Dimension Films

Could Dimension Films--the hot genre division of Walt Disney-owned Miramax Films--have another "Scream" on its hands? An early test screening of the teen horror film "Halloween: H20," which debuts nationwide Wednesday, prompted the New York-based independent distributor to move its planned holiday release into the highly competitive summer dominated by big studio movies. It also prompted several major distributors to move their respective films off the Aug.

Jackie Robinson beat the odds again this weekend, as a film about the player who broke baseball's color barrier outperformed at the box office. "42," which tells the story of the first African American Major League Baseball player, debuted with a robust $27.3 million this weekend, according to an estimate from distributor Warner Bros. That figure far exceeded prerelease industry polling, which suggested the film would start off with about $21 million. The weekend's other new film, "Scary Movie 5," didn't have as much success at the box office.

Dimension Films has nearly maxed out its successful "Scary Movie" series, so now the studio takes on another franchise-friendly genre: the comic-book movie. "Superhero," the studio's newest spoof, starts production this week in Los Angeles and is set to open March 28. It's written and directed by Craig Mazin, who worked on "Scary Movie 3" and "Scary Movie 4." David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss are producing.

The sports biopic "42" will rough up its box office rivals as it steps up to the plate this weekend. The drama about famed baseball player Jackie Robinson is poised to claim No. 1, opening with a solid $20 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. (Warner Bros. is predicting a softer launch of around $15 million.) The weekend's other debut, the spoof "Scary Movie 5," will likely take in a respectable $17 million or so. PHOTOS: Scenes from '42' For years, Hollywood has been eager to make a movie about Robinson, the  first African American to play Major League Baseball.

It has been nearly two decades since author Philip K. Dick died of a heart attack at 53, but the sci-fi guru whose plots spawned such films as "Blade Runner" and "Total Recall" continues to be a source of inspiration for Hollywood filmmakers. On Friday, Dimension Films will release a new movie based on Dick's writings titled "Impostor."

The sports biopic "42" will rough up its box office rivals as it steps up to the plate this weekend. The drama about famed baseball player Jackie Robinson is poised to claim No. 1, opening with a solid $20 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. (Warner Bros. is predicting a softer launch of around $15 million.) The weekend's other debut, the spoof "Scary Movie 5," will likely take in a respectable $17 million or so. PHOTOS: Scenes from '42' For years, Hollywood has been eager to make a movie about Robinson, the  first African American to play Major League Baseball.

No Hollywood figure is generating more intrigue these days than Harvey Weinstein, who has turned his musings about his future into daily grist for industry gossips and news hounds. In a public spat, the Miramax Films co-founder recently became so fed up with parent Walt Disney Co. that he said he was ready to break free from a partnership that produced such Oscar-winning hits as "Chicago" and "Shakespeare in Love."

Long-feuding family members Walt Disney Co. and Miramax Films finally look to be on the same page -- at least conceptually. Disney presented in a meeting this week a framework for negotiating a possible deal that was first floated by Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein to launch his own independently financed movie operation. Under this plan, Weinstein's younger brother, Bob, would continue to run Miramax's successful Dimension Films unit for parent Disney.

As Hollywood insiders and movie critics ponder what epic movies will make the grade at this year's Oscars, executives at Dimension Films and scores of teenagers across America are wetting their lips in anticipation of this weekend's debut of "Scream 2," which has quietly become one of the most talked-about offerings of the season.

As any husband or wife who has picked the wrong kind of spousal Christmas present knows -- a gym membership, for example, instead of a trip to Maui -- there's a big difference between earnest and enjoyable gifts. The same can be said when selecting a film to see this holiday season: Some moviegoers actually welcome challenging stories, but many more prefer untroubled fun. It's a critical distinction as Hollywood enters the final weeks of the 2009 movie season. Over the next month, audiences will be offered stark choices between disparate filmmaking styles, with perhaps the most telling choice coming this weekend, as "The Road" premieres opposite "Old Dogs."

As any husband or wife who has picked the wrong kind of spousal Christmas present knows -- a gym membership, for example, instead of a trip to Maui -- there's a big difference between earnest and enjoyable gifts. The same can be said when selecting a film to see this holiday season: Some moviegoers actually welcome challenging stories, but many more prefer untroubled fun. It's a critical distinction as Hollywood enters the final weeks of the 2009 movie season. Over the next month, audiences will be offered stark choices between disparate filmmaking styles, with perhaps the most telling choice coming this weekend, as "The Road" premieres opposite "Old Dogs."

Dimension Films has nearly maxed out its successful "Scary Movie" series, so now the studio takes on another franchise-friendly genre: the comic-book movie. "Superhero," the studio's newest spoof, starts production this week in Los Angeles and is set to open March 28. It's written and directed by Craig Mazin, who worked on "Scary Movie 3" and "Scary Movie 4." David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss are producing.

Like a character in a fairy tale caught between the forces of light and those of darkness, "The Brothers Grimm" attempts to serve two masters. No, there is not a happy ending.

Long-feuding family members Walt Disney Co. and Miramax Films finally look to be on the same page -- at least conceptually. Disney presented in a meeting this week a framework for negotiating a possible deal that was first floated by Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein to launch his own independently financed movie operation. Under this plan, Weinstein's younger brother, Bob, would continue to run Miramax's successful Dimension Films unit for parent Disney.

No Hollywood figure is generating more intrigue these days than Harvey Weinstein, who has turned his musings about his future into daily grist for industry gossips and news hounds. In a public spat, the Miramax Films co-founder recently became so fed up with parent Walt Disney Co. that he said he was ready to break free from a partnership that produced such Oscar-winning hits as "Chicago" and "Shakespeare in Love."

It has been nearly two decades since author Philip K. Dick died of a heart attack at 53, but the sci-fi guru whose plots spawned such films as "Blade Runner" and "Total Recall" continues to be a source of inspiration for Hollywood filmmakers. On Friday, Dimension Films will release a new movie based on Dick's writings titled "Impostor."

While one brother entertained Hollywood's A-list at a pre-Oscar bash in Beverly Hills for his art-house movie "Chocolat," the younger sibling was holed up in a lower Manhattan office poring over marketing details for the release of his family adventure film "Spy Kids." Bob Weinstein, the one who skipped the party, was making sure that the $36-million James-Bond-for-kids action feature would become another lucrative franchise for his 7-year-old Dimension Films.

Jackie Robinson beat the odds again this weekend, as a film about the player who broke baseball's color barrier outperformed at the box office. "42," which tells the story of the first African American Major League Baseball player, debuted with a robust $27.3 million this weekend, according to an estimate from distributor Warner Bros. That figure far exceeded prerelease industry polling, which suggested the film would start off with about $21 million. The weekend's other new film, "Scary Movie 5," didn't have as much success at the box office.

While one brother entertained Hollywood's A-list at a pre-Oscar bash in Beverly Hills for his art-house movie "Chocolat," the younger sibling was holed up in a lower Manhattan office poring over marketing details for the release of his family adventure film "Spy Kids." Bob Weinstein, the one who skipped the party, was making sure that the $36-million James-Bond-for-kids action feature would become another lucrative franchise for his 7-year-old Dimension Films.

By all appearances, the new horror film "Wes Craven Presents Dracula 2000" is scary, sexy, gory and dark and comes with a hip heavy-metal soundtrack--just the ingredients that usually lure today's teenagers to the local megaplex. But in a move that was unthinkable a few months ago, the motion picture studio distributing the R-rated horror movie is doing everything it can think of not to promote it to America's youth.