... yes, it does!"

Quite possibly the freakiest movie I’ve ever seen has to be The Grudge. Why’s it freaky? Well, just look at that flippin image on the right and it tells you all your need to know! The quote section for Kayako akaTakako Fuji will be rather short since there are no words spoken by this scarily twisted and uber creepy little girl, all she does is make some sort of clicking noise off camera which scares me half to death every time I watch it – the solution to my problem, don’t watch it!

Unlike her friend above, she doesn’t have a fringe or at least no one that we’d want. All she needs to do is grown it out a bit and it could hide that terribly scary face! Alternatively, removing all that white makeup could assist her in making more friends rather than scaring them half to death….. and then killing them!

Creepy Quotes:

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee (tranlates to clickkkkkkkkkk clickkkkkkkkkk clickkkkkkkkkk or something like that!)

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Ray Boyd (Jonathan Lipnicki – Jerry Maguire)

"I look really cute, but have you seen that film Benjamin Button? I'm actually 90 years old!!"

OK, thought I’d end on a controversial one! Most people would argue that Ray aka Jonathan Lipnicki from Jerry Maguire deserves to be in the ‘cute’ category bit there are a couple of reasons why he can’t go in there.

1. He looks a little bit like an old man which is just weird!
2. He says the ‘f’ word (see quotes) and any 4 year old (or however old he was in the movie) that says the ‘f’ word, can’t go in the ‘cute’ category!

Ray may look cute on the surface but he’s a devious little chap who knows when mum is coming and going. He knows exactly how long he can sit on the sofa with Jerry (Tom Cruise) shooting the breeze before mum comes back in from the kitchen. You watch it next time you see Jerry Maguire, that kids has a sixth sense (see above for Cole Sear) and cannot be trusted!

Creepy quotes:

• D’you know that the human head weighs 8 pounds? (how would he know that if he wasn’t creepy?!)
• D’you know that bees and dogs can smell fear? (see above!)
• D’you know that my next door neighbor has three rabbits? (he’s never seen them, he just knows!!)
• Ray: You said f**k. / Jerry Maguire: Uh… yeah… I…  / Ray: Don’t worry. I won’t tell. (of course he wont, Creepy little chap!)

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So there we have it, the cutest and creepiest kids in movies! I’ve obviously missed hundreds of them so tell us in the comments below who are your favourite cutest, and creepiest kids in movies!!

Despicable Me is the new animated movie from Universal Studios and the same producer who was behind the Ice age movies. It’s a film that has promised the same quality level set by Pixar and also to offer  some really interesting characters with the introduction of the ‘Minions’ that are no doubt going to be very popular with young and old.

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences and  flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of Minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.The world’s greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes

Despicable Me is an excellent film for both children and adults. I was thoroughly entertained with the story, the characters, the animation, the 3D and the humour and it is by far the closest any studio has come to matching the quality of Pixar films and if it wasn’t for Toy Story 3, Despicable Me would be my choice for best animated movie in 2010 and it’s a film that probably put some of the biggest smiles on my face this year.

The humor of Despicable Me ranges from silly, very funny, subtle and darkly adult orientated. All are going to love the Minions humour with their slapstick and banter they have with each other, kids are going to enjoy the sillier jokes and fart gags and adults are going to enjoy the adult themed quips like one aimed at the Lehman bank or background jokes which are not obvious but are incredibly funny whn noticed, it adds a real sense of humour to the story and added to my enjoyment of it.

The vocal casting is spot on with the talents of Steve Carrell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig and Danny McBride. All deliver wonderful lines from an entertaining script and it never felt like the stars were hired for their name rather than their ability.

Despicable has got it so right. Steve Carrell’s Gru is delivered with almost effortless deadpan humor and villainy, the young girls are voiced without annoyance, Gru’s nemesis and younger upcoming villain called Vector, voiced by Jason Segel, is wonderfully energetic, Russel Brand lends his voice to Gru’s invention creating partner Dr. Nefario perfectly and the brilliant Will Arnett voices Mr. Perkins whose the President of The Bank of Evil that funds anything to do with evil plans in the world. All the characters work well together and I found them all highly entertaining which really benefits the movie.

At the films heart is the three young girls who are taken in by Gru and their story is important to give an emotional anchor to balance out the films zany events of Gru trying to conquer the world as the greatest ever villain. The girls anguish of living in a horrid orphanage and trying to find a family who will take them in and give them love is emotionally charged and with Gru being the latest to adopt them for his own benefit it adds an enjoyable relationship story to the proceedings. Despite being clueless at parenting and having numerous dangerous objects littered around his house (as well as his vast hidden lair under his home!), the bond that grows between the unlikely family is touching and is well handled as Gru slowly learns that the girls mean more to him than succeeding as a villain and the conclusion will no doubt bring a tear to some eyes.

The thing everyone will love from Despicable Me is the Minions, they are some of the greatest character creations i’ve enjoyed in many years and you could probably watch another 90 minutes of the little yellow guys in a film on their own. They are likely to get a bigger role in the planned sequel coming in 2013 or get their own spin off, it’s inevitable. Despite saying very little they have more personality than the new labour leader and provide more laughs than most comedy films I’ve seen this year.

The 3D is used to perfection, I would say it showed some of the best examples of 3D I’ve seen this year with notable scenes being a roller-coaster ride that Gru and the girls take during their bonding session. It’s shown in first person perspective so you get the feeling your riding it and with the added effect of 3D it elevates the scene into something beautifully crafted and enthralling as scenery flashes past you as you dive into the screen and twist around upside down and it really works well. The 3D is used effectively throughout giving layers of depth and to every scene and adds another plus to the quality of the film. A scene showing the size of Gru’s secret lair is a great example of the layers of depth as the camera pans downward showing the journey of Gru traveling down in his lift, its that shows all the activity taking place around him with minions working in different sections and its a real show off of the technology and skill of the animators.

Another exceptional use of 3D was during the closing credits so make sure you stick around for them. The glorious Minions get their own moment as they play a little game of “Who can come furthest out of the screen”, with the aid of a measuring tape they take turns in using a variety of items to leap off the screen in 3D coming further and further out at you, it’s so incredibly effective and hilarious and worth the entrance fee alone and if there are any 3D doubters who have yet to be convinced, I think Despicable Me may well be the film that converts you as to what 3D can offer.

Overall it’s not perfect but it’s an excellent example of adult/child friendly animation that works very very well. Funny, enjoyable and an utter success.

Despicable Me is out on 15th October.

THE MINIONS!

We’ve just been sent the brand new edition of the Film Distributors Association’s Cinema Scoop – October Edition by the awesome chaps at Upbeat. It’s hosted by Sian Welby and gives us a lovely round of the movies we can expect to see coming up in October. In this edition, they also show us what we can expect to see in the last three months of the year.

Movies featured in this edition include (click any of the following for our coverage including reviews of many of these): Despicable Me, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, A Town Called Panic, Back to the Future, Made in Dagenham, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, Easy A, Life as We Know It, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, RED, Takers, Paranormal Activity 2, Vampires Suck, The Social Network, Mr Nice and Africa United.

Movies coming later in the year featured include: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The American, Megamind, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and Tron: Legacy.

So as you can see, the next few months are going to be somewhat awesome at the cinema! Check out footage from all the above in the video below.

The BBC is reporting that cinema attendance in the U.S. is continuing to decline, which figures show to be their lowest in five years. While box office receipts may have risen by approximately $100 million this summer, Hollywood.com has shown that the number of tickets expected to be sold equalled a relatively pedestrian 552 million, the lowest since 2005.

Attributed to rising cinema costs, a comparable pattern has been recorded in UK cinemas, too. The principle culprit for such additional expense is the growing presence of 3D releases, with cinema-goer’s paying a (miraculously low) average ticket price of £5.10. This is an increase of 25 pence since 2009, 38 cents in the U.S. For 3D performances, however, cinemas often charge considerably more.

To date this year, Toy Story 3 is the only summer release to top the $400 million mark at the box office, with Iron Man 2 only managing $300 million and Shrek Forever After, Despicable Me and Inception pulling in $200 million each. Toy Story 3, however, undoubtedly benefited from its third dimension, leading to box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian deeming the higher revenue a “shallow victory”.

That said, the marked increase in ticket prices cannot be the only reason for reduced admissions on both sides of the Atlantic. Indeed, with each chain boasting their own loyalty scheme many customers are getting to see films at a semi-reasonable price.

Another reason noted by the BBC in relation to poor attendance is the non-event that was this year’s summer blockbuster season. With Sex and the City 2 having alienated its core audience while failing to attract the unacquainted, and the adaptation-fatigue evident from the undeservedly poor reception of Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the product on offer has been deemed unworthy of the general public’s hard earned money. “Audiences were underwhelmed, and they voted with their absence,” summed Mr Dergarabedian – presumably after another sell-out screening of Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Whatever the reason, it is clear that something is going to have to change before custom returns to the big screen.

The Expendables has topped the US box office in it’s opening weekend, taking an estimated $35M, surpassing all expectations, while proving these actions stars aren’t past their prime quite yet.

Ryan Murphy’s romantic comedy, featuring Julia Roberts and Javier Bardem, landed in second place with a solid $27.7M, while the buddy action-thriller The Other Guys slipped down to third, taking roughly $18M.

Christopher Nolan’s psychological thriller held strong at fourth place, taking $11.4M, benefiting from positive word-of-mouth and repeated viewings. Edgar Wright’s long-awaited, and highly anticipated, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World landed at fifth, opening to an extremely disappointing $10.5. Perhaps making it one of the year’s most anticipated failures?

Rounding off the top ten were Despicable Me ($6.7M), Step Up 3D ($6.6M), Salt ($6.4), Dinner For Schmucks ($6.3) and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore ($4M).

Figures provided by BoxOfficeMojo.