‘Tropic Thunder’ rumbles past ‘Dark Knight’
It took four of Hollywood’s biggest stars to take down Batman.The DreamWorks-Paramount comedy "Tropic Thunder," with Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Tom Cruise, debuted at No. 1 with $26 million, bumping "The Dark Knight" to second-place after four weekends on top, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Warner Bros. Batman flick pulled in $16.8 million to raise its total to $471.5 million. "The Dark Knight" passed the original "Star Wars" ($461 million) and now stands as No. 2 on the all-time domestic charts, behind only "Titanic" ($600.8 million).
Taking inflation into account, "The Dark Knight" still lags well behind both movies in actual tickets sold. "The Dark Knight" would need to gross about $900 million to match the number of admissions for "Titanic" and about $1.2 billion to equal "Star Wars."
Warner Bros. expects "The Dark Knight" to top out at about $530 million domestically, said Dan Fellman, the studio’s head of distribution.
"The Dark Knight" managed to fend off another "Star Wars" movie this weekend. The animated tale "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," also released by Warner Bros., opened at No. 3 with $15.5 million.
Families made up two-thirds of the audience for "Clone Wars," Fellman said. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, who has an executive producer credit on "Clone Wars," intended the movie as an introduction to his "Clone Wars" TV show debuting this fall on the Cartoon Network.
"It was targeted to a specific audience for specific reasons," Fellman said. "We accomplished that mission, and it will continue in another medium."
"Tropic Thunder" was the third R-rated comedy to open solidly in recent weeks, following "Pineapple Express" and "Step Brothers." Most summer comedies are rated PG-13, since an R rating limits the audience by requiring those younger than 17 to come with an adult.
R-rated comedy hits tend to open in the $20 million to $30 million range, lower than their PG-13 counterparts, but often have a longer shelf life in theaters as audiences spread the word. R-rated movies such as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" all opened around those levels and went on to become $100 million hits.
"We’re thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped," said DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan.
Stiller directed and co-wrote "Tropic Thunder," in which he stars with Downey and Black as pampered actors who find themselves in a real combat situation while shooting a Vietnam War epic in the Asian jungles. Cruise co-stars as a bald, egomaniacal studio boss.
"Tropic Thunder" raised its total to $37 million since opening Wednesday. The 20th Century Fox horror tale "Mirrors," starring Kiefer Sutherland as a security guard whose family is terrorized by spirits, opened at No. 4 with $11.1 million.
Woody Allen returned to commercial form with his Spanish romance "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which opened at No. 10 with $3.7 million. The movie played in narrower release, 692 theaters compared with 3,000-plus for "Tropic Thunder" and "Clone Wars."
Still, it opened far wider than most Allen films, which usually start in a handful of theaters and gradually expand.
"You never can predict how something’s going to do, but we felt that the movie is so strong, we just needed to get it out there," said Harvey Weinstein, whose Weinstein Co. released the movie under its distribution agreement with MGM. "The audience reaction is terrific."
Summit Entertainment’s "Fly Me to the Moon," a 3-D animated tale about three flies that tag along on the Apollo 11 moon landing, debuted in 452 theaters and took in $2 million, finishing at No. 12.
Coke’s marketing formula prevails in Olympics run-up
Coca-Cola has topped an in-depth ranking of Beijing Olympics sponsors according to how well their marketing performed in China before the Games started.
Three Chinese brands - dairy products company Yili, computer maker Lenovo and China Mobile - followed, ahead of fifth-placed Adidas.
The survey was conducted in April/May 2008 and is the eighth in a quarterly series started by CSM Media Research, the Beijing-based partner of TNS, in 2006.
It is based on the combination of a poll of 1,500 consumers in 10 Chinese cities, analysis of the creative treatments of Olympics advertising in China and associated media spend, and measurement of China’s TV audience for Olympics programming.
Coca-Cola has consistently headed the Olympic Performance index, apart from losing out to Yili in January 2007.
Matthew Brosenne, business development director at CSM, attributed the soft drinks giant’s dominance to its 86 years of Olympic marketing experience.
He said: "Coca-Cola is winning because it started early, has shown good strategic planning and regularly refines its work."
Apart from Coca-Cola, there are three global brands in the top ten compared to six domestic brands. Yili has held second place for the last five surveys while Lenovo and China Mobile have vied for third and fourth.
Adidas has mainly achieved fourth or fifth place since the survey began, with McDonald’s consistently in sixth. Visa has made some top ten appearances but has been squeezed out by Chinese brands in the latest ranking.
Olympic Performance index, April/May 2008:
1 Coca-Cola
2 Yili (Chinese dairy products company)
3 Lenovo (Chinese computer manufacturer)
4 China Mobile
5 Adidas
6 McDonald’s
7 Bank of China
8 Samsung (mobile phone category sponsor)
9 Tsingdao (Chinese beer brand)
10 Haier (Chinese white goods manufacturer)
Domino’s muscles in on Subway territory with hot sandwich launch
Domino’s, the worlds biggest pizza delivery chain, is making a move to expand its lunchtime business by launching a range of hot sandwiches in the United States, while McDonald’s is taking on Starbucks with premium coffee lines.
The sandwiches come in four flavours each priced at $4.99 and will be available in 4,000 US stores this week and throughout the entire chain by September 22.
The launch puts Domino’s in direct competition with the sandwich chains Quiznos, which offers home and office delivery, and Subway. It comes after the company reported a 5.4% drop in like-for-like sales in its US stores for the second quarter of the year.
Domino’s is pushing the quality of the sandwiches and has said it will be promoting the new range heavily, including prime-time television ads, a nationwide sampling campaign and web activity.
Patrick Doyle, president of Domino’s USA, said: "Some of our sandwich competitors use units that look like microwaves or toaster ovens to try and warm a few of their subs. We have high-end ovens in our stores that cost $30,000 and bake our sandwiches at 450 degrees. It gives us a huge quality advantage they can’t match.
"People fed up with brown-bagging or driving to pick up something cold, can save some time and gas by ordering a hot Domino’s sandwich for delivery to their home or office."
Domino’s has said that it is unlikely to stop at sandwiches and that it has other new products currently in development.
Separately, McDonald’s is trialling a new range of coffees that are a clear bid to lure fans of Starbucks into its restaurants. The McCafe Coffees come in flavours more usually associated with Starbucks - including options such as hazelnut, caramel and vanilla. It is also including the choice of skimmed milk.
At the moment, the coffees are on sale in some Ohio stores, promoted with the strapline "There’s a new barista in town".
McDonald’s has been expanding away from its traditional burgers and fries menu for several years, and now offers salads, deli sandwiches and chicken.
Its move into Starbucks territory comes after the coffee chain decided to close 600 stores in the US.
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London drops plan to bar size zero models
London Fashion Week organizers have dropped plans that likely would have barred many size zero models from the catwalk, saying industry executives around the world felt they were not needed.
Hilary Riva of the British Fashion Council said her international counterparts complained that proposals to make catwalk models pass a medical exam were expensive and intrusive.
"From our conversations with our international counterparts in New York, Milan and Paris it has become clear that they do not recognize the need for an international health certificate," Riva said in an open letter posted Wednesday on the council’s Web site.
The idea of having such certificates grew out of an industry commission set up last year to address public concerns that excessive dieting damages the health of models and creates unrealistic expectations for young women.
Pressure on the industry has intensified in recent years, particular after models in Brazil and Uruguay collapsed and died, apparently from medical complications arising from their ultra-thin stature. One of the models, Luisel Ramos, 22, collapsed soon after stepping off the runway in August 2006; months later, her 18-year-old sister also was found dead, each reportedly died of anorexia-linked heart attacks.
Some of the panel’s recommendations, including banning models under 16 from London Fashion Week catwalks and giving models a quiet room with food backstage, have been already been adopted. Riva said a medical exam and a certificate showing good physical and mental health would only work if it was adopted internationally.
The medical exams would have cost around $500 — the same as the average fee a model receives for appearing in one show in London Fashion Week.
Council spokeswoman Caroline Rush said the extra cost might have deterred some models from appearing in the London shows, particularly if they could go elsewhere without paying the fee.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America has said it did not believe medical exams benefits models. In 2007, it adopted a voluntary health policy, recommending that models under 16 not be used in runway shows, educating the industry about the early signs of eating disorders and having models get professional help if needed.
The Chambre Syndicale in Paris, which regulates the marketing for high fashion items in France, decided it could not be held responsible for the women who model the clothes. Italy’s Camera Nazionale della Moda, which organizes Milan’s fashion shows, approved its own initiative that does include certification of a model’s good health. It said it prefers self-regulation to a broader international proposal.
The next round of women’s wear runway shows, previewing styles for next spring, begins Sept. 5 in New York.
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Tiny Desserts are Big Time on Event Menus
Forget super-sizing. If you want to throw an on-trend party, make desserts small, and make a bunch. Here, caterers tell us all about the tiny dessert trend.
BIGGER ISN’T BETTER
Who says a small dessert can’t leave a big impression? Philip Owens, menu designer for Rhubarb Food Design Ltd. in London, says grouping tiny desserts together creates both visual impact and a talking point for guests. Kristy Choo, pastry chef and owner of Jin Patisserie in Los Angeles notes that besides being attractive, smaller portions allow guests to taste a wide variety of desserts and are “easy to pick up and eat in a casual setting.” And Kay Benson, general manager of Boston-based East Meets West Catering, cites one huge reason guests like their sweets small: “Less calories!”
AND PRESENTING … DESSERT!
Even a meal’s downsized finale can offer flourish. A shot glass makes an attractive showcase for desserts with layers of different colors, textures and flavors, Choo says. For example, she fills small glasses with layers of mascarpone cream, peach compote, passion fruit jelly and almond crumble. Benson’s company opts for another drinking vessel to present dessert; her company serves chocolate mousse in an espresso cup with a wafer-thin, zigzag-shape cookie stuck in the mousse to represent the espresso steam.
Rhubarb likes to set desserts spinning. An 18-inch-high revolving carousel smack-dab in the center of the table serves up desserts in individual goblets. A Rhubarb carousel might offer sloe gin ice cream, pistachio brulee with a chocolate wafer, and caramel-glazed apple and raisin tartlets. For the May “Sex and the City” movie world premiere in London, Rhubarb created an 18-inch rhinestone-studded carousel that included Cosmopolitan-flavored granitas, the signature cocktail of the famous foursome.
And sometimes dessert needs no accessories — the dessert itself makes a visual statement. East Meets West is known for its coconut “sushi,” where chocolate replaces the seaweed wrapper, a coconut mixture serves as the rice and dried fruit takes the place of the fish.
Choo has dreamed up an equally creative presentation. She notes, “It has not been done yet — it’s just in my imagination” but hopes to make her dream presentation a reality with the opening of her new store this summer. The presentation will include cone-shaped glasses containing desserts suspended from a bonsai tree with clear strings.
FLAVOR FAVE
Sweets get a little salty with the hottest dessert trend: fleur de sel sea salt caramel. Choo offers a truffle of fleur de sel caramel coated in dark chocolate. Also popular are her tea-infused truffles, she says, especially the jasmine tea flavor.
And caterers continue to look back to move desserts forward. East Meets West’s concocts retro house-made “Oreos” dipped in chocolate and bite-size whoopie pies with such sophisticated flavors as vanilla marshmallow buttercream sandwiched between lemon cookies or mocha buttercream with chocolate cookies. Popular retro treats in the United Kingdom have a decided British bent. Owens receives requests for “tiny rhubarb fools scented with rose water, tiny treacle tarts with clotted cream ice cream, and tiny sherry trifles.” Another popular twist on a British classic includes the hot new flavor hibiscus, which is featured in Rhubarb’s wild hibiscus and rhubarb jelly with champagne brulee and kir royale granita.
WHO LEFT THE CUPCAKES OUT?
Although event pros have predicted the end of the cupcake craze, the public can’t seem to get enough of the pint-size sweets. So what’s the current word on the cupcake?
Both Owens and Benson say they still get plenty of requests for cupcakes, with flavors and designs becoming more extravagant, Benson notes. Costs range between $4 to $10 a pop. But Choo sums up her feelings bluntly: “I am not into cupcakes
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