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And in only its second weekend in release, the bottom fell out of costly domestic flop The Golden Compass from New Line, which forked over $200+ million to make it. I know, I know, the pic is doing OK overseas after earning $50.9 mil from 27 territories December 7th-9th. But the fantasy epic is so lost domestically it earned only an anemic $2.6 million Friday and $3.7 million Saturday from 3,528 nearly empty runs for 3rd place and a new cume of just $40.5 mil. I hear studio topper Bob Shaye once again is blaming everyone but himself -- including...

Christmas Football Most people believe the jerseys are either black or white. On the black team are materialistic unbelieving atheists. On the white team are all the "people of faith." But if you think this way, change the channel. You are watching the wrong game. The real game, going on under our noses, is much more complicated. Modern day atheists are not all they seem to be. Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, who comes over as a rationalistic materialist, actually said in an interview on BBC radio interview, Dec 9, 2007, (I was awake and heard it!) that...

The controversy surrounding the recently released film, The Golden Compass, is in part because of the author's avowed atheism and in part because of the message of the film and its potential effect on children. This is a "fantasy Western," complete with Sam Elliot in a cowboy hat. There are good guys and bad guys with a confrontation and battle between the two (good wins). In addition to the human beings, there are also demons and witches and goblins — some good and some bad. Compare The Golden Compass to the first Star Wars film and to the Harry Potter...

Not the oasis it was intended to be, The Golden Compass failed to guide the box office out of the desert. A dispirited response to the fantasy adaptation combined with a largely pathetic group of holdovers led to the least attended early December frame in 13 years. The Golden Compass pointed to $25.8 million on approximately 5,600 screens at 3,528 theaters, which was about average for a live action fantasy. The turnout was well below half that of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or The Lord of the Rings movies, and the picture was...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has withdrawn a positive review of the film "The Golden Compass," after more than a week of criticism about the church's apparent approval of a pro-atheism work. The review, which had said that the film "can be viewed as an exciting adventure story with, at its core, a traditional struggle between good and evil, and a generalized rejection of authoritarianism," was not available on the USCCB.org Web site last night.

There was no Saturday miracle surge for New Line. The Golden Compass, an effects-laden family film starring Nicole Kidman with a reported budget of $200M, received a modest 16% increase from its opening day, posting an estimated $10.2M on Saturday. Assuming a Sunday drop of 33%, Compass will finish its opening weekend with a disastrous $25.84M. (For a comparison to other big budget, family-oriented films in this mold along with details about New Line’s dismal 2007 and Nicole Kidman’s box office cold streak, scroll down to my Friday Night report.) Disney’s Enchanted blew past $80M domestic with a $4.9M Saturday,...

No one in Hollywood quite knows where "The Golden Compass" is pointing, though it appears to be south of blockbuster status. ...Unlike "Narnia" or the "Rings" and "Potter" movies, most of which hauled in more than $60 million in their first three days, "Compass" may open in the $30-million neighborhood, or worse, according to market analysts. [Yet] it's unlikely to spell financial catastrophe for New Line. The studio admits to a production price of $180 million, though some industry insiders believe the true cost soared past $200 million... Even so, the film was cofinanced by Royal Bank of Scotland, and...

My box office gurus are telling me that New Line Cinema's holiday tentpole The Golden Compass is going to be a huge bomb. They predict an opening domestic weekend starting today only in the high $20s million from 3,528 theaters. That's disastrous because, with a pricetag of $200+ million without P&A costs, the fantasy epic should be making a minimum $50 million debut. Not to mention that the studio has spent big bucks marketing the heck out of the PG-13 pic based on UK author Philip Pullman's young adult book trilogy His Dark Materials. Problem is, Golden Compass has sparked...

BALTIMORE, December 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Controversial advertisements suggested to the nation's top 50 Catholic diocesan papers advertising the upcoming movie "The Golden Compass" have been pulled.  A letter from Advertising Media Plus (AMP) to the papers last week suggested the ads. The ads were based on a positive review of the film by the Office for Film and Broadcasting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  LifeSiteNews.com tracked down those in charge of AMP and found surprisingly that it was ultimately the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Cathedral Foundation, which publishes the English weekly version of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano....

Michael Medved is discussing the upcoming film "Golden Compass" now. I'm not familiar with the book, but I've seen that there is controversy about it being anti-Christian. He says people should be concerned and is explaining it now.

A star-studded, big-budget fantasy film released for Christmastime features religion as the villain. Hollywood is collaborating with a militant atheist British children's book author to indoctrinate children. "The Golden Compass," which opens this week, stars Nicole Kidman and cost Time Warner's New Line Cinema $180 million to produce, is based on the first installment of Phillip Pullman's children's book trilogy "His Dark Materials." Pullman is a fire-breathing British atheist who has told the Washington Post that "I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief" and remarked that "My books are about killing God." He has also noted that "I...

A controversial children's movie described as anti-Christian is set for release in South African cinemas on Friday, prompting an outcry from Christians, and email circulars warning people against taking their children to see the film. The Golden Compass is based on the book Northern Lights, the first of a trilogy entitled His Dark Materials by British author Philip Pullman. Pullman has described himself in the European and American press as both an agnostic and an atheist. He was quoted saying that to his knowledge, there was not the "slightest evidence" that God existed. He added that he loathed The Chronicles...

When parents look at the beautiful covers adorning the gift-boxed sets of Philip Pullman's fantasy series, His Dark Materials, they might be forgiven for believing that these books follow in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. In fact, the publishers are counting on it. The display tables have arrived just in time for Christmas and the release of the screen adaptation of the first volume: The Golden Compass.What Pullman's promoters desperately hope is that parents will not get beyond the colorful covers, which appear to depict nothing more than an...

CNA STAFF, Dec 3, 2007 / 05:44 pm (CNA).- The promoters of the controversial movie, The Golden Compass, are making an effort to diminish the boycott being threatened by Catholics and other Christian groups. The advertising agency for the movie has sent an email to the top 50 weekly Catholic newspapers asking that they consider running an ad promoting the movie. Advertising Media Plus, the agency promoting The Golden Compass, is trying to use a review by Harry Forbes, the director of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference Office for Film & Broadcasting, as leverage against the boycott being called for by Catholics...

US Bishops asked to Fire Chief Film Critic over Glowing Reviews for "Brokeback" and "Compass" "Bishops horrified at what has been done in their name" By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Bishops of the United States are being asked to fire the chief movie reviewer for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Harry Forbes, the Director of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting, has reignited scandal by praising the film "The Golden Compass" which is based on an anti-Catholic novel. Forbes caused similar controversy two years ago when he issued a glowing...

Nick Milne, a reader of this blog who is in graduate school (studying English) at the University of Western Ontario, saw an advanced screening of "The Golden Compass" and sent the following (thanks, Nick!): An advanced screening of 'The Golden Compass' was offered today, and far be it for me to turn down the opportunity to beat the mainstream when it comes to a film (even if only for a film I had no particular interest in seeing).  Having followed the stalwart efforts of those at Insight Scoop and other venues to bring attention to the pernicious intent of Pullman's...

A nice snapshot of contemporary values: I saw that Coca-Cola is promoting the movie [The Golden Compass], and I wrote to them to express my feelings about it -- including mentioning that the villains are called "The Magisterium" in the movie. Here is the response I got: "We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns." The Golden Compass movie is a story about friendship, love, loyalty, tolerance, courage and responsibility. This movie also provides an opportunity for Coca-Cola to help raise awareness about climate change and the perilous state of the polar bear.""We do not believe that this...

Is "The Golden Compass" a sinister piece of anti-religious propaganda, designed to convert impressionable young viewers into atheist heathens?

I've been noticing an ongoing stream of headlines relating to the Golden Compass in recent weeks (it opens Dec. 7th), and also to the Catholic League's initiative to boycott the film because it is based on Philip Pullman's anti-Catholic series, His Dark Materials. I blogged about this story back in August ("The Golden Compass is pointing towards anti-Catholicism") and composed a short summary of what you need to know about the film back in October ("The word is getting out about The Golden Compass"). Now, with the movie's release immanent, and the fate of films two and three hanging...

We all get "those" emails from time to time-the ones making claims that are meant to be passed on. We've learned to check things on sites like snopes.com to make sure what we pass is true. When it comes to the movie The Golden Compass, whats going around is...true

"My books are about killing God" — Phillip Pullman.Are you concerned with the witchcraft and dark themes embodied in the Harry Potter book and film series? If you are a Christian and your answer is "Yes" then Phillip Pullman thanks you. Sort of. Identifying J.K. Rowling's stories about the boy wizard as covering fire, drawing away the ire of concerned Christians, Phillip Pullman — the author of the best-selling His Dark Materials trilogy -- has been slowly advancing what he identifies as an even more subversive philosophy: the need for children and adults alike to kill God. Of course, Pullman also...

What Every Parent Should Know About "The Golden Compass" Interview With Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, NOV. 14, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The film "The Golden Compass" isn't simply about using fairy-tale magic to tell a good story, it corrupts the imagery of Lewis and Tolkien to undermine children's faith in God and the Church, says Catholic author Pete Vere. In this interview with ZENIT, Vere and Sandra Miesel discuss the movie adaptation of the fantasy novels written by Philip Pullman. The film, staring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, will be released in the United States in early December. Vere...

The latest children's favourite to be given the Hollywood treatment, CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia has been dismissed as sexist, racist, Christian propaganda. Alison Lurie on the fairytale that has divided children and adults alike Most enormously successful children's books, like Harry Potter, become successful films within a few years of their publication. But there is one odd exception: CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has taken 55 years to reach the screen. Or maybe it is not so odd. On first reading, this story and the six other Chronicles of Narnia that followed it seem simple,...

Author Philip Pullman has attacked plans to turn The Chronicles of Narnia into a movie series, calling CS Lewis' books "racist" and "misogynistic". The first film in the series - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - is due to be released in December. His Dark Materials author Pullman said the 1950s stories were "reactionary". "If the Disney corporation wants to market this film as a great Christian story, they'll just have to tell lies about it," he told The Observer. [. . .] But Pullman said the Narnia books contained "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary...

As the UK prepares for a CS Lewis movie blockbuster this Christmas, a row has broken out about its Christian message. To millions The Chronicles of Narnia are a childhood tale of wonder and triumph now made into a film that could inspire millions of children to read. To others, including the celebrated fantasy author Philip Pullman, they are stories of racism and thinly veiled religious propaganda that will corrupt children rather than inspiring them. Either way, one thing is certain: this Christmas, and perhaps the next six, depending on sequels, everyone will be talking about Narnia. Disney is already...

A discussion on Philadelphia's Mayor Street's remarks on race led to the poster "bourbon" linking to an interesting thread on former Detroit mayor Coleman Young that discussed the 1967 race riots there. Having been born after the Civil Rights Act, I didn't have any memories of the '60's riots, and failed to understand the scale and impact of them. Some searching produced several interesting articles: Photos of the '67 Detroit riotBiographies of the victims in a chronological portrayal of the '67 Detroit riot '43 Detroit riot and backgroundAnother telling of the '43 Detroit riot(PBS) The latter two helped to provide...