Friday, March 28, 2008

Simon Pegg confirms potential 'Star Trek' sequels

In news that will turn every Trekker a nice shade of cerulean blue, Simon Pegg confirmed in an interview with MTV Movies Blog that he's signed on for three Star Trek movies.

In fact, the concept of signing on for multiple movies caused him some trepidation at first.
"I thought about it for a bit because you have to commit to a series of films and that puts you in a situation where the studio has some control over what you do. I called up J.J. and I said, 'the idea is amazing but I'm worried.' And he said, ‘what's the worst that can happen? We hang out every three years and make a fun film?'"
According to MTV Movies Blog, Pegg signed on for three movies. Of course, any potential sequels would be dependent on their predecessors being a box office hit. Of course, with the streak that director J.J. Abrams is on, I don't think that will be a problem.

What is the biggest money-making foreign language film of all time?

Director Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ is the biggest non-English language film at the box office. The movie, spoken entirely in Aramaic, made over $370 million at the box office domestically. The Chinese action movie Crouchgin Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is number two on the list with $128 million.
Another great foreign language film, The Kite Runner, hits DVD this week. The movie, directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, this year's James Bond movie), is based on the best-selling novel of the same name.

5 Important Video Codecs You Must Know

video codec is a device or software that enables video compression and/or decompression for digital video. Digital video codecs are found in DVD (MPEG-2), VCD (MPEG-1), in emerging satellite and terrestrial broadcast systems, and on the Internet.

Below are 5 Must Know Video Codecs and their features

H.263 – use for video conferencing

This codec is a good choice for the business community. It’s ideal for a video conference where you do not need high-quality pictures and where audio is going to take priority. It is best with low movement films, so a more or less stationary talking head is going to be just perfect. The data rate for thiswould be small, but much quality is lost. Perhaps the only use of this codec is if you wanted to send aquick version of a film for viewing by a co-worker; you may not worry too much about the way it looksas you just want quick feedback.

Cinepak – use for CD-ROMs

This is a good, well-established system which works best with small image sizes. This codec is outperformed by many others, even though its small picture size, at 120x90 pixels, is now getting bigger as computers improve. It is better used on low-end machines but is not usually the first option for web film, being more suited to CD-ROMs. A big advantage with this codec is that it allows the sender to customize settings throughout a film, so you can apply heavier compression to places where there is notmuch movement but lighter compression to where you need more detail on screen, perhaps during anaction sequence. This process avoids ‘data spikes’, where sudden increases in data cause a movie to stopplaying on the user’s PC because too much data is needed.

3. RealG2 – good for web work, not for other uses

This codec is widely used on the web. It uses ‘temporal scaleability’, which means that the result forthe user is smoother than others even on a wide range of computers or devices. This means movies encoded with it play at a high frame rate for fast processors and low for slow ones. This codec is hard to beat in terms of the number of users who may have access to it on the web and the ease with which the rest can download it (for free).

4. Sorenson – good all-rounder

This is a really good, high-quality codec and looks better than most at a screen size of 320x240. It’sa good solution for movies that are going to be viewed over broadband connections, but some editions (notably the Developer Edition) cater for the other users by enabling scaleable streaming. One aspect which puts many people off using this codec is the length of time it takes to encode a movie in this way,but it remains the method of choice for most short movies, for the web and CD.

5. Intel Indeo 4 and 5 – good, but mainly for high power

With this method of compression you get a good result with high picture quality, but it is only viablefor high-powered PCs or Macs. Version 5 allows for progressive downloads. Intel’s codec is generally better than Cinepak, but cannot match the picture quality of the Sorenson.

Continuity in non-narrative films

Non-narrative movies demand a very different approach to narrative. They require that you embed continuity as a part of the whole structure of the film, not as an afterthought during filming.

Non-narrative movies such as music videos, abstract movies and multimedia projections used in live concerts are particularly susceptible to looking fragmented. At their most out of control, they look like you are channel surfing, looking at a number of clips of movies by different people. Of the following ideas, the more effective ones are those that are part of the planning and shooting stages rather than those placed over the film in post-production.


Methods of ensuring continuity in non-narrative film

Single filter effect (edit software filters, not camera filters)If your editing software has special effects that you can use to alter the look of clips – for instance, to make them change colour, stretch or change contrast and tone – you could apply one of these to the whole film, or at regular points. Restrict yourself to one filter only.

Tracking
A tracking shot – where the camera moves while it shoots, tracking the action – can make a good way of connecting shots. Decide on a constant speed of tracking and stick with it throughout the film. To enhance the effect, keep to one direction in the screen – for example, left to right. For example, you could show a slow, left-to-right movement of the camera along a beach, cutting then to a similar constant shot along a busy street


360-degree movement
This device is particularly effective in linking shots. Decide on the height of the camera and the speed of the camera as it moves, then shoot everything while moving 360 degrees around the subject, at every location, throughout the film.

Common space

This involves including an object or space in the background that is present in each shot, and could be as simple as a fireside with picture frame. This is commonly used in scenes with dialogue where it is useful to be able to locate two actors within the same space by showing some common space or object in each actor’s frame. In a non-narrative film you could choose a single prop that is present throughout.


Transitions

At the editing stage, you will need to decide how you cut between scenes. The most common – the straight cut and the cross dissolve – could be developed by trying something a little more noticeable. An example could be to fade fast to white as the picture cuts, suggesting flash photography.

The length of the shot

A style of editing that uses short cuts, with a high turnover of clips, will encourage the viewer to see these clips as linked in some way, even if the subject matter is not. Therefore, we tend to see a montage sequence consisting of a lot of quick images because the diversity of images needs to be balanced by speed of perception. But what is a ‘long cut’ or a ‘short cut’? In this case you could think of a quick cut as half a second or less and a slow cut as anything from three to five seconds, but your subject matter will dictate how fast your cuts will be.

Motif

In non-narrative films, a motif can be used with some thought to what kinds of objects or colours add to the overall theme of the movie. For example, in an interpretation of the word ‘anger’, we could justifiably use the colour red as a motif in the film. To stand as a motif you would have to see the object or colour recur often enough to be noticed. Alternatively, you could use images of a clenched fist or a brick hurtling towards a window, letting us see more and more of it as the film proceeds.

Linked imagery

For this idea we could take a look at Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). After a lengthy start where we see ancient pre-human apes, Kubrick needed a way of jumping tens of thousands of years into the future without disrupting the flow of the movie. If ever there was a time to use a continuity device, this was it. His response was to have the camera follow a bone thrown high into the air, and immediately cut to a similar-shaped, bone-like spacecraft, occupying the same space in the frame. This is a daring way of connecting two shots that could not be more dissimilar, visually. While shooting, you could look for parts of the scene that visually resemble a part of another, with the aim of linking the two later.

Sound

This is a last resort method of connecting shots and is not the most effective way. A single piece of music is dubbed over the whole film as with a music video. If you want to use sound in this way, try to use a particularly noticeable home-made soundtrack of sounds, rather than music, and one where you have altered the sounds or looped them, producing a repetitive, rhythmic effect.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

JUST ANNOUNCED ON DVD

Batman: Gotham Knight (Collector's Edition)
Cloverfield
Darfur Now (Widescreen)
Dirty Harry (Special Edition)
ER: The Complete Ninth Season
Flawless (Widescreen)
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Fourth Season
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Third Season
The Signal (Widescreen)
Square Pegs: The Complete Series
Untraceable (Widescreen)
War, Inc.
Weeds: Season Three (Widescreen)

AT THE BOX OFFICE


Horton Hears a Who!
10,000 B.C.
Never Back Down
College Road Trip
Vantage Point
The Bank Job
Doomsday
Semi-Pro
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Spiderwick Chronicles

In what year is the 1981 film 'Escape from New York' set?

New York has been the setting for many futuristic/dystopian and disaster movies. The reduction of the Statue of Liberty to rumble -- as in director John Carpenter's 1981 film Escape from New York -- is a powerful visual. Kurt Russell starred as Snake Plissken in the movie whose events happen in the year 1997. In the movie, the entire Manhattan island has been transformed into a maximum security prison. The ex-soldier Snake is charged with retrieving the President after Air Force One crash lands in the havoc.

In I Am Legend, Will Smith stars as Army scientist Robert Neville. He is the last surviving human in 2012 New York City. A terrible virus has killed most of the planet's population. Neville remains, immune to the deadly virus. The film is based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name. The book was first adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).

Friday, March 21, 2008

Southland Tales


"What an awesome disaster of a movie," writes Waggish of Southland Tales. "Panned at Cannes, left for dead by Sony, eventually raking in $300K on an $18 million budget and forcing a promise from Richard Kelly that he will be more commercial in the future, I now say that it's the major American movie of 2007 that I enjoyed the most, far more than limp critic-fodder There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men."


"I know, for myself, that whereas No Country for Old Men stunned me in its first weekend, by the time it won Best Picture I had come to feel what a bleak trick it is," writes David Thomson in the LA Weekly. "But I find myself still close to tears with Bonnie and Clyde, even though I know it shot for shot, and I'm not sure now whether I am moved by Warren and Faye, by the idea of cinema, or by the bloodshot summer of 1967. I cannot forget that when the picture opened (for me) in London that August, I saw it day after day, leaving the job I dreaded and telling myself that my life had to change, even if I ended up shot to pieces with those two shampooed darlings."

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Online Video Using iWeb and Final Cut Pro

If you have a .Mac account you can put a video from Final Cut Pro online with iWeb in a few steps. This is a great way to allow a client to preview a video without much effort. Making the site secure for only the client to be able to view the page is as simple as setting a login and password in iWeb before publishing.

To prepare a video for iWeb with Final Cut Pro, use the Quicktime Conversion Export option in Final Cut Pro. Selecting the iPhone Format option will compress the video to a 480x360 mpeg4 movie. The other preset mpeg4 format option in the Quicktime conversion is the iPod seting, which will output a 640x480 mpeg4 movie. Both of these options will produce an iWeb compatible video.

Starting a New Site with a blank page and dragging the MPEG4 video on the page is essentially all you need to do. It is very typical that you will get a warning saying that the file is too large, but I have yet to not be able to upload a video. There are a few minor options like adding the password protection that you can do, but for the most part all you have to do is publish the site to your .Mac account. If you intend on leaving the page up for a while you can set a domain to point to the .Mac link.

A Brief Introduction to Satyajit Ray

"The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. ...I feel that he is a "giant" of the movie industry."
- Akira Kurosawa

Satyajit Ray, an Indian filmmaker and among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in the eastern state of India - West Bengal. And yet, his films are of universal interest. They are about things that make up the human race - relationships, emotions, struggle, conflicts, joys and sorrows.

The Master StorytellerSatyajit Ray, the master storyteller, has left a cinematic heritage that belongs as much to India as to the world. His films demonstrate a remarkable humanism, elaborate observation and subtle handling of characters and situations. The cinema of Satyajit Ray is a rare blend of intellect and emotions. He is controlled, precise, meticulous, and yet, evokes deep emotional response from the audience. His films depict a fine sensitivity without using melodrama or dramatic excesses. He evolved a cinematic style that is almost invisible. He strongly believed - "The best technique is the one that's not noticeable".

Though initially inspired by the neo-realist tradition, his cinema belongs not to a specific category or style but a timeless meta-genre of a style of story telling that touches the audience in some way. His films belong to a meta-genre that includes the works of Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin, David Lean, Federico Fellini, Fritz Lang, John Ford, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, Luis Bunuel, Yasujiro Ozu, Ritwik Ghatak and Robert Bresson. All very different in style and content, and yet creators of cinema that is timeless and universal.

Impressive OeuvreSatyajit Ray's films are both cinematic and literary at the same time; using a simple narrative, usually in a classical format, but greatly detailed and operating at many levels of interpretation.

His first film, Pather Panchali (Song of the little road, 1955) established his reputation as a major film director, winning numerous awards including Best Human Document, Cannes, 1956 and Best Film, Vancouver, 1958. It is the first film of a trilogy - The Apu Trilogy - a three-part tale of a boy's life from birth through manhood. The other two films of this trilogy are Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959).

His later films include Jalsaghar (The Music Room, 1958), Devi (The Goddess, 1960), Teen Kanya (Two Daughters, 1961), Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964), Nayak (The Hero, 1966), Asani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973), Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Ghare Baire (The Home and the World, 1984), Ganashatru (An Enemy Of The People, 1989) and Shakha Prashakha (Branches Of The Tree, 1991). Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) was his last film.

True AuteurRay directly controlled many aspects of filmmaking. He wrote all the screenplays of his films, many of which were based on his own stories.
He designed the sets and costumes, operated the camera since Charulata (1964), he composed the music for all his films since 1962 and designed the publicity posters for his new releases.

In addition to filmmaking, Ray was a composer, a writer and a graphic designer. He even designed a new typeface. In 1961, he revived and continued to publish the Bengali children's magazine "Sandesh", which was founded by his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray .

A Brief Introduction to Satyajit Ray
"The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. ...I feel that he is a "giant" of the movie industry."
- Akira KurosawaSatyajit Ray, an Indian filmmaker and among the dozen or so great masters of world cinema, is known for his humanistic approach to cinema. He made his films in Bengali, a language spoken in the eastern state of India - West Bengal. And yet, his films are of universal interest. They are about things that make up the human race - relationships, emotions, struggle, conflicts, joys and sorrows.
The Master StorytellerSatyajit Ray, the master storyteller, has left a cinematic heritage that belongs as much to India as to the world. His films demonstrate a remarkable humanism, elaborate observation and subtle handling of characters and situations. The cinema of Satyajit Ray is a rare blend of intellect and emotions. He is controlled, precise, meticulous, and yet, evokes deep emotional response from the audience. His films depict a fine sensitivity without using melodrama or dramatic excesses. He evolved a cinematic style that is almost invisible. He strongly believed - "The best technique is the one that's not noticeable". Though initially inspired by the neo-realist tradition, his cinema belongs not to a specific category or style but a timeless meta-genre of a style of story telling that touches the audience in some way. His films belong to a meta-genre that includes the works of Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin, David Lean, Federico Fellini, Fritz Lang, John Ford, Ingmar Bergman, Jean Renoir, Luis Bunuel, Yasujiro Ozu, Ritwik Ghatak and Robert Bresson. All very different in style and content, and yet creators of cinema that is timeless and universal.
Impressive OeuvreSatyajit Ray's films are both cinematic and literary at the same time; using a simple narrative, usually in a classical format, but greatly detailed and operating at many levels of interpretation. His first film, Pather Panchali (Song of the little road, 1955) established his reputation as a major film director, winning numerous awards including Best Human Document, Cannes, 1956 and Best Film, Vancouver, 1958. It is the first film of a trilogy - The Apu Trilogy - a three-part tale of a boy's life from birth through manhood. The other two films of this trilogy are Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) and Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959). His later films include Jalsaghar (The Music Room, 1958), Devi (The Goddess, 1960), Teen Kanya (Two Daughters, 1961), Charulata (The Lonely Wife, 1964), Nayak (The Hero, 1966), Asani Sanket (Distant Thunder, 1973), Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players, 1977), Ghare Baire (The Home and the World, 1984), Ganashatru (An Enemy Of The People, 1989) and Shakha Prashakha (Branches Of The Tree, 1991). Agantuk (The Stranger, 1991) was his last film.
True AuteurRay directly controlled many aspects of filmmaking. He wrote all the screenplays of his films, many of which were based on his own stories. He designed the sets and costumes, operated the camera since Charulata (1964), he composed the music for all his films since 1962 and designed the publicity posters for his new releases. In addition to filmmaking, Ray was a composer, a writer and a graphic designer. He even designed a new typeface. In 1961, he revived and continued to publish the Bengali children's magazine "Sandesh", which was founded by his grandfather Upendrakishore Ray .
AwardsIn 1978, the organizing committee of the Berlin Film Festival ranked him as one of the three all-time best directors. In 1992, Satyajit Ray received the honorary Academy Award ©A.M.P.A.S. ® - Lifetime Achievement - "In recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and for his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world." Other honors include "Lègion d'Honneur", France and "Bharatratna" (Jewel of India).

Friday, March 14, 2008

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS


3/14 -- Billy Crystal (61)
3/15 -- Eva Longoria (33)
3/16 -- Victor Garber (How old? Find out)
3/17 -- Gary Sinise (53)
3/18 -- Dane Cook (36)
3/19 -- Bruce Willis (53)
3/20 -- Spike Lee (51)

Trailer for 'Incredible Hulk' debuts; Plus we've got new photos


The first trailer for The Incredible Hulk premiered last night on various Viacom TV networks (like MTV). The video for Universal's movie mulligan is now online at incrediblehulk.com -- including in HD.


This is the first clear glimpse we've gotten of the reworked CGI Hulk. And, you know what? It looks a lot like the last one. (How much different can you make "big, green, and menacing"?)


What does feel different from Ang Lee's 2003 version is the action in this version. The inclusion of the villain The Abomination (that other creature in the trailer) makes a big difference. Having the Hulk battle a General just isn't enough for the big screen.


For comparison, take a look at the trailer for the 2003 film:

The new movie is led by French director Louis Leterrier from The Transporter and Transporter 2. The script was written by Zak Penn (X2, Elektra, Fantastic Four, and X-Men: The Last Stand) and tweaked by star Edward Norton.


The movie arrives in theaters exactly three months from today on June 13. Below are some pics provided by Universal Pictures.

Which movie was advertised as the first movie filmed on two continents?

Given the blatant and obvious Irish theme of this email, you had to suspect that Ireland was involved somehow, no? A Lad from Old Ireland (1910) was filmed in County Kerry, Ireland and New York, making it the first movie ever filmed on two separate continents.

The highest grossing Irish movie in the United States was 1991's The Commitments. Its box office take of $14.9 million was slightly higher than that of other Irish films such as Angela's Ashes and Michael Collins.

The highest box office gross taken in on St. Patrick's Day belongs to Ice Age. It took in $13.6 million on March 17, 2002 on its third day of release.

Friday, March 7, 2008

JUST ANNOUNCED ON DVD


Individual 'Indiana Jones' movies hit DVD for the first time on May 13th


Just in time to capitalize on the May 22nd release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Paramount and LucasFilm are releasing the first three Indiana Jones movies on DVD individually for the first time on May 13th.


Previously, the films were only available on DVD as a complete collection. In May, the films will be available as both singles and as a collectible set.


All three films have new bonus features:


Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark: An Introduction by Steven Spielberg & George Lucas
Indiana Jones: An Appreciation - The cast and crew of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pay tribute to the original trilogy.
The Melting Face - A recreation of the amazing physical effect of the villain's melting face in Raiders of the Lost Ark, including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas commenting on the evolution of visual effects and CGI.
Storyboard Sequence - The Well of Souls
Galleries: Illustrations & Props, Production Photographs & Portraits, Effects/ILM, Marketing
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game Demo and Trailer


Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: An Introduction by Steven Spielberg & George Lucas
Creepy Crawlies - Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Frank Marshall reminisce about snakes, bugs and rats
Locations - Travel across the world to discover where the films take place and where they were shot.
Storyboard Sequence - The Mine Cart Chase
Galleries: Illustrations & Props, Production Photographs & Portraits, Effects/ILM, Marketing
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Game Demo and Trailer


Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: An Introduction by Steven Spielberg & George Lucas
The Women: The American Film Institute Tribute - The three Indiana Jones women (Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw and Alison Doody) reunite for a discussion.
Friends and Enemies - Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Indiana Jones writers discuss how they created the most iconic characters in film history, including a look at new faces in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Storyboard Sequence - The Opening Sequence
Galleries: Illustrations & Props, Production Photographs & Portraits, Effects/ILM, Marketing

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Performing an Audio Pan in FCP


You can make your audio more dynamic in Final Cut Pro by panning sound effects from the left speaker to the right from within the Viewer Window.


A sound effect, such as a passing car panning from the left speaker to the right, can add another dimension to your project and lessen the flatness of canned sound effects.


Before you try this, keep in mind that you only need a mono clip to perform this effect, so if you have a stereo pair, unlink the two and delete one of the tracks.


1 Double click on the audio clip to load it into the viewer.2 Click on the channel tab in the Viewer Window.3 Option click on the purple audio spread overlay in order to get the pen tool to create keyframes and drag the points of the line so that it looks like the diagram below. When you begin to move the purple overly you will see a pink line underneath it. It helps if you think of it in this way: think of anything above the pink line as being the right channel and anything below as being the left channel.


Now the audio in this clip will pass from the left speak through the right when played.

Film


Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.


Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment, and a powerful method for educating — or indoctrinating — citizens. The visual elements of cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication; some movies have become popular worldwide attractions by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue.


Traditional films are made up of a series of individual images called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.


The origin of the name "film" comes from the fact that photographic film (also called film stock) had historically been the primary medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist for an individual motion picture, including picture, picture show, photo-play, flick, and most commonly, movie. Additional terms for the field in general include the big screen, the silver screen, the cinema, and the movies.

Monday, March 3, 2008

READING BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN


Putting together a syllabus for a course at Dartmouth - Queers, Queens, and Questionable Women: How Hollywood Shaped Post-War GLBT Politics and Vice Versa - Michael Bronski was amazed "at not only how brief, and fast moving, the history of specifically queer criticism has been, but also how protean it has been." His brief history begins with "the brilliant, and now largely forgotten by younger queer writers and academics, Parker Tyler," and takes Richard Dyer, B Ruby Rich and Vito Russo into consideration on his way to the present: "Academic queer film studies now finds itself in the sometimes awkward position of responding both to a need to continue to professionalize its work as well as to wrestle with the changing state of the market, which is now utterly different than it was a decade ago, never mind three decades. This cultural shift is, to varying degrees, apparent in the three volumes of recent queer film writing under review." And they are: The View from Here: Conversations with Gay and Lesbian Filmmakers, The Cinema of Todd Haynes: All That Heaven Allows and Reading Brokeback Mountain: Essays on the Story and the Film.

What movie grossed the most on Leap Day (February 29th)?

February isn't really known as a box office friendly month as most blockbusters either came out during the previous holiday season or are being held until the Summer. However, if you were to rank the highest grossing day from each month, February would come in 6th, behind only May, July, June, November and December.
The main reason for this uncanny success is due to one movie, The Passion of The Christ, which occupies four of the top five highest February days of all-time. The Passion of The Christ came out in 2004, also a leap year, and its Sunday take of opening weekend was $27.9 million, good enough for the second best single day in February ever. It so happened that is was also Leap Day.
Today, Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro opens and should do great business this weekend, but I would be shocked if it came close to challenging The Passion of The Christ's record.