'Les Miserables' Wins Huge Christmas Box Office.

MTV ^ | 12/26/2012 | Josh Wigler

[SeekAndFind]

Even if you walked away from the holidays this year with the Red Ryder BB Gun you always dreamed of, you weren't the big winner this Christmas season: that distinction belongs to "Les Miserables," the long-awaited adaptation of the award-winning musical, directed by Tom Hooper.

Deadline.com reports that "Les Mis" opened with close to $18 million on Christmas day (December 25), making it the decisive "Master of the House" at the box office. Hooper's adaptation of the beloved musical stars Hugh Jackman as fugitive Jean Valjean, a bread thief on the run from the vengeful lawman Javert (Russell Crowe). Valjean's road to redemption is populated by ill-fated factory worker and prostitute Fantine (Anne Hathaway), her daughter Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and a young revolutionary named Marius (Eddie Redmayne). The film contains very little spoken dialogue, staying true to its musical roots, with performances recorded live on set throughout production.

"Les Mis" wasn't the only holiday success story. Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," starring Jamie Foxx as a freed slave turned brutal bounty hunter, clocked in at number two on Christmas day, with an estimated $15.5 million to its name. The filmmaker's latest is a Western set in the pre-Civil War south, exploring the horrors of slavery and racial supremacy — with all of the blood and bad language Tarantino is so well-known for.

Both "Les Mis" and "Django" are considered major awards-season contenders this year, particularly in acting categories. Many onlookers consider Hathaway a lock for the Best Supporting Actress award at the coming round of Oscars, with Leonardo DiCaprio's "Django" villain, the slave-owning man-child Calvin Candie, at least a nominee for Best Supporting Actor. Both actors are nominated for Golden Globes.

Prior to "Les Mis" and "Django's" big Christmas openings, it was "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" that ruled the box office. Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth won its second weekend in a row with $36.7 million, adding an additional $10.8 million on Christmas day. The movie has scored more than $400 million worldwide since its mid-December debut.

Not every film felt the Christmas spirit, however, as Tom Cruise's "Jack Reacher" earned only $15.6 million in its debut over the weekend — about half of what Cruise earned during the opening weekend of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" last year. "Reacher" brought in an additional $5 million on Christmas, putting its total to date at $22.9 million.

[left that other site]

I am sorry about your recent diagnosis.

I will pray for you.

We FReepers REALLY should be kinder to one another.

[left that other site]

Same thing with me and my Parents. We had seen it in London and it was so GOOD! :-)

Then that movie came along.....

[TurboZamboni]

He’s Hugh and I’m series!

[9YearLurker]

My point wasn’t one of preference for him in a role, but a response to the suggestion that ‘my barely-teen students are superior to him (in about any role)’.

[left that other site]

And i was referring to the Female roles, so we must have misunderstood each other at the outset! LOL. Oh well...that is the pitfall of computer communication.

And you should hear some of these teens. I kid you not! :-)

[LadyDoc]

Re: dubbing in My Fair Lady and Camelot. It wasn’t the singing that is the problem, but the bad casting of “stars” over talent.

Seeing an aristocratic Belgian (Hepburne) pretend to be a poor cockney didn’t fit (albeit she was glowing as usual). Her singing made me wince, but the main problem is that she was miscast period.

As for Camelot, I simply can’t watch Vanessa Redgrave mugging and overacting in the film.

The singing in both cases was nonsense, but not the main problem.

[jalisco555]

I'm going to have to disagree with you (and others) about My Fair Lady. Hepburne was perfectly cast and the film remains one of my favorites.

Looking forward to seeing Le Mis. Everyone I know who has seen it raves about it. Apparently it's playing to packed theaters and the audience regularly applauds at the end.

[left that other site]

“casting of stars over talent”

Indeed. I am in agreement with you.

[luckystarmom]

There are others that can sing. The ones that are broadway actors are all very good! I really liked Aaron Tivet as Enjolras. I also liked the song Empty Chairs, but I liked that more for the acting.

I did not like Russell Crowe at all. My son was in his high school’s Les Mis, and I thought the kid who portrayed Javert in the high school show was better than Crowe.

Hugh Jackman was very good. Anne Hathaway sang her song very differently. Not sure what I think about her.

I enjoyed the film, but I prefer the stage version. It’s worth seeing.

[left that other site]

THANK YOU for that.

Some of the High School productions are AMAZING.

A 16 year old student of mine did a wonderful job in “Gypsy”, as Mama Rose, and EXTREMELY difficult role even for a mature woman. Over 2.5 hours of almost solid singing, playing a crazy stage mother who goes into a “mad scene” near the end.

Another one of my students was disappointed to not get the role of Maria in her HS production of West Side Story. However, she was cast as Anita, which, IMHO, is a much meatier role.

And she did GREAT!

I heard that the “Empty Chairs” scene was wonderful.

Of Course, the term “Empty Chair” has a whole new meaning to us FReepers! :-)

[Borges]

The film version of POTO was a victim of noted bad director Joel Schumacher who got his start as a window dresser - he doesn’t direct films he upholsters them. It was as bad an adaptation of a hit stage musical as has ever been made.

[wintertime]

Hugh Jackman’s performance was, indeed, very good.

1) I found the unremitting close-ups tiring. A little bit of some “Ken Burns” effect would have been welcome and more restful to the eyes.

2) I sew well, so here are two tailoring mistakes:

*** In the last scene Hugh Jackman, of course, is doing a wonderful job with his final song, however, the top button on his shirt is fastened with an elastic loop. Every time he takes a breath the loop stretches. ( There was no elastic thread in 1832. )

*** In the empty chairs scene, Marius's left sleeve has a small pleat where the the sleeve meets the body of the jacket. This is a common mistake made by seamstresses using sewing machines. It is caused by the zipper foot folding over a small amount of fabric causing a pleat. A good seamstress would have caught this and corrected it. ( There were no sewing machines in 1832.)