Articles from March 2010



Nominate Johnny Depp for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards!

It’s that time of year again . . . MTV is collecting nominations for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards! This funny, unconventional awards show features categories you won’t find anywhere else. You can nominate Johnny for Best Male Performance (as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland), and in the brand new categories of Global Superstar (enough said) and Best WTF Moment (for the Mad Hatter’s dance at the end of Alice). Don’t forget to nominate Alice in Wonderland for Best Movie! Make your nominations on the MTV Movie Awards site HERE. You will need to register to vote. Nominations voting ends at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, April 9th!

The MTV Movie Awards will be televised live on June 6, 2010 from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. The Zone thanks AnaMaria for breaking the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

THE LONE RANGER, with Johnny Depp as Tonto, “will get done in the next year or so,” says Jerry Bruckheimer

In a recent interview with MTV’s Larry Carroll, producer Jerry Bruckheimer reiterated that a new version of The Lone Ranger remains a priority for him: “The Lone Ranger is another [project] that we’re working on and Johnny [Depp]wants to play Tonto, so we’re excited about that.” We know that Johnny will be donning his Captain Jack Sparrow costume and going to work for Mr. Bruckheimer in June, with Pirates 4 coming to theaters in May 2011. Just when might the pair saddle up for The Lone Ranger? “That hopefully will get done in the next year or so,” replied Mr. Bruckheimer. “We’re still working on the screenplay.” Justin Haythe recently took over as screenwriter from Pirates scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.

Identifying himself as a longtime fan of the series–“I used to watch it all the time on television. That’s one of the reasons we’re making it, because I enjoyed it so much”–Mr. Bruckheimer promises that his film will explain why the Lone Ranger became a masked avenger. “This is the origin of Lone Ranger,” he told MTV, “so you’re gonna see how [. . .] a Texas Ranger [. . .] became the Lone Ranger.”

Although Johnny Depp will be playing Tonto, there is no casting yet for the Ranger. The producer is looking for “[a] great actor who’s handsome and charismatic, which we’ll find.” For a video clip of Mr. Bruckheimer discussing The Lone Ranger, CLICK HERE.

The Zone thanks Theresa for sharing the article; you can read more about The Lone Ranger on the Porch General Discussion forum.

At last! ARIZONA DREAM, starring Johnny Depp, available on DVD in the U.S.

Three cheers for the Warner Archive Collection! They have released Emir Kusturica’s award-winning 1993 film Arizona Dream on DVD and digital download, giving Johnny Depp fans in the United States the option of easily purchasing a legal copy. You can order Arizona Dream HERE. Although the film has long been available on DVD in Europe, Americans had to search for bootlegs or imports on Ebay, since Arizona Dream was never released on DVD in region 1. The coming-of-age story stars Johnny Depp as Axel Blackmar and features a wonderful ensemble of actors including Faye Dunaway, Lili Taylor, Jerry Lewis, and Vincent Gallo. Arizona Dream won a Special Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Warsaw International Film Festival.

Johnny Depp will work with director Emir Kusturica again next year, playing Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa in Kusturica’s Wild Roses, Tender Roses, which will co-star Salma Hayek.

The Zone thanks FANtasticJD for sharing the news; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Timothy Dalton and Steven Berkoff join THE TOURIST cast

The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, has added Timothy Dalton and Steven Berkoff to its cast, reports Dave McNary of Variety. Timothy Dalton played James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, has played both Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rochester in Jane Eyre, and made a memorable villain in The Rocketeer. Steven Berkoff is a veteran British actor whose five-decade career includes scores of roles, including a portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the miniseries War and Remembrance.

The Tourist, directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, is currently shooting on location in Venice. Produced by Graham King, the romantic thriller co-stars Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell.

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the news; you can read more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

USA TODAY puts Haiti charity single “I Put a Spell on You” on The Playlist

Shane MacGowan’s charity cover of “I Put a Spell on You,” featuring a guitar solo by Johnny Depp, is getting positive attention from the media. USA Today‘s music critic Jerry Shriver put “I Put a Spell on You” on The Playlist as one of the “ten most intriguing tracks found during the week’s listening” for the March 23rd issue, noting that “proceeds from this scary cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ voodoo classic go to Haiti relief.”

Jennifer Cooke of Pop Matters offers this review: “Finally, an all-star charity jam you might be interested in for musical reasons as well as altruistic ones. Legendary Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan assembled a small but impressive group of friends for this cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ ‘I Put a Spell on You,’ including Nick Cave, Mick Jones, Johnny Depp (he of the ubiquitous guest guitar spot), Chrissie Hynde, and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie. There are few non-legends hanging about as well (Paloma Faith, anyone?), but I guess we can’t all be Chrissie, now can we?”

All proceeds from the single go to the Irish-based charity Concern Worldwide’s Haitian relief efforts. The charity has been at work in Haiti for 16 years. “I Put a Spell on You” is available on iTunes. It can also be ordered from the Concern website HERE.

Johnny Depp attends Tokyo premiere of ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton capped off a day of promotion in Tokyo for Alice in Wonderland by attending the Japanese premiere of the film and celebrating with their fans. To see a photo of Johnny Depp speaking to fans at the premiere, CLICK HERE, and to see a photo of Johnny signing autographs in the crowd, CLICK HERE. Although Johnny had planned to leave Japan immediately after the premiere, events ran late, so he spent the night in Tokyo: private planes cannot take off from Narita Airport after 10 p.m. He will return to Italy where he is currently filming The Tourist for Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Alice in Wonderland will be released in Japan on April 17, 2010. The Zone thanks AnaMaria and Evochka for sharing pictures and GAO for the news from Japan. You can read much more about the Japanese premiere of Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News & Views forum and the Pit General Discussion forum.

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton meet the press in Japan

Alice in Wonderland’s director and Mad Hatter teamed up for a joint press conference in Tokyo today before the Japanese premiere of the film, answering questions about their long-time collaboration and their approach to the ultra-successful adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic. To see a photo of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp clowning around at the press conference, CLICK HERE, and to see a photo of them waving to the press, CLICK HERE. Regarding playing the Mad Hatter, Johnny Depp said, “For me to play the Hatter wasn’t a great stretch by any means. In a sense I think the character was kind of already blooming inside, ready to show its face.” And he had no trouble bonding with the character: “I do like hats,” JD explained.

Tim Burton explained that he chose 3D for Alice in Wonderland because the technology seemed “the perfect mix of medium and material. [. . .I]t’s just a great tool, if you love movies. It’s a way to bring you into a movie in a way. Especially with Wonderland, which is such an off-kilter place, it becomes another character.”

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have now made seven films together, and JD told the Japanese press that he “never disagreed on anything” with Tim in the decades they had worked together. However, they did voice different opinions when asked what they would do if they had an experience like Alice’s, and slipped into a wonderland. Johnny said he would gladly stay there, but Tim has had enough: “I was there for two years,” he said, “so I’m ready to leave.” Audiences, however, cannot get enough of Wonderland; Alice in Wonderland was the top film in the world for the third week in a row.

The Zone thanks Emma for news articles about the press conference and Evochka for the photo. You can read much more about Johnny’s visit to Japan on the Zone’s News & Views forum and the Pit General Discussion forum.

BREAKING NEWS–Johnny Depp arrives in Japan for the ALICE IN WONDERLAND premiere!

The photo at left, taken by Akko, shows Johnny Depp as he arrives at Narita Airport and greets waiting fans. To see a larger version of the photo, CLICK HERE, and to see the photo Lotte took on her cell phone, which shows Johnny waving to the crowd, CLICK HERE. Johnny and director Tim Burton have a very busy day scheduled–first a press conference, then a fan event, and finally the Tokyo premiere of Alice in Wonderland.

Japanese news sources report that more than a thousand well-wishers came to Narita Airport to welcome Johnny to Japan. To see a photo of Johnny arriving in Japan, CLICK HERE; you can see a photo of Johnny with the crowd HERE.

The Zone will be carrying a live video stream of the Japan Fan Event, as we did for the Ultimate Fan Event in Los Angeles and the Royal World Premiere in London; you can watch on our Pit General Discussion Forum. The Fan Event begins at 5 p.m. Tokyo time on Monday, which is 8 a.m in the UK and 4 a.m. Eastern time in the U.S. See the discussion thread on the Pit for GAO’s translation of tweets from the press conference; she has been following the event on Twitter for the Zone and doing a fantastic job of providing simultaneous translation. Many thanks to GAO, Lotte, jdsuki, vanessa119, Akko, Cayo, and In-too-Depp for sharing news and pictures from Japan–you are wonderful!–and thanks to Theresa for the video feed.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND claims the box-office crown for the third weekend in a row!

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Mia Wasikowska as Alice, and Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, handily defeated all box-office competition in its third weekend of release, earning $34.5 million in North America and setting a box-office record for a March release. Alice has now made $265.7 million domestically after just 17 days in theaters. Fox’s new release Diary of a Wimpy Kid took second place for the weekend with a better-than-expectations $21.8 million, with the Jennifer Aniston-Gerard Butler romantic comedy The Bounty Hunter close behind at $21 million.

Overseas, Alice in Wonderland continued to soar over all competition, earning an estimated $47 million and bringing its foreign earnings to more than $300 million. Alice‘s worldwide total box office–hold on to your mad hats–is $565.8 million. Walt Disney Studios must be thrilled with Alice‘s performance, because Disney hasn’t had a film that stayed #1 at the box office for three weekends in a row since 2006. That film was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, also starring Johnny Depp.

Coincidence? We don’t think so.

The Zone thanks Shadowydog, Emma, and FANtastic JD for today’s box office updates. You can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp to attend Tokyo premiere of ALICE IN WONDERLAND on March 22!

Despite his hectic schedule–he is currently filming The Tourist in Venice for director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck–Johnny Depp will attend the Japanese premiere of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in Tokyo on March 22nd! This is wonderful news for JD’s very dedicated Japanese fans, who always offer him such a warm welcome whenever he visits. Johnny’s trip to Japan will be very brief this time–it is estimated that he will be there for approximately 15 hours and will leave by 10 p.m. on the 22nd. Nonetheless, he is planning to attend the press conference, the fan event, and the Alice in Wonderland premiere. I guess he can sleep on the plane!

Many thanks to Cayo and GAO for the news from Japan. You can read more about the Tokyo premiere of Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

PIRATES producer Jerry Bruckheimer receives Lifetime Achievement Award from theater owners at ShoWest, talks about ON STRANGER TIDES

Grateful theater owners said “Thanks for the blockbusters” to Jerry Bruckheimer on Thursday night by giving the producer a Lifetime Achievement Award on the final night of this year’s ShoWest convention. “Hopefully, there’s more to come,” said Mr. Bruckheimer, who has Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in theaters on May 28th, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nicolas Cage opening on July 16th, and the 4th installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides, set to begin filming in June. Johnny Depp will return in his Oscar-nominated role as Captain Jack Sparrow, and will be joined by Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, and Ian McShane as Blackbeard.

On Stranger Tides picks up where At World’s End left off, says David Germain of the Associated Press, “as Sparrow embarks on a new quest with a map to the fountain of youth in hand.” Producer Bruckheimer told AP that “he did not yet know if On Stranger Tides” would be a stand-alone adventure or if it would spawn another sequel. “When we made the first one, it was only going to be one movie,” he said. “So you never know. If Johnny stays in love with the character, hopefully we could continue it.”

As for the new characters in On Stranger Tides, the producer confirmed to MTV News that Ian McShane will be playing “the nastiest pirate ever” and that Penelope Cruz will play a “feisty” character who may engage in “a little romance” with Captain Jack.

Will On Stranger Tides be a 3D pirate adventure? It’s possible, but no final decision has been made, Mr. Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter. Nor has Disney decided whether to shoot in 3D or convert the movie into 3D once it’s shot, as they did with Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. On Stranger Tides will film in Hawaii this summer: “We have to see if the cameras can take the stress of the jungle,” Mr. Bruckheimer said.

The Zone thanks Emma and Theresa for the news; you can read more about On Stranger Tides on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

When Johnny Depp plays tourist in Venice, it draws a crowd! New photos from THE TOURIST set

The photo at left shows Johnny Depp during the filming of The Tourist outside the Santa Lucia train station in Venice on March 17th. JD looks every inch the prototypical tourist (only much better-looking, of course) as he drops his luggage at his feet while he struggles to identify his location on a map. To see a larger version of the photo, CLICK HERE. The filming drew such a large crowd that the production had to shut down early in the interest of public safety! Well, who could resist the opportunity to see Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie practicing their craft in one of the most beautiful settings in the world?

To get some idea of the size of the crowd, CLICK HERE, and to see what everyone was looking at–Johnny Depp (with map) walking toward Angelina Jolie in a water taxi–CLICK HERE. Many thanks to In-too-Depp and Reyhan for the pictures and to Emma for news articles. You can read more about The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie filming THE TOURIST–new pictures from Venice!

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie were finally photographed together as they worked on The Tourist in Venice today. Paparazzi snapped them as they boarded a water taxi and zoomed along the Grand Canal; Angelina is once again wearing the Colleen Atwood costume she donned for the first day of filming in Paris, with the beige capelet and over-the-elbow leather gloves, while Johnny wears the gray overcoat and scarf familiar from the balcony scenes. To see a larger version of the photo, CLICK HERE, and to see another picture of Johnny and Angelina aboard the water taxi, CLICK HERE. You can see a photo of Johnny with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck HERE. The Zone thanks Reyhan for sharing the photographs!

In other Tourist news, actors Paul Bettany and Rufus Sewell have joined the cast; no word yet on their roles. Welcome aboard! You can read more about the filming of The Tourist on the Zone’s News & Views forum. See the Pit General Discussion forum for a lively commentary about the pictures from Venice.

New pictures from Venice–Johnny Depp filming THE TOURIST

The paparazzi gathered in force around the Mercato del Pesce on the Rialto in Venice today, since the world-famous fish market was closed for business to allow filming of key scenes from The Tourist. According to la Nuova di Venezia, the sequence involves Johnny Depp’s stunt double launching himself over a balcony and “landing on one of the tents that cover the front row of stalls for fruit and vegetables.” An altercation with the police ensues; rumor has it that the scene ends with “a spectacular dive into the Grand Canal.” All this derring-do takes place with Johnny Depp’s character, Frank, clad in a pair of blue-striped pajamas.

To see a larger version of the photo of JD on the Mercato del Pesce set, CLICK HERE, and for another photo of the actor, this time surrounded by female admirers (what a surprise!), CLICK HERE. The ladies look extremely happy, don’t they? This PHOTO shows JD discussing the scene with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; you can see JD’s stunt double in the top right corner of the picture.

At the end of the shooting day, despite the freezing cold, Johnny Depp stopped to greet well-wishers who had gathered to watch the filming. La Nuova di Venezia reports, “Greeted by cries at the end of each take, perhaps inspired by some of his staff [who] noted the tenacity of his admirers, and almost certainly touched by such devotion, Johnny Depp finally conceded to sign autographs, shake their frozen hands and even give a few kisses.”

The Zone thanks Emma for news articles and photos from Venice; we also thank Evochka, AnaMaria and Theresa for sharing photos from The Tourist set. You can read more about the filming of The Tourist on the Zone’s News and Views forum and the Pit General Discussion forum.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND throttles the competition–earns $62 million in its second weekend, tops $430 million worldwide!

“Blockbuster” is too pale a term to describe the box-office performance of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. The film earned $62 million in its second weekend, four times the total of its closest competitor, the new release Green Zone starring Matt Damon. “After holding extremely well throughout the week, the Disney film dropped a scant 47 percent its second weekend in theaters,” reports Nicole Sperling of Entertainment Weekly. Alice in Wonderland‘s 10-day total is $208 million, making Alice the first $200 million-plus success of 2010. Alice has now earned more domestically than 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, making it the most successful Burton-Depp box-office collaboration in their seven films together.

The overseas box-office totals–more than $221 million–are just as staggering. Although the film has yet to open in many major markets–Japanese fans are hoping Johnny Depp will make it to their premiere on March 22nd–the worldwide box office total for Alice in Wonderland stands at an amazing $430 million after only ten days in release, a figure The Hollywood Reporter‘s Carl DiOrio describes as “surreal.” We can’t do better than that, Mr. DiOrio: surreal it is.

The Zone thanks Emma, Theresa, Snoopy Dances, and FANtasticJD for box-office updates; you can read more about Alice in Wonderland‘s success on the Zone’s News & Views forum. Congratulations to Tim Burton and the Alice cast and crew!

“You get warmth in spades from Johnny and Tim”–Matt Lucas talks about filming ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Alice in Wonderland is comic actor Matt Lucas’s first American movie; however, in England, Lucas is extremely well-known as the co-creator and star of the comedy series Little Britain. In Alice, Lucas plays Tweedledee and Tweedledum, characters Lucas describes as “both childish and child-like, juvenile in the extreme.” Lucas feels his forte is playing eccentric characters, so he was delighted to get to work with Tim Burton, who not only favors quirky characters but also displays remarkable “trust of his actors,” Lucas says.

“He employs people he likes, then he really trusts them to build the character and the performance,” Lucas told Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times. “[T]he first take is always the actors’ take. With all the money invested into the project and how little time people have to make the movie. He let actors have the first take and then work with them to craft – keep that, turn that bit down, try for this. [. . .] He brings with him the enthusiasm of someone making their first film,” Lucas said. “You have the expertise of someone who has been doing it a long, long time but there is still something boyish in his excitement. I think the same can be said of Johnny Depp. It was just ambition on display and enthusiasm and excitement and craft. They seemed pleased to be there. I know I was.

“You get warmth in spades from Johnny and Tim,” Lucas continued. “You get briefly included in their warm friendship. In Johnny’s trailer, and this betrays a confidence perhaps but I hope he will forgive me, on the refrigerator there’s a drawing of the Mad Hatter by Johnny’s kids. And it said, ‘Good Luck Dad.’ I found that so wonderful.”

The Zone thanks Snoopy Dances for the Matt Lucas interview and Theresa for the picture of Johnny and Matt at the Ultimate Fan Event in Los Angeles. To see a larger photo, CLICK HERE. You can read more about Alice in Wonderland on the Zone’s News and Views forum, and you can read the full Matt Lucas interview HERE.

Penelope Cruz talks to Access Hollywood about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4

Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush caught up to Penelope Cruz on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday, and asked her about returning to the Academy Awards as “the defending champion” in the Best Supporting Actress category. “I want to enjoy everything that I couldn’t enjoy last year because I was so nervous,” Ms. Cruz replied. “This year, I am still nervous, but I am determined to enjoy tonight.” The Oscar-winner was also asked what her next project would be, and Ms. Cruz’s answer will be of interest to Johnny Depp fans:

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Will you get right into another film, right now, or are you taking some time off? What are you going to do?

PENELOPE CRUZ: I think I will make a movie in the summer–

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: In the summer?

PENELOPE CRUZ: In June. I think it will be Pirates of the Caribbean, and I’m very excited about that. And I will not work before that. [with a laugh] Oh, I will work, but I will not be shooting a movie before that.

More confirmation that we can look for Penelope Cruz to share the screen with Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow in On Stranger Tides. What fun!

The Zone thanks Emma for the Access Hollywood interview. You can read more about Pirates of the Caribbean 4 on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

Babybird’s “Unloveable” video, directed by Johnny Depp–see it here!

Last September Johnny Depp spent several days directing a music video for Babybird; the track is “Unloveable” from their new CD Ex-Maniac. The video stars Babybird lead singer Stephen Jones and actor Stephen Graham, who appeared with Johnny Depp in Public Enemies. The storyline of this haunting and vividly realized short film will call to mind Ambrose Bierce’s classic story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” You can watch it here:

The Zone thanks AnaMaria, Lu, Alice Springs, and Theresa for sharing clips of the “Unloveable” video. You can learn more about Babybird and the band’s upcoming concert appearances for Ex-Maniac at the official online Babybird community HERE. Thanks also to Emma for keeping us up-to-date with breaking news on “Unloveable;” you can read a lively discussion of the video on the Zone’s Porch discussion forum.

My career “defies logic,” Johnny Depp tells PARADE MAGAZINE

In an interview published in Sunday’s Parade Magazine, Johnny Depp talked to Jeanne Wolf about his career path. “My whole ride in this business since day one has been pretty surreal,” Johnny said. “It defies logic. I’m still completely shocked that I get jobs and still am around. So it has been a kind like falling through the rabbit hole into a kind of wonderland.”

Regarding his most recent role as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s just-released Alice in Wonderland, Johnny reiterated that he would have played any role Burton requested. “To be honest, he could have asked me to play Alice and I would have said yes,” Johnny said. “I would have done whatever character he wanted. The fact that it was the Mad Hatter was a bonus because it was a great challenge.” As for their working relationship, Johnny said, “There is some kind of connection, some sort of understanding that Tim and I have that is at most times unspoken. I do feel a certain amount of pressure like, ‘Will this be the film where I disappoint him?’ I try really hard just to come up with something that’s very different and we haven’t experienced together before.”

When asked what was most important to him, Johnny didn’t talk about his career. “I think meeting the mother of my children, Vanessa, completely changed my life. When I watch her with our kids, I can’t think of anything more beautiful in the world. [. . .] In spite of my career we really try to have a normal family life. I think it’s made me mellower about just about everything.”

The Zone thanks Emma for sharing the Parade interview; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND’s $116.1 million opening weekend shatters box office records

Congratulations to Tim Burton and his merry repertory company! Alice in Wonderland earned a stunning $116.1 million at the box-office this weekend in the U.S. and Canada. “Even accounting for ticket price inflation, that’s the biggest-ever opening in the first quarter of the year, easily beating the record of $83.8 million set by The Passion of the Christ in 2004,” says the Los Angeles Times. And the news from overseas was just as strong: Disney reports that Alice “logged the biggest international opening weekend ever for any title launched in the January-April period,” grossing an estimated $94 million in 40 territories.

Combined with its No. 1 weekend tally in the U.S. and Canada, Alice grossed a total of $210.3 million on its first weekend. That gives Alice the fourth highest worldwide opening for a non-sequel film. Amazing!

Alice in Wonderland‘s performance abroad is especially impressive because the film is playing in only “60% of the international marketplace,” according to Disney. The Hollywood Reporter writes that “key territories [such as] France and China won’t open the picture until later this month with debuts in Spain, Japan and Brazil due next month.”

“Its huge opening more than justifies the approximately $200 million that Disney spent to make the film,” notes the Los Angeles Times. And Alice should have legs: “Audiences gave the movie an average grade of A-minus, according to market research firm CinemaScore, meaning that word of mouth should be strong despite mixed reviews.”

The Zone extends our congratulations and sincere thanks to retired Disney chief Dick Cook, who gave the green light to Alice in Wonderland and assembled its marvelously talented roster of artists. Mr. Cook’s brainchild has now earned more at the box office in just three days than “the total gross of any other 2010 release,” says BoxOfficeMojo. Not bad at all.

The Zone thanks Shadowydog and FANtasticJD for the box office reports; you can read more on the Zone’s News & Views forum.