Free Advance-Screening Passes For ‘Chicago 10,’ ‘Horton Hears a Who!,’ ‘21,’ ‘Married Life’

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:43:45 -0700

CHICAGO – Free advance-screening movie passes. No catch. Just click the link and RSVP. One film (“Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day”) screens in Chicago on March 6!

This week, we have passes for “Chicago 10,” “21,” “Stop-Loss,” “10,000 B.C.,” “College Road Trip,” “Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day,” “Under the Same Moon,” “Run Fatboy Run,” “The Bank Job,” “Never Back Down,” “Horton Hears a Who!,” “Meet the Browns” and “Married Life”. These passes go quickly, so if you’re interested in a particular film, snag your free ticket now!

Snag your “Chicago 10” pass!
March 4 in Baltimore
Snag your “21” pass!
March 4 in Los Angeles
Snag your “Stop-Loss” pass!
March 4 in San Francisco
March 5 in San Jose, Calif.
Snag your “10,000 B.C.” pass!
March 5 in Boston
March 5 in Providence, R.I.
March 5 in Hollywood
March 5 in Baltimore
March 5 in Chesapeake, Va.
March 5 in Birmingham, Mich.
Snag your “College Road Trip” pass!
March 5 in Seattle
March 5 in Portland, Ore.
Snag your “Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day” pass!
March 5 in Denver
March 6 in Chicago
Snag your “Under the Same Moon” pass!
March 5 in Campbell, Calif.
Snag your “Run Fatboy Run” pass!
March 5 in San Francisco
March 13 in Denver
March 20 in Denver
Snag your “The Bank Job” pass!
March 5 in Los Angeles
March 6 in Salt Lake City
March 6 in Denver
Snag your “Never Back Down” pass!
March 6 in Aventura, Fla.
March 6 in Tampa
March 6 in Altamonte Springs, Fla.
March 6 in West Palm Beach
March 6 in Jacksonville Beach
March 6 in San Rafael, Calif.
March 11 in Portland, Ore.
March 11 in Ft. Lauderdale
March 11 in Tampa
March 11 in Orlando
March 13 in South Miami
March 13 in Tampa
March 13 in Orlando
March 13 in Royal Palm Beach
March 13 in Jacksonville, Fla.
Snag your “Horton Hears a Who!” pass!
March 8 in Fresno, Calif.
Snag your “Meet the Browns” pass!
March 13 in Los Angeles
Snag your “Married Life” pass!
March 18 in Seattle

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By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Universal Pictures Pushes Back ‘Wanted’ Release Date From Spring to Summer 2008

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:06:07 -0700

Universal Pictures announced on Wednesday it is pushing back the release date of the hotly anticipated film “Wanted,” which has filmed in Chicago, from the spring to the summer of 2008.

Angelina Jolie in “Wanted”.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
The decision was made due to mounting competition on the weekend of its original selection. Initially slated to release on March 28, 2008, the film is now scheduled to open on June 27, 2008 to rival Pixar’s “Wall-E,” “What Happens in Vegas…” and Tom Cruise’s “Valkyrie”.

“After an early look at ‘Wanted,’ we are certain it fulfills its promise as a stunning, committed, thrilling and eye-popping vision that introduces a bold new narrative,” said Universal Pictures president of distribution Nikki Rocco in the Wednesday statement.

She added: “We believe it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the event titles of the summer and will give audiences a chance to discover a fresh [and] new alternative.”

David O’Hara in “Wanted”.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
While Superhero Hype! calls the announcement a “surprise,” it’s certainly obvious to me that Universal feels it can better dominate that June weekend.

But will it? While the Superhero Hype! report says the March 28 weekend is “starting to get rather crowed,” that begs the question: crowded with what other films? The March weekend also features the likes of:

“21” (with Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and Laurence Fishburne)
“My Brother is an Only Child” (an Italian film)
“Run, Fat Boy, Run” (directed by David Schwimmer)
“Stop-Loss” (with Ryan Phillippe)
“Superhero!” (with Leslie Nielsen, Sara Paxton and Brent Spiner from “Star Trek”)

James McAvoy in “Wanted”.
Photo credit: Universal Pictures
It’s fair to say even in the more “crowded” weekend that “Wanted” currently has the most brand recognition among those titles and also features among the most star-studded cast (with James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie and Common).

While its June weekend has less rivalry by number of films, those films are more widely known and serve as greater box-office threats. The March weekend offers more film competition by number of films but with less visibility. I question the merit of this switch.

“Wanted,” which is the first English-language film helmed by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, is based upon Mark Millar’s explosive graphic novel series.