Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Story: Oskar Schell connects the clues he needs to solve left by his dad who died the World Trade Center. Adapted from a bestseller of Jonathan Safran Foer.

Hanks and Horn

Review: You can say that the adaptation was done like a book. In this case, the main character, Oskar, is also the narrator of the story. There are flashbacks during the movie that is relevant as the story progresses. It is not another 9-11 story because expounds more on interpersonal aspect of the characters. The casting brings together Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, John Goodman and Max Von Sydow. for the first time.

In my opinion, these four veterans are not the main actor but Thomas Horn. It is quite an adjustment since seeing them behind the spot light for Thomas who won the role of Oskar. Thomas and Oskar shares a lot in common. Both are equally intelligent and driven. Oskar can be compared to a gifted child because he always needs a hobby to concentrate on. In real life, Thomas actually won in Jeopardy Kids Week and since he is also Croatian, he also fluent in Croatian, speaks some Spanish and is studying Mandarin for two years.

Of all the casts, Max Von Sydow shares the spot light with Thomas among others. Von Sydow had been appearing in movies after his title role as The Exorcist but this is the only movie since then that gained much attention. His performance in this movie is something to look forward to.

There are some scenes that can be dragging so if you are tired or didn't have a good night's sleep, I suggest you watch it at a convenient time so you can enjoy the story. But there are lessons to be drawn here. I don't intend to tell what are those lessons to avoid spoiling the movie but all I can say is that the key of it all maybe figurative. Extremely, Loud & Incredibly Close opens In Philippine cinemas on February 29 and is released and distributed by Warner Bros. Phils.

Sacha Baron Cohen to Appear on Red Carpet as 'The Dictator'

The Academy seems to have recognized that it's better off with Sacha Baron Cohen at the Oscars than without him.

Days after informing the ribald comic actor that his plans for roaming the red carpet as his character from The Dictator would not be a good idea, a producer of the show is saying Cohen is now welcome to use Hollywood's biggest night to plug his upcoming movie.

"We're thrilled to have him and he'll be on the red carpet dressed as The Dictator," Brian Grazer told Extra.

An Academy spokesperson said she had not heard about the plans for Cohen, but if the welcome mat stays unfurled, Cohen will have succeeded in pulling off one of the more brazen publicity stunts in recent Hollywood history. The Oscars, viewed by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, will give Cohen andThe Dictator a huge promotional platform.

Since THR first revealed Tuesday afternoon that Cohen planned to attend the show in character, the actor and studio Paramount--which is releasing both Dictator and Cohen's Hugo, which is nominated for best picture--have gone into overdrive to capitalize on the publicity opportunity.

Earlier Friday, Cohen issued a video message in character promising to punish the "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Zionists" if it did not issue him tickets to the show by Sunday. (In reality, Cohen's tickets were never pulled and he was never "banned" from the Oscars, as some outlets reported.)

But the Academy was initially not supportive of Cohen's plans, citing fears that he might upstage some of the nominees and other Hollywood dignitaries that attend the annual celebration of the year in movies.

Now, thanks to the huge press attention the flap/stunt has generated, the Academy apparently has recognized that audiences might tune in just to see what Cohen will do, and the possible jump in ratings is worth the risk of Cohen doing something crass or embarrassing. 

Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com

Twitter: @THRMattBelloni

AMY ADAMS RETURNS TO MUSICAL COMEDY WITH “THE MUPPETS”

Coming off Oscar-nominated performances in such dramas as “Doubt” and “The Fighter,” Amy Adams returns to the musical comedy genre (which she previously took on in “Enchanted”) with Walt Disney Pictures' “The Muppets.”

             In the film, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend, Mary (Adams), discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze Muppet Studios and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds. To stage a telethon and raise the $10 million needed to save the studio, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit the Frog reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways.

             Mary is a valued shop teacher in Smalltown, USA—at least if the number of apples on her desk are any indication. She is Gary’s longtime girlfriend who often finds herself playing third wheel to Gary and his brother, Walter.

             Mary shares Gary and Walter’s sweet, innocent disposition, but she’s growing weary of sharing her boyfriend with Walter. She can’t help but hope for a magical proposal during their Los Angeles vacation, but her plans are derailed when news of Muppet Studios’ pending demise spur the trio into expressly non-marriage-proposal action.

             Adams was called on for the role—in a way that was impossible to miss, says the actress. “Jason and Kermit sent me an invitation to be in Disney’s `The Muppets' — they asked if I’d read the script and consider the role of Mary. Kermit was a big part of my decision. I don’t like to tell Jason that ’cause he’s a little sensitive that I might be partial to Kermit, but I am. 

             “I was really into the Muppet movies, the TV shows, the songs,” continues Adams. “It’s like every kid’s dream—when you’re playing with your stuffed animals, you wish they’d come to life and talk to you. And now, the Muppets are real. It’s so great to have that physical presence in front of you.” 

             Adams is currently filming Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” the “Superman” reboot for Warner Bros., in which she plays Lois Lane. The film also stars Henry Cavill as Superman and Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and Michael Shannon.

             Adams starred in Nora Ephron’s “Julie & Julia,” reuniting with co-star Meryl Streep, having previously starred opposite Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in John Patrick Shanley's Oscar®-nominated film "Doubt," which earned Adams her second Academy Award® nomination.

             Adams starred in Kevin Lima’s “Enchanted” opposite Patrick Dempsey and Susan Sarandon. “Enchanted” is a romantic fable that mixes live action with CG animation for Disney. The film earned her a Golden Globe® nomination for Best Actress.

             For her role in Phil Morrison’s “Junebug” in 2005, Adams earned her first Academy Award® and SAG Award® nominations. She won an Independent Spirit Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, National Society of Film Critics Award, a San Francisco Film Critics Society Award, and the Breakthrough Gotham Award. Adams also won the Special Jury Prize for Acting at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival for her role as the pregnant, childlike Ashley, who is awestruck by the arrival of her glamorous sister-in-law.

             Adams’ other film credits include Shawn Levy’s “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” opposite Ben Stiller; Christine Jeffs and Karen Moncrieff’s critically acclaimed “Sunshine Cleaning” opposite Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin; Mike Nichols’ “Charlie Wilson’s War” opposite Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman; Bharat Nalluri’s "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day” opposite Frances McDormand; and Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me if You Can” with Leonardo DiCaprio. 

“The Muppets” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.

What Was The Lorax?

“What was the Lorax? And why was it there? And why was it lifted

and taken somewhere from the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows?

The old Once-ler still lives there. Ask him. He knows.”

—Dr. Seuss, “The Lorax”

From the creators of Despicable Me and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the much anticipated feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, a 3D-CG adaptation of the classic tale of a forest guardian who shares the enduring power of hope.  The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for a real Truffula Tree, the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams.  To get it he must find the story of the Lorax, the acerbic yet charming character who fights to protect his world. 

Lending their vocal talents to the project are DANNY DEVITO as the iconic title character of the Lorax and ED HELMS as the enigmatic Once-ler.  Also bringing their voices to the adventure are global superstars ZAC EFRON as Ted, the idealistic youth who searches for the Lorax, and Grammy Award winner TAYLOR SWIFT as Audrey, the girl of Ted’s dreams.  Rounding out the cast are ROB RIGGLE (The Hangover, Big Miracle) as the villain O’Hare, JENNY SLATE as Ted’s protective mother, and beloved actress BETTY WHITE  as Ted’s wise Grammy Norma.  

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is both a funny and emotional adventure highlighting the importance of balance between nature and progress.  The film revolves around the Lorax, the hilarious and lovable character who goes to great lengths to protect the trees and the animals that inhabit them.  After the Once-ler chops down a tree, the Lorax emerges angrily from a stump with a dire warning for the young entrepreneur.

The pastoral landscape of Truffula Valley is filled with a variety of animals—from soaring Swomee-Swans to harmonic Humming-Fish.  Cutest of all are bearlike creatures known as Bar-ba-loots, who tumble among the Truffula Trees.

The Lorax’s job as guardian of the forest is put to the test when the ambitious young Once-ler chops down a Truffula Tree and threatens to chop down more to further his lofty business plan.  Incensed by this uncaring act against nature, the Lorax angrily criticizes the Once-ler’s actions.  From their first interaction, the Lorax and the Once-ler are at odds.  Each is determined to get rid of the other, but over time they develop a mutual fondness for each other.  Ultimately, the Lorax is no match for the greed and ambition that begins to consume the Once-ler, who stops at nothing to build his enterprise—even if it means chopping down every last tree and destroying the valley.

Years later, in a world devoid of trees, Ted ventures beyond the borders of his perfectly industrialized town of Thneedville on a journey to find the Once-ler and learn how he can bring home a tree for the girl of his dreams, Audrey.

Although hesitant at first, the Once-ler sees something in Ted that inspires him to tell the story of his encounter with the Lorax, which in turn inspires Ted’s mission to restore balance to Thneedville by bringing back Truffula Trees for the whole town.

“Dr. Seuss: The Lorax” is distributed and released by

Universal Pictures

through Solar Entertainment Corporation.

ABOARD WITH THE KING OF THE WORLD AND ROSE IN “TITANIC” 3D

Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet

Return to the deep as 20^th Century fox brings back “Titanic” in 3D to the big screen on a global theatrical release on April coinciding with its 100^th anniversary since sailing.

Opening April 7^th in the Phils., the most celebrated film in history is presented to an untapped new generation of audience in 3D format. 

            James Cameron who pioneered the first and only truly immersive 3D in “Avatar” brings back timeless “Titanic” in its full glory with enhanced, never-before-seen experience re-mastered in digital 3D.  Starring today’s most admired and accomplished actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, “Titanic” first released in 1997 is an epic romance and disaster film.  A fictionalized story of what was then believed to be unsinkable, “Titanic” is the voyage of the most luxurious ship ever built, the RMS Titanic where Jack (DiCaprio) and Rose (Winslet) fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.  

            Amid the thick crowd of well-wishers before the ship’s sail, Rose and Jack would soon meet that would change their lives forever.  Rose, a 17-year-old belonging to the upper class American society is suffocating under the rigid expectations of her class suddenly finds herself drawn to the free-spirited steerage passenger Jack.   Rose and Jack's forbidden love begins a powerful mystery that ultimately echoes across the years into the present. Nothing on earth is going to come between them -- not even something as unimaginable as the sinking of Titanic.

            Prepare to board when “TITANIC”  3D sets sail once again worldwide on April 7 (Saturday) from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. (in Phils.).

CONTROVERSIAL THRILLER “ANONYMOUS” EXCLUSIVE AT AYALA MALLS CINEMAS

Set in the political snake-pit of Elizabethan England, Columbia Pictures' new thriller “Anonymous” speculates on an issue that has for centuries intrigued academics and brilliant minds such as Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Sigmund Freud, namely: who actually created the body of work credited to William Shakespeare? 

             Experts have debated, books have been written, and scholars have devoted their lives to protecting or debunking theories surrounding the authorship of the most renowned works in English literature. “Anonymous” poses one possible answer, focusing on a time when scandalous political intrigue, illicit romances in the Royal Court, and the schemes of greedy nobles lusting for the power of the throne were brought to light in the most unlikely of places: the London stage.

             To be shown soon exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma), “Anonymous” stars Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Xavier Samuel, Sebastian Armesto, Rafe Spall, Edward Hogg, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Derek Jacobi. The film is directed by Roland Emmerich from the script by John Orloff. 

             It might not seem that Roland Emmerich – best known as the director of the epic blockbusters “Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012” – would necessarily choose as his next project a story set in Elizabethan England. However, for nearly ten years, he has wanted to make a film with the Shakespeare authorship question as a backdrop – a yearning that is fulfilled with “Anonymous.”

             Screenwriter John Orloff says he had been fascinated by the Shakespeare authorship question since first learning about the controversy as a 25-year-old graduate student 20 years ago. “My first thought was, ‘Why had no one told me this?!’” he says. “My second thought was that this would make a fantastic film. It had everything – murder, sex, lies, betrayal – truly the stuff of Shakespearean drama.”

             In writing that story, Orloff centered around the idea of two writers – Shakespeare, the front man, and the true writer, behind the curtain. “Ben Jonson wrote the introduction to the first folio, the first official published plays of Shakespeare – he writes this beautiful, beautiful poem dedicated to Shakespeare who by that point, had been dead for several years. But if you read other Jonson works, some shorter poems or some of his plays, he’s not quite so laudatory of Shakespeare and his poems actually make fun of him and are very angry with him. It made me think that Jonson was talking about two different people – one, the true poet, and the other, a fraud.”

             Emmerich was immediately receptive to Orloff’s idea – and the director had some big ideas that he felt the story could support. “The script is very much about the relationship between Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare, and Edward De Vere – that is very much the heart of the movie – but I felt it just needed a little more than that. I asked myself, ‘What was the most important thing in that era?’ and it was clearly succession” – the question of who would follow the heirless Elizabeth on the throne. 

             “I had a little story about art and jealousy,” says Orloff, “and with that suggestion, Roland wanted to propel the script into a whole new dimension of dramatic possibility.”

             “What intrigued me was not just the idea that William Shakespeare did not write the plays,” says Emmerich. “That spark opened up all sorts of avenues for the story, to look at the creative fire in people and to explore the relationship between art and politics – is the pen truly mightier than the sword?” 

             Tackling a subject that is so widely discussed and documented proved rather tricky for Orloff in the early stages of his script writing. He says, “Writing something that is based on non-fiction and historical material simply has to find a way to balance between fact and drama,” says Orloff. “We tried as much as possible to keep to historical facts – and I’m very proud of how accurate it is, as long as you take the conceit that the movie portrays DeVere as the writer of the works and not William Shakespeare. Not everyone’s going to agree with that!” 

             “Roland has such a feel for the exciting topics that get people out of their chairs,” says producer Kirstin Winkler. “I certainly don’t think that the film is trying to dictate his story as the truth; it’s just one take on the authorship question, telling one tale.”

             That said, Winkler goes on that she expects Emmerich’s film to be controversial. “There is quite a radical group of Stratfordians out there who feel very strongly about preserving the image of Shakespeare as the writer of the plays and sonnets,” she says.

             But controversy aside, actor David Thewlis says that the film works well simply as a story. “No matter what you believe, it’s a great story,” he says. “Roland is very passionate about authorship question and he wants to put it to a wider audience. He is a very mischievous man, but I think he’s been rather daring to do this story – he likes to push people’s buttons.”

14 Academy Award-Nominated Movies: One Thing in Common

Digital Artists Worldwide Used Autodesk Digital Entertainment Creation Software to Create 2011’s Most Celebrated Movies

Digital artists devoted days and years behind the scenes to help create the movie magic seen in many of this year’s Academy Award-nominated films. In the categories for Best Visual Effects and Best Animated Film (Feature and Short) in particular, many artists relied on the same set of tools — Digital Entertainment Creation (DEC) software from Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK).

“Great films depend on great storytelling and our technology is designed to enable artistic vision,” said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “We congratulate the multi-talented teams of artists from North America, New Zealand, Europe and Asia, and we are proud of Autodesk software’s role in helping them create these extraordinary movies.”

Best Visual Effects

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

© 2011 Warner Bros. Harry Potter Publishing Rights (c) J.K. Rowling.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”— UK-based visual effects (VFX) studios Double Negative, MPC and Framestore each used Autodesk Maya 3D animation and rendering software to help create the visually extravagant effects for this final installment in the Harry Potter franchise. Double Negative VFX Supervisor David Vickery said, “Maya has been the lynch pin of our pipeline since ‘Goblet of Fire.’ For this film, Maya helped us build a fully computer-generated (CG) Hogwarts in a massive 3D environment, including a spectacular mountain range and an animated fire-breathing dragon digitally modeled with Autodesk Mudbox software.”MPC VFX Supervisor Greg Butler added, “From the first film in the ‘Potter’ series through to this film’s final shot, MPC has relied on Maya for modeling, rigging and lighting.”Andy Kind, Framestore VFX supervisor said, "Autodesk's Maya once again was our go-to tool, enabling us to bring to life the magic of the Chamber of Secrets for Ron and Hermione's first kiss, as well as Harry's vision of Heaven. We couldn't have done any of the eight films without it!"

“Hugo” — VFX studio Pixomondo managed a global production team across 10 of its 11 facilities in North America, Europe and Asia for this richly detailed reimagining of 1930s Paris. The worldwide team worked for over a year using a production pipeline comprised of Maya and Autodesk 3ds Max for animation, rendering, character rigging and modeling; as well as Autodesk MotionBuilder for motion capture and animation. VFX Supervisor Ben Grossmann said, “The interoperability of Autodesk tools helped us meet tight deadlines andbring Martin Scorsese’s magical vision to the big screen.”

©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC.  All Rights Reserved

“Real Steel” —Visual effects powerhouse Digital Domain, motion-capture specialists Giant Studios and virtual production innovators Technoprops delivered “Real Steel” within an impressively efficient 71-day production schedule. The close collaboration between the threecompanies and anAutodesk toolset helped createthis realistic and thrilling action movie with a believable and captivating robot and human relationship. VFX Supervisor Erik Nash said, “The on-set real-time interoperability of Maya and MotionBuilder enabled tremendous creative freedom for the entire production team.”

TM and © 2011 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.  All rights reserved.  Not for sale or duplication

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” — Caesar, the CG chimpanzee performed by Andy Serkis is a creative milestone for Weta Digital in New Zealand. Weta used Maya and MotionBuilder as the core of its creative production pipelines for its groundbreaking visual effectsand performance capture. Sebastian Sylwan, chief technology officer at Weta said, “Creating a believable and realistic CG character like Caesar required providing our artists with the right tools and innovative technology that allowed them to iterate and express their creativity. We developed our own software to perfect performance capture, hair, eyes and muscles amongst others, using Maya and MotionBuilder as a backbone.” Canada-based Image Engine contributed previsualization for the film and also took advantage of a Maya-based pipeline.

“Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon”—The extraordinarily detailed Transformer robotscontain up to50,000 million polygons renderedin stereoscopic 3D by lead visual effects houses Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) with studios in San Francisco and Singapore and Digital Domain. ILM used the following Autodesk DEC software tools in its pipeline: 3ds Max for digital environment work; Autodesk Flame as part of its proprietary SABRE high-speed compositing system; and Maya as the core tool for animation, rigging and layout. Scott Farrar, visual effects supervisor on ‘Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon’ said, “As effects work continues to grow in complexity, it is more important than ever that our artists have access to best of breed tools and by using Autodesk’s Digital Entertainment Creation software, ILM is able to continue to create groundbreaking visual effects.”

Best Animated Feature Film

“Kung Fu Panda 2”and “Puss in Boots”—Both movies earned not only Academy Award nominations for Animated Feature Film for Dreamworks Animation (DWA), but also were two of the top three grossing animated films of 2011.*DWA continues to creatively push technology to imbue animated characters with huge personalities, and both films used Maya. Phil McNally, stereoscopic supervisor on both movies said, “Either on our own or in concert with Autodesk, we can develop tools in Maya to specifically address the challenges of stereoscopic 3D. Maya gives us that intuitive flexibility, or the ability to see what we’re doing—while we’re doing it—in 3D.”

“Rango”

“Rango,” the story of a weird lizard’s quest for identity, was ILM’s first animated feature. The film presented some daunting creative and technical challenges: Rango’s face alone required over 300 controllers to achieve the range of performance needed for the 1,100 shots he appears in.On top of which, Rango was just one of well over 100 characters that populated the film. “All of these characters had some combination of scales, feathers, or fur and all had clothing. We strove to create a very tactile world for Rango,” said ILM’s Hal Hickel, animator director on the film. “We wanted to create the illusion that if you could reach out and touch objects in the frame you'd know exactly what they would feel like, so it was very important that our software enable us to show as much detail as possible ateach phase of the process. This allowed us to make certain the performances would translate to the big screen. Maya was great at letting us do that.”

Other Categories

·         “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” — nominated for Short Film (animated) — Moonbot Studios in Louisiana used Maya to help create this poignant and humorous allegorical film.

·         “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” —nominated for five awards — Digital Domain createddigital doubles, matte paintings, animation and set extensions using both Maya and 3ds Max. Method Studios contributed to 101 VFX shots, including a fully CG train sequence through a snow-covered landscape using Maya, Flame and Autodesk Flare software.Blur Studios created the amazing title sequence using a combination of 3ds Max for animation and Autodesk Softimage for keyframing.

·         “La Luna” — nominated for Short Film (animated) — Pixar used Maya and Pixar’s own Renderman to create this mystical coming-of-age story.

·         “The Muppets” — nominated for Original Song— LOOK Effects used a combination of Flame, Flare and Maya to help bring these beloved characters to life in this box-office hit.

·         “The Tree of Life” — nominated for three awards including Best Picture — Method Studios used Maya to help create the fully CG 4K(4096 × 3112 pixels per frame) sequence for the film’s “Microbial” section,which plays effectively alongside practical and mixed-technique approaches. Method’s EVP Dan Glass was also the film’s overall senior visual effects supervisor. Prime Focus used Maya, 3ds Max and Mudbox to create the wonderfully realistic dinosaur sequences, dedicating a team of 50 artists to achieving Terrence Malick's vision for these scenes.

·         “War Horse” — nominated for six awards including Best Picture — UK-based Framestore used Maya to help create the equine digital double, barbwire VFX integration, digital environments and clean-up on 200 shots for Steven Spielberg’s epic drama. Hollywood and London-based The Third Floor also pre-visualized key sequences using a toolset that includes Maya.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries ¾ including the last 16 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects ¾ use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

* Source: Box Office Mojo

Autodesk, AutoCAD, Flame, Flare, Maya, MotionBuilder, Mudbox, Softimage and 3ds Max are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.

© 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

“THE VOW” WINS PINOY HEARTS, GROSSES P34-M IN 7 DAYS

McAdams and Tatum, The Vow

MANILA, Feb 17 – Columbia Pictures' touching romantic drama “The Vow” stole the hearts of Filipino audiences as it grossed an outstanding P34.08-million nationwide in its first seven days of release (Feb 10-16) and on only 61 screens. This was announced today by Vic Cabrera, managing director of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. which distributed the film.

Attracting a predominantly date-market, “The Vow's” successful box-office performance benefited from a pre-Valentine and Friday opening – an irresistible formula for the film's target audience.

“Our decision to launch the film on the same date as its U.S. bow has paid off,” said Cabrera. “We've always believed that `The Vow' is a special love story that Filipinos can relate to, given our fondness for sentimental, romantic movies. Add to this the unmistakable screen chemistry of stars Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, and you have a clear crowd-pleaser.”

In North America, “The Vow” made it to the altar at No. 1 with a sweet $41.7 million gross, outperforming “Safe House” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.” It's the biggest opening for Screen Gems (a unit of Sony Pictures) whose previous record-holder, “Dear John,” is also a romance tearjerker that starred Tatum.

Back in the Philippines, Trinoma posted the highest box-office receipts for “The Vow” at P2.79-M, followed closely by SM Mall of Asia (P2.21-M), Greenbelt 3 (P1.66-M), Glorietta 4 (P1.60-M), Power Plant (P1.45-M), SM North EDSA (P1.37-M), SM Megamall (P1.35-M), Ayala Cebu (P1.21-M), Gateway Cineplex (P1.07-M) and Alabang Town Center (P1.06-M).

Rounding out the Top 20 cinemas are Robinsons Ermita (P1.05-M), Greehills Cinema (P 917,490), Newport City (P 914,345), SM Cebu (P 901,280), Shang Cineplex (P 848,402), SM San Lazaro (P 785,797), SM Manila (P 752,793), Robinsons Galleria (P 733,666), Eastwood Cinema (P 706,372) and SM Baguio (P 588,714).

In “The Vow,” Paige (McAdams) and Leo (Tatum) are a young married couple, madly in love and living fulfilling lives as artists in Chicago. One snowy night, the two fall victim to a car accident. Leo survives intact, but a head trauma erases Paige’s entire memory of her relationship with her husband. When she comes out of her coma, Leo is a stranger to her. Suddenly Leo finds himself in the painful position of rebooting the relationship he’s waited his whole life for, and win his wife's love all over again.