Category Archives: New_Jack_City
New Jack City: Correcting Star’s Bogus Travel Advisory
TRAVEL ALERT!
If you’re flying to Chicago or pretty much anywhere, disregard a recent syndicated travel story that ran in the Kansas City Star. In it the writer suggested that Transportation Security Administration screeners are beginning to look the other way when it comes to liquids in carry-on luggage.
Not so! Continue reading
New Jack City: Lederhosen Not Required at Grunauer’s New ‘Germanic’ Eatery
WILKOMMEN, the new GRUNAUER restaurant greets Web site visitors…
“Authentic Germanic cuisine is finally being offered in the heart of Kansas City,” it then boasts.
So you can imagine how excited I was as a former East German (legal) immigrant to partake of my fatherland’s DEUTSCHE KUECHE. (Translation: German Kitchen.)
The big day coincided with First Friday at the Crossroads District as several friends headed to the new venue at 101 West 22nd Street in the Freight House district.
The Grunauer Restaurant is located in the former City Tavern building.
First off, forget about visions of the Hofbrauhaus, this joint is definitely way more upscale than I’d expected!
And the menu?
The tip off should’ve been the word “Germanic” instead of German! Continue reading
New Jack City: Jack’s July Jewels Right Around the Corner!
We’re at Hollywood’s mid-summer mark which many fans feel is the end of the hot movies.
That’s not necessarily the case!
It’s not over until the studios pull the plug come Labor Day.
So here are MY Pix-Yet-To-Click during JULY at Kansas City’s indoor and Drive-In theaters: Continue reading
New Jack City: Star Alert! TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE Cast Appearances in K.C. Today!
A number of TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE cast members are doing double duty this holiday weekend!
They’re barnstorming movie theaters across the country by criss-crossing America for surprise live appearances on behalf of their current mega-blockbuster!
Stops include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Minneapolis just to mention a few.
And yes, KANSAS CITY is included in the tour with two appearances scheduled here for later today!
First stop will be at AMC’s Barrywoods theater where fans will be able to Continue reading
New Jack City: ECLIPSE Kicks Midnight Butt, Sets New Record!
TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE did something amazing in the middle of this past night!
At 12:01 a.m. Wednesday morning the third chapter of the series broke its OWN midnight show record which it set last November with NEW MOON!
The run on theaters showing the movie last night in multiple auditoriums was so strong that many complexes added 3:00 a.m. showings in order to accommodate all the owl show fans.
TWILIGHT: NEW MOON had set the pre-opening midnight show record with previously unheard of ticket sales of $26.3 million.
Last night the TWILIGHT franchise shook the Industry by topping itself with over $30 million in late show sales! Continue reading
New Jack City: Sir Richard Branson Commands Fountains of Bellagio!
Call it showmanship, exploitation, merchandising or just good promotion…
Contrary to popular belief none of the above are dead—especially where Continue reading
New Jack City: Woody, Buzz Lightyear & Company on a Roll!
As expected, TOY STORY 3 roared into the market place on Friday with guns BLAZING!
Disney booked its latest PIXAR hit at some 4,000+ domestic locations of which 2,463 are showing it in
3-D and 180 in IMAX 3-D.
The Friday opening day, North American estimated Continue reading
New Jack City: Zona Rosa’s Studio Movie Grill Bows to Critics!
You may recall an interview-story I did with operators of the STUDIO MOVIE GRILL prior to its opening at Zona Rosa.
Hearne Christopher then did a follow-up review of the Eat-Drink-Movie Continue reading
New Jack City: Studios HIDE while you SEEK!
Here’s a cine-quiz for movie fans!
What do the following recent movies all have in common with the new romantic action-thriller KILLERS, starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher and opening here Friday?
- BANGKOK DANGEROUS
- G.I. JOE
- MADEA GOES TO JAIL
- SAW V
- STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI
- UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS
- THE COLLECTOR
- MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL
- DISASTER MOVIE
- CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
- FIREPROOF
- TYLER PERRY’S THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS Continue reading
New Jack City: Dud City -OGRE-LITE & MacGRUDER!
My review of SHREK THE FINAL CHAPTER (a.k.a. SHREK FOREVER AFTER) hinted that it ain’t Ogre ‘TIL it’s Ogre!
Well I’m about to eat crow.
Based on Friday’s estimated North American ticket sales I would venture to say that a fifth outing to be highly unlikely.
SHREK 4 opened Friday in some 4,359 runs (of which 2,373 were in 3-D and 194 in IMAX 3-D) to just Continue reading
New Jack City: Conan Sets Date!
Television UPFRONTS are where the networks introduce their new fall season shows to the major New York ad agencies.
TBS’s presentation earlier today was of special interest to everyone—including the press—as Conan O’Brien in a surprise move introduced TBS and TNT’s slate which, of course, includes Conan’s new late night talk show.
The announced TBS premiere date of the new CONAN O’BRIEN SHOW is Monday, November 8, 2010.
According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, O’Brien sang that he wants his own show again even if it’s at 10:00 p.m. or on a women’s network like Oxygen, for which he would be willing to get a sex change. Continue reading
New Jack City: When it comes to Movies Who’s Influencing Today’s Influenceables?
Movie reviews and information via social and electronic media are rapidly outpacing the printed page…
That goes for both newspapers and magazines. Last week I came across a survey conducted along those lines by the ONLINE TESTING EXCHANGE (OTX). It was published by the motion picture data research company MOVIELINE INTERNATIONAL.
I’ll share the interesting results here:
“The Internet is filled with information from movie review sites, offering articles, user-written feedback, message boards, thumbs and even vegetation.
And while reviews and recommendations from people moviegoers know are the most widely influential source when they are deciding whether or not to see a film at the theatre, online reviews and ratings do heavily sway with some portions of filmgoers.
* Younger males (those under 25) are the age/gender segment most receptive to reviews and ratings from people they don’t know with close to 2-in-10 saying they find this type of word-of-mouth VERY INFLUENTIAL. Continue reading
New Jack City: IRON Weekend Update!
Paramount now estimates the North American 3-day weekend boxoffice total for Marvel Studios’ Continue reading
New Jack City: IRON MAN 2 Kicks Ass at America’s Boxoffices!
Say what you will about super heroes but North American moviegoers sure love their cocky iron dude!
Just a few weeks after a less than stellar outing of KICK-ASS, Disney’s Marvel Studios Continue reading
New Jack City: Mega Movie May Bustin’ Out All Over!
Not so long ago Hollywood kicked-off its summer popcorn extravaganza on Memorial Day weekend…
Then, sometime during the 90’s, one studio moved its summer launch date up a week and the payoff was huge.
So then how about mid-May? That worked too!
By the time the decade ended, the first weekend of May had become the new official kick-off date for summer, as the various Continue reading
New Jack City: Hollywood Clean-Up Weekend Precedes Monster May at Movies!
The end of Hollywood’s spring house cleaning ends this weekend as the studios dust-off their shelves one last time before transporting moviegoers into this year’s high profile summer movie season with four consecutive weeks of potential tentpole blockbusters!
So it’s one more week of easily forgettable cinematic Continue reading
New Jack City: Packed Planes Spark Carry-On Crackdown!
I recently read that Continue reading
New Jack City: Popcorn, Pop & Candies for the Family = $#@&*!
Did the Smith family smuggle food into the movie theater for their kids to snack on while watching HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON?
Chances are—YES!
According to the Industry’s ONLINE TESTING EXCHANGE (OTX), parents are the primary group to most likely purchase concessions or spend more money at the movies (purchasing for several people instead of just one or two).
They are also much more likely to consistently smuggle in food from the outside for their children. Continue reading
New Jack City: Ebert vows to keep THUMBS UP!
Thumbs Down on the recently announced cancellation of AT THE MOVIES. You know, the bickering critics show that’s seen numerous incarnations of itself since its birth during the 70’s in Chicago as OPENING SOON AT A THEATER NEAR YOU.
The Walt Disney Company, producer of the program, is calling it a wrap after the final telecast on the weekend of August 14th.
According to Disney’s syndication unit, “from a business perspective it became clear this weekly half hour, broadcast syndicated series was no longer sustainable.”
Odd statement at a time when moviegoing is at an all time high! Continue reading
New Jack City: Hollywood Hits Vegas & 3-D Bottleneck
Judging by the mood of the world’s movie theater operators at last week’s international ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, you’d never know that we were in a recession!
Last year turned out to be the biggest year ever at the boxoffice and judging by the presentations made by the major and independent studios in Sin City, there’s no reason why 2010 shouldn’t be even better last year’s record breaker!
Biggest topic of discussion between studios and exhibitors; the glut of 3-D films scheduled for release this year—3-D gridlock with not enough Digital 3-D equipped auditoriums to take care of them all. Continue reading
