Daily News
News for 03 November 2009
"This Is It" storms to the top of the UK Chart!

This really was a foregone conclusion. Having partied long into the night thanks to last week‘s World Premiere event, "Michael Jackson‘s This Is It" has taken full advantage of the subsequent media storm to pocket a cool £4.8 million over a five–day opening weekend. That was easily enough to oust "Up" from the top spot! After three weeks at the top of the UK Chart, Disney/Pixar‘s astonishing tale finally relinquishes the crown and falls down to number 2 this week. Digging its paws in at number 3 is Wes Anderson‘s quirky update of Roald Dahl‘s "Fantastic Mr. Fox" whilst Jigsaw may already be packing up his toys and heading home as "Saw VI" drops two places to 4.

Another non–mover at 5 is the so–so "Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire‘s Assistant". Proving that vampires may no longer be in vogue but can just about raise the dead…and a modicum of interest. Adapted from Darran Shan‘s popular series of novels, "Cirque Du Freak" managed to best Vince Vaughn‘s "Couples Retreat" over the Halloween weekend. The ensemble comedy plunges down to number 6. The second of our new entries comes in the form of the melancholy bundle of joy that is "9". Disappointingly debuting at number 7 thanks to a £460,000 take, Shane Acker‘s gorgeous–looking animation couldn‘t quite make a Box Office impact akin to its startling visuals. Also floundering a little is festival favourite "An Education" at 8. Praised for Carey Mulligan‘s central performance, this coming–of–age drama could only muster £400,000 in its opening weekend.

And making up the numbers this week is gothic treat "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" at 9 as Terry Gilliam‘s well–received effort finds itself sharing the lower bunk with Danny Dyer, 50 Cent and "Dead Man Running" at 10.
Koteas pleads; "Let Me In"

The pitchforks and torches are very much out for Matt Reeves‘ adaptation/remake of "Let The Right One In" – the little Swedish Horror Film that Could, and Did, wow the critics. Well, today marks the start of principal photography on "Let Me In" – the Americanised version helmed by the guy that brought you "Cloverfield".

Joining the cast alongside Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor", "Step–Brothers"), who here will play the sinister keeper of the young vampire, are Elias Koteas (the upcoming "Shutter Island"), Cara Buono ("The Sopranos") and Sasha Barrese ("The Hangover"). Koteas will play the beleaguered, small–town police officer tasked with picking through the pieces in a series of macabre events. It was previously announced that Kodi Smit–McPhee ("The Road") and Chloe Moretz would play the leads Owen and Abby (Oscar and Eli respectively from the original film).

Overture films issued the following release alongside the production‘s first day of shooting; "while the new film will pay respect to the original Swedish version, [the filmmakers] intend to forge a unique identity for Let Me In, placing it firmly in an American context."

President and CEO of Hammer Films Simon Oakes commented; "The brilliance of [the original] story deserves to be seen by audiences on a wide scale and we are excited that the pieces are in place to make that a reality."