At the movies
A horror sequel (“The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death“) and an IMAX title (“Jerusalem“) are among the new arrivals for this first weekend of 2015.
The titles (all subject to change) arriving soon at a theater near you include:
“Jerusalem: IMAX,” with Benedict Cumberbatch, who is enjoying rave reviews with the outstanding World War II drama “The Imitation Game,” narrating an unrated documentary on some archaeological experts.
They delve into the history and religion of Jerusalem and when it came to be a nation. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 100 percent of critics had positive reactions.
Daniel Ferguson made his directing debut.
“The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death,” with Helen McCrory and Jeremy Irvine in a PG-13 chiller that unfolds four decades after the original haunting of Eel Marsh House and follows some youngsters as they mistakenly awaken an evil force in the residence.
That’s never good! British filmmaker Tom Harper (“War Book”) directed.
The numbers are in
The industrious folks at Box Office Mojo have spent the last 12 months carefully tracking theatrical profits and losses, hits and misses.
The popular website recently published its list of 2014’s top domestic grossers (covering the U.S. and Canada only) with, to no one’s surprise, comic-book heroes and fantasy themes dominating.
It was a particularly good year for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” based on a little-known Marvel Comic.
The PG-13 title, starring Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana, arrived out of nowhere on Aug. 1 and became an overnight smash thanks to word-of-mouth endorsements.
“Guardians” grossed more than $330 million for the top position.
Sources include Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes, the Internet Movie Database, Google and the Hollywood Reporter.
Lou Gaul is the retired film critic for Calkins Media.