Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever been sick? They may play Secret Service agents in new thriller Vantage Point, but in real life, neither Dennis Quaid nor Matthew Fox wish to wear the badge. “Most of the time, you’re just sitting in a hallway making sure someone doesn’t come down it. It’s not really interesting work, but in the movies, it’s great to be a Secret Service agent,” Dennis told reporters at the film’s New York premiere. Matthew added: “It’s amazing and admirable that someone would give their life for someone else’s in a job and in a professional manner. I could never do this for real. I’d only take a bullet for my family.” The Lost star revealed he didn’t have much time to prepare for the role, as he began filming Vantage Point only a day after wrapping up another project. “Dennis did some preparation earlier, but I was working on another film and there was a 24-hour turnaround between both films, so I got thrown into the midst of it,” he admitted. “We had consultants on the film at all times, so we could ask questions, and to make sure we got the logistics and the outward appearance of these guys.” Matthew added: “And then, Dennis and I had to work quite a bit on finding a history between these two guys, which was cool.” Vantage Point tells the story of an assassination of a president, from various perspectives. It’s released in the UK on March 7.
STARRING in Lost, possibly the most surreal television mystery since Twin Peaks, has made Matthew Fox a much better actor. Off screen, that is. Matthew Fox knows how to keep a good secret. He says he is forever pleading ignorant when fans — and sometimes fellow cast members — try to extract juicy details about the show’s many secrets from him. And often, Fox says, he’s not giving those people the whole story. The Channel 7 series about survivors of a plane crash marooned on a mysterious island has won legions of fans around the world and triggered countless theories about where the castaways actually are — purgatory, a computer game and a scientific experiment being some of the more outlandish suggestions. As a friend of the show’s creators, JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof, Fox has occasionally been privy to plotlines ahead of time, but is sworn to secrecy. LOS ANGELES (AP) - The political thriller ‘Vantage Point’ secured the top spot at the weekend box office, earning an estimated $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The previous No. 1 movie, 20th Century Fox’s ‘Jumper,’ dropped to second with $12.7 million, raising its domestic total to $56.2 million in two weeks. Paramount’s family fantasy ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ was a close third with $12.6 million. Disney’s dance saga ‘Step Up 2 The Streets’ and Warner Bros.’ romantic comedy ‘Fool’s Gold’ rounded out the top five. ‘Vantage Point,’ a Sony (NYSE:SNE) Pictures action-drama about a presidential assassination seen from the viewpoints of different characters, included a star-studded ensemble cast that featured Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox as Secret Service agents. ‘Audiences really love it when they get a summer-style popcorn movie at a time of the year when they don’t expect it,’ said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. The studio said ‘Vantage Point’ appealed to a broad audience — 52 percent of moviegoers were male and half were under age 30. ‘It’s fresh with lots of twists and turns. Audiences become very invested in it,’ said Rory Bruer, Sony president of distribution. The only other new release to crack the top 10 was the Jack Black comedy ‘Be Kind Rewind,’ which took in $4.1 million and was tied at No. 7 with ‘Juno.’ The Fox Searchlight pregnancy comedy has rung up $130 million since opening 12 weeks ago. Paramount Vantage’s oil saga ‘There Will Be Blood’ moved up two slots to No. 10 with $2.6 million for a total of $35 million in nine weeks. The weekend’s other two debuts, Lionsgate’s (NYSE:LGF) ‘Witless Protection’ and MGM’s ‘Charlie Bartlett,’ came in at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively. Box office revenues were down for the second straight week. The top 12 movies grossed $90 million, down 23 percent from last weekend and 10 percent from the same weekend in 2007. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday. 1. ‘Vantage Point,’ $24 million. 2. ‘Jumper,’ $12.7 million. 3. ‘Spiderwick Chronicles,’ $12.6 million. 4. ‘Step Up 2 the Streets,’ $9.8 million. 5. ‘Fool’s Gold,’ $6.3 million. 6. ‘Definitely, Maybe,’ $5.2 million. 7. ‘Juno,’ $4.1 million. 7. ‘Be Kind Rewind,’ $4.1 million. 9. ‘Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins,’ $4 million. 10. ‘There Will Be Blood,’ $2.6 million.
According to Box Office MoJo Vantage Point is in the lead to be the top grossing movie this weekend. I just got back from seeing it and really, really enjoyed it. |
