Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has appointed Katherine Oliver as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, New York. She replaces Patricia Reed Scott, who held the post from 1983 to ’90 and from ’94 to 2002. Prior to her appointment, Oliver served as general manager of Bloomberg Radio and Television International….Director Dave Borthwick, founder of and principal in the Bristol, U.K.-based studio Bolexbrothers, has joined ka-chew!, the Hollywood-based live-action commercial division of animation studio Klasky Csupo, for exclusive representation in the U.S.….Bicoastal Villains has added a pair of comedy directors to its roster: Axel Laubscher and Bjorn Stein….John Bonito, a director/creative at NBC’s in-house agency, has secured representation as a spot helmer with Hollywood-based Level 7….Director Nick Egan, fomerly of now defunct Cognito Films, is working out of Los Angeles-based Arsenal. Most recently, he helmed a music video for Splender’s "Save It for Later," which Arsenal produced….Editor Jack Douglas has joined Crew Cuts/West, Santa Monica. He comes over from Santa Monica-based The Mint….The Whitehouse has added a couple of editors to its roster in Chicago: Melanie Barter, formerly of The Whitehouse, Santa Monica; and Patrick Burns, formerly of Northern Lights Post, New York. Burns is slated to join The Whitehouse effective July 1. The Whitehouse maintains full-service shops in London, New York, Chicago and Santa Monica….Director Jesus Rodriguez has signed with International Legacy Films, a Los Angeles-based spot/music video house under the aegis of executive producer Michelle Colbert….Cibolo Films, San Antonio, Texas, has signed director Elyse Lewin for representation in the U.S. Hispanic market. Lewin continues to maintain her Los Angeles-based Lewin Pictures for general-market assignments….Barbara Gans Russo, formerly head of broadcast production at Publicis, New York, has been named president of New York operations for The Albert Company, a provider of celebrity talent and popular music rights for advertisers….Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman have launched Sea Spot Run, a commercial/music video shop in North Miami….
“Dog Man” Still Has Bite, Tops Weekend Box Office For 2nd Straight Week
On a quiet winter weekend at the box office, DreamWorks Animation's "Dog Man" chased its own tail, repeating as the top movie in theaters.
The animated Universal Pictures release, adapted from Dav Pilkey's popular graphic novel series, collected $13.7 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. Both new releases – the Ke Huy Quan action movie "Love Hurts" and the Valentine's Day-themed slasher "Heart Eyes" – were left nipping at the heels of "Dog Man."
Hollywood often largely punts Super Bowl weekend to the small screen. Last year, Apple's much-derided "Argylle" debuted on the same weekend. Instead, the movie industry spends more energy pitching its blockbusters in trailers for the huge football audience on TV.
It wasn't a banner weekend for "Dog Man." It fell steeply, dropping 62% in it second weekend. But with a production budget of $40 million, "Dog Man" has already tallied $54.1 million domestically in two weeks.
Coming in second was Spyglass Media Group's "Heart Eyes," released by Sony. The horror-rom-com mashup earned $8.5 million from 3,102 locations. Reviews have been good for the film, directed by Josh Ruben and starring Oliva Holt and Mason Gooding, though audiences were less impressed. Moviegoers gave it a "B-" CinemaScore. Spyglass made "Heart Eyes" for $18 million.
"Love Hurts," the action comedy from 87North Productions ("John Wick," "The Fall Guy"), debuted with a paltry $5.8 million in 3,055 theaters. In his first big movie role since his Oscar-winning comeback in "Everything All at Once," Ke Huy Quan stars as a mild-mannered realtor with a hitman past. Ariana DeBose co-stars. It, too, was modestly budgeted at $18 million. Audiences, however, mostly rejected the movie, giving "Love Hurts" a... Read More