Juan Jose Campanella, the Argentine who won the  foreign-language Oscar in 2009 for his film The Secret in Their Eyes, has decided to make his first animated feature.  His film has been titled Metegol, or Foosball, and only has a budget of $9.75 million if you can believe that.

The film “follows an underdog who, with the help of foosball figures that come to life, must take on a star soccer pro to save their village.”

I for one think this is an interesting storyline.  It reminds me of The Indian in the Cupboard except there seems to be a lot more at risk if an underdog has to challenge a pro to save his village.  I wonder how they are going to set up that village angle.

Campanella stated that “we are finding a visual style that we haven’t seen before in an animated movie. We are putting a lot of effort in that.”  I guess this is the only way you can make an animated feature for that budget.  Maybe it’s along the same lines as the Oscar nominated Irish feature, The Secret of the Kells.

According to Variety, Campanella brought in some top local talent to do the voiceovers for the film including “including Pablo Rago (“Secret”), Fabian Gianola (“The Super Agents: New Generation”), Miguel Angel Rodriguez (“Dad for a Day”), Horacio Fontova (“Goodbye, Dear Moon”) and David Masajnik (“Son of the Bride”).”

The film is expected to get a release at some point in 2012.

Source: Variety

Now then, I am all for parodies when they poke fun at something that has taken over the world to such a destructive degree that Twilight-mania has swept over all of us, so the newest addition to the spoof-genre that brought us such atrocities as Epic Movie and Superhero Movie wasn’t quite as unwelcome as the majority of its generic predecessors.

And it seems I wasn’t the only one to think that way, as Variety have now confirmed that Vampires Suck has posted figures of $4m for its midweek opening night across 2,978 locations.

The film is an unashamed spoof of the Twilight series, as well as other films and franchises that have reared their heads in the wake of Stephenie Meyer’s success, and stars Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter and Diedrich Bader.

Seems that the Wednesday opening strategy has paid off for Twentieth Century Fox, as they look to steal first march on the competition opening into the weekend, including Miramax’s The Switch, Warner Bros’ Lottery Ticket, The Weinstein Co’s Piranha 3D and Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang.

Somewhat incredibly, the film managed to oust The Expendables into second place on the Box Office purse list for the day, with the muscle-bound actioner posting just the $3 million – perhaps, as Variety suggest, it is something to do with those members of the young teen demographic who are looking for some brainless fun before they have to head back to school.

Personally, I think you have to look towards the fact that mimicry (and in this case mockery) is the greatest form of flattery- I would speculate that an awful lot of Twilight fans will be drawn to the film to see just how directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer have handled the object of their immeasurable obsession. I know if something very dear to me was being besmirched I’d want to see exactly how…

The news is even more impressive considering that it was reported yesterday that an incomplete version of the film which leaked to the net just over a month ago has now been viewed 100,000 times.

I haven’t seen it yet, but I do own an Unlimited Card for my local cinema, so when it does hit British screens I will likely donate a couple of hours to it. I can only hope that the film doesn’t follow exactly the same style as the Movie movies, which took the model for spoof comedy offered by Airplane and Hot Shots and mangled it, stripping story away to the point where all that is on show is a series of skits with limited appeal to anyone with half a brain for a good joke. If they can avoid that, then who knows what kind of figures Vampires Suck might make from British vamp-cynics when it makes its way over here.

Given the incredible effect Toy Story 3 has had on the market since release (both in terms of box office and merchandise), it isn’t exactly surprising that Variety are reporting that Disney have announced soaring profits for the third quarter of the year.

Incredibly, the studio posted profit figures of $123 million compared with a $12 million loss in the same period last year. Overall, revenue rose 16% to $10 billion, while profits increased 37% to $2.5 billion.

The uplift has been pinpointed as being down to the healthy box office returns of Iron Man 2 and the aforementioned Pixar offering, as well as healthy DVD and Blu-Ray sales for Alice in Wonderland (despite the, I think, unfair critical reaction). The big man on campus at the Mouse House, Robert Iger declared in a call to investors (who could probably be heard audibly unclenching in relief after usually more gloomy news) that their strategic focus on branded fare is paying off well for the studio.

The profits have even been healthy enough to take the hit of disappointing domestic purses for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and The Sorceror’s Apprentice (though the relatively impressive foreign performance of PoP will probably have helped soften that blow).

The figures look to be vindication for the studio’s decision to experiment with an early release of Alice (a month quicker than usual), as the swift release allowed the studio to cement already strong figures with the almost $67 million that the release’s three versions have brought in since June 1st.

Despite those impressive home release figures for Alice, Iger confirmed that Disney wouldn’t be resting on its laurels, having identified the DVD market as a difficult prospect:

The DVD market is challenged and will continue to be challenged… You’re dealing with a title-to-title environment. It’s very title driven. Collectability doesn’t seem to be as important as it once was other than for certain brands like Pixar.

In response, Iger confirmed that the studio would be actively seeking new approaches to attempt to continue their rude financial health. He said that Disney “will become aggressive in experimenting with new windows, including digital” to try and encourage more of a return out of the home entertainment market going forward.

According to Variety, Iger remained tip-lipped on the subject of the sale of Miramax, other than saying that the $660 million sale to the Ron Tutor headed consortium “reflects a focus on maximising our assets and devoting resources to branded entertainment with franchise potential” and adding that the sale will only have a minimal impact of future Disney profits.

Also within the Disney stable, ESPN and ABC both posted profits with the sports network’s performance buoyed by an increase of 31% in ad sales from their World Cup coverage, and ABC by overseas sales of Lost, Ghost Whisperer and Castle.

Further business reflected a relative uplift in attendance at the company’s theme parks, though it is still incomparable to periods before the economic downturn of last year, and overall the picture was relatively conservative:

Although profits decreased 8% to $477 million, revenue for Disney’s parks and resorts division increased 3% during the quarter to $2.8 billion. While attendance at Disney’s overseas parks, including Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, was stronger than expected, ticket sales in Orlando and Anaheim was still down 3% and 4% respectively, while the additional of a new ship to Disney’s cruise business also ate into profits.

However, the pricey addition of new attractions like the World of Color light and water show is “bringing record crowds” to Disney’s California Adventure park in Anaheim, Iger said. This month, Disney also raised ticket prices at Walt Disney World and Disneyland to move away from the practice of discounting to attract parkgoers.

Aside from the movie arms of the Mouse House, it looks like the company is enjoying the greatest return from its games wing. Following the recent acquisition of Playdom for $563 million and mobile gamemaker Tapulous, plus this week’s launch of  “World of Cars Online,” revenue from interactive media soared 74% to $197 million. Losses in the division were also cut by $10 million to $65 million against the same quarter a year ago.

Going forward, while remaining in the console game market- creating Disney-branded games across all formats, like the recently successful Toy Story 3 tie-in, Disney will devote more money to the burgeoning online gaming business, which Iger claimed will grow more than 30% a year:

We’re all aware of the rapid growth of social networks and the huge popularity of games on them… We feel it’s essential for us to have a presence. We now have a diversified games business to meet consumer interests.

So times are looking good at the minute for the company, and with the intelligent approach to new markets that Iger has outlined, they can only go from strength to strength.

Dan Dare, a British Sci Fi Pilot, looks to be heading to Warner Bros. so that the chief can get his turn on the big screen. Variety reports that the rights for the feature film are close to being theirs and that Sam Worthington is set to be the chief pilot hero of the Interplanet Space Fleet.

“Dan Dare,” created by Frank Hampson, first appeared as a comic in 1950 and centered on a gallant chief pilot of the Interplanet Space Fleet.  Time frame was the 1990s and the complex adventures were set on planets presumed to have extraterrestrial life.

Dare, described as the British equivalent of Buck Rogers, also appeared in radio programs and a TV series, “Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future.”

Rights were obtained from Dan Dare Inc. through Colin Frewin, who exec produces along with Dan Lin.

Basil Iwanyk, the guy who produced Clash of the Titans, is set to produce the film under Thunder Road which will be overseen by Kent Cubena.  The Warner Bros. executives are Sarah Schechter, Ollie Madden, and Matt Milam.

So for those of you that get excited over crazy stellar aviation, brace yourself for a whole new type of space adventure when it comes time for Dan Dare to take his maiden voyage onto the silver screen.

Well it’s official, the Barefoot Bandit is already getting his own movie.  The film is about the 19 year old outlaw Colton Harris-Moore who, up until recently, was on the run from the FBI, local police, and US Homeland Security for two years.

The film is going to be scripted by Dustin Lance Black (Milk) while David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) is in final negotiations to direct.

Variety states that:

The film will be based on a book proposal, “Taking Flight: The Hunt for a Young Outlaw,” by Bob Friel, who profiled Harris-Moore in the January edition of adventure magazine Outside.

Rough House Pictures will be producing the film along with 20th Century Fox so expect to see this film in theaters in two or three years, once more details about Harris-Moore’s adventures surface.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Barefoot Bandit, he is an American teenager that has been on the run from police after breaking into at least 100 residences in addition to stealing cars, planes and even a boat.  He actually is a very interesting character and has a huge following in North America because of his ability to evade the law and for occasionally leaving footprints in chalk after he commits a crime.

Harris-Moore also has a massive Facebook following, and has been compared to another young outlaw, Frank Abagnale Jr., who was played by Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me if You Can.”

If you want to read more about him, yahoo released an article the day he was caught in the Bahamas, it’s very fascinating.  After reading it I said to myself I would love to write this film but it looks like I won’t get the chance to do so.

Thanks to Variety for some of the info.

Not exactly surprising news coming out thanks to Variety that the Twilight hordes have added the latest film franchise addition, Twilight: Eclipse to the record books thanks to a phenomenally busy midnight release night across 12 territories on Tuesday night. Even taking into account the sheer fan madness that usually meets everything related to Stephenie Meyer’s vampire series, the scale of the figures is still breathtaking: the film took a staggering $3o million across some 4000 venues, including $1 million across 192 iMax engagements. That’s $30 million in three hours, on a TUESDAY night. Just imagine the vast numbers of vampire costumes, glitter and white make-up stores across the states must have sold earlier in the day.

The third Twilight film, Eclipse breaks the record previously set by its own predecessor, New Moon, back in November. That release night saw a still huge $26.3 million, and went on to make $72.7 million by the end of the opening day and a third-highest ever first weekend haul of $142.8 million. Estimations currently have Eclipse pulling in well above the $150 million mark over the upcoming 4th of July weekend, thanks to the extended five day holiday period. Now, that’s a lot of tickets.

The movie had already made its way into the record books  thanks to its giant 4,416 domestic (US) theatre run breaking Iron Man 2′s 4380 previous record earlier in the year. It has also helped the US’s largest movie ticket seller post a new record high of its own: of all advanced ticket sales on June 30th a staggering 91% of buyers were for Eclipse, helping the film become the hottest selling ticket in seller Fandango’s ten year history. While commentary is pointing to the veracious passion of the franchise’s female fans, it is highly likely that the movie is gaining further advantage from the increased action sequences- including the set-piece battle between The Newborns and The Wolfpack- which is no doubt aided by the involvement of 30 Days of Night’s helmer David Slade in the director’s seat.

Third place in the midnight money list goes to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which weighs in with $22 million, whose follow-up will surely be the only heavy-weight release that could come anywhere near to the Eclipse figure, especially with the 3D element coming into play.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will open nationwide in the UK next week from the 9th, with special midnight previews screening on Friday 2nd, and previews continuing throughout the weekend.

There are few people in the entertainment industry with the sway and remit of Neil Stiles and, at a time when the evolution of the publishing industry is at a crucial point, fewer still who stand a closer watch over this time of change.

Neil began his career working for the NME, and is currently President of the Variety Group; in this capacity he oversees the considerable and influential business operations of the Variety franchise including Variety, Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, and Variety.com.

We were lucky enough to sit down with Neil and get his take on his vision for Variety as the world of journalism continues to evolve to embrace new media, and also his work with BAFTA.

What made Variety stand out for you when you made your decision to take on the role of president?

It was the opportunity to work with an Iconic brand that is probably in the same league as some of the global greats like the FT, WSJ, The Times. They are a market leader in a fascinating industry on the verge of huge change.

You’ve only been on the Board of Directors for BAFTA LA for a few months but how have you found it and what does your role on the board entail?

I love the role, I’m working closely with many great people, and this year’s focus is around how can we develop much closer ties with London. It’s an exciting time, and I have picked up the chair of the New Media committee so plan on educating members around this important subject.

The world of journalism is constantly evolving. What’s your take on the future of print an online news and reportage?

Contrary to popular wisdom journalism is not dead. Society will always need people who are prepared to be the “ grit in the shoe”. We just have to figure out a way to ensure it is financed. I think that writers need to think more about what the readers will do with the information and start thinking of information in the context of a service.

Is there a conscious or subconscious pressure to dumb down the news to appeal to the wider Market?

Not here, Variety is absolutely focused on the entertainment professional. They are collectively very creative, intelligent and wealthy, We have to write to stimulate and challenge them. I think this is not however true in the consumer market.

How do you read your news? Print, online or a combination?

It’s a combination, often driven by where I am , what I am doing or how early my meetings start!

What is the key defining force driving Hollywood at the moment? Technology? Celebrity?

It’s not the power of the star as we are currently in a dip in terms of Star Vehicles, but it will come back. Right now it is economics that are driving Hollywood as people struggle to work out how to deliver compelling content and make money.

Has the globalisation of media consumption meant that you have changed your approach to your content?

Absolutely. The growing importance of non domestic box office has to be recognized in our stories. Helping Hollywood understand overseas numbers and issues is critical.

How has the world of journalism changed since your time at the NME?

I guess it depends on what perspective one takes. In some way not at all, it is still about telling people what someone else didn’t want them to know, or telling people what someone did want to know in an unbiased fashion. But I guess like all maturing industries you work harder for the same dollar than we did back in the day. I also think that there are now far more folk masquerading as journalists that are simply not driven by the same need for fairness, honesty and balance, the consumer will take time to realize this, but I do believe they will.

What is the future for the media industry?

Wow huge question, here’s my take,

1. Produce high quality content for less

2. Figure out the value proposition and deliver on that alone (stop doing things that readers don’t want)

3. Focus on your audience and stop trying to get someone else’s too.

4. Innovate and see what we do as part of the information need and not all of it.

HeyUGuys would like to thank Neil for taking the time to answer our questions.

Variety is reporting today that Universal Pictures are close to naming Carl Erik Rinsch as director for the forthcoming 47 Ronin movie. It will be Rinsch’s first feature, he is best known for being a director of commercials. The movie is set to be a big budget action movie along the lines of 300, so it is somewhat surprising they have chosen a first time director to helm the project. Rinsch was however in talks with the Scotts earlier this year about the possibility of directing the proposed Alien prequel, until Ridley relented and took up the reigns himself. You can read Variety’s story here.

 The 47 Ronin is a true story of masterless samurai that hatched a plot to avenge their master’s death in feudal Japan. Having read the story myself, i would be excited about the movie if it was’nt for the presence of Keanu Reeves in a lead role. The idea of Reeves as an 18th century samurai warrior is somewhat ludicrous, but i’ll attempt to keep an open mind.

 Bazmann.