Winter debut chills Perry

'Tyler Perrys Good Deeds' offered within the helmers second-least expensive opening-weekend domestic B.O. Still, "Deeds" is definately not done. The pic, which toplines Perry, Thandie Newton and Gabrielle Union, saw the finest Friday-to-Saturday uptick connected having a Perry opening, up 25%. This can be a really important improvement due to the pic's solid "A" CinemaScore rating.Perry's dramas are often slated as fall releases, for instance 2010's "For Colored Women," which opened up as much as $19.5 million.Women rated the film finest in exit polls, that may also mean very good news, as femme auds frequently disassociate with opening weekend. Males gave the pic a b -- evaluation.Perry doesn't have extended to attend to prove themselves again. His next film, "The Marrige Counselor," launches Stateside about this summer time 27 via Lionsgate -- the director's first summer season opening.

And the Winner of Movieline's Hunger Games Haiku Contest Is...

After receiving over 600 entries in our Hunger Games haiku contest, it took some Katniss-strength fortitude to find one victor to take home the coveted grand prize, a pair of tickets to the March 12 Los Angeles premiere. You think choosing between Peeta and Gale is hard? Try selecting a winner from the vivid, emotional, romantic, lyrical, hilarious, and evocative poems submitted by Hunger Games diehards in our Cornucopia of words. In order to be eligible, entries had to be original compositions in haiku form and be inspired by any part of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. Many of you took the first person approach, writing as Katniss; some opted to approach it from the point of view of Peeta, Rue, or other supporting characters in the Hunger Games world. Overall, the potency of the Hunger Games mythology and heroine Katniss Everdeen's journey shone through. In the spirit of the Games, here are the Top 12 "candidates" (ending with the contest's winning entry): Nina Kuo: Pick Peeta or Gale? Well, I've always been a fan of polyandry! -- Momin Sherazi: Katniss, I knead you I bread your pardon Peeta? I said I loaf You -- Robyn: Screw Gale and Peeta This hellish revolution Was all for you, Rue -- Brittany Huynh: I threw you some bread And now I throw you my heart Don't break it apart -- Samantha: You're the boy with bread. And I am the girl on fire, So do we make toast? -- Mar (we'll let the extra syllables fly on account of the Tim Gunn reference): Cinna is the most normal He reminds me of Tim Gunn Make it work, Katniss -- Kristen Kelly: Silver parachutes; My kisses bring survival But is there love here? -- jjl: If I were to win Maybe my wife would see I'm Better than Peeta -- Skid Maher: So Peeta or Gale? oh come on Katniss, why not take them both, you prude -- James: A children's deathmatch Ignites a nation to fight No sparkling vampires -- Prianna Ahsan: To the Capitol where death awaits me now, yet my mind is on boys. -- And the winner of Movieline's Hunger Games Haiku contest is... Lisa, whose entry captured the wistful spirit of Collins' novels with a lyricism evoking Katniss's relationship with her fellow tribute Rue, the iconic Mockingjay call, and the rebellion she inspires with one courageous act during the Games. Lisa: Four notes on the wind-- I must whistle for you now. Hear our song, Panem? Congrats to our winner and many thanks to all who played! Read all the Hunger Games haiku entries here. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Emma Watson selected for 'Bling Ring'

WatsonSofia Coppola has attracted on Emma Watson to star in "The Jewellery Ring," the actual story of countless teens who commit a string of celebrity robberies. Coppola will write and direct the pic, and may produce with brother Roman Coppola and Youree Henley. Executive producers are Fred Roos and Michael Zakin. "I'm searching toward the youthful cast we're assembling and i'm searching toward shooting on location within La,Inch Coppola mentioned. Though Watson has mentioned sherrrd like to dedicate more hours to her studies, thesp has still found time for work, focusing much more about small-allotted projects publish-"Harry Potter." She was recently noticed in The Weinstein Co.'s "My Week With Marilyn" and basically wrapped production on Fox Searchlight's "Perks to become a Wallflower." She has been attracted onto star in David Yates' "Your Voice throughout my thoughtsInch for Warner Bros. Coppola constitutes a practice of giving rising female stars material that's allowed those to enter more adult, for instance Scarlett Johansson in "Lost in Translation" and, more recently, Elle Fanning in Coppola'ss last pic, "Somewhere." Watson is repped by WME and Markham, Froggatt & Irwin. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

A 'Wicked' good holiday session

'Wicked' came near to the $two million mark that Broadway usually accomplishes only on major holidays for example Thanksgiving. Broadway perked up for Presidents Day, using the lengthy weekend's spike in tourist traffic pushing B.O. up by almost 30% in Week 38 (February. 13-19) in comparison using the prior frame.Also contributing to the pot were two new choices, including "Dying of the Salesperson" ($613,569 for six previews), the Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer that drawn in solid amounts for any first week and performed to auds that contacted 90% of capacity. The brief run of solo outing "Shatner's World: We Simply Reside in It" ($305,705 for six) performed two previews and four regular perfs, including opening. Aside from "It of Mormon" ($1,473,606), which held steady, every production around the boards reported gains, most of them significant.The heftiest slice of change, obviously, was drawn in at the very top-ticket hits, including "Wicked" ($1,903,024), "Spider-Guy: Switch Off the Dark" ($1,709,139) and "The Lion King" ($1,665,141), which rose by a lot more than $300,000 each. Buoyed simply through the growing prevalence of premium prices in addition to Broadway's consistently rising ticket prices overall, "Wicked" came within spitting distance from the $two million mark, an achievement that the couple of years back, was once restricted to B.O.-busting major holidays for example Thanksgiving.Overall Rialto cume rose $4.4 million to $20.a million for that 26 shows around the boards. Attendance was up by 35,000 to just about 210,000, or about 85% of overall capacity.The 17 musicals made $16,138,494 for 80.4% from the Broadway total, with attendance of 162,575 as well as an average compensated admission of $99.27.The nine plays made $3,932,703 for 19.6% from the Broadway total, with attendance of 47,366 as well as an average compensated admission of $83.03. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Tugg sets handles participants

Tugg Corporation., suggested just like a Web platform for do-it-yourself exhibition, features it's started coping with participants Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theaters, Bow Tie Cinemas, Cinemark Theaters, Goodrich Quality Cinemas, Rave Cinemas and Regal Cinemas. Austin, Texas-based Tugg, which has Film Clip, Richard Linklater and Terrence Malick on its board of experts, mentioned its partners with entrepreneurs will probably be introduced right before the condition launch at South by Southwest later. Tugg, founded by Nicolas Gonda and Pablo Gonzalez, offers individuals to select a movie, screening a while and nearby theater after which it spread the word for his or her immediate an online-based community. Whenever a necessary quantity of people purchase attending, Tugg will reserve the theater, manage ticketing and make certain delivery in the film. "Every film talks to a different person, as well as the most fun factor about Tugg could it be allows for audiences to discover their films and movies to discover their audiences," Gonda and Gonzalez mentioned. "We are eager use a platform that enables art galleries, filmmakers and participants to own unequalled interaction with cities and influencers." Gonda has labored with Malick and Steven Soderbergh. Gonzalez can be a high-tech and marketing professional who leads Tugg's development and methods. "Since the film exhibition industry is constantly evolve, AMC Theaters remains dedicated to remaining the primary factor on innovation, which explains why we've been proud to make use of Tugg at first to search for the feasibility of the platform," mentioned Robert J. Lenihan, leader of programming at AMC. "After we still measure the program through tests at our theaters, we've experienced its potential first-hands through effective results by not only putting the choice directly into our guests' hands, but furthermore using the energy of grassroots, guest-advocate marketing." Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

OSCARS: Production Designer Stuart Craig Harry Potter

Anthony DAlessandro is a contributor to AwardsLine When it comes to staging an epic, leave it to production designer Stuart Craig. As the set architect behind the entire Harry Potter series, his work on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 called for blueprints displaying the remnants of a near-apocalyptic battle, specifically one that took its toll on Hogwarts Castle. Given those ambitious demands, the VFX artists took over, rendering the first complete virtual rendition of Hogwarts over the sets constructed in earlier films. My work required the same drawings, but instead of giving my designs to the carpenters, I gave them to the VFX team instead, Craig says. 1. This shot, from the end of the epic battle, shows Harry, Hermione and Ron on their way to destroy Voldemorts wand. Craigs most recent credit: Having a hand in the design of Universal Studios Floridas The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 2. This causeway leads you to the front door of the big hall. The set is made of plywood, and the castle in the back is digital. The bridge is a classic Norman architecture. In the Potter films there was never a distinguished architecture. We always had a fun eclectic mix of styles since Hogwarts has been around for 1,000 years. Near the Loch Shiel location where Potter is filmed in Scotland, theres a viaduct which this bridge is modeled after. The viaduct is made of concrete whereas this bridge is made to look like its made of granite, Craig explains. 3. Statues are medieval suits of armor. They were first seen in the entrance of the great hall in Deathly Hallows Part 1. Theyre made of Styrofoam with a hard texture on top. 4. The lampposts are made of woks which we bought from a hardware store. They look vaguely Roman and art deco which shows the architectural history we pulled from in designing Hogwarts. 5. Dumbledores Office. 6. Hogwarts is largely a gothic castle. During the early films we shot on location at the Durham Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral and a bit of Oxford University. Cathedrals are far richer in detail architecture-wise than castles. Durham from the Norman 11th-12th century period. Gloucester is Gothic, 16th century. The castle is made of the rock on which it stands. The rock of the mountain is the rock of the castle. The castle is an extension of the earth. 7. The astronomy tower where Dumbledore met his fate. 8. The color palette used throughout the films has been restrained. When the kids were younger and the world was more optimistic, the stones in Hogwarts had a warm honey color tone. However as the movies got darker, we literally darkened the walls of Hogwarts.

Pilot Season: Anthony LaPaglia, John Leguizamo Join ABC Pilots

It's been far too long since Don Draper has been on our television screens. Good thing he'll be back by Sunday, March 25. AMC expands Walking Dead's Season 3, announces return dates for Mad Men, The Killing Mad Men hasn't aired new episodes since October 2010, due in part to lengthy negotiations for Seasons 5 and 6 between series creator Matthew Weiner and AMC. So it's a shame that... Read More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Matthew WeinerMad Men