ALSO OUT THIS WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT July 8, 2010 FILM LEAVING Kristin Scott Thomas gives a typically powerful performance in this French romantic thriller. LONDON RIVER Moving drama set in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, with Brenda Blethyn. WENT THE DAY WELL Rerelease for the classic wartime propaganda movie. DVD PERCY JACKSON & THE LIGHTING THIEF Fantasy fun a little too much in [...]
Cineworld revenues increase despite the World Cup finals June 30, 2010 BRITISH cinema chain Cineworld believes new 3D films from popular franchises like Shrek, Toy Story and Harry Potter will help it attract audiences after a downturn triggered by the World Cup. Cineworld, which runs 78 mainly multiplex cinemas, said revenues rose 3.7 per cent in the first half of its financial year, even though the [...]
Thriller machine Patterson is back with another gripper June 23, 2010 Private by James Patterson Century £18.99 It’s fair to say that James Patterson is to thrillers what McDonalds is to food: a fast-paced outlet for easy, tasty matter. Except, unlike the fast food chain, Patterson is a brand associated with sophisticated fare, as well as one that nourishes the mind and the human appetite for [...]
BLOOMSBURY MISSING POTTER MAGIC March 30, 2010 BRITISH publisher Bloomsbury Publishing posted a fall in full-year profit, but raised its dividend after a strong start to 2010. For the year ended 31 December, adjusted pre-tax profit was £7.71m, compared with £11.85m. Revenue fell 13 per cent to £87.22m, reflecting difficult trading conditions and tough comparison from last year when the paperback release [...]
The brainiest Brit in Hollywood March 24, 2010 JASON Isaacs likes to say that he travels by Tube to film premieres, where he goes undetected until he arrives. That’s when the fans – many of them female – explode in excited frenzy. For Isaacs treads that odd line between A-list celebrity, a face that a critical mass knows and cares about viscerally, and, [...]
How a wedding-phobic divorcee came to fall in love with marriage January 13, 2010 COMMITTED BY ELIZABETH GILBERT Bloomsbury, £12.99 ELIZABETH GILBERT shot to fame with her memoir Eat, Pray, Love – it was such a hit that a film version starring Julia Roberts is set for release later this year. At the end of that tale of recovery following a grisly, heart-rending divorce and a long period of [...]
Summer blockbusters and rise of 3D movies boost revenues for Cineworld January 7, 2010 CINEWORLD revenues were up more than 11 per cent last year after receiving a welcome boost from the rise in popularity of 3D movies. Box office takings were up by nearly 17 per cent and food sales were up by almost 10 per cent. These rises were enough to overshadow a drop in advertising revenue [...]
Blockbuster £1bn ticket takings for UK cinemas December 20, 2009 BRITISH cinemas will reach takings of more than £1bn this year, for the first time ever. Aggregate sales for the year stood at £985m last weekend, and the release of Avatar, directed by James Cameron, saw the £1bn barrier broken at the weekend. Blockbusters films like Slumdog Millionaire and the latest instalment of the Harry [...]
THE TIPSTER December 20, 2009 THE markets may have traded sideways for most of December but expect some volatility over the next couple of weeks. During the period between Christmas and New Year the markets can often move higher, which could benefit the FTSE 100. Capital Spreads offers a price of 5,245-5,246. The announcement of a new chief executive at [...]
MAGICAL DEAL December 16, 2009 British film company Pinewood Shepperton will push into Asia after signing an agreement with the Malaysian government to develop a studio in the south of the country. The firm, whose UK base was used for the Harry Potter films, said the deal with state-owned Khazanah Nasional Berhad would yield consultancy and licensing fees.