Final update, Monday, 2:50 PM: In its second weekend, Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron hauled in another $77.7M, which ended up being a 59% drop in its second frame. That is actually a strong hold considering that 15% of its first weekend gross came from the action hero cluster flick’s $27.5M Thursday preview…

The good news for Specialty Box Office is that the dollar is strong, so as execs head to France this week for the Cannes Film Festival, they can toss back a few (or more) rosés and try and forget this weekend — or just blame it on Avengers: Age Of Ultron. There are a couple of somewhat silver linings. Tribeca Film’s…

The road to bringing the Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigal Breslin movie Maggie to the screen was a tortured, yet persistent five-year push that involved a NASA worker, a first-time director, the backwoods of Louisiana, some interesting local characters and an art department budget of only $8,000. At one point, the…

Avengers: Age Of Ultron will continue to dominate the box office this weekend, but it can’t be said there aren’t plenty of other options for audiences who aren’t easy prey for the studios. Still, some blockbuster stars will tempt the specialty crowd this weekend: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin star in…

I didn’t find the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger was starring in a zombie-themed movie very surprising, but as I say in my video review above, what’s really an eye opener is that the movie is honest, emotional and understated. And so is Arnold. This may be the most subtle work he has ever done in movies, pre or post…

Here’s the first trailer for Maggie, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in a quite un-Ahneld-like role. So the zombie virus has landed, and the erstwhile Governator’s daughter gets it. But she isn’t a full-blown undeadster yet. The doctor lets him take her from the hospital, but with a warning: When she starts showing…

The Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled its slates in the Spotlight, Midnight and Special Screenings sections for the 14th edition of the NY-based fest, which runs from April 15-26. Among the highlights are a slew of world premieres including the documentary Mary J. Blige: The London Sessions, followed by a concert…

In a preemptive deal that knocked it out of the Toronto premieres line-up, Lionsgate has acquired North American rights to apocalyptic thiller Maggie. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator and Expendables franchises, Total Recall, Batman And Robin), Oscar-nominated Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Ender's Ga…

The erstwhile Governator continues his showbiz renaissance playing a father helping his daughter comes to terms with her slowly becoming a zombie. Variety reports that Arnold Schwarzenegger will star in Maggie, based on the Black List script by John Scott 3. Henry Hobson will direct the unusual take on the…

Maggie, the John Scott 3-penned spec script about the six-week metamorphosis of a 16-year-old teenage girl into a zombie, is back on the market. The spec was close to a deal with Timur Bekmambetov (I'd heard it closed), but I'm told the exclusive negotiation has ended without a deal in place. Bekmambetov planned to…

EXCLUSIVE: Timur Bekmambetov has won a spec auction for Maggie, a script that sparked a spirited auction today, with six bidders. Bekmambetov will produce a film that has a script by John Scott 3, and vfx wiz Henry Hobson set to direct. Why did so many bidders spark to the script? Aside from offering some inventive…