With a week and a half to go before The Hunger Games hits the theatres, the frenzy began last night at the Los Angeles premiere of this much-anticipated movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Wes Bentley and more.

Liam brought girlfriend Miley Cyrus, Kelly Osbourne showed up as did Sylvester Stallone, Shailene Woodley, Kylie and Kendall Jenner and lots of other stars.

Early reports indicate that this movie is going to eclipse Twilight in the box office. When Breaking Dawn Part 1 debuted at the box office in November it opened at $138.1 million. As of last week The Hunger Games was upwards of $100 million. Suzanne Collins, the author of the book is about to become a very rich woman. A rival studio executive says:

"Numbers don't get much higher than this," said one rival studio executive. "Hunger Games is tracking like a sequel, even though it isn't a sequel. It's three times higher than the first Twilight."

Will you be seeing the movie? Are you team Peeta or team Gale? 

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Photos: Jody Cortes/WENN

We have some new stills from Nick Stoller’s The Five Year Engagement, which has been picked to open The Tribeca Film Festival in April. The romantic comedy, which stars Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, will kick off the festival, which runs from April 18-29,  just a little over a week before the film's April 27 opening.

Director Stoller, (The Muppets) shared his excitement in the official press release:

“When Jason and I met during the production of Undeclared, we couldn’t have imagined that one day we would write a comedy that would open such a prestigious film festival as Tribeca. We are so honored that the festival organizers have given us this platform to premiere the film. To be honest, this is all just a ploy to stand on top of a building with Robert De Niro and look out over New York City at dusk.”

The Five Year Engagement, which charts the ups and downs of an engaged couple's relationship, stars, in addition to Blunt and Segel,  Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, Chris Pratt, Kevin Hart, Mindy Kaling, Chris Parnell, Mimi Kennedy, David Paymer, Jacki Weaver and Dakota Johnson (daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith). It opens in the US on April 27, but not until 22^nd June in the UK. Enjoy the pics!

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Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, which we first told you about  when we debuted the trailer in January, will have its World Premiere as the opening night film of the 65th Cannes Film Festival on May 16. (Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris had that spot last year and that worked out very well.)  To celebrate, there’s also a beautiful new poster for the film.(Actually the poster came prior to the announcement, but I'm just now getting to it.)

Moonrise Kingdom is the iconoclastic Mr. Anderson’s first film since 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, (the first live-action since ‘07’s The Darjeeling Limited with Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson-which I loved. Actually I loved The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Rushmore as well.).

“Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, MOONRISE KINGDOM tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.”

From the press release on the festival’s official website:

“Moonrise Kingdom, the new film by American Wes Anderson, will open the 65th Festival de Cannes on Wednesday, 16 May in the Grand théâtre Lumière of the Palais des Festivals, with the Jury presided over by Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti in attendance.

…

Thierry Frémaux, the Festival’s General Delegate, commented: “Wes Anderson is one of the rising powers of American cinema, to which he brings a highly personal touch, particularly in Moonrise Kingdom, which once again is a testimony to the creative freedom in which he continues to evolve. Sensitive and independent, this admirer of Fellini and Renoir is also in his own right a brilliant and inventive filmmaker.”

Gilles Jacob, President of the Festival, is glad to proclaim: “With Wes Anderson opening the 65th Festival de Cannes, young American cinema will be celebrated on the Croisette.”

The film will be released on May 25 in the US, The UK and Canada

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source

Can’t make the trip to Los Angeles? You will still have an opportunity to watch all the excitement LIVE from the red carpet of the world premiere of The Hunger Games on Yahoo! the official live broadcast partner of the red carpet and will offer exclusive content including interviews with the cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Elizabeth Banks to name a few. Yahoo! Movies in conjunction with Lionsgate®, will be live streaming the World Premiere of the film, Monday, March 12 at 8:30pm ET/5:30p.m, 8:30pm PT. You can watch via the player below so be sure to bookmark this page.

Fans can start submitting their questions now via Twitter and Facebook using #HungerGameLIVE. Questions will be answered LIVE on the red carpet. Fans also have the chance to win “The Hunger Games” merchandise, including daily prizes such as posters, books, soundtracks and more on Yahoo! Movies.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Lionsgate will release The Hunger Games on March 23, 2012.

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The men (and women) of John Carter took it to The BFI Southbank in London last night, Thursday March 1, for a red carpet premiere. (This is the one I’ve been waiting for of course, since I knew that Mark Strong would turn up.) Oddly enough for a big American movie shot mostly in the US (although some scenes were shot in London), the majority of the cast hails from the UK.  Also in attendance were the film’s star Taylor Kitsch as well as it’s director Brad Bird and Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, a very pregnant and glowing Samantha Morton, Dominic West and James Purefoy. (No Ciaran Hinds!)

I saw Taylor Kitsch on The Late Show with David Letterman the other night and found him completely charming, funny and self-deprecating.  He managed to make a story about living in New York apartments with no electricity and even sleeping on the subway while in acting class amusing and without a hint of self-pity. I am digging James Purefoy’s pocket square, yes indeed, oh my yes. And Mark Strong’s three piece suit with that boldly patterned tie. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that on him before.  Nice choice.

{Can I just say that I wish WENN and other “news” agencies would do their homework? I get so tired of seeing husbands, wives, even costars identified only as “and guest” in their photos. If I recognize them, they certainly should and it’s more their obligation than mine. (That’s Willem Dafoe’s wife Giada Colagrande and they’ve been married since 2005.) Rant over.}

John Carter opens in 2D, 3D and IMAX in one week on March 9! Enjoy the pics!

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photo source: WENN.com

Last night, February 22, in La La Land, the stars came out to fete Disney’s John Carter at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live.  Joining director Andrew Stanton, stars Taylor Kitsch, Willem Dafoe, Lynn Collins, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, composer-extraordinaire  Michael Giacchino and costume designer Mabes Rubeo, along with every kid who’s ever appeared on the Disney Channel, were luminaries like Sigourney Weaver, Kevin McKidd and Dame Helen Mirren.

Alas and alack…no Mark Strong. Bummer. Oh well, we have lots of pics of the other pretty people. We even have videos from the red carpet interviews with Andrew Stanton, Taylor Kitsch and Willem Dafoe.

Once again, the synopsis for John Carter:

“From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter–a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present.

The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.”

Enjoy the pics and vids. I suspect we’ll have more to bring you today or tomorrow. John Carter opens planet-wide on March 9 in IMAX, 3D and 2D.

Andrew Stanton:

Taylor Kitsch:

Willem Dafoe

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Photos: Brian To/WENN

Robert Pattinson’s next post-Twilight project, Bel Ami, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last night. Not sure what was up with that convict hair cut. It’s probably for a role. Either that or he just got fed up with people talking about his hair and not his acting.

His fans certainly didn’t seem to mind. He was MOBBED. A couple of female fans had a sign letting him know that they’d waited thirty hours for his arrival. (Thirty. 3.0. I don’t think I’d wait thirty hours outside in a German February for anyone. Not even Gerard Butler.)

Rob brought along a couple of the feminine forms with which he toys in the movie, Christina Ricci (who’s losing that ‘lollipop-head-on-a-stick’ look.) and Holliday Grainger (The Borgias). I love Grainger’s blue velvet dress. The details are on trend with the ‘Downton Abbey look’ coming off the runways at NY and Paris Fashion Week. He also brought his parents. I love that. (Michael Fassbender brought his parents to the BAFTAs last week, too) He really does look like a combination of the two, doesn’t he? He also brought his GORGEOUS sisters!

Bel Ami tells the story of a young man's rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's most influential and wealthy women. RPattz, of course, plays the young man. His conquests are played in addition to Grainger and Ricci, by Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas. Bel Ami is set to open in the US on March 2 and in the UK on 9^th March.

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I wonder how many web postings today have had some variation of that title…

After yesterday’s photocall, the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire took to the red carpet last night for the premiere of their film at the Berlinale. Woo Hoo! Good enough reason to bring you some Michael Fassbender in a suit, am I right?

Fassbender and Antonio Banderas were clowning around, all while looking extraordinarily handsome.  I can only imagine some of the dialogue: “Miguel, mi amigo! Didn’t I just see you two hours ago?” “Why yes Antonio, you did. And I must say we look even better now than we did then.” “Agreed!”

The genetically gifted duo posed alongside the film’s leading ladies, former MMA fighter Gina Carano in a shiny LBD and Natascha Berg in red.

We have lots of pics below, but we also have a bit of news.  MTV spoke to writer/producer Simon Kinberg at the premiere of his latest film, This Means War, and they talked about the highly anticipated X-Men: First Class sequel!

"I don’t know what the title is going to be but certainly I’m working on the sequel to 'X-Men: First Class' right now," Kinberg said. "I’m going to be writing and producing it, I’m starting now, with Matthew Vaughn directing."

Kinberg went on to say that while they're still in the early stages of story-planning, the second film will likely involve a lot more Magneto.

"That’s what was so cool about the first one and what we want to continue," Kinberg said of exploring the supervillain's tortured beginnings. "Magneto becomes the villain ultimately of the franchise but he’s a much more complicated character as a young man. He’s someone you sympathize with, you care about you root for even though might not necessarily agree with his methods, you understand his philosophy."

"…a lot more Magneto.” Skweeeeeee!  Yes please!

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