Reel News
Before "Lilo & Stitch's" release, Disney Pictures president Dick Cook said that no decision will be made about a sequel until the first weekend's box office revenues are "completely tallied." ‘Lilo’ revenues make
Disney ohana ecstaticWell, they're in and Disney execs are ecstatic. The film basically tied with Tom Cruise's "Minority Report" in box-office revenues last weekend at about $36 million. Disney animators already have scouted Kauai for the sequel. Maybe what Cook meant was whether the sequel will be a theatrical release or straight-to-video. The mouse house's best June opening was "The Lion King's" $40.9 million take eight years ago.
Cook confirmed a half-hour Saturday morning television version of the film will air next year. Several episodes of recorded dialogue are pau. Jason Scott Lee did make it to the Honolulu premiere, after all, because reshoots for his 2001-made "Dracula" film were postponed. Oops! And Lee's mom, Sylvia, did, in fact, join her boy on the red carpet for the Hollywood world premiere. ...
The press junket next month for the surfer-girl "Blue Crush" flick was leaning toward Maui until, sources say, the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau "convinced" the studios to come to Oahu. Why is there discord between the county film offices, HVCB and the governor's office? Film commissioners were kept in the dark about the recent marketing deal between the HVCB and Disney for "L&S," and the smaller deal between Universal and HVCB for "Blue Crush." ...
Fox's "Baywatch Obsession" TV movie, based on the series, was slated to begin filming next month. Now it's pushed back to August. Show's gotta be in the can for November sweeps. Former "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson apparently has agreed to appear. ...
The Bruce Willis flick "Hostile Rescue" (formerly "Man of War") will be filming in the vacant section of the downtown post office that's being transformed into the Nigerian presidential palace. Several sources told me crew members have been sworn to secrecy, with some implied threats of termination if they talk to reporters. Apparently, there already have been several terminations on the "Hostile" set. ...
Happy ending: Hawaii film, television and production revenues for 2001 were not as bad as some feared, tallying up at about $70 million; 2002 has been a record year with $136 million. ...
Reel News unspools every Wednesday. Contact Tim Ryan at tryan@starbulletin.com.