UIP/Solar Entertainment gross P1.6B in 2011

MANILA, Philippines - United International Pictures (UIP) together with its local affiliate Solar Entertainment Corp. recorded its biggest year of all time in 2011 at theatrical grosses of P1.6B and still counting, announces by Wilson Tieng, president of Solar Entertainment Corp.  

Tent-poles films, which were mostly great sequels, such as Fast and Furious 5, Kung Fu Panda 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Marvel’s Thor escalated the gross tallies to one billion in the second quarter of 2011. Tent-pole films on the horizon also have all the potential to reach one billion this year with firestarters left and right such as Universal Pictures’ Battleship, Snow White and the Huntsman, Safe House, Bourne Legacy, American Pie: The Reunion, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, 47 Ronin and Les Miserables; Paramount Pictures’ G.I. Joe Retaliation, and the re-envisioning of the classic tale Hansel and Gretel: Witchhunter; and DreamWorks’ 3D animation Madagascar 3 and Rise of the Guardians.

Battleship. It is an epic action-adventure that unfolds across the seas, in the skies and over land. Our planet is forced to fight for survival against a superior armada of unknown origins.

Snow White And The Huntsman. In the epic retelling of the classic tale Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays as the one person in the land fairer than the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) who dispatches The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to destroy her. Unknown to the Queen, The Huntsman becomes the protector of the young woman threatening the Queen’s reign and training the woman in the art of war. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. This breathtaking new twist of the legendary tale is from producers Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland), Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

Safehouse. In the action-thriller led by Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds (Buried, Green Lantern), Denzel plays a dangerous renegade from the CIA who returns onto the grid after a decade on the run. When the South African safe house he’s remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative (Reynolds) escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.

Bourne Legacy. The movie is a spy-fiction-thriller story centered on a new CIA operative in the universe based on Robert Ludlum’s novels. Jeremy Renner stars as Aaron Cross, succeeding Matt Damon in the long-running critically-acclaimed movie series.

American Pie: Reunion. In the movie, all American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago are returning to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship. It was the summer of 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Allyson Hannigan) married while Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Vicky (Tara Reid) said their goodbyes. Oz (Chris Klein) and Heather (Mena Suvari) grew apart, but Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) still longs for Stifler’s (Seann William Scott) mom. Now the life-long friends have come home as adults to reminisce about — and get inspired by — the hormonal teens they once were, that launched a comedy legend.

Dr. Seuss: The Lorax. The fourth feature film based on a book by Dr. Seuss tells of a boy (voiced by Zac Efron) who tries to discover the story of The Lorax (Danny DeVito), hoping to the one thing that will win him the affection of Audrey (Taylor Swift), the girl of his dreams.

47 Ronin. Keanu Reeves stars as Kai in the fantasy-adventure period film depicting a band of samurai swordsmen led by Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada, The Last Samurai) who seeks to avenge the murder of their master in 18th century Japan, embarking on a journey of insurmountable odds.

Les Miserables. Based on Victor Hugo’s all time classic novel of a convict imprisoned and released for stealing a loaf of bread and is pursued for years by an obsessed police official. As time passes, the convict takes on a new identity, adopts an orphaned girl and fights in the French Revolution. Les Miserables will be starred by Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. It will be directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech).

 G.I. Joe: Retaliation. The upcoming sequel to 2009’s sci-fi-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, Retaliation continues where Rise of the Cobra left off. The G.I. Joe team is framed as traitors by Zartan, last seen disguised as the US President). The Joes gather their numbers to expose the truth and stop Cobra. Channing Tatum, Arnold Vosloo, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce and Lee Byung-hun reprise their roles as Duke, Zartan, Snake Eyes, The US President and Storm Shadow, respectively, with the star addition of Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schimmer reprise their roles as Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe in the third installment of the computer-animated comedy of the Madagascar movie series. The bands are still fighting to return to their beloved Big Apple after escaping from Africa and ending up on a European detour; King Julien (Sacha Baron Cohen), Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer) and the Penguins (Tom McGrath, Chriss Miller, John DiMaggio and Christopher Knights) are all along for the adventure. This time the road takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: A traveling circus which they reinvent Madagascar style.

Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunter. Witch Hunter is just one of numerous supernatural action movie re-envisionings on the horizon, and it features rising stars Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton as the adult versions of the famous fairy tale siblings, in the twisted retelling, who are now highly-skilled professional bounty hunters who track, yes, witches.

Rise Of The Guardian. The upcoming 3D computer-animated action adventure comedy follows a group of kid’s mythic heroes who join forces to stop an evil creature. It is based on The Guardians of Childhood books written by William Joyce, who will also direct with Guillermo Del Torro (Pan’s Labyrinth) producing. It will have an ensemble cast in the persons of Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher and Alec Baldwin.