Movie News

Tuesday, 31 January 2012 17:23

Written by Editor

'The Grey' tops box office with $20 million

Liam Neeson's "The Grey" topped the weekend box office with $20 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday, continuing the actor's success as an action star. The Alaskan survivalist thriller opened above expectations with a performance on par with previous Neeson thrillers "Taken" and "Unknown." Those films, both January-February releases, opened with $24.7 million and $21.9 million, respectively. But the R-rated "The Grey," which has received good reviews, drove home the strong appeal of Neeson, action star. It's an unlikely turn for the 59-year-old Neeson, previously better known for his dramatic performances, like those in "Schindler's List" and "Kinsey."

"Liam is a true movie star, period," said Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films. "My guess is that Liam Neeson in action thrillers would work just about any time of year."

It's the second release for the newly formed distributor, created by theatre chains AMC and Regal.

Kate Beckinsale just gets hotter and hotter

Kate Beckinsale is back as the vinyl-clad vamp Selene in the newly released "Underworld Awakening."  Beckinsale sat out the third film in the series, 2009's "Rise of the Lycans," because it was a prequel that took place before Selene was born.  But she suited up again for the fourth instalment, which finds her caught in a new war between vampires and humans.

Selene – death-dealer turned girlfriend of Michael Corvin, the only lycan/vampire hybrid ever – is on the run and about to get out of the city with her lover when a bunch of Judge Dredd-style anti-monster cops show up and blow their plans all to hell. Selene wakes up in a freezer box in a lab and promptly busts out, killing the usual dozen guards along the way, only to discover that it’s now a decade later, both the lycan and vampire clans are all but wiped out and Michael is long gone.