Editor: Megan Sellers

Top Box Office Movies

1. Despicable Me 2 $43.9M

Depp Returns To The Rabbit Hole

It looks like Johnny Depp is finding safe harbor by returning to the world of Lewis Carroll ... whether his pal Tim Burton is coming or not. Curiouser and curiouser! Hot on the heels of some bad press claiming hes just not the A-list star he used to be upon the failure of The Lone Ranger (and Dark Shadows before it) at the box office, Depp is in final negotiations to reprise his role as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland 2, the sequel to Disneys 2010 mega-hit directed by Depps frequent collaborator Burton. The news proves that Depp and Disney are still the best of friends, despite The Lone Ranger to date scoring a mere $71 million at the domestic box office after 12 days of release. The would-be blockbuster, which cost around $250 million to produce, will need major international numbers to even break even though the film has only rustled up $48 million in foreign box office so far. On the other hand, an Alice in Wonderland sequel seems like a sure thing. The original film, which opened in March 2010, cost around $200 million, but managed to earn a worldwide box office take of over $1 billion, despite lukewarm reviews (it holds a 51 percent average rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Tim Burton declining to return to the directors chair will probably have little to no effect on the sequels potential it could be argued that audiences dig the brand, not necessarily the specific filmmakers, and it will be interesting to see what The Muppets director James Bobin does with such a huge (and expensive) playground as Wonderland. Thats not all thats going on with Depp and Disney. The star has signed a new multi-year first-look deal with the studio to develop projects he can produce there (though interestingly enough, Deadline reports that deal was closed this past March and not recently). And its still full steam ahead for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 (another safe harbor for the Depp-Disney duo), which is planned for a Summer 2015 release under the direction of Kon-Tiki filmmakers Joachim Rnning and Espen Sandberg (classy!). Johnny Depps possibly fading star has been the subject of much scrutiny ever since The Lone Ranger failed to win the Fourth of July moviegoing weekend, especially as it seems like the film is going to bomb all around the world rather than just domestically (both Dark Shadows and The Tourist ended up doing well in foreign markets). Ultimately, though, audiences probably arent blaming Depp for The Lone Ranger bombing ... and neither is Hollywood. Depp is a star as well as a rare talent, so there is no doubt he can sustain a few misfires, Exhibitor Relations box office analyst Jeff Bock recently told Yahoo! Movies. And before anyone writes him off, remember, hell be donning Jack Sparrow duds again for Pirates 5. The news proves that Depp and Disney are still the best of friends, despite The Lone Ranger to date scoring a mere $71 million at the domestic box office after 12 days of release.

2. Grown Ups 2 41.5M

3. Pacific Rim 37.3M

4. The Heat 14.0M

5. The Lone Ranger 11.5M

The Minions Are Taking Over!

Universals Despicable Me 2 once again reigned supreme as the weeks most viewed trailer, but newcomer Curse Of Chucky was close behind. Despicable Me 2s trailer, which topped the box office in its second weekend, was viewed 8.8 million times from July 8 to July 14, for a lifetime total of 40.7 million views. Universal 1440 Entertainments Chucky scared up 7.5 million views in its first week. The movie continues the tale of the iconic killer doll and gets a straight-to-DVD release Oct. 8. Other newcomers included the teaser for DreamWorks How To Train Your Dragon 2, which came in at No. 3, recording 4.2 million views to. SyFys social media sensation Sharknado came in at No. 5, chomping down 2.9 million views. SyFy announced Thursday the shark attack film which made a huge splash on Twitter during its premiere last week is getting a sequel set in New York.

Holdover Fast & Furious 6 came in No. 4, with the Vin Diesel-Paul Walker car flick recording 3.2 million views for its preview, half a million more than it scored last week. The Universal film has earned more than $700 million worldwide. Legendarys Pacific Rim jumped from No. 10 last week to No. 7 this week with 1.7 million views. Could this signify good news for the Guillermo del Toro film, which opened to a soft $38.3 million last weekend, but received a

Iron Man Is Stacking Paper

Robert Downey Jr. isnt really Tony Stark. But with Forbes magazine declaring his fame and wealth to the world, he has a good idea of how it feels to be Iron Man. Forbes, the leading business and finance journal, released their annual rundown of the highest paid actors in Hollywood on Tuesday, and RDJ easily tops the list, having raked in an estimated $75 million between June 2012 and June 2013, thanks to his share of the billion dollar successes of The Avengers and Iron Man 3. Downey beats the No. 2 name on the list, Channing Tatum, by a healthy $15 million, and, as Forbes reporter Dorothy Pomerantz points out, its an especially sweet victory for Downey given the shaky status of his career prior to Iron Man in 2008. Its hard to remember that just a few years ago, Downey was box office poison, and regarded by the studios as damaged goods, Pomerantz writes. The promising young actor burst onto the scene in the late 80s with movies like The Pick-Up Artist and Less Than Zero. But drugs quickly dragged him down until he became all but uninsurable. Directors like Robert Altman and Oliver Stone gave him work but, for the most part, his ca-

Hunger Games Fun

Its an old Hollywood belief that filming on the water is one of the most challenging parts in all of moviemaking. The shoot of Jaws in the ocean off Marthas Vineyard was so disastrous director Steven Spielberg said he was afraid his crew would try to drown him. A hurricane sank a multimillion dollar set for Kevin Costners Waterworld, causing the budget to spin out of control. And Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio risked hypothermia by spending weeks in an unheated water tank for Titanic (they couldnt wear wetsuits because those would show through their period costumes). But Jennifer Lawrence is used to be being the exception to a rule. The reigning Best Actress Oscar winner spent a lot of time filming in the water for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the sequel to last years smash hit adaptation of the bestselling novel. She told Yahoo! Movies at this weekends San Diego Comic-Con that shooting extensive water scenes in Hawaii was a blast. And she didnt hold back (both in the interview, and in the water). Lawrence said, It was so fun, because Josh [Hutcherson] and I could just swim in the water, or like, pee any time you want. Anytime you have to pee you can just run right in the water. It was amazing, because the water was really warm, and Hawaii is great. I love working in the water.

reer seemed to be a lost cause. However, after a cleaned up and focused Downey clicked in Iron Man, the actor and his team demanded a bigger cut of the action for his work in future Marvel movie projects. Marvel agreed, and, as a result, Downey made more from The Avengers than writer/director Joss Whedon or anyone else in the cast. Maybe thats not a Tony Stark level of business acumen, but its impressive nonetheless. Similarly, Channing Tatums smarts had a lot to do with his landing on this list for the first time, not to mention scoring the No. 2 slot, having earned $60 million in the past year. While The Vow and 21 Jump Street fared well at the box office, it was Magic Mike that earned him serious bank. Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh financed the movie themselves, keeping the budget down to a modest $7 million, and watched it roll in $167 million in global receipts. When it became a surprise hit, the star and director walked home with a healthy share of the profits. However, after a cleaned up and focused Downey clicked in Iron Man, the actor and his team demanded a bigger cut of the action for his work in future Marvel movie projects.

Emmy Awards 2013

Who will win an Emmy this year? The 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced on Thursday, July 18. House of Cards Kate Mara was supposed to join Breaking Bads Aaron Paul to announce this years nominees, but she was unable to make it at the last minute due to a mechanical malfunction on her flight from Santa Fe, where she is on location. Instead, 2013 Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris stepped in to join Paul at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood. Netflixs hit series House of Cards and Arrested Development both earned nominations this year. House of Cards star Kevin Spacey earned an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series nod and Arrested Developments Jason Bateman received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. House of Cards Kate Mara was supposed to join Breaking Bads Aaron Paul to announce this years nominees, but she was unable to make it at the last minute due to a mechanical malfunction on her flight from Santa Fe.