Cory Edwards, former director of contemporary Christian music videos, just watched his first feature film, the animated Weinstein picture Hoodwinked!, win the weekend box office race.
Congratulations, Cory! You’re in very rare company, being the first professing Christian to make a #1 movie since Scott Derrickson did it with The Exorcism of Emily Rose!
Of course, being #1 is just a blessing. What really matters is whether or not the movie is good. I’ve seen Hoodwinked!, and I recommend it. It’s a hoot AND a holler, and it features the most memorable mountain goat the screen has ever seen.
And speaking of popular movies based on stories written by believers…
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be available for your DVD player on April 4, according to NarniaWeb.
And speaking of films made by Walden Media, here’s a peek at what they’re doing next… (Hint: Any fans of Isabel Allende out there?)
Hmmm, well, Hoodwinked might be #1 if you include Monday as part of the weekend (and if the estimates hold). I gather you Americans had a holiday today? Is it one of those don’t-go-to-work statutory holidays like Christmas or New Year’s Day? Or is it more like, say, Father’s Day?
At any rate, if you look at the Friday to Sunday frame only, Hoodwinked was apparently #3, maybe #2.
Still, congratulations to Cory indeed for doing remarkably well with a low-budget cartoon in a weekend crowded with new releases!
Well, there is no mail and schools are closed.
Jeffrey, have you seen the movie “Chillicothe?” I believe that that was directed by Cory’s brother Todd, who also is the star. And Cory is in the movie too. Even if it was a low budget production and needed a bit of editing, I appreciated some of its these, particularly how to move out from ennui. Did I just use that word?
P.S. I just noticed that Todd Edwards is the co-director:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0250410/
Congratulations to both of them on their success!
The link for the upcoming Walden project takes me to a press release hyping Allende’s work as, according to Walden Media executive vice president of production Alex Schwartz, “ideally suited to become successful family franchises.” I admire Walden’s intentions, but it’s amusing to see the release supported by on online add for “sexy singles,” featuring two huge breasts.
That’s because the link is not to Walden Media’s website, but to ComingSoon.net.
Yeah, I know. I wasn’t outraged or anything. I just found it amusing, indicative of the challenges of promoting a company as “family friendly” in the online world.
FWIW, it’s official now: The #1 movie of the weekend, whether we reckon it by three days or four days, is Glory Road, not Hoodwinked.
For the three days, they are separated by $1.2 million (and in fact, Hoodwinked comes in third, behind Last Holiday). But for the four days, they are separated by only $48,187!
Peter, any idea why the link to the box-office numbers mentions that “Hoodwinked” is in WEEK 5 of release? Has it been playing in a limited run?
It “opened” in Los Angeles for a limited run (at Grauman’s Chinese) in December, making it eligible for Academy Award consideration.